cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The dorsal raphe nucleus: A re-evaluation of its proposed role in opiate analgesia systems

Abstract Previous studies have concluded that (a) electrical stimulation in the periaqueductal gray/dorsal raphe nucleus (PAG/DRN) region specifically produces either non-opiate or opiate forms of antinociception dependent upon the dorsoventral level of stimulation and (b) the ‘opiate’ form of stimulation-produced analgesia (SPA) arising from the ventral PAG/DRN region shows cross-tolerance with opiate forms of footshock analgesia, implying common neural substrates. This latter conclusion in turn implies that SPA elicited from the ventral PAG/DRN region would be expected to be antagonized by scopolamine, since this muscarinic cholinergic antagonist blocks opiate footshock analgesia. The present study demonstrates instead that neither 10 mg/kg naloxone nor 10 mg/kg scopolamine had any effect on SPA elicited from sites histologically verified to lie within the presumptive ‘opiate’ ventral PAG/DRN region. These data bring into question both the site specificity of opiate SPA and the common mediation of ventral PAG/DRN SPA and opiate forms of footshock analgesia.
How I Remember My Family: A Premarital/Marriage Counseling Questionnaire:

This column provides a forum within which you, the reader,may share with your colleagues some of the creative techniques that you have developed or adapted and find successful in your work with couples and families. If it workswell for you, it may be that others could adapt it for themselves or be stimulated to invent another technique. Submityour manuscripts of 6 to 10 doublespaced typed pages toRobert Sherman, 154-23A Riverside Drive, Beechurst, NY11357 or to the Editor, indicating the manuscript is for thiscolumn.
An empirical method to forecast the effect of storm intensity on shallow landslide abundance

alii, 2009), and involve failure of soil and weathered bedrock layers. They are commonly fractions of a meter to several meters deep, rarely exceeding ~10 m in width or length. A fraction of these failures mobilize as debris flows, mixtures of soil, water and rock that sweep down steep valleys at high velocities and destroy homes and infrastructure with little warning. Varved sediments in the Santa Barbara basin, southern California, may contain the geologic record of the largest storms over the past millennium (sCHimmelman et alii, 2003). Layers interpreted as storm deposits have a periodicity of several hundred years, not unlike earthquake recurrence intervals for the San Andreas Fault. These deposits are substantially thicker than those associated with storms of January 1969, the most recent historic events to generate widespread landslides in southern California. If layer thickness scales with storm intensity, these layers imply that southern California has experienced storms that are massive compared to our recent historical experience. Unlike seismic hazard maps available for some large faults, we cannot begin to quantify the magnitude of landslide hazards that will accompany such a storm. Put simply, we cannot answer the question of how many shallow landslides California's largest storms would trigger We are beginning to understand more about what such massive storms might look like. Recent work (RalPH et alii, 2006; neiman et alii, 2008) illustrates that some of California’s largest storms are atmosABSTRACT We hypothesize that the number of shallow landslides a storm triggers in a landscape increases with rainfall intensity, duration and the number of unstable model cells for a given shallow landslide susceptibility model of that landscape. For selected areas in California, USA, we use digital maps of historic shallow landslides with adjacent rainfall records to construct a relation between rainfall intensity and the fraction of unstable model cells that actually failed in historic storms. We find that this fraction increases as a power law with the 6-hour rainfall intensity for sites in southern California. We use this relation to forecast shallow landslide abundance for a dynamic numerical simulation storm for California, representing the most extreme historic storms known to have impacted the state.
Automatic Correlation Of Earth Resources Data --- A Pilot System Design

The Earth Resources Program relies on the fundamental premise that remote sensing can provide knowledge of ground conditions over large areas, and possibly all, of the earth's surface. The collection of this information, by means of radiant energy sensors in aircraft or satellites, depends on two important factors:(1) that all objects on the earth's surface continuously radiate or reflect electromagnetic energy; and (2) that spectrally-selective emission and reflection can uniquely identify objects of interest, with "spectral signatures" serving as the leading means of identification. A major facet of the problem of translating this basic concept to practice is that of data correlation. In the most general case, large quantities of data are collected from a variety of sensors, over a broad range of wavelengths, and from different gyrating vehicle platforms at different altitudes and times. Automatic correlation of the data from one collection to another, with other reference data, and with the ground is necessary if the acquired information is to be useful in providing a basis for subsequent corrective action. This paper discusses a pilot system design for an Automatic Data Correlation System which was the subject of a year long study performed for NASA. The Pilot version, although intended to be primarily a research and development tool, provides all the essential functional capabilities of the ultimate, advanced system. It was designed as an inexpensive, easily assembled, configuration of required equipments that allows thorough experimentation with all stages of the needed film and magnetic tape data handling while accomodating all presently identified Earth Resources remote sensors.
The evolution of reciprocity in sizable human groups.

Abstract The scale and complexity of human cooperation is an important and unresolved evolutionary puzzle. This article uses the finitely repeated n person Prisoners’ Dilemma game to illustrate how sapience can greatly enhance group-selection effects and lead to the evolutionary stability of cooperation in large groups. This affords a simple and direct explanation of the human “exception.”
Comparisons of elements and inorganic compounds inside and outside of residences

Abstract The results of more than 1 yr of air monitoring inside and outside of five homes in each of two communities are presented for SO 2 , NO 2 , mass respirable particles, SO 4 , Al, Br, Cl, Mn, Na, and V. Outdoor measurements across the home site in each city are consistent with proximity to outdoor sources. Looking across indoor residential sites in each city, the home appears to alter outdoor concentrations in several ways. Indoor level of SO 2 , SO 4 , Mn, and V are lower than those measured outdoors. These constituents are thought generally to result from outdoor sources. The other constituents studied are at times found in excess within homes. In some cases the source or sources of excess concentration of a particular constituent could be identified; often, however, the source of excess indoor concentration could not be identified.
Posttranslational Modification of Human αA-Crystallin: Correlation with Electrophoretic Migration

Abstract αA-crystallin is a major protein component of the human lens. It is known to undergo posttranslational modification. This study was done to further elucidate the temporal and spatial nature of these posttranslational modifications and to correlate the modified forms with electrophoretic migration. We dissected normal human lenses into concentric shells of fiber cells, separated the proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis, and identified modified forms by mass spectrometry. We found that αA-crystallin migrated as a major spot and in over 20 additional protein spots. The extent of modification correlated with the age of the fiber cells and the depth within a lens. A correlation was also seen between these parameters and the concentration of modified forms that had full-length sequences but migrated at more acidic positions. These proteins were phosphorylated, acetylated, and/or deamidated. A few proteins migrated to a more basic position than the major form of αA-crystallin. The locations of several species that were truncated after C-terminal residues Ser172 and Ser162 were identified. Each of these species had intact N termini. The similarity of the C-terminal cleavage sites found in αA- and αB-crystallins was noted.
The development of small specimen mechanical test techniques

Abstract The current program plan for the development of materials for fusion reactors requires testing candidate materials in both fission reactors and high energy neutron sources. Because of the volume limitations of available facilities, both current and near term, and because of the relatively large number of materials and test conditions that will need to be explored, it is essential that test techniques be developed to extract mechanical property information from small volume specimens. A variety of such test techniques are under development at the University of California, Santa Barbara. These include instrumented microhardness, bulge, shear punch, indentation creep and load relaxation and miniaturized fracture tests for obtaining strength, ductility, time-dependent flow, and fracture behavior information on specimens as small as TEM discs.
Social Status of Sixth- and Seventh-Grade Students with Learning Disabilities.

A total of 1,053 students participated in this study, which compared the social status of middle-school students with learning disabilities to a randomly chosen sample of students without disabilities. Information was gathered from a forced-choice Sociogram, a self-rating questionnaire, and a teacher rating scale. Descriptive statistics revealed that students with learning disabilities earned lower scores on the teacher rating scale and the self-rating questionnaire. Similarly, compared to their nondisabled peers, these students received more negative and fewer positive votes on the Sociogram. For all students, attractive and athletic votes were highly correlated with positive votes on the Sociogram. Recommendations are offered for future sociometric research.
Development and Application of a BHA Vibrations Model

A dynamic model of a drilling bottomhole assembly (BHA) has been developed using a lumped parameter, frequencydomain approach. The model is used within the operator's workflow to redesign assemblies to improve lateral stability, reduce tool damage, and mitigate vibrationally induced bit and BHA dysfunctions. This paper describes the model and the results of an eight well study conducted to validate its usefulness in predicting vibrational behaviors in the field.
Online Sparsifying Transform Learning— Part I: Algorithms

Techniques exploiting the sparsity of signals in a transform domain or dictionary have been popular in signal processing. Adaptive synthesis dictionaries have been shown to be useful in applications such as signal denoising, and medical image reconstruction. More recently, the learning of sparsifying transforms for data has received interest. The sparsifying transform model allows for cheap and exact computations. In this paper, we develop a methodology for online learning of square sparsifying transforms. Such online learning can be particularly useful when dealing with big data, and for signal processing applications such as real-time sparse representation and denoising. The proposed transform learning algorithms are shown to have a much lower computational cost than online synthesis dictionary learning. In practice, the sequential learning of a sparsifying transform typically converges faster than batch mode transform learning. Preliminary experiments show the usefulness of the proposed schemes for sparse representation, and denoising.
A Distributed Codec Placement Algorithm for Network-Embedded FEC

Network-Embedded FEC (NEF) for overlay and peer-to-peer (p2p) multicast networks was introduced in [8], and the impact of packet loss correlation on the performance of NEF was further analyzed and evaluated in [9]. In these previous works, a centralized codec placement algorithm and a greedy optimization algorithm to place a specified number of NEF codecs in a multicast distribution network were developed and analyzed. In the centralized codec placement algorithm, it has been assumed that the network topology and the loss rate on each branch of the network were known. In reality, it is very difficult to know the loss rate of each branch on the multicast tree beforehand. Further, the topology of a multicast session changes over time as users join and leave the session randomly. In this paper, we design and implement a distributed algorithm to place NEF codecs in the intermediate nodes of a multicast distribution network without knowledge of the network topology; the algorithm can also cope with the dynamics of the network very well. Our simulation results, based on the popular network simulator 2 (ns2), show that the proposed distributed NEF placement algorithm provides very competitive performance when compared to the centralized algorithm and it always outperforms traditional end-to-end FEC.
Integrating domain knowledge in supervised machine learning to assess the risk of breast cancer

We used various supervised machine learning and data mining techniques to generate a model for predicting risk of breast cancer in post menopausal women using genomic data, family history, and age. In this paper, we propose an approach to select nine best SNPs using various feature selection algorithms and evaluate binary classifiers performance. We have also designed an algorithm to incorporate domain knowledge into our machine learning model. Our observations revealed that the machine learning model generated using both the domain knowledge and the feature selection technique performed better compared to the naive approach of classification. It is also interesting to note that, in addition to selecting nine best SNPs, feature selection resulted in removing age from the set of features to be used for cancer risk assessment.
Rates of Electron Emission from Negatively Charged, Impact-Heated Fullerenes

Thermal emission of electrons is ordinarily considered to be exclusively a property of macroscopic condensed matter. Slow electron emission occurs for certain small metal clusters as well as for silicon and carbon clusters, but the nature of this process has not been established. Electron emission rates have been obtained and analyzed from extensive real-time measurements on negatively charged fullerenes for several sizes and over a wide, continuous range of energies. These results confirm that delayed electron emission is a simple activated process that depends strongly on the internal energy and size of the cluster and that it has a common underlying mechanism, independent of size. However, the Arrhenius form deduced is inconsistent with the emission rate theory used for bulk surfaces. These results allow the question of the correct microscopic description of this newly observed electron emission process to be assessed.
OXIDATION‐REDUCTION AND EPR PROPERTIES OF A CYTOCHROME COMPLEX FROM Chromatium vinosum

A cytochrome b560-c553 containing fraction from the photosynthetic purple sulfur bacterium Chromatium vinosum has been shown to contain equimolar amounts of the two cytochromes and also to contain ubiquinone. The oxidation-reduction midpoints (at pH 7.5) of cytochrome b560 and c553 in this fraction are −5 and +20 mV, respectively, essentially identical to the values found for the cytochromes in chromatophores. The fully oxidized fraction exhibits EPR features at g = 2.93 and 3.35. The former had previously been identified as originating from ferricytochrome c553, while the latter appears to arise from ferricytochrome bS60.
Method for A-C Network Analysis Using Resistance Networks

THE mathematical solution of a-c network problems, of the type known as load distribution and voltage studies, is difficult and tedious for complex networks.
Retinoic Acid Rapidly Decreases Phosphatidylinositol Turnover During Neuroblastoma Cell Differentiation

: Phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover has recently been implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation and transformation. We have investigated its role in differentiation using LAN-1 cells, a human neuroblastoma cell line that can be induced to differentiate along the neuronal pathway by retinoic acid (RA). We have found that treatment of LAN-1 cells with RA is followed by a rapid decrease of inositol phospholipid metabolism, using myo-[1,2-3H]inositol or [1(3)-3H]glycerol. No changes were observed in both [3H]inositol and [3H]glycerol uptake within 24 h of RA treatment. Decreased incorporation of the metabolic precursor into PI 4-monophosphate and PI 4,5-bisphosphate occurred within 1 h of RA treatment. No changes were seen in the specific radioactivity of the precursor pools up to 1 h of treatment with RA. Analysis of labeled PI metabolites from prelabeled cells indicated a rapid decrease of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and 1,2-diacylglycerol content within 1 min of induction of LAN-1 cell differentiation. These findings constitute the earliest reported events in neuroblastoma cell differentiation.
Wigner-Seitz local-environment study of the high-Tc superconductors.

The near-neighbor environments and the bonding of atoms in the high-${T}_{c}$ superconductors are studied using a Wigner-Seitz-cell contruction. Assuming metallic radii for the atoms, it is shown that the Ba, Y, and La atoms have large coordination numbers, implying a three-dimensional bonding scheme. The La-Cu-O type (\ensuremath{\simeq}40 K) and the Y-Ba-Cu-O type (\ensuremath{\simeq}90 K) superconductors both display the same bonding characteristics.
Tongue evolution in the lungless salamanders, family plethodontidae I. Introduction, theory and a general model of dynamics

Plethodontid salamanders capture prey by projecting the tongue from the mouth. An analysis of theoretical mechanics of the hyobranchial skeleton is used to formulate a working hypothesis of tongue movements. Predictions that the skeletal elements of the tongue are included in the projectile and that the hyobranchial skeleton is folded during projection are central to the analysis. When decapitated in a particular way, salamanders project the tongue, and it is not retracted. When these heads are fixed and sectioned, examination confirms the predications. In turn, these observations are used to refine the working hypothesis and to generate a general model of tongue dynamics for plethodontids. Muscles performing the major roles of projection (subarcualis rectus I) and retraction (rectus cervicis profundus) are identified. The skeleton is folded passively along a morphological track having the form of a tractrix. Predictions concerning the shape of the track and the exact configuration of the folded skeleton are confirmed by study of sectioned material. The skeleton unfolds along the track during retraction and is spread into the resting state. The model developed herein will be used as a basis for predictions concerning selection patterns in the family and for analytical purposes in comparative and evolutionary studies.
Dividing oceans into pools: strategies for the global analysis of bacterial genes

In bacterial pathogenesis, it is often easy to accept the results of large-scale screens without independent verification of the results. How can one critically read this literature? Here we review issues inherent in genome-wide screens in bacteria, focusing on experiments that attempt to comprehensively identify genes required for bacterial growth under specific conditions. Our analysis suggests that the methodologies employed undoubtedly shape the results. It is clear, however, that the question is not which method is better but which provides the data most suited to a given question.
From Repeat Patronage to Value Co-creation in Service Ecosystems: A Transcending Conceptualization of Relationship

This article anchors a special issue on a service-dominant logic perspective on relationship, stemming from a special session at the 9th International Conference on Relationship Marketing in Berlin in 2009. It also proposes and elaborates a service-dominant-logic-based, transcending conceptualization of relationship that was the basis for that special session and links it to a model of service ecosystems through which value creation can be better understood and, thus, businesses can be better informed.
Controllability of semilinear systems

The most general results known about controllability of semilinear systems are found in Refs. 1 and 2. The authors of these papers used different approaches, and no connection between them has ever been pointed out. The purpose of this paper is to present a general theorem under which these results easily follow.
The Blog is Serving Its Purpose: Self-Presentation Strategies on 38pitches.com.

This research explored Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s self-presentation strategies that he displayed on his blog - 38pitches.com, in response to sports broadcasters’ and journalists’ portrayal of him during 2 events that made national sports headlines. A thematic analysis was conducted using constant comparative methodology of Schilling’s blog entries that he authored in response to these events. Three self-presentation strategies emerged from data analysis: (a) critic, (b) committed individual, and (c) accountable person. Using Hermans, Kempen, and Van Loon’s (1992) dialogical self theory, the study revealed that Schilling fluidly moved between multiple positions when self-presenting to combat media framing. Additionally, the findings suggests that blogs and other information and communication technologies (ICT) are valuable tools that professional athletes and other celebrities can employ to counter perceived negative media framing of their personae.
A “Smart Tire” System for Tire/Road Friction Estimation

In this paper, we present the development of a tire deformation sensing system that can provide the critical information for estimation of tire/road interaction for mobile robots and vehicles. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based sensor is designed and fabricated to embed on the inner tread surface to measure the rubber tread deformation. Analytical models of the PVDF-based sensing system are presented to capture the tire/road contact information and friction characteristics. The sensed deformation measurements are integrated with the on-board control system through a wireless data transmission module. Experimental results on a skid-steered mobile robot are presented to show the feasibility of the developed sensing system.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Experimental and theoretical investigations of the He...I2 rovibronic spectra in the I2 B-X, 20-0 region.

The laser-induced fluorescence and action spectra of I2 in a helium supersonic expansion have been recorded in the I2 B–X, 20–0 region. Two features are identified within the spectra. The lower-energy feature arises from transitions between states that are localized in a T-shaped conformation on both the X- and B-state potentials. The higher-energy feature reflects transitions from states that are localized in a linear conformation on the X state to states that have energies that are larger than the barrier for free rotation of the rare gas atom about the I2 molecule on the B-state potential. Ground-state binding energies of 16.6(6) and 16.3(6)cm−1 were determined for the T-shaped and linear conformers, respectively. These spectra are compared to those calculated using the experimentally determined rotational temperatures. Based on the agreement between the experimental and calculated spectra, the binding energies of the J′=0 states with 0 and 2–6 quanta of excitation in the He⋯I2 bending mode on the B st...
Genome-Wide Methylation Analyses in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Few studies had investigated genome-wide methylation in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Our goals were to study differential methylation across the genome in gene promoters using an array-based method, as well as repetitive elements using surrogate global methylation markers. The discovery sample set for this study consisted of 54 GBM from Columbia University and Case Western Reserve University, and 24 brain controls from the New York Brain Bank. We assembled a validation dataset using methylation data of 162 TCGA GBM and 140 brain controls from dbGAP. HumanMethylation27 Analysis Bead-Chips (Illumina) were used to interrogate 26,486 informative CpG sites in both the discovery and validation datasets. Global methylation levels were assessed by analysis of L1 retrotransposon (LINE1), 5 methyl-deoxycytidine (5m-dC) and 5 hydroxylmethyl-deoxycytidine (5hm-dC) in the discovery dataset. We validated a total of 1548 CpG sites (1307 genes) that were differentially methylated in GBM compared to controls. There were more than twice as many hypomethylated genes as hypermethylated ones. Both the discovery and validation datasets found 5 tumor methylation classes. Pathway analyses showed that the top ten pathways in hypomethylated genes were all related to functions of innate and acquired immunities. Among hypermethylated pathways, transcriptional regulatory network in embryonic stem cells was the most significant. In the study of global methylation markers, 5m-dC level was the best discriminant among methylation classes, whereas in survival analyses, high level of LINE1 methylation was an independent, favorable prognostic factor in the discovery dataset. Based on a pathway approach, hypermethylation in genes that control stem cell differentiation were significant, poor prognostic factors of overall survival in both the discovery and validation datasets. Approaches that targeted these methylated genes may be a future therapeutic goal.
Familiarity and prevalence of Facebook use for social networking among individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To examine use of Facebook among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to identify barriers preventing Facebook use.Method: An online survey was developed assessing frequency and barriers to use of Facebook. The survey was distributed electronically to individuals with TBI through four state brain injury associations. Ninety-six individuals with TBI completed the survey (60% female, age range: 23–70).Results: The relative majority of respondents (60%) reported using Facebook on a regular basis. Among those who reported not using Facebook, the most commonly reported barriers were security concerns and cognitive deficits. Approximately half of non-users indicated interest in learning to use the site, with 70% reporting that they would use it more if they were more knowledgeable about it. Both users and non-users indicated that they would be interested in receiving training to learn how to use Facebook better.Conclusions: Social networking sites are increasingly important in creating a...
The impact of ventral noradrenergic bundle lesions on increased IL-1 in the PVN and hormonal responses to stress in male sprague dawley rats.

The impact of acute stress on inflammatory signaling within the central nervous system is of interest because these factors influence neuroendocrine function both directly and indirectly. Exposure to certain stressors increases expression of the proinflammatory cytokine, Il-1β in the hypothalamus. Increased IL-1 is reciprocally regulated by norepinephrine (stimulatory) and corticosterone (inhibitory), yet neural pathways underlying increased IL-1 have not been clarified. These experiments explored the impact of bilateral lesions of the ventral noradrenergic bundle (VNAB) on IL-1 expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) after foot shock. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats received bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the VNAB (VNABx) and were exposed to intermittent foot shock. VNABx depleted approximately 64% of norepinephrine in the PVN and attenuated the IL-1 response produced by foot shock. However, characterization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response, a crucial prer...
Direct chromium speciation in solid state materials—a GDMS approach

Among the various elemental mass spectrometry techniques, glow discharge mass spectrometry is recognized for its ability to provide direct determination of trace elements present in solid state samples. In the present work, a pulsed glow discharge time-of-flight mass spectrometry method is developed for the direct speciation of chromium in solid state samples. The millisecond pulsed glow discharge operated with radio frequency power is a versatile ion source that provides elemental, structural and molecular information. Careful tuning of the operating parameters yields the plasma chemistry that favors cluster ion formation. Cluster ions unique to specific species permit differentiation between the trivalent and hexavalent forms of chromium, (Cr(III) and (Cr(VI)), respectively, in chromium oxide samples. Specifically, signals at 104 and 120 m/z corresponding to the Cr2+ and Cr2O+ cluster ions arise from the presence of Cr(III) in the sample, whereas signal at 100 m/z corresponding to the CrO3+cluster ion arises from the presence of Cr(VI). The impact of glow discharge operating conditions on the appearance of these characteristic cluster ions is discussed.
Effect of Upstream Shear on Flow and Heat (Mass) Transfer Over a Flat Plate—Part II: Mass Transfer Measurements

Mass transfer measurements on a flat plate downstream of a belt moving in the same direction of the freestream study the effect of the upstream shear on the heat (mass) transfer for four belt-freestream velocity ratios. With an increase in this ratio, the "virtual origin" of the turbulent boundary layer "moves" downstream toward the trailing edge of the belt. This is verified from the variation of the Stanton number versus the Reynolds number plots. As the "inner" region of the boundary layer is removed for a belt speed of u w = 10 m/s (freestream velocity u in ≈ 15.4 m/s), a corresponding local minimum in the variation of the Stanton number is observed. Downstream of this minimum, the characteristics of the turbulent boundary layer are restored and the data fall back on the empirical variation of Stanton with Reynolds number.
Multiagent reinforcement learning in the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma

Reinforcement learning (RL) is based on the idea that the tendency to produce an action should be strengthened (reinforced) if it produces favorable results, and weakened if it produces unfavorable results. Q-learning is a recent RL algorithm that does not need a model of its environment and can be used on-line. Therefore, it is well suited for use in repeated games against an unknown opponent. Most RL research has been confined to single-agent settings or to multiagent settings where the agents have totally positively correlated payoffs (team problems) or totally negatively correlated payoffs (zero-sum games). This paper is an empirical study of reinforcement learning in the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (IPD), where the agents' payoffs are neither totally positively nor totally negatively correlated. RL is considerably more difficult in such a domain. This paper investigates the ability of a variety of Q-learning agents to play the IPD game against an unknown opponent. In some experiments, the opponent is the fixed strategy Tit-For-Tat, while in others it is another Q-learner. All the Q-learners learned to play optimally against Tit-For-Tat. Playing against another learner was more difficult because the adaptation of the other learner created a non-stationary environment, and because the other learner was not endowed with any a priori knowledge about the IPD game such as a policy designed to encourage cooperation. The learners that were studied varied along three dimensions: the length of history they received as context, the type of memory they employed (lookup tables based on restricted history windows or recurrent neural networks that can theoretically store features from arbitrarily deep in the past), and the exploration schedule they followed. Although all the learners faced difficulties when playing against other learners, agents with longer history windows, lookup table memories, and longer exploration schedules fared best in the IPD games.
Autonomous agents as air combat simulation adversaries

An autonomous agent is a device (or being) that can cope effectively in a defined environment, despite the fact that the environment is not completely controlled or even certainly known by the agent. If an autonomous agent is to be robust in such an environment, it must be able to plan its activities, react quickly to unforeseen events, and execute planned or modified behaviors to achieve goals. Building such agents is not trivial, but can yield high payoffs in environments such as air combat. We have begun to develop autonomous agents which exhibit appropriate behaviors for simulated air combat. Simulated air combat is a forgiving environment that allows us to study issues in building autonomous agents, but also meets real Air Force needs for training. In this paper, we outline the requirements of autonomous adversaries for air combat simulation and describe two prototype systems we have developed to lay the foundation for a multi-faceted research thrust in autonomous agent technology.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Recursive Low-rank and Sparse Recovery of Surveillance Video using Compressed Sensing

This paper focuses on surveillance video processing using Compressed Sensing (CS). The CS measurements are used for recovery of the video frame into a low-rank background component and sparse component that corresponds to the moving object. The spatial and temporal low-rank features of the video frame, e.g., the nonlocal similar patches within the single video frame and the low-rank background component residing in multiple frames, are successfully exploited. We propose rLSDR that consists of three major components. First we develop an efficient single frame CS recovery algorithm, called NLDR, that operates on the nonlocal similarity patches within each frame to solve the low-rank optimization problem with the CS measurements constraint using Douglas-Rachford splitting method. Second, after obtaining a few NLDR recovered frames as training, a fast bilateral random projections (BRP) scheme is adopted for quick low-rank background initialization. Third, rLSDR then incorporates real-time single video frame to recursively recover the sparse component and update the background, where the proposed NLDR algorithm can also be used here for sparse component estimation. Experimental results on standard surveillance videos demonstrate that NLDR performs the best for single frame CS recovery compared with the state-of-the-art and rLSDR could successfully recover the background and sparse object with less resource consumption.
MO‐D‐T‐617‐01: Measurement of In‐Air Output Ratios for a Linear Accelerator with and Without the Flattening Filter

Purpose: In‐air output ratios (Sc) for photon beams from linear accelerators describe the change of in‐air output as a function of the collimator settings. The physical origin of in‐air output ratios is mainly due to the change in scattered radiation that can reach the point of measurement as the geometry of the head changes. The flattening filter and primary collimator are the major sources of scattered radiation. The change of amount of backscattered radiation from the collimator into the monitor ion chamber also contributes to the variation of output. To have a better understanding of the contribution of various components to Sc, we measured Sc and backscatter factor Sb for a linear accelerator with and without flattening filter. Method and Materials: In‐air output ratio (Sc) measurements were carried out with a Farmer type ion chamber in a mini‐phantom at 10 g/cm2 depth for 6 MV and 18 MV x‐ray beams from a Varian 2000EX linear accelerator.Backscatter factor (Sb) were measured with a universal pulse counter and a diode array with build‐in counting hardware and software. The scatter component Sh was then derived from the relation, S c = S h × S b , where Sb was the linear fit of measured results. Results: Significant differences are observed for Sc with and without the flattening filter. Within experimental uncertainty, the backscatter factors, Sb, are similar with and without the flattening filter. There are significant differences in variations of Sh over the range of field size 3×3 to 40×40 cm2 with and without the flattening filter; for 6 MV it is 8% versus 3%, and for 18 MV 7% versus 1%. Conclusion: By analyzing the backscatter contribution and total in‐air output ratios with and without flattening filter, we gained insight on contributions of different components to the total variation of Sc.
Studies in creativity. V. The selection process in recall and in problem-solving situations.

The purpose of the experiment was to compare the ways learned material is utilized in memory and in problem situations. In contrast to earlier studies in this series (in which Ss were asked to memorize word pairs) Ss in this study were given single words, and no associative bonds were built up experimentally. Learning was measured by 3 free-recall memory tests, and problem solving by 2 creative stories. A qualitative analysis of the memory tests revealed that individuals tended to organize the words using content or first letters. A comparison of Repeated-pairs (pairs repeated in a story or used in 1 Memory test and a story) with Old-pairs (used in previous experiments) showed that the associations formed for recall, although weaker than those experimentally imposed, function in much the same way. An analysis of 2 Key Words (first two words on last Memory test) showed that Ss with wide differences in positioning of Key Words on the previous Memory checks did not differ in their positioning of the Key Word...
Kinetic studies on the dimerization of molybdenum(V) in acid media and the crystal structure of K[MoOCl4(OH2)] · H2O

[MoOCl5]2− aquates rapidly in solutions ofca. 5 M or less in HCl or MeSO3H to give an intermediate which changes to the well known ion, Mo2O4aq2+ at a lower rate. Solutions of molybdenum(V) in 12M MeSO3H, when diluted, also change at a similar rate to Mo2O42+. The rate of reaction, d[Mo2O42+]/ dt=k[MoV] has a value of k=30.(1)s−1 at 0°C in 5.00 MMeSO3H. At constant ionic strength, k is nearly independent of acidity (5.2–0.5 M) and is only slightly affected by exchanging MeSO3− with Cl− orp-toluenesulfonate ion. At low ionic strength k increases dramatically. In 4.78 MMeSO3H, the activation parameters are: ΔH≠=72.68(29) kJ/mole, ΔS≠=16.63(8) jmole · K and k=5.01(5)×102s−1 at 0°C.18O measurements on the oxygen transfer between MoOaq3+ and Mo2O4aq.2+ were partially inconclusive. A mechanistic interpretation is given to the kinetic results. The x-ray crystal structure of KMoOCl4(OH2)·H2O is reported.
A Comparison of Bis[(perfluoroalkyl)sulfonyl]imide Ionomers and Perfluorosulfonic Acid Ionomers for Applications in PEM Fuel-Cell Technology

Two structurally related perfluorinated ionomer materials, one a conventional sulfonic-acid-batred ionomer (Nafion) and the other an experimental bis[(perfluoroalkyl)sulfonyl]imide-based ionomer in which the sulfonic acid group has been replaced by a sulfonyl imide acid group, were studied in parallel to evaluate their relative utility as membrane materials for use in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Studies focused on membrane ionic conductivity and water content under varying conditions of relative humidity, and on device-level fuel-cell tests using membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) fabricated from membranes of the two ionomers. The overall finding is that the two ionomer materials behave similarly with respect to their electrochemical properties and performance in PEM fuel-cell devices. In one instance, a sulfonyl-imide-based MEA exhibited substantially improved performance relative to a comparable Nafion-based MEA in fuel-cell tests. The improvement is probably attributable to a combination of favorable materials properties and membrane thickness effects.
Low-temperature CO oxidation on Au/fumed SiO2-based catalysts prepared from Au(en)2Cl3 precursor

Abstract Many gold catalysts have been actively surveyed, but Au/SiO 2 catalysts that are highly active for CO oxidation still remain evasive. In this work, gold nanoparticles well dispersed on Cab-O-Sil fumed SiO 2 were prepared using Au(en) 2 Cl 3 (en = ethylenediamine) as the precursor, and found to be very active for CO oxidation below 0 °C. The catalyst pretreatment via reduction and calcination, effect of gold loading, post-treatment in acidic and basic media, catalyst deactivation, storage, regeneration, and effect of surface modification by other metal oxides were explored. The results provide new perspective on the activation and promotion of active Au/SiO 2 -based catalysts.
Spanwise Mixing in Axial-Flow Turbomachines

Flow measurements taken in multistage axial-flow turbomachines suggest that substantial spanwise mixing of flow properties often occurs. In addition, measured blade row turnings often show considerable deviation from two-dimensional cascade theory, particularly in the end-wall regions. An approximate method is presented with which both of these effects can be included in design through-flow calculations. 21 refs.
Radiopharmaceuticals for renal studies

A review of the wide spectrum of radiopharmaceuticals developed over the last 15 yr for application in the evaluation of diseases of the kidney and urinary tract is presented below. The radiolabeled contrast agents including Hippuran have been extensively applied for renal function assessment. The kinetics of clearance of many of these agents are not yet satisfactorily established, and there is no ideal agent for routine clinical application, particularly by external counting methods. Many agents for intrarenal blood flow measurement have been reported that have yet to be adapted for obtaining clinical information. Renal morphology has been studied using several radiopharmaceuticals that are either fixed in the renal tubules for a sufficiently long time (chlormerodrin, 99m Tc-Fe ascorbic acid) or cleared from the kidneys fairly rapidly (Hippuran). These agents suffer from several disadvantages because of suboptimum energy of the radiolabel for use with imaging equipment, or relatively high radiation dose, or slow rate of excretion with inadequate organ specificity. It is hoped that the development of new radiopharmaceuticals tagged with radionuclides that have ideal imaging characteristics ( 99m Tc or 111 In) and satisfactory renal clearances will provide a major breakthrough in the continuing search for satisfactory renal agents for imaging and function tests in the near future.
A heuristic to capture multi-directional lateral tactile perception

Multi-directional tactile perception adds significant complexity when interpreting haptic experimental data. In perceiving tactile stimulus direction, we often observe a lack of one-to-one stimulus-response compatibility, mostly due to confounding sensations that reinforce and/or distort a primary stimulus. This study presents the development of a metric to capture multi-directional lateral tactile perception on a finger pad. Sixty-two subjects rated the direction and magnitude of lateral motion from a single probe moving in one of the eight possible directions. A heuristic based on a vector matrix was developed to capture and integrate the relative contribution of each subject's rated directional perception in x–y coordinates. This article explains the theoretical underpinnings and the justifications for this heuristic and highlights the usefulness of this approach for future haptic system designs.
Laparoscopic Ladd's procedure: treatment of choice for midgut malrotation in infants and children.

Abstract Introduction: Rotational anomalies of the midgut encompass a broad spectrum of incomplete rotational events with malfixation of the intestines during fetal development. Ladd's procedure, as a correction of these anomalies, has traditionally been performed by laparotomy. In our institution, the laparoscopic Ladd's (LL) procedure was introduced in May 2004 and soon became the standard approach. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of all Ladd's procedures in children in our institution between September 1998 and June 2008 was performed. Outcomes between the open (OL) and LL procedures were compared. Results: A total of 156 children underwent Ladd's procedure during the study period. There were 120 open and 36 laparoscopic procedures. Overall, 75% of patients in each group were symptomatic, most commonly with emesis and pain. Duration of surgery was similar in both groups. Time to starting feeds, and amount of time to attain full feeding, was significantly less in the LL group. Postoperat...
New Directions for Mentoring: Remaking the School-University Culture

Abstract This discussion focuses on a recent innovation in mentoring that was facilitated at a school-university research site in Florida. It highlights the work of the Partnership Support Group that was formed to tackle issues of mentoring, writing, and publication across faculty lines. This collaborative project brought together teachers, professors, and administrators to study their own issues about and processes of mentoring. Participants conducted action research that resulted in a major book publication on new directions for mentoring and for creating cultures of synergy (Mullen & Lick, 1999). This article argues that guided and reciprocal learning and shared investigation can be used to promote scholarly publication by teachers. It offers strategies for developing and assessing professionally diverse collegial networks that support these goals. It concludes with 12 recommendations for conducting collaborative action research practice.
Control of fungal sterol C-24 transalkylation: importance to developmental regulation.

Summary When cultures of Gibberella fujikuroi are incubated with 24-epiiminolanosterol the introduction of a methyl group into sterol side chains at C-24 is blocked inducing a mycelial accumulation of lanosterol and 24-desalkylsterols, i.e., having the cholestane side chain. The altered sterol composition lead to aberrant mycelial membranes resulting in growth inhibition. A compensatory physiological response to the ensuing hyphal death was induction of asexual sporulation. The results are interpreted to imply that regulation of sterol C-24 transalkylation may be a mechanism to mediate life cycle events of fungi.
The crystal structure analysis of group B streptococcus sortase C1: A model for the "lid" movement upon substrate binding

Abstract A unique feature of the class-C-type sortases, enzymes essential for Gram-positive pilus biogenesis, is the presence of a flexible “lid” anchored in the active site. However, the mechanistic details of the “lid” displacement, suggested to be a critical prelude for enzyme catalysis, are not yet known. This is partly due to the absence of enzyme–substrate and enzyme–inhibitor complex crystal structures. We have recently described the crystal structures of the Streptococcus agalactiae SAG2603 V/R sortase SrtC1 in two space groups (type II and type III) and that of its “lid” mutant and proposed a role of the “lid” as a protector of the active-site hydrophobic environment. Here, we report the crystal structures of SAG2603 V/R sortase C1 in a different space group (type I) and that of its complex with a small-molecule cysteine protease inhibitor. We observe that the catalytic Cys residue is covalently linked to the small-molecule inhibitor without lid displacement. However, the type I structure provides a view of the sortase SrtC1 lid displacement while having structural elements similar to a substrate sorting motif suitably positioned in the active site. We propose that these major conformational changes seen in the presence of a substrate mimic in the active site may represent universal features of class C sortase substrate recognition and enzyme activation.