cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel activating BRAF fusion identifies a recurrent alternative mechanism for ERK activation in pediatric Langerhans cell histiocytosis

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an inflammatory myeloid neoplasm characterized by constitutive activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Genomic characterization has identified activating point mutations including mutually exclusive BRAFV600E and activating MAP2K1 mutations to be responsible for ERK activation in a majority of pediatric LCH patients. Here, we report the discovery of a novel BRAF kinase fusion, PACSIN2-BRAF, in a child with multisystem LCH. This is the second reported case of an activating BRAF kinase fusion and indicates a recurrent pathologic mechanism. Genomic evaluation for activating kinase fusions should be strongly considered in pediatric LCH patients lacking more common mutations.
The Neuron and the Mind: Microneuronal Theory and Practice in Cognitive Neuroscience

This book, a companion to William R. Uttal’s earlier work on macrotheories theories of mind-brain relationships, reviews another set of theories—those based on microneuronal measurements. Microneural theories maintain the integrity of individual neurons either in isolation or as participants in the great neuronal networks that make up the physical brain. Despite an almost universal acceptance by cognitive neuroscientists that the intangible mind must, in some way, be encoded by network states, Uttal shows that the problem of how the transformation occurs is not yet supported by empirical research findings at the micro as well as at the macro levels of analysis. Theories of the neuronal network survive more as metaphors than as robust explanations. This book also places special emphasis on the technological developments that stimulate these metaphors. A major conclusion drawn in this book is that it is not at all certain that the mind-brain problem is solvable in the sense that many other grand scientific problems are.
Computational Evaluation of Mg–Salen Compounds as Subsurface Fluid Tracers: Molecular Dynamics Simulations in Toluene–Water Mixtures and Clay Mineral Nanopores

Molecular tracers that can be selectively placed underground and uniquely identified at the surface using simple on-site spectroscopic methods would significantly enhance subsurface fluid monitoring capabilities. To ensure their widespread utility, the solubility of these tracers must be easily tuned to oil- or water-wet conditions as well as reducing or eliminating their propensity to adsorb onto subsurface rock and/or mineral phases. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the relative solubilities and mineral surface adsorption properties of three candidate tracer compounds comprising Mg–salen derivatives of varying degrees of hydrophilic character. Simulations in water–toluene liquid mixtures indicate that the partitioning of each Mg–salen compound relative to the interface is strongly influenced by the degree of hydrophobicity of the compound. Simulations of these complexes in fluid-filled mineral nanopores containing neutral (kaolinite) and negatively charged (montmoril...
Inducing rapport-building behaviors in interaction with an embodied conversational agent

How would humans would try to build rapport with an agent rather than with another human? To address this issue, we created a virtual-reality application, Gods of the Neon City, in which an agent might (or might not) betray its human partner. The results from 45 participants suggest that it is possible to build a VR adventure with agents in which a central character can be perceived as untrustworthy, and that participants' perceptions of an agent's trustworthiness can be affected by systematic messages from other agents. However, the study's data are insufficient to demonstrate that participants try to address perceived untrustworthiness by increasing the length of their utterances.
Temperature Dependence of Diode and ggNMOS ESD Protection Structures in 28nm CMOS

This paper reports an experimental study of the temperature dependence of diode, diode-string and grounded-gate NMOS (ggNMOS) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structures fabricated in a foundry 28nm CMOS technology. The fabricated diode and ggNMOS ESD structures were characterized using transmission line pulse (TLP) testing over a temperature range from −40 °C to +110°C. The observed temperature variation provides a guideline for practical ESD protection circuit designs.
Assessing the Statistical Analyses Used in Basic and Applied Social Psychology After Their p-Value Ban

In this article, we assess the 31 articles published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology (BASP) in 2016, which is one full year after the BASP editors banned the use of inferential statistics. W...
Primary Cutaneous Acral CD8-Positive T-Cell Lymphoma (Indolent CD8-Positive Lymphoid Proliferation of the Ear)

Indolent CD8-positive lymphoid proliferation of the ear is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder classically presenting with a solitary nodular lesion on the ear (occasionally bilateral). While the histopathology appears concerning (dense dermal infiltrate of CD8-positive blastoid cells), the clinical behavior and follow-up are indolent. Both epitheliotropism and ulceration are absent. This entity is now included in the 2016 WHO classification under provisional status and has been renamed primary cutaneous acral CD8-positive T-cell lymphoma, since it may occasionally involve other acral sites.
Composition as Identity, Universalism, and Generic Quantifiers

Composition as Identity (CAI) is, roughly, the thesis that the parts of a whole, taken collectively, are in some sense identical with the whole. Einar Duenger Bohn argues for Universalism from CAI. Universalism says that composition is totally unrestricted: wherever two or more objects occur, an instance of composition occurs, however unnatural or gerrymandered. Bohn’s argument relies on inferences with generic quantifiers, but he does not provide a clear account of generic quantification. My argument is that on the most plausible approach to thinking about such inferences, the argument fails.
Influence of a Comorbid Diagnosis of Seizure on 30-Day Readmission Rates Following Hospitalization for an Index Stroke.

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the association of a comorbid seizure diagnosis with early hospital readmission rates following an index hospitalization for stroke in the United States. Methods: Retrospective analysis of the 2014 National Readmission Database. The study population included adult patients (age >18 years old) with stroke, identified using the International Classification of Disease Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes 433.X1, 434.X1, and 436 for ischemic stroke as well as 430, 431, 432.0, 432.1, and 432.9 for hemorrhagic stroke. A subgroup of patients with a secondary discharge diagnosis of seizures was identified using the ICD-9-CM codes 780.39 and 345.X. We computed all-cause 30-day readmission rates for all strokes and by stroke type (ischemic versus hemorrhagic). Finally, we used a multivariable logistic regression model to examine the independent association between seizure and readmission by stroke type. Results: Of 271,148 stroke patients, 6.3% (16,970) had a secondary discharge diagnosis of seizures including 5.0% (11,562) of patients with ischemic stroke and 13.4% (5,409) with hemorrhagic stroke. Overall readmission rate for stroke patients was 11.9% (hemorrhagic stroke: 14.2% versus ischemic strokes: 11.6%). Thirty-day readmission rate was higher in patients with seizures for all strokes (15.6% versus 11.7%, P value
Introduction: Politics and Current Challenges of Demography in Central and Eastern Europe:

This article belongs to the special cluster, “Politics and Current Demographic Challenges in Central and Eastern Europe,” guest-edited by Tsveta Petrova and Tomasz Inglot.In this article, we introd...
Caring for Older Adults With Vision Impairment and Dementia.

Background and objectives Dementia and vision impairment (VI) are common among older adults but little is known about caregiving in this context. Research design and methods We used data from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries, linked to their family/unpaid helpers from the National Study of Caregiving. Vision impairment was defined as self-reported blindness or difficulty with distance/near vision. Probable dementia was based on survey report, interviews, and cognitive tests. Our outcomes included hours of care provided, and number of valued activities (scored 0-4) affected by caregiving, per month. Results Among 1,776 caregivers, 898 (55.1%, weighted) assisted older adults without dementia or VI, 450 (21.9%) with dementia only, 224 (13.0%) with VI only, and 204 (10.0%) with dementia and VI. In fully adjusted negative binomial regression analyses, caregivers of individuals with dementia and VI spent 1.7 times as many hours (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-2.2) providing care than caregivers of those without either impairment; however, caregivers of individuals with dementia only (95% CI = 1.1-1.6) and VI only (95% CI = 1.1-1.6) spent 1.3 times more hours. Additionally, caregivers of individuals with dementia and VI had 3.2 times as many valued activities affected (95% CI = 2.2-4.6), while caregivers of dementia only and VI only reported 1.9 times (95% CI = 1.4-2.6) and 1.3 times (95% CI = 0.9-1.8) more activities affected, respectively. Discussion and implications Our results suggest that caring for older adults with VI involves similar time demands as caring for older adults with dementia, but that participation impacts are greater when caring for older adults with both dementia and VI.
Spatiotemporal prediction of wildfire extremes with Bayesian finite sample maxima

Abstract Wildfires are becoming more frequent in parts of the globe, but predicting where and when wildfires occur remains difficult. To predict wildfire extremes across the contiguous United States, we integrate a 30 year wildfire record with meteorological and housing data in spatiotemporal Bayesian statistical models with spatially varying nonlinear effects. We compared different distributions for the number and sizes of large fires to generate a posterior predictive distribution based on finite sample maxima for extreme events (the largest fires over bounded spatiotemporal domains). A zero-inflated negative binomial model for fire counts and a lognormal model for burned areas provided the best performance. This model attains 99% interval coverage for the number of fires and 93% coverage for fire sizes over a six year withheld data set. Dryness and air temperature strongly predict extreme wildfire probabilities. Housing density has a hump-shaped relationship with fire occurrence, with more fires occurring at intermediate housing densities. Statistically, these drivers affect the chance of an extreme wildfire in two ways: by altering fire size distributions, and by altering fire frequency, which influences sampling from the tails of fire size distributions. We conclude that recent extremes should not be surprising, and that the contiguous United States may be on the verge of even larger wildfire extremes.
Treatment Targets for Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Summary Right ventricle (RV) dysfunction is the strongest predictor of mortality in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but, at present, there are no therapies directly targeting the failing RV. Although there are shared molecular mechanisms in both RV and left ventricle (LV) dysfunction, there are important differences between the 2 ventricles that may allow for the development of RV-enhancing or RV-directed therapies. In this review, we discuss the current understandings of the dysregulated pathways that promote RV dysfunction, highlight RV-enriched or RV-specific pathways that may be of particular therapeutic value, and summarize recent and ongoing clinical trials that are investigating RV function in PAH. It is hoped that development of RV-targeted therapies will improve quality of life and enhance survival for this deadly disease.
So Remote a Country as New Holland

The Investigator first landed in Madeira and then proceeded to Simon’s Bay at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Brown noted the great number and variety of plants there. It anchored on the southwestern corner of western Australia on December 8th (1801), at King George Sound near Seal Island. Brown was struck by the diversity of the vegetation and the unparalleled floral display. At Seal Island, Brown was able to collect approximately 500 species during the height of the Australian summer. Brown described some of the fish he observed, particularly a specimen named Brown’s leatherjacket (Acanthaluteres brownii). At the southern part of Princess Royal Harbour, Brown collected specimens such as the brilliant-colored Banksia repens, a member of the Proteaceae family. In Southern Australia alone, Brown collected over a hundred new species including a feather flower and pink or wild cauliflower. The ship then sailed on to the eastern part of the Great Australian Bight, where he observed many birds especially petrel. Brown continued gathering up specimens of animals as well as plants, particularly birds like the New Holland honeyeater, a bird native to southern Australia. The Investigator entered Spencer Gulf in the Great Australian Bight on February 20th, and on a wooded island Brown found new species of Eucalyptus, mangroves, and thickly tufted grass. At Encounter Bay they met the French ship, Le Geographie, part of a French expedition commanded ably by Nicolas Thomas Baudin (1754–1803). After this cordial meeting, the French headed west while the Investigator headed on an eastern course toward Kings Island in the Bass Strait, and toward New South Wales on the east coast of the continent. They sailed past “The Coorong,” which still remains a vast, unspoiled ecosystem made up of freshwater lakes, wetlands, beaches, as well as saltwater. In the latter part of April, the expedition arrived in Victoria, the southeastern most region of Australia, entering Bass Strait, and anchored a few miles from shore at Kings Island. Brown continued his observations on the plants of Victoria: e.g., Eucalyptus trees, Banksia integrifolia (coastal Banksia), with its beautiful golden-yellow flowers belonging to the Proteaceae, and new species of birds. Brown collected and noted 96 different species of plants belonging to 74 genera in Victoria. The Investigator was in sight of Port Jackson (Sidney) on May 6th (1802) and they entered the harbor several days later, anchoring in Sydney Cove on Sunday, the 9th of May.
Eating-related guilt and mental health across middle childhood to early adolescence

Abstract Background Limited research exists on the association of eating-related guilt and mental health across middle childhood to early adolescence. Therefore, this study was guided by two aims: (1) to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between eating-related guilt and mental health (i.e., internalizing symptoms and self-esteem) and (2) to examine how executive functioning deficits moderate the cross-sectional association between eating-related guilt and mental health. Methods Children (N = 202) completed self-report measures of eating-related guilt, internalizing symptoms, and self-esteem across three years in six semi-annual waves. A self-report measure of executive functioning deficits was completed at Wave 6. Results Eating-related guilt was positively associated with internalizing symptoms cross-sectionally, but there were no prospective associations. There was a significant parallel association between eating-related guilt and internalizing symptoms slopes, suggesting increases in eating-related guilt were positively associated with internalizing symptoms across waves. Eating-related guilt and self-esteem were unrelated. There was an interaction of eating-related guilt and executive functioning deficits in relation to internalizing symptoms and self-esteem such that at high executive functioning deficits, there was a relation between higher eating-related guilt and higher internalizing symptoms and lower self-esteem. Limitations Constructs were assessed with self-report measures, with eating-related guilt being assessed with an abbreviated measure. For the second aim, only cross-sectional data were available for executive functioning. Conclusions Eating-related guilt and internalizing symptoms appear to track together across middle childhood and early adolescence; executive functioning deficits may explain risk for negative outcomes for children experiencing eating-related guilt.
Changes in Peripheral Nerve Polyphosphoinositide Metabolism in Experimental Diabetes: Nature and Significance

The incorporation of 32P-orthophosphate into polyphosphoinositides, especially phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), is substantially enhanced in isolated sciatic nerves from rats made diabetic by streptozotocin injection. Increased labeling of PIP2 was apparent after two weeks, but not one week following induction of disease. The metabolic changes preceded demonstrable decreases in peripheral nerve conduction velocity. The extent of increased isotope incorporation into PIP2 was correlated with progressively greater doses of streptozotocin that resulted in more severe hyperglycemia. The addition of insulin to nerve preparations incubated in vitro failed to reverse the metabolic alterations, but implantation of insulin pumps into animals soon after the onset of diabetes prevented the appearance of changes. The increased uptake of isotope was not detected in that portion of PIP2 recovered in a purified myelin fraction of sciatic nerve. These findings indicate that altered peripheral nerve polyphosphoinositide metabolism is a relatively early consequence of diabetes and is linked to prolonged hyperglycemia. It is proposed that the responsive PIP2 pool is located in the axolemma and is perhaps involved in the mechanism of nerve conduction.
Tyrosine-kinase-dependent recruitment of RGS12 to the N-type calcium channel

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)B receptors couple to Go to inhibit N-type calcium channels in embryonic chick dorsal root ganglion neurons1. The voltage-independent inhibition, mediated by means of a tyrosine-kinase pathway2, is transient and lasts up to 100 seconds. Inhibition of endogenous RGS12, a member of the family of regulators of G-protein signalling, selectively alters the time course of voltage-independent inhibition. The RGS12 protein, in addition to the RGS domain, contains PDZ and PTB domains3. Fusion proteins containing the PTB domain of RGS12 alter the rate of termination of the GABAB signal, whereas the PDZ or RGS domains of RGS12 have no observable effects. Using primary dorsal root ganglion neurons in culture, here we show an endogenous agonist-induced tyrosine-kinase-dependent complex of RGS12 and the calcium channel. These results indicate that RGS12 is a multifunctional protein capable of direct interactions through its PTB domain with the tyrosine-phosphorylated calcium channel. Recruitment of RGS proteins to G-protein effectors may represent an additional mechanism for signal termination in G-protein-coupled pathways.
Sequential multihypothesis testing and nonuniform costs with applications in hybrid serial search

A sequential multihypothesis test designed for use with nonuniform decision costs is presented and its performance is characterized. Asymptotic efficiency of the test is shown, and the use of sequential multihypothesis tests in hybrid serial search schemes is discussed. A generalisation of the M-ary sequential probability ratio test is considered for the decision making problem. >
Maternal Responsiveness of Primiparous Mothers During the Postpartum Period: Age Differences

Variables influencing maternal responsiveness of primiparous mothers in the postpartum period were explored. Forty mothers, aged 17 to 24, were randomly assigned to either a control group, or to a group with one of two experimental conditions: additional information given mothers about the sensory capacity of neonates, or additional postpartum contact with their infants. Age differences in maternal responsiveness were also examined. Fourteen dependent measures of maternal behavior were obtained from video-taped sessions of mothers watching their infants. In addition, lateral preference of mothers for their infant following midline presentation was also noted. At the time of hospital discharge (a mean time of 3.5 days following birth) no differences were found on the dependent measures for either experimental condition. The age of the mother was isolated as a variable influencing maternal readiness. Mothers were divided into three age groups: low (17 and 18 years, N = 17), middle (19 and 20 years, N = 10), and high (21 to 23 years, N = 13). Age effects upon the 15 measures were assessed. The results suggest that there is a "critical" age when a mother may develop maternal readiness. Mothers 19 years of age and older demonstrated significantly more maternal responsiveness toward their infants than did mothers 18 years and younger.
Comparative Economic Efficiency of Modern and Traditional Redgram Processing Mills in Karnataka

Background: The study is conducted with keeping the objective of economics efficiency of modernized and traditional redgram processing mills. Methods: To analyse the objective the business ratios, Break-Even ratio, and financial feasibility ratio like NPV, BCR and IRR techniques are worked out. Result: The benefit cost ratio worked to be 1.13 for modern dal mills and 1.06 for traditional dal mills. The internal rate of returns is very high at 33.22 per cent in modern dal mills compared to traditional dal mills (16.48%). The quantity of output required to achieve break-even point were 10,863 and 9,136 quintals of output (dal) in modern and traditional dal mills respectively and have produced more than the break-even volume of output, indicating both were running under profitable lines. Estimated values of NPV, BCR, IRR and PBP indicated that, irrespective size of the dal mills, investment in redgram milling units was economically feasible and financial sound. The magnitude of financial feasibility analysis indicated the priority to be assigned for investment in modern redgram processing units. Application: The present losses can be minimized by adopting improved machineries and equipments including Buller and Sortex grading machines to increase recovery percentage and produce better quality dal for enjoying larger profit through economics of large scale production.
Interface of malnutrition and periodontal diseases

In response to periodontal pathogens neutrophils release oxidants, proteinases, and other destructive factors. The balance between these factors, the antioxidants, and endogenously synthesized antiproteinases determine the extent of periodontal damage. Malnutrition, particularly protein-energy malnutrition involving concomitant deficiencies of antioxidant nutrients, is characterized by impairment in production and cellular actions of the cytokines, diminished acute-phase protein response (APR) to infections, endocrinopathies, defective metabolism of drugs, and impaired response to stress. The APR plays a central role in promoting healing. Additionally, malnutrition elicits adverse alterations in the oral microbial ecology as well as in the volume and the antibacterial and physicochemical properties of saliva. Good dietary practices and optimal nutritional status are therefore important in mitigating the severity of inflammatory periodontal lesions but are likely of limited value if the stimuli from dental plaque are not removed.
FALLS AS CHILDHOOD ACCIDENTS: AN INCREASING URBAN RISK

Falls from heights accounted for 20% of accidental deaths of children in New York City during 1966, and 67% of the children were under 5 years of age. A retrospective study of falls involving more than 10 feet during 1966 to 1968 at a single Bronx hospital affiliation disclosed that 55 children were hospitalized from this cause. Five of these hospitalized patients died, and two were found to have significant residua. This retrospective study of hospitalized patients indicates that falls from heights were a health hazard mainly for preschool males during the warmer summer months in the high rise slums of the south Bronx. Preschool children fell exclusively from windows and fire escapes, with little regard for height. Older children fell from dangerous play areas of lesser height. The need for routine installation of effective window guards is obvious.
A gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that utilizes O-methyl substituents of aromatic acids

A novel strain of gram-negative anaerobic rods which utilized O-methyl substituents of monoaromatic acids as a sole organic source of carbon was isolated from municipal sewage sludge. Energy for growth seemed to be generated by an acetate formation pathway. The growth yield in defined medium was 7.9 g (dry weight) of cells per mol of ferulate utilized. This isolate and other O-demethylating anaerobes may play a role in the turnover of acetate and the metabolism of highly methoxylated lignaceous materials in anaerobic environments.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative screening and treatment strategies for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia in the United States.

Abstract Background/objectives Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder that leads to premature heart disease or stroke if untreated. Statins are effective for individuals with FH but less than 20% of actual cases are diagnosed in the US and many people are not adherent to treatment. Using new knowledge regarding mutations responsible for FH, some European countries have developed genetic FH screening strategies, many of which have been shown to be cost-effective. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of genetic screening and lipid-based screening with statin adherence measures compared to lipid-based screening alone in the US. Methods A decision tree was used to estimate disease detection with the three screening strategies, while a Markov model was used to model disease progression until death, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs from a US societal perspective. Results The results showed that Genetic Screening cost $15,594 for 18.29 QALYs per person and Lipid Screening with adherence measures cost $16,385 for 18.77 QALYs compared with $10,396 for 18.28 QALYs for Lipid Screening alone. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of Genetic Screening versus Lipid Screening was $519,813/QALY and that of Lipid Screening with adherence measures versus Lipid Screening alone was $12,223/QALY. At a US willingness-to-pay threshold of $150,000/QALY Genetic Screening is not cost-effective compared with Lipid Screening. Sensitivity analyses showed that results were robust to reasonable variations in model parameters. Conclusions Although genetic screening is currently not a cost-effective option in the US, health outcomes for FH individuals could benefit from adherence measures encouraging statin use.
A miscellany of statistical and other considerations for clinical trials

LABORATORY VERSUS CLINICAL TRIALS An early gleaning from laboratory studies was the number of adjustable variables at our disposal. We could vary the dosage level employed, using a range of dosage levels and, for repetitive treatment, we might use one or several intervals between treatments. In one experiment (Goldin et al. [1]), to simulate what we thought was a more clinical situation, the determination of whether a test mouse was to receive its scheduled treatment on a given day was based on its apparent condition on that day-t reatment was withheld from mice showing toxic signs. In another study (Venditti et al. [9]), to cover the possibility that mice were succumbing to overtreatment, we employed groups with varying durations of treatment. The possible variations in therapy multiplied endlessly once we considered using drugs in combination. In any event, we :'ecognized that the problem was as much one of learning how to use the drugs at our disposal as learning which ones to use. And learning how to use them, even in the laboratory, was limited because we could employ only a moderate number of the many possible variations in therapy. Characteristically, in a clinical trial there is no variation or very limited variation in the way a test agent is employed. And so there can be only very limited interpretation of the results obtained. We may properly judge that agent A employed at a particular dosage or in a particular way is inferior to agent B. Perhaps at a higher dosage level, A would have been
Chronic topical corticosteroid use simulating congenital glaucoma.

Two children presented with a picture resembling unilateral, congenital glaucoma. Each of the children had received long-term topical corticosteroid therapy. In one child, the glaucoma abated following goniotomy and cessation of corticosteroid therapy. In the second patient, cure was obtained merely by discontinuing topical corticosteroids.
Cytoplasm from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells inhibits cell-free haemoglobin synthesis.

INFECTION of HeLa cells with poliovirus causes an inhibition of host cell protein synthesis with a concomitant conversion of polysomes to single ribosomes1, 2. This process is thought to be mediated by a product of the viral genome, for infection of cells with virus particles which have been inactivated by ultraviolet irradiation does not affect the rate of protein synthesis1. The inhibition acts directly on translation rather than on the production of mRNA1, 3, yet neither chain elongation nor the release of polypeptide chains from ribosomes seems to be affected2. Chain initiation, therefore, is the only possible target. Willems and Penman have suggested that cellular mRNA is inactivated after infection, preventing its reassociation with ribosomes3. To test these hypotheses, we assayed for the presence of inhibitors of initiation in poliovirus-infected HeLa cell cytoplasm, using a lysate of rabbit reticulocytes that initiates the synthesis of new polypeptide chains at a rate comparable with that in intact cells.
Farewell to the Reference Librarian

ABSTRACT Now that reference research is almost exclusively an online endeavor, the traditional model of reference service—a static walk-up service point—no longer applies. Today librarians engage users at point of need, embedding research help in the context of the online research environment, while at the same time respecting the users’ preference for a transparent and unmediated experience.
Service-Oriented Architecture: On the suitability for mobile robots

Cooperative mobile robots have recently been gaining importance within the field of robotics. It's been proven that collaborative robots can do tasks in a faster and more reliable manner than a single robot can. Additionally, recent advances in distributed coordination algorithms have dramatically improved the feasibility and suitability of cooperative approaches. This has lead researchers to develop Inter-robot communication frameworks. While several frameworks have been introduced, one of the most common is the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). However, the suitability of SOA for collaborative robotic communication has not been fully evaluated. In this paper we evaluate the SOA from an overhead perspective against non service-based architectures in a wireless environment. Our evaluation is based on performance suitability, which is determined by measuring throughput and delay for different numbers of mobile robots sharing real time data.
The asymptotic properties of a class of dynamic programming formulas

Dynamic programming is usually regarded as a procedure for computing the numerical value of the optimum in a multistage optimization problem. However, there are some problems where we are interested not only in a numerical solution, but also in an understanding of how the function behaves as parameters of the problem change. In particular the asymptotic behavior of the optimum for large values of the parameters may be of interest. In order to lend motivation to the study of asymptotic behavior, we shall describe a dynamic programming problem which arises in number theory, and in which asymptotic behavior is of particular interest. We shall call this problem the Postage Stamp Problem [I]. This problem considers sets of positive integers (postage stamp denominations) such that all integers in a given range 1 to R can be written as the sum of at most K integers, not necessarily distinct, chosen from the set. Such a set of integers is called a base of order q, degree K and range R. We are interested in finding bases with a large range R for given values of the order q and range k. Although the solution of this problem for specific values of q and k is of interest to puzzle enthusiasts, 1 the theoretical interest of the problem to number theorests lies in the solution of the problem for large values of q and k. Thus it is immediately obvious that R cannot be larger than the number of combinations of q objects taken k at a time, with repetitions, i.e.,
Optical correlator vision system for a manufacturing robot assembly cell

An optical correlator system is to be interfaced with an existing robot assembly cell to provide the necessary manufacturing machine vision. In operation various parts are scanned by the vision system which provides identification and location of each pre-selected part. This information is forwarded to the robot controller which translates these data to perform mechanically articulated part retrieval placement and fastening to the assembly being manufactured. A tray of parts would be analyzed with individual parts located for use in an ongoing manufacturing process. As new parts arrive optical memories are fabricated off line and subsequently conveyed to the vision system on demand. To enhance parts identification and location under variable ambient conditions the video from the scanned scene is preprocessed to reduce the effects of lighting and contrast variations. Using laboratory and shop data a variety of actual aircraft parts have been used to fabricate matched filters for use in the vision correlator. Tests conducted with the correlator show that individual parts can be identified located and differentiated from groups of parts with similar appearance. As a next step the correlator as a vision system will be configured for interface with a representative robot cell for premanufacturing tests.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Temporal and spatial variation in reproduction in the facultatively polygynous antMyrmica tahoensis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Sex allocation was measured across six seasons in colonies of the facultatively polygynous antMyrmica tahoensis. The overall proportion of colonies that produced sexuals was constant throughout the study, but population-level sex ratios varied considerably. In 1991, 1993, and 1995, a significantly greater proportion of colonies produced females than in 1990, 1992, and 1994. Sex ratios were similar across six sites within individual years, suggesting a population-wide cause of sex-ratio variation. Individual colonies tended, on average, to produce similar sex ratios in consecutive years. Within-colony genetic relatedness, while strongly correlated with sex ratios within years, did not explain the year-to-year variation. It is suggested that extrinsic factors can limit the production of female sexuals, even when genetic relatedness is high enough to favor female production.
Mercury and selected pesticide levels in fish and wildlife of Utah: II. Levels of mercury, DDT, DDE, dieldrin and PCB in chukars, pheasants and waterfowl.

Levels of mercury and selected pesticides were determined in muscle tissue of chukars, pheasants and waterfowl collected from various regions within the state of Utah. None of the chukar tissue 6% of the pheasant tissue and 4% of the waterfowl tissue analyzed contained mercury concentrations greater than the FDA limit of 0.5 ppm. None of the chukars or pheasants and only 2% of the waterfowl inspected contained dieldrin concentrations above the FDA tolerance level of 0.3 ppm. None of the chukars or pheasants contained levels of DDT + DDE above 5.0 ppm FDA tolerance level. The majority of the waterfowl tissue contained levels of PCB's higher than selected pesticide levels. No definite relationship between the levels of mercury and pesticides or PCB's was noted.
EFFECTS OF MUSCLE AND COOKERY METHOD ON PALATABILITY OF BEEF FROM SEVERAL BREEDS AND BREED CROSSES

The longissimus and semimembranosus muscles were obtained from 5 carcasses of each of 13 breeds or breed crosses. These carcasses exhibited small and modest degrees of marbling and were obtained from cattle fed on an 85% concentrate ration for the same length of time. Palatability, shear force and cooking loss data were recorded after ovenroasting longissimus and semimembranosus steaks and braising semimembranosus steaks. Roasted longissimus steaks had more desirable (P > 0.05) flavor, juiciness, tenderness, amount of connective tissue and overall satisfaction scores with less cooking losses than roasted semimembranosus samples. Roasted semimembranosus steaks possessed more desirable (P > 0.05) flavor, juiciness, tenderness and overall satisfaction scores than braised semimembranosus steaks. Neither breed nor the interaction involving breed with muscle location-cooking method proved to be significant (P < 0.05) factors affecting palatability traits. Correlation coefficients were extremely low between palatability attributes of the longissimus and those of the semimembranosus. Likewise, relationships were small in magnitude among palatability traits obtained from roasted semimembranosus vs those noted for the braised semimembranosus. These results imply that palatability values obtained for one muscle or by one method of cookery have low predictive capabilities for another muscle or method of cookery when steaks are derived from cattle possessing very limited differences in maturity, marbling and preslaughter management.
NEW MEASUREMENTS OF COSMIC RAY POSITRONS

Cosmic ray electrons consists of mostly negative electrons and a relatively smaller flux of positrons. A simple interpretation is that all the positrons, together with an approximately equal flux of negative electrons, are decay products of pions created in the interaction of cosmic ray protons with the interstellar medium, and the remaining negative electrons are produced in primary cosmic ray sources. However, the existing data on the positron fraction (e+/e++e−) does not support this simple picture. While the positron flux around a few GeV can be explained by the secondary production, there are apparently excesses of positrons both at lower and higher energies. This has stimulated many interpretation and conjectures of new astrophysical sources of positrons. Recently, there are new measurements from four different balloon experiments. They begin to show some discrepancy with the old data. A brief summary of the new results and their impact is given here.
Non-Abelian Weizsäcker-Williams field and a two-dimensional effective color charge density for a very large nucleus.

We consider a very large ultrarelativistic nucleus. Assuming a simple model of the nucleus and weak coupling we find a classical solution for the gluon field of the nucleus and construct the two-dimensional color charge density for McLerran-Venugopalan model out of it. We prove that the density of states distribution, as a function of color charge density, is Gaussian, confirming the assumption made by McLerran and Venugopalan.
Critically Reflexive Theory: A Proposal for Nursing Education

Nursing is a discipline in transition. As the complexity and acuity of patients increase, nurses are taking on a more comprehensive role in health care leadership and patient outcomes. As the discipline has evolved so has the curricular framework of nursing educational programs, moving from being based on a specific nursing theory, to a general metaparadigm, to the current focus on meeting curricular content standards developed by national accrediting agencies. When considering the skills needed to fully engage in critical thinking and patient advocacy there may be room for an additional curricular focus: that of metacognitive development based on critical theory and constructivism. The empowerment of students via metacognitive and self-evaluative practices also supports the critical theory pedagogy. If graduating nurses are presented with a cohesive and comprehensive curriculum that meets the need for competent and critically reflexive nurses the discipline of nursing can continue to expand in function and voice. The use of metacognition, constructivism, competency, and critical pedagogies in a unified and broad curricular framework allows for the development of these essential skills in contemporary nursing practice. This paper presents this innovative curricular framework that embodies these various teaching and learning perspectives.
AO operations at the W. M. Keck Observatory

Natural Guide Star (NGS) and Laser Guide Star (LGS) Adaptive Optics (AO) have been offered for routine science operations to the W. M. Keck Observatory community since 2000 and late 2004, respectively. The AO operations team is now supporting ~100 nights of AO observing with four different instruments, including over fifty nights of LGS AO per semester. In this paper we describe improvements to AO operations to handle the large number of nights and to accommodate the recent upgrade to the wavefront sensor and wavefront controller. We report on the observing efficiency, image quality, scientific productivity, impact analysis from satellite safety procedures and discuss the support load required to operate AO at Keck. We conclude the paper by presenting our plans for dual LGS AO operations with Keck I - Keck II LGS, starting in 2009.
Wilms' tumor-aniridia association: Segregation of affected chromosome in somatic cell hybrids, identification of cell surface antigen associated with deleted area, and regional mapping of c-Ha-ras-1 oncogene, insulin gene, and beta-globin gene

Fusion of an auxotrophic mutant hamster cell with the skin fibroblasts of a child with the Wilms' tumor-aniridia association produced clones which, on the one hand, contained the child's normal chromosome 11 and, on the other, the chromosome 11 with the 11p13 deletion associated with the syndrome. Both hybrids were positive for human LDH-A by enzymatic assay. Clones containing the normal human chromosome 11 were killed by a cytotoxic monoclonal antibody to a cell surface antigen previously mapped to the 11p13→ 11pter region of chromosome 11. Clones with the abnormal 11 were not killed. Thus, we have produced hybrids from the same patient distinct from each other on the basis of their chromosome 11. These hybrids have been used to map the locus for a cell surface antigen to the deleted region on chromosome 11 of a patient with the Wilms tumor-aniridia association. The linkage between this antigen and the syndrome should be helpful in further study of the genetics of this disease. In addition, we have found that the c-Ha-ras-1 oncogene is distal to the p13 region of chromosome 11 and the position of insulin and beta-globin on the chromosome. Finally, by producing segregants of the hybrids containing the abnormal chromosome 11, we have provided evidence that chromosome 11-associated c-Ha-ras-1 is syntenic with chromosome 11 and not moved to a different portion of the genome.
The Notion of 'Group' and Tests of Group Selection

This paper examines the empirical aspect of the debates over group selection. I argue that specific narrow readings of the notion of ‘group’ result in a deficient experimentation of the group selection process. Criteria for empirical testability are presented and used to reexamine two well‐known experiments of group selection. I argue that the former holds a narrow image of ‘group’ that does not distinguish group selection from selection at other levels; while the latter holds a multifaceted image of ‘group’ that offers a way to achieve substantive progress in the debate. However, most supporters and opponent of group selection maintain a narrow and restricted image of ‘group’, which implicitly undermines informative details regarding population dynamics and population structure. These details may improve our understanding of the evolution of altruism and the evolution of sociality. To conclude, adopting a wide‐ranging meaning of ‘group’ may empirically advance the group selection debates.
LPA Activation of a RhoA/CPKCα-Mediated Signaling Pathway Regulates Outer Hair Cell Motility by Phosphorylating the Cytoskeletal Protein Adducin

In prior studies on cochlear outer hair cells (OHC) we demonstrated that LPA was able to induce RhoA/ROCK-mediated adducin phosphorylation at Thr445, and RhoA/PKC-mediated adducin phosphorylation at Ser726 (Zhang et al, J Biol Chem 278:35644-50, 2003). Adducin, together with actin and spectrin, is a major component of the OHC's cortical cytoskeleton. Thus, activation of RhoA/PKC pathway could induce changes in OHC length and motility associated with structural modifications in this cytoskeletal structure. In this study, we aimed at determining if PKC inhibitors were able to regulate RhoA/PKC-adducin mediated effects on OHC motility. Actin-dependent changes in cell length (slow motility) and the amplitude of electrically induced changes in cell length (fast motility) were measured in isolated guinea pig OHC, patch clamped in whole-cell mode and internally perfused through the patch pipette with inhibitor of PKC while being externally stimulated with LPA. OHC motility was monitored by high-speed video microscopy, whereas confocal microscopy was used to investigate effects of PKC inhibitor on RhoA/PKC-Adducin signaling pathway. We found that LPA induced expression of cPKCα and nPKCζ, with cPKCα but not nPKCζ phosphorylating adducin both of Ser725 and Thr445. However, treatment with specific pharmacological inhibitors of PKCα reduced adducin phosphorylation only at Ser726. Also, we determined that activation of the RhoA/PKCα-mediated signaling pathway by LPA induced OHC shortening and a simultaneous increase in the amplitude of fast motility. Our results support a positive role for cPKCα in OHC motility and strongly suggest a link between cPKCα, adducin phosphorylation and the regulation of OHC motility.This work was supported by NIDCD/NIH grant R01 DC010146. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of the National Institutes of Health.
Using a Virtual Class to Demonstrate Computer-Mediated Group Dynamics Concepts

We report about an active learning demonstration designed to use a virtual class to present computer-mediated group communication course concepts to show that students can learn about these concepts in a virtual class. We designated 1 class period as a virtual rather than face-to-face class, when class members “attended” virtually using computer-mediated methods. Students completed 2 computer-mediated tasks: a chat room and a discussion board. The results demonstrated that students' responses tended to match course readings about the benefits and drawbacks of computer-mediated groups. Further, the demonstration allowed us to use information students generated to stimulate discussion in a subsequent face-to-face debriefing.
Animation, incidental learning, and continuing motivation

The effects of animated presentations on incidental learning and the degree to which various computer practice activities contain intrinsically motivating characteristics as measured by continuing motivation were studied. A total of 70 4th graders participated in an introductory lesson on Newton's laws of motion. Between-subjects factors consisted of visual presentation (static graphic vs. animated graphic) and practice order (questions/simulation vs. simulation/questions). Within-subjects factors consisted of learning intent (intentional vs. incidental) and test interval (immediate vs. delayed)