cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fast Algorithms for Near-Minimum-Time Control of Robot Manipulators: Communication

Finding minimum-time strategies for point-to-point operation of a robot manipulator is algorithmically difficult and com putationally very intensive, even when the dynamic equations and parameters of the manipulator are precisely known. As a result, the practical applicability of available methods currently is very limited. In this research, fast algorithms to generate near-minimum-time point-to-point motions of a robot manip ulator are proposed, using a "two-step" Lyapunov approach. While not producing exact minimum-time solutions, the algo rithms can be easily used on-line to approximate minimum-time trajectories. The proposed method focuses on changes in the manipulator's kinetic energy during time-optimal motion, in stead of concentrating on the system's state variables, as is usually done in conventional approaches. Its performance is compared in simulation with true optimal solutions and the computed torque method with actuator bounds. The results also suggest that the method may actually compare fa...
Estimating Geometric Aspects of Relative Satellite Motion Using Angles-Only Measurements

Abstract : This paper investigates the observability of relative satellite dynamics when only relative angle measurements are available. It has been shown previously that, for non-maneuvering motion, the Cartesian states are unobservable with angles-only measurements and, furthermore, none of the Cartesian states can be determined from these measurements. In this paper it will be shown that if the relative state is characterized instead using a geometric parameter set known as relative orbit elements, many of these parameters can be calculated directly from the angle measurements. This method allows one to quickly get an idea of the geometry of a relative trajectory based only on angle measurements.
UCSD Pascal on the VAX, portability and performance

Between 1976 and 1980 the Pascal Project at UCSD produced a ‘nearly portable’ operating system based on Pascal. Under the auspices of a graduate student project at UCSD, the UCSD Pascal system was ported to run in the 32-bit address environment of the VAX 11/780 under VMS and UNIX1 . This paper describes the implementation decisions and the portability and efficiency considerations that motivated the decisions. Improvements to portability and efficiency are discussed.
Facilitating Science Literacy in a Rural School

This study examined the effects of an issue-based science teaching strategy on middle school students in a rural Idaho school. Two eighth-grade classes investigated an issue of local significance—the use of the Bear River. Using the Jurisprudential Inquiry Model of Science, Technology and Society (STS) as a guide, students researched and debated the issue. They attempted to create a Worldwide Web site to share the information collected and ideas generated with other students and interested adults. This article describes the challenges encountered in attempting to integrate the use of technology as part of this project as well as the resulting positive outcomes for students.
Management of Supraglottic Stenosis Using a Novel Stent Design

Summary Objectives To present a novel design for a stent for management of a traumatic supraglottic web. Methods Case report and literature review (PubMed 1964–2013). Results A 48-year-old man was presented after penetrating laryngeal trauma. He had severe dysphonia and was tracheotomy dependent. He had been treated previously with open reduction and fixation of laryngeal fracture. On examination, we identified an avulsed left vocal fold and a supraglottic web. He initially underwent reapproximation of the avulsed left vocal fold, and subsequently, the supraglottic web was treated using a stent designed by the senior author (R.T.S.). In addition, he underwent later resection of scar tissue to improve dysphonia and then he was decanulated. Conclusions There are a few techniques presented in the literature and mostly are adaptations of subglottic stenosis management techniques. Individualized treatment is needed for these difficult cases. We present our experience with supraglottic web treatment to expand the literature on this uncommon disorder.
The measurement at balloon heights of the low energy hydrogen and helium isotopes in the cosmic radiation at solar minimum, 1965

Abstract A dE/dx-E scintillation counter device was flown at absolute solar minimum, in terms of particle influx, on 12 May, 1965 from Barrow, Alaska. Due to the resolution characteristics of the instrument, isotopic separation of hydrogen and helium nuclei in the cosmic radiation was possible. Twenty-six hours of data obtained in the atmospheric depth interval from 3·5 to 5 g/cm2 are analyzed to determine the energy spectrum of primary galactic protons in the primary energy interval 70–150 MeV, an upper limit on the primary deuteron flux in the interval 45–60 MeV/nucleon, the spectrum of primary He3 nuclei in the energy interval 90–150 MeV/nucleon, and the spectrum of primary He4 nuclei in the energy interval 80–120 MeV/nucleon. The ratio of He3 nuclei to total helium nuclei at the same energy/nucleon was found to be 0·11 ± 0.5 at 100 MeV/nucleon.
Dynamic properties of a spin-glass model at low temperatures

We present a semiphenomenological calculation of the low-temperature dynamic properties of a spin-glass model which is a two-dimensional Ising model with Gaussian random nearest-neighbor interactions. The distribution of the low-lying energy levels of the system is studied with the aid of a numerical program. The results of this investigation suggest a simple picture of independent spins and small-size clusters of spins flipping in a frozen-random-background field. This picure is similar to the phenomenological description of amorphous materials in terms of two-level systems. Distributions of the quantities which characterize a low-lying energy state in this picture are obtained numerically. A crude analytic calculation of these distributions is also included. These distributions are then used to calculate various low-temperature dynamic properties such as the time-dependent susceptibility, relaxation of the magnetization in an external magnetic field, and the remanent magnetization. We find that this simple description provides qualitative explanations of a large number of results obtained in previous Monte Carlo simulations.
Radiation from an electric dipole axially mounted above a spheroidal cavity filled with DNG metamaterial

An oblate semi-spheroidal cavity is flush mounted under a metal plane, is filled with DNG metamaterial, and is excited by an axial electric dipole. The fields are found analytically everywhere as infinite series of oblate spheroidal wave functions whose expansion coefficients are determined explicitly, thus yielding a new canonical solution to a boundary-value problem.
NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS, EICOSANOIDS, AND COLORECTAL CANCER PREVENTION

A concise review of the literature that evaluates the risk of colorectal cancer among NSAID users has been presented. Animal studies document a protective effect of NSAIDs in preventing colorectal cancers in carcinogen-induced (AOM) models and in Min mice. NSAIDs are protective in the animal model, even if given 14 weeks after administration of the carcinogen, indicating that these agents must be acting early in the adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence. Treatment of FAP patients with NSAIDs causes regression of adenomas that were already present before initiation of therapy. Many epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between aspirin use and colorectal cancer. Most show a marked decrease in the relative risk (40% to 50%) of this tumor among continuous aspirin users. The appropriate dose and duration of aspirin treatment needed for optimal results are still unknown. Future work, directed at the molecular basis for the chemoprotective effects of NSAIDs in humans, may reveal strategies for the development of better chemopreventive agents. One effect shared by all NSAIDs is inhibition of cyclooxygenase. Presently, whether inhibition of COX-1 or COX-2 is required for the protective effect of aspirin and other NSAIDs is unclear. The authors and others have demonstrated that COX-2 is up-regulated from 2 to 50 fold in 85% to 90% of colorectal adenocarcinomas, making the COX-2 enzyme a more likely target. The authors have also reported a dramatic increase in COX-2 expression in colon tumors that develop in rats after AOM treatment. Drugs are currently being developed that preferentially inhibit either COX-1 or COX-2. If COX-2 is found to be a relevant target in the prevention of colorectal cancer, these newly developed, selective NSAIDs may play a role in future chemoprevention strategies.
Modeling Complex Spatial Dependencies: Low-Rank Spatially Varying Cross-Covariances With Application to Soil Nutrient Data

Advances in geo-spatial technologies have created data-rich environments which provide extraordinary opportunities to understand the complexity of large and spatially indexed data in ecology and the natural sciences. Our current application concerns analysis of soil nutrients data collected at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, where inferential interest lies in capturing the spatially varying relationships among the nutrients. The objective here is to interpolate not just the nutrients across space, but also associations among the nutrients that are posited to vary spatially. This requires spatially varying cross-covariance models. Fully process-based specifications using matrix-variate processes are theoretically attractive but computationally prohibitive. Here we develop fully process-based low-rank but non-degenerate spatially varying cross-covariance processes that can effectively yield interpolate cross-covariances at arbitrary locations. We show how a particular low-rank process, the predictive process, which has been widely used to model large geostatistical datasets, can be effectively deployed to model non-degenerate cross-covariance processes. We produce substantive inferential tools such as maps of nonstationary cross-covariances that constitute the premise of further mechanistic modeling and have hitherto not been easily available for environmental scientists and ecologists.
Characterization and biological evaluation of a microparticle adjuvant formulation for plasmid DNA vaccines

We describe the physiochemical characterization and immunological evaluation of plasmid DNA vaccine formulations containing a nonionic triblock copolymer adjuvant (CRL1005) in the presence and absence of a cationic surfactant, benzalkonium chloride (BAK). CRL1005 forms particles of 1-10 microns upon warming above its phase-transition temperature (approximately 6-8 degrees C) and the physical properties of the particles are altered by BAK. DNA/CRL1005 vaccines formulated with and without BAK were evaluated in rhesus macaques to determine the effect of CRL1005 and BAK on the ability of plasmid DNA to induce a cellular immune response. Immunogenicity results indicate that the addition of CRL1005 to human immunodeficiency virus-1 gag plasmid DNA formulated in phosphate-buffered saline leads to an enhancement in the gag-specific cellular immune response. Moreover, the addition of BAK to human immunodeficiency virus-1 gag plasmid DNA/CRL1005 formulations produces an additional enhancement in gag-specific cellular immunity. In vitro characterization studies of DNA/CRL1005 formulations indicate no detectable binding of DNA to CRL1005 particles in the absence of BAK, suggesting that the enhancement of cellular immunity induced by DNA/CRL1005 formulations is not due to enhanced DNA delivery. In the presence of BAK, however, results indicate that BAK binds to CRL1005 particles, producing cationic microparticles that bind DNA through electrostatic interactions. If BAK is present at the phase-transition temperature, it reduces the particle size from approximately 2 microns to approximately 300 nm, presumably by binding to hydrophobic surfaces during particle formation. Zeta potential measurements indicate that the surface charge of CRL1005-BAK particles changes from positive to negative upon DNA binding, and DNA bound to the surface of CRL1005-BAK particles was visualized by fluorescence microscopy. These results indicate that the addition of BAK to DNA/CRL1005 formulations leads to the formation of approximately 300 nm CRL1005-BAK-DNA particles that enhance the cellular immune response in rhesus monkeys.
Use of the gamma distribution for predicting arrival times of invading insect populations.

Models that describe the distance traveled in a fixed time of a dispersing insect population are well-known. The gamma distribution is presented as a model for the inverse variable, namely the time required to travel a fixed distance. The use of the model is illustrated by fitting it to data on the consecutive northernmost captures of Apis mellifera swarms through Guatemala and Mexico. Point and interval estimates of predicted arrival time are obtained. The methodology is general and may be applied to other locations and species. The model also provides a tractable basis for the stochastic modeling of insect population density.
Prematurely Born Children Demonstrate White Matter Microstructural Differences at 12 Years of Age, Relative to Term Control Subjects: An Investigation of Group and Gender Effects

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to use diffusion tensor imaging to test the hypothesis that prematurely born children demonstrate long-term, white matter, microstructural differences, relative to term control subjects. METHODS. Twenty-nine preterm subjects (birth weight: 600–1250 g) without neonatal brain injury and 22 matched, term, control subjects were evaluated at 12 years of age with MRI studies, including diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric imaging; voxel-based morphometric strategies were used to corroborate regional diffusion tensor imaging results. Subjects also underwent neurodevelopmental assessments. RESULTS. Neurodevelopmental assessments showed significant differences in full-scale, verbal, and performance IQ and Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration scores between the preterm and term control subjects. Diffusion tensor imaging studies demonstrated widespread decreases in fractional anisotropy (a measure of fiber tract organization) in the preterm children, compared with the control subjects. Regions included both intrahemispheric association fibers subserving language skills, namely, the right inferior frontooccipital fasciculus and anterior portions of the uncinate fasciculi bilaterally, and the deep white matter regions to which they project, as well as the splenium of the corpus callosum. These changes in fractional anisotropy occurred in subjects with significant differences in frontal, temporal, parietal, and deep white matter volumes. Fractional anisotropy values in the left anterior uncinate correlated with verbal IQ, full-scale IQ, and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised scores for preterm male subjects. In addition, preterm male subjects were found to have the lowest values for fractional anisotropy in the right anterior uncinate fasciculus, and fractional anisotropy values in that region correlated with both verbal IQ and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised scores for the preterm groups; these findings were supported by changes identified with voxel-based morphometric analyses. CONCLUSIONS. Compared with term control subjects, prematurely born children with no neonatal ultrasound evidence of white matter injury manifest changes in neural connectivity at 12 years of age.
Comparison of Second-Echelon Treatments for Ménière's Disease

Importance To compare the efficacy of treatments commonly offered to patients with Meniere’s disease who fail conservative medical therapy including diuretics and a sodium-restricted diet. Objectives This study compared three second-echelon treatments: the Meniett device, endolymphatic sac decompression, and intratympanic gentamicin injections to determine their comparative effectiveness and capacity to mitigate against the necessity of a surgical labyrinthectomy. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective observational study at an academic tertiary care center. Patients with Meniere’s disease who failed primary medical management were evaluated after treatment with a Meniett device (n=20), endolymphatic sac decompression (n=23) or intratympanic gentamicin injections (n=17). Cases were included if auditory and vertigo control data were available before and a minimum of two years after treatment, in patients without previous otologic surgery or intratympanic injections. Average age ranged from 54 to 75 years. Interventions Use of the Meniett device, endolymphatic sac shunt decompression surgery or intratympanic gentamicin injections using variable doses and injection schedules. Main Outcomes and Measures Proportion of patients with vertigo control and hearing preservation by a modified version of the AAO-HNS criteria after second-echelon treatment, thus not requiring definitive labyrinthectomy. Results Despite endolymphatic sac surgery demonstrating a longer duration (61 months) prior to labyrinthectomy, no differences were found between the 3 treatment options in terms of patients going on to definitive labyrinthectomy or in the number of months of symptom relief following treatment. There was also no difference in residual auditory perception across the 3 groups. Conclusions and Relevance No significant therapeutic differences were found between the studied second-echelon treatments for symptom relief of Meniere’s disease.
Demonstration of a highly-sensitive portable double-flash kinetic spectrophotometer for measurement of electron transfer reactions in intact plants.

A highly sensitive, portable spectrophotometer for use in measuring flash-induced absorbance changes in intact leaves is demonstrated. The design of the instrument is modified for whole plant use from that suggested by Joliot and Joliot (Biochim. Biophys. Acta 765, 210–218). The spectrophotometer uses trifurcated light guides to deliver measuring and actinic beams to two comparable areas of the leaf. The measuring beam is provided by a series of short, relatively intense light pulses from a xenon flashlamp in place of the constant weak measuring beam used in conventional machines. The use of a flash measuring beam and differential detection allows for a high signal-to-noise ratio (noise levels of 10-5A) without significant actinic effects. The time resolution of the instrument is 2 μsec and the noise level is independent of the experimental time range. The instrument is battery or mains powered, computer operated, and has a liquid crystal display for computer-user interface and dialogue, and to show the kinetic traces graphically. Wavelength selection is provided by interchangeable interference filters. The instrument can communicate with a laboratory-based computer, receiving programming information and sending experimental data to be processed and plotted. The instrument is demonstrated by following the kinetics of the electrochromic shift, the change in redox states of cytochrome f and the b cytochromes in an intact cucumber leaf, and in the same leaf after infiltration with DCMU.
1,2-dimetallacyclo-1,2-hexyne compounds of molybdenum and tungsten

Abstract From the reactions between 1,4-dilithiobutane and 1,2-M2Cl2(NMe2)4 compounds in hydrocarbon solvents, the 1,2-dimetallacyclo-1,2-hexyne compounds M2(CH2)4(NMe2)4(MM), where M = Mo and W, have been obtained as yellow—orange, volatile microcrystalline compounds. Spectroscopic data are consistent with expectations based on previous studies of gauche 1,2-M2R2(NMe2)4 compounds in solution and a structural model based on the observed molecular structure of 1,2-Mo2Et2(NMe2)4 is presented and compared with the observed molecular structure of Mo2(CH2)4(NMe2)4 found in the solid state. Pertinent bond distances (A) and angles (°) are: Mo—Mo = 2.200(1), Mo—N = 1.96(1) (averaged), Mo—C = 2.165(8) (averaged), Mo—Mo—N = 105(1), Mo—Mo—C = 97(1).
Multiple impact of beam-to-beam

Based on the rigid-plastic string model, the problem of a beam impacted sequentially by numerous beams with a high velocity is investigated using the wave propagation approach. Attention is focused on the response of the stricken beam. The closed-form expressions for deflection and tensile strain are obtained in the double impact case. In the multiple impact case, a general recursion formula for the tensile strain as a function of the number of the striking beam is derived. By assuming the tensile necking failure mode, the critical impact velocity to fracture the stricken beam is predicted with the impact number specified. Alternatively, with the impact velocity given, the critical impact number of the striking beam is determined. Asymptotic analyses for two limiting cases with infinite and infinitesimal time interval are performed.
Circadian vasopressin release from perifused rat suprachiasmatic explants in vitro: effects of acute stimulation

Abstract Using a perifusion culture technique, the pattern of vasopressin release from the suprachiasmatic nucleus was studied in vitro under basal and stimulated conditions. Individual rat suprachiasmatic explants released vasopressin in a rhythmic fashion and these rhythms persisted with a circadian period for up to 4 cycles. One-hour exposures toKCl on days 2 and 4 in culture induced acute increases in vasopressin output and altered the circadian pattern of release from perifused suprachiasmatic explants. These results provide evidence that the release of vasopressin in an acute as well as a circadian fashion from isolated suprachiasmatic neurons is indicative of active release processes. Furthermore, it is anticipated that this method of studying circadian rhythms generated by suprachiasmatic explants may provide a basis for elucidating the neural organization of mammalian circadian pacemakers.
Treatment with Growth Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone Analog Improves Final Adult Height in Children with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Final adult height is often compromised in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). This study examines the impact of GH and LHRH analog (LHRHa) on final adult height in patients with CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency. Fourteen patients with CAH (eight males, six females) predicted to be more than 1.0 sd below their midparental target height received GH and LHRHa until final height. Each patient was matched at the start of GH therapy to a CAH patient treated only with glucocorticoids according to type of CAH, sex, and chronological age. Mean age, bone age, height, height prediction, and target height were the same in both groups at the beginning of GH therapy. Mean duration of GH treatment was 4.4 +/- 1.5 yr. Mean duration of LHRHa therapy was 4.2 +/- 2.0 yr. In the treatment group, final height sd score of -0.4 + 0.8 was significantly greater than both the initial prediction of -1.5 +/- 0.9 (P < 0.0001) and the final height sd score of the untreated group of -1.4 +/- 1.1 (P = 0.01). Our results indicate that the combination of GH and LHRHa improves final adult height in patients with CAH.
Recent and fossil growth rates of marine bivalves, Canadian Arctic, and Late-Quaternary Arctic marine environments

Abstract Growth rates of three marine bivalves - Mytilus edulis, Serripes groenlandicum and Clinocardium ciliatum-are used to elucidate Late-Quaternary marine conditions in the Canadian Arctic and Subarctic. Present-day growth rates in Subarctic waters are statistically faster than those for the same species in Arctic waters. Fossil growth rates are analysed for a 6,000- and 8,500-year sequence from central Hudson Bay and east Baffin Island. These data suggest that growth rates and the size of coexistent clams, Mya truncata and Mya pseudoarenaria, increased to a maximum about 3,500 B.P. and have since declined. Growth rates did not increase to Subarctic values and hence the increase is related to temperature and salinity changes of the surface layer rather than by vertical mixing with the Atlantic water layer at depth. During the period 8,000-2,500 B.P. M. edulis and Macoma balthica extended up the east coast of Baffin Island and across the entire Arctic mainland coast; Chlamys islandicus does not appear to have been as widespread. In the last 2,500 years or so these species have retreated to the west and south. A comparison of raised, Late-Quaternary marine deposits throughout the North-Atlantic Arctic indicates similar biostratigraphic zones. Warmer conditions than today prevailed between 8,500-2,500 B.P. with an optimum ∼ 3,500 B.P. These dates suggest that marine conditions lagged behind terrestrial climatic changes, thus superimposing (in time) a cool atmosphere/warm ocean system that might explain the renewed glacierization of Arctic regions in the Neoglacial.
The Effect of Conjugal Visitation on Sexual Violence in Prison

Using yearly state-level data drawn from a variety of different sources and a pooled cross-sectional time-series research design, we examine whether conjugal visitation attenuates sexual violence in prison. The determination of whether sexual violence in prison is less apt to transpire in states that allow conjugal visitation is theoretically relevant. Feminist theory argues that conjugal visitation has little if any influence on the occurrence of rape and other sexual offenses in prison, notwith- standing the gender of the offender and victim, because such offenses are crimes of power that are employed by the offender as an instrument to dominate and humiliate the victim. On the other hand, sexual gratification theory postulates that conjugal visitation provides inmates with a means of sexual release. Therefore, conjugal visitation should reduce sexual offending in prison. Results support sexual gratifica- tion theory by showing that states permitting conjugal visitation have significantly fewer instances of reported rape and other sexual offenses in their prisons. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Bellman strikes again!: the growth rate of sample complexity with dimension for the nearest neighbor classifier

The finite sample performance of a nearest neighbor classifier is analyzed for a two-class pattern recognition problem. An exact integral expression is derived for the m-sample risk Rm given that a reference m-sample of labeled points, drawn independently from Euclidean n-space according to a fixed probability distri bution, is available to the classifier. For a family of smooth distributions, it is shown that the m-sample risk Rm has a complete asymptotic expansion ******, where ** denotes the nearest neighbor risk in the infinite sample limit. Explicit definitions of the expansion coefficents are given in terms of the underlying distribution. As the convergence rate of **** dramatically slows down as n increases, this analysis provides an analytic validation of Bellman's curse of dimensionality. Numerical simulations corroborating the formal results are included. The rates of convergence for less restrictive families of distributions are also discussed.
Left-flat plane waves asH spaces

The left-flat plane wave solutions are examined structurally and the family of totally null two-surfaces which are the points of the corresponding deformed twistor space are exhibited explicitly. This family is then used to generate a good-cut function which exhibits these plane waves asH spaces in a generalized setting which is discussed.
Some anomalies between wind tunnel and flight transition results

A review of environmental disturbance influence and boundary layer transition measurements on a large collection of reference sharp cone tests in wind tunnels and of recent transonic-supersonic cone flight results have previously demonstrated the dominance of free-stream disturbance level on the transition process from the beginning to end. Variation of the ratio of transition Reynolds number at onset-to-end with Mach number has been shown to be consistently different between flight and wind tunnels. Previous correlations of the end of transition with disturbance level give good results for flight and large number of tunnels, however, anomalies occur for similar correlation based on transition onset. Present cone results with a tunnel sonic throat reduced the disturbance level by an order of magnitude with transition values comparable to flight.
Developmental changes in units of processing in reading.

Abstract A visual search task was used to investigate the development of word processing skills used in reading meaningful prose. Children from the second and fourth grades and college students were asked to locate a prespecified letter, syllable, word, or category exemplar as they read through sentences. Target detection time, sentence reading time, and sentence comprehension were measured. The results provide converging evidence that whole words were the preferred units of processing during reading for all three grade levels. Reading rates for sentences in the word search condition were comparable to normal reading rates. The search for smaller units required additional processing time, but word and category search times differed only for the youngest subjects.
Ultrastructure of the reproductive system of the black swamp snake (Seminatrix pygaea). IV. Occurrence of an ampulla ductus deferentis.

The distal end of the ductus deferens of Seminatrix pygaea (Cope) differs from more proximal por- tions of the tube by possessing a highly fluctuated epithe- lium. Similar morphology has been reported in this area in one lizard and some mammals and the region has been designated in these taxa as the ampulla ductus deferentis. In this study, light and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the posterior ductus deferens in S. pygaea and compare the histology in this region to more proximal regions of the duct and to descriptions of the ampulla of other species. Seminatrix pygaea stores sperm throughout the ductus deferens during the entire year. The epithelium of the ductus deferens is not secretory, but the presence of numerous small apical vesicles indicates a role in fluid absorption. In addition to the highly folded epithelium, clusters of sperm nuclei are more intimately associated with the apical ampullary epithelium than elsewhere in the ductus deferens. No evidence of phago- cytosis of sperm was found. In contrast, the ampulla of mammals and presumably the lizard Calotes versicolor is glandular and phagocytic. The common character shared by the squamates and mammals with specializations in this area is the folded epithelium, and whether this is due to shared ancestry with amniotes or is homoplastic is unresolved. J. Morphol. 262:714 -730, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Aminostratigraphic correlations and paleotemperature implications, Pliocene-Pleistocene high-sea-level deposits, northwestern Alaska

Abstract Multiple periods of Late Pliocene and Pleistocene high sea level are recorded by surficial deposits along the coastal plains of northwestern Alaska. Analyses of the extent of amino acid epimerization in fossil molluscan shells from the Nome coastal plain of the northern Bering Sea coast, and from the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain of the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea coasts, allow recognition of at least five intervals of higher-than-present relative sea level. Three Late Pliocene transgressions are represented at Nome by the complex and protracted Beringian transgression, and on the Arctic Coastal Plain by the Colvillian, Bigbendian, and Fishcreekian transgressions. These were followed by a lengthy period of non-marine deposition during the Early Pleistocene when sea level did not reach above its present position. A Middle Pleistocene high-sea-level event is represented at Nome by the Anvilian transgression, and on the Arctic Coastal Plain by the Wainwrightian transgression. Anvilian deposits at the type locality are considerably younger than previously thought, perhaps as young as Oxygen-Isotope Stage 11 (∼410,000 BP). Finally, the last interglacial Pelukian transgression is represented discontinuously along the shores of northwestern Alaska. Amino acid epimerization data, together with previous paleomagnetic measurements, radiometric-age determinations, and paleontologic evidence provide geochronological constraints on the sequence of marine deposits. They form the basis of regional correlations and offer a means of evaluating the post-depositional thermal history of the high-sea-level deposits. Provisional correlations between marine units at Nome and the Artic Coastal Plain indicate that the temperature difference that separates the two sites today had existed by about 3.0 Ma. Since that time, the effective diagenetic temperature was lowered by about 3–4°C at both sites, and the mean annual temperature was lowered considerably more. This temperature decrease was largely accomplished by the close of the Fishcreekian = Beringian III transgression (ca. 2.5-2.1 Ma). Since then, intervals of warm temperature must have been extremely brief. These data suggest that the steep latitudinal temperature gradient and the frigid temperatures that characterize the high latitudes of Alaska today are ancient features of Arctic climate.
Electronic structure of propene and 3,3,3-trifluoro-propene and implications for chemisorption behavior

Abstract The electronic structures of propene and 3,3,3-trifluoropropene are investigated by core and valence level photoelectron spectroscopies, Hartree-Fock Self-Consistent Field (SCF) calculations and discrete-variational Hartee-Fock-Slater (DV-Xα) calculations. Ionization energies calculated by the DV-Xα method are in good agreement with measured He(I) photoelectron spectra. Orbital eigenvalues obtained from the SCF calculations show an ordering consistent with that exhibited by the DV-Xα ionization energies. The lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of trifluoropropene was stabilized relative to propene, so that electron accepting ability was enhanced upon fluorination. The spectral assignment and electron accepting properties of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene are discussed in relation to chemisorption interactions on solid surfaces.
Long-term trends and cycles in ASEAN stock markets

Abstract The objective of this study is to analyze the degree of long-term and short-term co-movements in the stock markets of five ASEAN countries and to shed some light on the long-term and short-term market efficiency/inefficiency in the region. We observe a long-run relationship among the stock markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, but the Philippine market does not share this relationship. Thus, four cointegrated markets reveal long-term market inefficiency in the region but the Philippine market can be considered efficient. Next, given that the four indices are cointegrated, the number of common cycles are investigated in these markets and each stock index series is decomposed into its trend and cyclical components. The trend–cycle decomposition reveals that in the short-run four ASEAN markets can be categorized into two efficient groups, i.e., Malaysian and Singaporean markets in one group and Indonesian and Thai markets in the other. However, the markets within each group are inefficient.
Constraints on elliptical galaxy formation from dry mergers

Recent observations suggest that dissipationless mergers of elliptical galaxies build up the population of massive early-type galaxies (Bell et al. 2004; Faber et al. 2006). This type of merger is observed in galaxy clusters (Tran et al. 2005) and predicted by semi-analytic models which find mass assembly times significantly later than star-formation times for the most massive elliptical galaxies (de Lucia & Blaizot 2006). Here, we use a semi-analytic model of minor mergers of dark matter halos to examine the role of dry minor mergers in elliptical galaxy formation.
Altered effects of glucocorticoids on the trafficking and processing of mouse mammary tumor virus glycoproteins constitutively expressed in rat hepatoma cells in the absence of nonglycosylated viral components.

We have documented previously that glucocorticoid hormones modulate the posttranslational localization of cell surface mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) glycoproteins in the viral-infected M1.54 rat HTC hepatoma cell line. To determine whether glucocorticoids affect the trafficking of individually synthesized MMTV glycoproteins, HTC cells were transfected with a constitutively expressed MMTV glycoprotein gene lacking the viral phosphoprotein and polymerase genes. This construct also allows equivalent levels of MMTV glycoproteins to be compared in the presence or absence of glucocorticoids. Indirect immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled cells revealed that in transfected cells the transmembrane MMTV glycoproteins are efficiently expressed, transported to the cell surface, and proteolytically cleaved in the presence or in the absence of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone. Cell surface immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled cells showed that the level of plasma membrane gp...
SIMD approach to IDA* search

Heuristic search is a fundamental component of artificial intelligence applications. Because search routines are frequently a computational bottleneck, numerous methods have been explored to increase the efficiency of search. While sequential search methods use exponential amounts of storage and yield exponential run times, parallel algorithms designed for MIMD machines significantly reduce the time spent in search. In this paper, we present a massively- parallel SIMD approach to search named MIDA* search. The components of MIDA* include a very fast distribution algorithm which biases the search to one side of the tree, and an incrementally-deepening depth-first search of all the processors in parallel. We show the results of applying MIDA* to instances of the fifteen puzzle problem. Results reveal an efficiency of 76% and a speedup of 8553% and 492% over serial and 16- processor MIMD algorithms, respectively.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Building the enterprise of the future

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine briefly the economic drivers of the past, how those drivers have changed, and how business and government leaders need to respond by transforming their organizations into knowledge‐based enterprises.Design/methodology/approach – The approach applies the principles of classical economic theory, which were grounded primarily in the valuation of tangible goods, to an economy in which intangible goods, such as information and knowledge, are the predominant forms of capital.Findings – The perishability of intangible goods is accelerating, and is further exacerbated by increased globalization. Valuation‐based theories of money and pricing, which have been overlooked in the past, have resurfaced, and must be understood and practised by business and government leaders alike. In response to these challenges, organizations must design and implement systems which support fast learning and rapid innovation. These new systems are called “knowledge factories”.Practical implications ...
EFFECTS OF D-AMPHETAMINE ON BLOOD GLUCOSE AND TISSUE GLYCOGEN LEVELS OF ISOLATED AND AGGREGATED MICE.

Abstract Blood glucose and tissue glycogen levels were determined in isolated and in aggregated (4/cage) mice at various times after the injection of d-amphetamine sulfate (10 dmg/kg. In individually caged mice amphetamine caused excitement and increased motor activity but did not cause death. In aggregated mice the amphetamine-induced excitement and motor activity were markedly enhanced but were followed in 1–2 hr by a state of depression. Approximately 25% of the aggregated animals died in this depressed state. d-Amphetamine had little effect on blood glucose or tissue glycogen levels of isolated mice. In aggregated mice d-amphetamine caused a marked reduction in the glycogen stores in the liver, skeletal muscle, and brain. This was true for both the depressed and nondepressed animals. Only depressed animals had significantly lower blood glucose levels. Those drugs (phenoxybenzamine, chlorpromazine, reserpine, and α-methyl-m-tyrosine) that blocked the depression and lethality of d-amphetamine also blocked the hypoglycemia and liver glycogen depletion. Since the onset of the depressed state occurred contemporaneously with the development of the hypoglycemia, these phenomena may be causally related and may be important events leading to the death of aggregated mice.
FMR1 Deficiency Alters Self-Renewal and Proliferation of Mouse Embryonic Cells

The regulation of embryonic stem (ES) cell self-renewal and pluripotency is based upon highly orchestrated transcription factor networks. RNA inhibition has been demonstrated to affect ES cell function by altering gene expression levels that are critical to the maintenance and differentiation of ES cells. Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is a selective RNA-binding protein that can act as a translational repressor for bound mRNA and regulates the expression of a variety of gene transcripts in numerous adult cells. The absence of FMRP results in the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, Fragile X syndrome. In an effort to determine the role of FMRP during development, we silenced the FMRP gene (FMR1) using short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Prior to differentiation induction, we analyzed the phenotype of FMR1 knock down (FMR1-kd) mouse ES cells in their undifferentiated state. Herein, we report that FMR1-kd ES cells proliferate at a greater rate than wild-type ES cells resulting in a 25% reduction in doubling time. FMR1-kd ES cells were found to have an increased expression of three self-renewal genes (OCT-4, Sox2, Nanog) in the undifferentiated state. Moreover, FMR1-kd ES cells failed to downregulate OCT-4 during differentiation programs resulting in abnormal fate decisions in vitro. These results demonstrate an unexpected correlation between FMR1 expression and OCT-4 regulation suggesting that FMRP is involved in the silencing of OCT-4 during the commencement of differentiation programs.
High nitrate denitrification in continuous flow-stirred reactors☆☆☆

Continuous flow stirred reactors were used to evaluate the maximum denitrification specific removal rates for influent solutions made from NH4NO3, CaNO3, KNO3 and UO2 fuel fabrication waste water. Nitrate substrate concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 20 kg NO3/m3. Values for Umax (maximum specific substrate removal rate per unit mass of microorganisms per unit time, days−1) were determined using graphical solutions to the Lineweaver-Burk equations. For NH4NO3 solutions at nitrate substrate concentrations 6 kg NO3/m3 a nonlinear relationship was observed in the Lineweaver-Burk plots indicating nitrate substrate inhibition. Specific removal rates at nitrate concentrations >6 kg NO3/m3 averaged <1.0 days−1. Ammonia toxicity may also have occurred as the pH of the mixed liquor was near 8. Methanol concentrations as high as 11.6 kg CH3OH/m3 did not inhibit denitrification rates. The highest specific removal rates recorded (3.13 ± 0.56 days−1) were with influents made from UO2 fuel fabrication waste water.
V.L.F. radiation from multiple stroke lightning

Abstract The frequency-amplitude spectra of atmospherics generated by return stroke currents in multiple stroke lightning have been obtained using an electronic transient analyser. These spectra are compared to those suggested by theoretical considerations. The results support the predicted spectrum shift to the low frequencies for second return strokes.
Effect of Hyperglycemia and Its Prevention by Insulin Treatment on the Incorporation of 32P into Polyphosphoinositides and Other Phospholipids in Peripheral Nerve of the Streptozotocin Diabetic Rat

The influence of varying doses of streptozotocin and preventive insulin treatment on phospholipid metabolism in sciatic nerve in vitro from diabetic rats was studied. Animals were given 30, 45, and 60 mg/kg injections of streptozotocin and 10 weeks later nerves were removed and incubated in the presence of [32P]-orthophosphate. The quantity of isotope incorporated into phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) was progressively greater with increasing drug dosage, whereas uptake of label into other phospholipids was unchanged. Rats were made diabetic and within 72 h were implanted with long-acting, insulin-containing osmotic minipumps and the incorporation of [32P]orthophosphate into phospholipids of intact and epineurium-free nerves was examined 8 weeks later. For whole nerve, increased labeling in nerves from diabetic animals occurred only in PIP2 and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PIP) and was completely prevented by insulin treatment. Isotope incorporation into polyphosphoinositides was also markedly elevated (greater than or equal to 100%) in desheathed diabetic nerves, but not in nerves from insulin-treated animals. Other phospholipids in epineurium-free nerves displayed some rise in isotope uptake, but the increases were not prevented by insulin treatment and appeared unrelated to hyperglycemia. Morphological examination of nerves extended previous findings that prolonged insulin treatment produces axonal degeneration. These observations indicate that abnormal nerve polyphosphoinositide metabolism is at least in part a consequence of hyperglycemia. The metabolic alterations may be intimately involved in reduced nerve conduction velocity, which is characteristic of diabetic neuropathy.
A relational approach to incrementally extracting and querying structure in unstructured data

There is a growing consensus that it is desirable to query over the structure implicit in unstructured documents, and that ideally this capability should be provided incrementally. However, there is no consensus about what kind of system should be used to support this kind of incremental capability. We explore using a relational system as the basis for a workbench for extracting and querying structure from unstructured data. As a proof of concept, we applied our relational approach to support structured queries over Wikipedia. We show that the data set is always available for some form of querying, and that as it is processed, users can pose a richer set of structured queries. We also provide examples of how we can incrementally evolve our understanding of the data in the context of the relational workbench.
Preclinical evaluation of radiosensitizing activity of Pluronic block copolymers

AbstractPurpose: Pluronic block copolymers are non-ionic surfactants with demonstrated sensitizing activity in chemotherapy and hyperthermia in various tumor cell lines. In the current study we investigated the potential activity of Pluronic as a radiosensitizing agent.Materials and methods: As a possible mechanism, the effect of Pluronic on Hsp70 and Hsp90 was examined. Gli36 human glioma cells were treated with radiation alone as well as with a combination treatment of Pluronic and radiation.Results: Clonogenic cell survival assays show that Pluronic has an elevated effect on radiosensitization (50% high, p < 0.01), even with radiation doses as low as 2 Gy. The Hsp90 level was reduced 24 h after the combined treatment in both in vitro and in vivo. Similarly, Hsp70 levels were also decreased 24 h post treatment. When Gli36 cells were exposed to Pluronic before and during irradiation, DNA DSB: double-strand breaks repair was reduced, and elevated apoptosis was also seen in tumor xenografts.Conclusion: Dat...