cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soft Robot Actuation Strategies for Locomotion in Granular Substrates

Soft-bodied organisms such as annelids may exploit body compliance using their hydrostatic skeletons and muscles to burrow in granular substrates. In this letter, we investigate the design of soft digging robots inspired by the bristled worm, (polychaetas). The behavior of soft structures in dry granular environments is complex and still not well understood. We describe the design and fabrication of a soft robot capable of locomotion in granular substrates and investigate actuation strategies for drag reduction inspired by the bristled worms biomechanical behaviors. The drag reduction experiments focus on an actuated soft leading segment. We implemented and studied two methods of actuation for the leading segment: periodic radial expansion and bi-directional bending, both of which we find to have an impact on the locomotion in granular substrates. Soft robots performing periodic radial expansion of the leading segments experienced the least overall drag force, while those with unactuated tips experienced the largest drag force, emphasizing the importance of controlling the tip stiffness to enable effective subsurface movement. Based on these results, we designed and tested a tethered, three-segment soft robot capable of digging through dry granular media.
Molecular Analysis of Chromosomal Abnormalities in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Three recurrent chromosomal deletion syndromes have been identified in ALL- 6q—, 9p—, and 12p— each of which is apparent in leukemic cells from about 10% of patients with this disease. We examined the cells from patients with ALL both at diagnosis and remission by using probes with restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), which were assigned to 6q and 12p. Our data suggested that the critical deleted region of 6q was between ql6 and q21, and that mitotic recombination of 6q might not be involved in childhood ALL. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of 6q and 12p abnormalities. Moreover, we examined a series of cases with t(1:19) and have preliminary results confirming previous reports.
Protection from N-Nitrosodimethylamine Mediated Liver Damage by Indole-3-Carbinol, and Correlation with Nucleophilic Index Value

Indole-3-carbinol (I-3-C), a normal constituent of the human diet via cruciferous vegetables, was examined for its ability to protect mice against 24-hour N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)-mediated hepatotoxicity. NDMA (20 mg/kg body weight) alone produced extensive hemorrhagic and centrolobular necrotic lesions, with a necrotic severity index of 3.0 ± 0.4 (scale of 0-5). Treatment with 50 mg/kg body weight of I-3-C by gavage, 1 hour prior to NDMA, substantially protected against hemorrhagic lesions. Furthermore, I-3-C lowered the NDMA-mediated tissue necrotic index to 1.5 ± 0.3, by reducing the extent of tissue necrosis rather than the severity in the necrotic region. Release of liver enzymes into the blood correlated with the histopathology; I-3-C reduced NDMA-mediated elevated activities of plasma alanine transaminase and ornithine transcarbamylase by 84% and 51.3%, repectively (Table 1). Plasma activities of these enzymes were used as indicators of hepatotoxicity. Although no changes in liver non-protein sulfhydryls were evident at 24 hours after NDMA, ascorbate levels were reduced to 40% of controls values. Treatment with I-3-C prior to NDMA prevented this decline in tissue ascorbate concentrations.
Utilization of nitrogen and energy by Holstein steers fed formaldehyde- and formic acid-treated alfalfa or orchardgrass silage at two intakes.

Our objective was to measure the utilization of energy (E) and N by Holstein steers when fed alfalfa and orchardgrass silages offered at 65 and 90 g DM/kg live weight (LW).75 daily. Twelve steers adapted to the Beltsville respiration chambers were assigned to three Latin squares with 42-d periods. Steers in one square had permanent catheters in the portal and two mesenteric veins. Energy and N balance were measured during a 7-d collection of feces and urine that included a 3-d measurement of respiratory exchange. Energy and N variables were not different between catheterized and uncatheterized steers. Apparent digestibilities of DM, OM, CP, neutral detergent solubles and permanganate lignin were higher (P less than .01) and digestibilities of NDF and ADF, hemicellulose and cellulose were lower (P less than .01) for steers consuming alfalfa compared to orchardgrass silage. When fed alfalfa, steers' daily gross energy intake, DE, urine energy, ME, heat production and tissue energy retention were greater (P less than .01) and fecal energy losses were less (P less than .01) than when they were fed orchardgrass. Partial efficiency of ME use for tissue energy (TE) was greater (P less than .01) for steers when fed alfalfa (46.1%) than when fed orchardgrass (35.6%). Apparent ME (kcal/LW.75) required for maintenance of TE was similar for steers when fed alfalfa (133.9) and orchardgrass (131.2) silages. Nitrogen retention (g/d) was 48% greater (P less than .01) for steers when fed alfalfa (30.6) than when fed orchardgrass (20.7). This study demonstrates that steers used ME from alfalfa more efficiently for TE deposition than ME from orchardgrass.
Does It Pay to Shroud In-App Purchase Prices?

Should mobile app platforms make it harder or easier for consumers to discover in-app purchase prices before they purchase an app? This research provides insights for both platforms and the app dev...
Epidemiological parameter review and comparative dynamics of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, human coronavirus, and adenovirus

Influenza-like illness (ILI) accounts for a large burden of annual morbidity and mortality worldwide. A finer-grained knowledge of the parameters and dynamics of the viruses commonly underlying ILI is needed for modeling, diagnostic, and intervention efforts. We conducted an extensive literature review for epidemiological parameter values for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, human coronavirus (HCoV), and adenovirus. We also developed a deterministic SEIR model for ILI, and derived an expression for R0. We here report ranges and means for parameters for these five common viruses.
Photodynamic inactivation of bacterial carbapenemases restores bacterial carbapenem susceptibility and enhances carbapenem antibiotic effectiveness.

Abstract The global emergence of carbapenemases in bacterial pathogens has rendered many life-threatening infections untreatable. Even though using carbapenemase inhibitors are a proven strategy in the battle against bacterial carbapenem resistance, developing inhibitors that could universally inactivate all bacterial carbapenemases is extremely challenging given the large diversity and the continuous evolution of bacterial carbapenemases. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), an upcoming antimicrobial therapy, is demonstrated here for the first time to be a generalized approach to impair the bacterial carbapenemases without being limited by the molecular identities of the carbapenemases. In addition, aPDT is shown to prevent carbapenem antibiotic degradation, thereby enhancing the efficacy of carbapenem antibiotic against the carbapenemase-producing pathogens. Besides the enzyme activity impairment, aPDT was documented here to be genetically toxic for bacteria, and thus radically damage the carbapenemase genetic determinants in bacteria and prevent the transmission of carbapenemases among pathogens. By leveraging the universal carbapenemase-inactivating property of aPDT, it may be possible to make the incurable infections caused by the bacterial carbapenemases susceptible to carbapenem again.
Give Yourself a Nudge: Helping Smart People Make Smarter Personal and Business Decisions

The best way to improve your quality of life is through the decisions you make. This book teaches several fundamental decision-making skills, provides numerous applications and examples, and ultimately nudges you toward smarter decisions. These nudges frame more desirable decisions for you to face by identifying the objectives for your decisions and generating superior alternatives to those initially considered. All of the nudges are based on psychology and behavioral economics research and are accessible to all readers. The new concept of a decision opportunity is introduced, which involves creating a decision that you desire to face. Solving a decision opportunity improves your life, whereas resolving a decision problem only restores the quality of your life to that before the decision problem occurred. We all can improve our decision-making and reap the better quality of life that results. This book shows you how.
Characterization of matrix effects using an inductively coupled plasma-sector field mass spectrometer

Matrix effects in ICP-MS are widely thought to be more severe for heavy matrix and light analyte elements due to space charge effects (ion repulsion following the formation of a positive beam downstream of the skimmer). It has been suggested that accelerating the ions downstream of the skimmer could possibly alleviate matrix effects by compensating for the kinetic energy differences between low and high mass ions. A sector field mass spectrometer (ICP-SFMS) which accelerates ions downstream of the skimmer using an extraction lens held at −2 kV, was used to comprehensively study matrix effects due to high concentrations of concomitant elements as a function of analyte mass, matrix mass, matrix element concentration, lens voltage, and nebulizer gas flow rate. The effects of matrix elements with a wide range of masses (Na, Cu, Y, In, Cs, Tb, Lu, and Tl) on analyte sensitivities with a wide mass range (7Li+, 11B+, 24Mg+, 45Sc+, 71Ga+, 75As+, 88Sr+, 111Cd+, 138Ba+, 153Eu+, 172Yb+, and 238U+) were characterized. The severity of matrix-induced changes in analyte sensitivities was similar for a single matrix element using the ICP-SFMS as those observed using an ICP-Quadrupole MS (ICP-QMS) which uses a single, low voltage positive ion lens. However, the ion beam current would be expected to be higher using the ICP-SFMS than using the ICP-QMS with a single positive ion lens due to the higher sensitivity provided by the ICP-SFMS (1 000 000 counts per s per ppb) versus the ICP-QMS used in this study (15 000 counts per s per ppb). Matrix effects using the ICP-SFMS for equimolar matrix element concentrations were more severe as the matrix element mass increased when a grounded guard electrode was used, while the analyte ion mass had little impact on the severity of matrix effects. When the guard electrode was ungrounded, the matrix effects were still not very dependent on analyte mass; the severity of the matrix effects was also not dependent on the matrix element mass. The lack of matrix severity dependence on analyte ion mass using ICP-SFMS, and recent reports using ICP-Quadrupole MS, is contrary to expectations if space charge effects were solely responsible for mass dependent matrix effects in ICP-MS.
Elastic and quasi-elastic scattering from cells and small structures

In Chapter 5 we reviewed methods of fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements related to bioscience applications that enable monitoring of cellular metabolism, drug distribution, enzymatic processes, etc. In Chapter 6 we covered methods for spectroscopy of vibrational modes, which can yield diagnostic information by identification of the molecular “fingerprints” of biomolecules. These methods are powerful, and they predominantly provide information on the biochemistry of cells and tissue. Nonetheless, when considering potential clinical diagnostic applications, one might ask, “How does a pathologist diagnose cancer, when looking at a histology slide under a microscope?” After all, the pathologist is using an optical detector/camera (the human eye) to examine light coming from a sample of tissue through an optical instrument (the microscope). The term histology (from Greek: histos = tissue; logia = science or study) refers to the study of the microscopic structure of cells and tissue. Thus, the traditional practice of histopathology (the microscopic study of diseased tissue, usually for the purpose of diagnosis), which has been around for more than 120 years, may be regarded as one of the earliest techniques of biomedical optics to be put into practice. In the common practice of histopathology, a small tissue sample is surgically cut from the organ where disease is suspected in a patient, a procedure called biopsy , and the sample is examined microscopically as part of the clinical diagnosis process. The biopsy sample is first fixed in formalin, which dehydrates it. It is then embedded in paraffin (for mechanical stability), and a very thin (typically 3–10 μm) slice is cut with a microtome and placed on a microscope slide. The thin slice is typically stained, most commonly with hematoxylin and eosin stains (when combined, called H&E stain ), which stain for DNA (hence, nuclei) and other dense structures, mostly proteins. It is interesting to note that without such staining, very little cellular structure is visible in conventional bright-field microscopy, due to lack of contrast. Getting back to the question about what a pathologist looks for when reading a slide and determining a diagnosis for disease (say, cancer), most of the time the pathologist is not performing biochemical assays or conducting genetic analysis: most of the time the pathologist is visually examining the cellular architecture, shapes and structures. Are the nuclei enlarged? What is the ratio of nuclear volume to cell volume? Is the nuclear staining especially dense ( hyperchromatic ), indicating excessive DNA?
SPRD: a surface plasmon resonance database of common factors for better experimental planning.

Surface plasmon resonance is a label-free biophysical technique that is widely used in investigating biomolecular interactions, including protein-protein, protein-DNA, and protein-small molecule binding. Surface plasmon resonance is a very powerful tool in different stages of small molecule drug development and antibody characterization. Both academic institutions and pharmaceutical industry extensively utilize this method for screening and validation studies involving direct molecular interactions. In most applications of the surface plasmon resonance technology, one of the studied molecules is immobilized on a microchip, while the second molecule is delivered through a microfluidic system over the immobilized molecules. Changes in total mass on the chip surface is recorded in real time as an indicator of the molecular interactions. Quality and accuracy of the surface plasmon resonance data depend on experimental variables, including buffer composition, type of sensor chip, coupling chemistry of molecules on the sensor surface, and surface regeneration conditions. These technical details are generally included in materials and methods sections of published manuscripts and are not easily accessible using the common internet browser search engines or PubMed. Herein, we introduce a surface plasmon resonance database, www.sprdatabase.info that contains technical details extracted from 5140 publications with surface plasmon resonance data. We also provide an analysis of experimental conditions preferred by different laboratories. These experimental variables can be searched within the database and help future users of this technology to design better experiments. Amine coupling and CM5 chips were the most common methods used for immobilizing proteins in surface plasmon resonance experiments. However, number of different chips, capture methods and buffer conditions were used by multiple investigators. We predict that the database will significantly help the scientific community using this technology and hope that users will provide feedback to improve and expand the database indefinitely. Publicly available information in the database can save a great amount of time and resources by assisting initial optimization and troubleshooting of surface plasmon resonance experiments.
Cellular signaling in rapid intestinal epithelial restitution: implication of polyamines and K~+ channels

Epithelial cells line the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa and form an important barrier that protects the subepithelial tissue against a wide array of noxious substances, allergens, viruses, and luminal microbial pathogens. Restoration of mucosal integrity following injury requires epithelial cell decisions that regulate signaling networks controlling gene expression, survival, migration, and proliferation. Over the past few years, polyamines have been shown to play a critical role in GI mucosal repair, and the control of cellular polyamines is a central convergence point for the multiple signaling pathways. Both the function of polyamines in rapid intestinal mucosal epithelial restitution and the underlying mechanism, especially the implication of K~+ channel activity, are the subject of this mini-review article.
Formation of dislocations via misfit strain across interfaces in epitaxial BaTiO3 and SrIrO3 heterostructures

Dislocations often occur in thin films with large misfit strain as a result of strain energy accumulation and can drastically change the film properties. Here the structure and dislocations in oxide heterostructures with large misfit strain are investigated on atomic scale. When grown on SrTiO3(001), the dislocations in both the monolithic BaTiO3thin film and its superlattices with SrIrO3appear above a critical thickness around 6 nm. The edge component of the dislocations is seen in both cases with the Burgers vector ofa⟨100⟩. However, compared to monolithic BaTiO3, the dislocation density is slightly lower in BaTiO3/SrIrO3superlattices. In the superlattice, when considering the SrTiO3lattice constant as the reference, BaTiO3has a larger misfit strain comparing with SrIrO3. It is found that in both cases, the formation of dislocation is only affected by the critical thickness of the film with larger lattice misfit (BaTiO3), regardless of the existence of a strong octahedral tilt/rotation mismatch at BaTiO3/SrIrO3interface. Our findings suggest that it is possible to control the position of dislocations, an important step toward defect engineering.
Pediatric Lawnmower Injuries, 1995-2015. A Grave Threat to Our Youngest Children

Background Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children 0-18 years-old in the United States. An estimated 9,400 to 17,000 pediatric lawnmower injuries occur each year. Despite public education and safety regulation efforts, the incidence remains unchanged and contributes a large economic burden estimated at $90 million annually. The aim of this study is to better define the epidemiology of lawnmower injuries and identify predictors of severe lawnmower injuries …
Polycomb group proteins in cancer: multifaceted functions and strategies for modulation.

Polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs) are a heterogenous collection of dozens, if not hundreds, of protein complexes composed of various combinations of subunits. PRCs are transcriptional repressors important for cell-type specificity during development, and as such, are commonly mis-regulated in cancer. PRCs are broadly characterized as PRC1 with histone ubiquitin ligase activity, or PRC2 with histone methyltransferase activity; however, the mechanism by which individual PRCs, particularly the highly diverse set of PRC1s, alter gene expression has not always been clear. Here we review the current understanding of how PRCs act, both individually and together, to establish and maintain gene repression, the biochemical contribution of individual PRC subunits, the mis-regulation of PRC function in different cancers, and the current strategies for modulating PRC activity. Increased mechanistic understanding of PRC function, as well as cancer-specific roles for individual PRC subunits, will uncover better targets and strategies for cancer therapies.
Contribution of Snacks to Dietary Intakes Stratified by Race/Ethnicity in the United States

Background Snacking recommendations do not exist, yet snacks contribute substantially to daily energy intakes. While dietary intakes of adults in the United States vary by race/ethnicity, little is known about their snacking patterns. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of snacks stratified by race/ethnicity in adults who participated in the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Method Dietary data from 18,679 adults older than 19 years were assessed to examine differences in intakes from snacking occasions by self-identified race/ethnicity. Mean intakes were estimated for total snacking occasions, percentage of day, nutrient density per 100 kcals, and the average snack. Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI) scores were computed for intakes from total day, snack only, and meals only. Analysis of covariance assessed differences between racial/ethnic groups. US Department of Agriculture food categories determined sources of snack foods. Data were weighted to create a nationally representative sample. Results Asians consumed the least amount of daily energy in the form of snacks, while Blacks and Whites consumed the most. Mean intakes of saturated fats and added sugars consumed during snacking occasions were significantly lowest in Asians, and highest in Blacks and Whites. While total and percentage of daily intakes of sodium were lowest in Asians during snacking occasions, they had significantly lowest meal-only HEI sodium subscore, indicating higher sodium consumption of sodium during mealtimes. Conclusions Diet quality of snacks varies significantly by race/ethnicity. These data support the need for development of snacking recommendations with culturally appropriate dietary interventions.
Kinetic and Structural Studies of Hydroxyproline 2-Epimerase

Abstract Hydroxyproline 2-epimerase, purified to homogeneity from hydroxyproline-induced cells of Pseudomonas putida, behaved like a single peptide chain of approximately 64,000 molecular weight, based both on ultracentrifugal data and on a study of tryptic peptides and amino acid composition. Several methods indicated a total of 12 reduced cysteines per mole of native enzyme. Of these only six reacted with Ellman's reagent (5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid)), including three which reacted relatively rapidly. Loss of enzyme activity was associated with reaction of one or more of the latter cysteines. The presence of substrate protected two of the rapidly reacting cysteines from reaction with Ellman's reagent and prevented loss of enzyme activity. A detailed kinetic study indicated that three 4-hydroxyproline epimers and two 3-hydroxyproline epimers had similar Km values; Vmax for the 3-hydroxyprolines was markedly lower than for the 4-hydroxyprolines. Vmax was reduced 2- to 3- fold by replacement of the α-hydrogen of substrates with deuterium or by substitution of deuterium oxide for water; deuterium substitution in both substrate and solvent had a cumulative effect in reducing Vmax. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies showed that the α-hydrogen exchanges during enzymatic racemization at the α-carbon, and that the rate of exchange parallels initial formation of product, consistent with a model in which two sites on the enzyme act as mutual, and perhaps concerted, acceptor and donor of the α-hydrogen in catalyzing epimerization. The indication of two cysteines in the active site suggests that these residues may act as the donor and recipient sites.
Quantum circuit complexity of one-dimensional topological phases

Topological quantum states cannot be created from product states with local quantum circuits of constant depth and are in this sense more entangled than topologically trivial states, but how entangled are they? Here we quantify the entanglement in one-dimensional topological states by showing that local quantum circuits of linear depth are necessary to generate them from product states. We establish this linear lower bound for both bosonic and fermionic one-dimensional topological phases and use symmetric circuits for phases with symmetry. We also show that the linear lower bound can be saturated by explicitly constructing circuits generating these topological states. The same results hold for local quantum circuits connecting topological states in different phases.
A musculotendon contribution for multijoint hand control

For multijoint arm control, intersegmental dynamic properties have been observed to play a significant role. This paper focuses on the contribution of viscoelastic musculotendon properties during coordinated hand movements. Specifically, the musculotendon passive stiffness torque is shown to be more than 90% of the total passive torque, based on two-link planar model dynamics, during repetitive hand movements. Furthermore, a large difference in the contribution to joint torque was observed depending on the relationship between wrist and finger phasic movements. With the wrist and finger in phase, the peak-to-peak stiffness torque was 24 N-cm, while it was only 6 N-cm with the wrist and finger out of phase. Despite the difference in the musculotendon dynamics between in-phase and out-of-phase coordination patterns, when they spanned similar angular excursions, the movement variance remained the same. We hypothesize that the interactive musculotendon torque contribution is accommodated by the neural controller and is utilized to achieve task-dependant impedance of the hand.
Hasse Diagram and Dynamic Feedback of Linear Systems

The output feedback pole placement problem of linear systems with static or dynamic compensators belongs to the classical problems in control theory and many theoretical and numerical research papers were already devoted to this problem. Although the considered systems are linear, the problem requires the solution of an over determined system of quadratic polynomial equations.
Debt, Deflation, and Debacle: Of Private Debt Write-Down and Public Recovery

Most public discussion of the world’s continuing financial and macroeconomic troubles focuses rightly on debt. It focuses wrongly, however, on public debt. The real source of our ills is global-trade-related private debt overhang among millions of households below the top of the wealth distribution in the “developed” world. That is the provenance of both (a) the asset price bubbles and busts in whose aftermath we still struggle, and (b) the fact that we’re still struggling. Public sector debt growth in the developed world since 2009 is merely a symptom – the product of thus far failed treatment – of this fundamental condition. In sum, then, we are now living with over three decades’ postponed secular stagnation on the part of the global middle class and the economies whose growth they once fueled, the destructive consequences of which we simply put off to, and accordingly concentrated into, the present moment. This is why times are so tough and so volatile. What then to do? Relative to the state of the public discussion, the answer is lamentably obvious. In the immediate term, private debt must be massively restructured and largely forgiven on a scale commensurate with those asset price plummets that were the crash. In the longer term, the structural conditions that render us debt-dependent have to be radically, even if incrementally, altered, while financial regulation for its part must become forthrightly macroprudential in character. This is the only sustainable way to eliminate our now crippling private debt overhang and prevent a recurrence. The only alternatives are intolerable: (a) continuing slump, with all of the waste and continuing tragedy it entails; or (b) further asset price bubbles and busts, of the sort in which all efforts to pare overhang artificially from the asset side of the balance sheet alone – e.g., through non-supplemented monetary policy – ultimately issue. This paper aims to head-off these intolerable alternatives. It begins by elaborating more fully on the role played by inequality and private debt in fomenting financial crisis and then underwriting post-crisis slump, first modeling the mechanism through which this occurs, then empirically corroborating the presence and operation of this mechanism in the nation’s most devastating bubbles, busts, and ensuing deflations. The paper then documents the magnitude of that post-bubble private debt overhang with which we now struggle. It shows that this overhang is by far the most salient cause of our ongoing troubles. The paper then turns to elaborating a full menu of shorter and longer term policy actions that must be taken to eliminate private debt overhang and restore healthy growth to the macroeconomy. These include carefully integrated debt write-down, capital-ownership-spreading, finance-regulatory, and global currency reform measures.
QoS Rewards and Risks: A Multi-market Approach to Resource Allocation

A large number of network applications require a particular Quality of Service (QoS), that can be provided through proper network resource allocation. Furthermore, certain applications (multimedia oriented) may require guarantees of resource availability for predictable QoS. This paper introduces a distributed multi-market approach to network resource allocation. In this approach link bandwidth is bought and sold in two types of markets: the reservation market and the spot market. Together, these markets provide bandwidth guarantees and immediate availability. In addition, users have more flexibility when purchasing bandwidth that will maximize their individual QoS. Experimental results, using actual MPEG-compressed traffic, will also demonstrate the rewards and risks associated with purchasing various amounts in the reservation and spot markets.
Remote sensing of atmospheric pressure and sea state using laser altimeters

Short-pulse multicolor laser ranging systems are currently being developed for satellite ranging applications. These systems use Q-switched pulsed lasers and streak-tube cameras to provide timing accuracies approaching a few picoseconds. Satellite laser ranging systems have been used to evaluate many important geophysical phenomena such as fault motion, polar motion and solid earth tides, by measuring the orbital perturbations of retroreflector equipped satellites. Some existing operational systems provide range resolution approaching a few millimeters. There is currently considerable interest in adapting these highly accurate systems for use as airborne and satellite based altimeters. Potential applications include the measurement of sea state, ground topography and atmospheric pressure. This paper reviews recent progress in the development of multicolor laser altimeters for use in monitoring sea state and atmospheric pressure.
Determinants of Unloaded Shortening Velocity in Striated Muscle

When a muscle is activated and shortens, the rate of shortening, the shortening velocity (v), varies inversely with the load (P) against which it shortens. This relationship is hyperbolic and is given by Hill’s classic equation (43): $$ \left( {P + a} \right)v = b\left( {{P_0} - P} \right) $$ (1) where Po is the isometric force, and a and b are constants in units of Po and muscle lengths/sec respectively. Typical values for frog skeletal muscle a and b at 0°C are 0.25 Po and 0.33 lo/s respectively. Total muscle fiber length, lo, is usually reported at optimal thick and thin filament overlap (2.2–2.5 μm per sarcomere). This is important because shortening occurs by the relative sliding of the thick and thin filaments past each other in all the sarcomeres in the muscle; i.e., each sarcomere in series shortens about the same amount. Thus, the longer a muscle fiber or cell is (i.e., the greater the number of sarcomeres arranged in series), the faster the total length of the fiber or cell decreases for a given afterload. Maximal overlap for mammalian muscle cells occurs at about 2.4 μm/ sarcomere (thin filaments each are 1.1 μm long and the pseudo H-zone is 0.2μm long while the thick filament in all vertebrate striated muscle is about 1.65–1.7 μm). Thus if one sarcomere shortens against an afterload, P, at 2.4 μm/s, then 10 sarcomeres arranged in series shortening against the same load P, will shorten at a rate of 24 μm/s. Consequently the measured shortening velocity is referenced to the muscle fiber length at optimal overlap to normalize the observed values.
Nervous Control of Movement in Cephalopods

1. Nerve muscle preparations have been made of the mantle and stellar nerves of octopuses and squids. 2. Two motor innervation systems have been found in each. Both have been observed as unit preparations. The possibility of double innervation of the same muscle cells exists but has not been directly checked. 3. The fast innervations produce electrical responses which are maximal to the first stimulus and which have little or no absolute refractory period. They appear to be local rather than spike potentials. Fatigue is very rapid. The mechanical response sums in Octopus , but not in Loligo . 4. The slow innervations produce electrical and mechanical responses which facilitate with repetition. The fast system of Loligo does likewise after fatigue to a low level of response. 5. No evidence was found for a functional nerve net in the mantle. 6. Organizational features of the stellate ganglion have been identified physiologically in M Octopus . The ganglion acts both as an integrating motor centre and as a reflex centre.
Cobalt-Mediated, Enantioselective Synthesis of C2 and C1 Dienes

The asymmetric C-H functionalization of norbornene and norbornadiene with five-, six-, and seven-membered cyclic enones mediated by the reactive intermediate [{η(5)-((t)BuMe(2)Si)C(5)H(4)}Co(NO)(2)] is reported. A novel base mixture derived from enantiopure ammonium salts and NaHMDS was used as a source of chirality, and this enantioselective desymmetrization of C(s) alkenes has been applied to the asymmetric synthesis of C(2)- and C(1)-symmetric diene ligands in high regioselectivity (3.7-20:1 anti/syn), near perfect diastereoselectivity (>99:1 dr), and high enantioselectivity (90-96% ee).
Observations on the central nervous system, pituitary and adrenal in two cases of microcephaly.

ABSTRACT Two cases of human microcephaly are described in which the hypothalamus and diencephalic regions of the brain, as well as parts of the medulla', were absent. The pituitaries were microscopically within normal limits, yet the adrenal cortices were markedly atrophic in that the fetal zone was almost totally absent. These findings are compatible with the theory that certain tissues of the central nervous system elaborate a principle that stimulates the pituitary to form hormone that maintains, or causes growth of, the fetal adrenal cortex. These findings also show that the secretory status of the pituitary is not always apparent from microscopic examination.
Two Regional Mental Health Treatment Facilities A Reanalysis of Evaluation of Services

One of the major social programs of the 1960s was the development of community mental health centers. As with most early attempts at evaluation, the results were pessimistic. This article reanalyzes one of the earliest, and best-known, evaluations of a community-based treatment facility. Following the conceptual framework of Campbell and his associates, it was found that the various threats to the validity of the findings indicate a consistent and systematic bias against detecting a positive effect for the new mental health center. In light of recent federal legislation mandating formal evaluations, appropriate procedures are discussed.
Rapid Microdilution-Colorimetric Assay for Yeast Susceptibility to Fluorocytosine

Abstract Acid production by certain yeast species through the fermentation of glucose was used as the basis of an in vitro test for measuring susceptibility of these organisms to 5-fluorocytosine. Serial dilutions of 5-fluorocytosine in yeast nitrogen base broth, with bromothymol blue indicator dye, were made on microtiter plates. A fixed-concentration suspension of yeast cells was added to successive wells of the plates, and the color change from blue to yellow, indicating generation of acid, was noted. Eighteen hours after inoculation the lowest concentration of 5-fluorocytosine that completely inhibited the production of acid was recorded as the minimum inhibitory concentration. The results were reproducible in multiple trials with organisms of the genera Candida, Torulopsis, and Saccharomyces. This test is a rapid, inexpensive alternative to current 48- to 72-h methods in which broth turbidity is used as the end point.
"Some People Think This School Is Tracked and Some People Don't": Using Inquiry Groups to Unpack Teachers' Perspectives on Detracking

This article examines the challenges of discussing deeply rooted notions of ability, intelligence, and tracking in teacher inquiry groups and offers suggestions to educators who want to begin dialogue about detracking at their schools. Specifically, this article underscores the importance of unpacking the terms tracking and detracking, exploring notions of ability and intelligence embedded in instruction, and developing group norms to support honest dialogue of these issues. This analysis points to important issues for other teacher inquiry groups to consider in their exploration of detracking reform.
Social vs. Self-Directed Events among Japanese and Americans

Cultural expectations provide meaning to human perceptions of who-does-what-to-whom-where. However, the effects of actions directed at oneself have been much less systematically studied. This article replicates the American factorial design of Britt and Heise (1992) in a Japanese setting. The analysis demonstrates both cultural similarities and differences in psychological principles for attaching meanings to self-directed events. Cross-cultural differences in creating a sense of self-fulfillment or self-actualization are expressed through emotional labeling and trait attribution.
On the Hartman-Grobman theorem for maps

It is the purpose of this paper to extend this result to the case, where L is a hyperbolic endomorphism, i.e., not necessarily bijective. This situation usually occurs in applications to partial differential equations. Before stating our results we introduce some notation. If X is a Banach manifold, then X’ denotes the Banach manifold of all functions from E to X. Any map f: X -+ X induces a map 3 X’ + X’ through As)=f 0 s for SEX’. We set A(f)= n f”Cxl> n,O
Yield components and quality of rice in response to graminaceous weed density and rice stink bug populations

Abstract Field experiments were conducted in 2002 and 2003 to investigate weed density, its relationship to rice stink bug ( Oebalus pugnax , F.) populations, and damage to rice caused by stink bugs. Graminaceous weeds examined were barnyardgrass, Echinochloa crus-galli Beauv., Amazon sprangletop, Leptochloa panicoides (Presl.) Hitchc., broadleaf signalgrass, Brachiaria platyphylla Nash., and large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis , (L.). Rice seed weight, percent filled seed, percent pecky rice, milling quality, and yield were measured. Data showed that 13–23 weeds/1 m 2 was associated with an increase of one rice stink bug per plot. Weeds served as hosts of rice stink bugs prior to panicle emergence of rice; consequently, rice stink bugs infested rice early in the grain filling process and reduced the percentage of filled seeds. One hundred weeds/1 m 2 caused a 1% increase in pecky rice, and for every 1% pecky rice, milling quality was reduced by 0.5%. Plots not treated with insecticide had significantly more non-filled seeds, pecky rice, and broken kernels than treated plots. Neither weeds nor insects at the densities observed in this test appeared to effect seed weight. Rice stink bug damage did not significantly contribute to yield losses greater than weeds in the absence of rice stink bugs. Rice stink bugs had more of an affect on the quality of rice rather than the yield. Results reported here suggest that late season weed control may be important in terms of indirect losses in grain quality associated with increased populations of rice stink bug.
Human tumor antigens and specific tumor therapy

Abstract A recent UCLA symposium focused attention on human tumor antigens, with particular reference to the use of monoclonal antibodies in identification and treatment of tumors. The varied uses for mAbs to tumor specific, or tumor associated antigens was also considered.
When Do Firms Conform to Regulatory Control? The Effect of Control Processes on Compliance and Opportunism

Abstract The authors use social control theory to develop a conceptual model that addresses the effectiveness of regulatory agencies’ (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration) field-level efforts to obtain conformance with product safety laws. Central to the model are the control processes agencies use when monitoring organizations and enforcing the safety rules. These approaches can be labeled formal control (e.g., rigid enforcement) and informal control (e.g., social instruction). The theoretical framework identifies an important antecedent of control and the relative effectiveness of control’s alternative forms in gaining compliance and reducing opportunism. Furthermore, the model predicts that the regulated firms’ level of agreement with the safety rules moderates the relationships between control and firm responses. A local health department’s administration of state food safety regulations provides the empirical context for testing the hypotheses. The result...
A Spatio-Temporal Analysis Approach for Short-Term Forecast of Wind Farm Generation

In this paper, short-term forecast of wind farm generation is investigated by applying spatio-temporal analysis to extensive measurement data collected from a large wind farm where multiple classes of wind turbines are installed. Specifically, using the data of the wind turbines' power outputs recorded across two consecutive years, graph-learning based spatio-temporal analysis is carried out to characterize the statistical distribution and quantify the level crossing rate of the wind farm's aggregate power output. Built on these characterizations, finite-state Markov chains are constructed for each epoch of three hours and for each individual month, which accounts for the diurnal non-stationarity and the seasonality of wind farm generation. Short-term distributional forecasts and a point forecast are then derived by using the Markov chains and ramp trend information. The distributional forecast can be utilized to study stochastic unit commitment and economic dispatch problems via a Markovian approach. The developed Markov-chain-based distributional forecasts are compared with existing approaches based on high-order autoregressive models and Markov chains by uniform quantization, and the devised point forecasts are compared with persistence forecasts and high-order autoregressive model-based point forecasts. Numerical test results demonstrate the improved performance of the Markov chains developed by spatio-temporal analysis over existing approaches.
Dynamics and Molecular Determinants of Cytoplasmic Lipid Droplet Clustering and Dispersion

Perilipin-1 (Plin1), a prominent cytoplasmic lipid droplet (CLD) binding phosphoprotein and key physiological regulator of triglyceride storage and lipolysis in adipocytes, is thought to regulate the fragmentation and dispersion of CLD that occurs in response to β-adrenergic activation of adenylate cyclase. Here we investigate the dynamics and molecular determinants of these processes using cell lines stably expressing recombinant forms of Plin1 and/or other members of the perilipin family. Plin1 and a C-terminal CLD-binding fragment of Plin1 (Plin1CT) induced formation of single dense CLD clusters near the microtubule organizing center, whereas neither an N-terminal CLD-binding fragment of Plin1, nor Plin2 or Plin3 induced clustering. Clustered CLD coated by Plin1, or Plin1CT, dispersed in response to isoproterenol, or other agents that activate adenylate cyclase, in a process inhibited by the protein kinase A inhibitor, H89, and blocked by microtubule disruption. Isoproterenol-stimulated phosphorylation of CLD-associated Plin1 on serine 492 preceded their dispersion, and live cell imaging showed that cluster dispersion involved initial fragmentation of tight clusters into multiple smaller clusters, which then fragmented into well-dispersed individual CLD. siRNA knockdown of the cortical actin binding protein, moesin, induced disaggregation of tight clusters into multiple smaller clusters, and inhibited the reaggregation of dispersed CLD into tight clusters. Together these data suggest that the clustering and dispersion processes involve a complex orchestration of phosphorylation-dependent, microtubule-dependent and independent, and microfilament dependent steps.
Selecting and Acquiring Business Materials

A collection of carefully selected materials is essential to the operation of a business library or information center. The size and focus of the collection will vary considerably from library to library, but certain basic collecting principles apply to all. This article covers these basics and applies them specifically to business collection development.
Conceptions of Ability, Achievement Goals, and Individual Differences in Self‐Handicapping Behavior: On the Application of Implicit Theories

This study tested the hypothesis that individual differences in the tendency to engage in self-handicapping were related to beliefs about the mutability of ability attributes and the pursuit of different achievement goals. Correlational data indicated that high self-handicappers as defined by the Self-handicapping Scale (Jones & Rhodewalt, 1982) believed that ability traits were more innately determined. They were mote likely to endorse performance goals (demonstration of ability) than were low self-handicappers. Low self-handicappers, in contrast, held a more incremental view of ability traits and pursued learning goals (increasing competence). Results are discussed in terms of the cognitive underpinnings of self-protective behavior.
Primary headache disorders and neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations

Headache is an extraordinarily common complaint presenting to medical practitioners in all arenas and specialties, particularly primary care physicians, neurologists, and ophthalmologists. A wide variety of headache disorders may manifest with a myriad of neuro-ophthalmologic symptoms, including orbital pain, disturbances of vision, aura, photophobia, lacrimation, conjunctival injection, ptosis, and other manifestations. The differential diagnosis in these patients is broad and includes both secondary, or symptomatic, and primary headache disorders. Awareness of the headache patterns and associated symptoms of these various disorders is essential to achieve the correct diagnosis. This paper reviews the primary headache disorders that prominently feature neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations, including migraine, the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, and hemicrania continua. Migraine variants with prominent neuro-ophthalmologic symptoms including aura without headache, basilar-type migraine, retinal migraine, and ophthalmoplegic migraine are also reviewed. This paper focuses particularly on the symptomatology of these primary headache disorders, but also discusses their epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment.