cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endogenous carbohydrate-binding proteins of rabbit and human bladder.

Abstract Objectives. To identify the endogenous lectins of the human bladder with the long-term goal of developing improved strategies for the treatment of interstitial cystitis and other bladder disorders. Methods. Rabbit and human bladder sections were examined histochemically using biotinylated neoglycoconjugates. Affinity chromatography of extracts of rabbit bladder was performed on immobilized lactose to purify the galactose-binding protein. Results. Biotinylated beta- d -galactose neoglycoconjugate showed the strongest specific staining of the rabbit and human bladder sections. The beta- d -N-acetylglucosamine neoglycoconjugate also showed significant staining; the alpha- l -fucose, alpha- d -mannose, alpha- d -N-acetylneuraminic acid, and alpha- d -N-acetylgalactosamine neoglycoconjugates showed either very weak or no reaction. The strong Ca2+-independent binding of beta- d -galactose neoglycoconjugates suggested the presence of galectins in rabbit and human bladder. Affinity chromatography of rabbit bladder extract on lactose gel yielded a galectin of about 30 kDa, consistent with the molecular biological data confirming the expression of galectin-3 in bladder. Conclusions. Beta- d -galactose binds strongly and specifically to rabbit and human bladder tissue sections. This information would be useful for the purpose of modifying drugs used for the treatment of bladder disorders with ligands of galactose-binding lectins to improve their retention in the bladder.
Science in space with the Space Station

The potential of the Space Station as a versatile scientific laboratory is discussed, reviewing plans under consideration by the NASA Task Force on Scientific Uses of the Space Station. The special advantages offered by the Station for expanding the scope of 'space science' beyond astrophysics, geophysics, and terrestrial remote sensing are stressed. Topics examined include the advantages of a manned presence, the scientific value and cost effectiveness of smaller, more quickly performable experiments, improved communications for ground control of Station experiments, the international nature of the Station, the need for more scientist astronauts for the Station crew, Station on-orbit maintenance and repair services for coorbiting platforms, and the need for Shuttle testing of proposed Station laboratory equipment and procedures.
Hodgkin's disease.

SINCE Hodgkin's disease was last considered in detail in this journal1 impressive progress has been made in understanding discrete aspects of the disease. Evidence has accumulated in support of a m...
Developing an evolutionary tourism partnership model

Abstract Partnerships have become a popular tourism management strategy for leveraging scarce resources in an era of fiscal constraint. Despite this popularity, little empirical research has been done to explain the processes that occur when such interactions take place. An evolutionary model is presented based on an empirical study of three tourism partnerships, a review of existing tourism partnership case studies, and the integration of emerging theory from the organizational behavior field. The model suggests that tourism partnerships begin in a context of environmental forces and evolve sequentially through problem-setting, direction-setting, and structuring phases. Special facultative skills are needed to sustain and nurture tourism partnerships.
Foraging Ecology of Bees in an Old Field

In an abandoned field near Ithaca, New York, bee species partitioned the available flower resources, primarily by foraging at different times of the season and by visiting different flower species. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) concentrated on different flower species than did native bees. In spring, most flowers bloomed along roadsides, in cultivated fields, or in forests. Many were clustered in spatial distribution and had short blooming times. Spring—flying native bees included many species adapted to forage on native flower species that bloom before the tree canopy closes. Apis mellifera, an introduced species, appeared to outcompete native bees at large clusters of attractive flower species such as apple and the crucifer Barbarea vulgaris. Blooming of introduced herbs increased in the field in early summer. This period of resource abundance was exploited primarily by primitively eusocial halictine bees. The multivoltine seasonal cycle of these bees allowed them to build populations over the season and to forage in large numbers in early and mid summer. Halictus ligatus was the most common early summer halictine. This species concentrated its foraging on different flowers than did other early summer bees, probably because of differences in innate flower preferences. A profuse bloom of native goldenrods in late summer was the seasonal peak of resource abundance. Honey bees partitioned goldenrod species with late summer native bees on the basis of flowering time. Native bees must complete their seasonal cycles and enter diapause before the killing frost. They therefore foraged on early—blooming goldenrod species such as Solidago juncea. In contrast, honey bees overwinter as active bees within their hives. They were most common on later—blooming goldenrods, where they collected much of the nectar required for overwintering. Competition among foraging bees was probably most important in the spring at this site. Partitioning of flower species and differences in seasonal flight times resulted primarily from differences in innate flower preferences, number of generations per season, and means of overwintering.
Far IR spectra and heat capacities for propylene carbonate and propylene glycol, and the connection to the dielectric response function

Abstract A joint analysis of far infrared and Hz - MHz dielectric absorption spectra suggested by us for aqueous propylene glycol (PG) solutions, and extended by Cole and colleagues to 10 GHz, is applied to pure propylene carbonate (PC) for which microwave absorption data are also available. We include heat capacity and fusion entropy studies to obtain a Kauzmann (ideal glass transition) temperature for PC, which agrees well with the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher (VTF) To parameter. The VTF parameters show PC to be a more fragile liquid than PG, though not as fragile as previously reported by Borjesson et al from very short time relaxation data. This is a consequence of a sharp departure, at −1.7 T o (relaxation time −10 −9 s) from the temperature dependence predicted by the VTF equation which is similar to that observed at the same T/T o value in fragile molten salt systems, and also to that observed at the same relaxation time, but higher T/T o in less fragile PG solutions. It corresponds to the crossover predicted by Goldstein to occur as the potential energy hypersurface becomes relevant to the system dynamics (and, as such, it sets the limit to validity of the currently popular mode coupling theory.) At about the same temperature, the energy absorption due to the dielectric relaxation process starts to overlap that due to damped molecular libration, and the two processes thereafter become progressively merged as temperature increases into and through the normal liquid range.
Design of a Data Management Tool for the Diabetes Technology Center

Diabetes, a disease preventing the body from breaking down sugars, affects over 20 million Americans each year. To conduct medical research and perform studies to enhance knowledge about the disease, the University of Virginia created the Diabetes Technology Center (DTC). This design project focuses on the creation and implementation of a database management system with a web-interface for the clinicians and researchers working on a study on Type 1 Diabetes. Our tool provides both a simple way to upload data into the database and easy extraction of data from the database for analysis. Other DTC studies rely on an outside technician to extract information from the database because the clinicians have little database knowledge. Our user-friendly tool allows these clinicians to extract data to analyze from the database.
Impact of information sharing in hierarchical decision-making framework in manufacturing supply chains

This paper presents a comprehensive framework for the analysis of the impact of information sharing in hierarchical decision-making in manufacturing supply chains. In this framework, the process plan selection and real-time resource allocation problems are formulated as hierarchical optimization problems, where problems at each level in the hierarchy are solved by separate multi-objective genetic algorithms. The considered multi-objective genetic algorithms generate near optimal solutions for NP-hard problems with less computational complexity. In this work, a four-level hierarchical decision structure is considered, where the decision levels are defined as enterprise level, shop level, cell level, and equipment level. Using this framework, the sources of information affecting the achievement of best possible decisions are then identified at each of these levels, and the extent of their effects from sharing them are analyzed in terms of the axis, degree and the content of information. The generality and validity of the proposed approach have been successfully tested for diverse manufacturing systems generated from a designed experiment.
Familial and environmental factors that contribute to pediatric overweight in African American populations: Implications for prevention and treatment

Abstract The rapid rise in the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents is a major health concern in the United States (U.S). African American children are disproportionately at risk for being overweight compared to white children; however, effective approaches to prevent and treat excessive weight gain in this population are limited. While researchers traditionally emphasized individual contributors to the development of pediatric overweight, there is growing recognition about the role of familial and environmental contexts in shaping weight-related behaviors, specifically nutrition and physical activity. The purpose of this article is to describe the ways in which these broader contexts influence the feasibility and effectiveness of approaches to address overweight in African American youth.
The Significance of Penetrating Gluteal Injuries: An Analysis of the Operation Iraqi Freedom Experience

Background Although penetrating gluteal injuries rarely are life-threatening, the risk for concomitant injury to regional anatomic structures warrants additional evaluation. We analyzed factors affecting the management and outcomes of these injuries. Methods Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the 31st Combat Support Hospital during Operation Iraqi Freedom over a 16 month period. Results From 3442 patients, 115 patients (3.3%) suffered penetrating gluteal injuries. They were predominately male (98%) with a mean injury severity score of 13. Mortality was 6% (n = 7). Primary mechanisms of injury were improvised explosive devices (41%) and gunshot wounds (59%). Associated injuries were present in 57% of patients [orthopedic (35%), abdominal (29%), rectal (25%), vascular (21%), genitourinary (14%), pulmonary (11%), sphincter (9%)]. Overall, 76% required surgical management, with 14% developing postoperative complications. In total, 27 patients (24%) required stoma placement. Gunshot wounds were associated with through and through injuries (43% vs 6%, p Conclusions Penetrating gluteal injuries are associated with significant damage to local structures. Gunshot wounds carry a higher risk of injury to the rectum and stoma placement, whereas blast injuries are associated with less local injury and more multisystem trauma.
Electron drift mobility in doped amorphous silicon.

A new method is described to obtain the drift mobility of band-tail carriers in doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon from dc-conductivity and sweep-out measurements. Analysis finds that above room temperature, the drift mobility in n-type samples is independent of the density of carriers and depends only on the density-of-states distribution, the position of the mobility edge, and the free-carrier mobility. Experiments confirm the analysis and show that the drift mobility decreases by about an order of magnitude with n-type doping. Numerical modeling of the transport indicates that the reduction in mobility is primarily due to an apparent upward shift of the mobility edge. The transport mechanisms, and the relation between the measured drift mobility and thermoelectric-power data, are discussed in terms of long-range potential fluctuations arising from charged electronic states.
PS-TLB: Leveraging page classification information for fast, scalable and efficient translation for future CMPs

Traversing the page table during virtual to physical address translation causes pipeline stalls when misses occur in the translation-lookaside buffer (TLB). State-of-the-art translation proposals typically optimize a single aspect of translation performance (e.g., translation sharing, context switch performance, etc.) with potential trade-offs of additional hardware complexity, increased translation latency, or reduced scalability. In this article, we propose the partial sharing TLB (PS-TLB), a fast and scalable solution that reduces off-chip translation misses without sacrificing the timing-critical requirement of on-chip translation. We introduce the partial sharing buffer (PSB) which leverages application page sharing characteristics using minimal additional hardware resources. Compared to the leading TLB proposal that leverages sharing, PS-TLB provides a more than 45p improvement in translation latency with a 9p application speedup while using fewer storage resources. In addition, the page classification and PS-TLB architecture provide further optimizations including an over 30p reduction of interprocessor interrupts for coherence, and reduced context switch misses with fewer resources compared with existing methods.
A weather-resolving index for assessing the impact of climate change on tourism related climate resources

This study develops and tests a Modified Climate Index for Tourism (MCIT) utilizing more than 50 years of hourly temperature, wind and significant weather data from contrasting climatic regions, Florida and Alaska. The index measures climate as a tourism resource by combining several tourism-related climate elements. It improves previous methods by incorporating variables that are more relevant to tourism activities, by addressing the overriding nature of some conditions, and by incorporating hourly observations rather than simple daily averages. The MCIT was tested using hourly weather observations from King Salmon, Alaska and Orlando, Florida. The results show that average temperature alone is not sufficient to represent tourism climate resources. For example, at both the Florida and Alaskan sites, showers and thunderstorms are more limiting factors than temperature during much of the year. When applied to past climate data, the proposed MCIT generates meaningful results that capture tourism-related climate variations and trends, including (a) the increasingly favorable tourism conditions in Alaska due to a lengthening of the warm season and (b) a decrease of ideal climatic conditions in central Florida due to the increased summer temperatures. Thus, the index has the potential to become a useful quantitative tool to be used in conjunction with climate models to predict the nature and magnitude of the impact of anticipated climate changes on tourism.
Mice lacking both TNFα receptors show increased constitutive expression of IFNγ: A possible reason for lack of protection from fumonisin B1 hepatotoxicity ☆

Fumonisin B1 is a mycotoxin prevalent in corn that produces species-, gender-, and organ-specific diseases. Mice lacking TNFalpha receptor (TNFR) 1 or 2 exhibited a diminished hepatotoxic response to fumonisin B1; however, the protection was lost when both TNFRs were deleted. We therefore investigated the constitutive expression of selected apoptotic factors and their response to fumonisin B1 in the liver from mice lacking both TNFRs (DRKO). Compared to their wild-type (WT) counterparts the DRKO strain had a higher constitutive mRNA expression of interferon (IFN)gamma, Fas, and interleukin (IL)-18. The mRNA expression of Bcl-2 was also higher in DRKO than in WT mice. The mRNA expression of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) was decreased; that of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) was dramatically reduced. Induction of most apoptotic genes in response to fumonisin B1 was similar in both WT and DRKO strains; except in DRKO mice it was greater for Max and lesser for IL-1Ra than that in WT strain. Fumonisin B1 hepatotoxicity in DRKO mice was reduced by pretreatment with anti-IFNgamma antibody. It appears that in the absence of TNFalpha signaling other apoptotic pathways become operative; particularly the increase of IFNgamma, Fas and IL-18 may compensate for the loss of TNFalpha effects. Fumonisin B1 toxicity therefore appears to be a complex phenomenon that may utilize more than one cytotoxic pathway consequent to sphingoid deregulation; a higher expression of IFNgamma and other apoptotic factors in DRKO may be responsible for the observed fumonisin hepatotoxicity.
If a picture is worth a thousand words is video worth a million? Differences in affective and cognitive processing of video and text cases

In this investigation we assessed whether different formats of media (video, text, and video + text) influenced participants’ engagement, cognitive processing and recall of non-fiction cases of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. For each of the cases used in the study, we designed three informationally-equivalent versions: video, text, and video + text. Thirty participants experienced one version in each format, thought aloud as they read or viewed the case, discussed their reactions to the stories during an interview, and completed an affective and engagement survey. Participants were again interviewed 6 weeks later to assess their memory for the cases. Results from protocol analysis indicate that the video and video + text versions of the stories led to higher levels of both engagement and sympathy with the characters, and recall of particular information; however, interactions between medium and content were important. We argue the main benefit of video lies in engaging students emotionally in the content.
Pharmacology of nadolol (SQ 11725), a β-adrenergic antagonist lacking direct myocardial depression

Abstract SQ 11725 was approximately 1/3 as potent as propranolol in blocking the stimulant effects of isoproterenol in vitro, but was 2–4 times more potent than propranolol in blocking the diastolic blood-pressure and heart-rate responses, respectively, to isoproterenol in vivo. SQ 11725 had no depressant effects on contractile force of isolated guinea pig atrial muscle at the largest bath concentration studied (1000 μg/ml), whereas propranolol caused significant depression at a concentration of 1–10 μg/ml. Propranolol was at least 20–30 times more depressant than SQ 11725 to canine myocardium in vivo. SQ 11725 was more effective then propranolol in inhibiting tachycardic responses to treadmill exercise in unanesthetized dogs. The duration of blockade of the heart-rate response to exercise or to isoproterenol administration in the unanesthetized dog was approximately 5 times greater with SQ 11725 than with propranolol.
Thyrotoxicosis and thyroid storm: A review of evaluation and management

Abstract Molar pregnancy is a not-uncommon diagnosis in our patient population, occurring in approximately 0.6 to 1.1 per 1000 pregnancies. As the age of childbearing increases, the additional risk increases as well, to 7.5-fold higher by age 40 years. Medical complications associated with molar pregnancies include pre-eclampsia, hypertension, electrolyte disturbances, anemia, and thyrotoxicosis. Serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels of 50,000 mIU/mL are approximately equivalent to a thyroid-stimulating hormone level of 35 U/mL. Because of the cross-reactivity between BHCG and TSH and the high levels of BHCG produced in gestational trophoblastic disease, the rare complication of thyroid storm is one that we as obstetricians may be called to manage. The diagnosis of thyroid storm may carry a 1.8 to nearly 20% mortality rate in hospitalized patients and thus requires prompt diagnosis and intervention. Once treatment is administered, including high-dose propylthiouracil, iodine solution, and dexamethasone with appropriate supportive care, patients can be expected to improve clinically within 24–48 hours. A case demonstrating the clinical picture of an obstetrics and gynecology patient with thyroid storm is presented, with a review of thyroid hormone activity and the management of thyroid storm.
Intraspinal Transplantation of Fetal Raphe Neurons and Competition With Sprouting Host Spinal Afferents

post-lesion. The present study describes the competition and interaction between sprouting primary afferent fibers and descending catecholaminergic fibers with the outgrowth from an intraspinal transplant of fetal raphe neurons transplanted either 7 days or 3 months post-lesion. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats received an intrathecal injection of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) at the C6 spinal cord level to lesion the descending serotonergic system. At 7 days or 3 months post-lesion, cell suspensions of E14.515 fetal raphe cells were transplanted at the T8 spinal cord level. The control groups included unoperated controls, sham 5,7-DHT lesioned animals, and 5,7-DHT lesioned animals that. received sham transplants at either 7 days or 3 months post-lesion. The immunohistochemical localization of serotonin (5-HT), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), dopamine /3-hydroxylase (D/3H) and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) was performed at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months post-transplant. A Zeiss IBAS-2000 image analysis system was used to quantify the percent area of the IML that was covered by 5HT, CGRP-, DflH, and PNMT-immunofluorescent fibers. The total cross sectional areas of the spinal cords taken from all the groups indicated that there was no change in the total area of the spinal cord or of the. IML region following the 5,7-DHT lesion and the transplant. Animals with 5,7-DHT lesions showed exten
Characterization of the molecular orientation of self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols on obliquely deposited gold films by using infrared-visible sum-frequency spectroscopy

This paper reports the use of infrared (IR)-visible sum-frequency spectroscopy to characterize the surface of gold films deposited by physical vapor deposition at an oblique angle of incidence and the orientation of the methyl end groups of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of n-alkanethiols formed on these gold films. The oblique deposition of the gold breaks the macroscopic azimuthal degeneracy that is characteristic of gold films grown without a preferred direction of deposition. By tuning the frequency of the incident IR light to either the symmetric or the asymmetric methyl stretch resonance and by recording the azimuthal dependence of the sum-frequency signal, the orientation of the methyl groups of the n-alkanethiols on the obliquely deposited gold films were shown to be distributed around a preferred in-plane direction coincident with the direction of the gold deposition. The angles between the normal of the sample and the methyl groups were determined to be 85 ′ 2° and 44 ′ 10° for the SAMs formed from pentadecanethiol and hexadecanethiol, respectively. In contrast, when using gold films that were not obliquely deposited, no preferred in-plane orientation of the methyl groups could be observed.
Culture and Mobilization: Tactical Repertoires, Same-Sex Weddings, and the Impact on Gay Activism:

Social movement scholars have long been skeptical of culture's impact on political change, perhaps for good reason, since little empirical research explicitly addresses this question. This article fills the void by examining the dynamics and the impact of the month-long 2004 same-sex wedding protest in San Francisco. We integrate insights of contentious politics approaches with social constructionist conceptions and identify three core features of cultural repertoires: contestation, intentionality, and collective identity. Our analyses, which draw on rich qualitative and quantitative data from interviews with participants and movement leaders and a random survey of participants, highlight these dimensions of cultural repertoires as well as the impact that the same-sex wedding protest had on subsequent activism. Same-sex weddings, as our multimethod analyses show, were an intentional episode of claim-making, with participants arriving with a history of activism in a variety of other social movements. Moreo...
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Reduces Late Toxicity Without Increasing Cost Compared to Conventional 3D-RT in Patients With Human Papillomavirus–Associated (HPV+) Oropharyngeal Carcinoma Treated With Chemoradiation Therapy (CRT)

inferior or superior and (iii) quicker to deliver (even at the conventional dose-rate and including on-board, image-guidance for every fraction). Compared to conventionally fractionated 3D technique, the VMAT hypofractionation was overall about one-third (w34%) resource expensive to deliver, with one combination of planning/delivery system (TPS3/linac2 in high-rate mode) as low as one-quarter (w23%) of overall costs. Detailed results for all combinations (VMAT by three planning systems, image-guided delivery by two linac models including the high-dose rate option) is reported with statistical significance of the overall costs difference. Conclusions: Hypofractionated radiation therapy for early-staged lung cancer, as per RTOG0236, already reported superior clinical outcomes. We now document genuine cost-effectiveness: by using the combination of flexible TPSs and modern linacs, simultaneously lower cost and better results can be achieved, a rare combination in modern medicine. Implications for three cancer sites (lung, breast, prostate) will be discussed. Author Disclosure: D.A. Dimitroyannis: None.
Stoichiometry and valence measurements of niobium oxides using electron energy-loss spectroscopy.

Qualitative and quantitative electron energy-loss spectroscopy analyses have been performed on niobium and stable niobium oxides (NbO, NbO 2 and Nb 2 O 5 ). At integration windows (A) greater than 75 eV, k-factor analysis can be used to distinguish between the stoichiometry of the three oxides within 5.7% error. As seen in other metal oxides, with increasing oxidation state the metal ionization edges shift to higher energies relative to the O-K edge. Normalized M 2,3 3 white-line intensities show a strong correlation with 4d occupancy for each compound. The data are in correspondence with that observed in the literature for 4d transition metals using normalized L 2.3 3 white lines. Lastly, a distinctive energy-loss near-edge, structure of the 0-K edge was observed for each oxide, which could be used as a fingerprint for analysis of unknowns.
Computer model for tubular high-pressure polyethylene reactors

A computer model was developed for tubular high-pressure polyethylene reactors. Plug flow and absence of axial mixing were assumed. Emphasis was placed on realistic modeling of the reaction kinetics and the variation of physical properties along the reaction coordinate. A good simulation of axial temperature profiles, conversion, molecular weights, molecular weight distribution, and transport properties along the reaction coordinate is believed to have been achieved. The model can be extended readily to cases where radial diffusion is significant.
Insight into disorder

Models of Disorder. By J.M. Ziman. Pp.525. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, and New York, 1979.) Hardback £25; paperback £12.50.
Stable expression of C/EBPalpha in prostate cancer cells down-regulates metallothionein and increases zinc-induced toxicity.

BACKGROUND The transcription factor C/EBPα regulates terminal differentiation of various cell types. C/EBPα is expressed in prostate epithelium but its role in prostate development and malignant transformation is unknown. In examining the effect of forced expression of C/EBPα on the global gene expression profile in prostate cancer cells, we found that C/EBPα significantly decreased the RNA level of metallothioneins (MTs). METHODS The prostate cancer cell lines DU145, LNCaP, and PC3 with stable overexpression of C/EBPα were established with a retroviral expression system. MT expression was assayed by Western blot analysis and with the MT promoter in a plasmid using luciferase as a reporter. RESULTS Under basal conditions and in response to zinc, forced overexpression of C/EBPα decreased expression of MT isoforms 1A, B, F, and H, IIA and III. Following zinc exposure C/EBPα inhibited MT promoter activity by 1.5–2.5-fold. Overexpression of C/EBPα led to increased cytotoxicity of zinc at concentration of 150 μM in DU145 and LNCaP cells. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrated that expression of MTs in prostate cancer cells is inhibited by C/EBPα and the effect may have functional significance in regulating the growth of prostate cancer cells and the response of these cells to environment stresses. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Computing matrix-valued Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation

Abstract We describe a computational method, known as the Nevanlinna algorithm, for the matrix-valued Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation. The original interpolation problem formulated using the Caratheodory class of matrix-valued rational functions is first converted to an equivalent setting using the Schur class of rational functions. As a result, the necessary and sufficient Pick's condition for the interpolation becomes consistent with the scalar-valued formulation, so that some efficient techniques developed for the scalar-valued interpolation can be employed or modified for the matrix-valued case. We give a brief, yet sufficiently clear, derivation and a detailed arithmetic complexity analysis for the algorithm. We show that an n -point matrix-valued Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation using the new algorithm requires approximately 95 nm 3 complex arithmetic operations, where m is the matrix dimension.
Underactuated Part Alignment System (UPAS) for Industrial Assembly Tasks

This paper introduces the Underactuated Part Alignment System (UPAS) as a cost-effective and flexible approach to aligning parts in the vertical plane prior to an industrial robotic assembly task. The advantage of the UPAS is that it utilizes the degrees of freedom (DOFs) of a SCARA (Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm) type robot in conjunction with an external fixed post to achieve the desired part alignment. Three path planning techniques will be presented that can be used with the UPAS to achieve the proper part rotation.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
A Status-Based Multilevel Model of Ethnic Diversity and Work Unit Performance

The present research builds theory regarding the consequences of work unit ethnic diversity by advancing a status-based, multilevel model of when ethnic diversity is likely to constrain work unit performance. In contrast to past work unit diversity research, which has largely ignored the varying degrees of status ascribed to members of different ethnic groups, I propose that ethnic diversity is most likely to constrain work unit cohesion, and in turn work unit performance, in work units composed of two ethnic subgroups that are separated by large differences in status (i.e., ethnic status subgroups; ESS). Furthermore, and consistent with evidence that the consequences of work unit diversity are contingent on the broader social contexts in which work units are embedded, I predict that the presence of ethnic status subgroups in the community exacerbates the detrimental consequences of ethnic status subgroups in work units. Findings from a multisource, field-based data set (N = 743 employees nested within 13...
West Nile Virus Infection and its Neurological Manifestations

The West Nile virus caused an epidemic of meningoencephalitis in Midwest North America during 2002. The peak incidence coincided with the highest activity period of mosquito vectors in affected states. This epidemic followed recent established trends, not only of increased central nervous system involvement by the virus, but also increased incidence of dramatic neuromuscular impairment. Two cases are presented which illustrate the most concerning types of neuromuscular sequelae, diffuse weakness leading to respiratory insufficiency, and the development of focal weakness similar to poliomyelitis. The epidemiology and clinical characteristics of West Nile virus infection are also reviewed. Concern is expressed regarding the possibility of epidemics in other Midwestern states during future seasons of increased mosquito activity.
A low-latency scalable locking algorithm for shared memory multiprocessors

In this paper we deal exclusively with spin locks for small- to medium-scale shared memory multiprocessors. The performance of a lock depends on the contention for the critical section being protected by the lock. The selection of the most appropriate lock for a critical section is difficult because the level of contention can vary dynamically. We verify that no current lock has the best performance for all critical sections. We present a new lock, called the shared array lock, which alleviates this problem. The shared array lock belongs to the class of locks based on queuing of processors waiting for the lock. Unlike existing queue-based locks which suffer from high latency in low contention situations, experimental results show that the shared array lock has low latency and good scalability. >
Radical perineal prostatectomy: oncological outcome during a 20-year period

AbstractPurpose: We examined 4 postulates: 1) radical perineal prostatectomy provides a substantial disease control benefit in men with clinically confined prostate cancer, 2) postoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels are an excellent surrogate end point for defining disease control, 3) the biology of primary malignancy defines the interval to death after recurrence and 4) the interval from intervention to death from recurrence is so long that current series of alternative curative therapies have insufficient duration of observation to permit a comparison with the results of surgery.Materials and Methods: A total of 1,242 men with a median age of 65.2 years who had stage cT1 to 2 N0M0 disease underwent radical perineal prostatectomy. The final pathology specimen was characterized in regard to disease extent, and Gleason grade and score. Patients were followed at 2 weeks, at 2 months and then at 6-month intervals for biochemical, physical and radiographic evidence of disease recurrence. Outcome ...
Participatory Research on Collaborative Environmental Management: Results From the Adirondack Park

In seeking to trace linkages among groups involved with environmental management in New York State's Adirondack Park, we developed a participatory exercise and employed it at a recent Adirondack research conference. Fourteen organizations took part, collectively representing 72 linkages associated with policies and programs, expertise, information dissemination, and physical facilities. The exercise revealed a dense "hub-and-spoke" pattern of interactions, with state agencies acting as the hubs. The exercise is easy to administer and can be used to provide a one-time snapshot of organizational interactions as well as serving as a basis for longitudinal research.
Words and maps: developmental changes in mental models of spatial information acquired from descriptions and depictions

People acquire spatial information from many sources, including maps, verbal descriptions, and navigating in the environment. The different sources present spatial information in different ways. For example, maps can show many spatial relations simultaneously, but in a description, each spatial relation must be presented sequentially. The present research investigated how these source differences influence the mental models that children and adults form of the presented information. In Experiment 1, 8year-olds, 10-year-olds and adults learned the layout of a six-room space either from verbal descriptions or from a map. They then constructed the configuration and pointed to target locations. Participants who learned from the map performed significantly better than those who learned from the description. Ten-year-olds performed nearly as well as adults did. The 8-year-olds’ mental models differed substantially from the older children’s and adults’ mental models. The younger children retained the sequential information but did not integrate the relations into a survey-like cognitive map. Experiment 2 demonstrated that viewing the shape of the configuration, without seeing the map in full, could facilitate 8-year-olds’ use of the verbal information and their ability to integrate the locations. The results demonstrate developmental differences in the mental representation of spatial information from descriptions. In addition, the results reveal that maps and other graphic representations can facilitate children’s spatial thinking by helping them to transcend the sequential nature of language and direct experience.
Jet production from nuclei at 400 GeV/c

Abstract Results are presented from a calorimeter study on the production of jets in large- E T proton-nucleus collisions at 400 GeV/c. Jet-like large- p T events from eight nuclear targets are seen with a special jet trigger. As previously observed, the cross section for such events increases slightly faster than the atomic number, much like in the production of large- p T single hadrons. Data on energy flows and multiplicities suggest that a heavy nucleus does not significantly widen the angular distribution of the beam remmants. In the central region the particle flow in hard nuclear collisions is similar to that in soft nuclear collisions.
Alterations in the control of luteinizing hormone pulse frequency underlie the seasonal variation in estradiol negative feedback in the ewe.

In this study, we have examined the factors responsible for the low frequency of pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion observed in intact anestrous ewes. Because estradiol is a potent inhibitor of LH in anestrus, we first examined its effect on LH pulses. Treatment of ovariectomized ewes with implants that produced physiological estradiol concentrations ranging from I to 3 pg/mI eitherdrasticallydecreased LH pulse frequency or completely abolished LH pulsesin anestrus.This contrasts with the response in the breeding season, when estradiol exerts a weak inhibition of LH by decreasing the amplitude, but not the frequency, of LH pulses.These data,together with the observation that this estradiol treatment did not suppress the pituitary response to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) in anestrus, lead to the hypothesis that estradiol is a more potent inhibitor of LH secretion in anestrus because it gains the capacity to suppress the frequency of hypothalamic GnRH discharges. Seasonal changes in pulsatile LH secretion that are independent of steroid feedback may also contribute to the low LH pulse frequency of anestrous ewes, because LH pulses in untreated ovariectomized ewes were 40% less frequent in anestrus than in the breeding season. Interestingly, there was a corresponding increase in pulse amplitude in ovariectomized anestrous ewes, so that mean LH levels were identical at both times of the year. Finally, there may be a general increase in the sensitivity of the system that generates LH pulses to all inhibitory steroids in anestrus since the ability of progesterone to suppress LH pulse frequency was also enhanced at this time of year. The results of this series of experiments are consistent with the conclusion that estradiol, acting on a pulse generating system whose frequency is partially damped by environmental effects, is responsible for the low frequency of LH pulses during seasonal anestrus.
Lights of Hope in the Treatment of Epilepsy

Of the 2 million people in the United States who suffer from epilepsy, nearly 40% still have seizures, even after medication or neurosurgery. Worse, these treatments are often associated with side effects that impair the patient’s daily life and long-term health. Better antiepileptic therapies are needed. Now, Paz and colleagues present intriguing data on the use of optogenetics to stop seizures in an animal model of epilepsy after stroke. The authors created an ischemic stroke in the somatosensory cortex of rats with photothrombosis. About 1 week later, thalamocortical neurons began to exhibit spontaneous, rhythmic (epileptiform) discharges that were associated with a highly excitable network that had developed in the thalamus. Epileptic seizures commenced approximately 4 weeks after the stroke event. The authors then used optogenetics in awake, freely moving rats to try to terminate the seizures by selectively inhibiting the thalamocortical neurons. To do so, they injected a viral vector that expressed a light-sensitive membrane ion channel [hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide–gated (HCN)] in the ventrobasal thalamus on the same side of the brain as the stroke. When illuminated, this protein reduces neuronal firing. An optic fiber implanted into the thalamus directed light from a laser to the channel-expressing neurons. The light treatment completely stopped the seizures, without affecting normal behavior. The study has limitations in that the way the authors triggered the stroke in rats (photothrombosis) is different from the way stroke occurs in humans. And the viral construct and optogenetic approach have not been fully evaluated for human use. Nevertheless, these results raise the possibility that optogenetics may be used in the future as a highly effective and targeted therapy for epilepsy. J. T. Paz et al. , Closed-loop optogenetic control of thalamus as a tool for interrupting seizures after cortical injury. Nat Neurosci. 16 , 64–70 (2013). [[Full text]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v16/n1/full/nn.3269.html
The Istanbul Pogrom of 6-7 September 1955 in the Light of International Law

The Istanbul pogrom (sometimes referred to as Septemvriana) was a government-instigated series of riots against the Greek minority of Istanbul in September 1955. It can be characterized as a “crime against humanity,” comparable in scope to the November 1938 Kristallnacht in Germany, perpetrated by the Nazi authorities against Jewish civilians. The Septemvriana satisfies the criteria of article 2 of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UNCG) because the “intent to destroy in whole or in part” the Greek minority in Istanbul was demonstrably present, the pogrom having been orchestrated by the government of Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes. Even if the number of deaths (estimated at thirty-seven) among members of the Greek community was relatively low, the result of the pogrom was the flight and emigration of the Greek minority of Istanbul, which once numbered some 100,000 and was subsequently reduced to a few thousand. The vast destruction of Greek property, bus...
Ethics in Clinical Practice

Normative ethics addresses the criteria or standards by which we judge whether an action is considered to be right or wrong. Medical ethics is built on a utilitarian ethical structure; it bases what we ought to do on competing principles that are applied in the context of the clinical setting and not on overarching deontological moral imperatives. The guiding principles of American medical ethics are those of respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice (Table 14.1). Autonomy is defined as the right to self-determination, the right to make one’s own choices. The principle of nonmaleficence, often equated with the phrase primum non nocere, first do no harm, is better described as the obligation not to knowingly do harm by either an action or the omission of an action. Beneficence is the act of doing the most possible good; to take the action which will result in the most beneficial outcome for the patient. Justice, in the context of health care, refers to equality of medical treatment and the access to care. For any given clinical situation, the application of each of these principles may give different answers to what is right or wrong [1].
A case series of alopecia areata in children: impact of personal and family history of stress and autoimmunity.

Background The epidemiology of alopecia areata (AA) is well documented in adults but has not been studied adequately in children. Objective To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of AA in children and assess the significance of thyroid screening. Methods One hundred and fifty-seven children (83 boys, 74 girls, aged 1–16 years) who visited our clinic with a first episode of AA from 1996 to 2000 were retrospectively studied. One hundred children served as clinical controls. Results The age of peak incidence of AA was 0–5 years. The youngest child was 1 year old. In the majority of the cases (131/157, 83.4%) the disease was mild or moderate (less than 50% hair loss). In 15 patients (9.5%), AA was preceded by a stressful event. Five patients had a personal history of autoimmune disease (3.2 vs. 5% of the controls, (P = not significant [NS]) while 18 patients had a personal history of atopy (11.4 vs. 18% of the controls, P = NS). Twenty-one patients had a family history of autoimmune disease other than thyroiditis (13.4 vs. 5% of the controls, P = 0.04), while 23 patients had a family history of thyroid disorder (14.6 vs. 3% of the controls, P = 0.006). In eight patients (5%) subclinical hypothyroidism of autoimmune aetiology (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) was revealed at the time of investigation. Six out of the eight patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had a family history of thyroid disorder, which was statistically significant when compared to AA patients without thyroiditis (P < 0.001). The severity of AA was associated with early age of onset of the disease (P = 0.02). Conclusion The age of peak incidence of AA in children is 0–5 years. Children with AA have an increased family history of autoimmunity, and, among children with a first episode and short duration of AA (< 6 months), thyroid screening might be restricted in those with a positive family history of thyroid disorder. Thyroid screening should be routinely performed in all children with long-standing AA.
Evidence for the formation of a new trench in the western Pacific

Shallow intraplate earthquakes, recently detected along an arcuate zone extending from the northern side of the Caroline Ridge across the western Pacific to the southern end of Kiribati (see cover), may portend a northward shift in convergence between the Indo-Australia and Pacific plates. Low-amplitude seafloor structures along this zone indicate recent deformation and, in places, suggest trench-forearc morphology. These earthquakes and seafloor structures may provide evidence for the formation of a new subduction zone: the Micronesian Trench. The western end of the postulated trench seems to be part of a complex triple junction at the concurrence of the Yap, Mariana, and Micronesian trenches. The eastern end joins the Tonga Trench south of Savaii, Western Samoa. Detailed regional studies will be necessary to delineate further the postulated Micronesian Trench. The fact that important earthquakes indicating this structure were not detected by the existing worldwide network of seismic stations suggests the need for a comprehensive reevaluation of oceanic intraplate seismicity.
A demonstration system based on a fuzzy logic controller

In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, many systems to be controlled are highly nonlinear and dynamic. A demonstration project, real-time control of a beam balancing system based on fuzzy logic, is described. This prototyping system can be operated automatically by the execution of a fuzzy control algorithm. Unlike most of the conventional and optimal control algorithms, this fuzzy logic controller requires no explicit system parameters. It is characterized by its simplicity and robustness. >