cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Models of Surfaces and Abstract Art in the Early Twentieth Century

In the late 1800s and early 1900s mathematicians were producing models of mathematical surfaces out of plaster, wire, and other materials. These models were used to illustrate research and for university instruction. Gradually, mathematical interest in these models faded, but the models themselves were still on display in universities and museums. There they were found by several artists from the Constructivist and Surrealist movements, two movements of abstract art that were active in the early twentieth century. Artists from each of these movements drew some inspiration from these models of surfaces.
Bazzell, M., & Carroll, J. (2016). The Complete Privacy & Security Desk Reference-Volume I Digital. United States of America: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 478 pp

As I was writing this book review, the announcement about Equifax’s data breach, which affected about 143 million people, was dominating the daily discussions within United States. Following this m...
American Indians, Place Meanings and the Old/New West

The American West has long played a key role in recreation and tourism for the American people. The West is where most of the "crown jewels" of the national park system are located, as are most of the nation's designated wilderness areas, national forests, and other protected areas managed by federal agencies. These lands are visited by millions of Americans and international tourists each year. The parks and protected lands of the West are also important to the American psyche. Even those who do not visit these protected areas relate to them as part of America's heritage and national bounty of resources. The protected areas of the West seem to symbolize freedom, beauty and the renewal of the spirit to many Americans. Many would claim that many Americans have a general sense of place and place attachment to the landscapes of the West. So, it is important that professionals in recreation; parks and tourism understand the sense of place and place meanings Americans have regarding the West, have a realistic understanding of the changes that are happening in the West, understand the difference between the myths and the realities of the West, and understand the impli
Introduction to Cognitive Procedures

This chapter discusses cognitive procedures. Knowing, understanding, perceiving, learning, and problem solving are among the cognitive processes involved in the creative process. For various reasons, more techniques have been developed to stimulate these processes than personality factors. Associationistic psychology and Gestalt psychology concern themselves with cognitive processes and serve as the theoretical bases for many of the procedures and techniques to be presented later. To differentiate between the two schools of thought most succinctly, it is said that associationistic psychology maintains that a stimulus is made up of its different component parts, while Gestalt psychology maintains that the whole determines the parts. The chapter discusses Guilford's work on intellective factors. These factors and the tests developed by Guilford and his co-workers have been of great significance to workers in the area of creativity.
Cognition and incarceration: cognitive impairment and its associated outcomes in older adults in jail

Author(s): Ahalt, Cyrus; Stijacic-Cenzer, Irena; Miller, Bruce L; Rosen, Howard J; Barnes, Deborah E; Williams, Brie A | Abstract: ObjectivesTo determine prevalence of, and outcomes associated with, a positive screen for cognitive impairment in older adults in jail.DesignCombined data from cross-sectional (n=185 participants) and longitudinal (n=125 participants) studies.SettingUrban county jail.ParticipantsIndividuals in jail aged 55 and older (N = 310; mean age 59, range 55-80). Inclusion of individuals aged 55 and older is justified because the criminal justice system defines "geriatric prisoners" as those aged 55 and older.MeasurementsBaseline and follow-up assessments of health, psychosocial factors, and cognitive status (using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)); 6-month acute care use and repeat arrest assessed in those followed longitudinally.ResultsParticipants were of low socioeconomic status (85% annual income l $15,000) and predominantly nonwhite (75%). Many (70%) scored less than 25 on the MoCA; those with a low MoCA score were more likely to be nonwhite (81% vs 62%, pl.001) and report fair or poor health (54% vs 41%, p=.04). Over 6 months, a MoCA score of less than 25 was associated with multiple emergency department visits (32% vs 13%, p=.02), hospitalization (35% vs 16%, p=.03), and repeat arrests (45% vs 21%, p=.01).ConclusionsCognitive impairment is prevalent in older adults in jail and is associated with adverse health and criminal justice outcomes. A geriatric approach to jail-based and transitional health care should be developed to assess and address cognitive impairment. Additional research is needed to better assess cognitive impairment and its consequences in this population. J Am Geriatr Soc 66:2065-2071, 2018.
Postoperative bridging anticoagulation and left ventricular assist system thrombosis

Reduced emphasis on early postoperative bridging anticoagulation is one explanation for the increased incidence of HeartMate II (HM II) pump thrombosis. We conducted a single-center analysis of initial postoperative anticoagulation practices and their impact on the incidence of HM II pump thrombosis. Data was collected on 105 patients undergoing primary HM II implant from 2009 to 2014. A parenteral bridge was defined as use of parenteral anticoagulation prior to attainment of an international normalized ratio ≥ 2 on warfarin. A parenteral bridge was further characterized as early if initiated ≤ 3 days of implant and therapeutic if a manufacturer-specified goal partial thromboplastin time (PTT) was achieved during each of the first 3 days of administration. Pump thrombosis was “suspected” based upon suggestive clinical parameters leading to hospital admission with parenteral anticoagulant administration and “confirmed” by direct visualization of thrombus in the device. A majority of patients (70%) were treated with an initial parenteral bridge, which was started within 3 days of device implantation in 68% of cases. Therapeutic PTT levels were achieved in 52% of patients treated with a parenteral bridge. Patients who were bridged had lower Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profiles (p = 0.039) and longer intensive care unit stay (p = 0.005). Pump thrombosis was suspected in 25% and confirmed in 13% of patients within 6 months of implant. Point estimates of pump thrombosis incidence demonstrated a lower event rate at 6 months in patients who received a therapeutic bridge (15.8%, 95% CI 6.3–29.1% for suspected; 7.9%, 95% CI 2.0–19.3% for confirmed) compared to those who did not receive a therapeutic bridge (29.9%, CI 19.3–41.1% for suspected; 16.4%, 95% CI 8.7–26.3% for confirmed). This trend was not sustained at 12 and 24 months. Cumulative incidence analyses showed no significant difference in the overall incidence of pump thrombosis between patients who did and did not receive a parenteral bridge. In patients undergoing HM II implantation, the use of initial postoperative parenteral bridging anticoagulation is common but frequently sub-therapeutic. Use of a parenteral bridge reaching therapeutic targets may decrease the 6-month but not the overall incidence of pump thrombosis.
Pathogenesis of Chagas Disease: an Emphasis for Transplant Patient Populations

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people in the Americas. Reactivation of the infection can occur in the immunosuppressed host, often after organ transplantation. This article aims to review the pathogenesis of Chagas disease with special emphasis on transplant populations in an effort to inform clinicians about the potential risk for reactivation of Chagas disease in high-risk populations. Reactivation of Chagas disease is most common in the recipient who had Chagas cardiomyopathy and least common in the recipient of non-heart tissues from Chagas patients. T cell suppression associated with AIDS and transplantation is a major risk factor for reactivation. Certain drugs are associated with a higher risk for reactivation post-transplant, such as mycophenolate motefil. TNF-α inhibitors may also be associated with reactivation of Chagas disease. Routine PCR after transplantation seems to be an adequate tool for early diagnosis after transplant. Transplant physicians should be aware of Chagas disease as a potential transmission risk for donors originating from endemic areas. The highest transmission risk being in cardiac donors and lesser risk for liver and kidney donors. Standardized monitoring protocols seem to detect the infection early, reducing the risk for complications from reactivation of Chagas disease in this population.
Advances in Protein Super-Secondary Structure Prediction and Application to Protein Structure Prediction

Due to the advancement in various sequencing technologies, the gap between the number of protein sequences and the number of experimental protein structures is ever increasing. Community-wide initiatives like CASP have resulted in considerable efforts in the development of computational methods to accurately model protein structures from sequences. Sequence-based prediction of super-secondary structure has direct application in protein structure prediction, and there have been significant efforts in the prediction of super-secondary structure in the last decade. In this chapter, we first introduce the protein structure prediction problem and highlight some of the important progress in the field of protein structure prediction. Next, we discuss recent methods for the prediction of super-secondary structures. Finally, we discuss applications of super-secondary structure prediction in structure prediction/analysis of proteins. We also discuss prediction of protein structures that are composed of simple super-secondary structure repeats and protein structures that are composed of complex super-secondary structure repeats. Finally, we also discuss the recent trends in the field.
Laser-driven semiconductor switch for generating nanosecond pulses from a megawatt gyrotron.

A laser-driven semiconductor switch (LDSS) employing silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers has been used to produce nanosecond-scale pulses from a 3 μs, 110 GHz gyrotron at the megawatt power level. Photoconductivity was induced in the wafers using a 532 nm laser, which produced 6 ns, 230 mJ pulses. Irradiation of a single Si wafer by the laser produced 110 GHz RF pulses with a 9 ns width and >70% reflectance. Under the same conditions, a single GaAs wafer yielded 24 ns 110 GHz RF pulses with >78% reflectance. For both semiconductor materials, a higher value of reflectance was observed with increasing 110 GHz beam intensity. Using two active wafers, pulses of variable length down to 3 ns duration were created. The switch was tested at incident 110 GHz RF power levels up to 600 kW. A 1-D model is presented that agrees well with the experimentally observed temporal pulse shapes obtained with a single Si wafer. The LDSS has many potential uses in high power millimeter-wave research, including testing of high-gradient accelerator structures.
A Systematic Literature Review and Head-to-Head Comparison of Social Support and Social Constraint in Relation to the Psychological Functioning of Cancer Survivors.

Background Quality of life is a multidimensional concept that includes perceptions of one's physical, psychological, social, and spiritual functioning, all of which are theorized to be interdependent. The focus of this study is social functioning, which itself is a multidimensional concept that includes social support and social constraint among other things. In cancer survivors, social support receives most of the research attention, but social constraint may have a stronger influence on quality of life. Purpose This systematic literature review evaluates which aspect of social functioning-social support or social constraint-has a stronger relationship with the psychological functioning of cancer survivors. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed in the identification and review of 32 independent records. Multiple measures of social support and social constraint were used across studies, with most having adequate psychometric properties. Psychological outcomes were divided into (a) general distress, (b) cancer-specific distress, (c) general well-being, and (d) cancer-specific well-being. Results For general and cancer-specific distress, social constraint exhibited a larger association with distress than social support. Similarly, for general well-being, most studies reported a stronger association with social constraint than social support. For cancer-specific well-being, the opposite was true such that associations were stronger for social support than social constraint. Conclusions Results highlight the importance of considering social constraint when examining quality-of-life outcomes like psychological distress and well-being. Findings support social constraint as a target in interventions to reduce cancer survivors' distress, while social support could be considered in attempts to promote cancer-specific well-being.
Exposure to the ultraviolet filter benzophenone-3 (BP3) interferes with social behaviour in male Siamese fighting fish

Oxybenzones like benzophenone-3 (BP3) are ultraviolet (UV) filters widely used in personal care products such as sunscreens. BP3 is currently receiving a great deal of attention because many of its properties, including high water solubility and potential to bioaccumulate, enable it to have damaging effects on aquatic ecosystems. One of these effects, the induction of coral bleaching, has led Hawaii to ban all sunscreens containing BP3. BP3 also appears to have endocrine-disrupting properties and has been found to affect animal physiology. However, behavioural consequences of BP3 exposure have yet to be thoroughly characterized. In the present study, we investigated the effects of BP3 on boldness, courtship and aggression in male Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, as little is known about the effects that BP3 has on fish social behaviour. To accomplish this, we assigned males to a treatment group (control, low, medium or high BP3 concentration) and completed individual (empty tank, novel environment and shoal) and social (courtship and aggression) behavioural assays before and after a 28-day exposure period. BP3 influenced the expression of social behaviours, with individual boldness generally unaffected. Changes in shoaling occurred regardless of BP3 concentration, while BP3-associated decreases in courtship and aggression were concentration dependent. Abnormal social behaviour may impede successful mating and alter territorial dynamics, with potentially heightened effects in species already experiencing other anthropogenic stressors.
Classifying Pubertal Development Using Child and Parent Report: Comparing the Pubertal Development Scales to Tanner Staging.

Abstract Purpose This project investigated internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the frequently used Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) and compared parent and child reports with clinician-rated Tanner staging. Methods Using a repository of data collected from 1995 to 2016, 252 participants (aged 7.8–17.7 years) provided self- and parent-reported PDS and received Tanner staging by a certified health care professional within 30 days. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability statistics were evaluated for 56 children across two assessments occurring within 6 months. Comparisons with Tanner staging involved examining concurrent validity and calibration analysis using data from 233 child and 252 parental ratings. Results Self- and parent-reported PDS demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha .91–.96; high test–retest reliability was confirmed with intraclass correlation coefficient .81–.92. The association of Tanner stage with self- and parent-reported PDS was moderate to high; Kendall's Tau ranged from .67 to .76, and intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from .73 to 83. The absolute agreement of Tanner stage with self- and parent-reported PDS was low; Cohen's Kappa ranged from .20 to .37. However, combining pubertal scores into three stages of development (pre/early-, mid-, and late/post-pubertal) improved interrater agreement across measures (κ = .65, 95% confidence interval = .57–.73). Conclusions The present study shows that the PDS is reliable and generally tracks with Tanner staging (for both self and parent report). Low absolute agreement indicates that PDS categories do not map directly to specific Tanner stages, partly because a premature adrenarche is often misinterpreted by parents and pediatricians alike. However, three broad categories showed better agreement and are generally adequate for most applications in child and adolescent research.
Modifying Accelerometer Cut-Points Affects Criterion Validity in Simulated Free-Living for Adolescents and Adults

Purpose: To assess changes in criterion validity when modifying cut-points for use in different epoch lengths. Method: Simulated free-living data came from 42 adolescents (2-hr each) and 29 adults ...
Opening up to OER: Creating Open Education Awareness on a large campus

ike many academic libraries, the University of Texas Libraries (UT) at UT-Austin is looking for ways to increase awareness of open educational resources (OER) on our campus. Our university does not have an OER mandate from our central campus administration, so the path towards greater awareness hasn’t been straightforward. We hope that sharing our nascent attempts to start this conversation on our campus, which have included starting a working group, offering faculty workshops, and fundraising for an OER librarian position, will help others begin to champion OER on their campuses.
Selective protein purification via tangential flow filtration – Exploiting protein-protein complexes to enable size-based separations

Abstract Tangential flow filtration (TFF) is a size-based separation method conventionally used for buffer exchange, concentration, pathogen removal, and for coarse purification. In this study, we use TFF for selective purification of proteins in their complexed form. This process was demonstrated to recover human serum albumin (HSA) in its complexed form from an artificially produced mixture of hemoglobin (Hb) and HSA and from plasma using an anti-HSA polyclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) as the target-protein binding molecule (TPBM). Moreover, haptoglobin (Hp) in its complexed form was recovered from human Cohn Fraction IV using Hb as the TPBM. Hb-Hp was then partially dissociated with 5 M urea to yield Hp. In the experiments performed here, the TP-TPBM had purities >95%, but recovery was low with >50% for HSA-IgG and 10–15% for Hb-Hp. However, a simple mathematical model used to describe the TFF purification process showed that product recovery could be increased without loss of purity by introducing TFF filters with the same MWCO in series. Taken together, this study presents a new method for selective purification of proteins using TFF and simple mathematical models to describe and predict the performance of TFF systems.
Design of small molecules targeting RNA structure from sequence

The design and discovery of small molecule medicines has largely been focused on a small number of druggable protein families. A new paradigm is emerging, however, in which small molecules exert a biological effect by interacting with RNA, both to study human disease biology and provide lead therapeutic modalities. Due to this potential for expanding target pipelines and treating a larger number of human diseases, robust platforms for the rational design and optimization of small molecules interacting with RNAs (SMIRNAs) are in high demand. This review highlights three major pillars in this area. First, the transcriptome-wide identification and validation of structured RNA elements, or motifs, within disease-causing RNAs directly from sequence is presented. Second, we provide an overview of high-throughput screening approaches to identify SMIRNAs as well as discuss the lead identification strategy, Inforna, which decodes the three-dimensional (3D) conformation of RNA motifs with small molecule binding partners, directly from sequence. An emphasis is placed on target validation methods to study the causality between modulating the RNA motif in vitro and the phenotypic outcome in cells. Third, emergent modalities that convert occupancy-driven mode of action SMIRNAs into event-driven small molecule chemical probes, such as RNA cleavers and degraders, are presented. Finally, the future of the small molecule RNA therapeutics field is discussed, as well as hurdles to overcome to develop potent and selective RNA-centric chemical probes.
Surface effects on deuterium permeation through vanadium membranes

Abstract Dense vanadium-based membranes offer high permeability and perfect selectivity to hydrogen isotopes, maintain favorable neutronic properties, and are compatible with liquid metals such as PbLi. These properties make vanadium membranes a promising fusion fuel cycle technology for processes such as tritium extraction from PbLi and exhaust processing. Surface contamination has a deleterious effect on the gas-phase hydrogen permeation through vanadium, and the reported permeabilities range from 10-14 to 10-7 mol m-1 s-1 Pa-0.5. Thin dense films of palladium applied to clean vanadium surfaces enable a consistently high hydrogen permeability. In this study, uncoated vanadium resulted in deuterium permeabilities ranging from 2.8 × 10-11 to 6.4 × 10-9 mol m-1 s-1 Pa-0.5 at 300 °C–700 °C, respectively. Post-test analysis revealed a VOx surface layer and VCx subsurface layer formed on the feed side, while the as-received surface oxide dissolved leaving a submonolayer oxide on the permeate surface. The Pd-coated V resulted in a maximum deuterium permeability of 2.1 × 10-7 mol m-1 s-1 Pa-0.5 at 375 °C upon activation of the Pd surface by oxidation and reduction. The deuterium permeation declined upon heating to 500 °C due to intermetallic diffusion between the Pd and V. The Mo2C-coated V resulted in deuterium permeabilities ranging from 2.7 × 10-10 to 1.8 × 10-9 at 500 °C–700 °C, respectively, and a post-test analysis found the carbon in the Mo2C layer had dissolved into the V near the interface.
Endogenous Expression of Sodium Iodide Symporter in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

3113 Background: Effective treatment of cancers using radioactive iodine is contingent upon constitutive and strong expression of NIS. Doxorubicin has been shown to induce expression of NIS in hepatocellular cancer (HCA) by activation of p63 and p73 binding to NIS promoter, leading to an increased expression of NIS mRNA and protein in HCA cells but not in primary human hepatocytes. Purpose: To demonstrate that NIS expression in HCA cells following doxorubicin treatment can be studied using immunofluorescence imaging. Methods: HepG2 cells were seeded at 1 x 105 cells per well and treated with 1 µM doxorubicin hydrochloride for 24hrs. Cells were washed in 1xPBS, fixed for 10 minutes with 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA), permeabilized for 10 mins in 0.2% Triton X-100 in PBS and blocked with 1% BSA, 22.52mg/mL glycine in PBST for 30 mins. Samples were not incubated (control) or incubated overnight at 4 deg C with rabbit anti-NIS primary antibody (Imanis Life Sciences) at 1:1000, washed 3 times with 1X PBST, and incubated with goat anti-rabbit IgG Alexa Fluor® 488 labeled secondary antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) for 1 hour in dark. Coverslips were counterstained with 1 μg/mL Hoechst, mounted on slides using Vectashield medium (Vector labs, Ca) and sealed with nail polish. Fluorescence imaging was accomplished using a confocal microscope (inverted Nikon Eclipse Ti2 microscope equipped with a 60X apochromat oil-immersion OFN25 objective). Results: Our studies demonstrate that: 1) HCA cells can be viably treated with Doxorubicin. 2) NIS expression in HCA cells are recognized by anti-NIS antibodies and imaged with immunofluorescence. 3) NIS protein is expressed on the surface of HCA cells following treatment with Doxorubicin at 1μM. Conclusions: NaI symporter is expressed on the surface of hepatocellular cancer cells following doxorubicin treatment. These findings can be exploited in the use of I-131 radioisotope as a theranostic tool for hepatocellular cancers. Fig.1. Imaging of Sodium Iodide Symporter Expression Following Treatment with Doxorubicin in HepG2 Hepatocellular Cancer Monolayer Cells. HepG2 cells were treated with 1µM doxorubicin hydrochloride for 24 hours and fluorescent imaging was performed without (left) or with (right) anti-NIS 10 antibody, followed by Alexa Fluor® 488 20 antibody and Hoechst. Fig. 2. Sodium Iodide Symporter is expressed on the surface of HepG2 Hepatocellular Caner Cell Following Doxorubicin Treatment. Representative slices of Z-stack confocal imaging of NaI symporter expression in HepG2 cell following 1µM doxorubicin hydrochloride treatment. A single cell was imaged at 20X (left) and 60X (right) with anti-NIS 10 antibody, Alexa Fluor® 488 20 antibody, and Hoechst.
COHERENT RISK MEASURES AND NORMAL MIXTURE DISTRIBUTIONS WITH APPLICATIONS IN PORTFOLIO OPTIMIZATION

This paper investigates the coherent risk measure of a class of normal mixture distributions which are widely-used in finance. The main result shows that the mean-risk portfolio optimization proble...
Idiopathic linear IgA bullous dermatosis treated with prednisone.

We present a case of a 43-year-old man with a medical history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that presented with acute onset generalised vesiculobullous rash of 1-week duration. The rash was initially noticed on his groin and then spread to his hands, feet and mucosal surfaces. Laboratory tests were unremarkable, including an extensive infection aetiology work-up. Punch biopsies were obtained of a fresh lesion and were stained with H&E and sent for direct immunofluorescence. Light microscopy and immunofluorescence study demonstrated a subepidermal blister with predominant neutrophilic infiltrates and a linear band of IgA at the dermoepidermal junction, respectively. The patient was diagnosed with linear IgA bullous dermatosis and was subsequently treated with 0.5 mg/kg of prednisone daily following previous case reports. At 1-week follow-up as an outpatient, the bullae became crusted, and the rash was nearly completely regressed.
Unleash GPT-2 Power for Event Detection

Event Detection (ED) aims to recognize mentions of events (i.e., event triggers) and their types in text. Recently, several ED datasets in various domains have been proposed. However, the major limitation of these resources is the lack of enough training data for individual event types which hinders the efficient training of data-hungry deep learning models. To overcome this issue, we propose to exploit the powerful pre-trained language model GPT-2 to generate training samples for ED. To prevent the noises inevitable in automatically generated data from hampering training process, we propose to exploit a teacher-student architecture in which the teacher is supposed to learn anchor knowledge from the original data. The student is then trained on combination of the original and GPT-generated data while being led by the anchor knowledge from the teacher. Optimal transport is introduced to facilitate the anchor knowledge-based guidance between the two networks. We evaluate the proposed model on multiple ED benchmark datasets, gaining consistent improvement and establishing state-of-the-art results for ED.
Christ, Creature, and Reader: Verbal Devotion in The Book of Margery Kempe

This article reads The Book of Margery Kempe as a rhetorically innovative visionary text that offered late medieval readers a powerful new method of accessing the vernacular Word of God. Through the textual representation of Christ’s visionary speech and Margery’s spoken responses, the Book establishes a devotional mode within which Margery’s imitative prayer and public instruction exemplify effective verbal engagement with Christ. This departure from traditional critical views of the Book as the quintessential expression of medieval women’s affective corporeality shows the Book in a new light: as the textual exemplar of a literary mode of engagement with the divine through vernacular reading and participatory speech.
An Application of Specification-Based Design of Self-stabilization to Tracking in Wireless Sensor Networks

In previous work, we have designed a tracking protocol, Stalk , for wireless sensor networks and proved it to be self-stabilizing at the pseudo-code (I/O automata) level. However, it is very challenging to achieve and verify self-stabilization of the same protocol at the implementation (TinyOS) level due to the size of the corresponding program at the implementation level. In this paper, we present a lightweight and practical method for specification-based design of stabilization and illustrate this method on the Stalk protocol as our case study.
Coupled Oscillator Control of Autonomous Mobile Robots

This paper introduces a nonlinear oscillator scheme to control autonomous mobile robots. The method is based on observations of a successful control mechanism used in nature, the Central Pattern Generator. Simulations were used to assess the performance of oscillator controller when used to implement several behaviors in an autonomous robot operating in a closed arena. A sequence of basic behaviors (random wandering, obstacle avoidance and light following) was coordinated in the robot to produce the higher behavior of foraging for light. The controller is explored in simulations and tests on physical robots. It is shown that the oscillator—based controller outperforms a reactive controller in the tasks of exploring an arena with irregular walls and in searching for light.
Structural Differences between Alligator Pipehorse and Bay Pipefish Tails

This study compares the structure and mechanical properties of the bony plates from the tails of the Alligator pipehorse and the Bay pipefish. These bony plates provide the fish support and protection. The tail structures of both species were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Partial deproteinization of the samples revealed differences between the connections of the bony plates. The plates of the pipehorse overlap, allowing for flexibility of its tail. In contrast, the plates in the pipefish interlock, making the tail more difficult to bend. These mechanisms contribute to the prehensility and non-prehensility of the tails of the pipehorse and pipefish, respectively.
Effect of transition on oscillation flow losses in Stirling engine coolers and heaters

To improve the prediction of Stirling engine performance, a more realistic model of oscillating flow losses in tubular heat exchangers is necessary. An experimental investigation has therefore been initiated to determine the effects of flow oscillation on fluid mechanics and heat transfer in ducts. This paper presents the first velocity measurements taken in this investigation.
Understanding public attitudes towards Social Security

There has been very little research on why individuals hold different attitudes toward Social Security. In this article we integrate social location theory and political predisposition theory to provide a framework of explanation and test these theories using a unique sample from the 1998 General Social Survey. Our multivariate results reveal that social structural positions along the lines of race, gender, class and age play a more important role than political predispositions in explain-ing individual differences in support for the current Social Security system against privatisation. Political party affiliation also partly contributes to variation in support for Social Security, but political ideology does not have a significant effect. Our results suggest that with regard to support for Social Security, primary consideration must rest on social structural positions. Racial minorities, women, the poor and the elderly tend to dislike a drastic change in the current Social Security system, and Social Security reform ought to pay attention to their concerns. Our robust finding of a positive relationship between age and support for Social Security also challenges much of the established knowledge, pointing to an intergenerational discord over Social Security. It is also important to differentiate among social welfare programmes in order to uncover the real determinants of public attitudes towards them.
Potential Pathways Involved in the Rapid Antidepressant Effects of Nitrous Oxide.

Studies that evaluate agents with potentially rapid antidepres-sant effects are critical to developing new, improved treat-ments for major mood disorders. In particular, such studiesmay offer key insights into the mechanism of action of rapid-acting antidepressants as well as the neurobiology of mooddisorders (1). In their excellent article published in this issue ofBiological Psychiatry, Nagele et al. (2) investigated the anti-depressant effects of nitrous oxide (N
From US with Love: Community Participation, Stakeholder Partnership, and the Exacerbation of Inequality in Rural Jamaica

This paper examines and argues against the neoliberal assumption that local community participation in market-based nature conservation projects is democratic and leads to community empowerment through economic development. It does so by analyzing the formation of Local Forest Management Committees (LFMCs), instigated by the Nature Conservancy (TNC) and its partnering local environmental NGOs for conserving the tropical forests of Cockpit Country, Jamaica. The paper dissects, specifically, the notion of “stakeholder partnership,” frequently invoked in neoliberal conservation projects in the global south. Such flattening neoliberal terminologies imply a democratic platform, where different groups can express their political agendas and negotiate their differences with equal power. The language of “stakeholder partnership” flattens, this paper argues, hierarchical set of power relations both inherited and exacerbated by free market based conservation projects.
Constraint-Based Model Checking of Data-Independent Systems

Data-independent systems are an important class of infinite-state systems which can be subject to model checking by first building finite-state property-preserving abstractions. Exploiting data independence in practice involves user guidance, either in terms of the abstraction itself or in terms of symmetry properties of the system. In this paper we present a constraint-based verification technique that automatically handles data-independent systems. Our technique introduces a unified, automata-based model for infinite-state systems and LTL formulas. The technique can be seen as a generalization of explicit state model checker for reachability and LTL properties. We have implemented our technique using logic programming with tabulation and constraints. We also describe an extension to the automata model that permits verification of a richer class of systems. We show its power by analyzing configuration (security) vulnerabilities in a computer system.
Advances in molecular carcinogenesis: current and future use of mouse models to screen and validate molecularly targeted anticancer drugs.

Survival of patients with advanced solid tumors has not significantly improved over the past 30 years. Although molecularly targeted anticancer drugs offer promise, few drugs make it through the end of the Food and Drug Administration approval process. Animal models that more closely resemble human carcinogenesis may bridge the gap between preclinical success and benefits for patients. We discuss pros and cons of several mouse models, including genetically engineered mice that each represent different aspects of human cancer, and the screening of targeted drugs in these models. Published 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Computer processing of radiographic images

In the past 20 years, a substantial amount of effort has been expended on the development of computer techniques for enhancement of x-ray images and for automated extraction of quantitative diagnostic information. The historical development of these methods is described. Illustrative examples are presented and factors influencing the relative success or failure of various techniques are discussed. Some examples of current research in radiographic image processing is described.
Determination of methanolysis rate constants for low and high fatty acid oils using heterogeneous surface reaction kinetic models

Catalytic methanolysis of soybean oil with Amberlyst A26-OH basic ion-exchange resin was studied in the presence and absence of free fatty acids. Catalytic methanolysis of soybean oil is a key step in the biodiesel production process. The use of the heterogeneous Amberlyst A26-OH basic resin to catalyze this conversion is of interest due to the resin’s ability to be recovered, regenerated, and reused. This current research modeled methanolysis on the surface of the heterogeneous catalyst using both the Eley–Rideal and Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson reaction kinetic models. For all experiments, soybean oil (with and without 5 % oleic acid incorporated) was reacted with methanol at a molar ratio of 1:10 soybean oil to methanol in the presence of Amberlyst A26-OH (added at 20 % by weight of oil). The reaction was carried out over multiple investigations in a batch reactor where the reactants were mixed at 550 rpm and held at 50 °C and atmospheric pressure. The resulting data demonstrated that the Eley–Rideal reaction mechanism offered the best description of the surface interactions occurring on the resin. Based upon Eley–Rideal model fitting, the mean (± standard deviation) methanolysis rate constant (the rate at which methanol was consumed during the reaction) was determined to be 7.48 × 10−4 (±4.05 × 10−5) h−1 with free fatty acid absent and 1.94 (± 1.25 × 10−1) h−1 with free fatty acid present.
In-vivo imaging of inner retinal cellular morphology with adaptive optics - optical coherence tomography: challenges and possible solutions

Recent progress in retinal image acquisition techniques, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), combined with improved performance of adaptive optics (AO) instrumentation, has resulted in improvement in the quality of in vivo images of cellular structures in the outer layers of the human retina. Despite the significant progress in imaging cone and rod photoreceptor mosaics, visualization of cellular structures in the inner retina has been achieved only with extrinsic contrast agents that have not been approved for use with humans. In this paper we describe the main limiting factors in visualizing inner retinal cells and the methods we implemented to reduce their effects on images acquired with AO-OCT. These include improving the system point spread function (AO performance), monitoring of motion artifacts (retinal motion tracking), and speckle pattern reduction (temporal and spatial averaging). Results of imaging inner retinal morphology and the improvement offered by the new UC Davis AOOCT system with spatio-temporal image averaging are presented.
Emergence of competitive and cooperative behavior using coevolution

In nature there are teams of collaborators and competitors that evolve at the same time, yet computationally they have mostly been studied separately so far. This paper focuses on simultaneous cooperative and competitive coevolution in a complex predator-prey domain. Yong and Miikkulainen's [6] Multi-Agent ESP architecture is extended to a Multi-Component ESP architecture consisting of multiple cooperating neural networks within an agent. This architecture successfully demonstrates hierarchical cooperation and competition in teams of prey and predators. In sustained coevolution in this complex domain, high-level pursuit-evasion behaviors emerge. In this manner, coevolution of neural networks is shown to scale up to an arms race of multiple competing and cooperating populations, more closely modeling coevolution in nature.
Role of the renin-angiotensin system in the development of the ureteric bud and renal collecting system.

Genetic, biochemical and physiological studies have demonstrated that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a fundamental role in kidney development. All of the components of the RAS are expressed in the metanephros. Mutations in the genes encoding components of the RAS in mice or pharmacological inhibition of RAS in animals or humans cause diverse congenital abnormalities of the kidney and lower urinary tract. The latter include renal vascular abnormalities, abnormal glomerulogenesis, renal papillary hypoplasia, hydronephrosis, aberrant UB budding, duplicated collecting system, and urinary concentrating defect. Thus, the actions of angiotensin (ANG) II during kidney development are pleiotropic both spatially and temporally. Whereas the role of ANG II in renovascular and glomerular development has received much attention, little is known about the potential role of ANG II and its receptors in the morphogenesis of the collecting system. In this review, we discuss recent genetic and functional evidence gathered from transgenic knockout mice and in vitro organ and cell culture implicating the RAS in the development of the ureteric bud and collecting ducts. A novel conceptual framework has emerged from this body of work which states that stroma-derived ANG II elicits activation of AT1/AT2 receptors expressed on the ureteric bud to stimulate branching morphogenesis as well as collecting duct elongation and papillogenesis.
Mitigation of graphite nozzle erosion by boundary-layer control in solid rocket motors

of a multicomponent reacting flow, heterogeneous reactions at the nozzle surface, and condensed-phase energy transport. The effect of nozzle boundary-layer control system injection on the near-surface physiochemistry is investigated. Various fundamental mechanisms dictating the effectiveness of the nozzle boundary-layer control system are identified and quantified. The calculated erosion rates with the nozzle boundary-layer control system are negligible for the vertical injection, even at ultrahigh pressures. The mitigation of nozzle erosion is attributed primarily to the low temperature of the injected fluid, and secondarily to the reduced concentrations of oxidizing species,H2O,CO2,andOH,nearthenozzlesurface.Aparametricstudyisalsoconductedtodeterminetheinfluence of such nozzle boundary-layer control system operating parameters as temperature, velocity, and injection angle.
Synthesis of p-nitrophenyl 3-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-β-d-galactopyranoside and p-nitrophenyl 3-O-α-d-galactopyranosyl-β-d-galactopyranoside

Abstract Glycosylation (catalyzed by mercuric cyanide) of p -nitrophenyl 2,4,6-tri- O -acetyl-β- d -galactopyranoside ( 2 ) with 2,3,4,6-tetra- O -acetyl-α- d -galactopyranosyl bromide in acetonitrile afforded the α-(1→3)- and β-(1→3)-linked disaccharide heptaacetates ( 4 and 6 , respectively) in almost equal proportions. Similar glycosylation of p -nitrophenyl 2- O -benzoyl-4,6- O -benzylidene-β- d -galactopyranoside ( 3 ) gave the β-(1→3)- and the α-(1→3)-linked, fully protected, disaccharide derivatives ( 8 and 10 , respectively) in the ratio of 3:1. The structures of 4 , 6 , 8 , and 10 were evidenced by their respective 1 H-n.m.r. spectra. O -Deacetylation of 4 and 6 afforded, respectively, p -nitrophenyl 3- O -α- d -galactopyranosyl-β- d -galactopyranoside ( 5 ) and p -nitrophenyl 3- O -β- d -galactopyranosyl-β- d -galactopyranoside ( 7 ). O -Deacylation of 8 and 10 furnished the disaccharide derivatives ( 9 and 11 ). Cleavage of the benzylidene groups of 9 and 11 gave the disaccharides 7 and 5 , respectively. The structures of 5 , 7 , 9 , and 11 were established by 13 C-n.m.r. spectroscopy. Additionally, the structures of 5 and 7 were confirmed by permethylation, and acid hydrolysis to 2,4,6-tri- O -methyl- d -galactose. The synthesis of triacetate 2 , starting from p -nitrophenyl 3,4- O -isopropylidene-β- d -galactopyranoside ( 1 ), is also described. Compound 1 was obtained as the major product of the isopropylidenation of p -nitrophenyl β- d -galactopyranoside under thermodynamic control, and its structure was likewise established by 13 C-n.m.r. spectroscopy, and confirmed by methylation, and acid hydrolysis to 2,6-di- O -methyl- d -galactose. Compound 3 was obtained from p -nitrophenyl 2- O -benzoyl-4,6- O -isopropylidene-β- d -galactopyranoside by cleavage of the isopropylidene group, and acetalation of the resulting triol with benzaldehyde-zinc chloride.
Improved estimation of the resistivity of pure copper and electrical determination of thin copper film dimensions

Abstract Improved values for the resistivity, ρ, of pure, bulk copper from 50 to 1200 K, and their confidence intervals, are developed by extending the analysis of Matula. A recommended value for dρ/dT and its confidence interval in the temperature range of 290–425 K is developed for use with Matthiessen's rule to calculate the electrical thickness of thin copper films and the cross-sectional area of copper lines from resistance measurements at two temperatures. Error analyses are used to estimate the uncertainty with which the electrical thickness and cross-sectional area can be determined. Values for the temperature coefficient of resistance of pure, bulk copper are also provided.
Gendered Political Behavior: A Darwinian Feminist Approach

Darwinian feminists use an evolutionary framework to examine behaviors that promote survival and reproductive success. Subsequent power relations between women and men arise from conflicting reproductive strategies and social scientists ought to reconfigure their understanding of the psychological and behavioral repertoires of women and men based on their dynamic interactions throughout human evolution. This paper is an addition to the feminist literature on women’s contribution to evolution through an exploration of autonomy and leadership in egalitarian society and uses a Darwinian feminist approach to understand gendered political behavior.
Frequency-mode selection for ultrasonic detection and characterization of circumferential cracks in pipelines

Ultrasonic propagation in hollow cylinders is dispersive; velocities, displacements, stresses, and, more importantly, the average power flow are all functions of frequency. The average power flow of a wave mode is directly related to its transmissibility, and the displacement/stress distribution of a wave mode is related to its capability of defect detection and characterization. Mode selection and frequency selection, therefore, are both important issues for long-range ultrasonic pipeline inspection. Circumferential crack detection and characterization capabilities of the lowest and the second lowest longitudinal modes [L(0,1) and L(0,2)] and the lowest flexural mode [F(1,1)] are investigated analytically based on average power flow and axial displacement/stress distributions. It is found that the L(0,1) mode has strong power flow only in the low kHz region, and the L(0,2) in the lower-middle kHz region. The F(1,1) mode, however, is found to have strong power flow in a broad frequency range, starting from the low kHz region, and is therefore a preferred wave mode for long-range ultrasonic pipeline inspection.
Assignment of invisible combination bands in ammonium zinc tutton salt by infrared hole burning

A polycrystalline sample of the title compound containing a small fraction of deuterium was irradiated in an infrared region containing no apparent absorption bands. Holes and antiholes were produced in the N−D stretching bands. Each irradiation thus was at the wavenumber of a combination band involving a particular N−D stretch. Most of the combinations consist of the N−D stretch of the ammonium ion together with an internal mode of the zinc complex ion.