cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GL-LINK: A NOVEL TELEROBOTICS-BASED PLATFORM SUPPORTING DISTRIBUTED MECHATRONIC RESEARCH VIA THE INTERNET

Mechatronics and robotics research efforts of large complexity are increasingly interdisciplinary involving collaboration between software, hardware, controls, and scientific teams. Traditionally, the level of integration has either required repeated site-visits or location of the teams at a common site. As the teams become increasingly diverse and disperse, there is a need for distributed operations platform that not only facilitates smooth communications, but also allows for remote experimentation and control of a common robot or device. By separating the principal design functions, a modular communications platform was developed to support the distance learning and experimental requirements of ambitious mechatronic development projects. This separation results in a modular system that is scalable and customizable to the particular conditions governing an experiment. The platform leverages off-the-shelf hardware and software and the presence of Internet connectivity. Where possible, open-source options were used to make the platform extensible to a variety of platforms and applications. The system is modular and consists of: a video observation/conferencing module, a file-transfer module, and a robot teleoperation module. This allowed multiple teams to test the operation of a robot independently and asynchronously without corrupting the work being conducted by another team member. It also allowed for new forms of interaction and reduced the need for travel between the multiple geographically-distributed research teams. Novel features of this work include a modular multiplatform architecture and an integration of basic telerobotics principles to extend PC-based collaboration/conferencing technologies from a basic communications platform to a means for supporting multi-site (robotics) research experiments. This paper describes the design considerations and evaluations associated with the development of the Great Little Inter link (GL-Link) architecture. This platform was motivated by robotics research ongoing between Stanford and Ohio State Universities. The platform was tested over several months as part of the design of a high-speed quadruped robot. Results from this trial highlight the impact of highly sensitive audio and video inputs and show the need for robustness to bandwidth fluctuations.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Multi-year (2004–2008) record of nonmethane hydrocarbons and halocarbons in New England: seasonal variations and regional sources

Abstract. Multi-year time series records of C2-C6 alkanes, C2-C4 alkenes, ethyne, isoprene, C6-C8 aromatics, trichloroethene (C2HCl3), and tetrachloroethene (C2Cl4) from canister samples collected during January 2004–February 2008 at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) AIRMAP Observatory at Thompson Farm (TF) in Durham, NH are presented. The objectives of this work are to identify the sources of nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and halocarbons observed at TF, characterize the seasonal and interannual variability in ambient mixing ratios and sources, and estimate regional emission rates of NMHCs. Analysis of correlations and comparisons with emission ratios indicated that a ubiquitous and persistent mix of emissions from several anthropogenic sources is observed throughout the entire year. The highest C2-C8 anthropogenic NMHC mixing ratios were observed in mid to late winter. Following the springtime minimums, the C3-C6 alkanes, C7-C8 aromatics, and C2HCl3 increased in early to mid summer, presumably reflecting enhanced evaporative emissions. Mixing ratios of C2Cl4 and C2HCl3 decreased by 0.7±0.2 and 0.3±0.05 pptv/year, respectively, which is indicative of reduced usage and emissions of these halogenated solvents. Emission rates of C3-C8 NMHCs were estimated to be 109 to 1010 molecules cm−2 s−1 in winter 2006. The emission rates extrapolated to the state of New Hampshire and New England were ~2–60 Mg/day and ~12–430 Mg/day, respectively. Emission rates of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and ethyne in the 2002 and 2005 EPA National Emissions Inventories were within ±50% of the TF emission rates.
Stigmergic self-organization and the improvisation of Ushahidi

There has been considerable investigation into the nature, effectiveness and performance of virtual organizations, virtual teams and virtual collaboration (Cogburn, Santuzzi, & Espinoza, 2011) based on the affordances of information and communications technology (ICT). The recent emergence of location-based social network technologies has resulted in new modes of ad hoc virtual organizations. Developers appear to improvise systems by cobbling together existing applications and technologies, almost overnight, with uncoordinated contributions rather than traditional designs or project plans. Heylighen theorizes that stigmergic self-organization explains this kind of system development (Heylighen, 2007a, 2007b). As defined by the biologist Grasse, stigmergy has been defined as a sequence of indirect stimulus and response behaviors that contribute to the coordination of actions among insects through their environment, for example termites coordinating their nest building activities (Theraulaz & Bonabeau, 1999). Heylighen likens human cognitive self-organization to stigmergy. In recent years, the advent of distributed ICTs like worldwide internet computing and pervasive ubiquitous networks have made traditional top-down techniques of system development increasingly irrelevant for software application development. Instead, modular, adaptable and self-managing end-user components are combined in mash-ups (Merrill, 2009). Similarly, software development teams are spontaneous and ad hoc, functioning as virtual organizations. In this study, the actions leading to the creation of the Ushahidi software platform and its subsequent adaptations are identified using longitudinal case study methodology and content analysis methods applied to newspaper, magazine, website, journal and social networking publications. Based on a socio-technical theoretical framework, the Ushahidi system is framed as a dynamic, ad hoc virtual organization in the context of emergency response. The actions leading to the instantiation of the Ushahidi system are examined as examples of human cognitive stigmergic response to critical incidents and naturalistic development of complex adaptive systems.
Optical Limiting Properties of [60]Fullerene and Methano[60]fullerene Derivative in Solution versus in Polymer Matrix: The Role of Bimolecular Processes and a Consistent Nonlinear Absorption Mechanism

Optical limiting properties of tert-butyl methano[60]fullerene carboxylate were investigated systematically in room-temperature solution at a series of concentrations while the linear transmittance...
Laser-based probes of chemically induced Raman pumping

The highly selective Na 3 + Br reaction creates a continuous electronic population inversion on Na 2 transitions which demonstrates optical gain through stimulated emission in regions close to 527, 492, and 460 nm ((alpha) equals 8 X 10 -3 cm -1 for an individual rotational level at approximately 527 nm). With a focus to increasing amplifier gain length and amplifying medium concentration (conversion to oscillator), we extend these initial studies employing the intersection of sodium and bromine flows formed from slit source expansions to create an extended reaction-amplification zone. Initial results with this extended reaction zone provide the first example of chemically induced Raman pumping. Unique Raman signals are induced by and correlate with emission from the NaD-line components (D 1 , D 2 ) formed in the chemical reaction zone primarily as a result of the Na 2 + Br yields Na * (3P) + NaBr reaction. The NaD-line emitters interact with cooled sodium dimers in a resonance Raman scattering process, for which computer simulation of the experimentally observed spectra predict an unusually large scattering linewidth close to 4 cm -1 . We describe initial laser based studies on a pure sodium expansion to probe the mechanism of the unusually strong Raman scattering and to understand the origin of the large scattering linewidth. These experiments demonstrate that the Raman process can be induced only upon excitation of the NaD-line components, the Raman scattering being insufficient or nonexistent for wavelength shifts (Delta) (lambda) > 1 nm from the D lines. The scattering linewidth for the reactive process is not readily correlated with the line-broadening of the NaD-line and may result from the nature of the Na- Na 2 interaction in the reactive environment. Initial double pass measurements indicate the possibility of optical gain associated with the Raman process.
Selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity in blood of the nutria (Myocastor coypus): Comparison with guinea-pig, rat, rabbit and some non-mammalian vertebrates

Abstract 1. 1. Plasma selenium and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in plasma and erythrocytes were measured in the nutria (Myocastor coypus) and the alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Plasma and erythrocyte GSH-Px activity only were measured in the rat, rabbit, chicken, quail, turtle (Chrysemys picta), snake (Nerodia fasciata), bullfrog (Rana catesbiana) and catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). 2. 2. Plasma GSH-Px activity ranged from a low of 0.021 EU/ml in the bullfrog to a high of 1.97 EU/ml in the alligator. 3. 3. Erythrocyte GSH-Px activity was lower in the nutria (2.8 EU/g Hb) than all other species studied. Whereas the rat had the highest activity (539 EU/g Hb). The variation among the mammalian species studied was greater than between the different orders of vertebrates. There was no relationship between plasma and erythrocyte GSH-Px activity and no phylogenetic pattern in the differences in activity between species. 4. 4. There was a relationship between plasma selenium concentration and enzyme activity: animals with the lowest enzyme activity had lowest selenium levels.
Photophysical properties, DNA photocleavage, and photocytotoxicity of a series of dppn dirhodium(II,II) complexes.

A series of dirhodium(II,II) complexes of the type cis-[Rh2(μ-O2CCH3)2(dppn)(L)]2+, where dppn = benzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-h]quinoxaline and L = 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy, 1), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen, 2), dipyrido[3,2-f:2′3′-h]quinoxaline (dpq, 3), dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppz, 4), and dppn (5), were synthesized and their photophysical properties investigated to probe their potential usefulness as photodynamic therapy agents. The ability of the complexes to bind and photocleave DNA was also probed, along with their toxicity toward human skin cells in the dark and when irradiated with visible light. Nanosecond time-resolved absorption measurements established that the lowest energy excited state in 1−5 is dppn-localized 3ππ* with lifetimes of 2.4−4.1 μs in DMSO, with spectral features similar to those of the free dppn ligand (τ = 13.0 μs in CHCl3). Complexes 1−4 photocleave DNA efficiently via a mechanism that is mostly mediated by reactive oxygen species, including 1O2 and O2−. The DNA photoclea...
Multipotential and lineage restricted precursors coexist in the mammalian perinatal subventricular zone

Developmental studies have shown that both neurons and glia arise from the subventricular zone (SVZ) but there have been no clonal analyses to determine whether a single progenitor can produce both. Therefore, we used replication deficient retroviral vectors to analyze the clonal progeny of single rat SVZ cells that were maintained in culture media permissive or non-permissive for neuronal differentiation. When maintained in medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum, all surviving progenitors generated glial cell clones. Within these glial clones we often observed both type 1 astrocytes and O-2A lineage cells. When SVZ cells were maintained in medium permissive for neurogenesis approximately 50% of the total clones contained at least one antigenically defined neuron. Of those clones that contained neurons, 60% contained neurons and glia. The other 50% of the total clones were either comprised of only astrocytes, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, or were unidentifiable. Since the culture environment permitted multilineage clone formation, yet many homogeneous neuronal or astrocytic clones were obtained, some progenitors must become developmentally restricted while they are in the germinal zone. Therefore, we conclude that the perinatal SVZ is a mosaic of multipotential, bipotential, and lineage restricted precursors, and that the lack of postnatal neocortical neurogenesis is not due to the absence of potential neuroblasts.
Ingesting the Material from Ganeshwar to Karbala: Reconstituting the Analytic and Recognizing Centrifugality in Archaeological Theory

First presented as part of the 2010 TAG Plenary session on Location of Theory, this short project questions archaeologies quest to locate theory. It posits that we reconsider the questions we ask to allow us to encounter the objects we study in a more intimate and visceral manner, providing them with properties that go beyond the social lives that we reconstruct for them.
Slow nonlinear oscillations in a circular well

The period T of the Helmholtz mode in a circular well that is bounded above by a free surface and below by a semi-infinite reservoir is determined in terms of elliptic integrals. It is shown that T decreases monotonically with increasing amplitude A and is within 1% (10%) of the linear limit To for A/h0 <0.4(1.0), where h0 is the ambient depth.
Habitat associations of dolphinfish larvae in the Gulf of Mexico

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the northern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) as essential habitat of common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and pompano dolphinfish (C. equiselis) during early life and to characterize conditions in which they were found. Eight ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted during the summer months from 2007 to 2010 in northern Gulf waters off Texas and Louisiana (26–28°N, 87–93°W), during which 1145 dolphinfish larvae were collected. C. hippurus, the dominant dolphinfish species, were collected in 57% of sampling sites with an overall mean density of 0.73 larvae 1000 m � 3 , whereas C. equiselis were only collected at 18% of sites with a mean density of 0.12 larvae 1000 m � 3 . Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to examine the relationship between several environmental parameters and C. hippurus presence/absence and density. Both presence/absence and density GAMs indicated that catches of C. hippurus larvae increased near fronts and eddies and that increased abundances were most strongly associated with higher salinities and cooler temperatures. In addition, our models showed that C. hippurus larvae were positively associated with C. equiselis larvae, suggesting that C. hippurus and C. equiselis use similar habitats. Results of this study indicate that the Gulf may represent important spawning and/or nursery habitat of dolphinfishes and that mesoscale features and physicochemical conditions influence the distribution and abundance of C. hippurus larvae in this region.
Infestations of Oriental Fruit Flies in 53–116 and Smooth Cayenne Pineapple Varieties Grown Near Supporting Guava or Other Host Fruits

During April and June 1969, varieties 53–116 and were found, though the fruit was exposed to increasing ‘Smooth Cayenne’ of pineapple, Ananas comosus (L.) populations developing in nearby concentrations of guava, Merr., from commercial plantings at Kunia and Poamoho on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, were collected. No eggs or larvae of the oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel, Psidium guajava L., a natural host. Thus, the varietal differences in these pineapples did not appear to make them more susceptible to the oriental fruit fly.
Relationship between microstructures and optoelectronic properties of Ag-O-Cs photoemitting surfaces: The S-1 photocathode.

The S-1 photocathode is a prime example of a heterogeneous composite whose optical and electronic transport properties have been measured by many researchers. It provides an excellent system for testing theories of composites which replace a heterogeneous system of individual components having different physical properties with a homogeneous one having averaged physical properties depending on those of the components, the so-called effective-medium approximation. Using a recently formulated self-consistent dynamic effective-medium approximation that reduces to the requirement that ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\mathrm{eff}}$ be chosen so that the forward scattering amplitude of the particles embedded in the medium should vanish on the average, we present a theoretical investigation of the optical, electronic-transport, and photoemission behavior of S-1 photocathodes with various microstructures.
Plasma nicotine and cotinine in tobacco smoke exposed beagle dogs

Nicotine and cotinine have been determined in plasma samples from 87 beagle dogs chronically exposed to cigarette smoke with three different levels of nicotine. An additional 18 sham-exposed animals were included in the study as controls. Smoke was administered to the animals through permanent tracheostomas via cuffed tracheostomy tubes and was generated from reference cigarettes under standard puffing parameters by ADL-II smoking machines. The dogs were exposed for an average of 2 years prior to sample collection. The results from blood samples collected at specific intervals in the daily exposure schedules indicate that nicotine may be useful as a relative index of smoke exposure. At elevated exposure levels, average blood concentrations were related to the number of cigarettes smoked as well as the nicotine delivery of the cigarette. Cotinine was found to increase more slowly than nicotine and was also metabolized more rapidly than in humans. Overall, the study affords an examination of the relationship of plasma nicotine and cotinine with estimated nicotine exposure.
Effect of steam explosion pretreatment on pore size and enzymatic hydrolysis of poplar

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of batch steam explosion pretreatment on the rate of subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of hybrid poplar wood. This pretreatment was found to be effective as indicated by the fact that for many of the pretreatment conditions studied the glucose yield obtained after 24 h of enzymatic hydrolysis using enzymes from Trichoderma reesei And Aspergillus niger is in excess of 90% of the potential, whereas the corresponding yield from unpretreated substrate is only 15%. The effect of pretreatment is believed to be primarily due to the increase in pore surface area accessible to enzyme molecules. Measurements show a considerable increase in pore volume available to 5–9 nm solute probes. Pretreated wood that was subsequently oven-dried hydrolysed poorly and showed a reduction in available pore volume after drying. Xylans are readily hydrolysed to xylose during pretreatment and owing to decomposition the amount of xylose in solution after steam pretreatment decreases as the severity of the reaction conditions increases; the converse is true for glucose. We conclude that steam explosion pretreatment can be effective on hybrid poplar and that the quantitative results obtained can be used for process design.
Direct monitoring of arterial blood pressure in depressed and normal newborn infants during the first hour of life.

Direct systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure was continuously recorded during the first 64 min oflife in 150 newborn infants. The data were analyzed at 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 min. The highest blood pressure values were noted during the first few minutes of life in all newborn infants, with a rapid drop within 4 to 8 min. Decline in blood pressure was more gradual throughout the remainder of the observation period. Blood pressures of depressed newborn infants at birth (Apgar scores 6 or less at 1 and 5 min) were compared to those of normal newborn infants (Apgar scores 7 or greater at 1 and 5 min). The former demonstrated generally higher systolic pressures during the first 16 min and diastolic pressures at 4 min when infants were compared by their 1 min Apgar scores and higher diastolic pressures at 4 min when the infants were compared by their 5 min Apgar scores.
Cefmetazole versus cefoxitin in prevention of infections after abdominal surgery

Patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery were randomized to receive cefmetazole or cefoxitin in a three-dose perioperative prophylactic regimen. There were three infections in 89 evaluable patients receiving cefmetazole. There were six infections in 39 patients receiving cefoxitin. Both regimens were acceptable with minimal toxicity.
Abstract SY13-04: Stem cell self-renewal and cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Haematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and leukemogenesis “Pre-leukemic” mutations are thought to promote clonal expansion of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by increasing self-renewal and competitiveness; however, mutations that increase HSC proliferation tend to reduce competitiveness and self-renewal potential, raising the question of how a mutant HSC can sustainably outcompete wild-type HSCs. Activating mutations in NRAS are prevalent in human myeloproliferative neoplasms and leukemia. We found that a single allele of oncogenic NrasG12D increases HSC proliferation but also increases reconstituting and self-renewal potential upon serial transplantation in irradiated mice, all prior to leukemia initiation. NrasG12D also confers long-term self-renewal potential upon multipotent progenitors. To explore the mechanism by which NrasG12D promotes HSC proliferation and self-renewal we assessed cell cycle kinetics using H2B-GFP label retention and BrdU incorporation. NrasG12D had a bimodal effect on HSCs, increasing the rate at which some HSCs divide and reducing the rate at which others divide. This mirrored bimodal effects on reconstituting potential as rarely dividing NrasG12D HSCs outcompeted wild-type HSCs while frequently dividing NrasG12D HSCs did not. NrasG12D had these effects by promoting STAT5 signaling, inducing different transcriptional responses in different subsets of HSCs. One signal can therefore increase HSC proliferation, competitiveness, and self-renewal through bimodal effects on HSC gene expression, cycling, and reconstituting potential. We have also developed methods for studying protein synthesis by individual stem cells in vivo. Currently, there are almost no data on protein synthesis in any somatic stem cell. We found that the amount of protein synthesized per hour in HSCs in vivo was lower than in most other haematopoietic cells, even if we controlled for differences in cell cycle status or forced HSCs to undergo self-renewing divisions. Reduced ribosomal function in Rpl24Bst/+ mice further reduced protein synthesis in HSCs and impaired HSC function. Pten deletion increased protein synthesis in HSCs but also reduced HSC function. Rpl24Bst/+ cell-autonomously rescued the effects of Pten deletion in HSCs, blocking the increase in protein synthesis, restoring HSC function, and delaying leukemogenesis. Pten deficiency thus depletes HSCs and promotes leukemia partly by increasing protein synthesis. Increased or decreased protein synthesis impairs HSC function. Citation Format: Sean J. Morrison. Stem cell self-renewal and cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr SY13-04. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-SY13-04
Decentralized Trust Management based on the Reputation of Information Sources

In a distributed system, the classic PGP and PKI techniques provide means to establish trust based on credentials. However, the credentials are not bound to integrity levels. Furthermore, the structure of certification authority (CA) is centralized, which is vulnerable to be the single point failure even if backups are present. In this paper, we propose a decentralized method to establish trust in the information provided by specific nodes in a distributed system based on the reputation of the nodes. We focus on quantified integrity level of information, in addition to the trust of information sources with credentials. We propose protocols to establish trust in a distributed system. We evaluate the cost of the protocols and analyze the degradation of integrity level along the information path during transfer. A method to defeat coalition is also discussed. Our results provide guidelines for establishing trust, especially quantified quality of information, in distributed systems.
Observations on recovery of renal function following treatment for acute rejection

The characteristics of rejection and rejection response have not been systematically described in renal transplant recipients. The Efficacy Endpoints Conference Database contains characteristics from 953 episodes of rejection occurring at 19 North American, European, and Australian transplant centers. This database was used to profile renal transplant rejection episodes treated with primary steroid therapy, primary antilymphocyte antibody therapy, and rescue antilymphocyte antibody therapy. Primary steroid therapy was used in 88% of the rejection episodes. A successful response was more common in recipients without fever (72% v 61%; P < 0.004), in recipients experiencing less than a Banff Grade III rejection (92% v 75%; P = 0.009), and was more likely associated with graft function at 1 year following the rejection than rejection episodes that failed steroid therapy (89% v 82%; P = 0.013). Steroid success was statistically identifiable by day 2 of therapy and clinically useful by day 3; serum creatinine on these days of therapy is shown as a ratio of the rejection creatinine (102% v 112% day 1, success v failure, P< 0.002; 104% v122% day 2, success v failure, P < 0.0001; 105% v125% day 3, success vfailure, P < 0.0001). Response to primary antilymphocyte antibody therapy reached significance at day 5 of therapy when serum creatinine decreased below the rejection creatinine level in antilymphocyte successes but remained at or above the rejection creatinine in those who failed the therapy (90% v 135%; P < 0.01). For rescue antilymphocyte antibody therapy, a response was evident after 5 days of therapy (approximately day 9 to 10 of rejection) when serum creatinine began to decline and continued lower throughout the 10-day course of antilymphocyte antibody therapy (day 14 to 15 of rejection; serum creatinine 3.0 mg/dL v 4.4 mg/dL for success v failure; P < 0.004). Serum creatinine was lower throughout the first year following therapy in each success group (steroids, antilymphocyte antibody therapy as primary or as rescue), and a greater percentage of failures of any of the three therapies resulted in graft loss. Interestingly, 1-year graft survival was not different in the patients who were treated with antilymphocyte antibody therapy as primary than those who received these antirejection agents as rescue therapy (81% and 84%, respectively). The Efficacy Endpoints Conference Database provides an essential tool for profiling acute rejection in renal transplantation and should lead to improved evaluation of rejection therapies.
Smoking, disabilities and health: Their effect on labor market experience

Summary The economic cost to society due to cigarette smoking of employed males between the ages of 18 and 65 was $10.25 billion in 1968 which was 1.19% of 1968 GNP. Individual non-white and white male smokers suffered a 8% and 6% decrease in their 1968 labor income. The economic cost of smoking is actually larger, because unemployed male, and unemployed and employed female cigarette smokers of all ages were excluded. Also, the exclusion of non-cigarette smokers underestimates the economic cost of smoking, especially since the effect of non-cigarette smoking is much greater than cigarette smoking. Multicollinearity between smoking and drinking, though, decreases the precision of the estimates of the cost of smoking, but does not necessarily lead to bias in the regression coefficients on SMOKE. In the future, there is need for improvement in the measure of smoking, even though the data used in this study is superior to other data. A more appropriate measure would be a smoking index, which includes depth and length of inhalation, duration of smoking habit, and amount and kind of cigarettes smoked per day. Also, the measure of drinking needs a great deal of improvement. The total cost to society of disabilities to employed males between the ages of 18 and 65 was $9.743 or 1.13% of 1968 GNP. The average individual loss in labor income due to disabilities was 59% and 40% for non-white and white employed disabled workers. The individual cost of disabilities is about four times that of smoking, although the total cost is about the same, because there are so few disabled individuals compared to the number of smokers. The total loss due to disabilites is actually much larger because employed women, and unemployed women and men were excluded, and contrary to smoking, disabilities and labor force participation are significantly and inversely related. Also, to measure more precisely the cost of disabilities, future research should strive to incorporate a measure of disabilities which is not self-reported. Previous authors who used disabilities as a measure of health actually estimated the impact of disabilities instead of health on labor market experience. It has been shown in this study that both health and disabilities have a large independent impact on labor market experience, even though DIS and HEALTH are significantly correlated. Future research should continue to more carefully model and estimate the separate impact of both, because the effectiveness of various types of policy actions which might be initiated to combat the impact of poor health and disabilities depend crucially on the independent effects of both on labor market experience. For instance, disabilities are permanent, so that a retraining program for the newly disabled may be appropriate, while an anti-smoking campaign may be appropriate if an increase in health is desired.
NEAR STOICHIOMETRIC, IRREVERSIBLE INACTIVATION OF BACTERIAL COLLAGENASES BY o-CHLORANIL (3,4,5,6-TETRACHLORO- 1,2-BENZOQUINONE)

o-Chloranil reacted rapidly with a site that affected substrate binding. Amino acid analyses of native and totally inactivated enzymes, and the pH-profile of inactivation suggest that the dissociated form of a tyrosine residue was modified. ©1988Acade~icPress, Inc. INTRODUCTION: n-CA is a purple crystalline substance sparingly soluble in water and easily soluble in several organic solvents. The term "chloranil" used in organic chemistry normally means ~- CA; most earlier studies concerned this quinone, m-CA is a strong electron acceptor (1,2). It reacts with primary and secondary arylamines, amino acids, phenols, pyrrole, naphthalene (3-7), cycloserine (8), tranexamic acid (9), and was used in the assay of proteolytic activity (i0). Charge-transfer interactions between m-CA and amino acids (11-14) and R-CA and proteins (ii) have been studied. Although ~-CA and n-CA are distinctly different compounds, they share several general properties of quinones. Only n-CA has been investigated as an enzyme inhibitor: o-CA bound to liver glutathione S-transferase (15); Abbreviations used: o-CA, o-Chloranil; m-CA, ~-chloranil; TNBS,
Comparative learning impairment and amnesia by scopolamine, phencyclidine. and ketamine*

Scopolamine, phencyclidine, and ketamine were each administered to mice before or immediately after training of a passive avoidance response. Retention was measured 24 h later. All three drugs impaired retention when administered before training. Only scopolamine impaired retention when administered after training. The effect of posttraining administration of scopolamine was found to diminish as the training-injection interval increased.
Leaching of heavy metals from sewage sludge through coastal plain soils

Abstract Three types of sewage sludge are applied to the surface of soil columns of Coastal Plain soils and leached with distilled water. The Zn concentrations in leachate samples from a Sassafras loamy sand soil loaded with an industrial sludge increased with sludge loading rate. All leachate samples contained very low concentrations of Cd, Cr and Cu. Hazardous amounts of Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn would not be leached to the groundwater when recommended rates of the tested sludges are applied to Coastal Plain soils under most conditions.
Fast gas chromatography negative chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry of explosive compounds using dynamic collision-induced dissociation

The analysis of nine explosive compounds by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) using negative chemical ionization (NCI) was performed under two different conditions: first, a conventional GC separation coupled with a standard ion dissociation method in a quadrupole ion trap (QIT) was performed in segmented selected reaction monitoring mode; second, a fast GC separation on a microbore capillary column was combined with a faster method of collisional activation in ion traps wherein fragmentation is deliberately accomplished during the mass acquisition scan. The conventional GC–MS/MS method provided separation times in 10 min with detection limits between 0.8 and 280 pg on column. The fast GC method with dynamic collision-induced dissociation (DCID) offered a confirmatory method for the analysis of high explosives with separation times under 2.5 min and detection limits between 0.5 and 5 pg on column, without any hardware modifications to the instrument. The implementation of DCID in combination with three-times-faster mass scanning allows the acquisition of tandem mass spectra to at least 5 Hz (while averaging three scans per spectrum). Although detection limits for GC-NCI–MS/MS using conventional CID or DCID are not quite on par with LODs achieved by GC-ECD, the combination of NCI with DCID tandem MS leads to detection limits at least comparable, if not superior, to other mass spectrometric methods. Selected reaction monitoring in the negative ionization mode is anticipated to offer the most selective approach to detecting explosives and eliminating potential interferences, which could ultimately lead to the best detection limits for real, contaminated samples. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Machine intelligence grounded in reality

The design, realization, and application of intelligent, autonomous, sensor-driven, behavior-based robotic agents are discussed. The authors have identified four philosophical goals for machine intelligence grounded in reality to flourish: integration, real-world issues, interdisciplinary teamwork, and critical thinking. Building a robot requires that the designer integrates control in electronic and mechanical systems and produces a working device, confronts the user with interactions, between different subsystems, and gives the designer the opportunity to trade off between the different subsystems in constructing an autonomous agent. The environment also encourages biomedical engineers to confront the issues involved in getting a physical agent to operate reliably in a realistic environment by giving them the opportunity to build their own animal, providing a unique perspective on the many problems that nervous systems actually solve.
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Nef suppresses CD40-dependent immunoglobulin class switching in bystander B cells

Immunoglobulin class switching from immunoglobulin M (IgM) to IgG and IgA is central to immunity against viruses and requires the activation of B cells by T cells via CD154 (CD40 ligand) and cytokines. These molecules limit their signaling activity in immune cells by turning on negative feedback proteins, including IkappaB and SOCS. We show here that negative factor (Nef) protein, an immunosuppressive human immunodeficiency virus 1 protein expressed and released by infected cells, penetrates B cells both in vivo and in vitro. Nef suppressed immunoglobulin class-switch DNA recombination by inducing IkappaBalpha and SOCS proteins, which blocked CD154 and cytokine signaling via NF-kappaB and STAT transcription factors. Thus, human immunodeficiency virus 1 may evade protective T cell-dependent IgG and IgA responses by 'hijacking' physiological feedback inhibitors in B cells via Nef.
Emergent operation for percutaneous coronary rupture after abciximab administration

A 72-year-old woman had rupture of a coronary artery during angioplasty in the setting of abciximab therapy. Prolonged reinflation of the balloon failed to produce closure of the perforated site. Emergency coronary ligation and bypass after abciximab administration was associated with excessive postoperative bleeding.
Error correction in mobile robot map learning

An issue that must be addressed in map-learning systems is that of error accumulation. The primary emphasis in the literature has been on reducing errors entering the map. The authors suggest that this methodology must reach a point of diminishing returns, and hence focus on explicit error detection and correction. By identifying the possible types of mapping errors, structural constraints can be exploited to detect and diagnose mapping errors. Such robust mapping requires little overhead beyond that needed for nonrobust mapping. A mapping system was implemented based on those ideas. Extensive testing in simulation demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed error-correction strategies. >
Cloning Expeditions: Risky but Rewarding

In the 1980s, a good part of my laboratory was using the then-new recombinant DNA techniques to clone and characterize many important cell surface membrane proteins: GLUT1 (the red cell glucose transporter) and then GLUT2 and GLUT4, the red cell anion exchange protein (Band 3), asialoglycoprotein receptor subunits, sucrase-isomaltase, the erythropoietin receptor, and two of the subunits of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) receptor. These cloned genes opened many new fields of basic research, including membrane insertion and trafficking of transmembrane proteins, signal transduction by many members of the cytokine and TGF-β families of receptors, and the cellular physiology of glucose and anion transport. They also led to many insights into the molecular biology of several cancers, hematopoietic disorders, and diabetes. This work was done by an exceptional group of postdocs and students who took exceptionally large risks in developing and using novel cloning technologies. Unsurprisingly, all have gone on to become leaders in the fields of molecular cell biology and molecular medicine.
Devaluation and The Balance of Trade: A Synthesis of Monetary and Elasticity Approaches

The elasticities and monetary approaches to balance of trade and balance of payments give different predictions about the effects of changes in exchange rates on the trade balance and balance of payments. This paper, using a theoretical model, supports the arguments that elasticities and monetary approaches to balance of payments are complementary theories since each is merely a fragment of a larger system. It was shown that the short run effects of devaluation are those produced by the elasticities approach and the long run effects are those implies by the monetary approach. [431]
Surgery and global health: a view from beyond the OR

In Africa, surgery may be thought of as the neglected stepchild of global public health. There are fewer physicians per population on this continent than on any other; surgeons are rarer still, and almost all of them work in the urban enclaves of what remains a rural region. The story is the same in the poorer parts of Asia and Latin America (with a few exceptions, such as Cuba). Although disease treatable by surgery remains a ranking killer of the world’s poor, major financers of public health have shown that they do not regard surgical disease as a priority even though, for example, more than 500,000 women die each year in childbirth; these deaths are largely attributable to an absence of surgical services and other means of stopping post-partum hemorrhage [1]. Equally unattended, among the very poor, are motor-vehicle and farm accidents, peritonitis, long-bone fractures, and even blindness [2-4]. Cardiac disease, congenital or the sequela of infection, is a death sentence for most people—many of them children— so afflicted in the poorest parts of the world [5, 6]. In some settings, surveys reveal that surgical disease is among the top 15 causes of disability [7], and surgical conditions account for up to 15% of total disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost worldwide [8]. If it is true that surgery is the neglected stepchild of global health, does it follow that there are no surgical services available in the poor world? The truth is even more unpleasant: within poor countries, surgical services are concentrated almost wholly in cities and reserved largely for those who can pay for them. In Haiti, for example, a community-based survey conducted in the 1980s suggested that rates of caesarian section in a large area of southern Haiti were close to zero; maternal mortality was pegged at 1,400 per 100,000 live births [9]. Yet among the affluent of that same country, rates of caesarian section do not vary much from those registered in the United States. Careful scrutiny of local inequalities of risk and access to care reveals that in poor countries, even minor surgical pathologies are often transformed through time and inattention into lethal conditions. Congenital abnormalities such as cleft palate remain life-long afflictions rather than pediatric surgical disease. In addition to surgical abdomens, severe trauma (from road accidents more often than from intentional violence) and other potentially fatal pathologies remain a massive burden of untreated disease that weighs on the lives, and productivity, of the world’s bottom billion. P. E. Farmer (&) Program in Infectious Disease and Social Change, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 641 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA e-mail: paul_farmer@hms.harvard.edu
A unified design methodology for CMOS tapered buffers

In this paper, the various disparate approaches to CMOS tapered buffer design are unified into an integrated design methodology. Circuit speed, power dissipation, physical area, and system reliability are the four performance criteria of concern in tapered buffers, and each places a separate, often conflicting, constraint on the design of a tapered buffer. Enhanced short-channel tapered buffer design equations are presented for propagation delay and power dissipation, as well as a new split-capacitor model of hot-carrier reliability of tapered buffers and a two-component physical area model. Each performance criterion is individually investigated and analyzed with respect to the number of stages and tapering factor, and the interaction of the four criteria is examined to develop both a qualitative and a quantitative understanding of the various design tradeoffs. The creation of process dependent look-up tables for optimal buffer design is described, and a methodology to apply these look-up tables to application-specific tapered buffers for both unconstrained and constrained systems is developed. >
Quantitative assessment of myocardial ultrasound tissue characterization through receiver operating characteristic analysis of Bayesian classifiers

Abstract Objectives. This work proposes a self-consistent assessment methodology for quantitative evaluation of any combination of diagnostic features, with the immediate goal of quantitatively assessing the discriminating power in diabetic patients of features derived from ultrasound backscatter from myocardium. Background. Four features from analysis of left ventricular myocardial ultrasound backscatter have previously been shown to be sensitive to potentially cardiomyopathic changes in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who have no overt heart disease. The measured features were significantly different between such patients and normal control subjects, as well as among groups of such patients with and without systemic complications of the disease. The quantitative discriminating potential of the features was not assessed. Methods. Multivariate classifier functions were constructed and analyzed by using the methodology of the receiver operating characteristic curve, which allows quantitative assessment of the discriminating power of these features, alone or in combination. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve—the true positive rate averaged over all false positive rates—was used as a summary measure of performance. Results. In distinguishing patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus from normal control subjects, the most discriminating combination of ultrasound features for the detection of such changes in these patients yielded receiver operating characteristic curves with area measures of ∼0.80; for such patients with retinopathy the measure increased to 0.90. This performance is comparable to that of many commonly used diagnostic tests. Conclusions. A self-consistent set of evaluation methodologies has quantitatively demonstrated the sensitivity of four ultrasound backscatter features to otherwise latent changes in myocardial structure that accompany the evolution of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The results are remarkable in themselves and suggest the potential of the features for the general field of cardiac ultrasound tissue characterization.
The amotivational syndrome hypothesis and the costa rica study: Relationships between methods and results

(1983). The Amotivational Syndrome Hypothesis and the Costa Rica Study: Relationships Between Methods and Results. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 261-267.
Short- and Long-Term Functional Consequences of Fluoxetine Exposure During Adolescence in Male Rats

Background Fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is prescribed for the treatment of major depressive disorder in young populations. Here, we explore the short- and long-term consequences of adolescent exposure to FLX on behavioral reactivity to emotion-eliciting stimuli. Methods Adolescent male rats received FLX (10 mg/kg) twice daily for 15 consecutive days (postnatal days 35–49). The influence of FLX on behavioral reactivity to rewarding and aversive stimuli was assessed 24 hours (short-term) or 3 weeks after FLX treatment (long-term). A separate group of adult rats was also treated with FLX (postnatal days 65–79) and responsiveness to forced swimming was assessed at identical time intervals as with the adolescents. Results Fluoxetine exposure during adolescence resulted in long-lasting decreases in behavioral reactivity to forced swimming stress and enhanced sensitivity to sucrose and to anxiety-eliciting situations in adulthood. The FLX-induced anxiety-like behavior was alleviated by re-exposure to FLX in adulthood. Fluoxetine treatment during adolescence also impaired sexual copulatory behaviors in adulthood. Fluoxetine-treated adult rats did not show changes in behavioral reactivity to forced swim stress as observed in those treated during adolescence and tested in adulthood. Conclusions Treating adolescent rats with FLX results in long-lived complex outputs regulated by the emotional valence of the stimulus, the environment in which it is experienced, and the brain circuitry likely being engaged by it. Our findings highlight the need for further research to improve our understanding of the alterations that psychotropic exposure may induce on the developing nervous system and the potential enduring effects resulting from such treatments.