cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fetal and Neonatal Puberty

Pubertal development begins in utero with the formation of the fetal ovary, foundation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, and production of sex hormones. Development of the fetal ovary and hormone production is incredibly complex. It has been studied extensively but the exact embryologic origin of the ovary remains uncertain. The gonadotropin and subsequent ovarian hormone production has been well documented, but the exact mechanism of the cycle is unknown. There are several physical findings that occur as a result of early hormonal exposure. Most of these findings are benign and self-limited, but it is important to be familiar with situations that are outside the realm of normal. There are circumstances where the hormonal milieu at birth is associated with developing medical complications later and these situations should be recognized.
Accelerated discovery of the Al–Ag2Al–Al2Cu eutectic coupled zone through genetic optimization

Abstract Microstructure control in multi-component alloy systems is made complicated by the multiplicity of phases as well as the non-equilibrium nature of solidification. In particular, primary phases in a eutectic matrix may have a detrimental effect on the properties of the cast state. Instead of searching for wholly eutectic microstructures within a vast combinatorial space, we harness genetic algorithms (GA) to identify the stability field (coupled zone) of the three-phase Al–Ag2Al–Al2Cu eutectic, using previously reported observations as input. The output maps of the coupled zone have an accuracy of greater than 85% when compared against experimental data. In parallel, we conducted our own directional solidification (DS) experiments in order to assess the validity of our models. GA predictions of the eutectic coupled zone were further refined by incorporating our experimental observations into the constitutive growth laws. Our iterative approach of GA and DS not only improves the accuracy of the shape of the eutectic coupled zone in composition-velocity space, but also provides predictions on the microstructures of Al–Ag–Cu alloys where no such observations exist.
Novel Bayesian transcriptome-wide association study method leveraging both cis- and trans- eQTL information through summary statistics

Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) have been widely used to integrate gene expression and genetic data for studying complex traits. Due to the computation burden, existing TWAS methods neglect distant trans- expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) that are known to explain a significant proportion of the variation for most expression quantitative traits. To leverage both cis- and trans- eQTL information for TWAS, we propose a novel TWAS approach based on Bayesian variable selection regression model, which not only accounts for both cis- and trans- SNPs of the target gene but also enables efficient computation by using summary statistics of standard eQTL analyses and a scalable EM-MCMC algorithm. Simulation studies illustrate that our Bayesian approach achieved higher TWAS power compared to existing methods. By application studies, we identified gene ZC3H12B whose GReX is associated with both Alzheimer9s dementia (AD) (p-value=2.15e-11) and a global measure of AD pathology (p-value=2.438e-6), which is completely driven by trans-eQTL. We also identified gene KCTD12 whose GReX is associated with beta-amyloid load (p-value=7.63e-8), which is driven by both cis- and trans- eQTL. Particularly, four of the top driven trans-eQTL of ZC3H12B are located in gene APOC1 (
Racial differences in veterans' response to a standard vs. patient-centered decision aid for prostate cancer: Implications for decision making in African American and White men.

Abstract Objective To determine whether racial differences exist in patient preferences for prostate cancer treatment after being informed about options using a patient-centered vs. a standard decision aid (DA). Methods This article reports secondary analyses of a large study of men diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. Men were recruited from 4 VA Health Systems and randomized to receive a patient-centered or standard DA about prostate cancer treatment options. Data were collected at 1) baseline, 2) after reading the DA but prior to diagnosis, and 3) after receiving a cancer diagnosis and meeting with a urologist. Results White patients who received the patient-centered DA written at a 7th grade reading level were more likely to prefer active surveillance and less likely to prefer radiation compared to those who received the standard DA written at >9th grade reading level. African American patients’ treatment preferences did not differ as a function of DA. Conclusions When informed about prostate cancer treatment options through a patient-centered DA, White patients changed their treatment preferences but African American patients did not. Practice Implications As DAs are increasingly being used in clinical practice, more research is needed regarding the efficacy, relevance, and receptivity of DAs for African Americans.
Solvent-free enzymatic synthesis of 1,2-dipalmitoylgalloylglycerol: Characterization and optimization of reaction condition.

Abstract A novel diacylglycerol-based galloyl structured lipid, 1,2-dipalmitoylgalloylglycerol (DPGG), was synthesized using the enzymatic transesterification of propyl gallate (PG) and tripalmitin under solvent-free condition. An immobilized and commercially available food-grade Candida antarctica lipase B, Lipozyme® 435, was used as the biocatalyst. The reaction variables that affect the yield of DPGG were optimized using a 33 full factorial design. At 70 °C, DPGG was obtained at a yield of 33.0 ± 2.0% with PG conversion at 44.8 ± 1.8% when the following condition was used: 25 substrate molar ratio of tripalmitin to PG, 120 h reaction time, and 25% enzyme load relative to the total substrate weight. The structure of reaction product was elucidated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), electrospray ionization high-resolution accurate-mass tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-HRAM-MS/MS), and 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The effects of different lipases and galloyl donors/acceptors on the transesterification were also investigated.
Preoperative resource utilization prior to minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum.

Abstract Background Preoperative testing to assess the physiologic impact of pectus excavatum is sometimes ordered to meet third-party payor preauthorization requirements. This study describes the utility of physiologic testing prior to minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE). Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients that underwent MIRPE from 1/2012–7/2016 at two academic children’s hospitals. Data collected included demographics, insurance, Haller Index (HI), pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and echocardiograms (ECHO) obtained, and preauthorization denials. Results A total of 360 patients (mean age 15.7 ± 2.0 years; mean HI 4.5 ± 1.5) underwent MIRPE (Hospital 1: 189, Hospital 2: 171). Commercial insurers covered 84% of patients. Hospital 1 obtained more frequent preoperative testing (PFTs: 73% vs 6%, p Conclusions More frequent preoperative testing may decrease initial preauthorization denials for MIRPE; however, this increased utilization of resources may not be necessary as the majority of test results are normal.
Using social security number to identify sub-populations vulnerable to the health impacts from extreme heat in Florida, U.S.

Abstract Background Some socioeconomically vulnerable groups may experience disproportionately higher risk of extreme heat illness than other groups, but no study has utilized the presence/absence of a social security number (SSN) as a proxy for vulnerable sub-populations. Methods This study focused on the warm season from 2008 to 2012 in Florida, U.S. With a total number of 8,256,171 individual level health outcomes, we devised separate case-crossover models for five heat-sensitive health outcomes (cardiovascular disease, dehydration, heat-related illness, renal disease, and respiratory disease), type of health care visit (emergency department (ED) and hospitalization), and patients reporting/not reporting an SSN. Each stratified model also considered potential effect modification by sex, age, or race/ethnicity. Results Mean temperature raised the odds of five heat-sensitive health outcomes with the highest odds ratios (ORs) for heat-related illness. Sex significantly modified heat exposure effects for dehydration ED visits (Males: 1.145, 95 % CI: 1.137–1.153; Females: 1.110, 95 % CI: 1.103–1.117) and hospitalization (Males: 1.116, 95 % CI: 1.110–1.121; Females: 1.100, 95 % CI: 1.095–1.105). Patients not reporting an SSN between 25 and 44 years (1.264, 95 % CI: 1.192–1.340) exhibited significantly higher dehydration ED ORs than those reporting an SSN (1.146, 95 % CI: 1.136–1.157). We also observed significantly higher ORs for cardiovascular disease hospitalization from the no SSN group (SSN: 1.089, 95 % CI: 1.088–1.090; no SSN: 1.100, 95 % CI: 1.091–1.110). Conclusions This paper partially supports the idea that individuals without an SSN could experience higher risks of dehydration (for those 25–45 years), renal disease, and cardiovascular disease than those with an SSN.
Transcriptome modulation by the beneficial fungus Trichoderma longibrachiatum drives water stress response and recovery in tomato

Abstract Trichoderma spp. are beneﬁcial soil microorganisms used in sustainable agriculture for their ability to enhance plant performance under different environments. However, Trichoderma-activated mechanisms that help plants to cope with water stress are still not completely defined. We investigated morpho-physiological, biochemical and transcriptomic responses to PEG-induced short severe water stress in Trichoderma longibrachiatum-inoculated and non-inoculated Solanum lycopersicum. Trichoderma had significant biostimulation effects on the plant and, after stress, allowed recovery of growth and photosynthesis to the levels of unstressed plants. Whole-transcriptome analysis was carried out after 1 day of 15 % PEG treatment in 22-day Trichoderma-inoculated and non-inoculated plants. Under non-stress conditions, Trichoderma triggered an extensive transcriptional reprogramming, specifically modulating the expression of classes of transcription factors and of genes involved in photosynthesis, antioxidant defences and maintenance of a juvenile state. Though the effects of water stress were predominant, mainly boosting transcription of stress-responsive genes, pre-treatment with Trichoderma specifically affected genes involved in mitigation of stress damage. Our findings provide new insights into the plant interplay with Trichoderma, useful to further exploit rhizosphere fungi for the improvement of plant performance under limiting environments.
Alterations in MAdCAM1-Positive Mucosal Capillaries and Integrin a4b7-Positive Lymphocytes in Crohn's Disease Treated with Anti-TNFα Biologics.

Objective To elucidate the reasons for the decreased effectiveness of Vedolizumab (VDZ) treatment in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) previously treated (CD-T) with anti-TNF-α biologics. Methods Immunohistochemical staining was performed on sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded ileocolonic biopsies using antibodies for the mucosal addressin molecule (MAdCAM-1) and Etrolizumab. Results The mean number of MAdCAM-1 positive capillaries (MAdCAM-1-C) was 3 in controls, 8.5 in CD, 5.37 in CD-T, 5.7 in ulcerative colitis (UC), and 3.1 in lymphocytic colitis (LC) (p=0.0032). When all biopsies with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in this series were considered together, the number of MAdCAM-1-C increased with an increased histologic activity score (HAS) (p Conclusions Our results suggest that treatment with anti-TNF-α reduces the number of MAdCAM-1-C in CD, even in biopsies with high HAS. This suggests that high inflammation in such cases obviously failed to respond to anti-TNF-α, may be less dependent on the migration of a4b7-lymphocytes to the inflamed mucosa, and therefore may not optimally respond to VDZ treatment.Presented in part at the Digestive Diseases Week meeting, San Diego, CA, May 2019. Supported by Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
Nursing Home Practitioner Survey of Diagnostic Criteria for Urinary Tract Infections

Objectives: To identify clinical and laboratory criteria used by nursing home practitioners for diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in nursing home residents. To determine practitioner knowledge of the most commonly used consensus criteria (i.e., McGeer criteria) for UTIs. Design: Self-administered survey. Setting: Three New Haven–area nursing homes. Participants: Physicians (n=25), physician assistants (PAs, n=3), directors/assistant directors of nursing (n=8), charge nurses (n=37), and infection control practitioners (n=3). Measurements: Open- and closed-ended questions. Results: Nineteen physicians, three PAs, and 41 nurses completed 63 of 76 (83%) surveys. The five most commonly reported triggers for suspecting UTI in noncatheterized residents were change in mental status (57/63, 90%), fever (48/63, 76%), change in voiding pattern (44/63, 70%), dysuria (41/63, 65%), and change in character of urine (37/63, 59%). Asked to identify their first diagnostic step in the evaluation of UTIs, 48% (30/63) said urinary dipstick analysis, and 40% (25/63) said urinalysis and urine culture. Fourteen of 22 (64%) physicians and PAs versus 40 of 40 (100%) nurses were aware of the McGeer criteria for noncatheterized patients (P<.001); 12 of 22 (55%) physicians and PAs versus 38 of 39 (97%) nurses used them in clinical practice (P<.001). Conclusion: Although surveillance and treatment consensus criteria have been developed, there are no universally accepted diagnostic criteria. This survey demonstrated a distinction between surveillance criteria and criteria practitioners used in clinical practice. Prospective data are needed to develop evidence-based clinical and laboratory criteria of UTIs in nursing home residents that can be used to identify prospectively tested treatment and prevention strategies.
Dietary Arachidonate Enhances Tissue Arachidonate Levels and Eicosanoid Production in Syrian Hamsters

Eicosanoids are oxidative derivatives of arachidonic acid. When produced in excess many of them are proinflammatory agents. This study investigates whether dietary arachidonic acid enhances arachidonic acid phospholipid content of various tissues and whether this enrichment increases eicosanoid production. Male Syrian hamsters were divided into four groups and fed diets supplemented with ethyl esters of oleic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid or eicosapentaenoic acid. Differences in the composition of the phospholipid fatty acids were monitored in liver, lung, heart, spleen, kidney, testes, macrophages and platelets. In all tissues analyzed, the phospholipid content of arachidonic acid was significantly higher in the arachidonic dietary group compared with all other dietary groups (average > 50% higher). In contrast, increasing dietary linoleic acid by 50% had little effect on altering tissue arachidonic acid levels. Following in vitro stimulation, macrophages and platelets from animals maintained on arachidonic acid produced, in general, the highest levels of eicosanoids compared with cells from animals fed the other diets. Significant differences were observed in prostaglandin E2 (macrophages) and thromboxane B2 (platelets) formation when compared with the oleic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid dietary groups. The data demonstrate that including low to moderate levels of arachidonic acid in the diet increases macrophage and platelet arachidonic acid levels and may augment eicosanoid production.
Extensible Scheduling in a Haskell-based Operating System

This thesis presents Lighthouse, an experimental branch of the Haskell-based House operating system which integrates Li et al.’s Lightweight Concurrency framework. First and foremost, it improves House’s viability as a “real operating system” by providing a new extensible scheduler framework which makes it easy to experiment with different scheduling policies. In particular, Lighthouse extends Concurrent Haskell with thread priority and implements a priority-based scheduler which significantly improves system responsiveness when compared with GHC’s normal round-robin scheduler. Even while doing this, it improves on House’s claim of being “written in Haskell” by moving a whole subsystem out of the complex C-based runtime system and into Haskell itself. In addition, Lighthouse also includes an alternate, simpler implementation of Lightweight Concurrency which takes advantage of House’s unique setting (running directly on uniprocessor x86 hardware). This experience sheds light on areas that need further attention before the system can truly be viable—primarily interactions between blackholing and interrupt handling. In particular, this thesis uncovers a potential case of self-deadlock and suggests potential solutions. Finally, this work offers further insight into the viability of using high-level languages such as Haskell for systems programming. Although laziness and blackholing present unique problems, many parts of the system are still much easier to express in Haskell than traditional languages such as C.
The Meaning of McIntyre

When certiorari was granted in J. McIntyre Machinery, Ltd. v. Nicastro, 131 S. Ct. 2780 (2011), many hoped that the Supreme Court would provide much-needed clarification to the area of personal jurisdiction. It didn’t. The Court failed to generate a majority opinion, splitting into Justice Kennedy’s four-Justice plurality, Justice Breyer’s two-Justice concurrence, and Justice Ginsburg’s three-Justice dissent. This essay – for the Southwestern Journal of International Law’s 2012 symposium “Our Courts and the World: Transnational Litigation and Procedure” – examines how state and federal courts have been using the McIntyre decision. Some lower court opinions have mistakenly interpreted McIntyre as establishing new constitutional restraints on state court exercises of personal jurisdiction, or as resolving previously open questions in favor of a more restrictive approach. These opinions misread the Justices’ opinions in McIntyre. In particular, there has been confusion about Justice Breyer’s concurrence, which explicitly disagreed with Justice Kennedy’s reasoning and was premised on a narrow understanding of the factual record in McIntyre. Many lower court decisions, however, correctly recognize that the fractured McIntyre decision does not mandate new constitutional restrictions on personal jurisdiction.
Reverse engineering human neurodegenerative disease using pluripotent stem cell technology

With the technology of reprogramming somatic cells by introducing defined transcription factors that enables the generation of "induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)" with pluripotency comparable to that of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), it has become possible to use this technology to produce various cells and tissues that have been difficult to obtain from living bodies. This advancement is bringing forth rapid progress in iPSC-based disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. More and more studies have demonstrated that phenotypes of adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders could be rather faithfully recapitulated in iPSC-derived neural cell cultures. Moreover, despite the adult-onset nature of the diseases, pathogenic phenotypes and cellular abnormalities often exist in early developmental stages, providing new "windows of opportunity" for understanding mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders and for discovering new medicines. The cell reprogramming technology enables a reverse engineering approach for modeling the cellular degenerative phenotypes of a wide range of human disorders. An excellent example is the study of the human neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using iPSCs. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons (MNs), culminating in muscle wasting and death from respiratory failure. The iPSC approach provides innovative cell culture platforms to serve as ALS patient-derived model systems. Researchers have converted iPSCs derived from ALS patients into MNs and various types of glial cells, all of which are involved in ALS, to study the disease. The iPSC technology could be used to determine the role of specific genetic factors to track down what's wrong in the neurodegenerative disease process in the "disease-in-a-dish" model. Meanwhile, parallel experiments of targeting the same specific genes in human ESCs could also be performed to control and to complement the iPSC-based approach for ALS disease modeling studies. Much knowledge has been generated from the study of both ALS iPSCs and ESCs. As these methods have advantages and disadvantages that should be balanced on experimental design in order for them to complement one another, combining the diverse methods would help build an expanded knowledge of ALS pathophysiology. The goals are to reverse engineer the human disease using ESCs and iPSCs, generate lineage reporter lines and in vitro disease models, target disease related genes, in order to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of differentiation regulation along neural (neuronal versus glial) lineages, to unravel the pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative disease, and to provide appropriate cell sources for replacement therapy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: PSC and the brain.
Cerebral Cortical Microvascular Rarefaction in Metabolic Syndrome is Dependent on Insulin Resistance and Loss of Nitric Oxide Bioavailability.

Objective Chronic presentation of the MS is associated with an increased likelihood for stroke and poor stroke outcomes following occlusive cerebrovascular events. However, the physiological mechanisms contributing to compromised outcomes remain unclear, and the degree of cerebral cortical MVD may represent a central determinant of stroke outcomes. Methods This study used the OZR model of MS and clinically relevant, chronic interventions to determine the impact on cerebral cortical microvascular rarefaction via immunohistochemistry with a parallel determination of cerebrovascular function to identify putative mechanistic contributors. Results OZR exhibited a progressive rarefaction (to ~80% control MVD) of the cortical microvascular networks vs. lean Zucker rats. Chronic treatment with antihypertensive agents (captopril/hydralazine) had limited effectiveness in blunting rarefaction, although treatments improving glycemic control (metformin/rosiglitazone) were superior, maintaining ~94% control MVD. Chronic treatment with the antioxidant TEMPOL severely blunted rarefaction in OZR, although this ameliorative effect was prevented by concurrent NOS inhibition. Conclusions Further analyses revealed that the maintenance of glycemic control and vascular NO bioavailability were stronger predictors of cerebral cortical MVD in OZR than was prevention of hypertension, and this may have implications for chronic treatment of CVD risk under stroke-prone conditions.
The Microcomputer in Social-Psychophysiological Research: An Apple II/FIRST Laboratory

An Apple II/FIRST microcomputing system has been established to control social-psychophysiological experiments, colled analog and digital data, and extract dependent variable measures for the monitored physiological, reportable, and behavioral processes. The inexpensive Apple II microcomputer has been augmented by a hardware floating-point processor and an A/D converter chip. In addition, the FIRST software system is employed. FIRST is an interactive, high-level, structured programming language that is sufficiently fast that tedious machine-language programming is seldom needed for stimulus control and data acquisition. The Apple II/FIRST microcomputing system, while presently employed by us in social psychophysiological research, was developed for use in animal classical conditioning research (Scandrett and Gormezano, 1980). Clearly, the system has the power and flexibility to be used in a wide variety of other laboratories.
Targeted Expression of Stromelysin-1 in Mammary Gland Provides Evidence for a Role of Proteinases in Branching Morphogenesis and the Requirement for an Intact Basement Membrane for Tissue-specific Gene Expression

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important regulator of the differentiated phenotype of mammary epithelial cells in culture. Despite the fact that ECM-degrading enzymes have been implicated in morphogenesis and tissue remodeling, there is little evidence for a direct role for such regulation in vivo. We generated transgenic mice that express autoactivated isoforms of the matrix metalloproteinase stromelysin-1, under the control of the whey acidic protein gene promoter, to examine the effect of inappropriate expression of this enzyme. Stromelysin-1 is implicated as the primary player in the loss of basement membrane and loss of function in the mammary gland during involution. The transgene was expressed at low levels in mammary glands of virgin female mice, leading to an unexpected phenotype: The primary ducts had supernumerary branches and showed precocious development of alveoli that expressed beta-casein at levels similar to that of an early- to mid-pregnant gland. Lactating glands showed high levels of transgene expression, with accumulation at the basement membrane, and a decrease in laminin and collagen IV, resulting in a loss of basement membrane integrity; this was accompanied by a dramatic alteration of alveolar morphology, with decreased size and shrunken lumina containing little beta-casein. During pregnancy, expression of endogenous whey acidic protein and beta-casein was reduced in transgenic glands, confirming the observed dependence of milk protein transcription of ECM in mammary epithelial cells in culture. These data provide direct evidence that stromelysin-1 activity can be morphogenic for mammary epithelial cells, inducing hyperproliferation and differentiation in virgin animals, and that its lytic activity can, indeed, disrupt membrane integrity and reduce mammary-specific function. We conclude that the balance of ECM-degrading enzymes with their inhibitors, and the associated regulation of ECM structure, is crucial for tissue-specific gene expression and morphogenesis in vivo.
SIRT1 and Caloric Restriction: An Insight Into Possible Trade-Offs Between Robustness and Frailty

Purpose of reviewThis review aims to summarize the importance of the mammalian nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent deacetylase SIRT1 as a critical mediator that coordinates metabolic responses to caloric restriction and the recent progress in the development of SIRT1-targeted caloric r
User expectations for the location of web objects

This study examined where individuals expect specific web-related objects to be located on a typical web page. The web objects examined were: web page title, internal and external grouping of links, a link to the homepage, internal search engine, and advertisement banner(s). The results suggest that users do have definable expectations concerning the location of these web objects.
Flight to Life

Through the Arizona State Premature Transport Project, all Arizona–born high–risk infants can get the best available intensive care at one of four centers. A radio–telephone dispatch system, helicopter ambulance, and tight teamwork figure in the speedy transport of an infant to a regional center. Community residents, state and county health departments, hospitals, transport companies, insurance agencies, social workers, physicians, and nurses cooperated and coordinated efforts to provide the center services. The program, which has significantly reduced neonatal mortality, hinges on the role of the nurse. Nurses originated the idea for regionalization in Arizona; they precipitated and were involved in the planning. Specially trained nurses transport the patients, provide the intensive monitoring and care, and perform some diagnoses and complicated treatments. The public health nurse reports to the center on the paternal home, supports and guides the parents, and follows the infant after discharge. Part I of this report relates the history, funding, and growth of the program. It includes an overview of admission. and transport operations and of the interrelation of center, referring, and public health personnel which allows total continuous services. Part II focuses on operations at one center, St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. It details the nurse's role and continuing education and the special equipment and procedures in the intensive care nursery, where all surgery and treatments are performed. Also touched on are education progrms for non‐center nurses, parent participation, and community involvement.
A Simple Real-Time Method For Calibrating A Camera Mounted On A Robot For Three Dimensional Machine Vision

For a vision system to infer 3D object features (e.g., point features or line features) from 2D image features and to predict 2D image features from 3D object features, the transformation between the 2D image coordinate system and the 3D object coordinate system must be known. Determining this transformation is called (geometric) camera calibration. This 2D-3D transformation varies when the camera is moved by a robot. This paper presents a simple two-stage (off-line stage and on-line stage) method for calibrating a camera mounted on a robot. The off-line stage includes off-line calibration of the camera, the robot, and the robot-camera (or hand-eye) relation. The on-line stage can be divided into an initial calculation step and a re-calibration step. The initial step is computationally simple since it only involves one or two matrix multiplications of dimension less than four. The derived calibration accuracy from this initial step depends on the accuracy of the off-line camera/robot calibration. Experimental results show that the calibration accuracy is better than "1 part in 1000" without special robot calibration. Higher accuracy can be obtained with more sophisticated robot calibration, or with the re-calibration step using the extended Kalman filtering techniques. Some new insights to the conventional camera calibration methods are also given.
Identification of Competing Reinforcers for Behavior Maintained by Automatic Reinforcement

A four-phase investigation was completed to reduce aberrant behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. During Phase 1, a brief functional analysis determined the maintaining contingencies for aberrant behavior displayed by an 11-year-old boy with autism. The results of this analysis suggested that aberrant behavior was maintained by automatic reinforcement. During Phase 2, the participant was exposed to a series of different types of sensory stimuli. Noncontingent exposure to kinesthetic stimuli was shown to decrease aberrant behavior to near zero levels. Conversely, noncontingent exposure to auditory and visual stimuli did not decrease aberrant behavior. This combination of results suggested that noncontingent access to kinesthetic stimuli competed with the reinforcing effects of aberrant behavior. We hypothesized that kinesthetic stimuli served as substitutable reinforcers to the automatic reinforcement provided by aberrant behavior. We further hypothesized that, if this is the case, kinesthetic st...
NUCLEAR SPIN-LATTICE RELAXATION AND KNIGHT SHIFT IN TUNGSTEN METAL

The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time ${T}_{1}$ and Knight shift $K$ of $^{183}\mathrm{W}$ have been measured in tungsten metal in the temperature range 1.1-4.0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The experimental measurements give ${T}_{1}T=37\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2$ sec \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. A comparison of this value with the electronic specific-heat coefficient of tungsten indicates that the dominant relaxation mechanism arises from the contact interaction. The Knight shift $K=1.06%$, on the other hand, results almost entirely from the orbital paramagnetism of the $d$ band. The results of this study show that approximately 80% of the conduction-Electron susceptibility of tungsten is of orbital origin.
Making structural sense of nonsense-mediated decay.

A new study reports the hUpf2-hUpf3b interaction domain structure and provides the first structural insight into the core of the nonsense-mediated decay pathway. Surprisingly, the RNA-recognition motif of hUpf3b, a domain typically involved in RNA binding, constitutes instead an interaction surface for hUpf2.
A COMPARISON OF STRATEGIES USED BY BLACK AND WHITE STUDENTS IN SOLVING SAT VERBAL ANALOGIES USING A THINKING ALOUD METHOD AND A MATCHED PERCENTAGE-CORRECT DESIGN

Two studies are reported which investigate how Black and White examinees differ in their ability to solve analogy items. The first helps to identify three factors which affect differential ethnic performance on analogy items; the second study carried out a controlled experiment in order to investigate, via a thinking aloud paradigm, how the same three factors influenced the types of strategies that were differentially evoked for two matched groups of Black and White students. In Study 1 three variables were found to be significantly associated with ethnic examinee differences in solving analogies: the item difficulty level (easy/hard dimension), whether the item had science content or not, and whether the item used a part/whole relationship in the stem. The conclusion reached in Study 1 was that Black examinees perform differentially better than the matched White examinees on the hard analogy items (typically these had a non-science content), and appear to systematically perform less well vis-a-vis the matched White examinees on the easy analogy items (which often have a science content). The results for Study 2 indicated that three strategies help to account for ethnic differences in solving analogy items: (1) use of an indirect or weak induction (used primarily by Black students on the hard science items; use of this strategy, especially for hard science items, helped Blacks to get more of these items correct). (2) use of word association in selecting a response which typically results in a wrong option being chosen (this was used more often by the Black students for all items except hard science items for which Black and White students were approximately equal in use of this strategy). (3) problems pronouncing the words in the item stem (Black students mispronounced some of the stem words significantly more often than White students). Collectively these results helped to clarify some of the significant differences found between the two ethnic student groups in solving analogy items as a function of the item's characteristics. In general both studies provided evidence that item difficulty (the easy/hard dimension) was a significant factor underlying ethnic performance; the evidence showed that Black students perform better than their matched White student counterparts on the hard items and perform less well with respect to the easy items. But for Study 2 no confirming evidence was found that Black students performed less well on items involving science content, contrary to the results found in Study 1. Reasons for such differences across studies are discussed. Over and above ethnic differences, additional analyses in Study 2 uncovered differential strategy use as a function of whether analogy items contained a science or nonscience content.
Remote observations of the marine environment: Spatial heterogeneity of the mesoscale ocean color field in CZCS imagery of California near-coastal waters

Abstract Visible remote sensing provides synoptic observations of the ocean color field which illustrate the variability of optical properties in surface waters. This variability and its connections with phytoplankton patchiness in the marine environment are briefly examined. Quantitative assessments of ocean color were obtained from Coastal Zone Color Scanner data, by deriving large-scale, high-resolution images of the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm, for two regions off the California coast. Taking a statistical approach to the description of ocean surface characteristics (widely used in the literature for the analysis of chlorophyll concentration data, but rare for that of ocean color data), scalar power spectra of the diffuse attenuation coefficient variance have been estimated, for a number of subsets of the CZCS-derived images. No significant variations between the two regions considered appeared in the spectra, which all exhibit similar characteristics and an average power law dependency following approximately a - frsol |5/3 slope over the 10–100 km spectral window. The results obtained seem to compare favorably with other published examples of spectra derived from both shipboard and satellite measurements of surface parameters, and possibly to mirror the turbulent nature of the oceanic environment.
ATRP in Waterborne Miniemulsion via a Simultaneous Reverse and Normal Initiation Process

Atom transfer radical polymerization with simultaneous reverse and normal initiation process was conducted in a miniemulsion system with the use of highly active transition-metal complexes formed by hydrophobic ligands at concentrations 5−8 times lower than in a typical reverse ATRP process. The molecular weights were essentially determined by the concentration of alkyl halide (used in ∼5-fold excess to a standard radical initiator) and much less affected by the concentration of a standard radical initiator (e.g., AIBN) and/or CuII complex. Controlled polymerizations of methacrylate, acrylate, and styrene were demonstrated by a linear correlation between molecular weights and monomer conversions and relatively low polydispersities (Mw/Mn < 1.3). The resulting latexes showed good colloidal stability with an average particle sized around 250−300 nm. Oil-soluble initiator (e.g., AIBN) provided better control over polymerization than water-soluble initiator (e.g., VA-044). Well-defined waterborne 3-arm star p...
Tetrahydrofurfuryloxide Derivatives of Alkyl Aluminum Species

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (H-OTHF) was successfully reacted with a series of aluminum alkyls (AlR3) to yield compounds of the general formula [R2Al(μ-OTHF)]2 where R = CH3 (1), CH2CH3 (2), and CH2...
Bright core-shell semiconductor quantum wires.

Colloidal CdTe quantum wires are reported having ensemble photoluminescence efficiencies as high as 25% under low excitation-power densities. High photoluminescence efficiencies are achieved by formation of a monolayer CdS shell on the CdTe quantum wires. Like other semiconductor nanowires, the CdTe quantum wires may contain frequent wurtzite–zinc-blende structural alternations along their lengths. The present results demonstrate that the optical properties, emission-peak shape and photoluminescence efficiencies, are independent of the presence or absence of such structural alternations.
Infection control for health care workers caring for critically injured patients: A national survey

Prevention of transmission of bloodborne pathogens to health care workers (HCWs) involved in resuscitation of critically injured patients presents special challenges. As a step toward creation of a standard, a telephone survey of the infection control practices in this setting of the 100 busiest EDs in the United States (US) was performed. Departmental staff who were knowledgeable about ED infection prevention protocols were questioned about general policy, barrier protection measures, sharps management, and educational programs directed to HCWs. Surveys were completed for 82 EDs. Of these, 56 (68%) either function as primary trauma care facilities for the local community, or are designated level 1 trauma centers by the American College of Surgeons. Specific infection control protocols for trauma resuscitation had been printed and posted by 18 EDs (22%), with the remaining 64 (78%) using the same universal precautions for care of the severely injured as for other patients. A specific policy relating to invasive procedures had been promulgated by 66 EDs (80%). Barrier protection was used by protocol or by custom for care of all critically injured patients by 43 EDs (52%). Impermeable gowns with sleeves were available in 63 EDs (77%). Eye or face protection included face shields by 74 EDs (90%), face masks by 76 EDs (93%), and goggles by 72 EDs (88%). Only 59 EDs (72%) reported that sharp containers were always within arm's reach of HCWs with material to discard. Specially adapted equipment included self-sheathing intravenous catheters (21, 26%) and needle/syringe combinations (16, 20%). Considerable variation exists in infection control practices in busy US EDs during resuscitation of critically injured patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Conformational analysis of intermediates involved in the in vitro folding pathways of recombinant human macrophage colony stimulating factor β by sulfhydryl group trapping and hydrogen/deuterium pulsed labeling

In vitro oxidative folding of reduced recombinant human macrophage colony stimulating factor beta (rhm-CSFbeta) involves two major events: disulfide isomerization in the monomeric intermediates and disulfide-mediated dimerization. Kinetic analysis of rhm-CSFbeta folding indicated that monomer isomerization is slower than dimerization and is, in fact, the rate-determining step. A time-dependent determination of the number of free cysteines remaining was made after refolding commence. The folding intermediates revealed that rhm-CSFbeta folds systematically, forming disulfide bonds via multiple pathways. Mass spectrometric evidence indicates that native as well as non-native intrasubunit disulfide bonds form in monomeric intermediates. Initial dimerization is assumed to involve formation of disulfide bonds, Cys 157/159-Cys' 157/159. Among six intrasubunit disulfide bonds, Cys 48-Cys 139 and Cys' 48-Cys' 139 are assumed to be the last to form, while Cys 31-Cys' 31 is the last intersubunit disulfide bond that forms. Conformational properties of the folding intermediates were probed by H/D exchange pulsed labeling, which showed the coexistence of noncompact dimeric and monomeric species at early stages of folding. As renaturation progresses, the noncompact dimer undergoes significant structural rearrangement, forming a native-like dimer while the monomer maintains a noncompact conformation.
Changes in serum pregnancy-associated glycoprotein, pregnancy-specific protein B, and progesterone concentrations before and after induction of pregnancy loss in lactating dairy cows

Lactating crossbred dairy cows were synchronized to receive a timed artificial insemination (TAI), and blood samples were collected from all cows from TAI until pregnancy diagnosis 39 d after TAI (period 1), and from pregnant cows from onset of treatment until the end of the experiment (period 2). Cows diagnosed pregnant 39 d after TAI were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments to receive (1) an i.m. injection of saline (CON, n=10); (2) an i.m. injection of PGF(2α) (PGF, n=10); or (3) an intrauterine infusion of 120 mL of hypertonic saline (INF, n=9). During period 1, serum pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) concentrations began to increase in pregnant cows by 25 d after TAI and differed from those in nonpregnant cows by 27 d after TAI, whereas serum pregnancy-specific protein B (PSPB) concentrations in pregnant cows differed from those in nonpregnant cows by 22 d after TAI. During period 2, time from treatment to cessation of the embryonic heartbeat was greater for PGF than for INF cows (36.0±5.7 vs. 0.2±0.1 h, respectively), and time from treatment to conceptus disappearance was greater for INF than for PGF cows (7.1±3.3 vs. 1.9±0.3 d, respectively). Overall, progesterone concentration was greater for CON and INF than for PGF cows (8.7±2.8, 8.2±3.1, and 1.0±2.3 ng/mL, respectively) due to luteal regression for PGF cows and corpus luteum maintenance for CON and INF cows. Serum PAG and PSPB concentrations differed among CON cows and PGF and INF cows beginning 1 and 2.5 d after treatment for PAG and PSPB, respectively. By 9.5 d after treatment, PAG and PSPB concentrations were similar to those of nonpregnant cows. We conclude that although timing of conceptus expulsion occurred 5.2 d later for INF than for PGF cows, serum PAG and PSPB concentrations decreased at a similar rate from the onset of treatment for both models of pregnancy loss evaluated.
In vitro expression of a 38,000 dalton heparin-binding glycoprotein by morphologically differentiated smooth muscle cells.

In vitro, high density monolayer cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells can be induced to form multicellular nodules. The nodular cells appear to be morphologically differentiated smooth muscle cells. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (NaDodSO4)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to compare the proteins synthesized and secreted by monolayer and nodular cultures of smooth muscle cells. Although most proteins appeared to be similar, the nodular cultures contained a unique heparin binding protein of Mr = 38,000 (38kD protein) (Millis, A.J.T., Hoyle, M., Reich, E., and Mann, D.M., 1985, J. Biol. Chem., 260: 3754–3761). The 38kD protein was glycosylated and its apparent molecular weight was shifted to Mr = 32,500 after synthesis in the presence of tunicamycin or digestion with endoglycosidase F. The production of 38kD protein by nodular cell cultures did not appear to result from the degradation of a high molecular weight precursor in nodular conditioned medium. Further, it was not detected in monolayer cell conditioned medium that had been incubated with nodular cells. Finally, its synthesis was not induced in monolayer cell cultures that had been labeled in nodular cell conditioned medium. The 38kD protein appears to be uniquely associated with nodular cultures of smooth muscle cells.
Conversational skills and modeling in learning disabled boys

Learning disabled (LD) children in the role of interviewer have been found to be less skilled than nondisabled children at initiating and sustaining a dialogue with a classmate. This study tested the effects of modeling on these conversational skills and on metaconversational knowledge. LD and nondisabled boys in grades 2 through 8 listened to either a dialogue of a child interviewer modeling open-ended questions, conversational devices and contingent comments and responses, or a monologue presenting only the interviewee's responses. Each subject was then videotaped interviewing a classmate. Although the dialogue model increased LD children's production of open-ended questions and comments, these strategies appeared more difficult for their listeners to understand and expand. Results of the metaconversational responses suggest that LD children are aware of their difficulties in conversational interaction.