cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association of Aciculin with Dystrophin and Utrophin

Aciculin is a recently identified 60-kDa cytoskeletal protein, highly homologous to the glycolytic enzyme phosphoglucomutase type 1, (Belkin, A. M., Klimanskaya, I. V., Lukashev, M. E., Lilley, K., Critchley, D., and Koteliansky, V. E. (1994) J. Cell Sci. 107, 159-173). Aciculin expression in skeletal muscle is developmentally regulated, and this protein is particularly enriched at cell-matrix adherens junctions of muscle cells (Belkin, A. M., and Burridge, K.(1994) J. Cell Sci. 107, 1993-2003). The purpose of our study was to identify cytoskeletal protein(s) interacting with aciculin in various cell types. Using immunoprecipitation from cell lysates of metabolically labeled differentiating C2C12 muscle cells with anti-aciculin-specific antibodies, we detected a high molecular weight band (Mr∼ 400,000), consistently coprecipitating with aciculin. We showed that this 400 kDa band comigrated with dystrophin and immunoblotted with anti-dystrophin antibodies. The association between aciculin and dystrophin in C2C12 cells was shown to resist Triton X-100 extraction and the majority of the complex could be extracted only in the presence of ionic detergents. In the reverse immunoprecipitation experiments, aciculin was detected in the precipitates with different anti-dystrophin antibodies. Immunodepletion experiments with lysates of metabolically labeled C2C12 myotubes showed that aciculin is a major dystrophin-associated protein in cultured skeletal muscle cells. Double immunostaining of differentiating and mature C2C12 myotubes with antibodies against aciculin and dystrophin revealed precise colocalization of these two cytoskeletal proteins throughout the process of myodifferentiation in culture. In skeletal muscle tissue, both proteins are concentrated at the sarcolemma and at myotendinous junctions. In contrast, utrophin, an autosomal homologue of dystrophin, was not codistributed with aciculin in muscle cell cultures and in skeletal muscle tissues. Analytical gel filtration experiments with purified aciculin and dystrophin showed interaction of these proteins in vitro, indicating that their association in skeletal muscle is due to direct binding. Whereas dystrophin was shown to be a major aciculin-associated protein in skeletal muscle, immunoblotting of anti-aciculin immunoprecipitates with antibodies against utrophin showed that aciculin is associated with utrophin in cultured A7r5 smooth muscle cells and REF52 fibroblasts. Immunodepletion experiments performed with lysates of metabolically labeled A7r5 cells demonstrated that aciculin is a major utrophin-binding protein in this cell type. Taken together, our data show that aciculin is a novel dystrophin- and utrophin-binding protein. Association of aciculin with dystrophin (utrophin) in various cell types might provide an additional cytoskeletal-matrix transmembrane link at sites where actin filaments terminate at the plasma membrane.
Effects of origin and experience on patterns of host acceptance by the opiine parasitoid Diachasmimorpha tryoni

Summary 1. Patterns of host acceptance by Diachasmimorpha tryoni (Ashmead), a parasitoid of tephritid flies, were evaluated in relation to host–substrate complex, wasp origin, and wasp experience. 2. Naive female D. tryoni originating both from the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and the lantana gall fly Eutreta xanthochaeta Aldrich probed medfly-infested coffee fruit two to six times more often than E. xanthochaeta-inhabited lantana galls. No significant differences were detected between the two groups of parasitoids in patterns of probing response to medfly-infested coffee fruit or to E. xanthochaeta galls. 3. An 18-h pretest exposure to medfly-infested coffee fruit or E. xanthochaeta-inhabited galls affected the probing response of D. tryoni to E. xanthochaeta galls significantly, but did not affect the probing response to medfly-infested coffee fruit. Diachasmimorpha tryoni exposed to E. xanthochaeta galls probed E. xanthochaeta galls two to three times more often than naive wasps, and seven to 11 times more than wasps exposed to medfly-infested coffee fruit. Regardless of the prior exposure treatments, a high proportion (75–100%) of the test parasitoids probed medfly-infested coffee fruit. 4. Parasitoid acceptance of less-preferred hosts or host–substrate complexes may be more amenable to conditioning through prior experience (i.e. learning) than preferred host–substrate complexes. The relevance of these findings to host range expansion of parasitoids used in fruit fly biological control is discussed.
Seismic response of elevated steel water pipe

Elevated steel water pipelines may be subjected to transverse and vertical seismic forces, and should be designed to withstand these forces safely. A specific elevated steel water pipeline is studied using a linear computer program that incorporates the response spectrum approach for seismic analysis. Two means of pipeline support are studied and compared: a steel moment-resisting frame system and a steel vertical truss system. Preliminary design of the individual supports is completed using an approximate lateral-force procedure. The bending moment in the pipeline is then investigated, as well as the lateral forces imparted to the support structures, using the response spectrum approach, with modifications for damping and ductility. Results indicate that the equivalent lateral-force procedure does not prove satisfactory for this particular pipeline. In addition, the vertical truss method of support results in a consistently lower bending moment in the pipeline than does the moment-resisting frame method of support.
Assessment of wavelet analysis of gait in children with typical development and cerebral palsy

The objective of this study was to examine the use of the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) on surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals acquired from the lower extremity muscles during gait in children with typical development (TD) and cerebral palsy (CP). This was done to explore the possibility of developing a quantitative assessment scale of motor function based on time-frequency information. An initial study was conducted on retrospective gait data from three children, matched in gender and in anthropometric variables but with differing levels of walking ability. EMG data were extracted from five lower extremity muscles to assess the degrees of differentiation. The data were processed using the CWT to derive an average scalogram, from which the instantaneous mean frequency (IMNF) was calculated. Principal component analysis was used to assess the differences between the curves. Preliminary results indicated that for select lower extremity muscles, there was a significant deviation in the IMNF curves in the child with CP as compared to the child with TD. Furthermore, as motor impairment increased, total percent explained variance to the TD curves decreased. This suggests that it might be possible to derive a physiologically based quantitative index for assessing motor function and for assessing clinical treatments in CP using the wavelet analysis.
The dialysis outcome and quality initiative (DOQI) recommendations

National surveys have demonstrated that the US End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program has witnessed an increasing number of patients each and every year with a corresponding increase in cost. However, when compared to the data from the ESRD program of other countries, we find that these US patients have a low rate of autogenous arteriovenous access (AVA) placement and increased use of nonautogenous (or prosthetic) AVA. Some of the impetus for this can be attributed to (1) the lack of adequate or easily identifiable superficial veins in patients starting on hemodialysis with a history of multiple venipuncture or obesity, (2) earlier access rates of nonautogenous AVA as compared to autogenous AVA, (3) the relative ease of placement of nonautogenous AVA, and (4) a prior payment differential in favor of nonautogenous AVA placement that has since been abolished. However, by virtue of the increased number of procedures required to maintain nonautogenous AVA patency when compared to that of autogenous AVA patency, hemodialysis access failure has become the most frequent cause of hospitalization among ESRD patients. To further investigate this issue, the National Kidney Foundation Dialysis Outcome and Quality Initiative (DOQI) organized multidisciplinary work groups who reviewed 3325 articles concerning various issues of ESRD over a 2-year period. They suggested that autogenous AVA have the best longer-term patency rates and require the fewest interventions as compared to other access types. In order to improve overall patency rates and help contain angioaccess costs, these DOQI recommendations were published in 1997 and updated in 2000. While there is evidence that the guidelines are slowly being adopted, there remains much room for improvement in their implementation.
Blue and violet energy upconversion emission from a ZBLAN fiber doped with praseodymium and ytrrerbium under dye laser excitation

When a praseodymium doped fluoride fiber was pumped with a 587 nm dye laser that resonantly excited the 1 D 2 level of Pr 3+ , we detected energy upconversion signals at 492 and 522 nm from the 3 P 0,1 levels. We also observed violet upconversion signals at 356, 382 and 413 nm. Anti Stokes Raman signals were observed at 3500 - 4200 cm -1 away from the laser beam.
A rapid and quantitative gas chromatographic analysis for phenylalanine in serum

Quantitative determination of phenylalanine in serum by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis method
Geological consequences of superplumes

Superplumes are suggested to have caused the period of constant normal magnetic polarity in mid-Cretaceous time (124-83 Ma) and, possibly, the period of constant reversed polarity in Pennsylvania-Permian time (323-248 Ma). These times coincide with increases in world temperature, deposition of black shales, oil generation, and eustatic sea level in the mid-Cretaceous, and increased coal generation and gas accumulation in the Pennsylvanian-Permian, accompanied by an intracratonic Pennsylvanian transgression of epicontinental seas. These geologic anomalies are associated with episodes of increased world-wide ocean-crust production and mantle outgassing, especially of carbon and nutrients. These superplumes originated just above the core-mantle boundary, significantly increased convection in the outer core, and stopped the magnetic field reversal process for 41 m.y. in the Cretaceous and 75 m.y. in Pennsylvanian-Permian time.
Evaluation of ammonia, human sweat, and bovine blood as attractants for the female canyon fly, Fannia conspicua (Diptera: Muscidae), in southern California

ABSTRACT: Human sweat, liquid ammonia, and bovine blood are known to be attractive to some hematophagous flies. These materials were evaluated with and without carbon dioxide (CO2) for their ability to increase capture of female “canyon flies” (Fannia conspicua Malloch) using CDC-type suction traps (without light). Ammonia acted synergistically with CO2 to increase trap catch 89.9% over CO2 alone. There was no synergistic effect of human sweat or bovine blood with CO2. In the absence of CO2, none of the three materials increased trap catch of female canyon flies relative to non-baited traps. Implications for canyon fly control and further trap improvement are discussed.
Vasopressin does not stimulate fatty acid synthesis in mouse mammary explants

Fatty acid synthesis in mammary explants from pregnant mice increased after incubation with insulin, cortisol, and prolactin. Replacement of prolactin with vasopressin did not stimulate this activity. Prolactin treated with an anti-vasopressin antiserum had activity similar to untreated prolactin. Thus, stimulation of this lactogenic function by prolactin is not the result of its contamination with vasopressin.
The Relationship of College Students' Perceptions of Their BMI and Weight Status to Their Physical Self-Concept

Abstract Background: Limited research has investigated the relationship between individuals'perceptions of their weight status and their physical self-concept. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of college students' Body Mass Index (BMI) scores (i.e. based on actual and self-reported data), and whether students' physical self-concept scores differed according to their perceived weight status classification. Methods: Undergraduate students (N=192) completed the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire and self-reported their height, weight and weight status classification. Actual height and weight measurements were also obtained. Results: Analysis using tests revealed females had significantly higher actual than self-reported BMI scores (t = 2.16, df = 125, P< 0.05), but not males. ANOVA analyses revealed a significant difference for both females and males in physical self-concept scores based on their weight status category. Discussion: Results suggested that males, but not fema...
Factors Associated with Creative Strategic Decisions

The study and practice of business strategy is fundamentally based on employing creative solutions to differentiate a firm from its competitors. Theories used to describe the causes and consequences of strategic differentiation tend to focus on organization-level characteristics such as resources, capabilities and structures. However, less is known about day-to-day processes and practices whereby strategic managers develop create solutions necessary to establish strategic differentiation. This paper presents a preliminary field study of factors suggested by previous strategy process and micro-strategy research that may lead to, and result from, creative strategic decisions. Findings produced by a longitudinal field study of 52 strategic decisions reveal that creative strategic choices arise in response to managers' perceptions of uncertainty and competition. The findings also suggest that creativity may improve the ultimate effectiveness of strategic choices by 5–10 per cent.
A Membrane Ultrafiltration Procedure for Determining Diffusible Calcium in Serum

A rapid, simple procedure is described for separating diffusible from proteinbound serum calcium by centrifugation through high-flux ultrafiltration membranes. The mean normal value for ultrafilterable calcium was 57.1% (range 52 to 61%) of the total serum calcium concentration.
Association of Transposition of the Great Arteries in Infants with Maternal Exposures to Herbicides and Rodenticides

The Baltimore-Washington Infant Study, a case-control study of congenital heart defects in liveborn infants conducted in 1981--1989, interviewed parents about a wide range of environmental exposures that occurred during and before the pregnancy. In the period 1987--1989, the questionnaire was expanded to include a detailed inquiry about exposures to pesticides. An analysis of these latter data revealed an association of maternal exposure to any pesticides during the first trimester with transposition of the great arteries in their infants (TGA; n = 66 infants), relative to 771 control infants, with an odds ratio of 2.0 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2, 3.3). No other heart defects were associated with pesticides. When analyzed by type of pesticide and adjusted for covariates, there were associations of TGA with maternal exposures to herbicides (odds ratio (OR) = 2.8; 95% CI: 1.3, 7.2) and to rodenticidal chemicals (OR = 4.7; 95% CI: 1.4, 12.1) but not to insecticides (OR = 1.5; 95% CI: 0.9, 2.6). No data were collected on specific chemicals or brand names. These results raise new questions about the possible epidemiologic association of TGA with some classes of pesticides and warrant new, carefully targeted investigations.
Passive electrotonic properties of rat hippocampal CA3 interneurones.

1The linear membrane responses of CA3 interneurones were determined with the use of whole-cell patch recording methods. The mean input resistance (RN) for all cells in this study was 526 ± 16 MΩ and the slowest membrane time constant (τ0) was 73 ± 3 ms. 2The three-dimensional morphology of 63 biocytin-labelled neurones was used to construct compartmental models. Specific membrane resistivity (Rm) and specific membrane capacitance (Cm) were estimated by fitting the linear membrane response. Acceptable fits were obtained for 24 CA3 interneurones. The mean Rmwas 61.9 ± 34.2 Ω cm2 and the mean Cm was 0.9 ± 0.3 μF cm−2. Intracellular resistance (Ri) could not be resolved in this study. 3Examination of voltage attenuation revealed a significantly low synaptic efficiency from most dendritic synaptic input locations to the soma. 4Simulations of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were analysed at both the site of synaptic input and at the soma. There was little variability in the depolarization at the soma from synaptic inputs placed at different locations along the dendritic tree. The EPSP amplitude at the site of synaptic input was progressively larger with distance from the soma, consistent with a progressive increase in input impedance. 5The ‘iso-efficiency’ of spatially different synaptic inputs arose from two opposing factors: an increase in EPSP amplitude at the synapse with distance from the soma was opposed by a nearly equivalent increase in voltage attenuation. These simulations suggest that, in these particular neurones, the amplitude of EPSPs measured at the soma will not be significantly affected by the location of synaptic inputs.
Muscle Receptor Organs in the Crayfish Abdomen: A Student Laboratory Exercise in Proprioception

The primary purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate primary sensory neurons conveying information of joint movements and positions as proprioceptive information for an animal. An additional objective of this experiment is to learn anatomy of the preparation by staining, dissection and viewing of neurons and sensory structures under a dissecting microscope. This is performed by using basic neurophysiological equipment to record the electrical activity from a joint receptor organ and staining techniques. The muscle receptor organ (MRO) system in the crayfish is analogous to the intrafusal muscle spindle in mammals, which aids in serving as a comparative model that is more readily accessible for electrophysiological recordings. In addition, these are identifiable sensory neurons among preparations. The preparation is viable in a minimal saline for hours which is amenable for student laboratory exercises. The MRO is also susceptible to neuromodulation which encourages intriguing questions in the sites of modulatory action and integration of dynamic signals of movements and static position along with a gain that can be changed in the system.
Physical Maps of Autographa californica and Rachiplusia ou Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Recombinants

TN-368 cells were infected simultaneously with the closely related Autographa california (AcMNPV) and Rachiplusia ou (RoMNPV) nuclear polyhedrosis viruses. Progeny viral isolates were plaque purified, and their DNAs were analyzed with restriction endonucleases. Of 100 randomly cloned plaques, 7 were AcMNPV and RoMNPV recombinants, 5 were RoMNPV, and 88 were AcMNPV. The recombinants contained DNA sequences derived from both parental genomes. By comparing the restriction cleavage patterns of parental and recombinant DNAs, the crossover sites were mapped. A single double crossover was detected in each of the seven recombinant genomes. In addition, six of the seven recombinants revealed a crossover site mapping between 78 and 89% of the genome. The structural polypeptides of the seven recombinants and two parental viruses were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and their polyhedrins were identified by tryptic peptide mapping. An analysis of the segregation of three enveloped nucleocapsid proteins and of the polyhedrins among the recombinants located the DNA sequences coding for AcMNPV structural polypeptides with molecular weights of 37,000 (a capsid polypeptide), 56,000, and 90,000 and the RoMNPV structural polypeptides with molecular weights of 36,000 (a capsid polypeptide), 56,000, and 91,000. The AcMNPV and RoMNPV polypeptides of molecular weights 37,000 and 36,000, respectively, mapped within 78 to 89% or 1 to 29%, the polypeptides of molecular weights 55,000 and 56,000 mapped within 78 to 29%, and the polypeptides of molecular weights 90,000 and 91,000 mapped within 19 to 56% of the genome. The region of the parental DNAs that codes for polyhedrin was located within 70 to 89% of the genome.
Modeling the amplification dynamics of human Alu retrotransposons.

Retrotransposons have had a considerable impact on the overall architecture of the human genome. Currently, there are three lineages of retrotransposons (Alu, L1, and SVA) that are believed to be actively replicating in humans. While estimates of their copy number, sequence diversity, and levels of insertion polymorphism can readily be obtained from existing genomic sequence data and population sampling, a detailed understanding of the temporal pattern of retrotransposon amplification remains elusive. Here we pose the question of whether, using genomic sequence and population frequency data from extant taxa, one can adequately reconstruct historical amplification patterns. To this end, we developed a computer simulation that incorporates several known aspects of primate Alu retrotransposon biology and accommodates sampling effects resulting from the methods by which mobile elements are typically discovered and characterized. By modeling a number of amplification scenarios and comparing simulation-generated expectations to empirical data gathered from existing Alu subfamilies, we were able to statistically reject a number of amplification scenarios for individual subfamilies, including that of a rapid expansion or explosion of Alu amplification at the time of human–chimpanzee divergence.
Computational study of the adsorption of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) on the (0 1 0) surface of anatase TiO2 with and without faceting

The adsorption of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) on the (0 1 0) surface of anatase TiO2, which is isostructural with the (1 0 0), has been studied using density functional theory and two-dimensionallyperiodic slab models. The experimentally-observed faceting of this surface has, for the first time, been included in the modeling. The relaxations of bare surfaces both with and without faceting are similar, leading to an atomic-scale roughening due to inward (outward) displacement of fivefold-coordinated Ti5c (sixfold-coordinated T6c) atoms together with outward displacement of threefold-coordinated O3c atoms. Molecular adsorption occurs by formation of a Ti5c ��� O@P dative bond with one or more CAH ��� O2c bonds between CH3 groups and unsaturated, twofold-coordinated (O2c) sites. The energies for molecular adsorption, obtained using the B3LYP functional, are virtually identical (about � 21.0 kcal/mol) for the two surfaces and are also close to those found elsewhere for the rutile (1 1 0) and anatase (1 0 1) surfaces. A possible first step in the dissociative adsorption of DMMP has also been modeled and is found to be thermodynamically favored over molecular adsorption to a degree which depends on faceting. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Effects of para-chlorophenylalanine upon brain stimulated affective attack in the cat.

KATZ, R. J. AND E. THOMAS. Effects of para-ehlorophenylalanine upon brain stimulated affective attack in the cat. PHARMAC. BIOCHEM. BEHAV. 5(4) 391-394, 1976. - Previous investigations of the effects of parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) on affective attack have produced equivocal results. The present report examined the effects of PCPA upon attack elicited by electrical stimulation of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in the cat. Using a within-animals design and postdrug testing clear potentiation of affective attack patterns was observed for a number of the components of attack behavior (approach, use of forepaws, and biting). The present results may point to possible serotonergic involvement in the inhibitory control of several aspects of affective attack.
Resonance-ionization mass spectrometry for high-resolution, mass-resolved spectra of rare isotopes

We show that resonance-ionization mass spectrometry is an excellent technique for acquiring high-resolution optical spectra of rare isotopes. To demonstrate the potential of this technique, hyperfine spectra of the D23/2∘←D23/2 lutetium transition at 22 125 cm−1 are presented for 176Lu, 175Lu, 174Lu, and 173Lu. The last-named two are rare isotopes with half-lives of 3.3 and 1.4 years, respectively, whose optical spectroscopy has not previously been explored. Sensitivity is documented by the fact that the total amount of these rare isotopes in our sample was 2 × 10−10 and 3 × 10−11 g. Analysis of the spectra confirms that the spin of 174Lu is unity and yields values for the hyperfine constants and isotope shifts of these nuclei.
Synthesis and Color Tuning Properties of Blue Highly Fluorescent Vinyl Polymers Containing a Pendant Pyrrolopyridazine

We report here the synthesis, polymerization, and properties of highly fluorescent vinyl polymers containing pendant pyrrolopyridazines. Their luminescence quantum efficiencies can be as high as 60%, and all polymers showed strong luminescence even in the solid state, which is indicative of little self-quenching in these systems. The polymers were processable into films, fibers, and rods that were suitable for several device applications. The fibers and rods showed interesting end luminescence whose colors were tunable by manipulating their geometries.
Physician assistant and nurse practitioner prescribing: 1997-2002.

ABSTRACT: Context: Physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) have licensure to practice in all states and they have prescriptive authority in 47 and 40 states, respectively. However, there have been no published studies from a national standpoint comparing urban and rural settings. Purpose: The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of providers, patients, and the type of prescriptions written by PAs and NPs and to compare these activities to those of physicians in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan settings. Methods: The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was used to analyze a representative sample of 149,202 visits to primary care physician offices over a 6-year period (1997–2002) in which a prescription was written by a PA, NP or physician. Results: A PA or NP was the provider of record for 3% of the primary care visits. The 3 providers wrote prescriptions for 60% to 70% of all visits, and the mean number of prescriptions was 1.3 to 1.5 per visit (range 0–5), depending on the provider. PAs were more likely to prescribe a controlled substance than were physicians or NPs (19.5%, 12.4%, 10.9% respectively). Only in rural areas did differences emerge. In rural areas, NPs wrote significantly more prescriptions than physicians and PAs, and PAs wrote significantly fewer prescriptions than the other providers. Conclusions: Overall, PAs and NPs are prescribing in a manner similar to physicians in the type of medications used in their patient management. In nonmetropolitan areas, prescribing differences among the 3 types of providers bear further exploration.
Cascaded subwavelength resonant grating filters for flat-top spectral response

Flat-top spectral response from cascaded subwavelength resonant filters is demonstrated experimentally with much flatter passband and sharper rolloff than for a single filter. The ratio of 10 dB to 3 dB bandwidth is reduced from 3 for a single filter to 1.53.
Diffuse Reflectance Studies of Solid–Solid Interactions: Interactions of Oxytetracycline, Phenothiazine, Anthracene, and Salicylic Acid with Various Adjuvants

Data are presented for oxytetracycline-, anthracene-, phenothiazine-, and salicylic acid-adjuvant systems indicating significant interactions in equilibrated samples and those prepared by compression techniques studied by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Spectral changes, both in the visible and ultraviolet regions, along with color changes, substantiate these interactions. Although the mechanism of these interactions is not fully understood, data presented indicate that these complexes are of the donor-acceptor variety.
PRMAC: Pipelined Routing Enhanced MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

We describe a novel pipelined routing enhanced MAC protocol (PRMAC) for wireless sensor networks that employs cross layer optimization to realize efficient channel access over multiple hops. The main goal of the protocol is to schedule multi hop transmissions of data packets in a single cycle to reduce end-to-end delay. When nodes are awake, a multi-hop flow is constructed using the information from the routing layer, and data packet transmission is scheduled in the subsequent sleep period. When compared with existing solutions such as RMAC, our ns-2 based simulation results show an average 62.2% reduction in end to end packet delivery time for unicast traffic on random networks and up to 200% improvement in delivery ratio on multi-hop chains.
Omnicopter: A Novel Overactuated Micro Aerial Vehicle

This paper deals with a novelmicro aerial vehicle (MAV) design, the Omnicopter MAV. The Omnicopter has two central counter-rotating coaxial propellers for thrust and yaw control and three perimeter-mounted variable angle ducted fans for lateral forces and roll/pitch control. It can work under two configurations, a fixed 90. ducted fan angle configuration and a variable angle ducted fan configuration. The latter one makes the Omnicopter overactuated. After a brief introduction of the Omnicopter platform and a comparison between different MAV configurations, we discuss the control design and allocation techniques for the variable angle ducted fan configuration. Simulation and experimental results verify the design of the Omnicopter, and compare the performance between the two configurations.
Exploiting clusters for complete resource collection in biologically-inspired robot swarms

The complete collection of resources from a predefined search area is a challenging task for autonomous robot swarms. Because naturally-occurring resources are likely to be distributed in clusters, foraging robot swarms can identify and exploit these resource clusters to improve collection efficiency. We describe an ant-inspired robot swarm foraging system that searches for and collects resources from a variety of distributions, and a cluster prediction and exploitation algorithm that augments swarm foraging by directing robots to residual resources. By characterizing the cumulative resource collection time for a robot swarm foraging in a variety of clustered resource distributions, we can identify the relationship between the “clusteredness” of the distribution and the change in the resource collection rate over time. Experiments show that collection efficiency is most significantly increased when robots switch from ant-inspired foraging to focused exploitation of clusters after approximately 90% of resources have been collected. Not surprisingly, clustering algorithms are most effective when resources are highly clustered in the environment. This work demonstrates the feasibility of efficient, complete resource collection using simple, range-limited robot swarms programmed with ant-inspired foraging behaviors.
Physics investigations of vacuum ultraviolet emission from pulsed atmospheric discharges

Summary form only given. The role of self-produced VUV emission (i.e. energies greater than 7 eV) on photo-ionization processes during the early nanoseconds of pulsed discharges is a new area of interest in the aerospace community, and could play a significant role in the theoretical understanding of plasma generation at short (nanosecond) timescales. Our previously reported experiments have shown VUV emission from atomic species of oxygen and nitrogen, which were excited during breakdown, but detailed analysis of emission in the range 115 - 135 nm was difficult due to chromatic aberration of VUV transparent optics in this regime. These limitations were recently alleviated by fitting the spectral apparatus with a custom set of MgF2-Aluminum coated off-axis parabolic mirrors used in conjunction with a high resolution vacuum monochromator. VUV emission is observed by either VUV sensitive intensified CCD or photomultiplier sensors, with additional current/voltage monitors and externally focused fast-frame (nanosecond capable) imaging complimenting the diagnostic setup. High resolution spectroscopy has been achieved in the excitation range of interest (8 - 10 eV), where species of atmospheric gases and electrode metal have been identified during the early nanoseconds of plasma generation. Temporal studies have shown that most VUV emission occurs during the time before voltage collapse and subsequent power flow, while the majority of visible emission is released after breakdown when the electron energy distribution has shifted to lower energies. This experiment also allowed for direct emission imaging of VUV radiation, where the spatial profile relative to plasma position is still intact. While the observed metal species are only emitted in the regions close to the electrodes as expected, significant differences were observed for species of NI (which is released throughout the plasma volume) and OI (which is released strongly in regions of high electric field) atoms during breakdown. This is most likely due to the accumulation of ionic space charge from photo-ionization in the gas volume, coupled with the high absorption cross section of molecular oxygen in the VUV range. These measurements will be discussed in context to current physics models of electric breakdown and plasma generation at atmospheric pressure.
Thermal Analysis of Butadiene Styrene Block Copolymers

Abstract The Gordon—Taylor—Wood relationship between composition and glass temperature has been used as the basis of a DTA method for block styrene analysis in butadiene styrene copolymers having the same microstructure and a similar compositional distribution. The determined K value of the Gordon—Taylor—Wood equation for these polymers prepared with a butyllithium catalyst is in fair agreement with values previously determined for emulsion butadiene styrene copolymers. The total styrene content of the copolymer was determined using the refractive index method, and the composition of the “non-block” segment of the copolymer was obtained from DTA measurement using a Tg as a function of composition graph The amount of block styrene can then be obtained by difference. Evidence is presented supporting the validity of the method, and the results are compared with those obtained by a chemical method which involved polymer degradation by a hydroperoxide in the presence of osmium tetroxide. The thermal analysis r...
A two-dimensional source function for a dynamic brittle bilateral tensile crack

A numerical technic is used to simulate the two-dimensional elastic dynamic characteristics of a bilateral tensile fracture that accelerates, propagates and stops in an elastic continuum. The fracture-velocity function is specified for the calculation. Particle motion in the near field about the final fracture geometry is the result. Motion parallel to the fracture amounts to as much as 50 per cent of the perpendicular motion near the crack. The relaxation begins to occur after the fracture stops and the dynamic elastic radiation from both tips crosses the material.
How Do We Manage Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia? A Survey of Clinical Practice Trends for Gastrointestinal Endoscopists in the United States.

Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is an accepted pathologic precursor to gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). While surveillance of GIM in Europe and Asia is common, only limited recommendations related to endoscopic surveillance of GIM exist in the United States. To understand the clinical practice patterns of US gastroenterologists in the management and endoscopic surveillance of GIM. A 23 item survey was developed to explore endoscopists’ opinions regarding the surveillance of GIM and knowledge of current guidelines. Eight clinical vignettes were developed to address specific clinical scenarios where endoscopic surveillance of GIM might be considered. There were 227 respondents, with 60 % working primarily in the private sector and 40 % in academic medicine. While 68 % of the respondents refer to major society guidelines for guidance in patient management, almost 78 % of endoscopist responders believe that there are no specific US guidelines pertaining to surveillance of GIM. Only two-thirds of respondents believe that based on current data, patients at increased risk of GAC should be a part of an endoscopic surveillance program, while 15 % believe all patients with GIM should receive endoscopic surveillance. Respondents use a wide range of biopsy techniques and surveillance intervals for patients with GIM, with no consistent pattern of practice identified. There is variability in the knowledge and practice patterns of US endoscopists related to surveillance of gastric intestinal metaplasia. In the absence of detailed US GI society guidelines, many endoscopists perform surveillance endoscopy on patients with GIM using variable biopsy techniques and surveillance intervals.
Caudate Volumes in Childhood Predict Severity of Tourette Syndrome in Early Adulthood

Basal ganglia volumes of 43 children with Tourette syndrome (TS) were measured on MRI before age 14 years, and clinical assessment conducted after age 16, an average of 7.5 years later, at Yale University, New Haven, CT, and Columbia University. New York.
Monoclonal antibodies and nonpeptide antagonists to angiotensin II. Potential implications.

The introduction of agents capable of blocking the function of the renin-angiotensin system has had a profound impact on our knowledge of the physiology of the renin-angiotensin system and its role in various pathophysiological conditions, including hypertension
Nanodiamond Vectors Functionalized with Polyethylenimine for siRNA Delivery

The enormous therapeutic potential of RNA interference (RNAi) has long been recognized. While efficient small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery vectors exist, many sacrifice biocompatibility, which can challenge their applicability as a therapeutic agent. Nanodiamonds (NDs) represent promising strategies for efficient siRNA delivery given the multitude of beneficial properties integrated into one platform that include uniform particle sizes, material scalability, the ability to carry nearly any type of therapeutic, and preserved biocompatibility, among others. Here we present a broadly applicable ND delivery platform that demonstrates biocompatible siRNA delivery with enhanced efficacy in media, signifying the translational potential of this approach.
Distribution of Army Cutworm Larvae in Wheat and Barley Fields

Populations of the army cutworm, Chorizagrotis auxiliaris (Grote), tended to be higher in winter barley than winter wheat planted side by side in the same field. Highest populations occurred in barley within 30 feet of the adjoining wheat. Distribution of larvae in linear 1-foot samples agreed closely with the Poisson. Practical application of these results are discussed.
Leveraging Pattern Recognition Consistency Estimation for Crowdsourcing Data Analysis

Crowdsourcing is an effective method for analyzing large scientific databases. However, data annotation relies on untrained volunteers, making it difficult to control the quality of the annotation. Here, we propose a method to estimate the consistency of the annotations of human classifiers in citizen science projects. Since the performance of supervised machine learning systems decreases as the level of noise in the data increases, the method is able to rank human annotators by the consistency with which they annotate. Because the method uses the accuracy of an automatic classifier trained with these samples, it does not require ground truth or data annotated by other citizen scientists. The method allows reducing the number of annotations required for each sample by identifying the most efficient data annotators, as well as improving the overall quality of the data by giving higher weights to the classifications of the more consistent data annotators. The proposed method can also be used for improving the citizen science user experience by providing feedback in real time. Experimental results using a large citizen science project— Galaxy Zoo —and a subset of over $1.1\times 10^6$ data annotations made by 4000 citizen scientists show Pearson correlation of 0.966 between the quality estimation provided by the method and the actual performance of the data annotators. The method also demonstrated efficacy in improving the performance of offline statistical consensus methods.
The effect of implementing a more comprehensive screening for substance use among pregnant women in North Carolina.

Objectives: Substance use during pregnancy causes significant morbidity and mortality.Screening for substance use provides opportunity for intervention and treatment, but is often overlooked in prenatal care with today's fiscal climate and preconceived ideas about who uses substances. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of implementing a more comprehensive screening procedure for identifying substance-using pregnant women. Methods: Two hundred randomly selected prenatal patients screened using the old procedure for substance use during pregnancy were compared to 400 randomly selected patients screened after implementation of a new, more detailed screening procedure. The old screening approach included three check-boxes concerning substance use during pregnancy: one for “Smoking/alcohol,” one for “Drug use (any),” and one for “Drug addiction/alcoholism.” The new screening procedure included more detailed questions about the frequency of cigarette, alcohol, and illegal drug use during pregnancy. Results: Compared with the old approach, the new screening protocol increased reporting of smoking/alcohol use from 21% to 72% (relative risk = 2.63, 95% confidence interval = 2.231, 3.108); reporting of any drug use from 12% to 18% (relative risk = 1.07, 95% confidence interval = 1.002, 1.150); and reporting of alcoholism/drug abuse from 0% to 6% (relative risk = 1.06, 95% confidence interval = 1.038,1.090). Conclusions: Our study suggests that more detailed screening using direct questions concerning the amount and frequency of substance use increases reporting of prenatal substance use as compared to screening approaches using only “yes/no” style check boxes.
Financial Performance Measures: A Back-to-Basics Approach

This paper reviews financial performance measures and revisits the theory of finance because it provides a foundation that helps to understand the relationships among these measures. We examine these measures in both a single-period and multi-period world. In a single-period world, we conclude that measures originate from the same economic model of investment and production theory of a firm, and therefore are related to each other. These relationships hold in the multi-period world under the commonly known assumption of growth and the use of the popular valuation model. No single measure is fully adequate for measuring financial performance. Thus, we recommend using multiple measures to provide a fuller picture of a firm’s performance.javascript:void(0);
A role for cerebellum in the hereditary dystonia DYT1.

Dystonia is the third most common type of movement disorder after Parkinson’s disease and tremor. Patients with dystonia experience prolonged involuntary contractions of their muscles, often causing uncontrollable postures or repetitive movements. Almost thirty years ago, genetic studies revealed that a mutation in the gene that encodes a protein called torsinA causes the most common type of dystonia, called DYT1. Exactly how mutations that affect the torsinA protein give rise to DYT1 remains unclear, and there are still no effective treatments for the disorder. Part of the problem is that we do not fully understand how torsinA works, or which of its many proposed functions is relevant to dystonia. Moreover, attempts to study DYT1 using genetically modified mice have proved largely unsuccessful. This is because mice that simply express the same genetic mutations that cause dystonia in humans do not show the overt symptoms of dystonia. Fremont, Tewari et al. have now generated a mouse ‘model’ that does show symptoms of dystonia, and used these model mice to investigate the role of torsinA in the disorder. Acutely reducing the amount of torsinA protein in a region of the brain called the cerebellum induced the symptoms of dystonia in the mice. Conversely, reducing the amount of torsinA in a different brain area known as the basal ganglia had no such effect, even though both the cerebellum and the basal ganglia contribute to movement. Furthermore, neither manipulation had any effect in juvenile mice, which suggests that, in contrast to humans, young mice can compensate for the loss of torsinA. Fremont, Tewari et al. also found that the loss of torsinA causes the cerebellum to generate incorrect output signals, which in turn trigger the abnormal movements seen in dystonia. In the future, further studies of the model mice could identify the exact changes that occur in neurons following the loss of torsinA from the cerebellum. Understanding these changes could potentially pave the way for developing effective treatments for DYT1 and other dystonias.
The Robotanist: A ground-based agricultural robot for high-throughput crop phenotyping

The established processes for measuring physiological and morphological traits (phenotypes) of crops in outdoor test plots are labor intensive and error-prone. Low-cost, reliable, field-based robotic phenotyping will enable geneticists to more easily map genotypes to phenotypes, which in turn will improve crop yields. In this paper, we present a novel robotic ground-based platform capable of autonomously navigating below the canopy of row crops such as sorghum or corn. The robot is also capable of deploying a manipulator to measure plant stalk strength and gathering phenotypic data with a modular array of non-contact sensors. We present data obtained from deployments to Sorghum bicolor test plots at various sites in South Carolina, USA.
Dual MEK/AKT inhibition with trametinib and GSK2141795 does not yield clinical benefit in metastatic NRAS-mutant and wild-type melanoma.

Aberrant MAPK and PI3K pathway signaling may drive the malignant phenotype in NRAS-mutant and BRAFWT NRASWT metastatic melanoma. To target these pathways, NRAS-mutant and BRAFWT NRASWT patients received oral trametinib at 1.5 mg daily and GSK2141795 at 50 mg daily in a two-cohort Simon two-stage design. Participants had adequate end-organ function and no more than two prior treatment regimens. Imaging assessments were performed at 8-week intervals. A total of 10 NRAS-mutant and 10 BRAFWT NRASWT patients were enrolled. No objective responses were noted in either cohort. The median PFS and OS were 2.3 and 4.0 months in the NRAS-mutant cohort and 2.8 and 3.5 months in the wild-type cohort. Grade 3 and grade 4 adverse events, primarily rash, were observed in 25% of patients. We conclude that the combination of trametinib and GSK2141795 does not have significant clinical activity in NRAS-mutant or BRAFWT NRASWT melanoma.
ACO-inspired ICN Routing Scheme with Density-Based Spatial Clustering

This paper proposes a new Ant Colony Optimization (ACO)-inspired Information-Centric Networking (ICN) routing scheme with Density-based Spatial Clustering (DSC). At first, the content concentration model is established with network load to address interest routing; in particular, we investigate the failed situation of content retrieval. Then, the dot product method is used to compute similarity relation between two routers, which is considered as clustering reference attribute. In addition, DSC is exploited to detect core nodes which are used to cache contents during the data routing process. Finally, the proposed scheme is simulated over Mini-NDN, and the results show that it has better performance than the benchmark scheme.