cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Road Geometry Parameters on Vehicle Handling Stability

A 3-DOF full vehicle model was established using MATLAB/Simulink to examine the influence of road geometry parameters on vehicle handling stability.The dynamic responses of vehicle in different road superelevations,longitudinal grades,and longitudinal/transverse grade combinations were discussed by numerical simulation.A further sensitive analysis was also conducted to evaluate the influence of road geometry parameter on vehicle handling stability at different vehicle speeds and front wheel steering angle inputs.The results show that(1) the influence of road with characteristics of superelevation and longitudinal grade on vehicle handling stability is remarkable compared with that of flat pavement;(2) however,the extent of influence is affected by vehicle speed and front wheel steering angle input,the influence of road geometry parameter on vehicle handling stability is weaken when the vehicle speed and front wheel steering angle decrease.
Rheumatoid synovial cyst of the hip; report of three cases.

Rheumatoid synovial cyst of the hip apparently is a rare developnment in the course of a relatively common disease. The occurrence of rheumatoid synovial cysts of the hips in three patients with extensive chronic rheumatoid arthritis of fifteen or more years' duration is described. Theories as to pathogenesis of this condition, the differential diagnosis of inguinal masses, and the treatment of rheumatoid synovial cysts in the inguinal region are discussed.
Constitution of the Afric-American Female Intelligence Society: 1831

Free black women were among the first Americans to organize antislavery organizations devoted to immediate emancipation. Although this statement of purpose emphasized mutual assistance, they were a Garrisonian group.
Phase 1 and 2 study of carboplatin and pralatrexate in patients with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

BACKGROUND The objective of this phase 1 and 2 trial was to identify the appropriate dose of combined carboplatin and pralatrexate for patients with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer. METHODS In phase 1, patients received carboplatin (at an area under the curve of 5) and increasing doses of pralatrexate until the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of pralatrexate was achieved. The primary endpoint was the response rate. Additional endpoints were safety, response duration, progression-free survival, overall survival, and pharmacokinetics. RESULTS Thirty patients were enrolled in phase 1, and 20 were enrolled in phase 2. Of all 50 patients, 49 completed the study. The mean patient age was 59 years, and patients completed a median of 6 cycles. The MTD for pralatrexate was 105 mg/m2. The clinical benefit rate (complete responses plus partial responses plus stable disease) was 86%. Of 26 patients who received the MTD, 12 had a partial response, 11 had stable disease, and 2 had disease progression. The progression-free survival rate at 3 and 6 months was 87% and 79%, respectively; and the overall survival rate was 98% at 6 and 12 months and 66% at 24 months. Of 30 patients, 18 (60%) in phase 1 experienced an adverse event of any grade; and, of those, 4 patients (13%) had a grade 3 or greater adverse event. In phase 2, 12 patients (60%) had an adverse event of any grade, and 4 (20%) had grade 3 or greater toxicity. There was a significant reduction in the total body clearance of pralatrexate when it was received concurrently with carboplatin. CONCLUSIONS Most patients responded to carboplatin-pralatrexate combination. This regimen is well tolerated and effective in this patient population. Cancer 2016;122:3297–3306. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
The Role of Culture in Economic Development: Does Culture Give East Asia an Edge Over America in Economic Competition?

This chapter first reviews the basic concept of culture and its effect on doing business and economic development. The author also integrates culture with the political and economic systems to show how they interact and affect a country’s economic development. The case of China is used to illustrate that a strong, pro-business culture has formed due to China’s unique historical path that is extremely favorable to economic growth and business operations. In conclusion, the author discusses whether and what the United States can learn from this type of pro-development culture existing in East Asia, especially in China.
Who Bears the Costs of District Funding Cuts? Reducing Inequality in the Distribution of Teacher Layoffs

Massive funding cuts to public education took place around the country following the Great Recession. Many school districts were forced to conduct teacher layoffs at a larger scale than any other time in recent history. We show that prior to a district intervention, the layoff process disproportionately impacted historically disadvantaged students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. We then demonstrate the success of a policy designed to reduce inequality in the distribution of teacher layoffs.
Saving the Sweetness: Renal Glucose Handling in Health and Disease

Glucose homeostasis is highly controlled, and the function of the kidney plays an integral role in this process. The exquisite control of blood glucose relies, in part, on renal glucose filtration, renal glucose reabsorption, and renal gluconeogenesis. Particularly critical to maintaining glucose homeostasis is the renal reabsorption of glucose; with ~162 g of glucose filtered by the kidney per day, it is imperative that the kidney have the ability to efficiently reabsorb nearly 100% of this glucose back in the bloodstream. In this review, we focus on this central process, highlighting the renal transporters and regulators involved in both the physiology and pathophysiology of glucose reabsorption.
Till Porn Do Us Part? A Longitudinal Examination of Pornography Use and Divorce

As pornography use becomes more commonplace in the United States, and increasingly so among younger cohorts, a growing literature is considering its potential connection to key social and cultural institutions. The current study examined the relationship between pornography use and one such institution: marriage. We drew on three-wave longitudinal data from 2006 to 2014 General Social Survey panel studies to determine whether married Americans’ pornography use predicted their likelihood of divorce over time and under what social conditions. We employed a doubly robust strategy that combines entropy balancing with logistic regression models. We found that the probability of divorce roughly doubled for married Americans who began pornography use between survey waves (N = 2,120; odds ratio = 2.19), and that this relationship held for both women and men. Conversely, discontinuing pornography use between survey waves was associated with a lower probability of divorce, but only for women. Additional analyses al...
Cenozoic Muricidae of the Western Atlantic Region Part IV - Hexaplex and Murexiella

This report covers two closely related genera of Muricinae, Hexaplex and Murexiella, including the subgenera Hexaplex (Murexsul) and Murexiella (Subpterynotus), in the Cenozoic of the western Atlantic region. A total of 28 species are treated systematically; of these twelve are referred to Hexaplex s.s., one to Hexaplex (Murexsul), fourteen to Murexiella s.s. and one to Murexiella (Subpterynotus). Of this number, only two species of Hexaplex s.s. and four of Murexiella s.s., or six species in all, occur in the Recent of the western Atlantic region and of these only three species are confined to Recent waters, the other three having fossil representatives also. The genera Hexaplex s.s. and Murexiella s.s. are well represented in the Eocene of both the New World and the Old World; but the respective subgenera do not appear until the Miocene. Subpterynotus is evidently extinct in the western Atlantic, but there is one Recent species, probably Indo-Pacific in distribution, referable to the subgenus. Seven new species are described herein: Hexaplex (Hexaplex) texanus from the Weches Formation of Texas, and H. (H.) katherinae from the Moodys Branch Marl of Mississippi and Louisiana, both Eocene in age; H. (H.) etheringtoni, from the Tubera Group of Bolivar, Colombia, H. (Murexsul) thalmanni and Murexiella (Murexiella) veracruzana, both from the Agueguexquite Formation of Vera Cruz, Mexico, and M. (M.) calhounensis, from the Chipola Formation of Florida, all Miocene in age; and M. (M.) petiti from the Pliocene Waccamaw Formation of South Carolina.
Combination of Aβ Suppression and Innate Immune Activation in the Brain Significantly Attenuates Amyloid Plaque Deposition.

Anti-Aβ clinical trials are currently under way to determine whether preventing amyloid deposition will be beneficial in arresting progression of Alzheimer disease. Both clinical and preclinical studies suggest that antiamyloid strategies are only effective if started at early stages of the disease process in a primary prevention strategy. Because this approach will be difficult to deploy, strategies for secondary prevention aimed at later stages of disease are also needed. In this study, we asked whether combining innate immune activation in the brain with concurrent Aβ suppression could enhance plaque clearance and could improve pathologic outcomes in mice with moderate amyloid pathologic disorder. Starting at 5 months of age, tet-off amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice were treated with doxycycline (dox) to suppress further amyloid precursor protein/Aβ production, and at the same time mice were intracranially injected with adeno-associated virus 1 expressing murine IL-6 (AAV1-mIL-6). Three months later, mice treated with the combination of Aβ suppression and AAV1-mIL-6 showed significantly less plaque pathologic disorder than dox or AAV1-mIL-6 only groups. The combination of AAV1-mIL-6 + dox treatment lowered total plaque burden by >60% versus untreated controls. Treatment with either dox or AAV1-mIL-6 alone was less effective than the combination. Our results suggest a synergistic mechanism by which the up-regulation of mIL-6 was able to improve plaque clearance in the setting of Aβ suppression.
Exercising Unilateral Discretion: Presidential Justifications of Unilateral Powers in a Shared Powers System:

There is a puzzle in the literature on presidential unilateral power that, on one hand, presents executive orders as the outcome of presidential prerogative but on the other hand identifies delegat...
MERS-CoV and H5N1 influenza virus antagonize antigen presentation by altering the epigenetic landscape

Convergent evolution dictates that diverse groups of viruses will target both similar and distinct host pathways to manipulate the immune response and improve infection. In this study, we sought to leverage this uneven viral antagonism to identify critical host factors that govern disease outcome. Utilizing a systems-based approach, we examined differential regulation of IFN-γ-dependent genes following infection with robust respiratory viruses including influenza viruses [A/influenza/Vietnam/1203/2004 (H5N1-VN1203) and A/influenza/California/04/2009 (H1N1-CA04)] and coronaviruses [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV)]. Categorizing by function, we observed down-regulation of gene expression associated with antigen presentation following both H5N1-VN1203 and MERS-CoV infection. Further examination revealed global down-regulation of antigen-presentation gene expression, which was confirmed by proteomics for both H5N1-VN1203 and MERS-CoV infection. Importantly, epigenetic analysis suggested that DNA methylation, rather than histone modification, plays a crucial role in MERS-CoV-mediated antagonism of antigen-presentation gene expression; in contrast, H5N1-VN1203 likely utilizes a combination of epigenetic mechanisms to target antigen presentation. Together, the results indicate a common mechanism utilized by H5N1-VN1203 and MERS-CoV to modulate antigen presentation and the host adaptive immune response.
Impulse oscillometry and nitrogen washout test in the assessment of small airway dysfunction in asthma: Correlation with quantitative computed tomography.

ABSTRACTObjective. Small airway dysfunction (SAD) and airway remodeling influence the disease control and progression in asthma. We investigated whether impulse oscillometry (IOS) and single breath...
Inferring the effect of genomic variation in the new era of genomics

Accurate and detailed understanding of the effects of variants in the coding and noncoding regions of the genome is the next big challenge in the new genomic era of personalized medicine, especially to tackle newer findings of genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of diseases. This is necessary to resolve the gene-variant-disease relationship, the pathogenic variant spectrum of genes, pathogenic variants with variable clinical consequences, and multiloci diseases. In turn, this will facilitate patient recruitment for relevant clinical trials. In this review, we describe the trends in research at the intersection of basic and clinical genomics aiming to (a) overcome molecular diagnostic challenges and increase the clinical utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, (b) elucidate variants associated with disease, (c) determine overall genomic complexity including epistasis, complex inheritance patterns such as "synergistic heterozygosity," digenic/multigenic inheritance, modifier effect, and rare variant load. We describe the newly emerging field of integrated functional genomics, in vivo or in vitro large-scale functional approaches, statistical bioinformatics algorithms that support NGS genomics data to interpret variants for timely clinical diagnostics and disease management. Thus, facilitating the discovery of new therapeutic or biomarker options, and their roles in the future of personalized medicine.
Aligning values with value.

Medical stewardship is a way of describing a relatively new obligation to maximize health care resources. A professionwide conversation about its meaning and value is needed.
A MARKOV DECISION APPROACH TO NUCLEAR MATERIALS SAFEGUARDS

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the Markov decision approach to nuclear materials safeguard. One basic problem in safeguarding special nuclear materials is that of the early detection of diversion. In the case of nuclear safeguards, the use of the difference of successive inventories in estimating the materials balance introduces dependence among successive estimates. The diversion of nuclear material can be regarded as a loss of control in the process of successive estimates of material balance. In nuclear safeguards and in industrial quality control, it becomes important to detect lack of control promptly. In both cases, the neglect of this phenomenon would prove costly.
As Múltiplas Contribuições para a Complexação Proteína-Ligante: Consequências em Drug Design

The protein-ligand binding event is exceedingly complex with several contributions playing important roles in determining the affinities of compounds against biological targets. The net binding free energy is a fine balance between contributions that oppose binding, such as individual ligand and protein penalty terms (interactions lost with the solvent, strain, and also entropy losses), and those that favor it, like protein-ligand intermolecular interactions and the release of waters from binding sites. Here, some of the most important contributions to Protein-Ligand binding are analyzed. Deep knowledge of those contributions is of fundamental importance in Medicinal Chemistry since it can enhance drug design effectiveness, enabling the generation of compounds with improved potency and desirable properties. DOI: 10.5935/1984-6835.20120027
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and mortality in spinal epidural abscess.

Abstract Background context Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio have been previously identified as markers for overall survival in oncology but remain heretofore unexplored in spinal epidural abscess (SEA). Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of these routinely collected assessments on 90-day mortality in SEA. Study design/Setting Retrospective, case-control study. Patient sample Patients 18 years or older diagnosed with SEA at 2 academic medical centers and 3 community hospitals. Outcome measures Ninety-day postdischarge and in-hospital mortality. Methods Complete blood count with differential obtained on the day immediately preceding or on the day of admission was used to calculate platelet to lymphocyte and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios. Multivariate analyses were used to determine if these ratios were independent risk factors for 90-day mortality. Results For 1,053 SEA patients included in the study, the rate of 90-day mortality was 134 (12.7%). The rate of 90-day mortality with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (≥8) was (20.5%) compared to (8.1%) with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio Conclusions Absolute neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is a routinely collected but overlooked biomarker in patients with spinal epidural abscess that is a novel independent risk factor for 90-day mortality.
How NOT to create a digital media scholarship platform: the history of the Sophie 2.0 project

Since the mid-2000s digital platforms have emerged to take advantage of the capabilities of new technology to incorporate media content, tell nonlinear stories, and reinvent the book for the 21st century. Sophie 1.0, from the University of Southern California, the Institute for the Future of the Book (IFB), and computer scientists based in Europe, was an attempt to create a multimedia editing, reading, and publishing platform. Sophie 2.0 was an international collaboration between the University of Southern California and Astea Solutions in Bulgaria to rewrite Sophie 1.0 in the Java programming language. This research will explore how the Sophie 2.0 project was unable to become a viable and wellmaintained open source product despite receiving over a million dollars in funding from the Mellon Foundation. Problems included the technological difficulty of creating an easy-to-use but completely customizable open source multimedia e-publishing platform, which was also compounded by competing visions over what this project was to be. Stakeholders did not demand a deliverable that actually worked. Funders seemed willing to overlook weaknesses in early releases for a more encompassing, if impractical, project. The computer scientists wanted to add the most features possible while, the IFB and USC Institute for Multimedia Literacy focused on creating a product based on the values of a future they hoped to create. Understanding what went wrong with Sophie 2.0 can help us understand how to create better digital media scholarship tools and to start much needed discussions about failure in the digital humanities.
Identification of metastasis-related genes by DNA microarray analyses on samples generated from a metastatic mouse model of head and neck cancer.

204 To identify genes that mediate metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN), a novel SCCHN xenograft mouse model has been established (Zhang et al. Cancer 95:1663, 2002). Using this model we performed in vivo selection from a SCCHN cell line. In the fourth round of in vivo selection, significant incidences of metastases in lymph nodes (7/10) and lungs (6/10) were achieved from a derived SCCHN cell line as compared with its parental cell line (1/5 in lymph nodes and 0/5 in lungs). Highly metastatic SCCHN cell lines were then established from lymph node metastatic tumors. The RNA from 18 metastatic cell lines (M) and 6 parental cell lines (P) isolated from nonmetastatic xenograft tumors were subjected to DNA microarray analysis using an Affymetrix gene chip HG-U133A. GCRMA in Bioconductor (www.bioconductor.org) was used for probe analysis of the microarray data. Statistical analysis (one-way ANOVA), false discovery rate calculation (q-value 1.5) were sequentially performed to select the most significant genes. A total of 5234 genes were identified from 22,123 genes on the HG-U133A gene chip. Ontological classification and k-mean clustering of these genes revealed specific features of the metastatic SCCHN cells that are different from the non-metastatic parental cells, including (1) loss of expression of cell-cell adhesion proteins, such as down-regulation of cellular adhesion molecule E-cadherin [mean signal values (log-base 2): 2.3 (M) vs. 10.4 (P)]; (2) down-regulation of cellular feature proteins, such as a putative tumor suppressor caveolin-1 [2.6 (M) vs. 12 (P)] and a differentiation marker involucrin [2.3 (M) vs. 5.2 (P)], and up-regulation of prostate stem cell antigen [8.9 (M) vs. 3.5 (P)]; (3) up-regulation of signal transducers that induce migration and invasion, such as chemokine (C-X-C) motif receptor 4 [CXCR4, 9.0 (M) vs. 2.1 (P)]; (4) switching expression pattern of small Ca2+ binding proteins, such as enhancement of S100A4 [13.6 (M) vs. 6.3 (P)], but reduction of S100A2 [5.4 (M) vs. 13.9 (P)]; and (5) alterations of expression pattern of several cytokeratins. These genotypic changes support a phenotypic alteration, epithelia-mesenchymal transition, observed between the parental cells and their metastatic derivatives. After experimental validation, these genes as a group can potentially be used as “predictors” for lymph node metastases of SCCHN (Supported by NIH grant R21 DE014767).
Innate Immune Signaling in Regulation of Immunity

Abstract Innate resistance, as an integral part of inflammation, and adaptive immunity participate in oncogenesis and tumor surveillance. For a long time, innate resistance was considered a primitive nonspecific form of resistance to infections that was eclipsed by the potent and specific acquired immunity of higher organisms. More recently, it has been recognized that innate resistance is not only the first line of defense against infections but also sets the stage and is necessary for the development of adaptive immunity. Advances in cancer biology have revealed that the defensive mechanisms of innate resistance and inflammation are indeed manifestations of tissue homeostasis and control of cellular proliferation that have many pleiotropic effects on carcinogenesis and tumor progression and dissemination. The interaction of innate and adaptive immunity with carcinogenesis and tumor progression is complicated and results in effects that either favor or impede tumor progression. Innate immune receptors both sense and regulate the composition of the microbiota, the large number of commensal microorganisms that colonize the barrier surfaces of all multicellular organisms, including those of humans. The microbiota affects many functions of our body and the two together comprise one metaorganism. Microbial imbalance particularly in the gut plays a critical role in the development of multiple diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune conditions and increased susceptibility to infection. Alteration in innate immune signaling and immunity may change the composition of the microbiota affecting tumor initiation both at the barrier sites (e.g. in the gut) and systemically. The commensal microbes not only may affect the development and progression of cancer but they have also important effects on the response to cancer therapy. Mostly through their interaction with innate receptors, commensal microorganisms modulate the ability of the organism to respond to cancer immunotherapy and chemotherapy by affecting the threshold of response of tumor-associated myeloid cells and their ability to sustain anti-tumor immunity. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Chapter 8 – Epigenetic inheritance

The field of epigenetics focuses on the study of mitotically and/or meiotically heritable changes in phenotypes that occur in the absence of DNA sequence changes. These changes in phenotype originate from a number of molecular mechanisms, including DNA modifications, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs. How these molecular mechanisms produce a phenotype that is heritable and thus shows epigenetic inheritance is not yet fully understood. In this chapter, we will discuss the available evidence for epigenetic inheritance mediated by each of the main epigenetic pathway. Evidence for both cell-to-cell and parent-to-offspring inheritance will be presented, and the two inheritance types will be contrasted. This chapter is a broad yet thorough introduction to the mechanisms that govern epigenetic inheritance and, through the use of clear examples, illustrates how epigenetic information systems can contribute to the inheritance of phenotypes.
Phage infection mediates inhibition of bystander bacteria

Abstract Bacteriophages (phages) are being considered as potential alternative therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug resistant bacterial infections. Considering most phages have a narrow host-range, the generally accepted dogma is that therapeutic phages will have a marginal impact on bacterial strains outside of their intended target bacterium. We have discovered that lytic phage infection induces transcription of type VIIb secretion system (T7SS) genes in the pathobiont Enterococcus faecalis. Phage induction of T7SS genes mediates cell contact dependent antagonism of diverse Gram positive bystander bacteria. This phage induced T7SS antagonism is attributed to cell membrane damage. Phage driven T7SS antagonism of neighboring cells is abrogated by deleting essB, a T7SS structural component that is required for secretion of T7SS toxic substrates. Expression of a predicted immunity gene in bystander bacteria confers protection against T7SS mediated inhibition, implicating an upstream LXG domain toxin in intraspecies antagonism. Additionally, phage induction of T7SS gene expression requires IreK, a Serine/Threonine PASTA kinase. Phage induction of T7SS antimicrobial activity signals through a non-canonical IreK stress response pathway. Our findings highlight how phage infection of a target bacterium can unintentionally affect neighboring bystander bacteria. Furthermore, our work indicates that before phages become a standard of care in the clinic, we must clearly understand how bacteria respond to phage infection and what, if any, collateral effects phage therapy may have on non-target bacteria, such as the microbiota.
Frailty is independently associated with mortality in 11 001 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Background The prevalence of older adults with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is increasing. Frailty is an important predictor of outcomes in many chronic disease states. The implications of frailty have not been well-delineated in IBD. Aims To report the prevalence of a frailty-associated diagnosis and determine the association between frailty and mortality in a cohort of IBD patients. Methods In a cohort of 11 001 IBD patients, we applied a validated definition of frailty using International Classification of Disease codes. We compared frail IBD patients to those without a frailty-related code ("fit"). We constructed multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for clinically pertinent confounders (age, gender, race, IBD type, follow-up, IBD-related surgery, ≥1 comorbidity in the Charlson comorbidity index [CCI], and immunosuppression use) to determine whether frailty predicts mortality. Results A total of 675 (6%) IBD patients had a frailty-related diagnosis. The prevalence of frailty increased with age, rising from 4% in 20-29 year olds to 25% in patients 90 years or older. The most prevalent frailty diagnosis was protein-energy malnutrition. The strongest predictors of frailty were non-IBD comorbidity, all-cause and IBD-related, hospitalisations. Frailty remained independently associated with mortality after adjusting for age, sex, duration of follow-up, comorbidity, need for IBD-related surgery and immunosuppression (OR: 2.90, 95% CI: 2.29-3.68). Conclusions Frailty is prevalent in IBD patients and increases with age. Frailty nearly triples the odds of mortality for IBD patients. Risk stratifying patients by frailty may improve outcomes.
Clinical mass spectrometry and its applications in traumatic brain injuries

Abstract Mass spectrometry is one of the fastest growing fields in clinical diagnostics and has demonstrated great utility in serving healthcare and patient needs. This growth is due to its unique advantages over traditional methods, such as exceptional specificity, high sensitivity, and ability to detect multiple compounds at once, as well as a powerful platform to customize laboratory developed tests to support essential needs for healthcare. This chapter is to provide a brief and fundamental introduction to mass spectrometry, highlighting its history and development for clinical diagnostics, as well as attempts to compare and contrast clinical mass spectrometry to clinical immunoassays. In addition, we provide a brief summary of the role of mass spectrometry in the biomarker discovery research for traumatic brain injury from lipidomics, metabolomics, and proteomics perspective. Lastly, this chapter explores the opportunity to apply the targeted mass spectrometry technique for clinical assays to further validate the biomarker candidates for traumatic brain injuries and their potential clinical applications in the diagnosis and prognosis of traumatic brain injury.
Robotic Manipulation and Optimization for Agricultural and Field Applications

Often considered a “grand challenge” of robotics, autonomous manipulation is a wide subfield, and one with extensive prior work, that continues to attract a great deal of attention from robotic researchers. Extending robotic manipulation to the agricultural and field application domain is particularly challenging due to the nature of the unstructured environment where machines often need to interact with biological systems. Here, we consider general design considerations and techniques for developing autonomous manipulation frameworks particularly focusing on agricultural (and potential field) applications. After briefly reviewing some fundamentals of robot kinematics, dynamics, and workspaces, we discuss several performance metrics, such as cycle time and manipulability, that could be used to evaluate a robot design for a particular application on specialty crops. As the working environment is highly unstructured, we also discuss the importance of motion planning for positioning the end-effector at the desired working location. Then, after reviewing several algorithms and optimization methods that have been used to aid the design process, we present findings from a recent case study on robotic apple harvesting before concluding with a discussion of existing challenges and opportunities for future research.
Virtual Reconstructions in Bernardino Amico’s Treatise on the Plans and Images of the Sacred Buildings of the Holy Land

This essay explores the role of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in cultivating perceptions of the Catholic pilgrimage buildings as worthy of preservation, especially by employing techniques of representation in printed books that engaged with the potential restoration of the real buildings in the Holy Land. The essay discusses the particular example of the printed book created by Bernardino Amico that was published in two editions of 1610 and 1620, with interactive perspectival renderings of the exteriors and interiors of the Christian pilgrimage churches in Palestine and Egypt, along with maps of ancient and modern Jerusalem. Centuries before the emergence of cyber archaeology, Franciscans like Bernardino Amico explored the potential for virtual reconstruction in the realm of printing to demonstrate the value of buildings as symbols of a shared history and faith, while also challenging those who actively sought to dismantle the same buildings in both real and virtual space. Bernardino Amico’s treatise exemplifies the potential of such virtual reconstructions of historical buildings to blur the boundaries between the empirically observed present, the imagined past, and a desired future.
Cold War Encounters in US-Occupied Okinawa: Women, Militarized Domesticity, and Transnationalism in East Asia

1. Rethinking gender and militarism in Cold War Okinawa 2. Cultivating feminine affinity and affiliation with Americans: Cold War people-to-people encounters and women's club activities 3. 'The world is our campus': domestic science and Cold War transnationalism between Michigan and Okinawa 4. Building a bridge across the Pacific: domestic training and Cold War technical interchange between Okinawa and Hawaii 5. Mobilizing homes, empowering women: Okinawan home economists and Cold War domestic education 6. Cultivating feminine affinity and affiliation with the homeland: grassroots women's exchange between mainland Japan and Okinawa Epilogue Bibliography Index.
Synaptotagmin 13: structure and expression of a novel synaptotagmin.

Summary Synaptotagmins represent a family of putative vesicular trafficking proteins. With synaptotagmin 13, we have now identified a novel synaptotagmin, making this one of the largest families of trafficking proteins. Similar to synaptotagmins 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 11, synaptotagmin 13 is expressed at highest levels in brain but is also detectable at lower levels in non-neuronal tissues. Synaptotagmin 13 is composed of the canonical domains of synaptotagmins that include an N-terminal transmembrane region and two C-terminal cytoplasmic C 2 -domains (C 2 A- and C 2 B-domain) and a connecting sequence between the transmembrane region and the C 2 -domains. Different from most other synaptotagmins, however, synaptotagmin 13 does not have an N-terminal sequence preceding the transmembrane region, and features an unusually long connecting sequence that is proline-rich. Furthermore, the C 2 -domains of synaptotagmin are degenerate and lack almost all of the residues involved in Ca 2+ binding, suggesting that synaptotagmin 13 is not a Ca 2+ -binding protein unlike most other synaptotagmins. Our data demonstrate that synaptotagmins represent a larger and more complex gene family than previously envisioned.
Firm Size and Dividend Announcement Effect

This paper examines the impact of firm size on market reaction to unexpected dividend changes. The empirical results indicate, after controlling for the magnitude of dividend changes, a negative re...
Novel dynamic phase estimator for robust ICI self-cancellation OFDM receivers

OFDM has been widely applied in current wireless local-area networks and digital video broadcasting since it is robust in frequency-selective channels. However, there still exists a crucial intercarrier-interference (ICI) problem due to the Doppler effect, local frequency drift and multipath fading, in OFDM systems. ICI self-cancellation schemes have been proposed to significantly reduce the ICI and empirically they greatly outperform the convolutional coding schemes in the IEEE 802.11 standard. However, all current ICI self-cancellation receivers are still sensitive to the phase ambiguity due to the frequency offset, the local oscillator frequency drift and the multipath reflections. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a robust ICI self-cancellation receiver with a novel dynamic phase estimation mechanism. The proposed scheme can well solve the phase ambiguity problem and the Monte Carlo simulation results show that our phase estimator can greatly reduce the bit error rates for the final symbol detection.
Proficiency and Beliefs in Learning and Teaching Mathematics

This volume was sparked by the fact that Alan Schoenfeld and Gunter Torner were both celebrating their 65th birthdays in July 2012. The book started out as part of a Festschrift to celebrate that event. Although the volume was not ready in time for their birthdays, the result is a belated celebration in print to recognize their contributions to the field of mathematics education.
The influence of postreliance detection on the deceptive efficacy of dishonest signals of intent: Understanding facial clues to deceit as the outcome of signaling tradeoffs

Abstract Evolutionary communication theory posits that signalers and receivers are in a coevolutionary arms race. Receivers attempt to predict the behavior of signalers, and signalers attempt to manipulate the behavior of receivers (often through the use of dishonest signals of intent). This has led to the perception that deceitful signalers prefer perfectly deceptive signals. However, it is often easy for receivers to determine that a signal of intent was dishonest after relying on it to their detriment. Even the best deceivers may then acquire a reputation for being dishonest. For instance, in Prisoner's Dilemma (PD)-like social situations, predictable defectors make better social partners than unpredictable defectors. When opportunities to engage in social interaction depend on one's reputation for predictability, those who are better at concealing their defecting intentions may suffer the most from the reputations they acquire. Deceivers then face a tradeoff between the short-term benefits of successful deception and the long-term costs to their reputations. A mathematical model is developed and it is shown that the tradeoff often favors signalers who produce imperfectly deceptive signals over perfectly honest or perfectly deceptive ones. Implications for understanding human facial expressions and sociopathy are drawn.
The univalent reduction of oxygen by reduced flavins and quinones.

FMN and flavodoxin, when reduced by the action of ferredoxin-TPN+ oxidoreductase, have been shown to cause both univalent and divalent reductions of oxygen. Superoxide radicals, so generated, were detected by their abilities to oxidize epinephrine to adrenochrome and to reduce cytochrome c. Superoxide dismutase inhibited these actions of the superoxide radical. The ratio of the univalent reduction of oxygen, to the sum of the univalent plus divalent reductions of oxygen, was determined as a function of pH and of oxygen concentration. These data were compared with the results of similar measurements made previously, with ferredoxins and xanthine oxidase. FMN and flavodoxin carry out the univalent reduction of oxygen much less effectively than either xanthine oxidase or the ferredoxins. Furthermore, the univalent reduction of oxygen by xanthine oxidase and by the ferredoxins showed similar responses to changes in pH and oxygen concentration; whereas the behavior of the flavodoxin and FMN mediated systems was distinctly different. These results suggest that the reduction of oxygen by native milk xanthine oxidase may well be a function of its non-heme iron centers. The fully reduced form of menadione, generated by the action of Diaphorase, caused a predominantly divalent reduction of oxygen; whereas the semiquinone forms of this carrier, generated by the action of the ferredoxin-TPN+ oxidoreductase, caused primarily a univalent reduction of oxygen.
Is Online Copyright Enforcement Scalable

This article examines P2P file sharing and the copyright enforcement problem it has created through the lens of scalability. Writing about the growth and governance of the Internet, David Post observed that "scaling problems - the problems that arise solely as a consequence of increasing size or increasing numbers - can be profound, and profoundly difficult to solve." Both the Internet’s designers and the designers of P2P networks solved difficult problems of scale in their effort to revolutionize the distribution of information goods. In doing so, however, they created a problem of scale in the form of "massive infringement." How to approach solving that problem of scale is the subject of this article. Part I traces the evolution of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks from Napster to BitTorrent, with a focus on the relative scalability of successive architectures. Part II takes up the difficult question of the scale of P2P infringement and its harms, examining the strategic number-crunching that underlies industry data on piracy, the government’s credulous acceptance of that data, and the risk of letting industry hyperbole drive copyright policy and law enforcement priorities. Part III evaluates the efficacy of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as a policy mechanism for scaling up online copyright enforcement. I argue in Part III that the DMCA has proven to be remarkably scalable for enforcing copyrights in hosted content but has altogether failed to scale in the context of P2P file sharing, leading to the dysfunctional workaround of mass John Doe litigation. Part IV weighs the costs and benefits of more scalable alternatives to mass litigation, including a potential amendment of the DMCA’s pre-litigation subpoena provision and a pair of administrative dispute resolution systems - one hypothetical, the other real - for streamlining adjudication of P2P infringement claims.
Erythropoietin Supports the Survival of Prostate Cancer, But Not Growth and Bone Metastasis

Erythropoietin (Epo) is used in clinical settings to enhance hematopoietic function and to improve the quality of life for patients undergoing chemotherapy by reducing fatigue and the need for transfusions. However, several meta-analyses have revealed that Epo treatments are associated with an increased risk of mortality in cancer patients. In this study, we examined the role of Epo in prostate cancer (PCa) progression, using in vitro cell culture systems and in vivo bone metastatic assays. We found that Epo did not stimulate the proliferation of PCa cell lines, but did protect PCa cells from apoptosis. In animal models of PCa metastasis, no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that Epo enhances metastasis. Together, these findings suggest that Epo may be useful for treating severe anemia in PCa patients without increasing metastatic risk.
En Bloc Resection of the Temporal Bone and Temporomandibular Joint for Advanced Temporal Bone Carcinoma

Advanced skin malignancies involving the temporal bone can involve the temporomandibular joint and glenoid fossa. Many of these tumors can be removed with a lateral temporal bone resection; however, extensive involvement of the glenoid fossa should include an en bloc resection of the temporal bone, glenoid fossa, and condyle. We describe a novel surgical approach that is an extension of a temporal bone resection that includes the glenoid fossa and condyle in an en bloc resection with the temporal bone. This procedure has been performed in 7 patients with advanced carcinoma of the temporal bone involving the glenoid fossa. There were no short-term complications as a result of the surgical approach. The addition of a middle fossa craniotomy and inclusion of the glenoid fossa and condyle as part of an en bloc resection of the temporal bone can be performed safely.
Role of respiratory syncytial virus in acute otitis media: implications for vaccine development.

We summarize herein the results of various virologic studies of acute otitis media (AOM) conducted at our site over a 10-year period. Among 566 children with AOM, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the most common virus identified in either middle ear fluid or nasal wash; it was found in 16% of all children and 38% of virus-positive children. Seventy-one percent of the children with RSV were 1 year of age or older, which was significantly older than all other viruses combined (P = 0.045). RSV infection was associated with the common bacterial pathogens causing AOM. Past efforts to develop vaccines for RSV have emphasized prevention of lower respiratory tract infection in infants, which is a more serious problem but less common than AOM. Our results suggest that RSV vaccines that work only against infection in older children may have value in preventing AOM, the most common pediatric disease.
Hypertension, Cardiac Hypertrophy, and Impaired Vascular Relaxation Induced by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin are Associated with Increased Superoxide

The mechanisms by which 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) increases the incidence of human cardiovascular disease are not known. We investigated the degree to which cardiovascular disease develops in mice following subchronic TCDD exposure. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were dosed with vehicle or 300 ng TCDD/kg by oral gavage three times per week for 60 days. Blood pressure was recorded by radiotelemetry and aortic endothelial function was assessed by acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation. Mean arterial pressure of TCDD-exposed mice was increased significantly by day 4 and between days 7–10, 25–35, and 45–60 with two periods of normalization on days 11–24 and days 36–39. Consistent with a prolonged period of systemic hypertension, heart weight was increased and was associated with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy. Significant increases in superoxide production also were observed in the kidney, heart, and aorta of TCDD-exposed mice. Furthermore, increased aortic superoxide resulted in endothelial dysfunction as demonstrated by significant impairment of acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation in TCDD-exposed mice, which was restored by tempol, a superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic. Our model is the first to definitely demonstrate that sustained AhR activation by TCDD increases blood pressure and induces cardiac hypertrophy, which may be mediated, in part, by increased superoxide.
Sensitivity calibration procedures in optical-CT scanning of BANG®3 polymer gel dosimeters

The dose response of the BANG 3 polymer gel dosimeter (MGS Research Inc., Madison, CT) was studied using the OCTOPUS laser CT scanner (MGS Research Inc., Madison, CT). Six 17 cm diameter and 12 cm high Barex cylinders, and 18 small glass vials were used to house the gel. The gel phantoms were irradiated with 6 and 10 MV photons, as well as 12 and 16 MeV electrons using a Varian Clinac 2100EX. Three calibration methods were used to obtain the dose response curves: (a) Optical density measurements on the 18 glass vials irradiated with graded doses from 0 to 4 Gy using 6 or 10 MV large field irradiations; (b) optical-CT scanning of Barex cylinders irradiated with graded doses (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 Gy) from four adjacent 4x4 cm{sup 2} photon fields or 6x6 cm{sup 2} electron fields; and (c) percent depth dose (PDD) comparison of optical-CT scans with ion chamber measurements for 6x6 cm{sup 2}, 12 and 16 MeV electron fields. The dose response of the BANG 3 gel was found to be linear and energy independent within the uncertainties of the experimental methods (about 3%). The slopes of the linearly fitted dose response curves (dose sensitivities)more » from the four field irradiations (0.0752{+-}3%, 0.0756{+-}3%, 0.0767{+-}3%, and 0.0759{+-}3% cm{sup -1} Gy{sup -1}) and the PDD matching methods (0.0768{+-}3% and 0.0761{+-}3% cm{sup -1} Gy{sup -1}) agree within 2.2%, indicating a good reproducibility of the gel dose response within phantoms of the same geometry. The dose sensitivities from the glass vial approach are different from those of the cylindrical Barex phantoms by more than 30%, owing probably to the difference in temperature inside the two types of phantoms during gel formation and irradiation, and possible oxygen contamination of the glass vial walls. The dose response curve obtained from the PDD matching approach with 16 MeV electron field was used to calibrate the gel phantom irradiated with the 12 MeV, 6x6 cm{sup 2} electron field. Three-dimensional dose distributions from the gel measurement and the Eclipse planning system (Varian Corporation, Palo Alto, CA) were compared and evaluated using 3% dose difference and 2 mm distance-to-agreement criteria.« less