cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theoretical Analysis of Microelectrode Arrays under Forced Convection

Numerical solutions to the equation that governs steady-state mass transport to a hexagonal array of small redox-active disks embedded in an otherwise inert rotating disk electrode, RDE, under both diffusion-limited and mixed, first order kinetic control were obtained using COMSOL. Analytical expressions were found, which accurately reproduced the simulations, yielding, for limiting cases, a behavior in agreement with that reported in the literature. This formalism was applied to the analysis of thin films of nanoparticles dispersed in inert high area supports attached to the surface of an inactive RDE. The results obtained made it possible to verify that, at loadings within the range of relevance to electrocatalyic materials for low temperature fuel cells, the use of a modified Koutecky-Levich-like equation for determining rate constants of first order redox processes is indeed warranted.
Reciprocal absorbing boundary condition with perfectly matched discrete layers for the time-domain propagation of SH waves in a layered half-space

Abstract In this paper, a reciprocal absorbing boundary condition (RABC) is combined with perfectly matched discrete layers (PMDLs) for the time-domain numerical analysis of SH-wave propagation in a layered half-space. The RABC is employed for representation of the layered stratum beyond the vertical consistent transmitting boundary while the PMDLs are applied in order to absorb waves into the underlying homogeneous half-space. The combination of RABC and PMDLs circumvents concerns with the treatment of layered media. The RABC handles layers without any approximation, other than discretization, while PMDLs are used exclusively for the simulation of the homogeneous medium underlying the layers. This combination leads to solution of the problem of anti-plane shear wave-propagation in a layered half-space directly in the time domain. Examples are presented demonstrating the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed combination.
Systemic Preoperative Antibiotics with Mandible Fractures: Are They Indicated at the Time of Injury?

Mandible fractures are the most common result of facial trauma. The proximity of oral flora to the site of both the injury and resulting surgical instrumentation makes managing infection a unique challenge. The benefit of antibiotic prophylaxis at the time of surgical treatment of mandible fractures is well established. However, the routine use of antibiotics between the time of injury and surgery is of unclear benefit. We aim to define the role of antibiotics in the preoperative period: from the time of injury to surgical intervention. Demographic and clinical data were collected retrospectively on all patients who were treated for mandible fracture by the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at our institution between 2003 and 2013. The use of both preoperative (between injury and surgery) and perioperative (at the time of surgery) systemic antibiotics was recorded along with the incidence of postoperative infections and other complications. Complete data were available for 269 patients. Of the 216 patients who received preoperative antibiotics, 22 (10%) developed an infection postoperatively. Of the 53 patients who did not receive preoperative antibiotics, 2 (4%) developed infection (p = 0.184). Likewise, preoperative antibiotics were not significantly associated with hardware complication rates. In our retrospective review, the use of antibiotics between injury and surgical repair had no impact on postoperative infection rates. These data suggest that preoperative antibiotic use may actually be associated with an increased incidence of postoperative infection. Our results do not support the routine use of antibiotics between injury and surgical repair in patients with mandible fractures.
"No zone" approach in penetrating neck trauma reduces unnecessary computed tomography angiography and negative explorations.

Abstract Background The most recent management guidelines advocate computed tomography angiography (CTA) for any suspected vascular or aero-digestive injuries in all zones and give zone II injuries special consideration. We hypothesized that physical examination can safely guide CTA use in a “no zone” approach. Methods An 8-year retrospective analysis of all adult trauma patients with penetrating neck trauma (PNT) was performed. We included all patients in whom the platysma was violated. Patients were classified into three groups as follows: hard signs, soft signs, and asymptomatic. CTA use, positive CTA (contrast extravasation, dissection, or intimal flap) and operative details were reported. Primary outcomes were positive CTA and therapeutic neck exploration (TNE) (defined by repair of major vascular or aero-digestive injuries). Results A total of 337 patients with PNT met the inclusion criteria. Eighty-two patients had hard signs and all of them went to the operating room, of which 59 (72%) had TNE. One hundred fifty-six patients had soft signs, of which CTA was performed in 121 (78%), with positive findings in 12 (10%) patients. The remaining 35 (22%) underwent initial neck exploration, of which 14 (40%) were therapeutic yielding a high rate of negative exploration. Ninty-nine patients were asymptomatic, of which CTA was performed in 79 (80%), with positive findings in 3 (4%), however, none of these patients required TNE. On sub analysis based on symptoms, there was no difference in the rate of TNE between the neck zones in patients with hard signs ( P = 0.23) or soft signs ( P = 0.51). Regardless of the zone of injury, asymptomatic patients did not require a TNE. Conclusions Physical examination regardless of the zone of injury should be the primary guide to CTA or TNE in patients with PNT. Following traditional zone-based guidelines can result in unnecessary negative explorations in patients with soft signs and may need rethinking.
A Tale of Two Symmetries: Embeddable and Non-embeddable Group Actions on Surfaces

Plainly speaking, a compact Riemann surface, S, can be thought of as the layer of glaze on a g-holed doughnut. A group of symmetries of S is a group that acts on S while preserving some of its underlying structure. We provide an easily understood exposition of the modern techniques used to determine which groups can act as symmetry groups on a compact Riemann surface S of genus g ≥ 2. We then illustrate these techniques by providing necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an A4-action on such a surface (in terms of a signature), and through explicit geometric construction show which of these actions are embeddable.
Cardiometabolic effects of psychotropic medications

Background Many psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression convey an excess burden of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The medications used to treat these conditions may further adversely affect cardiovascular risk and exacerbate health disparities for vulnerable populations. There is a clinical need to appreciate the cardiometabolic adverse effects of psychotropic medications. Methods This paper reviews the most relevant cardiometabolic effects of psychotropic medications, organized around the components of metabolic syndrome. When known, the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying any adverse cardiometabolic effects are detailed. Results Many commonly used psychotropic medications, particularly antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and some antidepressants, have been independently associated with cardiometabolic risk factors such as insulin resistance, obesity and dyslipidemia. Stimulants, antidepressants that inhibit reuptake of norepinephrine, some antipsychotics and valproic acid derivatives may also increase blood pressure. Conclusion Understanding, assessing and subsequently managing cardiometabolic complications of psychotropic medications are important to mitigate the excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the clinical populations prescribed psychotropic medications. There is considerable variability in risk between medications and individuals. Timely management of iatrogenic cardiometabolic effects is critical.
On the relationship between land surface infrared emissivity and soil moisture

The relationship between surface infrared (IR) emissivity and soil moisture content has been investigated based on satellite measurements. Surface soil moisture content can be estimated by IR remote sensing, namely using the surface parameters of IR emissivity, temperature, vegetation coverage, and soil texture. It is possible to separate IR emissivity from other parameters affecting surface soil moisture estimation. The main objective of this paper is to examine the correlation between land surface IR emissivity and soil moisture. To this end, we have developed a simple yet effective scheme to estimate volumetric soil moisture (VSM) using IR land surface emissivity retrieved from satellite IR spectral radiance measurements, assuming those other parameters impacting the radiative transfer (e.g., temperature, vegetation coverage, and surface roughness) are known for an acceptable time and space reference location. This scheme is applied to a decade of global IR emissivity data retrieved from MetOp-A infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer measurements. The VSM estimated from these IR emissivity data (denoted as IR-VSM) is used to demonstrate its measurement-to-measurement variations. Representative 0.25-deg spatially-gridded monthly-mean IR-VSM global datasets are then assembled to compare with those routinely provided from satellite microwave (MW) multisensor measurements (denoted as MW-VSM), demonstrating VSM spatial variations as well as seasonal-cycles and interannual variability. Initial positive agreement is shown to exist between IR- and MW-VSM (i.e., R(sup 2) = 0.85). IR land surface emissivity contains surface water content information. So, when IR measurements are used to estimate soil moisture, this correlation produces results that correspond with those customarily achievable from MW measurements. A decade-long monthly-gridded emissivity atlas is used to estimate IR-VSM, to demonstrate its seasonal-cycle and interannual variation, which is spatially coherent and consistent with that from MW measurements, and, moreover, to achieve our objective of investigating the relationship between land surface IR emissivity and soil moisture.
The Blumenthal-Getoor-McKean Theorem Revisited

The Blumenthal-Getoor-McKean theorem [BGM] (hereafter referred to as BGM) states that if X and \( \tilde{X} \) are two Markov processes with the same hitting distributions, then they may be time changed into each other. This is a deliberately loose statement and one needs to specify the precise hypotheses on X and \( \tilde{X} \) and also exactly what the conclusion means before it makes mathematical sense. In §V-5 of [BG] a precise statement and proof are given when X and \( \tilde{X} \) are standard processes as defined in [BG]. It is stated in several places in the literature that the proof in [BG] carries over to the case in which X and \( \tilde{X} \) are right processes. However, a careful reading of that proof reveals that the quasi-left-continuity (qlc) of X and \( \tilde{X} \) is used in a crucial manner at two points: the proofs of (V-5.4) and (V-5.20) in [BG]. The purpose of this paper is to give a careful proof of BGM for arbitrary right processes X and \( \tilde{X} \) as defined in [S].
Bromodomain and extraterminal domain-containing protein inhibition attenuates acute inflammation after spinal cord injury.

Abstract Inflammation is a major contributor to the secondary damage that occurs after spinal cord injury (SCI). The inflammatory response is coordinated by many different signaling modalities including the epigenetic modification of promoters and enhancers. Bromodomain and extraterminal domain-containing proteins (BETs; Brd2, Brd3, Brd4, BrdT) are epigenetic readers that bind acetylated histones to promote transcription of pro-inflammatory genes. BET inhibition is anti-inflammatory in animal models of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and coronary artery disease. However, the role of BETs in neuroinflammation remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the role of BETs in promoting inflammation in neural cells and the ability of the BET inhibitor JQ1 to decrease inflammation acutely after SCI. Expression of BET mRNA was assessed via qPCR in purified primary mouse macrophages, astrocytes, neurons, oligodendrocytes, and microglia, as well as in naive, sham-injured, and contusion-injured mouse spinal cord. Brd2, Brd3, and Brd4 mRNA were expressed in all purified primary neural cells and in the uninjured and injured mouse spinal cord. BET inhibition significantly attenuated proinflammatory signaling in all activated cell populations in vitro. To investigate the effects of BET modulation after SCI, the BET inhibitor JQ1 was injected intraperitoneally (30 mg/kg, bidaily) 3 h after spinal cord contusion in adult female C57BL/6 mice. By 3 days post-injury, BET inhibition significantly decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and leukocyte recruitment to the injury site. However, this decrease did not lead to locomotor improvements or smaller lesion size. Taken together, our data implicate BETs as regulators of multiple key pro-inflammatory cytokines, and suggest that BETs can be pharmacologically inhibited to reduce inflammation acutely after SCI.
Improving Vertebrate Skeleton Images: Fluorescence and the Non-Permanent Mounting of Cleared-and-Stained Specimens

Visualizing complex morphological features using digital photographs is often challenging in comparative anatomical studies. Progress in comparative anatomical studies has made substantive shifts through the development of new and improved methods for preparing specimens and visualizing characters. The advent of enzyme-cleared and bone-stained specimens revolutionized comparative anatomical studies in the middle of the 20th century. Continued refinement and improvement on these techniques combined with alternative approaches to visualization have allowed for more detailed investigations of vertebrate anatomy. One of the most difficult challenges remaining in comparative anatomy is accurately communicating morphological variation, and methodological improvements that refine the visual explanation are critical. Here we present two methods that simplify and improve the digital imaging of vertebrate skeletons and their components. First, fluorescence microscopy with alizarin-stained specimens is shown to help...
Marketing Notes and Communications: Why Do People Shop?:

Do people shop simply to make purchases? Are some shopping trips motivated by considerations that are unrelated to an actual purchase? The results of an exploratory study of shopper motivation sugg...
A provider-observed tool to assess Oral Hygiene Skill Mastery (OHSIM) in human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) adults.

AIMS Periodontal diseases (PDs) affect nearly half of Americans ≥30 years old and are common in human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) adults. A validated measure of oral hygiene skill could improve tailored prevention-focused health communication. METHODS We developed Oral Hygiene Skill Mastery (OHSIM), a provider-observed measure of toothbrushing and flossing ability. We examined OHSIM's inter-rater reliability (IRR) and concurrent validity using a blinded, cross-sectional study design with a convenience sample of HIV+/- adults. Clinical outcome measures included bleeding on probing (BOP) and abbreviated plaque and gingival indices. Analyses included IRR and, after identifying relevant predictor variables for each outcome, backward elimination regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to demonstrate concurrent validity. RESULTS We saw 173 research participants (reliability: n = 61; validity: n = 112). The average IRR was α = 0.73 for toothbrushing and α = 0.84 for flossing. Toothbrushing and flossing skill were moderately correlated (r = 0.49, P < 0.001). SEM analyses demonstrated that OHSIM toothbrushing significantly and independently predicted variance in plaque and gingival indices and BOP, while OHSIM flossing skill significantly and independently predicted plaque index and BOP. CONCLUSION OHSIM is a provisionally reliable and valid provider-observed measure of toothbrushing and flossing skill. Most predictors of clinical outcomes were modifiable behaviors. Toothbrushing quality is a critical component of oral health.
Single photon spectroscopy of excited state structure in hBN quantum emitters

The electronic structure of hBN defects remains poorly defined despite its importance for room-temperature single-photon sources. We address this deficiency by characterizing shelving dynamics and photon correlations between photochemically modified electronic transitions.
Perspective: The Role of Beverages as a Source of Nutrients and Phytonutrients

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide nutrition advice for Americans >2 y of age. The 2020-2025 DGA proposes a life stage approach, focusing on birth through older adulthood. Limited recommendations for beverages exist except for milk, 100% fruit juice, and alcohol. The goal of this article is to provide a better understanding of the role of beverages in the diet using current scientific evidence. A Medline search of observational studies, randomized controlled trials, and meta-analyses was undertaken using key beverage words. We highlight the role beverages can play as a part of the DGA and considered beverages not traditionally included, such as those that are phytonutrient dense. Our primary consideration for beverage consumption targeted healthy Americans aged ≥2 y. However, with the proposed expansion to the life span for the 2020-2025 DGA, we also reviewed evidence for infants and toddlers from birth to 24 mo. Examples are provided on how minor changes in beverage choices aid in meeting recommended intakes of certain nutrients. Guidance on beverage consumption may aid in development of better consumer products to meet broader dietary advice. For example, beverage products that are nutrient/phytonutrient dense and lower in sugar could be developed as alternatives to 100% juice to help meet the fruit and vegetable guidelines. Although beverages are not meant to replace foods, e.g., it is difficult to meet the requirements for vitamin E, dietary fiber, or essential fatty acids through beverages alone, beverages are important sources of nutrients and phytonutrients, phenolic acids and flavonoids in particular. When considering the micronutrients from diet alone, mean intakes of calcium (in women), potassium, and vitamins A, C, and D are below recommendations and sodium intakes are well above. Careful beverage choices could close these gaps and be considered a part of a healthy dietary pattern.
Phytosanitary Irradiation of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae)

Asian citrus psyllid ( Diaphorina citri Kuwayama; Hemiptera: Liviidae) adults reared on orange jasmine ( Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack; Sapindales: Rutaceae) were evaluated for acute mortality and prevention of reproduction when adult insects were irradiated for phytosanitary purposes. At 2 kGy all adults ( n = 60) were dead by 72 h post irradiation. A dose of 150 Gy did not prevent oviposition ( n = 1,200 adults), but no nymphs were observed to emerge from the eggs. At the next lowest dose (100 Gy) some nymphs developed. These results indicate that a minimum PI treatment dose significantly greater than 1.5 kGy but less than 2 kGy is required for total mortality within 72 h and the minimum PI treatment dose to prevent egg hatch is greater than 100 Gy, but less than 150 Gy. Resumen Adultos del silido asiatico de los citricos, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama Hemiptera: Liviidae), criados en jazmin naranja, Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (Sapindales: Rutaceae), se evaluaron para mortalidad aguda y la prevencion de la reproduccion despues de irradiacion con fines fitosanitarios. A los 2 kGy, todos los adultos ( n = 60) se murieron en 72 h. La dosis de 150 Gy no impidio la oviposicion ( n = 1.200 adultos), pero no se observo emergencia de ninfas de los huevos. En la siguiente dosis mas baja (100 Gy) se desarrollaron algunas ninfas.
LibGuides: Improving Student and Faculty Access to Information Literacy

Technological innovations have transformed our lives in unprecedented ways. These advances are being felt across all areas of life but most especially in institutions of higher learning and their research core, the academic library. To keep pace, academic librarians continue to adopt new technologies into their daily work as they strive for meaningful ways to serve their clients. This article examines Information Literacy LibGuides in several academic libraries, those who use LibGuides for Information Literacy tutorials and those who use it to support the subject.
Development and validation of a secondary task environment for assessing visual-psychomotor tasks

The dual-task paradigm methodology is a widely accepted approach to facilitate relative human performance measurement in a variety of tasks. The present paper describes the development and experime...
Organic Chemistry I Cassino: A Card Game for Learning Functional Group Transformations for First-Semester Students

Several challenges face new students of organic chemistry in the more traditional, quantitatively oriented general chemistry curriculum. Students must learn to visualize chemical structures, unders...
Protocol for Peptide Synthesis on Spectrally Encoded Beads for MRBLE-pep Assays.

Every living cell relies on signal transduction pathways comprised of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). In many cases, these PPIs are between a folded protein domain and a short linear motif (SLiM) within an unstructured region of a protein. As a result of this small interaction interface (3-10 amino acids), the affinities of SLiM-mediated interactions are typically weak (Kds of ~1-10 µM), allowing physiologically relevant changes in cellular concentrations of either protein partner to dictate changes in occupancy and thereby transmit cellular signals. However, these weak affinities also render detection and quantitative measurement of these interactions challenging and labor intensive. To address this, we recently developed MRBLE-pep, a technology that employs peptide libraries synthesized on spectrally encoded hydrogel beads to allow multiplexed affinity measurements between a protein and many different peptides in parallel. This approach dramatically reduces both the amount of protein and peptide as well as the time required to measure protein-peptide affinities compared to traditional methods. Here, we provide a detailed protocol describing how to: (1) functionalize polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEG-DA) MRBLE beads with free amine groups, (2) synthesize peptide libraries on functionalized MRBLEs, (3) validate synthesized peptide sequences via MALDI mass spectrometry and quantify evenness of peptide coverage on MRBLEs, (4) use MRBLE-bound peptide libraries in multiplexed protein binding assays, and (5) analyze binding data to determine binding affinities. We anticipate that this protocol should prove useful for other researchers seeking to use MRBLE-pep in their own laboratories as well as for researchers broadly interested in solid-phase peptide synthesis and protein-protein binding assay development.
Negative affect and the utilization of tobacco treatment among adult smokers with cancer.

OBJECTIVE We investigated the patterns of tobacco treatment utilization among US adult smokers with cancer and the role of negative affect as potential individual-level psychosocial barriers and facilitators influencing quit attempts and tobacco treatment utilization. METHODS We analyzed data from the adult sample in Wave 1 (2013-2014) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Using structural equation modeling, we examined (1) the association between cancer diagnosis and negative affect (e.g., depressive mood, anxiety, and distress) and (2) the associations between negative affect and smoking cessation behaviors (i.e., quit attempts and tobacco treatment utilization). RESULTS Compared to adults without cancer, cancer survivors were more likely to have attempted to quit tobacco use in the past 12 months (p < 0.05) and experienced increased negative affect (p < 0.01). However, negative affect appeared to be a psychological barrier to quit attempts, as it was associated with lower likelihood of attempting to quit (p < 0.05). On the other hand, among past-12-month quit attempters, negative affect was related to higher likelihood of using any type of tobacco treatment (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Negative affect may be a potential underlying mechanism in the relationship between cancer diagnosis status and quit attempts and tobacco treatment utilization, influencing the utilization of tobacco treatment among smokers with cancer. Research is needed to investigate whether integrating emotional management in the oncology setting may effectively aid smoking cessation among patients with cancer.
Dynamics of Cubic Siegel Polynomials

We study the one-dimensional parameter space of cubic polynomials in the complex plane which have a fixed Siegel disk of rotation number θ, where θ is a given irrational number of Brjuno type. The main result of this work is that when θ is of bounded type, the boundary of the Siegel disk is a quasicircle which contains one or both critical points of the cubic polynomial. We also show that these boundaries vary continuously as one moves in the parameter space. This is most nontrivial near the set of cubics with both critical points on the boundary of their Siegel disk. We prove that this locus is a Jordan curve in the parameter space. Most of the techniques and results can be generalized to polynomials of higher degrees.
Mission-based reliability prediction in component-based systems

This paper develops a framework for the extraction of a reliability block diagram in component-based systems for reliability prediction with respect to specific missions. A mission is defined as a composition of several high-level functions occurring at different stages and for a specific time during the mission. The high-level functions are decomposed into lower-level functions, which are then mapped to their corresponding components or component assemblies. The reliability block diagram is obtained using functional decomposition and function-component association. Using the reliability block diagram and the reliability information on the components such as failure rates, the reliability of the system carrying out a mission can be estimated. The reliability block diagram is evaluated by converting it into a logic (Boolean) expression. A modeling language created using the Generic Modeling Environment (GME) platform is used, which enables modeling of a system and captures the functional decomposition and function-component association in the system. This framework also allows for real-time monitoring of the system performance where the reliability of the mission can be computed over time as the mission progresses. The uncertainties in the failure rates and operational time of each high-level function are also considered which are quantified through probability distributions using the Bayesian framework. The dependence between failures of components are also considered and are quantified through a Bayesian network (BN). Other quantities of interest such as mission feasibility and function availability can also be assessed using this framework. Mission feasibility analysis determines if the mission can be accomplished given the current state of components in the system, and function availability provides information whether the function will be available in the future given the current state of the system. The proposed methodology is demonstrated using a radio-controlled (RC) car to carry out a simple surveillance mission.
Calibration and Testing of Small High-Resolution Transition Edge Sensor Microcalorimeters With Optical Photons

Pulses of narrow line-width optical photons can be used to calibrate and test sub-2 eV full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) energy resolution transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters at low energies ( $ keV), where it is very challenging to obtain X-ray calibration lines comparable to (or narrower than) the detector resolution. This scheme depends on the ability to resolve the number of 3 eV photons in each pulse, which we have recently demonstrated up to photon numbers of about 300. At LTD-18 we showed preliminary results obtained with this technique on a 0.25 eV baseline resolution TES microcalorimeter designed for the ultra-high-resolution sub-array of the Lynx mission. The line-shape was well described by a simple Gaussian. However, the difficulty of delivering photons to the small 46 $\mathrm{\mu m}$ square absorbers resulted in a large thermal crosstalk signal, whose random nature is expected to rapidly degrade the observed energy resolution towards higher photon numbers/energies. We have since improved the coupling between the optical fiber and the TES absorber and report here our current results.
Unifying Themes for Network Selection

In this paper we present efficient deterministic and randomized algorithms for selection on any interconnection network when the number of input keys (n) is ≥ the number of processors (p).
Preconditioning: markers vs. epiphenomena.

When the heart is exposed to a brief period of ischemia it becomes protected against infarction during a subsequent period of ischemia. While we now have some insight into the signal transduction system involved in this protective adaptation, the overall mechanism remains enigmatic. If one could merely answer the simple question, “What is different between a preconditioned and a non-preconditioned heart”?, then a key step towards understanding this mechanism will have been taken. The hesitation encountered in answering this question is largely related to the difficulty experienced separating epiphenomena (changes occurring that have no relationship to the protection) from the actual factors that are involved. For example, one sees that glycogen is depleted following a transient period of ischemia. However, most investigators would now agree that glycogen depletion is unrelated to the mechanism of protection. Glycogen is not depleted when the heart is pharmacologically preconditioned with an agent like adenosine and all interventions which deplete glycogen do not precondition. Thus, glycogen depletion appears to be an epiphenomenon.
Utilizing internal state in multi-robot coordination tasks

The success of a task-achieving multi-robot system (MRS)depends on effective coordination mechanisms to mediatethe robots’ interactions in such a way that a given task isachieved. In the MRS community, many elegant coordina-tionmechanismshavebeenempiricallydemonstrated. How-ever, there is a lack of systematic procedures for the synthe-sis of coordinated MRS. In this paper, we address this issueby presenting a principled framework suitable for describ-ing and reasoning about the intertwined entities involved inany task-achievingMRS Œ the task environment,task deni-tion, andthecapabilitiesof therobotsthemselves. Using thisframework, we present a systematic procedure by which tosynthesize controllers for robots in a MRS such that a givensequential task is correctly executed. The MRS is composedof homogeneousrobots capable of maintaining internal statebut not capable of direct inter-robot communication. Thissystematic approach to the synthesis of coordinated MRSpermits formal identication of the benets and limitationsof MRS composed of robots maintaining internal state andwhen other types of controllers may become necessary, suchas those using communication.The most relevant related work includes work on ndingoptimal policies in partially observable stochastic domains(Cassandra, Kaelbling, & Littman 1994). In MRS, the studyof information invariants (Donald 1995) addresses the prob-lem of determining information requirements for perform-ing robot tasks. The work presented here builds upon ourprevious results on automated synthesis of controllers usinginternalstate (Jones& Matari·c 2003)byaddressingtheissueof uncertainty in sensing and action. Our work presented in(Jones & Mataric· 2004) presents results on the synthesis ofstateless controllers which are communicative but stateless.In the multi-agent systems community, the issues addressedin (Pynadath & Tambe 2002) and (Stone & Veloso 1999)are related to ours in that they are systematically studyingthe role different control characteristics play in coordinatedsystems.
Activation of Ventral Tegmental Area Cells by the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis: A Novel Excitatory Amino Acid Input to Midbrain Dopamine Neurons

We examined the role of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) in the activation of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons evoked by stimulation of the ventromedial and ventrolateral (subcommissural) bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST). Using anesthetized rats and extracellular recording techniques, we found that 84.8% of ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons were activated synaptically by single-pulse electrical stimulation of the vBNST. In contrast, similar stimulation did not affect the activity of presumed GABA neurons in the VTA. Three characteristic responses were observed in VTA DA neurons: short latency activation ( 65 msec; 56% of cells), and inhibition (61.8% of cells, usually followed by long latency excitation). Microinfusion of antagonists of EAA receptors (3 mm kynurenic acid, 100 μm AP-5, or 50 μm CNQX) from a micropipette adjacent to the recording electrode significantly reduced both short and long latency activations evoked in DA neurons by vBNST stimulation. Specific responses were attenuated similarly by AP-5 alone, CNQX alone, or a cocktail of AP-5+CNQX, indicating that joint activation of NMDA plus non-NMDA receptors was required. Stimulation of the vBNST by local microinfusion of glutamate increased the firing and bursting activity of VTA DA neurons. Similar microinfusion of GABA decreased bursting of VTA DA neurons without altering their firing rate. Retrograde and anterograde labeling and antidromic activation of vBNST neurons by VTA stimulation confirmed a direct projection from the vBNST to the VTA. These results reveal that inputs from the vBNST exert a strong excitatory influence on VTA DA neurons mediated by both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors.
A low-voltage, low-power amplifier created by reasoning-based, systematic topology synthesis

This paper introduces a three stage low voltage, low power amplifier created by a design knowledge-intensive circuit topology synthesis methodology. The synthesis method flow begins with a set of starting ideas and then continues with a sequence of justified, causal design steps. Starting ideas combine physical and abstract features from either previous design or new insight. After combining the starting ideas, the related design sequence is identified step by step, so that each step either improves performance or relaxes design constraints. The created Opamp is a novel low voltage, low power circuit with better setting time (small signal characteristic) and slew rate (large signal characteristic). The proposed Opamp is realized in 0.2-μm CMOS technology. At 1-V supply voltage, it consumes less than 70μW static power. When driving a 5-pF capacitive load, the amplifier achieves 24MHz gain-bandwidth-product (GBW) and 5.1-V/μs average slew rate.
In vitro assembly of polioviruses. IV. Evidence for the existence of two assembly steps in the formation of empty capsids from 14 S particles.

Abstract Evidence obtained from kinetic studies indicated that the assaembly reaction mediated by cytoplasmic extract prepared from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells was conposed of at least two distinct activities. One activity (assembly activity) converted mature 14 S particles into 73 S empty capsids. The other activity (activation) seemed to act on “immature” 14 S particles, enabling them to be assembled. Unlike the assembly activity, the activation reaction was depleted rapidly during the reaction in vitro. The activation factor(s) was not associated with isolated 14 S particles themselves but, like the assembly activity, appeared to be associated with the rough membrane fraction obtained from infected cells.
Characterization and transcriptional regulation of the 2'-N-acetyltransferase gene from Providencia stuartii.

Abstract We have cloned the chromosomally encoded 2'-N-acetyltransferase gene [aac(2')-Ia] from Providencia stuartii. DNA sequence analysis of the cloned insert identified a single open reading frame, which is capable of encoding a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 20,073 Da. The deduced AAC(2')-Ia protein showed no significant homology to other proteins, including all of the AAC(3) and AAC(6') proteins. Primer extension analysis was used to identify the aac(2')-Ia promoter, which contained an unusual sequence (CTTTTT) at the -35 region. Expression of the aac(2')-Ia gene occurs at low levels in wild-type P. stuartii strains; therefore, they are aminoglycoside susceptible. We have isolated mutants with high-level AAC(2')-Ia expression at a frequency of 4.8 x 10(-6). Detailed analysis of one mutant demonstrated a 12.2-fold increase in the accumulation of aac(2')-Ia mRNA. In addition, the levels of beta-galactosidase expression from a plasmid-encoded aac(2')-lacZ transcriptional fusion were increased 11.5-fold in this mutant relative to those in an isogenic wild-type strain. These results suggested that a trans-acting factor, designated aar (for aminoglycoside acetyltransferase regulator), controls AAC(2')-Ia expression in P. stuartii.
The mouse Fgf8 gene encodes a family of polypeptides and is expressed in regions that direct outgrowth and patterning in the developing embryo

Evidence is accumulating that members of the FGF gene family provide signals that act locally to regulate growth and patterning in vertebrate embryos. In this report, we provide a detailed analysis of the mouse Fgf8 gene. We have mapped the Fgf8 locus to the distal region of mouse chromosome 19, and sequenced the 5' coding region of the gene. Our data identify a new coding exon, and locate multiple splice donor and splice acceptor sites that can be used to produce at least seven transcripts encoding a family of secreted FGF8 proteins with different N termini. From these results, it appears that Fgf8 is structurally the most complex member of the FGF family described to date. In the embryo, many of the regions in which Fgf8 RNA is localized are known to direct outgrowth and patterning, including the apical ectodermal ridge of the limb bud, the primitive streak and tail bud, the surface ectoderm overlying the facial primorida and the midbrain-hindbrain junction, suggesting that FGF8 may be a component of the regulatory signals that emanate from these regions.
A new metric for robustness with application to job scheduling

Scheduling strategies for parallel and distributed computing have mostly been oriented toward performance, while striving to achieve some notion of fairness. With the increase in size, complexity, and heterogeneity of today's computing environments, we argue that, in addition to performance metrics, scheduling algorithms should be designed for robustness. That is, they should have the ability to maintain performance under a wide variety of operating conditions. Although robustness is easy to define, there are no widely used metrics for this property. To this end, we present a methodology for characterizing and measuring the robustness of a system to a specific disturbance. The methodology is easily applied to many types of computing systems and it does not require sophisticated mathematical models. To illustrate its use, we show three applications of our technique to job scheduling; one supporting a previous result with respect to backfilling, one examining overload control in a streaming video server, and one comparing two different scheduling strategies for a distributed network service. The last example also demonstrates how consideration of robustness leads to better system design as we were able to devise a new and effective scheduling heuristic.
2-, 5-, and 6-Halo-3-(2(S)-azetidinylmethoxy)pyridines: synthesis, affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and molecular modeling.

3-(2(S)-Azetidinylmethoxy)pyridine (A-85380) has been identified recently as a ligand with high affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Here we report the synthesis and in vitro nAChR binding of a series of 10 pyridine-modified analogues of A-85380. The novel compounds feature a halogen substituent at position 2, 5, or 6 of the 3-pyridyl fragment. Those with the substituents at position 5 or 6, as well as the 2-fluoro analogue, possess subnanomolar affinity for nAChRs in membranes from rat brain. For these ligands, Ki values range from 11 to 210 pM, as measured by competition with (±)-[3H]epibatidine. In contrast, 2-chloro, 2-bromo, and 2-iodo analogues exhibit substantially lower affinity. AM1 quantum chemical calculations demonstrate that the bulky substituents at position 2 cause notable changes in the molecular geometry. The high-affinity members of the series and (+)-epibatidine display a tight fit superposition of low-energy stable conformers. The new ligands with high affinity for ...
Which Networks are Least Susceptible to Cascading Failures

The spread of a cascading failure through a network is an issue that comes up in many domains: in the contagious failures that spread among financial institutions during a financial crisis, through nodes of a power grid or communication network during a widespread outage, or through a human population during the outbreak of an epidemic disease. Here we study a natural model of threshold contagion: each node is assigned a numerical threshold drawn independently from an underlying distribution, and it will fail as soon as its number of failed neighbors reaches this threshold. Despite the simplicity of the formulation, it has been very challenging to analyze the failure processes that arise from arbitrary threshold distributions, even qualitative questions concerning which graphs are the most resilient to cascading failures in these models have been difficult to resolve. Here we develop a set of new techniques for analyzing the failure probabilities of nodes in arbitrary graphs under this model, and we compare different graphs according to the maximum failure probability of any node in the graph when thresholds are drawn from a given distribution. We find that the space of threshold distributions has a surprisingly rich structure when we consider the risk that these thresholds induce on different graphs: small shifts in the distribution of the thresholds can favor graphs with a maximally clustered structure (i.e., cliques), those with a maximally branching structure (trees), or even intermediate hybrids.
Functional anatomy of the pigeon hand (Columba livia): A muscle stimulation study.

The morphology and function of all muscles controlling the pigeon hand were analyzed. Muscle action was determined in situ by inducing contraction via silver wire electrodes in anesthetized birds. EMG electrodes were implanted in the test muscle and an adjacent muscle to monitor contraction and volume conduction respectively. Results indicate that pigeons have fine control of hand and digit movements. However, the directions of movement are restricted. Movements have been eliminated or severely limited in those directions that experience strong stress during flight. Such restrictions may reduce the amount of muscular activity required for stabilization of the hand and its components. Mobility is retained in directions not subject to large stresses and where movement is essential for the kinematics of flight to be executed properly. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fluorescence lifetime tomography for whole body small animal imaging

Fluorescent lifetime provides a rich approach to quantitative molecular in vivo imaging. Here we report in vivo FLT-tomography using full spatial sampling for 3-D localization, and time-resolved (up to >1 GHz) analysis of lifetime contrasts.
Effects of toothbrushes with tapered and cross angled soft bristle design on dental plaque and gingival inflammation: A randomized and controlled clinical trial

Abstract Objective To investigate the effect of three manual toothbrushes on dental plaque and gingival inflammation. Methods The elmex® Sensitive Extra Soft (ESES), elmex® Sensitive Soft (ESS) and an ADA standard toothbrush (ADAS) were evaluated in a randomized clinical trial. Subjects brushed twice daily in their usual manner. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) and plaque and gingival scores of interproximal spaces (IntPI and IntGI) were evaluated at day 15 and day 30. ANOVA and t-test were used to compare plaque and gingival scores. Results A total of 84 subjects with mild to moderate gingivitis completed the study. Plaque and gingival scores in ESES and ESS groups decreased from baseline to day 15 and day 30. At day 30, subjects in both ESES and ESS groups had lower plaque and gingival scores than those in the ADAS group (p Conclusions Both the ESES and ESS toothbrushes are more effective in removing dental plaque and reducing gingival inflammation than the ADA standard toothbrush.
Three types of schemata in children's recall of cohesive and noncohesive text

Abstract Children, ranging in ages from 7.3 to 9.6 years, were identified according to the type of schemata structure they used to recall picture sequence events. These children were then required to recall several written text passages representing four different conditions: (1) theme first paragraphs, (2) theme final paragraphs, (3) paragraphs with no theme but having thematic structure, and (4) paragraphs with no theme and no thematic structure. It was found that the manner and the amount of the child's recall were a function of how the child's schemata structure interacted with a given paragraph structure. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the generally unquestioned assumption that only one “ideal” text grammar is needed to describe children's schemata for processing test.
Toward a Neurocognitive Agent Architecture for AUVs

We present a neurocognitive architecture for autonomous underwater vehicles that takes its inspiration from current knowledge of the neurobiological basis of human cognition and is based upon modeling the large-scale functionality of the human brain. We build on the tradition of taking inspiration from the human cognitive architecture, making explicit attempts at modeling aspects of human cognition and in addition to modeling human cognition, we attempt to model the neurobiological basis of some aspects of human cognition. We describe the functional organization of the human brain, which can be roughly ordered in a three-tiered architecture including the sensorimotor functions, cognitive functions, and executive functions. In the architecture proposed, each of these functional systems is implemented as a subsystem of the whole agent architecture consisting of a set of psychologically and conceptually inspired modules.