cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High density QCD with static quarks

We study lattice QCD in the limit that the quark mass and chemical potential are simulaneously made large, resulting in a controllable density of quarks which do not move. This is similar in spirit to the quenched approximation for zero density QCD. In this approximation we find that the deconfinement transition seen at zero density becomes a smooth crossover at very small density (possibly for any nonzero density), and that at low enough temperature chiral symmetry remains broken at all densities. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}
Microglial interaction with β‐amyloid: Implications for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

The etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves a significant inflammatory component as evidenced by the presence of elevated levels of a diverse range of proinflammatory molecules in the AD brain. These inflammatory molecules are produced principally by activated microglia, which are found to be clustered within and adjacent to the senile plaque. Moreover, long-term treatment of patients with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has been shown to reduce risk and incidence of AD and delay disease progression. The microglia respond to beta-amyloid (Abeta) deposition in the brain through the interaction of fibrillar forms of amyloid with cell surface receptors, leading to the activation of intracellular signal transduction cascades. The activation of multiple independent signaling pathways ultimately leads to the induction of proinflammatory gene expression and production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. These microglial inflammatory products act in concert to produce neuronal toxicity and death. Therapeutic approaches focused on inhibition of the microglial-mediated local inflammatory response in the AD brain offer new opportunities to intervene in the disease.
Prostaglandin F2alpha-induced luteolysis of aging corpora lutea in hysterectomized pigs.

Prostaglandins primarily of uterine origin play an important role in parturition. Hysterectomy of nongravid pigs early in the luteal phase maintains luteal function until about Day 150, whereas the duration of normal pregnancy is about 114 days. A precisely timed peak release of relaxin and coincident decrease in progesterone secretion in unmated hysterectomized gilts are similar to hormonal changes that occur a few hours before parturition. It is hypothesized that prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) in hysterectomized pigs mimics abrupt changes in ovarian and pituitary hormone secretion seen before normal parturition and in early lactation. Unmated Yorkshire gilts were hysterectomized on Days 6-8 of a normal estrous cycle, and at 1200 h on Day 113, they were given an i.m. injection of 30 mg PGF2alpha-trihydroxymethylaminomethane (THAM) salt or PBS. None of these gilts expressed behavioral estrus immediately after PGF2alpha or vehicle treatment. On Day 113, PGF2alpha increased peak relaxin (60 ng/ml) compared with that of controls (34 ng/ml; p < 0.01), whereas progesterone decreased abruptly (4 vs. 16 ng/ml in PGF2alpha and PBS; p < 0.01). Prolactin remained at < 5 ng/ml from Day 98 to 120 in controls but peaked at 33 ng/ml immediately after PGF2alpha treatment on Day 113, and then decreased to levels similar to those of controls on Day 120. Sequential bleeding revealed an acute growth hormone release (4.5 ng/ml) immediately after PGF2alpha injection and return to basal levels (< 0.6 ng/ml) on Days 114-120. PGF2alpha induced abrupt shifts in progesterone, relaxin, prolactin, and growth hormone secretion in hysterectomized gilts that mimicked hormone changes seen in late pregnancy, parturition, and early lactation. These findings provide new insight into the role of PGF2alpha in abruptly changing hormone secretions by aging corpora lutea and the pituitary gland even in the absence of conceptuses or the uterus in the pig.
Stability of Picrotoxin during Yogurt Manufacture and Storage

Picrotoxin is a neurotoxin found in the berries of Anamirta cocculus, a plant native to Southeast Asia. Picrotoxin has potential for being used as a biological weapon since the toxin is relatively easy to isolate and purify. Limited information exists on the stability and detection of picrotoxin added to foods before or after processing. The objective of this study was to determine the stability of picrotoxin during yogurt manufacture and storage. Direct, cup-set yogurt was produced by using methods that mimic the conditions used in full-scale production of yogurt. Milk (full-fat or low-fat) was pasteurized at 85 degrees C for 30 min, and then cooled to 43 degrees C. Yogurt starter culture (thermophilic culture or thermophilic + probiotic culture) and picrotoxin (200 mug/mL milk) were added. Samples of yogurt during fermentation (5 to 6 h, 43 degrees C) and during 30 d refrigerated (4 to 6 degrees C) storage were analyzed for pH, titratable acidity, and picrototoxin levels. Regardless of starter culture used or fat content of milk, there were no significant differences in the pH and titratable acidities of the picrotoxin-spiked yogurt and the control yogurt (no added picrotoxin) during fermentation and up to 4 wk of refrigerated storage. The color or texture of the yogurt was not affected by addition of picrotoxin. Levels of picrotoxinin and picrotin (components of picrotoxin) in yogurt, as measured by LC/MS (APCI(+)/SIR) did not change significantly during fermentation and storage. A separate experiment determined that addition of picrotoxin to milk before pasteurization (85 degrees C, 30 min) did not affect picrotoxin stability. These results indicate that picrotoxin is stable in yogurt during manufacture and storage.
The systematics of autopolyploidy in Epilobium latifolium (Onagraceae)

Diploid (2n = 36) plants ofEpilobium latifolium L. have been found in Alaska and the western Cordillera of North America, and tetraploids in Iceland, western Greenland, and southeastern Quebec. Study of the morphology of these chromosome races revealed a character, the number of pores in the pollen grains, by which they could be distinguished with an average probability of 75%. Tetraploids ofE. latifolium tend to have high percentages of 4-pored pollen, while the diploids usually have only 3-pored pollen. On this basis, the ranges of the races were extrapolated from herbarium material. Detailed comparisons of eight other features of the presumptive diploids and tetraploids showed no significant difference between them. The races appear to form worldwide, allopatric, ecogeographic phases. A high level (57.4%) of quadrivalent formation observed during tetraploid meiosis, and other considerations, indicate that the tetraploids arose by autopolyploidy. The recommendation is made that the races not be given formal taxonomic recognition.
Bacterial resistance to toxic elements

Abstract Plasmid-determined resistances to compounds of such toxic elements as antimony, arsenic, bismuth, boron, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, lead, nickel, silver, tellurium and zinc occur at high frequencies in natural populations of common bacteria. Considerable study has been made of the resistances to cadmium and to arsenic which result from altered transport and of resistance to mercury which results from biotransformation. However, much remains to be learned about all of these resistances which have potential for use in engineering microbes for applications in biotechnology.
Demonstration of Two Independently Folding Domains in the α Subunit of Bacterial Luciferase by Preferential Ligand Binding-Induced Stabilization†

The alpha subunit of bacterial luciferase unfolds and refolds reversibly by a three-state mechanism in urea-containing buffer. It has been proposed that the three-state unfolding of the alpha subunit arises from a stepwise unfolding of a C-terminal folding domain at lower concentrations of urea, followed by unfolding of the N-terminal domain at higher concentrations of urea (Noland, B. W., Dangott, L. J., and Baldwin, T. O. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 16136-16145). The location of an anion binding site in the proposed N-terminal folding domain allowed the folding mechanism to be probed in the context of the intact polypeptide. Anions preferentially stabilized the N-terminal domain in a concentration-dependent manner. The polyvalent anions sulfate and phosphate were found to be more stabilizing than monovalent chloride ion. Cations did not show a similar stabilizing effect, demonstrating that the stabilization was due to the anions alone. The purified N-terminal domain prepared by limited proteolysis and anion exchange chromatography was found to refold cooperatively with a midpoint approximately that of the second unfolding transition of the alpha subunit. Phosphate ion stabilized this fragment to roughly the same extent as it did the alpha subunit. The results presented are consistent with the proposed two-domain folding model and demonstrate that anion binding to the N-terminal folding domain stabilizes the alpha subunit of bacterial luciferase.
Gravitational Radiation and the Motion of Two Point Masses

The expansion of the field equations of general relativity in powers of the gravitational coupling constant yield conservation laws of energy, momentum, and angular momentum. From these laws, the loss of energy, momentum and angular momentum of a system due to the radiation of gravitational waves is found. Two techniques, radiation reaction and flux across a large sphere, are used in this calculation and are shown to be in agreement over a time average. These results are then applied to the system of two point masses moving in elliptical orbits around each other. The secular decays of the semi-major axis and eccentricity are found as functions of time and are integrated to specify the decay by gravitational radiation of such systems as functions of their initial conditions. For completeness, the secular change in the perihelion of the orbit for two arbitrary masses is found by a method which is in the spirit of the above calculations. The case of gravitational radiation when the bodies are relativistic is then considered, and an equation for the radiation similar to that of electromagnetic radiation is found. Also a proof is given that, regardless of coordinate systems or conditions, the energy of a system must decrease as a result of the radiation of gravitational waves, providing the potentials are inversely proportional to the distance from the source for large distances.
Electrochemical generation and spectrophotometric study of solute species in molten fluoride media

Abstract Studies of the electrochemical generation and simultaneous spectrophotometric observation of several solute species in molten fluoride media were carried out. Attempts were made to generate Mn(III), Co(III) and Cu(III) in molten LiFNaFKF from the divalent or metallic state. The generation and spectral observation of Mn(III) was possible; the generation of Co(III) was inferred from electrochemical results; the generation of Cu(III) was not possible under our experimental conditions. Experimental results along with reasons for obtaining these results are discussed. The absorption spectra of Mn(II), Mn(III) and Cu(II) in molten LiFNaFKF at 500°C are presented. The spectra indicate that all these ions are situated at or very near octahedral symmetry in this melt. Molar absorptivities of the most sensitive d-d transition are given in each case.
Composition of myelin proteins in murine genetic myelin dysgenesis: the quaking mutant.

SummaryMyelin was isolated by sucrose density-gradient centrifugation from brains of Quaking mutants and littermate controls at the developmental ages of most active myelination. The myelin proteins were solubilized in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and separated by electrophoresis in SDS-poly-acrylamide gels. The yield of myelin from the Quaking mutant at ages varying from 3 weeks to 3 months postpartum was constant and did not show the progressive increase found in normal brain. There was a marked reduction of proteolipid and lesser decrease of basic protein in the myelin subfraction from the Quaking mutant. The proportion of high molecular-weight (Wolf-gram) proteins of the Quaking mutant was increased though a consistent diminution of one of these was observed. Alteration or deficient synthesis of a myelin protein could be the primary genetic error in the dysmyelination manifest by this mutant.This study was supported by USPHS Grant NB-06926. M. J. D. was a predoctoral trainee in Biochemistry supported ...
Using Fire and Herbicide to Control Lygodium microphyllum and Effects on a Pine Flatwoods Plant Community in South Florida

Abstract Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br. is a non-native invasive fern that has become a serious problem in many habitats in southern Florida. The effectiveness of fire and/or triclopyr ester in killing L. microphyllum, the time and amount of herbicide required for inspections and re-applications, and the effects of these treatments on a southern Florida pine flatwoods community were examined. These treatments were: (1) herbicide application with bimonthly inspection and re-application if necessary, (2) herbicide application with biannual inspection/re-application, (3) prescribed fire to reduce L. microphyllum biomass followed by biannual inspection and herbicide application, and (4) untreated controls. All fire and/or herbicide treatments killed standing L. microphyllum, and the prescribed fire reduced by about one-half the amount of subsequent herbicide, but not the time, required to kill regrowth. No treatment prevented L. microphyllum regrowth, and every treatment had at least one new frond at the...
Using XML to improve the productivity and robustness in application development in geosciences

In this paper, we describe an approach to apply Extensible Markup Language (XML) technologies to improve the robustness of geological and geophysical applications as well as to increase the efficacy in the application development process. Geological and geophysical applications are often data centric, I/O intensive and their development is incremental. Therefore, significant amount of development resources is devoted to the design and reengineering of the container data structures that store data. This process is time consuming, mechanical and error prone. Normally, ad hoc parsers are necessary for reading inputs, as well as numerous filters, or adapters to transform the data for integration with other legacy applications. Most of this can be avoided by using XML-related technologies. XML has a type system schema that can be used to define input parameters and constraints. The XML parser can validate the input data using the constraints defined in the schema. Exporting results in XML format allows the use of Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) to transform XML output to any other format necessary for integration with legacy applications. Additionally, XML-data binding code can be automatically generated in specified languages such C++ and Java. We used this approach to develop applications for seismic ray-tracing and basin modeling with great success, and the major benefits of this approach were the significant gains in productivity during the developement and application robustness.
An initial psychometric evaluation of the CBCL 6–18 in a sample of youth with autism spectrum disorders

Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with co-occurring emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The Child Behavior Checklist 6-18 (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) is an EBD measure that contains several norm-referenced scales derived through factor analysis of data from the general pediatric population. The psychometric properties of this widely used and well-researched measure have not been evaluated in samples of youth with ASD. This study evaluated the CBCL's internal structure, scale reliability, criterion-related validity, and diagnostic accuracy using archival data from a well-characterized sample of youth with ASD (N = 122). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the unidimensionality of the CBCL's syndrome scales and its Internalizing-Externalizing factor structure. Significance tests indicated that many scales discriminated between two subgroups: a group of individuals with ASD+EBD and a group with ASD alone. Diagnostic accuracy analyses indicated that the CBCL had good sensitivity but low specificity for detecting co-occurring disorders. Results supported the use of the CBCL in conjunction with other clinical data when assessing for EBD in youth with ASD.
Scattered data interpolation with nonnegative preservation using bivariate splines and its application

We study how to use bivariate splines for scattered data interpolation with nonnegativity preservation of the given data values. That is, we propose a constrained minimal energy method to find a C 1 smooth interpolation of nonnegative data values over scattered locations using bivariate splines. We establish the existence and uniqueness of the minimizer under mild assumptions on the data locations and triangulations. Next we show some approximation properties of the minimizer. We then use the classic projected gradient algorithm to find the minimizer using a simplified nonnegative constraint. Some synthetic as well as a real life example demonstrate the performance, producing nonnegative interpolatory spline surfaces from nonnegative data values. Experimental results also show that the approximation of the nonnegative interpolatory spline surfaces is slightly better than the approximation of the classic minimal energy interpolatory splines.
Experimental infrared spectra of matrix isolated complexes of HCl with 4-substituted pyridines. Evaluation of anharmonicity and matrix effects using data from ab initio calculations

Abstract Infrared spectra have been measured for HCl complexes with 4-cyanopyridine, 4-chloropyridine, pyridine and 4-methylpyridine isolated in argon and nitrogen matrices at about 12 K. The experimental spectra are dramatically different from computed MP2/6-31+G(d,p) harmonic spectra, a consequence of the anharmonicity of the potential energy surface in the hydrogen-bonding region. Comparisons of computed and experimental data suggest that the experimental spectra correspond to complexes with HCl distances that are much longer than the computed equilibrium distances. These longer distances, R cor (HCl), are related to the average HCl distance in the ground vibrational state of the proton-stretching mode. The value of R cor (HCl) determines values of three effective anharmonic force constants for the HCl stretch, the NH stretch and the coupling between them for each complex. The simulated anharmonic spectra obtained when these anharmonic force constants are used in place of the corresponding harmonic constants show spectral patterns with respect to both frequencies and intensities that are very similar to those observed in the experimental spectra obtained in Ar and N 2 matrices. 1D anharmonic potential curves related to the experimental spectra are presented. They provide insight into anharmonicity of the hydrogen-bonded proton stretch for these systems, and into the sensitivity of the potential energy surface to the environment.
The interaction between facilitation and depression of two release mechanisms in a single synapse

The synapse from the lateral pyloric (LP) to the pyloric dilator (PD) neuron in the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab Cancer borealis has both a graded and a spike-mediated component. These two components have opposite short-term dynamics: the spike-mediated component is usually facilitating, while the graded component is depressing. We built a model of these two synaptic components and their interactions, based on the concept of quantal release evoked by calcium influx. This model is able to accurately predict the postsynaptic response of the PD neuron to any temporally patterned presynaptic LP neuron activity.
Sparse matrix approximation to an integral equation of scattering

An integral equation formulation of scattering of waves obeying Helmholtz's equation is considered in two dimensions, along with a standard discretization that generates a full matrix equation. A transformation involving banded matrices is introduced that (for most large problems) replaces this full matrix by one which, although full, has nearly all of its elements reduced in size by many orders of magnitude. Sample calculations show that in many cases these small elements may be approximated by zero with little loss in accuracy, thereby generating a sparse matrix equation. This transformation is effective whenever much of the scatterer(s) is somewhat smooth, although isolated discontinuities are allowed. It is speculated that with minor changes this transformation will also be effective for three-dimensional problems and for a variety of integral equations of wave motion.
Morphological studies of the embryonic rabbit thymus: the in situ epithelial versus the extrathymic derivation of the initial population of lymphocytes in the embryonic thymus.

The present morphological investigation of the developing thymus of the rabbit during early embryogenesis differs with our previous studies concerning thymus lymphopoiesis in the chick and hamster which suggested that embryologically the first lymphocytes appearing in the thymus arise in situ by the direct transformation of undifferentiated epithelial cells comprising the organ parenchyma. Significantly, in the rabbit and in contrast with the chick and hamster, a few cells morphologically resembling but not completely identical to medium-size and large lymphocytes were evident in the mesenchyme near the thymus at a time just prior to the appearance of lymphocytes or lymphocytic precursors within the thymus parenchyma (twelve and one-half days of gestation). Within a few hours after the appearance of these extrathymic lymphocytic cells both medium-size and large lymphocytic cells were observed both in the thymus parenchyma and in the mesenchyme (thirteen and one-half days of gestation); these cells remain more numerous in the mesenchyme than in the thymus during the next several days. In some instances, only a thin basement membrane separated the lymphocytic cells within the thymus from the surrounding mesenchyme. In contrast with our earlier studies, several examples have been encountered between the fifteenth and seventeenth days of gestation of lymphocytic cells extending through the basement membrane seperating the thymus parenchyma from the surrounding capsular connective tissue. Morphologically cellular modulations between thymus undifferentiated epithelial cells and lymphocytic precursors have not been as convincing in the developing rabbit thymus as in the chick and hamster. In contrast with thymus development in the chick few mature or developing granulocytes are found near the embryonic rabbit thymus indicating that the primitive extrathymic lymphocytic cells are not myeloblasts. The morphological evidence of this investigation is consistent with the thesis that the first lymphocytes present in the embryonic thymus probably are derived from the invasion of extrathymic lymphocytic cells into the organ parenchyma rather than forming in situ from modulating undifferentiated epithelial cells. The presence of rare lymphocytic cells observed in the small vascular channels near the time of appearance of the lymphocytic cell population in the mesenchyme and within the thymus primordium would be consistent with the view that these primitive lymphocytic cells immigrate to the region of the thymus via the blood vascular system.
Exemplary Introductory Critical Media Literacy Documentaries

Teachers are often unsure about their critical position toward and knowledge about mass media. As a consequence, they are unsure about engaging their students in media analyses. To begin acquiring a new critical media literacy discourse and then introduce it to their students, teachers can read the many valuable accounts by other educators who have conceptualized, or engaged students in, critical media literacy projects. But teachers often do not have the time to read dozens of articles, book chapters, and books. The author of this column introduces another way into the discourse of critical media literacy—a way that involves learning and thinking about the media through critical documentaries that explain and critique them. Taking up such documentaries is not only less time consuming, but it is also as valuable an introductory experience as taking up printed texts on the subject.
A definition of the degree of disturbance rejection

The problem of rejecting disturbances that are known a priori to reside in a particular function class is treated. Two scalar measures, the degree of disturbance rejection (DODR) and the degree of disturbability (DOD) are defined and shown to be useful in rating a candidate controller's ability to counter the expected disturbances. The measures can thus be used as criteria for controller design and actuator placement. It is shown that the DODR can guarantee that constraints on the control action will not be violated. The DOD assumes a closed-loop controller realization, and this gives a simplified formulation in terms of one state space region instead of two. With the DOD, a variety of performance indices can be considered, together with a spectrum of possible controller implementations.
Direct binding studies of 125I-α-bungarotoxin and 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate interaction with axon plasma membrane fragments. Evidence for nicotinic and muscarinic binding sites

Abstract The attachment of 125 I-α-bungarotoxin (BgTx) which is reportedly bound exclusively to “nicotinic” acetylcholine receptors, as well as 3 H-atropine and 3 H-3-quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB), which reportedly bind exclusively to “muscarinic” receptors, was measured in isolated lobster axon plasma membrane fragments and in the soluble axonal protein fraction. 125 I-α-BgTx binding was also measured in lysolecithin-solubilized fragments. Binding assays were adapted for these studies and are described in detail. High affinity, saturable binding of all three ligands to membrane fragments was observed, as well as binding of BgTx to a macromolecule present in both the soluble fraction and the membrane fragments. These experiments provide the first evidence for the very tight binding of both “nicotinic” and “muscarinic” ligands in peripheral nerve.
Infrared spectra and normal coordinate analysis of metal—glycolato complexes

Abstract The infrared spectra of bis(glycolato)cobalt (II) and its three deutero analogs have been measured from 4000 to 250 cm−1. A normal coordinate analysis has been carried out on the chelate ring in order to assign the CoO stretching modes. The results indicate that the CoO (carboxyl) and CoO (hydroxyl) stretching modes couple strongly to give two doublet bands at ca, 443 and 325 cm−1. Both CoO stretching force constants are estimated to be 0·9 mdyn/A. The effect on these bands of a change of metal is discussed.
Nephrotoxicity of urographic radiocontrast drugs.

The radioopaque compounds used in diagnostic radiology are variously referred to as dyes, agents, media, or materials, but by all criteria they are actually drugs. They differ from most conventional drugs in terms of "pharmacologic" activity. This activity is so weak that they may be administered in large doses. They are, however, subject to the same factors as other drugs in regards to absorption, distribution, excretion, and metabolism, and they resemble other drugs as far as untoward side reactions are concerned. Many of these reactions can neither be reproduced nor satisfactorily studied experimentally. Hence, underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the present review, we consider, first, the published case reports and, second, an analysis of various proposed mechanisms of nephrotoxicity.
The Conservativeness and Power of F Tests Based on the Shine-Bower Error Term

The Shine-Bower error term is used to form approximate F ratios for testing various effects in the Shine-Bower single-subject ANOVA and the Shine Combined ANOVA. The distribution governing the general case of any one of these F ratios is the double non-central F distribution which has both a numerator and a denominator noncentrality parameter. It is rigorously shown that the approximate nature of these F ratios makes them no worse than conservative with respect to the probability of a Type I error. It is also shown that the approximate nature of these F ratios reduces their power.
FDR, Disability, and Politics: A View from the South

Less than a two-hour drive south from Atlanta, Warm Springs, Georgia is worlds away from the glitzy self-proclaimed capital of the New South. Nor does it qualify as Old South, if by that one has in mind Deep South plantations; the land here makes for poor farming (although even in Meriwether County cotton was still the historic cash crop), and the houses are correspondingly modest. Yet Warm Springs qualifies as a kind of unofficial transitional capital in the South’s historical process of modernization. It was here that a determinedly optimistic Yankee politician first came in 1924, hoping that the natural mineral springs would permit dramatic improvement of his paralyzed legs following adult-onset of polio in 1921. After enthusiastically converting a rundown resort into the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation devoted to the treatment of polio sufferers while buying up land to start his own small farm, FDR returned to politics, gaining the governorship of New York in 1928 and then the longest presidency from 1932 to 1945. Even after his return to politics, for both pragmatic as well as sentimental reasons FDR liked to think of himself as a part-time transplant to Georgia, where following paralysis he had regained a sense of purpose and honed his executive skills, in the process enlarging his political frame of reference and
Separation and detection of nanogram amounts of steroids

Abstract The use of heptafluorobutyrates as derivatives for the ultra-sensitive measurement of hydroxyl containing steroids and using an electron affinity detector has been described. Following gas chromatography quantities of as little as 10−10 gram of steroid have been detected.
Multitask Robot Learning Control

In this paper, we consider the problem of determining an optimal trajectory for the execution of class of robot tasks using a learning-adaptive robot control systems. A quadratic cost functional which involves the reference trajectory and the actual control efforts is optimized on-line while the robot is learning how to execute the tasks. The control-optimization scheme presented in this paper has a hierarchical structure which consists of i) a trajectory tracking controller; ii) a "learning" algorithm which estimates the robot dynamics; and iii) a gradient flow algorithm which attempts to minimize the cost functional using the current estimate of the robot dynamics, and generates the reference trajectory for the tracking controller. The stability of the overall control-optimization system is analyzed and the system is proved to be asymptotically stable. The reference trajectory generated by the gradient flow algorithm converges to a local minimum as long as the training tasks are sufficiently rich.
Constructing Chinese characters: keypad design for mobile phones

Increased use of mobile phones and associated services in China highlights the need for effective Chinese input methods for mobile devices. Mapping thousands of characters to a standard telephone keypad is a significant challenge. Structure-based methods provide an appealing known-character/known-code solution, but assigning multiple strokes to each key forces users to learn new, often unfamiliar, mappings. Using an established stroke input method, our study revealed important effects of keypad legend on performance. Novice user performance was evaluated with several alternative keypad designs. The results confirmed that both abstract symbols and concrete examples helped improve the usability of the keypad in Chinese text-entry tasks. Further, combining abstract symbols and concrete examples resulted in performance nearly tripling as compared to the original design. The stroke-to-key mapping accuracy also increased significantly. Handwriting analysis confirmed that the reduced errors are directly associated with the keypad-based text-entry technique.
The Role of Art and Literacy Activities in Children’s Healing Process

Home health nurses/staff can inform parents of the healing qualities of inexpensive and simple therapeutic art and literacy activities. They can instruct them of the variety of art, literature, storytelling, and writing activities that can be used and encourage parents to provide such opportunities for their children during their healing processes. These activities can give children some of the emotional support they need to help them heal and provide an opportunity for children to maintain healthy cognitive and emotional developmental growth even while they are homebound.
Transforming potential and matrix stiffness co-regulate confinement sensitivity of tumor cell migration

It is now well established that tumor cell invasion through tissue is strongly regulated by the microstructural and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). However, it remains unclear how these physical microenvironmental inputs are jointly processed with oncogenic lesions to drive invasion. In this study, we address this open question by combining a microfabricated polyacrylamide channel (μPAC) platform that enables independent control of ECM stiffness and confinement with an isogenically-matched breast tumor progression series in which the oncogenes ErbB2 and 14-3-3ζ are overexpressed independently or in tandem. We find that increasing channel confinement and overexpressing ErbB2 both promote cell migration to a similar degree when other parameters are kept constant. In contrast, 14-3-3ζ overexpression slows migration speed, and does so in a fashion that dwarfs effects of ECM confinement and stiffness. We also find that ECM stiffness dramatically enhances cell motility when combined with ErbB2 overexpression, demonstrating that biophysical cues and cell-intrinsic parameters promote cell invasion in an integrative manner. Morphometric analysis of cells inside the μPAC platform reveals that the rapid cell migration induced by narrow channels and ErbB2 overexpression are both accompanied by increased cell polarization. Disruption of this polarization occurs by pharmacological inhibition of Rac GTPase phenocopies 14-3-3ζ overexpression by reducing cell polarization and slowing migration. By systematically measuring migration speed as a function of matrix stiffness and confinement, we also quantify for the first time the sensitivity of migration speed to microchannel properties and transforming potential. These results demonstrate that oncogenic lesions and ECM biophysical properties can synergistically interact to drive invasive migration, and that both inputs may act through common molecular mechanisms to enhance migration speed.
Magmatic storage conditions, decompression rate, and incipient caldera collapse of the 1902 eruption of Santa Maria Volcano, Guatemala

Abstract Phase equilibria experiments and analysis of natural pumice and phenocryst compositions indicate the 1902 Santa Maria dacite was stored at ~ 140–170 MPa and 840–850 °C prior to eruption. H2O-saturated, cold-seal experiments conducted in vessels with an intrinsic log fO2 of NNO + 1 ± 0.5 show that the natural phase assemblage (melt + plagioclase + amphibole + orthopyroxene + Fe–Ti oxides + apatite) is stable from approximately 115–140 MPa at temperatures below ~ 825 °C, to ~ 840–860 °C at 150 MPa, to > 850 and 50 MPa and > 50 °C greater than experimental run conditions; precise estimates of magmatic conditions based solely upon amphibole composition are likely inaccurate. The experimental results and analysis of natural crystals suggest that although the natural amphiboles likely record a broad range of magmatic conditions, only the lower bounds of that range reflect pre-eruptive storage conditions. Comparison of Santa Maria microlite abundances with decompression experiments examining other silicic systems from the literature suggests that the 1902 dacite decompressed at the rate of ~ 0.005 to 0.01 MPa/s during the eruption. Applying the decompression rate with the previously described eruption rate of approximately 2–3 × 108 kg/s (Williams and Self, 1983; Carey and Sparks, 1986 ) to the conduit model CONFLOW reveals that the eruption conduit was dike-like with an along-strike length > 1 km. Despite depositing ~ 20 km3 of dacite tephra (equivalent to ~ 8.5 km3 magma), the 1902 eruption did not form an obvious caldera. This work suggests that collapse of the dike-like conduit terminated the eruption, preventing full caldera collapse.
Ten Steps to Finding the Right Balance Between Career and Family

AJR:197, November 2011 of my role models were accomplished women who did not have families or, if they did, they chose not to spend time with them. As a consequence, most of this process for me has been trial and error. However, having the right mentor can be extremely helpful because a mentor can provide advice on how to make the right choices. Multiple studies have linked strong mentee-mentor relationships to greater satisfaction in career and personal life, earlier academic advancement, and enhanced research productivity [4–6]. Often, more than one mentor is necessary to meet all of these needs, and at times the mentor may even be outside of your department or institution or could be working in an entirely different field. Keep in mind that the mentee-mentor relationship is a two-way street and that finding the right chemistry is crucial to ensure a productive relationship. Find a mentor.
Meta-analysis of Urine Heme Dipstick Diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium Infection, Including Low-Prevalence and Previously-Treated Populations

Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis remains highly endemic in Africa. Current control is based on drug administration, targeted either to school-age children or to high-risk communities at-large. Urine dipsticks for detection of microhematuria offer an inexpensive means for estimating infection prevalence. However, their diagnostic performance has not been systematically evaluated after community treatment, or in areas with continuing low prevalence. The objective of the present study was to perform meta-analysis of dipstick accuracy for S. haematobium infection in endemic regions, with special attention to performance where infection intensity or prevalence was low. Methodology/Principal Findings: This review was registered at inception with PROSPERO (CRD42012002165). Included studies were identified by computerized search of online databases and hand search of bibliographies and existing study archives. Eligible studies included published or unpublished population surveys irrespective of date, location, or language that compared dipstick diagnosis of S. haematobium infection to standard egg-count parasitology. For 95 included surveys, variation in dipstick sensitivity and specificity were evaluated according to study size, age- and sex-specific participation, region, local prevalence, treatment status, and other factors potentially affecting test performance. Independent of prevalence, accuracy was greater in surveys of school-age children (vs. adults), whereas performance was less good in North Africa, as compared to other regions. By hierarchical ROC analysis, overall dipstick sensitivity and specificity for detection of egg-positive urine were estimated at 81% and 89%, respectively. Sensitivity was lower among treated populations (72%) and in population subgroups having lower intensity infection (65%). When the insensitivity of egg count testing was considered (and diagnosis inferred instead from combined hematuria and egg-count findings), overall dipstick sensitivity/ specificity were 82%/97%, with significantly better sensitivity (92%) in high prevalence settings. Conclusions/Significance: This analysis suggests that dipsticks will continue to serve as very useful adjuncts for monitoring community prevalence following implementation of population-based control of urogenital schistosomiasis.
Development and testing of GNSS-based landing system avionics

Test methods and criteria are needed to certify Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Landing System (GLS) avionics. The government and industry committee developing GLS standards at RTCA Inc. is particularly concerned with the accuracy of the equipment when subjected to external radio frequency (RF) interference. The RTCA Special Committee 159 (SC-159) has allocated accuracy between ground and airborne system components in the range domain to facilitate system modularity and interoperability. This led to the development of range domain avionics test methods that previously were specified in the position domain. There are a number of considerations in balancing the need for adequate test coverage while maintaining reasonable test duration. The paper develops and validates the test statistics and criteria for the RTCA Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) GLS accuracy tests. The interference test suite contributes a critical piece to the LAAS interoperability puzzle by assuring the airborne integrity allocations are adequate.
Association of Fertility, Fitness and Longevity with the Murine Ah Locus Among (C57BL/6N) (C3H/HeN) Recombinant Inbred Lines

The Ah locus encodes a cytosolic receptor which controls the induction of enzymes that metabolize drugs, chemical carcinogens, and other environmental pollutants. B6NXC3N recombinant inbred lines have been developed from the progenitors C57BL/6N and C3H/HeN inbred mouse strains. Ah phenotyping at each generation has resulted in the establishment of some lines containing high levels of the high-affinity Ah receptor; other lines, very low levels. A genetic model involving two unlinked loci is offered to explain the distribution of Ah receptor levels among (C57BL/6N) (C3H/HeN)F2 individuals. Between generations 7 and 13, individual females and males from the B6NXC3N recombinant inbred lines were crossed with DBA/2N males and females. Presence of high levels of the high-affinity Ah receptor in both female and male B6NXC3N mice was found to be associated with greater fertility, fitness, and longer life span. The data suggest that these parameters are correlated with the Ah locus or a closely segregating gene.
The Fifth Column---Reflections on the Past of Scientific Management and the Future of Management Science

It seems only appropriate to begin my tenure as Editor of this journal by reprinting the foregoing article. All of the glittering future predicted by Frederick Taylor for Scientific Management has been equally well predicted for Management Science. Scientific Management now has been consigned by many to the ash-heap of “another 'Theory X' ” approach to management. I contend that if Scientific Management had been used as it should have been, that it would have been able to satisfy the most ardent advocate of “Theory Y”. I further wish to make the point that the same thing which spelled the doom of Scientific Management is present within Management Science.
An investigation of a video-based patient repositioning technique.

Abstract Purpose : We have investigated a video-based patient repositioning technique designed to use skin features for radiotherapy repositioning. We investigated the feasibility of the clinical application of this system by quantitative evaluation of performance characteristics of the methodology. Methods and Materials : Multiple regions of interest (ROI) were specified in the field of view of video cameras. We used a normalized correlation pattern-matching algorithm to compute the translations of each ROI pattern in a target image. These translations were compared against trial translations using a quadratic cost function for an optimization process in which the patient rotation and translational parameters were calculated. Results : A hierarchical search technique achieved high-speed (compute correlation for 128 × 128 ROI in 512 × 512 target image within 0.005 s) and subpixel spatial accuracy (as high as 0.2 pixel). By treating the observed translations as movements of points on the surfaces of a hypothetical cube, we were able to estimate accurately the actual translations and rotations of the test phantoms used in our experiments to less than 1 mm and 0.2° with a standard deviation of 0.3 mm and 0.5° respectively. For human volunteer cases, we estimated the translations and rotations to have an accuracy of 2 mm and 1.2°. Conclusion : A personal computer-based video system is suitable for routine patient setup of fractionated conformal radiotherapy. It is expected to achieve high-precision repositioning of the skin surface with high efficiency.
A suggested association between hypothyroidism and age-related macular degeneration.

Objective: To explore the relationship between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and hypothyroidism in a population-based sample of adults 50 years and older in the United States.Study Population: Participants aged 50 years and older (N = 9,677). Of this total, 356 participants reported having AMD and 9321 reported not having AMD.Methods: Information pertaining to self-reported thyroid disease (specifically hypothyroidism) and AMD was obtained from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey. The association between self-reported data on hypothyroidism and AMD was estimated using logistic regression adjusting for the potentially confounding influence of demographic, behavioral, and health-related characteristics.Results: Of the 356 people with AMD, 20.9% reported hypothyroidism compared to 11.2% of those 9,321 without AMD (odds ratio [OR] 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69–3.21). After adjusting for the confounding influence of age, sex, smoking, and race, the association between AMD and hypothyro...
Sedimentation rates in a Long Island marsh determined by 210Pb dating1

Mean rates of vertical accretion of from 0.47 to 0.63 cm yr−1 have been determined for the past century from two widely separated sites at Flax Pond, a Spartina alterniflora marsh on the north shore of Long Island. Sediments were dated from 210Pb activity. The rates are equivalent to deposition of 325 to 436 g of dry organic matter m−2 yr−1 or about 146 to 196 g of carbon m−2 yr−1 Although the two sites differed in salt peat thickness, the basal layer of the peat was deposited about 100 years ago at both.