cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The evolution and analysis of action switching in embodied agents

The dynamical systems approach in the cognitive and behavioral sciences studies how systems made of many coupled components across brain, body, and environment self-organize to generate behavior. This approach has mostly focused on models of single actions and has not addressed how a dynamical system can engage in multiple different directed actions. In this paper, we introduce a family of artificial life models that demonstrate how dynamical agents can engage in multiple different actions and autonomously switch between them. These described agents engage in a food foraging task, and are driven by both internal, metabolic variables and external, sensory variables. The analysis of one of these agents demonstrates how different actions can arise through transient modes of sensorimotor coordination, in which a subset of the available sensors and effectors become engaged while others are ignored. Transitions between actions are analyzed and shown to correspond to rapid movements through the agent's state space. In these transitions, some of the previously controlling sensors and effectors disengage, and new sets of sensors and effectors are engaged.
Post-cholecystectomy diarrhoea: a running commentary

See article on page 889 Since laparoscopic cholecystectomy eclipsed the open procedure in the early 1990s there has been a worldwide increase in annual cholecystectomy rates of between 20% and 50%.1 2 This has occurred despite a lack of evidence that gallstone incidence has increased to the same degree. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has a lower mortality rate than open cholecystectomy, but in view of the increased cholecystectomy rate, there may be no decrease in the total number of deaths associated with this operation.1 Changed indications for a safer procedure and patient or physician induced demand may explain the increased cholecystectomy rate. Patients and doctors may have a lower threshold for tolerance of gallstone associated symptoms than in the pre-laparoscopic era. As gallstones may be associated with a spectrum of symptoms, from none at all to those associated with life-threatening complications, in many instances the decision to operate may be arbitrary. This is especially so as the large majority of gallstones are asymptomatic, and these are best left undisturbed.3 Patient surveys two to 24 months after both open …
Building a Theory of Grandparent Development

A theory of grandparent development is described that includes the formulation of assumptions, goals for guiding instruction, curriculum design, and a measurement tool to assess learning needs and evaluate the effects of educational intervention. Cultural considerations are illustrated by a three generational study of African-American (n = 777), Caucasian (n = 1086), and Hispanic (n = 672) subjects who were administered the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Perceptions of each generation about the attitudes and behaviors of grandparents were examined with multivariate analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons to analyze the scores, confirm results, and facilitate interpretation of findings. Results showed significant differences between generations and within cultures. Each generation identified elements of grandparent success as well as issues that deserve consideration in building educational programs.
Transapical sutureless aortic valve implantation under magnetic resonance imaging guidance: Acute and short-term results.

Objectives Despite the increasing success and applicability of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, 2 critical issues remain: the durability of the valves, and the ideal imaging to aid implantation. This study was designed to investigate the transapical implantation of a device of known durability using real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. Methods A sutureless aortic valve was used that employs a self-expanding nitinol stent and is amenable to transapical delivery. MRI (1.5-T) was used to identify the anatomic landmarks in 60-kg Yucatan swine. Prostheses were loaded into an MRI-compatible delivery device with an active guidewire to enhance visualization. A series of acute feasibility experiments were conducted (n = 10). Additional animals (n = 6) were allowed to survive and had follow-up MRI scans and echocardiography at 90 days postoperatively. Postmortem gross examination was performed. Results The valve was MRI compatible and created no significant MRI artifacts. The 3 commissural struts were visible on short-axis view; therefore, coronary ostia obstruction was easily avoided. The average implantation time was 65 seconds. Final results demonstrated stability of the implants with preservation of myocardial perfusion and function over 90 days: the ejection fraction was 48% ± 15%; the peak gradient was 17.3 ± 11.3 mm Hg; the mean gradient was 9.8 ± 7.2 mm Hg. Mild aortic regurgitation was seen in 4 cases, trace in 1 case, and a severe central jet in 1 case. Prosthesis positioning was evaluated during gross examination. Conclusions We demonstrated that a sutureless aortic valve can be safely and expeditiously implanted through a transapical approach under real-time MRI guidance. Postimplantation results showed a well-functioning prosthesis, with minimal regurgitation, and stability over time.
High prevalence of human cytomegalovirus in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and prostatic carcinoma.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Recent epidemiological data indicate that a history of increased exposure to sexually transmitted diseases is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a member of the herpesvirus family, is sexually transmitted in adults and can persistently infect prostatic epithelium in nonimmunocompromised hosts. Based on increased awareness of the oncogenic potential of this virus, we decided to reexplore the issue of whether HCMV might be involved in prostate cancer pathogenesis.Materials and Methods: Paraffin embedded biopsy specimens from 22 randomly selected patients with prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) lesions and prostatic carcinoma were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing to detect HCMV nucleic acids and determine whether HCMV gene products were specifically associated with neoplastic cells.Results: We detected HCMV proteins and/or nucleic acids in all 22 of the 22 preneoplas...
Altered gene products involved in the malignant reprogramming of cancer stem/progenitor cells and multitargeted therapies

Abstract Recent studies in the field of cancer stem cells have revealed that the alterations in key gene products involved in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) program, altered metabolic pathways such as enhanced glycolysis, lipogenesis and/or autophagy and treatment resistance may occur in cancer stem/progenitor cells and their progenies during cancer progression. Particularly, the sustained activation of diverse developmental cascades such as hedgehog, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/TGF-βR receptors and/or stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) can play critical functions for high self-renewal potential, survival, invasion and metastases of cancer stem/progenitor cells and their progenies. It has also been observed that cancer cells may be reprogrammed to re-express different pluripotency-associated stem cell-like markers such as Myc, Oct-3/4, Nanog and Sox-2 along the EMT process and under stressful and hypoxic conditions. Moreover, the enhanced expression and/or activities of some drug resistance-associated molecules such as Bcl-2, Akt/molecular target of rapamycin (mTOR), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) multidrug transporters frequently occur in cancer cells during cancer progression and metastases. These molecular events may cooperate for the survival and acquisition of a more aggressive and migratory behavior by cancer stem/progenitor cells and their progenies during cancer transition to metastatic and recurrent disease states. Of therapeutic interest, these altered gene products may also be exploited as molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets to develop novel multitargeted strategies for improving current cancer therapies and preventing disease relapse.
Some algebraic differential equations with few transcendental solutions

Abstract The differential equation f ( k ) = f ( j 1 ) … f ( j d ) with d > 1 and each j i k has no entire transcendental solutions. In a sense, in almost all cases transcendental meromorphic solutions can also be excluded, and with substantially fewer possible exceptional cases transcendental solutions are either elliptic or of the form f ( z ) = g ( e c z ) with g rational and c constant.
Growing Disciples Inventory (GDI) for Self-Assessment of Christian Spiritual Development

Finding no assessment of the holistic goals for Christian spiritual development in the context of Protestant private schools, the Growing Disciples Inventory (GDI) was constructed and validated using a mixed methods approach to educational design research. To assess the 21 factors within the four Growing Fruitful Disciples curriculum processes, the GDI was developed through iterative cycles of expert review and usability testing to a final 100-item online format. GDI and exit survey responses from 595 adolescents attending eight Seventh-day Adventist schools on three continents provided strong evidence for reliability and validity. A larger international sample is recommended for further research of improved and alternate versions of this formative curriculum-aligned self-assessment tool for Christian education.
Aluminum quality breakthrough for aircraft structural reliability

In 1983, Alcoa's Davenport Works initiated a statistically designed experiment to evaluate effects of processing on thick plate metal quality. An outgrowth of this program is a breakthrough in quality and resultant property improvements that can be exploited for fatigue and fracture-critical structures. This paper describes the statistical quality control effort, and gives evidence of the improved capabilities typical of recently produced high-quality material. Among conventional mechanical property tests, the smooth fatigue test is shown to be the most discriminating for initial metal quality. Data are shown correlating longer lifetimes to reduced microporosity size in the improved plate. Replicate fatigue tests enable definition of a "characteristic" initial flaw size distribution that can serve as a starting point for flaw growth analysis and life management. These findings are discussed relative to initial fatigue quality guarantees and compatibility with emerging U.S. Air Force durability analysis methodology. In summary, it is shown that the combination of more discriminating testing and a superior product offers considerable promise for reliability improvement in aircraft structural designs of the future.
Version aware LibreOffice documents

Version control systems provide a methodology for maintaining changes to a document over its lifetime and provide better management and control of evolving document collections, such as source code for large software systems. However, no version control system supports similar functionalities for office documents. Version Aware XML documents integrate full versioning functionality into an XML document type, using XML namespaces to avoid document type errors. Version aware XML documents contain a preamble with versions stored in reverse delta format, plus unique ID attributes attached to the nodes of the documents. They support the full branching and merging functionalities familiar to software engineers, in contrast to the constrained versioning models typical of Office applications. LibreOffice is an open source office document suite which is widely used for document creation. Each document is represented in the Open Office Document Format, which is a collection of XML files. The current project is an endeavor to show the practicality of the version aware XML documents approach by modifying the LibreOffice document suite to support version awareness. We are modifying LibreOffice to accept and preserve both the preamble and the IDs of the version aware framework. Initially, other functionality will be provided by wrapper applications and independent tools, but full integration into the LibreOffice user interface is envisioned.
Transferrin concentration and location during formation of chick retina: Developmental correlates

The amount of transferrin in chick retina was measured during development and compared to transferrin location seen immunocytochemically. Between embryonic day 6 (E6), and 5 days post hatching, two periods occur in which transferrin concentrations rise sharply and decline. During the first, transferrin concentration rises 5-fold between E6 and 10, then rapidly declines by E14. A second increase begins on E17 and peaks by E19-20. Immunocytochemical findings demonstrate that during the first rise in concentration, transferrin is located primarily in neuritic layers. Later in development, when levels again increase, newly forming photoreceptor outer segments are strongly transferrin positive. These findings are discussed in light of developmental events occurring during retinal maturation.
Evaluating the impact of aquifer layer properties on geomechanical response during CO2 geological sequestration

Numerical models play an essential role in understanding the facts of carbon dioxide (CO"2) geological sequestration in the life cycle of a storage reservoir. We present a series of test cases that reflect a broad and realistic range of aquifer reservoir properties to systematically evaluate and compare the impacts on the geomechanical response to CO"2 injection. In this study, a coupled hydro-mechanical model was applied to simulate the sequestration process, and a quasi-Monte Carlo sampling method was employed to efficiently sample the value of aquifer properties and geometry parameters. Through quantitative sensitivity analysis, the impacts of all the input parameters are ranked. Aquifer permeability was found to be of significant importance to the geomechanical response to the injection. To study the influence of uncertainty of the permeability distribution in the aquifer, an additional series of tests is presented, based on a default permeability distribution site sample with various distribution deviations generated by the Monte Carlo sampling method. The results of the test series show that the uncertainty of permeability distributions significantly affect the displacement and possible failure zone.
Effects of resynchronization strategies for lactating Holstein cows on pattern of reinsemination, fertility, and economic outcome

The objectives were to evaluate the pattern of re-insemination, pregnancy outcomes to re-insemination in estrus and at fixed time, and economic outcomes of lactating Holstein cows submitted to three resynchronization protocols. Cows were enrolled in the Experiment at 32 ± 3 d after pre-enrollment Artificial Insemination (AI), 7 d before pregnancy diagnosis, and randomly assigned to three resynchronization protocols. All cows diagnosed not pregnant at 39 ± 3 d after pre-enrollment AI were submitted to the Cosynch72 (Day 0 GnRH, Day 7 prostaglandin F2α, and Day 10 GnRH and fixed time AI). Cows assigned to the control treatment received no further treatment, cows assigned to the GGPG treatment received a GnRH injection on Day −7, and cows assigned to the CIDR treatment received a controlled internal drug release (CIDR) insert containing 1.38 g of progesterone from Days 0–7. Cows observed in estrus were re-inseminated on the same day. Pregnancy was diagnosed at 39 ± 3 and 67 ± 3 d after re-insemination. Costs of the resynchronization protocols were calculated for individual cows enrolled in the study and pregnancies generated were given a value of $275. The GGPG treatment resulted in the slowest (P ≤ 0.06) rate of re-insemination. Overall pregnancy per AI (P/AI) at 39 ± 3 (P = 0.50) and 67 ± 3 (P = 0.49) d after re-insemination were not affected by treatment. Although cost of the control protocol was (P < 0.01) the smallest, return per cow resynchronized was (P < 0.01) greater for GGPG and CIDR protocols. We concluded that presynchronizing the estrous cycle of cows with GnRH or treating cows with a CIDR insert during resynchronization altered the pattern of re-insemination and improved the economic return of resynchronized cows.
Understanding Preferences for Search System Interfaces and the Role of Emotive Forces: A Research Challenge

Information professionals have observed that Web-based search interfaces simplify database searching and are preferred over other interfaces. A further anecdotal observation is that their features, in comparison to other interfaces, enhance the quality of search sessions, resulting in better outcomes. One explanation is that Web interfaces ease the negative emotive forces searchers experience with other interfaces. This paper examines the challenges in designing a research method to test the validity of these assumptions and observations. Although Web interfaces may provide a more supportive search setting, particularly for less experienced searchers, there is no evidence they contribute to better search outcomes.
MPI Collective Communications on The Blue Gene/P Supercomputer: Algorithms and Optimizations

The IBM Blue Gene/P (BG/P) system is a massively parallel supercomputer succeeding BG/L, and it comes with many machine design enhancements and new architectural features at the hardware and software levels. This paper presents techniques leveraging such features to deliver high performance MPI collective communication primitives. In particular, we exploit BG/P rich set of network hardware in exploring three classes of collective algorithms: global algorithms on global interrupt and collective networks for MPI COMM WORLD; rectangular algorithms for rectangular communicators on the torus network; and binomial algorithms for irregular communicators over the torus point-to-point network. We also utilize various forms of data movements including the direct memory access (DMA) engine, collective network, and shared memory, to implement synchronous and asynchronous algorithms of different objectives and performance characteristics. Our performance study on BG/P hardware with up to 16K nodes demonstrates the efficiency and scalability of the algorithms and optimizations.
Serving as a course coordinator: preparation is key.

New practitioners might find themselves coordinating a course or courses sooner than they had expected given the current shortage of faculty at many colleges of pharmacy.[1][1] While this may be perceived as an overwhelming assignment at first, thoughtful preparation and organization can ensure
Impact of cooling rate on the morphology of coalescence silver nanoparticles

Abstract The effects of the kinetic energy of the colliding Ag clusters, the cooling rate, and the reaction chamber temperature on the structures of product Ag particles were studied using molecular dynamics simulations with a cluster Sutton-Chen potential. The results show that cooling rate is the most significant factor in the structure of the final product. A cooling rate of 1.5625 × 10 11 K/s with a chamber temperature of 300 K generates a crystalline structure. In contrast, a rapid cooling rate, 1.5625 × 10 13 K/s, is more likely to produce an amorphous structure due to the lack of enough kinetic energy to overcome potential barriers.
What is the Oslerian tradition

Discussants of internal medicine often invoke but seldom define “the Oslerian tradition,” which has many meanings. No definition provides clear insight into the issues now relevant to American inte...
Radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of paediatric microcystic lymphatic malformations

Abstract Objective: Congenital lymphatic malformations are a challenging clinical problem. There is currently no universally accepted treatment for the management of microcystic disease. We describe the novel use of an existing technology (radiofrequency ablation, also termed Coblation) for the debulking of paediatric microcystic lymphatic malformations involving the upper aerodigestive tract. Methods: Five children with microcystic or mixed-type lymphatic malformations were included in this retrospective case series. Results: Each child had a satisfactory outcome following radiofrequency debulking, with improved oral intake and airway symptoms. No serious complications were reported. These findings constitute level IV evidence. Conclusion: We recommend radiofrequency ablation as a safe, viable alternative to existing techniques for the treatment of paediatric microcystic lymphatic malformations of the upper aerodigestive tract. Radiofrequency ablation achieves effective debulking of microcysts whilst avoiding excessive bleeding and thermal damage to surrounding tissues. This paper constitutes the first report of successful treatment of airway obstruction due to paediatric laryngopharyngeal microcystic disease, using radiofrequency ablation.
Rethinking resident supervision to improve safety: from hierarchical to interprofessional models

BACKGROUND: Inadequate supervision is a significant contributing factor to medical errors involving trainees, but supervision in high-risk settings such as the intensive care unit (ICU) is not well studied. OBJECTIVE: We explored how residents in the ICU experienced supervision related to medication safety, not only from supervising physicians but also from other professionals. DESIGN, SETTING, MEASUREMENTS: Using qualitative methods, we examined in-depth interviews with 17 residents working in ICUs of three tertiary-care hospitals. We analyzed residents' perspectives on receiving and initiating supervision from physicians within the traditional medical hierarchy, and from other professionals, including nurses, staff pharmacists, and clinical pharmacists (“interprofessional supervision”). RESULTS: While initiating their own supervision within the traditional hierarchy, residents believed in seeking assistance from fellows and attendings, and articulated rules of thumb for doing so; however, they also experienced difficulties. Some residents were concerned that their questions would reflect poorly on them; others were embarrassed by their mistaken decisions. Conversely, residents described receiving interprofessional supervision from nurses and pharmacists, who proactively monitored, intervened in, and guided residents' decisions. Residents relied on nurses and pharmacists for nonjudgmental answers to their queries, especially after-hours. To enhance both types of supervision, residents emphasized the importance of improving interpersonal communication skills. CONCLUSIONS: Residents depended on interprofessional supervision when making decisions regarding medications in the ICU. Improving interprofessional supervision, which thus far has been underrecognized and underemphasized in graduate medical education, can potentially improve medication safety in high-risk settings. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2011;6:448–456. © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine
Two-stage electoral competition in two-party contests: persistent divergence of party positions

Models of party competition building on Downs (1957) have recognized that there are centrifugal and centripetal forces in party competition; but one such force, the existence of party primaries, has been remarkably neglected in recent literature. We consider party/candidate policy divergence in two-party competition in one dimension where there is a two-stage electoral process, e.g., a primary election (or caucus) among party supporters to select that party’s candidate followed by a general election. We develop a model in which (some or all) voters in the primary election are concerned with the likelihood that the primary victor will be able to win the general election and being concerned with that candidate’s policy position. This model is similar in all but technical details to that given in an almost totally neglected early paper in Public Choice Coleman (1971) 11:35–60, but we offer important new results on electoral dynamics for candidate locations. In addition to accounting for persistent party divergence by incorporating a more realistic model of the institutions that govern elections in the U.S., the model we offer gives rise to predictions that match a number of important aspects of empirical reality such as frequent victories for incumbents and greater than otherwise expected electoral success for the minority party in situations where that party has its supporters more closely clustered ideologically than the supporters of the larger party (in particular, with a concentration of voters between the party mean and the population mean).
Green body homogeneity effects on sintered tolerances

A mathematical link is created between green body mass homogeneity and sintered component dimensional scatter. In the light of the model, data from die pressed and injection moulded powders are analysed for green mass variations and sintered size variations. The model provides guidelines for assessing research needs for process control, green body inspection and computer simulation with respect to dimensional tolerance goals.
In Disperse Solution, ``Osmotic Stress" is a Restricted Case of Preferential Interactions

In the practice of “osmotic stress,” the effect of excluded cosolvents on a biochemical equilibrium is interpreted as the number of water molecules participating in the reaction. This action is attributed to lowering of solvent water activity by the cosolvent. This concept of osmotic stress in disperse solution is erroneous: (i) A cosolvent cannot be both excluded and inert, i.e., noninteracting, because exclusion requires a positive free energy change; (ii) a decrease in water activity alone by addition of solute cannot affect an equilibrium when the reacting surface is in contact with the solvent; and (iii) osmotic stress in disperse solution is a restricted case of preferential interactions; the reaction is driven by the free energy of cosolvent exclusion, and the derived number of water molecules is solely a measure of the mutual perturbations of the chemical potentials of the cosolvent and the protein.
Use of Artificial Neural Network Models to Predict Coated Component Life from Short-Term Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements

Abstract The objective of this study was to relate the results from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) collected in 24 h to salt spray exposure data collected over 1,500 h for conversion-...
Democratic co-learning

For many machine learning applications it is important to develop algorithms that use both labeled and unlabeled data. We present democratic colearning in which multiple algorithms instead of multiple views enable learners to label data for each other. Our technique leverages off the fact that different learning algorithms have different inductive biases and that better predictions can be made by the voted majority. We also present democratic priority sampling, a new example selection method for active learning.
MEMS design synthesis: integrating case-based reasoning and multi-objective genetic algorithms

A case-based reasoning (CBR) knowledge base has been incorporated into a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) design tool that uses a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) to synthesize and optimize conceptual designs. CBR utilizes previously successful MEMS designs and sub-assemblies as building blocks stored in an indexed case library, which serves as the knowledge base for the synthesis process. Designs in the case library are represented in a parameterized object-oriented format, incorporating MEMS domain knowledge into the design synthesis loop as well as restrictions for the genetic operations of mutation and crossover for MOGA optimization. Reasoning tools locate cases in the design library with solved problems similar to the current design problem and suggest promising conceptual designs which have the potential to be starting design populations for a MOGA evolutionary optimization process, to further generate more MEMS designs concepts. Surface micro-machined resonators are used as an example to introduce this integrated MEMS design synthesis process. The results of testing on resonator case studies demonstrate how the combination of CBR and MOGA synthesis tools can help increase the number of optimal design concepts presented to MEMS designers.
A multi-mission operations strategy for sequencing and commanding

The Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate (TMOD) of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is responsible for development, maintenance and operation of flight operations systems for several classes of science missions planned for the next several years. The Mission Services and Applications (MS&A) Office is responsible for a large group of operations tasks, most of which are oriented toward the uplink leg of flight operations. These include sequence design and command generation, flight engineering tasks such as spacecraft activity planning and performance analysis, mission planning, telecommunications link analysis and DSN resource scheduling and planning. In addition, MS&A is responsible for the software tools necessary for performing these functions.
Comparison of Point-of-Care HbA1c Test versus Standardized Laboratory Testing

BACKGROUND:Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) evaluation is an accepted standard of care for assessing diabetes control. Point-of-care HbA1c monitors are relatively new, and there are few published data on their accuracy.OBJECTIVE:To compare a point-of-care HbA1c monitor with standardized laboratory testing.METHODS:Twenty-three patients who had type 1 or 2 diabetes were identified from our pharmacy-run diabetes clinic at a primary care clinic as needing HbA1c evaluation based on the American Diabetes Association guidelines. All patients with diabetes who attended our clinic were invited to participate in the study. Patients were required to obtain both a standardized laboratory HbA1c evaluation and a point-of-care A1c Now value within a week of each other. An analysis evaluating both clinical and statistical significance was completed at the end of the study.RESULTS:The A1c Now monitor showed good correlation (r = 0.758) to the standardized laboratory test. We found that the most accurate A1c Now values were...
Chronotropic Action of Angiotensin II in Neurons via Protein Kinase C and CaMKII

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays an important role in the central control of blood pressure and baroreflexes. These effects are initiated by stimulation of Ang II type 1 (AT 1 ) receptors on neurons within the hypothalamus and brain stem, and involve increasing the activity of noradrenergic, substance P, and glutamatergic pathways. The goal of this study is to investigate the intracellular signaling molecules, which are involved in mediating the Ang II-induced increases in neuronal activity. Using neurons in primary culture from newborn rat hypothalamus and brain stem, we have previously determined that Ang II elicits an AT 1 receptor-mediated inhibition of delayed rectifier K + current, a stimulation of Ca 2+ current, and a consequent increase in firing rate. In the present study we have demonstrated that this chronotropic action of Ang II in neuronal cultures involves activation of Ca 2+ -dependent signaling molecules. The Ang II-induced increase in firing rate was abolished by inhibition of phospholipase C with U73122 (10 μmol/L), and was attenuated by the protein kinase C inhibitor calphostin C (10 μmol/L) or by the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) inhibitor KN-93 (10 μmol/L). A combination of calphostin C and KN-93 completely inhibited this Ang II action. These results indicate that the AT 1 receptor-mediated increase in neuronal firing rate involves activation of both PKC and CaMKII, and suggest that these enzymes are potential targets for manipulating the central actions of Ang II.
In singulo probing of viral RNA dynamics by multichromophore fluorescence dequenching.

Current understanding of virus life-cycle states and transitions between them is mainly built on knowledge of the protein shell structure encapsulating the genome. Little is known about the genome fate during viral transitions. Here, changes in the fluorescence rate from multilabeled transcript viral RNAs encapsulated in Brome mosaic virus capsids were examined as a function of the RNA state. A simple kinetic model relating chain compactness to single-molecule fluorescence emission suggests that in a dense multichromophore system the rate of energy transfer should scale with distance more gradually than the rate of the Forster energy transfer between two chromophores, which varies sharply as the reciprocal of distance to the sixth power. As a proof-of-principle experiment, we have compared predictions from a numerical model for confined diffusive motion with the fluorescence emission from virus-encapsulated and free single RNA molecules decorated with multiple cyanine dyes and encapsulated inside microsco...
Adaptation of arm movement control under repeated perturbations

To develop control strategies for a prosthetic arm or electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscles, we have designed a novel approach to investigate how the neural system utilizes available sensory information to learn and adapt to a perturbation for the intended arm reaching movement. A parallel approach of both human and animal experiments allows us to collect data from cortical neurons, muscles and arm movement kinematics to analyze coordinated changes in control strategy of various levels in the sensorimotor system. We simultaneously record neural activities in motor cortex, EMG responses in 7 arm muscles, and arm movement trajectories during a visually guided reaching task. Force perturbations (an impulse of 75-100 ms) are delivered through a string attached to the wrist of the moving arm. Preliminary results and data analysis demonstrate that human subjects develop an anticipatory strategy to improve performance of reaching tasks under repeated force perturbations applied to the wrist. The same experimental protocol has been modified to rhesus monkeys with implanted multichannel cortical electrodes. Data collected from this experiment show that correlation of adaptation among individual and populations of cortical neurons, muscle coordination patterns, and kinematics can be established.
Assessing Hydrologic Change in Surface-Mined Watersheds Using the Curve Number Method

The U.S. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires that mine operators minimize disturbances to the prevailing hydrologic balance of surface-mined sites and associated off-site areas through land reclamation. The hydrologic evaluation to support this requirement is often performed using the curve number (CN) rainfall-runoff method. Accurate application is limited by a scarcity of tabulated CN values for reclaimed mine lands, and assumptions regarding the hydrologic behavior of reclaimed mine lands may be inaccurate. Four watersheds (three reclaimed surface coal mines and one forested reference) in the Georges Creek basin of western Maryland were instrumented for rainfall and runoff. CNs calculated for the reclaimed mine land watersheds using rainfall and runoff data (range=68–92) were generally higher than CNs estimated by prevailing engineering methods (range=65–79). The general agreement of these results with other studies indicates that a more conservative hydrologic approach may be w...
PROSTATE CANCER DETECTION IN VETERANS WITH A HISTORY OF AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE

Purpose: Agent Orange, a chemical that was widely used in the Vietnam War as a defoliant, is widely accepted as a health hazard but its potential causative role in prostate cancer has been controversial. We evaluated the rate of prostate cancer in veterans referred for prostate biopsy who reported a history of Agent Orange exposure compared to the rate in veterans who denied such exposure.Materials and Methods: A total of 400 consecutive veterans referred for prostate needle biopsy in a 30-month period completed a survey regarding Agent Orange exposure. Of these 400 patients 32 (8%) reported previous exposure to Agent Orange. From the remaining 368 patients who denied Agent Orange exposure 3 consecutive age matched controls were selected per each patient reporting exposure for a total of 96 age matched controls. Prostate specific antigen, prostate cancer, cancer grade and length of cancer in the biopsy cores were compared in Agent Orange exposed patients and unexposed controls. To determine whether the pa...
Modeling left-turn crash occurrence at signalized intersections by conflicting patterns

In order to better understand the underlying crash mechanisms, left-turn crashes occurring at 197 four-legged signalized intersections over 6 years were classified into nine patterns based on vehicle maneuvers and then were assigned to intersection approaches. Crash frequency of each pattern was modeled at the approach level by mainly using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) with the Negative Binomial as the link function to account for the correlation among the crash data. GEE with a binomial logit link function was also applied for patterns with fewer crashes. The Cumulative Residuals test shows that, for correlated left-turn crashes, GEE models usually outperformed basic Negative Binomial models. The estimation results show that there are obvious differences in the factors that cause the occurrence of different left-turn collision patterns. For example, for each pattern, the traffic flows to which the colliding vehicles belong are identified to be significant. The width of the crossing distance (represented by the number of through lanes on the opposing approach of the left-turning traffic) is associated with more left-turn traffic colliding with opposing through traffic (Pattern 5), but with less left-turning traffic colliding with near-side crossing through traffic (Pattern 8). The safety effectiveness of the left-turning signal is not consistent for different crash patterns; "protected" phasing is correlated with fewer Pattern 5 crashes, but with more Pattern 8 crashes. The study indicates that in order to develop efficient countermeasures for left-turn crashes and improve safety at signalized intersections, left-turn crashes should be considered in different patterns.
An overview of a graphical multilanguage applications environment

A programming environment to support the development and use of engineering applications is presented. The environment provides uniform support for a set of Pascal-class languages in which engineering and scientific applications are commonly written. The environment includes a dynamically multilanguage interpreter debugger to aid in the interactive development of applications. For the application and user, the environment provides a graphical program interface based on the concept of a software control panel. Through a control panel, the user may interactively modify program parameters and exercise fine-grain control over program execution. The environment also includes a graphical design tool for constructing executable block diagrams based on standard application programs. The control-panel tool is integrated with the design tool, to provide a uniform interface to all levels of program execution. >
Wave optics simulation of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle effects in CO2 differential absorption lidar (DIAL)

The measurement sensitivity of CO{sub 2} differential absorption LIDAR (DIAL) can be affected by a number of different processes. The authors address the interaction of two of these processes: effects due to beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence and effects due to reflective speckle. Atmospheric turbulence affects the beam distribution of energy and phase on target. These effects include beam spreading, beam wander and scintillation which can result in increased shot-to-shot signal noise. In addition, reflective speckle alone has a major impact on the sensitivity of CO{sub 2} DIAL. The interaction of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle is of great importance in the performance of a DIAL system. A Huygens-Fresnel wave optics propagation code has previously been developed at the Naval Postgraduate School that models the effects of atmospheric turbulence as propagation through a series of phase screens with appropriate atmospheric statistical characteristics. This code has been modified to include the effects of reflective speckle. The performance of this modified code with respect to the combined effects of atmospheric turbulence and reflective speckle is examined. Results are compared with a combination of experimental data and analytical models.
EXPLAINING AND VALUING: AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN THEOLOGY AND THE HUMAN SCIENCES

. A comparison of E.O. Wilson's On Human Nature and Abraham Heschel's Who Is Man? introduces a discussion of how descriptions and explanations of the human are related to valuations of the human. More intense comparative analysis focuses on Melvin Konner, The Tangled Wing, and Reinhold Niebuhr, The Nature and Destiny of Man, Similarities of outlook toward life in the world are noted, although the supporting information, concepts, and arguments are radically different. The article illustrates how a subject matter, here the human, that is addressed by different disciplines and methods can yield fruitful interdisciplinary analysis.
Front Quenching in the G-equation Model Induced by Straining of Cellular Flow

We study homogenization of the G-equation with a flow straining term (or the strain G-equation) in two dimensional periodic cellular flow. The strain G-equation is a highly non-coercive and non-convex level set Hamilton–Jacobi equation. The main objective is to investigate how the flow induced straining (the nonconvex term) influences front propagation as the flow intensity A increases. Three distinct regimes are identified. When A is below the critical level, homogenization holds and the turbulent flame speed sT (effective Hamiltonian) is well-defined for any periodic flow with small divergence and is enhanced by the cellular flow as sT ≧ O(A/log A). In the second regime where A is slightly above the critical value, homogenization breaks down, and sT is not well-defined along any direction. Solutions become a mixture of a fast moving part and a stagnant part. When A is sufficiently large, the whole flame front ceases to propagate forward due to the flow induced straining. In particular, along directions p = (±1, 0) and (0, ±1), sT is well-defined again with a value of zero (trapping). A partial homogenization result is also proved. If we consider a similar but relatively simpler Hamiltonian, the trapping occurs along all directions. The analysis is based on the two-player differential game representation of solutions, selection of game strategies and trapping regions, and construction of connecting trajectories.
Assessing the Development Promise of IP Provisions in EU Economic Partnership Agreements

The European Union (EU) pursues an active strategy of negotiating economic partnership agreements (EPAs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) with many developing countries and regions. One central objective is to promote sustainable economic development. An important component of this objective is the articulation of regimes covering intellectual property rights (IPRs) in partner countries to support technology transfer and innovation. In this paper I consider how the provisions in two recent agreements—the EU-CARIFORUM EPA with Caribbean countries and the EU-Colombia-Peru FTA—may help achieve these objectives. After a review of the relevant language and evidence I draw the following conclusions. First, although the agreements do not commit the EU to taking affirmative actions to increase technology transfer, their novel provisions on information sharing and scientific networks could help. Second, the agreements generally recognize the importance of policy flexibility in IPRs. One exception is the significant new disciplines required in IPR enforcement, particularly in the CARIFORUM EPA. Third, both agreements pay particular attention to the protection of geographical indications (GIs), an EU priority. The potential for GIs per se to build global markets is doubtful but they could be useful in fostering benefit sharing from the use of traditional knowledge.
An irrational ruled symplectic 4-manifold

Ruled surfaces form an important and fairly well understood class of symplectic 4-manifolds. They are orientable 2-sphere bundles V over a Riemann surface M which have a symplectic form ω that is non-degenerate on each fiber of the projection π: V → M and is compatible with the obvious orientations on the base and fiber. Such forms are said to be π-compatible. One of the main results of [3] is that every minimal symplectic 4-manifold that contains a symplectic 2-sphere with trivial normal bundle is π-compatible for a suitable fibration π. (A symplectic manifold is said to be minimal if it contains no symplectic 2-spheres with self-intersection - 1.) We showed in [4] that when V is rational (that is, if the base M is a 2-sphere) or if V is the trivial bundle over T 2, then in each possible cohomology class the symplectic structure is unique up to isotopy. What happens in the general case is not yet clear, though one can show that uniqueness continues to hold in a certain range of cohomology classes.
Social Intelligence: Prerequisite for the Management of Science and Technology

Underdevelopment is more a state of mind than a consequence of environmental, social or technical impoverishment. This is not to deny that prolonged underdevelopment will eventually lead to a deterioration of the environment, wastage of natural and technical resources, and a destruction of social integrity. Instead, this assertion is based on the fact that underdevelopment can often be observed in the midst of relative abundance and that it is accompanied by a paralysis of will and a surrender to ignorance.
PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS AND SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER EDUCATORS

In this article, the author uses qualitative survey data to argue for the integration of multicultural education into elementary, middle, and secondary social studies classrooms, as well into the social studies education curricula. With the increasingly diverse demographics of schools, teachers need to include multicultural education as a part of their instruction. The National Council of Social Studies themes of Social Studies readily lend themselves to this critical element of social studies instruction. This study indicates a wide range of preservice teachers’ understandings about the meaning of the term “multicultural education.” Responses included definitions about teachers’ beliefs about student diversity, to responses about teaching practices, and included responses that indicated little or no understanding of the term. The author argues that these diverse understandings can and will have significant implications for the ways these preservice teachers will enact multicultural pedagogies in their future social studies classrooms