cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Real-Time Control of Walking

1.0 Introduction.- One - Machine and animal walking.- 2.0 Animal walking.- 2.1 Locality of control.- 2.1.1 The insect nervous system.- 2.1.2 Insect experiments.- 2.1.3 The spinal cat.- 2.1.4 Reflexes versus patterns.- 2.2 Rear-to-front waves.- 2.3 Why insect gaits are not discrete.- 2.4 Summary.- 3.0 Other walking work.- 3.1 Static stability.- 3.2 Dynamic stability.- 3.3 Summary.- 4.0 SSA walking machine.- 4.1 Mechanical overview.- 4.2 Valve settings.- 4.2.1 Hip control.- 4.2.2 Knee control.- 4.2.3 Valve switching time.- 4.3 Control computers.- 4.4 Hydraulic system.- 4.4.1 Pumps.- 4.4.2 Cylinders.- 4.4.3 Valves.- 4.5 Summary.- 5.0 Walking program.- 5.1 Responsibilities of a walking program.- 5.2 Inhibition and excitation.- 5.3 Walking program structure.- 5.4 Row.- 5.4.1 Load.- 5.4.2 Recover.- 5.5 Service processes.- 5.5.1 Sensors.- 5.5.2 Trouble.- 5.5.3 Compensator monitor.- 5.5.4 Gather.- Two - Programming for robotics and control.- 6.0 Inadequacies of existing control structures.- 6.1 Concurrency.- 6.1.1 Time slicing.- 6.1.2 Algorithmic languages.- 6.1.3 Production systems.- 6.1.4 Concurrent programming languages.- 6.2 Nondeterminacy.- 6.2.1 Concurrent programming languages revisited.- 6.2.2 Guarded commands.- 6.3 The control of temporal behavior.- 6.3.1 Wait for event.- 6.3.2 Complete task before event.- 6.3.3 The nature of loops.- 6.4 Real-time performance.- 6.4.1 Pluribus strips.- 6.4.2 TOMAL.- 6.5 Summary.- 7.0 OWL language.- 7.1 OWL processes.- 7.2 Sequences.- 7.2.1 Asserting done and alert.- 7.2.2 When and bothwhen.- 7.3 Concurrences.- 7.3.1 Handling of alert.- 7.3.2 Concurrent while.- 7.3.3 Synchronization and mutual exclusion.- 7.4 Named processes.- 7.4.1 Scope and parameter passing.- 7.5 Data.- 7.5.1 Datatypes.- 7.5.2 Declarations.- 7.6 Discussion.- 7.6.1 Sequences and loops.- 7.6.2 Concurrence and alternation.- 7.6.3 Distributed implementation.- 7.7 OWL compiler and runtime system.- 7.7.1 Compiler.- 7.7.2 Runtime system.- 7.8 Performance.- 7.9 OWL syntax.- 7.9.1 Walking machine primitives in OWL.- Three - Results and conclusions.- 8.0 Experimental results.- 8.1 Local control.- 8.1.1 Walking.- 8.1.2 Five legged walking.- 8.2 Inhibition.- 8.3 Excitation.- 8.4 Comparison with another program.- 8.5 Summary.- 9.0 Discussion and conclusions.- 9.1 Distributed control.- 9.2 Scaling constraints on walking strategies.- 9.2.1 Why small things cannot balance.- 9.2.2 Why small animals do not have to balance.- 9.2.3 Prognosis for walking machines.- 9.3 Natural motions.- 9.4 Conclusions.- 9.5 Programming: real-time and robotic systems.- 9.6 Directions for future research.- A.O Walking program code.- A.1 Overview.- A.2 Walk.owl.- A.3 Load5.owl.- A.4 Drive7.owl.- A.5 Unload3.owl.- A.6 Recover6.owl.- A.7 Waveinit.owl.- A.8 Sensors.owl.- A.9 Data.owl.- A.10 Trouble.owl.- A.11 Comps.owl.- B.0 Data.- B.1 Description of data figures.- B.2 Data plots.- C.0 OWL primitives.- C.1 OWL control primitives.- C.2 Compiler directives and declaration keywords.- C.3 Sensor primitives.- C.4 Valve command primitives.- C.5 I/O primitives.- C.6 Miscellaneous primitives.- D.0 The Trojan Cockroach.
TU-EF-304-06: A Comparison of CT Number to Relative Linear Stopping Power Conversion Curves Used by Proton Therapy Centers

Purpose: To compare the CT Number (CTN) to Relative Linear Stopping Power (RLSP) conversion curves used by 14 proton institutions in their dose calculations. Methods: The proton institution’s CTN to RLSP conversion curves were collected by the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Houston QA Center during its on-site dosimetry review audits. The CTN values were converted to scaled CT Numbers. The scaling assigns a CTN of 0 to air and 1000 to water to allow intercomparison. The conversion curves were compared and the mean curve was calculated based on institutions’ predicted RLSP values for air (CTN 0), lung (CTN 250), fat (CTN 950), water (1000), liver (CTN 1050), and bone (CTN 2000) points. Results: One institution’s curve was found to have a unique curve shape between the scaled CTN of 1025 to 1225. This institution modified its curve based on the findings. Another institution had higher RLSP values than expected for both low and high CTNs. This institution recalibrated their two CT scanners and the new data placed their curve closer to the mean of all institutions. After corrections were made to several conversion curves, four institutions still fall outside 2 standard deviations at very low CTNs (100–200), and two institutions fall outside between CTN 850–900. The largest percent difference in RLSP values between institutions for the specific tissues reviewed was 22% for the lung point. Conclusion: The review and comparison of CTN to RLSP conversion curves allows IROC Houston to identify any outliers and make recommendations for improvement. Several institutions improved their clinical dose calculation accuracy as a Result of this review. There is still area for improvement, particularly in the lung area of the curve. The IROC Houston QA Center is supported by NCI grant CA180803.
SPMD execution in the presence of dynamic data structures

A wide range of applications make use of regular dynamic data structures. Dynamic data structures are typically required because either the size of the data structure cannot be determined at compile-time or the form of the data structure depends upon the data that it contains which is not known until runtime. Some commonly used regular data structures include link lists, trees, and two dimensional meshes. Lists and trees are used by applications such as the N-body problem [10] and sparse Cholesky factorization [8, 11], dynamic meshes are used for solving partial differential equations and quad-trees are used by applications such as solid modeling, geographic information systems, and robotics [9].
Fuzzy logic vs traditional approaches to the design of microcontroller-based systems

The use of fuzzy logic for closed loop control is compared to the more traditional approaches of zero-pole placement in the z-plane and the choice of PID (proportional, integral, differential) parameters. A common type of positioning system is used as an example to illustrate these different approaches and to allow practical comparisons. Results of a simulation study of the model system, using specific implementations of the three control techniques, show that fuzzy logic can be used to achieve a degree of compensation that is nearly as good as that achieved by more conventional techniques. The fuzzy logic approach requires more code, hence, more power on the part of the microcontroller, but it does not require that the designer have a knowledge of feedback control theory. Because fuzzy logic is a straightforward approach, based upon practical knowledge of the system to be controlled, its use has some advantages over the other approaches if an analytic model of the system is difficult to construct. Certain demands are placed upon the microcontroller in all three cases, and these are discussed here in some detail. Two popular microcontrollers, the MC68HC16 and MC68332, are examined to explore their individually unique features that make them particularly suitable for one or the other of the control schemes studied. >
Biochemical Studies of Human T Cell Markers

Abstract Eight monoclonal reagents, anti-T 1 , -T 3 , -T 4 , -T 5 , -T 6 , -T 8 , -T 9 , -T 10 , which define stages of differentiation of human thymus derived lymphocytes, were used for biochemical analysis of their target antigens. In comparing these cell surface antigens with murine markers, the following homologues are proposed: T 1 /Lyt-1, T 5 and T 8 /Lyt-2 and -3, T 6 /TL, and T 10 /Qa2. The antigens T 3 and T 8 are involved in functions which are specifically programmed in T lymphocytes (T 3 ) or the T cytotoxic subset (T 8 ). T 9 is involved in the receptor site for transferrin.
Sparse patch-based label fusion for multi-atlas segmentation

Patch-based label fusion methods have shown great potential in multi-atlas segmentation. It is crucial for patch-based labeling methods to determine appropriate graphs and corresponding weights to better link patches in the input image with those in atlas images. Currently, two independent steps are performed, i.e., first constructing graphs based on the fixed image neighborhood and then computing weights based on the heat kernel for all patches in the neighborhood. In this paper, we first show that many existing label fusion methods can be unified into a graph-based framework, and then propose a novel method for simultaneously deriving both graph adjacency structure and graph weights based on the sparse representation, to perform multi-atlas segmentation. Our motivation is that each patch in the input image can be reconstructed by the sparse linear superposition of patches in the atlas images, and the reconstruction coefficients can be used to deduce both graph structure and weights simultaneously. Experimental results on segmenting brain anatomical structures from magnetic resonance images (MRI) show that our proposed method achieves significant improvements over previous patch-based methods, as well as other conventional label fusion methods.
Digibind and Free Digoxin

In their article investigating digoxin measurements in the presence of Digibind®, Ocal and Green (1) conclude that “useful free digoxin concentrations may be obtained for Digibind-treated patients using either the AxSYM or Stratus immunoassays… ”. Yet they cite several references that report that digoxin concentrations measured with the Stratus® instrument were significantly higher than were free digoxin concentrations measured after ultrafiltration (2)(3)(4)(5). The AxSYM® assay has also been shown to yield higher results than ultrafiltration (6). These studies contradict the assertion that the AxSYM and Stratus assays are measuring free digoxin concentrations. Nonetheless, one can agree that results from the Stratus II and AxSYM may be suitable for monitoring the course of Digibind treatment. To use these results most effectively, one must understand their limitations and the probable sources of the discrepancy with ultrafiltration results. The results of previous investigations, as well as binding kinetics theory, suggest that these immunoassays will overestimate the free digoxin concentration. The extent of overestimation will vary with the extent of digoxin binding to albumin, with the assay measurement strategy, and with the absolute and relative amounts of digoxin and Digibind in the specimen. In most instances, the extent of the overestimation will be small enough that the result can be quite informative. In particular, these results set an upper limit on the concentration of pharmacologically active digoxin and can be used to rule out recurrent toxic concentrations. One reason that the Stratus and AxSYM assay results exceed free digoxin concentration is that they are designed to measure total digoxin in routine specimens, including digoxin bound to serum proteins, principally …
Galvanic corrosion between various combinations of orthodontic brackets and archwires.

Introduction The purpose of this study was to compare galvanic currents generated by different combinations of commonly used brackets and archwires. Methods As-received stainless steel, nickel-titanium, and beta-titanium wires were coupled to stainless steel and titanium brackets in an artificial saliva medium. The galvanic current and amount of charge transferred for each pair were monitored with a zero resistance ammeter for 10 hours. Results Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant difference in charge and galvanic currents when factored for type of bracket ( P P >0.05). Specifically, a brazed stainless steel bracket was significantly greater in charge transferred and 10-hour galvanic current than metal injection molded stainless steel and titanium brackets ( P P >0.05). Conclusions The method of bracket manufacturing might be of equal or more relevance to galvanic corrosion susceptibility than bracket composition.
Bronchocutaneous fistula after chest-tube placement: A rare complication of tube thoracostomy

Bronchocutaneous fistula is a pathologic communication between the bronchus, pleural space, and subcutaneous tissue. It can occur as a complication of positive pressure ventilation and pneumonectomy. Diagnosis is made by imaging studies. Treatment options are endoscopic repair, parietal pleurectomy, and pleurodesis. Our patient is a 53-year-old woman who had a difficult chest-tube placement for complicated parapneumonic effusion. Computed tomography scan revealed a fistulous tract from the bronchus to the skin at the site of the original chest tube, and chest x-ray film revealed a subcutaneous fistulous air tract in the lateral chest. It is usually an acquired condition; congenital bronchocutaneous fistula is rare. We report a case of bronchocutaneous fistula after chest-tube placement.
The impurities in commercial glutaraldehyde and their effect on the fixation of brain.

Evidence is presented that indicates the material absorbing at 235 nm in commercial glutaraldehyde is a dimer of glutaraldehyde having the form of an α, β-unsaturated aldehyde. If one desires to minimize polymerization, glutaraldehyde should be protected from exposure to volatile acids or bases and should be stored in dilute solution or at subfreezing temperatures. Barium carbonate should not be added to glutaraldehyde solutions. The presence of appreciable quantities of dimer in fixative solutions of glutaraldehyde for electron microscopy improves quality of structural preservation when compared with distilled glutaraldehyde fixation under identical conditions.
Difficult to Measure Constructs: Conceptual and Methodological Issues Concerning Participation and Environmental Factors

For rehabilitation and disability research, participation and environment are 2 crucial constructs that have been placed center stage by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). However, neither construct is adequately conceptualized by the ICF, and both are difficult to measure. This article addresses conceptual and methodologic issues related to these ICF constructs, and recommends an improved distinction between activities and participation, as well as elaboration of environment. A division of the combined ICF categories for activity and participation into 2 separate taxonomies is proposed to guide future research. The issue of measuring participation from objective and subjective perspectives is examined, and maintaining these distinct conceptual domains in the measurement of participation is recommended. The methodological issues contributing to the difficulty of measuring participation are discussed, including potential dimensionality, alternative metrics, and the appropriateness of various measurement models. For environment, the need for theory to focus research on those aspects of the environment that interact with individuals' impairments and functional limitations in affecting activities and participation is discussed, along with potential measurement models for those aspects. The limitations resulting from reliance on research participants as reporters on their own environment are set forth. Addressing these conceptual and methodological issues is required before the measurement of participation and environmental factors can advance and these important constructs can be used more effectively in rehabilitation and disability observational research and trials.
An initial investigation of efficiency in endoscopy delivery.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The demand for endoscopic services is increasing rapidly. Of the several potential mechanisms to improve the supply of endoscopic procedures, improved efficiency in the endoscopy unit has received little attention. METHODS: We invited 20 experienced endoscopists to participate in an initial evaluation of endoscopy efficiency, in which they were observed performing procedures in their own unit. Procedure volume per unit time was used as the measure of efficiency. Medical directors and head nurses at each endoscopy unit were interviewed regarding factors they perceived as most important in limiting procedure volume. RESULTS: There was a greater than 3-fold variation in procedure volume score between the least efficient and most efficient endoscopists. The clearest trend predicting procedure volume score was short room turnover time (p = 0.0004). There was a trend toward improved procedure volume among endoscopists using another professional to sedate their patients and using two procedure rooms. The surveys of medical directors and head nurses suggested that multiple factors contribute to limiting procedure volume, but on average each perceived number of available doctors is the least important factor in limiting volume. CONCLUSIONS: Improving the efficiency of some endoscopists appears to be an important potential mechanism to meet the rising demand for endoscopic services. Increasing the resources that provide the opportunity for efficiency may be an important mechanism for increasing the availability of endoscopic services. Specific measures associated with improved efficiency include reduced room turnover times, and possibly use of two rooms per endoscopist and sedation by persons other than the endoscopist.
Cuffless Differential Blood Pressure Estimation Using Smart Phones

Smart phones today have become increasingly popular with the general public for their diverse functionalities such as navigation, social networking, and multimedia facilities. These phones are equipped with high-end processors, high-resolution cameras, and built-in sensors such as accelerometer, orientation-sensor, and light-sensor. According to comScore survey, 26.2% of U.S. adults use smart phones in their daily lives. Motivated by this statistic and the diverse capability of smart phones, we focus on utilizing them for biomedical applications. We present a new application of the smart phone with its built-in camera and microphone replacing the traditional stethoscope and cuff-based measurement technique, to quantify vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure. We propose two differential blood pressure estimating techniques using the heartbeat and pulse data. The first method uses two smart phones whereas the second method replaces one of the phones with a customized external microphone. We estimate the systolic and diastolic pressure in the two techniques by computing the pulse pressure and the stroke volume from the data recorded. By comparing the estimated blood pressure values with those measured using a commercial blood pressure meter, we obtained encouraging results of 95-100% accuracy.
A Density Functional Theory Study of Secondary Orbital Overlap in Endo Cycloaddition Reactions. An Example of a Diels-Alder Reaction between Butadiene and Cyclopropene.

Density functional theory (B3LYP, BLYP) and ab initio (HF, MP2, and QCISD(T)) methods support the hypothesis that transition state structures for the addition of cyclopropene to butadiene is stabilized through interactions between the hydrogen of cyclopropene and the π-bond of butadiene. This finding is supported by the computions of bond orders and charge separations and by the differences in frontier orbital energies. Because the interactions between the hydrogen of cyclopropene and the π-bond of butadiene is possible only in an endo transition state structure, it is conceivable that the formation of an endo cycloadduct should be dominant. This is confirmed by the computation of a lower activation barrier, ∼2.0 kcal/mol, for the endo transition state structure than for the exo transition state structure.
Failure of Donders' law during smooth pursuit eye movements

Abstract When an eye is tracking through a given position by a smooth movement it occupies that position with a different cyclotorsional orientation than if it steadily fixates that position. Torsional differences between these two conditions are found for most tracking directions, they occasionally exceed 2°, and are not a function of target or eye velocity. Taken together with electrophysiological evidence, and with subjective observations that smooth eye movements, unlike saccades, are not compensated for in space perception, the findings point to significant differences in neural substrates of smooth tracking and saccadic eye movements.
Social judgment and vocational adjustment of mentally retarded adults.

Abstract Two studies dealing with interpersonal judgments of mildly mentally retarded adults were carried out. In the first study, mentally retarded adults referred for vocational evaluation were found to be significantly less able to discriminate accurately between adept and inept vocationally-relevant social problem-solving tactics than were physically handicapped and mentally ill adults. In the second study, mentally retarded adults with good vocational adjustment were found to have significantly better interpersonal judgment than individuals of equal IQ but with poor vocational adjustment. These results suggest that social judgment level may be an important contributor to work success of mentally retarded adults, and that greater attention should be paid to this variable by vocational rehabilitation professionals.
An evaluation-guided approach for effective data visualization on tablets

There is a rising trend of data analysis and visualization tasks being performed on a tablet device. Apps with interactive data visualization capabilities are available for a wide variety of domains. We investigate whether users grasp how to effectively interpret and interact with visualizations. We conducted a detailed user evaluation to study the abilities of individuals with respect to analyzing data on a tablet through an interactive visualization app. Based upon the results of the user evaluation, we find that most subjects performed well at understanding and interacting with simple visualizations, specifically tables and line charts. A majority of the subjects struggled with identifying interactive widgets, recognizing interactive widgets with overloaded functionality, and understanding visualizations which do not display data for sorted attributes. Based on our study, we identify guidelines for designers and developers of mobile data visualization apps that include recommendations for effective data representation and interaction.
A Minimax Ordering Policy for the Infinite Stage Dynamic Inventory Problem

This paper obtains closed form expressions for minimax ordering decisions in a dynamic inventory problem in which demands in successive periods are independent random variables that have known finite mean and variance, but whose distributions are otherwise arbitrary and may change from period to period. We assume zero setup cost, linear holding and backlogging costs, and immediate delivery of orders. The situation of a decision maker facing this unknown sequence of demand distributions can be viewed as a sequential zero-sum game against nature. A minimax ordering policy is one that minimizes the maximum expected discounted cost over the planning horizon, where the maximum is taken over all the probability distributions in the class described. A limiting base stock policy characterizes a minimax ordering policy for the infinite-stage model. We show that the limiting base stock policy is an optimal stationary policy for a finite horizon model if the terminal value function --cx is used. We also obtain conditions under which a myopic minimax ordering policy exists for an inventory model when the class of demand distributions is allowed to be nonstationary.
Connectivity of GABAergic Calretinin-immunoreactive Neurons in Rat Primary Visual Cortex

In rat visual cortex neurons that are immunoreactive for the calcium-binding protein calretinin (CR+) constitute a distinct family which accounts for 17% of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-expressing cells. It is not clear, however, (i) whether CR is expressed exclusively in GABAergic neurons and (ii) how CR+ neurons are incorporated into neuronal circuits of rat visual cortex. To address these questions we studied synaptic relationships of CR+ neurons with GABA+ and GABA- elements in the neuropil of rat primary visual cortex (area 17). All CR+ neurons are nonpyramidal cells with smooth or sparsely spiny and often beaded dendrites. Of all CR+ neurons, 56% are located in layers 1 and 2/3. In layer 2/3, most CR+ neurons are bipolar-shaped and have vertically oriented dendrites. Many ascending dendritic branches reach layer 1 where they run parallel to pial surface. CR+ axons are thin, highly branched near the cell body and often send descending collaterals to layers 5 and 6. Double immunofluorescence labeling revealed GABA in 94% of CR+ cell bodies in layer 2/3. Electron microscopic analysis shows that all CR+ axon terminals contain elongated vesicles and form symmetric synapses. Postembedding staining shows that 98% of CR+ terminals are GABA+. GABA-immunoreactivity is also present in somata and thick dendrites of CR+ neurons but many thin dendrites are GABA-. CR+ somata, dendrites and axon terminals are enriched in mitochondria. Somata and thick CR+ dendrites are densely innervated. At least 68% of the targets of CR+ terminals in layer 2/3 are GABA+ and > or = 50% of these are other CR+ neurons. The remainder (32%) of targets of CR+ terminals are thin dendrites of GABA- cells. In contrast, in layers 5 and 6, 60% of CR+ terminals form synapses with GABA- somatic profiles. The preferential interactions of layer 2/3 CR+ neurons with GABAergic neurons, and with CR+ neurons in particular, suggests that these cells play a role in the inhibition of inhibitory neurons of the same layer. Through these interactions CR+ cells may reduce inhibition of pyramidal cells in layers 2/3, 5 and 6 and thus disinhibit a column of neurons.
Groups with one defining relator

The present day theory of finite groups might be regarded as the outgrowth of the algebraic theory of equations. In much the same way one might consider the modern theory of infinite groups as stemming from late nineteenth century topology. The groups that crop up in topology are of a particularly simple type in that they are both finitely generated and finitely related. This means that every element in such a group can be expressed in terms of a finite number of elements and their inverses and every relation is an algebraic consequence of a finite number of relations between these elements. In other words the legacy of topology to group theory is the estate of finitely presented groups. This talk is concerned with the seemingly simplest of the finitely presented groups, the so-called groups with a single defining relator.
A rigorous proof of the existence of band tails in disordered magnetic insulators

Abstract From the knowledge of the first moments of the density of states and, using a Lagrangian formalism, exact upper and lower bounds to the density of states of a simple hole in a magnetic insulator are calculated within the Hubbard model. These bounds provide a rigorous proof of the existence of band tails in the case of an antiferromagnetic spin arrangement in a simple cubic lattice. When the spin arrangement is random, the results suggest very strongly the existence of band tails.
New Heterocyclic stimulators of hepatic epoxide hydrolase.

Abstract A series of β-carbolines were found to be effective stimulators of rat liver microsomal epoxide hydrolase. The compounds, in order from most active to least active, were: isoquinoline > harman > norharman = ellipticine > 4-azafluorene > 4-phenylpyridine > pyridine > quinoline. Carbazole, 2-aminofluorene, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and napthalene were inactive as stimulators. Compounds possessing a fused bicyclic structure incorporating a pyridinic nitrogen β to the ring fusion were the most potent stimulators. The degree of stimulation by ellipticine was dependent on the type of microsomes studied, and the order from most stimulated to least stimulated was: hepatoma > hyperplastic nodules > normal = phenobarbital induced = 3-methylcholanthrene induced. Sodium cholate-solubilized microsomes were not able to be stimulated, but after removal of cholate by dialysis these microsomes were again able to be stimulated by ellipticine. Reconstitution experiments with purified expoxide hydrolase suggest that a partially dissociable factor in microsomes is necessary for these compounds to stimulate this enzyme.
Detection of carbohydrase in paper electrophoresis.

THE task of testing and localizing enzymes in a protein mixture subjected to paper electrophoresis is a tedious one. This is particularly true in a fractionation study where the number of tests may be numerous. During the course of such an investigation of the various carbohydrases in an Aspergillus niger fermentation, it became necessary to employ a rapid qualitative test for the detection of these enzymes. Keilin and Hartree1 have reported that glucose oxidase (notatin) can be successfully used for the quantitative assay of various carbohydrases. Monod and Torriani2 employed notatin to determine glucose in their studies of amylomaltase. Recently, Whistler et al. 3 showed that D-glucose in corn syrups can also be quantitatively estimated by using notatin. The latter enzyme oxidizes glucose to yield two products—gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
Evidence of reduced arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization in multiple lines of Bt maize

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Insect-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize is widely cultivated, yet few studies have examined the interaction of symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with different lines of Bt maize. As obligate symbionts, AMF may be sensitive to genetic changes within a plant host. Previous evaluations of the impact of Bt crops on AMF have been inconsistent, and because most studies were conducted under disparate experimental conditions, the results are difficult to compare. METHODS: We evaluate AMF colonization in nine Bt maize lines, differing in number and type of engineered trait, and five corresponding near-isogenic parental (P) base hybrids in greenhouse microcosms. Plants were grown in 50% local agricultural soil with low levels of fertilization, and AMF colonization was evaluated at 60 and 100 d. Nontarget effects of Bt cultivation on AMF colonization were tested in a subsequently planted crop, Glycine max, which was seeded into soil that had been preconditioned for 60 d with Bt or P maize. KEY RESULTS: We found that Bt maize had lower levels of AMF colonization in their roots than did the non-Bt parental lines. However, reductions in AMF colonization were not related to the expression of a particular Bt protein. There was no difference in AMF colonization in G. max grown in the Bt- or P-preconditioned soil. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are the first demonstration of a reduction in AMF colonization in multiple Bt maize lines grown under the same experimental conditions and contribute to the growing body of knowledge examining the unanticipated effects of Bt crop cultivation on nontarget soil organisms.
On capacity of magnetic induction-based wireless underground sensor networks

The magnetic induction (MI)-based wireless underground sensor networks (WUSNs) use the novel MI waveguide technique to establish long range and low cost wireless communications in harsh underground environments, which enable a large variety of novel and important applications. One of the main research challenges is the theoretical study of the channel and network capacities in these networks. Compared to the traditional wireless networks, both the channel and network capacities of MI-based WUSNs have significant different characteristics due to the completely different signal propagation techniques and network geometric structure. Moreover, the usage of multiple resonant MI relay coils in MI-based WUSNs brings more reliability concerns. In this paper, mathematical models are developed to evaluate the channel capacity, network capacity, and the reliability of MI-based WUSNs. Specifically, the closed-form expression for the channel capacity in MI-based WUSNs is first derived to capture the effects of multiple system parameters. Then the network capacity scaling laws of MI-based WUSNs are investigated under different deployment strategies. Finally, the system reliability of MI-based WUSNs in terms of the channel capacity and network capacity is discussed. The results of this paper provide principles and guidelines for the design and deployment of MI-based WUSNs.
13C-NMR and spectrophotometric studies of alcohol-lipid interactions.

Abstract The interactions of butanol and mixtures of butanol and ethanol with dipalmitoylphosphatidyl choline (DPPC) liposomes have been investigated by both spectrophotometric measurements and Fourier transform 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The spectrophotometric experiments indicate that butanol exhibits the same effects on the thermotropic properties of DPPC as the other short chain alcohols, methanol, ethanol and propanol, which have been shown to be characteristic of the alcohol induced transition of the lipid to the interdigitated state. An additive effect of butanol and ethanol on the induction of the interdigitated phase in DPPC was also observed. A decrease in line width and increase in T 1 of the choline methyl signal were observed in the 13 C-NMR experiments conducted at 32°C when butanol was added to DPPC in increasing amounts suggesting an increase of disorder in the head group region of the lipid. Addition of ethanol to the NMR sample containing butanol produced hysteresis in the heating and cooling curves characteristic of the interdigitated state. In the interdigitated state, the choline methyl signal exhibited a T 1 value equal to that when the lipid is in the fluid state. The increase of mobility in the head group region in the interdigitated gel state relative to the bilayer gel can be rationalized by the increase in surface area in that site when the lipid interdigitates.
Characterisation of the effect of electrostatic interaction on the structure of Trp-cage using molecular dynamics simulation

A mutated variant of 20 amino acid miniprotein Trp-cage (TC5b), called TC5c (Asp9 replaced by Asn9), was designed to demonstrate the effect of a salt bridge. As a result of strong electrostatic interaction, the distance distribution between Asp9 and Arg16 exhibited a larger probability in the range of the salt bridge for TC5b compared to TC5c. The probability of α-helix formation for residues 3–8, as well as for residues 11–14, was high for TC5b. The salt bridge formation between Asp9 and Arg16 in TC5b was indicated by (a) a strong correlation of their distance of separation with the subtended angle with the centre and (b) a step decrease in the distance between Gly11O and Arg16H at 12 ns. Replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation at different temperatures in the range of 270–590 K indicated that the average distance between Asp9 and Arg16, end-to-end distance, root mean square deviation with respect to a reference NMR structure of TC5b did not change significantly with temperature below 370 K for TC...
Investigation of a laser-produced plasma VUV light source

An investigation was conducted on the VUV radiation from laser-produced plasmas using a channel electron multiplier detector and a 1.5-m grazing incidence spectrometer. High-resolution quantitative spectra from 8 to 40 nm were obtained from the plasmas generated by a 0.5-J Nd:YAG laser focused on nine different target materials. The effects on the plasma emission of laser energy and focus were measured.
Sport competition anxiety and sex role

Competitive trait anxiety scores, measured by the Sport Competition Anxiety Test, were obtained from subjects of both sexes. Subjects also were classified into one of five sex-role endorsement categories according to scores on the Bem Sex Role Inventory. It was predicted that greater endorsement of a feminine sex role, regardless of sex of the subject, would be associated with high levels of competitive trait anxiety. Analysis of variance showed no significant difference for sex of subject, but significant differences for both sex-role endorsement and sex × endorsement interaction. Both differences were attributed to male subjects' responses. Generally, “masculine” males were less anxious than other subjects, while “feminine” males were more anxious. There were no significant differences among female groups.
Neurosecretory axon regeneration into intrahypothalamic neural lobe allografts: neurophysin immunohistochemistry and fine structure.

Neural lobe allografts placed stereotactically into the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial tract between the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei were investigatd between 5 and 70 days post-transplantation (dpt). They contained temporally increasing numbers of neurophysin-positive axons. At the fine structural level, endogenous neurosecretory axons had virtually disappeared from successful (vascularized) grafts by 5 dpt. At this time, single host neurosecretory axons and especially numerous growth cones were associated with pituicyte processes and/or scalloped basal lamina scaffolds. Axon terminals containing neurosecretory granulated vesicles and microvesicles were present only occasionally at 5 dpt but became much more numerous subsequently. These terminals were associated with pituicytes and abutted the parenchymal basal lamina of pericapillary connective tissue spaces. In addition, beginning at 10 dpt, neurolemmocyte-like cells were associated with neurosecretory axons. At 70 dpt, the fine structural characteristics of grafted neural lobes were virtually indistinguishable from those of intact controls, except for the presence of occasional areas of more extensive connective tissue, nonfenestrated capillaries and neurolemmocyte-like cells.
CHLOROPHYLL ONE-ELECTRON PHOTOCHEMISTRY: FLASH PHOTOLYSIS STUDIES OF THE CHLOROPHYLL-QUINONE REACTION IN PYRIDINE

— –Analysis of the effect of β-carotene and benzoquinone on the decay curves of flash-induced transients in chlorophyll a solutions in pyridine and isooctane indicates that the formation of quinone radicals proceeds via a ternary complex of solvent, chlorophyll and quinone. It is suggested that the solvent is the source of electrons for this process.
Is prefrontal cortex found only in mammals

Abstract Over the last twenty years, it has become clear that the organizations of the telencephala of birds and mammals are more similar than was once realized. Recently, Divac and Mogenson have proposed that pigeons possess a telencephalic region that corresponds both anatomically and functionally to mammalian prefrontal cortex. Although this idea requires further experimental scrutiny, it raises the possibility that prefrontal cortex may not be unique to mammals.
Cyclotron maser radiation from a source structure localized perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field

Particle simulations were used to investigate the properties of electromagnetic radiation produced by the cyclotron maser instability in a source region which is localized in the direction perpendicular to the uniform magnetic field. In the procedure used, the simulation model of Pritchett and Strangeway (1985) for the generation of auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) along an auroral field line was modified to include inhomogeneities perpendicular to the magnetic field. The results are compared with the previous homogeneous simulations with regard to efficiency and saturation mechanism and with expectations based on the feedback model. The implications for the generation and propagation of AKR are discussed.
Integrating Functional Areas for Improved Productivity and Quality

Separating functional areas, especially in the product design and manufacturing process, is a historical problem in many organisations and has cost them dearly. In today′s globally competitive world, functional area integration, or at least maximum two‐way communication between each pair of functional areas, is necessary for product‐manufacturing firms to remain competitive. The issue of integrating functional area is explored in detail. Five approaches are suggested to facilitate functional area integration. They are: joint programme meetings; matrix organisation format; phased sign‐off approach; use of a computer‐aided design (CAD) system for communication; and development of a programme approach.
A Role for Environmental Education in Climate Change for Secondary Science Educators

A survey of secondary science teachers in the SE United States (n = 746) suggests that teachers are interested in and willing to teach about climate change despite the challenges with associated with state standards and opposing perspectives. Many recognize this as an opportunity to teach students about the nature of science, as well as engaging them in data analysis, systems thinking and critical thinking skills. Since many of the existing lesson plans focus on earth science, opportunities exist to make climate change locally relevant by incorporating local ecosystem impacts and policy questions into teaching activities.
Timing of postpartum intrauterine device placement: a cost-effectiveness analysis

Objective To determine if immediate postpartum (PP) intrauterine device (IUD) placement prevents pregnancy and is cost-effective compared with routine placement. Design We developed a decision-analysis model to determine the number of pregnancies prevented and the cost-effectiveness of immediate PP IUD placement defined as within the first 10 minutes of placental expulsion compared with routine placement at the PP visit. Associated costs and probability estimates for adherence to PP follow-up, IUD placement, expulsion, and pregnancy were determined from the literature. Setting Hospital and outpatient facility. Patient(s) Women desiring PP IUDs. Intervention(s) IUD placement. Main Outcome Measure(s) The main outcome measure was the number of pregnancies prevented per 1,000 women. The secondary outcome was an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) defined as the marginal cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. An ICER of Result(s) Immediate PP IUD placement prevented 88 unintended pregnancies per 1,000 women over a 2-year time horizon. Immediate PP IUD placement was the dominant strategy. For every 1,000 women who desired a PP IUD, attempted immediate PP placement resulted in a cost savings of $282,540 and a gain of 10 QALYs. The model is most sensitive to the cost of an undesired pregnancy. When the cost of a live birth is Conclusion(s) Immediate PP IUD placement is a dominant strategy that prevents unintended pregnancy.
Enteric adenovirus 41 (Tak) requires low serum for growth in human primary cells

Abstract It had been postulated that due to lack of growth of enteric adenovirus 41 (Ad41) on human primary cells and its growth on Graham-293 cells there was a defect in the Ad41 ElA region. However, we found as a result of careful evaluation of Ad41 growth on several primary cell lines (HEK, WI-38, or Detroit 551) that efficient viral multiplication is possible if the serum concentration in the medium used postinfection (p.i.) is kept between 0.2 and 1%. In contrast, only slight growth of Ad41 occurs in infected cells maintained in 5% serum and virtually no viral replication is found in infected cells cultivated in medium with 10% serum. The serum inhibitory effect appears limited to primary cells because no difference in Ad41 replication, as assayed by accumulation of Ad41 DNA, was found in infected continuous cell lines (HEp-2, 293) cultivated p.i. in either 1 or 10% FBS. Also, this effect appears specific for enteric adenoviruses, such as Ad41, since conventional adenoviruses, such as Ad5, grow well in both 1 and 10% FBS. The above results show that Ad41 can grow in a variety of primary cell lines, under specific culture conditions. In addition, we found that Ad41-infected primary cells grown in medium containing 0.2% serum had an increase in synthesis of the 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) at about 6 hr p.i. and also Ad41 was able to complement the Ads El A deletion mutant d1312. These results show that the El A function of Ad41 is not impaired in infected cells.
Enzymatic primer-extension with glycerol-nucleoside triphosphates on DNA templates.

Background Glycerol nucleic acid (GNA) has an acyclic phosphoglycerol backbone repeat-unit, but forms stable duplexes based on Watson-Crick base-pairing. Because of its structural simplicity, GNA is of particular interest with respect to the possibility of evolving functional polymers by in vitro selection. Template-dependent GNA synthesis is essential to any GNA-based selection system. Principal Findings In this study, we investigated the ability of various DNA polymerases to use glycerol-nucleoside triphosphates (gNTPs) as substrates for GNA synthesis on DNA templates. Therminator DNA polymerase catalyzes quantitative primer-extension by the incorporation of two glyceronucleotides, with much less efficient extension up to five glyceronucleotides. Steady-state kinetic experiments suggested that GNA synthesis by Therminator was affected by both decreased catalytic rates and weakened substrate binding, especially for pyrimidines. In an attempt to improve pyrimidine incorporation by providing additional stacking interactions, we synthesized two new gNTP analogs with 5-propynyl substituted pyrimidine nucleobases. This led to more efficient incorporation of gC, but not gT. Conclusions We suggest that directed evolution of Therminator might lead to mutants with improved substrate binding and catalytic efficiency.
The light growth response of Phycomyces.

With the help of an automated tracking system we have studied the characteristics of the transient light growth response of Phycomyces. The response shows a sharply defined latency. The Q10 of the reciprocal latency is 2.4. Response patterns at different peaks of the action spectrum are the same. The gradual variation of response magnitude over a wide range of adapted intensifies parallels that of phototropism. The responses to saturating stimuli exhibit a strong oscillation with a constant period of 1.6 min and variable damping. The growth responses to sinusoidally varying light intensities show a system bandwidth of 2.5 x 10-3 Hz. The linear dependence of phase shift on frequency is largely attributable to the latency observed with pulse stimuli. In the high intensity range a previously suspected increase of the steady-state growth rate with intensity has been confirmed. The light growth responses of mutants selected for diminished phototropism have been investigated. Many of these mutants have sizable but grossly distorted growth responses.
Surface Viscoelasticity of β-Casein Monolayers at the Air/Water Interface by Electrocapillary Wave Diffraction

Abstract The surface viscoelastic properties of the protein β-casein spread and adsorbed as a monolayer at the air/water interface have been determined using the electrocapillary wave diffraction (ECWD) technique over the wave frequency range of 0.1 to 4.0 kHz. Up to a surface concentration of 1.7 mg/m 2 , at a surface pressure of 10.4 mN/m, the viscoelastic properties of adsorbed and spread monolayers appear to be identical. Significant increases in surface elasticity, ϵ, and surface viscosity, κ, and the loss tangent, tan δ, occur when the surface concentration just exceeds 1.0 mg/m 2 , the point at which β-casein appears to exist with all of its amino acid residues at the interface in the form of trains. In agreement with earlier proposals by Graham and Phillips, the significant changes in viscoelasticity at surface concentrations above 1.0 mg/m 2 are attributed to the extension of some amino acid residues into the underlying aqueous phase.