cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CORR Insights(®): Lateral Opening-wedge Distal Femoral Osteotomy: Pain Relief, Functional Improvement, and Survivorship at 5 Years.

T he information in the study by Cameron et al. [1] represents an excellent addition to the current literature on distal femoral osteotomies that is largely dominated by medial closing-wedge techniques. Currently, lateral opening-wedge and medial closing-wedge distal femoral osteotomies have been effectively used to provide substantial relief in painful knees with significant valgus (>10 to 15 between the anatomic and mechanical axes). While medial closing-wedge high tibial osteotomies have also been utilized in these patients, this approach has produced less reliable pain relief and may cause iatrogenic joint line obliquity and subsequent instability [2]. Fortunately, multiple studies have demonstrated good outcomes following varus-producing distal femoral osteotomies including TKA conversion rates of 6.1% at 10 years [4] and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score improvements from 31 preoperatively to 69 postoperatively [3]. Controversy exists, however, regarding the most reliable approach to the varus-producing distal femoral osteotomy, specifically, medial closingwedge versus lateral opening-wedge. Prior data have suggested an increased rate of hardware irritation, delayed osteotomy healing and more meticulous preoperative planning with the lateral opening-wedge distal femoral osteotomy technique [3, 5]. However, the lateral opening-wedge distal femoral osteotomy may have advantages including a single osteotomy cut, possible reduced neurovascular risk, and improved correction control due to increased flexibility during intraoperative corrective degree adjustments. Other questions exist including: (1) What are the specific indications and subsequent outcomes of the varus-producing distal femoral osteotomy for joint restoration and valgus gonarthrosis? (2) Which distal femoral osteotomy technique (lateral opening-wedge versus medial closing-wedge) may optimize these outcomes?
Three dimensional reconstruction of coherent structures using image processing techniques

An algorithm for reconstructing three dimensional images of coherent structures using a commercially available video image processing system is presented. The principal advantages of this work are low cost and minimal development time. The image processing system comes complete with frame grabbing and four software programs needed for image reconstruction. The process entails: grabbing individual video frames comprising a single three dimensional image of a vortex, converting each frame to a polygon, ordering successive polygons to reconstruct the vortex skeleton, and generating a surface for full three dimensional reconstruction. The processing system also includes a computer ‘movie studio’ for creating animations, and a video editing system for producing professional quality video presentations.
Carbohydrate metabolism of lactic acid cultures. V. Lactobionate and gluconate metabolism of Streptococcus lactis UN.

Abstract Using lactose-1- 14 C, evidence is presented indicating that the formation of lactobionate constituted an initial intermediate in the lactose metabolism of Streptococcus lactis UN. The lactobionate thus formed seemed to be further hydrolyzed to gluconate and galactose via the enzyme lactobionase ( β -galactosidase) and then metabolized. During the lactobionate and glucose fermentations, the organism produced varying amounts of lactic, formic, and acetic acids, carbon dioxide, ethanol and glycerol, and their concentrations were comparable to those produced during the lactose fermentation. These observations and the fact that it possessed the enzyme systems of the Embden Meyerhof and hexose-monophoshate shunt pathways confirmed that S. lactis is a facultative homofermenter. Penicillin, streptomycin, aureomycin, and terramycin inhibited mildly the lactobionase activity of S. lactis as well as the production of the enzyme by the organism. Penicillin and streptomycin inhibited almost completely the growth of the organism, the utilization of lactobionate and gluconate, and the production of various metabolites for the initial 18 to 24 hr. However, upon extended incubation up to 48 hr, the organism grew, metabolized carbohydrate substrates, and produced various metabolites at a reduced rate. In general, both penicillin and streptomycin inhibited the fermentation of lactobionate more than that of gluconate.
Quantitative trait loci for the stay green trait in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench): consistency across genetic backgrounds and environments

Stay green in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is characterized by the plant’s ability to tolerate post-flowering drought stress, thereby delaying the premature leaf and plant death. It contributes to normal grain filling and reduces the incidence of stalk lodging and charcoal rot disease during the late stages of grain development. Breeding for improving post-flowering drought tolerance in sorghum hybrids remains an important objective of sorghum breeders. Since evaluation of the stay green response is difficult and unreliable under field conditions, due to the timing and intensity of moisture stress and large environmental interaction, progress in improving drought tolerance by conventional breeding methods has been slow. The objective of the present study was to determine the consistency of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling stay green in sorghum. We re-evaluated the Recombinant Inbred Line (RIL)-mapping population from the cross B35 x Tx7000 in two locations over 2 years and compared it with earlier reports. Analysis using the combined stay green-rating means of seven environments and the expanded molecular map reconfirmed all four stay green QTLs (Stg1, Stg2, Stg3 and Stg4) that were identified earlier by Xu et al. (2000). Similarly, comparison of the stay green QTL locations with earlier reported results indicated that all four stay green QTLs showed consistency across different genetic backgrounds. Examination of the stay green QTL profiles of the best and poorest stay-green lines indicated that three stay green QTLs, Stg1, Stg2 and Stg3, appear to be important for the expression of this trait when the percent phenotypic variation, and the consistency in different backgrounds and different environments, are considered. A significant epistatic interaction involving Stg2 and a region on linkage group C was also identified for the stay green and chlorophyll content. We concluded that Stg2 is the most important QTL controlling stay green, explaining the maximum amount of phenotypic variation. This report further strengthens our view to target the Stg2 QTL region for gene discovery in order to improve the basic understanding of the stay green phenomenon, which might be helpful in manipulating this trait not only in sorghum but also in other cereal crop species.
Rotatory dispersion of cytochrome c.

THE iron atom in haem compounds has its six covalences directed toward the six corners of an octahedron; there are four co-planar bonds with the porphyrin nitrogen atoms and one bond on each side of the plane of the porphyrin. The only possible plane of symmetry in such molecules is the plane of the porphyrin; the iron must constitute a centre of asymmetry if one of two requirements is satisfied: (1) different groups are linked to iron on the two sides of the porphyrin plane or (2) groups co-ordinated to iron are also attached to porphyrin side-chains, thus forming chelate rings.
Jumping to rafts: gatekeeper role of bilayer elasticity

Two of the physiologically important processes that take place in biological membranes are the partitioning of water-soluble proteins into the membrane and the sequestering of specific transmembrane proteins into membrane microdomains or 'rafts'. Although these two processes often involve different classes of protein, recent biophysical studies indicate that they both strongly depend on the structural and elastic properties of the membrane bilayer. That is, both the partitioning of peptides into membranes and the distribution of transmembrane peptides in the plane of the membrane are modulated by physical properties of the lipid bilayer that are controlled by cholesterol content and the composition of the phospholipid hydrocarbon chain.
The Effect of 'Invisible' Tax Preferences on Investment and Tax Preference Measures

This paper develops and analyzes a model in which tax considerations and financial reporting considerations have countervailing effects on a firm's investments in internally developed intangible assets. It also proposes and estimates a new measure of tax preferences, which we call the economic effective tax rate. This measure reflects both investments in intangible assets and the use of debt financing, neither of which generates a book-tax difference. Our measure indicates that the economic effective tax rate was about 18 percent between 1988 and 2005, when the statutory tax rate was either 34 or 35 percent.
A Numerical Study of Parameter Sensitivities in Landau-Ginzburg Models of Phase Transitions in Shape Memory Alloys

In this paper we consider a one-dimensional mathematical model for the dynamics of phase transitions in Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs). We employ a finite element scheme to investi gate the dependence of solutions on the parameters that define the Landau-Devonshire potential.
Ets-2 and components of mammalian SWI/SNF form a repressor complex that negatively regulates the BRCA1 promoter

Ets-2 is a transcriptional activator that can be modulated by ras-dependent phosphorylation. Evidence is presented indicating that ets-2 can also act as a transcriptional repressor. In the breast cancer cell line MCF-7, exogenous ets-2 repressed the activity of a BRCA1promoter-luciferase reporter dependent on a conserved ets-2-binding site in this promoter. Conditional overproduction of ets-2 in MCF-7 cells resulted in repression of endogenousBRCA1 mRNA expression. To address the mechanism by which ets-2 could act as a repressor, a biochemical approach was used to identify proteins that interacted with the ets-2 pointed domain. From this analysis, components of the mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex were found to interact with ets-2. Brg-1, the ATP-hydrolyzing component of the SWI/SNF complex, along with the BAF57/p50 and Ini1 subunits could be co-immunoprecipitated from cells with ets-2. The pointed domain of ets-2 directly interacted in vitro with the C-terminal region of Brg-1 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The combination ofBrg-1 and ets-2 could repress theBRCA1 promoter reporter in transfection assays. These results support a role for ets-2 as a repressor and indicate that components of the mammalian SNF/SWI complex are required as co-repressors.
A neural network approach to the identification of b-/y-ions in MS/MS spectra

The effectiveness of de novo peptide sequencing algorithms depends on the quality of MS/MS spectra. Since most of the peaks in a spectrum are uninterpretable ‘noise’ peaks it is necessary to carefully pre-filter the spectra to identify the ‘signal’ peaks that likely correspond to b-/y-ions. Selecting the optimal set of peaks for candidate peptide generation is essential for obtaining accurate results. A careful balance must be maintained between the precision and recall of peaks that are selected for further processing and candidate peptide generation. If too many peaks are selected the search space will be too large and the problem becomes intractable. If too few peaks are selected cleavage sites will be missed, the resulting candidate peptides will have large gaps, and sequencing results will be poor. For this reason pre-filtering of MS/MS spectra and accurate selection of peaks for peptide candidate generation is essential to any de novo peptide sequencing algorithm. We present a novel neural network approach for the selection of b-/y-ions using known fragmentation characteristics, and leveraging neural network probability estimates of flanking and complementary ions. We show a significant improvement in precision and recall of peaks corresponding to b-/y-ions and a reduction in search space over approaches used by other de novo peptide sequencing algorithms.
The Value of an Off-Diagonal Approach.

As coeditor of this issue, I, of course, looked forward to seeing all of the manuscripts in their final forms. As we planned the issue, the three of us editors were convinced that using pattern- or person-centered approaches focused on individuals following unexpected educational pathways would provide new insights into educational success and failure. Having just completed my third reading of all of the manuscripts in their final form, I am delighted that we accomplished this goal. Focusing on individuals rather than variables made several conclusions very clear to me. First, stability rather than change is the norm. Second, despite the fact that certain combinations of risk factors appear to be quite debilitating, many youth do well in school despite having some risk factors in their lives. Third, unexpected outcomes are much more likely to be negative than to be positive. Finally, we know very little about how to produce positive change within the school setting. Although these facts could be gleaned in an abstract way through traditional variable-centered analyses, I found that the individual case perspective provided more compelling examples of what these findings actually mean for individual lives. These cases provide much more powerful examples for conversations with policymakers than statistical coefficients. In discussing these four points, I focus on those articles in which the findings were presented in the most person-centered fashion in order to illustrate the power of such analyses.
Estimating the Breeding Population of Long-Billed Curlew in the United States

Determining population size and long-term trends in population size for species of high concern is a priority of international, national, and regional conservation plans. Long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) are a species of special concern in North America due to apparent declines in their population. Because long-billed curlews are not adequately monitored by existing programs, we undertook a 2-year study with the goals of 1) determining present long-billed curlew distribution and breeding population size in the United States and 2) providing recommendations for a long-term long-billed curlew monitoring protocol. We selected a stratified random sample of survey routes in 16 western states for sampling in 2004 and 2005, and we analyzed count data from these routes to estimate detection probabilities and abundance. In addition, we evaluated habitat along roadsides to determine how well roadsides represented habitat throughout the sampling units. We estimated there were 164,515 (SE = 42,047) breeding long-billed curlews in 2004, and 109,533 (SE = 31,060) breeding individuals in 2005. These estimates far exceed currently accepted estimates based on expert opinion. We found that habitat along roadsides was representative of long-billed curlew habitat in general. We make recommendations for improving sampling methodology, and we present power curves to provide guidance on minimum sample sizes required to detect trends in abundance.
Inhibition of growth and appearance of estrogen-dependent rat mammary tumors by 10-propargylestr-4-ene-3,17-dione, an aromatase inhibitor.

The aromatase inhibitor 10-propargylestr-4-ene-3,17-dione (PED) has been evaluatedin vivo as an anticancer agent. Prolonged administration of PED to rats bearing dimethylbenzanthracene-induced mammary tumors resulted in significant regression of hormone-responsive tumors within several days. Greater than 50% regression was generally observed after 14 days of treatment, irrespective of dose (1, 5, or 50mg/kg body weight/day). In addition to tumor regression, a significantly increased incidence in tumor stasis was observed over the course of PED treatment. While all doses of PED examined were equipotent for both tumor regression and stasis, a dose-dependent inhibition of new tumor formation was observed in PED-treated rats. In control animals an average of 1.2 new tumors was observed during the experimental period; in contrast, averages of 0.5 tumors appeared in animals receiving 1mg PED/kg body weight/day, 0.1 tumors at 5 mg/kg, and at 50mg of PED/kg body weight/day, no new tumors occurred during the time PED was administered. The effects of PED on both regression of existing tumors and appearance of new tumors were reversed by co-administration of estradiol. Thus, PED impairs estrogen-dependent mammary tumor growth, resulting in cessation of new growth and regression of responsive tumors.
PARAFFIN WAX AS A DILUENT FOR EXTRACTION OF ACTINIDES AND LANTHANIDES WITH TBP

ABSTRACT Molten paraffin wax has been utilized as a diluent for TBP in the extraction of actinides and lanthanides from HNO3 solution. Strong extraction of UO2 2+ and Pu4+ and practically no extraction of Eu3+ was observed from 3 M HNO3 by 30% TBP/wax at 65° C. The extraction of UO2 2+ increases with increasing wax: aqueous phase ratio as well as increasing HN)3 concentration. Reasonably high amounts of UO2 2+ could be loaded in the wax phase and could be stripped to 98% with dilute HNO3 solution. The phase separation with this technique is very simple since the extraction is carried out at elevated temperatures (65 °C or above) and, with quick cooling, the solid phase separates and the aqueous phase is easily drained off.
Behavioral screening for nightblindness mutants in zebrafish reveals three new loci that cause dominant photoreceptor cell degeneration.

Abstract Here we report three dominant nightblindness mutations in zebrafish: nightblindness e ( nbe ), nightblindness f ( nbf ) and nightblindness g ( nbg ). The mutants were isolated in the F1 generation of N -ethyl- N -nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenized zebrafish using a behavioral assay based on visually mediated escape responses. Subsequently, electroretinographic (ERG) recordings were made, and histological sections were screened for degenerative processes. For each mutant line, correlation analysis between behavioral, ERG and histological parameters was performed, and their relationships were determined by either calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient or by ANOVA. nbe is characterized by severe rod outer segments (ROS) degeneration. The degeneration correlates weakly with behavioral threshold and ERG b-wave amplitude, however, behavioral threshold correlates strongly with ERG b-wave. nbf is characterized by a dual histological pathology: patchy ROS-degeneration and ‘gaps’ homogeneously distributed over the outer nuclei layer (ONL) and between cone outer segments (COS). The correlations between histological pathology and behavioral threshold, and between behavioral threshold and ERG b-wave amplitude are obvious, but the correlation between histology and b-wave amplitude is less prominent. nbg is characterized by moderate ROS degeneration and moderate correlation between histology and behavioral threshold. Interestingly, behavioral threshold correlated inversely with ERG b-wave amplitude and threshold. Thus, contrary to what is normally seen in other nightblindness mutants, in nbg , the fish with the lowest behavioral threshold had the smallest b-waves amplitudes and the highest b-wave threshold. In our interpretation, the major impairment in nbe is photoreceptor-specific. In nbf , both photoreceptor degeneration and altered post-photoreceptor signaling are responsible for the behavioral deficit. In nbg , we find hypersensitivity at a post-photoreceptoral level concurrently with behavioral impairment.
The Designer's Dilemma

The Designers Accord, launched in 2007, calls the creative community to enviromental and humanitarian stewardship. Reprising our Fall 2008 theme, Accord founder Valerie Casey discusses its commitment to networking and iterative change as a path to making sustainability the norm in the global marketplace. What's hopeful and inspiring is that her vision now has more than 150,000 supporters from 100 countries and across all design disciplines.
Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Phe 97 to Glu in Amicyanin Alters the Electronic Coupling for Interprotein Electron Transfer from Quinol Methylamine Dehydrogenase†

Conversion by site-directed mutagenesis of Phe 97 of amicyanin to Glu significantly decreases the rate constant for the electron-transfer reaction from the quinol form of methylamine dehydrogenase to amicyanin. It is shown that the ΔG° and reorganizational energy (λ) associated with the electron-transfer reaction are unaffected by the mutation and that the decrease in the electron-transfer rate is attributable completely to a decrease in the electronic coupling matrix element (HAB). Phe 97 is not a part of the predicted pathway for electron-transfer from the tryptophan tryptophylquinone cofactor of MADH to the copper of amicyanin. The most likely explanation for these results is that the mutation of this residue at the protein−protein interface causes an increase in the interprotein distance within the protein complex. The change in distance necessary to cause the observed reduction of HAB is calculated assuming a range of β values, and assuming either solely a direct distance dependence or a pathway depe...
Theoretical Developments in Discrete-Time Control

Abstract Significant theoretical developments in discrete-time control over the past 10-15 years are reviewed. Topics reviewed include optimal-control, Riccati equations, controllability, stability, robustness, deadbeat control, minimum-time systems, sampling, quantization, microprocessor implementation, and stochastic systems. Emphasis is placed on topics that are peculiar to discrete-time systems and do not generalize from continuous-time theory.
Characterization and sequence of the Escherichia coli panBCD gene cluster

A 4589 bp DNA segment containing the Escherichia coli panBCD gene cluster was sequenced, and found to contain 6 complete open reading frames. panB, panC, and panD were identified by subcloning and insertional mutagenesis. The orientation of panD was also confirmed by orientation-specific expression of aspartate-1-decarboxylase. panB and panC lie adjacent to one another, but are separated from panD by orf3, which is oriented in the opposite direction. Interruptions in the remaining open reading frames did not affect growth on glucose-minimal medium. No significant similarity to sequences in databases was found for orfl and orf2. Orf3 contained extensive similarity to reading frames defined by E. colib yjiP, yjiQ, yhg A, and yafD. The function of these amino acid sequences is as yet undefined.
Life course trajectories of perceived control and their relationship to education.

This study looks for evidence of an adulthood trajectory of perceived control over one’s own life, and education’s role in shaping it. Vectors from a 1995–2001 U.S. survey of adults imply a much steeper trajectory than did previous cross‐sectional studies, peaking in late middle age rather than early adulthood. They also show a trend toward larger increases in younger cohorts. Education influences the trajectory, particularly the level at which it begins. Estimates show an increase of .60 standard deviations with a four‐year increase in education. The sense of control also increases more outside of school the higher the level of education.
Teaching socially valid social interaction responses to students with severe disabilities in an integrated school setting

Abstract To evaluate the effects of a procedure designed to teach appropriate social responses to adolescents with severe disabilities in an integrated school setting this study employed an ABA withdrawal design, replicated twice with two students, and an AB design with a third student. Social responses were recorded during daily training sessions and generalization probes. Treatment involved implementation, by the classroom teacher, of a constant time delay procedure utilizing nonhandicapped peers and a socially validated teaching curriculum. The results showed increases in correct responding and decreases in echolalia following intervention. Generalization of appropriate responding to nonhandicapped peers was demonstrated to varying degrees for all participants.
An estimator for the diagonal of a matrix

A number of applications require to compute an approximation of the diagonal of a matrix when this matrix is not explicitly available but matrix-vector products with it are easy to evaluate. In some cases, it is the trace of the matrix rather than the diagonal that is needed. This paper describes methods for estimating diagonals and traces of matrices in these situations. The goal is to obtain a good estimate of the diagonal by applying only a small number of matrix-vector products, using selected vectors. We begin by considering the use of random test vectors and then explore special vectors obtained from Hadamard matrices. The methods are tested in the context of computational materials science to estimate the diagonal of the density matrix which holds the charge densities. Numerical experiments indicate that the diagonal estimator may offer an alternative method that in some cases can greatly reduce computational costs in electronic structures calculations.
Heat Capacity of Monoclinic Zirconia between 2.75 and 350 K

The authors have measured the constant-pressure heat capacity C, of pure monoclinic ZrO{sub 2} between 2.75 and 350 K. At low temperatures they find heat capacity in excess of the thermal acoustic phonon contribution, which they attribute to the ingress of low-lying optic mode vibrations. They have calculated the heat capacity at constant volume C, at the high-temperature end of our measurement range and used these values with the harmonic model to derive the moments of the phonon spectrum. Comparing the moments of the monoclinic phase with theoretically derived corresponding moments for the tetragonal phase, the authors find that a downward shift of optic mode frequencies accompanies the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation.
Computed bipolar electrograms from unipolar epicardial recordings

Cardiac mapping systems use either bipolar or unipolar electrodes to determine the spread of electrical activity throughout the heart. Accurate reconstruction of bipolar waveforms from unipolar pairs could offer a method for resolving inconsistencies in detecting local activation while maintaining the advantages of unipolar recordings. In this study unipolar and bipolar electrograms were recorded simultaneously from the right ventricular outflow track as wavefronts were initiated along the longitudinal and transverse axes of the epicardial fibers during activation of the right ventricle alone with superimposed activation of the left ventricle. Calculated bipolar electrograms were computed by subtracting the unipolar electrogram recorded at one pole of a pair spaced 2-mm apart from the one recorded at the other and were compared to the measured bipolar electrograms for a single beat. When the measured and calculated waveforms were compared, 94% of the electrograms had correlation coefficients of at least 0.90. Activation times were accurately selected, with the peaks of the calculated waveforms occurring within 6 ms of the peaks of the measured electrograms for all cases and within 3 ms for 99% of the pairs. >
New accounting system for the QoS-enabled multiservice internet: technical overview

With the rapid commercialisation of the internet (i.e., e-commerce) and the introduction of new applications (e.g., internet telephony and video conferencing), the Quality of Service (QoS) in the internet is becoming a reality. So, the current flat-rate accounting system with the traditional internet service, which is called best-effort services, needs to be updated or replaced. This paper aims to get a richer understanding of internet accounting taxonomy, such as parameters, attributes, records, protocols and metering tools. We also investigate the current status of works (projects) for designing new Internet Accounting Systems (IASs).
Numerical dispersion control in discrete wave simulations in electrically large structures using spectral elements

Domain decomposition techniques have been proposed previously for the modeling of EM wave interactions with electrically large structures. One specific domain decomposition approach splits the structure into smaller regions in which numerical solutions are computed separately with "basis" excitations on the partitions between the regions. Then, field continuity at the partitions is invoked to obtain the solution in the entire structure subject to a specific excitation. The key merits of such an approach are: a) its inherent parallelism, making it ideal for implementation on massively parallel machines; and b) the fact that the solutions in each region can be developed using the most suitable numerical technique. Unfortunately, it can be shown that for those regions for which finite element techniques are required, the numerical discretization needs to use a number of nodes per wavelength dictated by the electrical size of the entire structure in order to keep numerical dispersion at a minimum. In an attempt to deal with this issue, the author examines the advantages that the so-called spectral methods offer in improving the accuracy of differential-equation based wave simulations.
Responsibility Attribution among Mexican-American, Black, and Anglo Adolescents and Adults:

Although the literature dealing with attribution of responsibility (AR) is rather extensive, the cross-cultural perspectives have not been fully explored. This study investigates AR in a rigorous factorial design involving ethnicity (Mexican-Americans, Blacks, Anglos), sex, age (adults, adolescents), Heider's levels of causality, outcome quality (positive, negative), and outcome intensity (mild, severe). The cultural factor was highly significant both as a main effect and in interaction with other combinations of variables. It is brought out that "classic" theories of AR do not always have universal applicability and in fact may only be valid among Anglos. Explanations for these strong findings are suggested in terms of different family structures among minority groups as well as their "subordinate" status within the United States.
Autonomous road vehicle navigation

The US Army Missile Command is conducting a program to develop and demonstrate a simple, low cost machine vision system capable of allowing an unmanned ground vehicle to perform autonomous road following and obstacle avoidance while using a minimum sensor suite. Current work is focused on developing this vision system to perform its function using color and monochrome TV imagery. The first phase of the program has involved the development and application of color and monochrome image processing techniques to the task of discriminating a road from the surrounding environment. With the road defined, a guidance vector is determined for vehicle steering. >
Flying Sinks: Heuristics for Movement in Sensor Networks

Movement in wireless and sensor environments changes the degree to which we can communicate. Whereas sensor networks are generally seen as static, in many situations there is at least one component which moves, the data sink, which flies over a sensor field to integrate information. Also, it is possible to imagine sensors which, after they are deployed, move once into position. There are quality of service tradeoffs related to movement, for movement takes energy and time, but can increase integration, which we can measure in two ways. The utility of the sensor field is related to the number and size of its connected components. The pragmatic utility measures the communication back to human interpreters, and is a function of the periodicity of the transmission activity.
Oxidative stress activates anion exchange protein 2 and AP-1 in airway epithelial cells.

Anion exchange protein 2 (AE2) is a membrane-bound protein that mediates chloride-bicarbonate exchange. In addition to regulating intracellular pH and cell volume, AE2 exports superoxide (O 2 − ·) ...
CONVECTION IN A ROTATING, HORIZONTAL CYLINDER WITH RADIAL AND NORMAL GRAVITY FORCES

Convection driven by radial and normal gravity forces in a rotating, horizontal cylinder is examined. The cylinder is subjected to uniform volumetric heating and constant-temperature wall cooling. The parameters are the radial-gravity and normal-gravity Rayleigh numbers, Rar and Rag (with Rar, Rag ≤ 106), the rotational Reynolds number, Re = 2Ω r02/v (0 ≤ Re ≤ 250), and the Prandtl number (Pr = 7). Critical conditions for the radial-gravity rest state correspond to a two-cell flow in the azimuthal plane with Rar,c = 13738. Finite-amplitude transient and steady flows are obtained with a Galerkin finite element method for Rayleigh number ratios in the range 0.1 ≤ Rar/Rag ≤ 100. When radial gravity dominates the flows tend to be multicellular and, during transients, initial high-wavenumber forms evolve to lower-wavenumber forms. When normal gravity dominates the flows are bicellular. When radial and normal gravity forces are comparable, in the presence of rotation, complex time-dependent motions occur and the largest rates of fluid circulation and heat transfer are observed.
A Moving Object Tracked by A Mobile Robot with Real-Time Obstacles Avoidance Capacity

This paper describes a robotic application that tracks a moving object by utilizing a mobile robot with multiple sensors. The robotic platform uses a visual camera to sense the movement of the desired object and a range sensor to help the robot detect and then avoid obstacles in real time while continuing to track and follow the desired object. In terms of real-time obstacle avoidance capacity, this paper also presents a modified potential field algorithm called Dynamic Goal Potential Field algorithm (DGPF) for this robotic application specifically. Experimental results show that the robotic and intelligent system can fulfill the requirements of tracking an object and avoiding obstacles simultaneously when the object is moving.
Single-Leg Air-Cargo Revenue Management

We consider a cargo booking problem on a single-leg flight with the goal of maximizing expected contribution. Each piece of cargo is endowed with a random volume and a random weight whose precise values are not known until just before the flight's departure. We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process (MDP). Exact solution of the formulation is impractical, because of its high-dimensional state space; therefore, we develop six heuristics. The first four heuristics are based on different value-function approximations derived from two computationally tractable MDPs, each with a one-dimensional state space. The remaining two heuristics are obtained from solving related methematical programming problems. We also compare the heuristics with the first-come, first-served (FCFS) policy. Simulation experiments suggest that the value function approximation derived from separate “volume” and “weight” problems offers the best approach. Comparisons of the expected contribution under the heuristic to an upper bound show that the heuristic is typically close to optimal.
Decentralized Estimation: Estimate Communication Compared to Measurement Communication

This paper presents an analysis of decentralized estimation, where we analyze communication protocols from a performance and consensus standpoint. Specifically, an example is presented high-lighting some of the problems with a network of autonomous agents choosing to share estimates derived from an averaging (Kalman-like) filter. This example shows how an information cascade can occur wherein important measurement information is destroyed in the averaging process, and where some measurement information is overcounted, resulting in pathologically poor stateestimation. Further, results are presented for the case when agents share raw measurements with each other in a full-disclosure scenario. Benefits include guaranteed consensus and asymptotically optimal performance in a central-equivalent sense. Upper bounds on bandwidth and data storage are identified and some proposals for mitigating the increased computational burden are suggested.
Cellular Pathophysiology of Focal Epilepsy

SUMMARY This chapter reviews the electroencephalographic signs of epilepsy and abnormalities of single cell function which are believed to underlie them. “Epileptic” neurons exhibit the “depolarization shift”, bursts of high-frequency action potentials which ride the DS and which eventually fail as a result of cathodal inactivation, occasional normal action potential unassociated with EEG spikes and abortive spike-like potentials or fractional spikes which arise directly from the base-line without preceding synaptic activity. Similar abnormalities have been found in all of the various animals models of epilepsy thus far investigated. An extension of single unit studies to the new animal model provided by the light-sensitive baboon, Papio papio, is reported and the conclusion reached that the basic “lesion” in this animal consists of bilateral frontal cortical foci. A tentative interpretation of some aspects of the cellular pathophysiology is offered. RESUME Ce chapitre passe en revue les signes electroencephalographiques de l‘epilepsie et les anomalies fonctionnelles qui les soustendent. Les neurones “epileptiques” mettent en evidence des “shifts de depolarisation”; des bouffees de potentiels d'action de frequence elevee qui entrainent les DS et qui, eventuellement, disparaissent par suite d'une inactivation cathodique, parfois des potentiels d'action normaux qui ne s'accompagnent pas de pointes sur l'E.E.G. et des potentiels abortifs a type de pointes degradees qui se detachent de la ligne de base sans avoir ete precedees par une aetivite synaptique. Des anomalies semblables ont ete retrouvees chez les tous differents types experimentaux chez les animaux presentant une epilepsie jusqu'alors etudies. On decrit des etudes ulterieures au niveau cellulaire unitaire dans une nouvelle forme d‘epilepsie qu'on retrouve chez le babouin photosensible Papio papio, en arrivant a la conclusion que la “lesion” de base chez cet animal est constituee par des foyers corticaux dans les deux regions frontales. On avance une hypothese pour l'interpretation de certains aspects de la pathophysiologie cellulaire.
Combination chemotherapy in recurrent medulloblastoma

Five children with recurrent medulloblastomas were treated with Vincristine, BCNU, Methotrexate and Dexamethasone. All five patients responded to therapy. Two of the patients are alive and well 30 and 48 months later; one died of disease 19 months after first recurrence; one developed a further recurrence at 18 months but responded to additional chemotherapy and is alive; and the fifth patient developed a second recurrence after 28 months but has responded to repeat chemotherapy and radiotherapy and is now asymptomatic. These results support the concept that medulloblastomas are sensitive to chemotherapy and suggest that chemotherapy should be considered in cases of recurrent medulloblastomas. In addition, the importance of trials now in progress which employ both adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in newly diagnosed medulloblastomas is apparent.
SB3D User Manual, Santa Barbara 3D Radiative Transfer Model

SB3D is a three-dimensional atmospheric and oceanic radiative transfer model for the Solar spectrum. The microphysics employed in the model are the same as used in the model SBDART. It is assumed that the user of SB3D is familiar with SBDART and IDL. SB3D differs from SBDART in that computations are conducted on media in three-dimensions rather than a single column (i.e. plane-parallel), and a stochastic method (Monte Carlo) is employed instead of a numerical approach (Discrete Ordinates) for estimating a solution to the radiative transfer equation. Because of these two differences between SB3D and SBDART, the input and running of SB3D is more unwieldy and requires compromises between model performance and computational expense. Hence, there is no one correct method for running the model and the user must develop a sense to the proper input and configuration of the model.
Sense of time in children with ADHD: Effects of duration, distraction, and stimulant medication.

A recent theory of ADHD predicts a deficiency in sense of time in the disorder. Two studies were conducted to test this prediction, and to evaluate the effects of interval duration, distraction, and stimulant medication on the reproductions of temporal durations in children with ADHD. Study I: 12 ADHD children and 26 controls (ages 6–14 years) were tested using a time reproduction task in which subjects had to reproduce intervals of 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 s. Four trials at each duration were presented with a distraction occurring on half of these trials. Control subjects were significantly more accurate than ADHD children at most durations and were unaffected by the distraction. ADHD children, in contrast, were significantly less accurate when distracted. Both groups became less accurate with increasing durations to be reproduced. Study II: Tested three doses of methylphenidate (MPH) and placebo on the time reproductions of the 12 ADHD children. ADHD children became less accurate with increasing durations and distraction was found to reduce accuracy at 36 s or less. No effects of MPH were evident. The results of these preliminary studies seem to support the prediction that sense of time is impaired in children with ADHD. The capacity to accurately reproduce time intervals in ADHD children does not seem to improve with administration of stimulant medication. (JINS, 1997, 3, 359–369.)
Parental Feeding Rates in the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus: Are Larger‐Badged Males Better Fathers?

Elaborated secondary sexual characteristics may reflect genetic quality or good health, either of which may be associated with an individual’s competence as a parent. We examined whether female house sparrows ( Passer domesticus) paired to large vs. small-badged mates gain benefits in the form of increased parental care or improved nestling welfare. House sparrow nests where the male had been trapped and banded were observed for 1 h on at least 5 d during the peak growth period of nestlings. Male feeding shares, measured as the proportion of total feeds per chick made by the male, were marginally positively correlated with male badge size. Moreover, higher male shares of nestling feeding were associated with improved prospects for offspring survival, and a greater proportion of chicks fledged from the nests of larger-badged males. These results suggest that females paired to large-badged males gain direct benefits in the form of enhanced nestling survival, which presumably stem from factors associated with increases in the proportion of nestling feeding contributed by their mates.
Paradigms Of Propertied Citizenship: Transnational Techniques of Analysis

The American paradigm of propertied citizenship has far-reaching consequences for the propertyless, as in the brutal criminalization of the homeless. Activist groups, such as the anarchist squatter...
''People Killing People on the News'': Young Children's Descriptions of Frightening Television News Content

This article investigated children's fear responses to everyday exposure to the news in the absence of a recent crisis or major event. From March to May 2006, a survey was conducted of 218 kindergarten through 6th-grade children regarding their fright reactions to the news. Results showed that 35.3% of children reported being frightened by the news. Reporting on what frightened them in their own words, children most frequently mentioned natural disasters (24.7% of children frightened), followed by kidnappings (10.4% of children frightened), the Iraq War (7.8%), and burglaries (7.8%). A qualitative analysis suggests that some children have vivid memories of disturbing news content. The accessibility of television in children's households was not related to news exposure or fear. Implications for parental guidance and research methods are discussed.
The regulation of transendothelial migration: New knowledge and new questions

Leucocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) involves a co-operative series of interactions between surface molecules on the leucocyte and cognate counter-ligands on the endothelial cell. These interactions set up a cascade of signalling events inside the endothelial cell that both allow for the junctions to loosen and for membrane to be recruited from the lateral border recycling compartment (LBRC). The LBRC is thought to provide an increased surface area and unligated receptors to the leucocyte to continue the process. The relative importance of the individual adhesion/signalling molecules that promote transmigration may vary depending on the type of leucocyte, the vascular bed, the inflammatory stimulus, and the stage of the inflammatory response. However, the molecular interactions between leucocyte and endothelial cell activate signalling pathways that disengage the adherens and tight junctions and recruit the LBRC to the site of transmigration. With the exception of disengaging the junctions, similar molecules and mechanisms promote transcellular migration as paracellular migration of leucocytes. This review will discuss the molecular interactions and signalling pathways that regulate transmigration, and the common themes that emerge from studying TEM of different leucocyte subsets under different inflammatory conditions. We will also raise some unanswered questions in need of future research.
The Dynamics of the War: Discussion of Dr. Ehrlich’s Paper

It is difficult for me to be critical of a person who cites John Milton and Elvin Semrad nicely in the same paragraph, and a person whose first name is also Fred! But I am critical of his presentation. As I understand it, Dr. Ehrlich confers both absolute and pragmatic truth value on both family system and psychoanalytic theory and therapy; he also pleads for “integration” —perhaps in deference to Dr. Brown’s comments yesterday; we should now call this “Brownian synthesis!” As someone who struggled with the problem in physics of treating light sometimes as a wave form and sometimes as discrete particles, I can go along with an open and flexible theoretical view of the world. But heuristically we face serious problems which Dr. Ehrlich presents and then seems to sidestep. Early in his paper, he makes analytic theory schizophrenic: on the one hand he requires “patient and therapist to work together in isolation” and out of context, and on the other hand he says that “as a body of knowledge it can be applied more broadly and flexibly.” Out in the West, we have a saying that goes, “You better put your money where your mouth is.” Yesterday, Lee Combrinck-Graham said it differently: “Action speaks louder than words.” Effective practice ought to reflect theory, or else we need to change the theory to better fit the data derived from revised practice.
Self-assessment of motivation: explicit and implicit indicators in L2 vocabulary learning

Self-assessment motivation questionnaires have been used in classrooms yet many researchers find only a weak correlation between answers to these questions and learning. In this paper we postulate that more direct questions may measure motivation better, and they may also be better correlated with learning. In an eight week study with ESL students learning vocabulary in the REAP reading tutor, we administered two types of self-assessment questions and recorded indirect measures of motivation to see which factors correlated well with learning. Our results showed that some user actions, such as dictionary look up frequency and number of times a word is listened to, correlate well with self-assesment motivation questions as well as with how well a student performs on the task. We also found that using more direct self-assesment questions, as opposed to general ones, was more effective in predicting how well a student is learning.