cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy-capital substitution, wage flexibility and aggregate output supply

Abstract This paper analyzes the relationship between factor substitution, labor market conditions and aggregate output supply in order to study the transmission mechanism of energy price change to the rest of the economy. It shows that the energy-capital complementarity vs. substitutability issue may turn out to be crucial in shaping the direction of the adjustment of aggregate output supply following energy price changes. How crucial it is, it is shown to depend on the beliefs of firms regarding the stock of capital, on the degree to which labor markets clear, and on the wage elasticity of labor supply. Some empirical evidence is presented about the relationship between energy price changes and output supply.
Backscatter absorption gas imaging: a new technique for gas visualization

This paper presents a new laser-based method of gas detection that permits real-time television images of gases to be produced. The principle of this technique [which is called backscatter absorption gas imaging (BAGI)] and the operation of two instruments used to implement it are described. These instruments use 5-W and 20-W CO2 lasers to achieve gas imaging at ranges of approximately 30 and 125 m, respectively. Derivations of relevant BAGI signal equations that can be used to predict the performance of a gas imager are provided. The predictions of this model and the measured range performance of an extended-range gas imager are compared. Finally, the results of gas sensitivity measurements and imaging tests on flowing gases are presented. These can be used to generate a realistic estimate of the BAGI sensitivity expected in detecting leaks of many different vapors.
Myofiber differentiation in normal and hypotrophied canine pectineal muscles

The myofiber type composition of pectineal muscles was determined in 21 mixed-breed pups at 1 through 79 days of age and in 22 8-week-old-pups (4 mixed-breed, 5 greyhound and 5 German shepherd pups with normal muscles, and 8 German shepherd pups with myofiber hypotrophy). Sections were stained for the histochemical demonstration of myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase by incubation in media at pH 9.8 without preincubation and following preincubation in acid media at pH 4.5 and at pH 4.3. At day 1 most myofibers were type 2C (alkaline and acid stable) while the remainder were type 1A myofibers (alkaline labile; acid stable) which had differentiated prenatally. Subsequently, the number of type 2C myofibers decreased while the number of type 1A and type 2A myofibers (alkaline stable; acid labile at pH 4.5 and pH 4.3) increased. Type 1B myofibers (partially alkaline stable; acid stable) were first observed at day 12 and were variably present through day 79. Type 1B myofibers appeared to be a transition form of type 2C to type 1A differentiation. Type 2B myofibers (alkaline stable; acid stable at pH 4.5; acid labile at pH 4.3) were not observed. Hypotrophied muscles contained more type 2C and fewer type 2A myofibers and all myofiber types were smaller than normal. These results suggest that the pathogenesis of this disorder involves both myofiber growth and differentiation, particularly differentiation of type 2A myofibers.
Economic choice, political decision, and the problem of limits

Assesses the arguments for the use of market, or political, processes for making collective choices. The border between “what is mine” and “what is ours” is contested, but it is unguarded. Where should it lie? How would we know when it should be adjusted? I uncover an old paradox: A society can never use political means to guard against incursions across the border for political ends. Some other mechanism, such as constitutional or other extra-statutory rules, are required.
Incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA after oral administration.

Parenteral tritiated thymidine (H/sup 3/TDR) was administered via a stomach tube to rats, mice, and guinea pigs. Some ingested H/sup 3/TDR was absorbed and labeled proliferating cells of gastrointestinal mucosa as early as 2 hr after ingestion in guinea pigs. Labeling of diverse tissues, including proliferative cells of the testes was seen in rats and mice 7 1/2 hr after ingestion. Some of the H/sup 3/TDR was degraded to tritiated water and small amounts of nonvolatile H/sup 3/ activity were excreted in the urine. The significance of absorption of H/sup 3/TDR through intestinal mucosa is discussed as related to potential hazard. (auth)
CHALLENGING THE EXCLUSIONARy IMPACT OF FAMILy DEFINITIONS IN AMERICAN MUNICIPAL ZONING ORDINANCES

Although not often included in the literature devoted to exclusionary zoning practices, an examination of the use and abuse of family definitions in American municipal zoning ordinances is important to those who are concerned with the revitalization of American cities and suburbs. Many of the ideas suggested for innovative reuse of existing housing are linked to the family definition. Accessory units in single-family dwellings and shared housing are two examples. This paper briefly examines the history of family definitions in municipal zoning ordinances, reviews the major court decisions concerning their use and discusses the relevance of the continued use of family definitions when current demographic changes are taken into consideration.
The structure of perceptions of time

Several promising survey instruments recently have emerged to assess time structuring and time management practices and behaviors. The present study evaluated the Time Structure Questionnaire (TSQ) of M. J. Bond and N. T. Feather and the Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS) of T. H. Macan and colleagues by analyzing item content, subscale score reliabilities, and factor structures. A sample of 701 American working adults completed the 20-item TSQ (N= 453 for the 46-item TMBS). Results confirmed that four of five TSQ subscales should appear in their original formats and that truncated versions of the four TMBS subscales and of the remaining TSQ subscale should be adopted. The study affirmed the importance of examining TSQ and TMBS subscales rather than simply aggregate scores and of achieving uniformity in subscale composition in future research.
Wind River Reservation political process: an analysis of the symbols of consensus

In contrast to the kinds of political activity on other Plains reservations, Arapahoe politics are characterized by consensus, not factionalism, and the elected business council enjoys virtually unanimous support. This paper identifies and accounts for political symbols as cultural directives motivating and validating a social structure that is corporate and an ideology that builds political consensus. It is suggested that variant processes in Indian politics are obscured without the study of symbolic process.
Free-electron-laser radiation induced by a periodic dielectric medium.

Stimulated emission by an unaccelerated electron beam propagating through a periodically modulated dielectric is studied. The laser gain in the low-gain regime is calculated for the case of a cold, tenuous electron beam by applying the Einstein-coefficient technique in the classical limit \ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0. In the high-gain, strong-pump regime equations for the evolution of the electron beam dynamics and of the radiation are developed using a self-consistent, one-dimensional model for the interaction. Analytic calculations of the small-signal gain, and numerical computations of the nonlinear saturation characteristics, are presented.
Lung and colorectal cancer treatment and outcomes in the Veterans Affairs health care system.

Lung cancer (LC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are the second- and third-most commonly diagnosed cancers in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. While many studies have evaluated the treatment quality and outcomes of various aspects of VA LC and CRC care, there are no known reviews synthesizing this information across studies. The purpose of this literature review was to describe LC and CRC treatment (ie, surgical and nonsurgical) and outcomes (eg, mortality, psychosocial, and other) in the VA health care system as reported in the existing peer-reviewed scientific literature. We identified potential articles through a search of published literature using the PubMed electronic database. Our search strategy identified articles containing Medical Subject Headings terms and keywords addressing veterans or veterans’ health and LC and/or CRC. We limited articles to those published in the previous 11 years (January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2013). A total of 230 articles were retrieved through the search. After applying the selection criteria, we included 74 studies (34 LC, 47 CRC, and seven both LC and CRC). VA provides a full array of treatments, often with better outcomes than other health care systems. More work is needed to assess patient-reported outcomes.
Heterogeneity within adult day services: a focus on centers that serve younger adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

As the population of younger adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities continues to grow, adult day services is positioned to be a key provider of community-based care and support. In this article, researchers examine how adult day centers that serve younger adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities differ from centers that serve older and mixed age groups. One-way analyses of variance and post hoc analyses of 490 adult day services centers (N = 490) revealed significant differences in terms of participant, staffing, and organizational characteristics. These findings have important implications for service providers, researchers, and policy makers.
Evaluation of the pulsed discharge helium ionization detector for the analysis of hydrogen and methane in breath

Under the appropriate separation conditions the pulsed discharge helium ionization detector (PDHID) was used to detect hydrogen and methane separated from the matrix components of human breath samples. The sensitivity of this method is over an order of magnitude better than published methods using a flame ionization detector (FID) and a thermal conductivity detector (TCD), and has the further advantage of detecting both analytes with only one detector. Limits of detection were 0.3 ppmv for both hydrogen and methane and the method had a linear dynamic range (LDR) of three orders of magnitude (0.3-400 ppm, v/v). The PDHID was also compared to the FID and the TCD in regard to selectivity, sensitivity and reproducibility for high-speed gas chromatography (HSGC). It was shown that the PDHID is as sensitive as the FID for fast separations but is limited by the difficulty of resolving analyte peaks from O2 and N2. The PDHID was at least three orders of magnitude more sensitive than the TCD for all of the analytes examined.
Framing Condi(licious): Condoleezza Rice and the Storyline of “Closeness” in U.S. National Community Formation

Using an interdisciplinary integration of insights from Black studies, the study of women and gender in politics, and narrative analysis, I examine the politics of representation animating the political career of Condoleezza Rice. I analyze variants of the dominant storyline of “closeness” that frame discussions of her as a political actor, specifically in light of what it reveals about the gender, race, and class dynamics embedded in imaginings of community within contemporary public discourse. I show how the dominant storyline of closeness paradoxically works both to create and undermine the U.S. national narrative of color(difference)-blind integration. My central argument throughout is that Rice signifies the liminality of Blacks in general and Black women in particular and that this liminality is contrary to the triumph of integration she is said to represent.
A non-programming introduction to computer science via NLP,IR,and AI

This paper describes a new Cornell University course serving as a non-programming introduction to computer science, with natural language processing and information retrieval forming a crucial part of the syllabus. Material was drawn from a wide variety of topics (such as theories of discourse structure and random graph models of the World Wide Web) and presented at some technical depth, but was massaged to make it suitable for a freshman-level course. Student feedback from the first running of the class was overall quite positive, and a grant from the GE Fund has been awarded to further support the course's development and goals.
First Report of Pythium irregulare on Lentils in the United States.

In late June and early July 2002, stunted, chlorotic, and partially defoliated lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.) were observed throughout the lentil-growing areas of eastern Washington. These symptoms were investigated in two fields near Garfield, WA and one field near Genesee, ID. Cv. Mason was more affected than cv. Brewer. Roots were dry and brittle with black discoloration in some cases. Isolates of Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani were obtained from washed roots plated on water agar, but they were nonpathogenic in greenhouse testing in pasteurized field soil and peat-based growing mixes. On 21 April 2003, volunteer lentils growing in the same fields showed symptoms of root rot, and Pythium oospores were observed in the roots. Pythium spp. were isolated by using a selective medium (2). Oospores were aplerotic, intercalary, 12.6 to 21 μm long × 11.2 to 18.2 μm wide, mostly smooth, and often formed in chains. Isolates resembled P. paroecandrum Drechs. and P. irregulare Buisman on the basis of morphological characters (3), but DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region were closer to P. irregulare on the basis of a comparison with a worldwide database of Pythium sequences (C. A. Levesque, personal communication). Isolates were deposited with the USDA-ARS Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman, WA. Four hyphal-tip isolates were tested in the greenhouse with inoculum grown in autoclaved sandy loam amended with 1% ground rolled oats. Experiments were performed twice in Thatuna silt loam, first in pasteurized and then in nonpasteurized soil. Inoculum was added to the soil at 500 CFU/g, and seeds were planted on the same day. Each isolate was tested on cvs. Brewer and Mason, with five replicates per treatment. Plants were grown in 4- × 20.5-cm plastic tubes (two plants per tube) for 1 month at 16 to 22°C and supplemented with 14 h of light per day. P. irregulare was reisolated from infected roots in both experiments. Damping-off, stunting, chlorosis, and root rot were observed in the Pythium-inoculated treatments, which corresponded to symptoms observed in the field in 2002. In pasteurized soil, only one isolate reduced the whole, dry, plant weight of Brewer, but the other three isolates reduced the dry weight of Mason. All isolates reduced the root dry weight of Mason in natural soil, but only two isolates reduced the root dry weight of Brewer. To our knowledge, Pythium spp., but not P. irregulare, have been reported previously from lentils (1). P. irregulare also causes root rot on winter wheat, which is rotated with lentils, and this pathogen likely causes yield reduction in both crops. References: (1) D. F. Farr et al. Fungi on Plants and Plant Products in the United States. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1989. (2) S. M. Mircetich and J. M. Kraft. Mycopathol. Mycol. Appl. 50:151, 1973. (3) A. J. van der Plaats-Niterink. Stud. Mycol. 21:1, 1981.
Supporting the construction and evolution of component repositories

Repositories must be designed to meet the evolving and dynamic needs of software development organizations. Current software repository methods rely heavily on classification, which exacerbates acquisition and evolution problems by requiring costly classification and domain analysis efforts before a repository can be used effectively. This paper outlines an approach in which minimal initial structure is used to effectively find relevant software components while methods are employed to incrementally improve repository structures. The approach is demonstrated through PEEL, a tool to semi-automatically identify reusable components, and CodeFinder, a retrieval system that compensates for the lack of explicit knowledge structures through spreading activation retrieval and allows component representations to be incrementally improved while users are searching for information. The combination of these techniques yields a flexible software repository that minimizes up-front costs and improves its retrieval effectiveness as developers use it to find reusable software artifacts.
Science and engineering grads: July employment

The overall number of job offers this spring to college graduates at the bachelor's degree level dropped by more than 11,000—from 62,835 last year to 51,200—according to data just compiled by the College Placement Council in its Salog Survey report. This is the first decrease in 6 years. Despite the fact that the number of offers was down in many categories, the actual starting salaries did not suffer, and science and engineering graduates commanded the highest figures of all categories. At the bachelor's level, petroleum engineering majors drew the highest annual salary at $30,468.00. This salary was increased over last year's average for petroleum engineers by about 14.3%.
Quality of Life of Patients With Pyoderma Gangrenosum and Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Background:Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are painful and unsightly dermatologic disorders that have the potential to significantly decrease patients’ quality of life (...
Thinking about the Unthinkable: The Relationship between Death Anxiety and Cognitive/Emotional Responses to the Threat of Nuclear War:

In order to evaluate the relationship between death anxiety and cognitive/emotional responses to the threat of nuclear war, 345 college students completed the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and a multifaceted questionnaire which included items concerning personal reactions, predictions, and opinions about nuclear war. Full sample correlations as well as multivariate analyses of high and low death-anxious groups indicated that death anxiety was positively related to nuclear anxiety, but negligibly associated with perceptions of political efficacy and support for specific strategic policy proposals. Moreover, although students in both groups indicated that it was “unlikely” that they would survive a nuclear war, in comparison to low death-anxious participants, those with high death anxiety reported a significantly lower desire to survive such a war. Results are discussed with regard to information-seeking coping strategies, repressive defensive structures, post-nuclear death perceptions, and the need for...
Knowledge-rich catalog services for engineering design

The exponential growth of the Internet and increasing communication and computational power have created many opportunities for advancing engineering, manufacturing, and business activities. Among them are electronic catalogs. These have become basic information resources to a number of people, ranging from shoppers looking for personal items to engineers selecting electromechanical parts to build a product. Although rich in content, current catalog systems are limited both in search quality and in realizing the full potential of the retrieved information. The active catalog system brings a conceptually new idea to electronic commerce by providing a new, computationally usable, catalog information environment about components and their use in applications. It utilizes a rich body of domain knowledge to facilitate access and retrieval of component information. The utility of retrieved information is enhanced by using it to rapidly construct simulation programs and test alternatives, supporting a “try before you buy” paradigm in which users evaluate candidate components within simulations of their design. We describe services provided in the active catalog system to support engineers in selecting and evaluating electromechanical components and subsystems. The services include mechanisms for creating queries for parts based on their intended use rather than merely parametric specifications, refining those queries to take account of constraints imposed by domain knowledge, providing multimodal information to help engineers assess and compare candidate parts, and generating simulation models for candidate parts and integrating them to provide simulation models for candidate systems.
The role of remediation, natural alkalinity sources and physical stream parameters in stream recovery.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) negatively impacts not only stream chemistry, but also aquatic biology. The ultimate goal of AMD treatment is restoration of the biological community, but that goal is rarely explicit in treatment system design. Hewett Fork in Raccoon Creek Watershed, Ohio, has been impacted by historic coal mining and has been treated with a calcium oxide doser in the headwaters of the watershed since 2004. All of the acidic inputs are isolated to a 1.5 km stretch of stream in the headwaters of the Hewett Fork watershed. The macroinvertebrate and fish communities have begun to recover and it is possible to distinguish three zones downstream of the doser: an impaired zone, a transition zone and a recovered zone. Alkalinity from both the doser and natural sources and physical stream parameters play a role in stream restoration. In Hewett Fork, natural alkaline additions downstream are higher than those from the doser. Both, alkaline additions and stream velocity drive sediment and metal deposition. Metal deposition occurs in several patterns; aluminum tends to deposit in regions of low stream velocity, while iron tends to deposit once sufficient alkalinity is added to the system downstream of mining inputs. The majority of metal deposition occurs upstream of the recovered zone. Both the physical stream parameters and natural alkalinity sources influence biological recovery in treated AMD streams and should be considered in remediation plans.
The skeletal kinematics of lung ventilation in three basal bird taxa (emu, tinamou, and guinea fowl)

In vivo visceral and skeletal kinematics of lung ventilation was examined using cineradiography in two palaeognaths, the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and the Chilean tinamou (Nothoprocta perdicaria), and a basal neognath, the helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). Upon inspiration, the thorax expands in all dimensions. The vertebral ribs swing forward and upward, thereby increasing the transverse diameter of the trunk. The consistent location of the parapophysis throughout the dorsal vertebral series, ventral and cranial to the diapophysis, ensures a relatively uniform lateral expansion. An increase in the angle between the vertebral and the sternal ribs causes the sternal ribs to push the sternum ventrally. Owing to the greater length of the caudal sternal ribs, the caudal sternal margin is displaced further ventrally than the cranial sternal margin. When observed in lateral view, sternal movement is not linear, but elliptical. The avian thorax is highly constrained in its movement when compared with crocodylians, the other extant archosaur clade. Birds lack a lumbar region and intermediate ribs. Sternal ribs are completely ossified, and have a bicondylar articulation with the sternum. Considering the importance of pressure differences between cranial and caudal air sac complexes for the generation of unidirectional air flow in the avian lung, it is hypothesized that a decrease in the degrees of freedom of movement of the avian trunk skeleton, greater expansion of the ventrocaudal trunk region, and elliptical sternal movement may represent specific adaptations for fine-tuned control over air flow within the complex avian pulmonary system.
Restoring Fun to Game Theory

The author suggests methods for teaching game theory at an introductory level, using interactive games to be played in the classroom or in computer clusters, clips from movies to be screened and discussed, and excerpts from novels and historical books to be read and discussed.
Pericentric Chromatin Is Organized into an Intramolecular Loop in Mitosis

Summary Background Cohesin proteins link sister chromatids and provide the basis for tension between bioriented sister chomatids in mitosis. Cohesin is concentrated at the centromere region of the chromosome despite the fact that sister centromeres can be separated by 800 nm in vivo. The function of cohesin at sites of separated DNA is unknown. Results We provide evidence that the kinetochore promotes the organization of pericentric chromatin into a cruciform in mitosis such that centromere-flanking DNA adopts an intramolecular loop, whereas sister-chromatid arms are paired intermolecularly. Visualization of cohesin subunits by fluorescence microscopy revealed a cylindrical structure that encircles the central spindle and spans the distance between sister kinetochores. Kinetochore assembly at the apex of the loop initiates intrastrand loop formation that extends approximately 25 kb (12.5 kb on either side of the centromere). Two centromere loops (one from each sister chromatid) are stretched between the ends of sister-kinetochore microtubules along the spindle axis. At the base of the loop there is a transition to intermolecular sister-chromatid pairing. Conclusions The C loop conformation reveals the structural basis for sister-kinetochore clustering in budding yeast and for kinetochore biorientation and thus resolves the paradox of maximal interstrand separation in regions of highest cohesin concentration.
COMPARATIVE WATER HOLDING PROPERTIES OF VARIOUS MUSCLE FOODS

The water holding capacity (WHC) of meat has an important effect on its commercial value. A review of this topic is particularly appropriate because confusion exists as to what WHC means, how it should be measured, the extent to which various muscles differ in this attribute and the mechanisms by which changes in WHC occur. In this paper, definitions are given for the terms: WHC, free exudate, expressible moisture and water-binding potential. Methods for measuring WHC can be categorized as those involving no force, an applied force, or other approaches, all of which are discussed. Both extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence WHC and these are enumerated and discussed. Comparative data on the WHC of various kinds of animal muscle are presented and conceptual and mechanistic matters relevant to WHC are discussed.
Possible contribution of basement membrane to the structural rigidity of blood capillaries.

Abstract It is well know that a continuous basement membrane is a component of most blood capillaries. It has also been demonstrated that capillaries behave as rigid tubes. Recent observations on basement membrane material isolated from renal tubules indicates that this specialized form of connective tissue has a Young's modulus comparable to that of tendon. This finding is consistent with biochemical analysis of basement membranes which show this material to be composed partially of collagen. Assuming Young's modulus for capillary basement membranes to be similar to that found in renal tubules, our calculations indicate that this material may be largely responsible for capillary rigidity. This may be especially true in capillary networks such as the renal glomerulus where there is a paucity of other tissue elements to provide structural support of the capillary.
On Determining Public Acceptability of Risk

In recent years public opinion polls and social surveys have come to be more widely used by the media, government, and private industry to track public sentiment regarding a variety of issues. Risk analysts are simultaneously beginning to rely on such data in the tracking of attitudes and opinions bearing on the acceptability of risks. This research seeks to demonstrate how social structural analysis may be used to enhance our understanding of trends in attitudes concerning the acceptability of risk as reflected in social surveys.
Millimeter wave scattering from ice crystal distributions

Millimeter wave (94 and 220 GHz) polarimetric radar parameters are computationally evaluated for scattering from distributions of pristine ice crystals modeled as hexagonal columns, hexagonal plates and stellar crystals. It is observed that several radar parameters show significant differences for columns and plates and may be used for differentiating them. >
Identification of Phloem Involved in Assimilate Loading in Leaves by the Activity of the Galactinol Synthase Promoter

The definition of "minor" veins in leaves is arbitrary and of uncertain biological significance. Generally, the term refers to the smallest vein classes in the leaf, believed to function in phloem loading. We found that a galactinol synthase promoter, cloned from melon (Cucumis melo), directs expression of the gusA gene to the smallest veins of mature Arabidopsis and cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves. This expression pattern is consistent with the role of galactinol synthase in sugar synthesis and phloem loading in cucurbits. The expression pattern in tobacco is especially noteworthy since galactinol is not synthesized in the leaves of this plant. Also, we unexpectedly found that expression in tobacco is limited to two of three companion cells in class-V veins, which are the most extensive in the leaf. Thus, the "minor" vein system is defined and regulated at the genetic level, and there is heterogeneity of response to this system by different companion cells of the same vein.
Learning discrimination trajectories in EEG sensor space: application to inferring task difficulty

We describe a spatio-temporal linear discriminator for single-trial classification of multi-channel electroencephalography (EEG). No prior information about the characteristics of the neural activity is required, i.e., the algorithm requires no knowledge about the timing and spatial distribution of the evoked responses. The algorithm finds a temporal delay/window onset time for each EEG channel and then spatially integrates the channels for each channel-specific onset time. The algorithm can be seen as learning discrimination trajectories defined within the space of EEG channels. We demonstrate the method for detecting auditory-evoked neural activity and discrimination of task difficulty in a complex visual-auditory environment.
Comparison of a Radioimmunoassay with an Enzymatic Assay for Gentamicin

A radioimmunoassay and an enzymatic assay for gentamicin have been compared. The correlation coefficient for results of gentamicin assays performed by the two methods with 45 serum specimens was 0.90. A similar standard curve for the radioimmunoassay was obtained with gentamicin complex, with gentamicin Cl, Cla, or C2, or with sisomicin as ligand, but tobramycin did not compete with [(3)H]gentamicin for binding to the antiserum.
Computing Jacobians and compliance matrices for externally loaded continuum robots

Kinematic models that account for deformation due to applied loads have recently been developed for a variety of continuum robots. In these cases, a set of nonlinear differential equations with boundary conditions must often be solved to obtain the robot shape. Thus, computing manipulator Jacobians and compliance matrices efficiently is not straightforward. In this paper, we propose a method for obtaining an arc length parametrized Jacobian and compliance matrix. Our approach involves obtaining an augmented Jacobian by propagating the necessary partial derivatives through the model equations, resulting in a new set of differential equations. These equations can be solved as an initial value problem, via a single numerical integration. Our method can be generally applied to various continuum robot architectures, regardless of the specific actuation system used. We provide a specific case study using this method to obtain the Jacobian for a concentric-tube robot.
Interspecific Competition Between Larval Culex restuans Theobald and Culex pipiens L.(Diptera: Culicidae) in Michigan

Many invasive species succeed in becoming established in new locations because of their competitive superiority to native species. This has been shown in several examples involving mosquitoes. In this study, we examined the interspecific competition between mosquito larvae of a well-established, non-native species, Culex pipiens, and those of its ecologically similar, native congener Culex restuans. Small but significant differences in survival, growth, and development rates were found in Cx. restuans as a response to varying proportions of Cx. pipiens, suggesting that Cx. restuans is a slightly superior competitor. However, the overall differences between the species were small, and they may be nearly ecological equivalents as larvae. Nevertheless, the observed seasonal pattern of feeding and oviposition activity suggests some phenological avoidance of competition, thus demanding further study of the interaction of these two species.
American urological association symptom index in the assessment of urethroplasty outcomes

AbstractPurpose: In men undergoing urethroplasty we used the American Urological Association (AUA) symptom index to assess the magnitude of symptoms and determine the validity of this index as an outcome assessment tool.Materials and Methods: The AUA symptom index was completed by individual interview of 50 men a mean of 41 years old who underwent urethral reconstruction. Symptom scores were then correlated with radiographic retrograde urethrograms and urinary flow rates to determine whether changes in the score were consistent with these other clinical indicators of success or failure.Results: Mean preoperative AUA symptom index score in all evaluable patients was 26.9 (maximum 35), indicating severely bothersome voiding symptoms. In patients with radiographic evidence of successful urethral reconstruction the average postoperative score was 5.1 (p <0.0001). In those with recurrent stricture after urethroplasty scores were essentially unchanged but after successful repeat urethroplasty the mean symptom i...
The Way Forward for Global Health Training Programs

* Abbreviation: ACGME — : Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education For those whose focus is training tomorrow’s pediatric workforce, the increasing demand for opportunities in global health has been both welcomed and challenging. Because the world has become more connected through air travel, as well as through immigration and migration of populations, focusing only on issues affecting children and their families in the United States is no longer acceptable. Our world is a very small place, and as the recent Ebola outbreaks in West Africa remind us, what happens in a remote region of the world today can be in our backyard tomorrow. Pediatric training programs have to move quickly to meet the increasing demands of their learners in offering global experiences. Butteris et al1 in this issue of Pediatrics provided wonderful information about the current landscape of global health education in our residency programs. It is fascinating to note that of the 198 US pediatric residency training programs included in their analysis, 49 (25%) have a global health track. Of the 9091 … Address correspondence to Gordon E. Schutze, MD, FAAP, Texas Children’s Hospital, 6621 Fannin, Suite A150, MC1150, Houston, TX 77030-2399. E-mail: schutze{at}bcm.edu
Optical phenomenon of peri-implant soft tissue. Part I. Spectrophotometric assessment of natural tooth gingiva and peri-implant mucosa.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in optical appearance of the soft tissues labial to dental implants and to analyze the effects of titanium implant neck colors transmitted through the marginal mucosa. Materials and methods: Fourteen patients with 15 Straumann® single implant replacements in the maxillary anterior region were recruited. Color measurements of the peri-implant mucosa of test sites and the gingivae of contralateral or adjacent natural teeth as controls were made at the facial aspect of the teeth using a spectrophotometer. The color data (CIELAB color coordinates; L*, a*, b* and C*) in five incremental areas of 1 × 2 mm from the gingival margin toward the apical direction were obtained. Results: A significant difference existed (P<0.01) between the test site and the control site on the mean L* and b* values in all five incremental areas (area 1–5). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the mean a* values. Discrepancies between color distributions of soft tissues were stronger in areas close to the gingival margin and decreased toward the apical direction. The mean color difference ΔE between the test site and the control site was 7.7 in area 1 and decreased toward area 5 with a value of 6.5. However, there was no statistical difference in each of the mean values of differences in optical data, ΔL*, Δa* and Δb*, when five incremental areas of the control and the test sites were compared. Conclusion: It was observed that the color of soft tissue around the titanium implant was significantly different compared with the gingiva of natural teeth. Significantly lower values of CIELAB color coordinates, L* and b* were found in the peri-implant soft tissue.
Isosurfaces Over Simplicial Partitions of Multiresolution Grids

We provide a simple method that extracts an isosurface that is manifold and intersection-free from a function over an arbitrary octree. Our method samples the function dual to minimal edges, faces, and cells, and we show how to position those samples to reconstruct sharp and thin features of the surface. Moreover, we describe an error metric designed to guide octree expansion such that flat regions of the function are tiled with fewer polygons than curved regions to create an adaptive polygonalization of the isosurface. We then show how to improve the quality of the triangulation by moving dual vertices to the isosurface and provide a topological test that guarantees we maintain the topology of the surface. While we describe our algorithm in terms of extracting surfaces from volumetric functions, we also show that our algorithm extends to generating manifold level sets of co-dimension 1 of functions of arbitrary dimension.
On the entropy and filtering of hidden Markov processes observed through arbitrary memoryless channels

This paper studies the entropy and filtering of hidden Markov processes (HMPs) which are the observation of a binary homogeneous Markov chain through an arbitrary memoryless channel. A fixed-point functional equation is derived for the stationary distribution of an input symbol conditioned on all past observations. The entropy or differential entropy rate of the HMP can then be computed in two ways: one by exploiting the average entropy of each input symbol conditioned on past observations, and the other by applying a differential relationship between the input-output mutual information and the stationary distribution obtained via filtering. While the existence of a solution to the fixed-point equation is guaranteed by martingale theory, its uniqueness follows from the fact that the solution is the fixed point of a contraction mapping. Due to lack of an analytical solution to the fixed-point equation, a numerical method is proposed in which the fixed-point functional equation is first converted to a discrete linear system using uniform quantization and then solved using quadratic programming. Two examples, which the numerical method is applied to the binary symmetric channel (BSC) and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, are presented. Unlike many other numerical methods, this numerical solution is not based on averaging over a long sample path of the HMP.
Current View of Risk Factors for Periodontal Diseases.

Periodontal diseases are infections, and many forms of the disease are associated with specific pathogenic bacteria which colonize the subgingival area. At least two of these microorganisms, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, also invade the periodontal tissue and are virulent organisms. Initiation and progression of periodontal infections are clearly modified by local and systemic conditions called risk factors. The local factors include pre-existing disease as evidenced by deep probing depths and plaque retention areas associated with defective restorations. Systemic risk factors recently have been identified by large epidemiologic studies using multifactorial statistical analyses to correct for confounding or associated co-risk factors. Risk factors which we know today as important include diabetes mellitus, especially in individuals in whom metabolic control is poor, and cigarette smoking. These two risk factors markedly affect the initiation and progression of periodontitis, and attempts to manage these factors are now an important component of prevention and treatment of adult periodontitis. Systemic conditions associated with reduced neutrophil numbers or function are also important risk factors in children, juveniles, and young adults. Diseases in which neutrophil dysfunction occurs include the lazy leukocyte syndrome associated with localized juvenile periodontitis, cyclic neutropenia, and congenital neutropenia. Recent studies also point to several potentially important periodontal risk indicators. These include stress and coping behaviors, and osteopenia associated with estrogen deficiency. There are also background determinants associated with periodontal disease including gender (with males having more disease), age (with more disease seen in the elderly), and hereditary factors. The study of risk in periodontal disease is a rapidly emerging field and much is yet to be learned. However, there are at least two significant risk factors-smoking and diabetes-which demand attention in current management of periodontal disease. J Periodontol 1996;67:1041-1049.
Simultaneous continuous, nonchromatographic monitoring and discrete chromatographic monitoring of polymerization reactions

Automatic continuous nonchromatographic monitoring and discrete chromatographic monitoring were coupled together for the first time and used to monitor free radical and controlled-radical polymerization reactions. This was achieved by adding a multidetector Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) system (alternatively termed Gel Permeation Chromatography, GPC) to the ACOMP plat- form (Automatic Continuous Online Monitoring of Poly- merization reactions). The fact that the reactor solution is already preconditioned in the ACOMP front-end to the con- centration levels used in SEC makes direct coupling possi- ble. Kinetics from two different types of reactions, Reversible Addition Fragmentation Transfer (RAFT) and free radical polymerization of butyl acrylate were studied, including the production of a bimodal population. Comple- mentary and contrasting features from the continuous and SEC approaches are highlighted. The main advantage of the SEC detection is to follow the evolution of full molecular weight distributions (MWD), especially in 'living' type reac- tions, where polydispersity decreases with monomer con- version, whereas the continuous detection provides a much more detailed characterization of the reaction. Interestingly, in the case where a bimodal molecular weight distribution was produced, the continuous method automatically detected the onset of the second mode in a model independ- ent fashion, whereas SEC could only discern the bimodality by applying preconceived models. The SEC approach will have valuable niche applications, however, such as when reactions are relatively slow, monitoring narrow polydisper- sity is of primary importance, and also in copolymerization and terpolymerization reactions where complex mixtures of reagents (e.g., RAFT agents, copper ions, etc.) make unfrac- tionated spectroscopic resolution of comonomers difficult. V C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113: 190-198, 2009
Structure of the rat aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase gene: evidence for an alternative promoter usage.

: Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase catalyzes the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. This enzyme is also expressed in nonneuronal tissues. Two reported cDNA sequences show that the pheochromocytoma message differs from the liver message only at the 5’untranslated region. We present the complete exonal organization and promoter sequences of the rat gene encoding this enzyme. The rat aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase gene is composed of two promoters and 16 exons spanning more than 80 kb in the genome. The first exon carries the majority of the 5’untranslated sequence of the liver cDNA, and the second exon carries that of the pheochromocytoma cDNA. In the third exon, there are two alternatively utilized splicing acceptors specific to the first and second exons. Therefore, both alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing are operative for the differential expression of this gene. The sequence of each promoter region shows putative binding sites for octamer factors and AP-2.
Effects of Tryptophan Starvation on Levels of the trp RNA-Binding Attenuation Protein (TRAP) and Anti-TRAP Regulatory Protein and Their Influence on trp Operon Expression in Bacillus subtilis

The anti-TRAP protein (AT), encoded by the rtpA gene of Bacillus subtilis, can bind to and inhibit the tryptophan-activated trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP). AT binding can prevent TRAP from promoting transcription termination in the leader region of the trp operon, thereby increasing trp operon expression. We show here that AT levels continue to increase as tryptophan starvation becomes more severe, whereas the TRAP level remains relatively constant and independent of tryptophan starvation. Assuming that the functional form of AT is a trimer, we estimate that the ratios of AT trimers per TRAP molecule are 0.39 when the cells are grown under mild tryptophan starvation conditions, 0.83 under more severe starvation conditions, and approximately 2.0 when AT is expressed maximally. As the AT level is increased, a corresponding increase is observed in the anthranilate synthase level. When AT is expressed maximally, the anthranilate synthase level is about 70% of the level observed in a strain lacking TRAP. In a nutritional shift experiment where excess phenylalanine and tyrosine could potentially starve cells of tryptophan, both the AT level and anthranilate synthase activity were observed to increase. Expression of the trp operon is clearly influenced by the level of AT.