cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Hybrid, Actively Compliant Manipulator/Gripper for Aerial Manipulation with a Multicopter

Ahstract- Unmanned Multicopters provide access to dangerous or difficult to reach areas and can accomplish tasks normally reserved for people. Aerial manipulation in this scenario could provide enhanced capabilities but is a challenging problem where design often comes down to choosing between arm-like manipulation or claw-like grippers - each of which has associated benefits and drawbacks. We present a novel, lightweight, low-cost hybrid manipulator/gripper combining characteristics of both arm-like manipulators and claw-like grippers to enable aerial manipulation during search and rescue missions using a multicopter unmanned air vehicle. The gripper is composed of tandem two degree-of-freedom fingers wherein each finger can be individually controlled, allowing for the manipulation of irregular geometric shapes and compensation for the drone's drift. We describe the design, manufacturing, and prototyping of our design and conduct a series of experiments grasping objects of different size, shape, and weight to demonstrate the versatility and benefits of our hybrid design.
Inclusive jet production as a probe of polarized parton distribution functions at a future EIC

We present a detailed phenomenological study of polarized inclusive jet production in electron-proton collisions at a future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). Our analysis is performed at next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD using the numerical code DISTRESS and includes all relevant partonic channels and resolved photon contributions. We elucidate the role of different kinematic regions in probing different aspects of proton and photon structure. We emphasize the importance of inclusive jet measurements and high collision energies at a future EIC in order to further constrain the polarized gluon distribution of the proton.
Me and My Avatar: Player-Character as Fictional Proxy

Players of videogames describe their gameplay in the first person, e.g. “I took cover behind a barricade.” Such descriptions of gameplay experiences are commonplace, but also puzzling because players are actually just pushing buttons, not engaging in the activities described by their first-person reports. According to a view defended by Robson and Meskin (2016), which we call the fictional identity view, this puzzle is solved by claiming that the player is fictionally identical with the player character. Hence, on this view, if the player-character fictionally performs an action then, fictionally, the player performs that action. However, we argue that the fictional identity view does not make sense of players' gameplay experiences and their descriptions of them. We develop an alternative account of the relationship between the player and player-character on which the player-character serves as the player's fictional proxy, and argue that this account makes better sense of the nature of videogames as interactive fictions.
Maximum Entropy Models for Fatigue Damage in Metals with Application to Low-Cycle Fatigue of Aluminum 2024-T351

In the present work, we propose using the cumulative distribution functions derived from maximum entropy formalisms, utilizing thermodynamic entropy as a measure of damage to fit the low-cycle fatigue data of metals. The thermodynamic entropy is measured from hysteresis loops of cyclic tension–compression fatigue tests on aluminum 2024-T351. The plastic dissipation per cyclic reversal is estimated from Ramberg–Osgood constitutive model fits to the hysteresis loops and correlated to experimentally measured average damage per reversal. The developed damage models are shown to more accurately and consistently describe fatigue life than several alternative damage models, including the Weibull distribution function and the Coffin–Manson relation. The formalism is founded on treating the failure process as a consequence of the increase in the entropy of the material due to plastic deformation. This argument leads to using inelastic dissipation as the independent variable for predicting low-cycle fatigue damage, rather than the more commonly used plastic strain. The entropy of the microstructural state of the material is modeled by statistical cumulative distribution functions, following examples in recent literature. We demonstrate the utility of a broader class of maximum entropy statistical distributions, including the truncated exponential and the truncated normal distribution. Not only are these functions demonstrated to have the necessary qualitative features to model damage, but they are also shown to capture the random nature of damage processes with greater fidelity.
Immunogold labeling of synaptic vesicle proteins in developing hippocampal neurons.

Synaptic vesicles (SV) contain high concentrations of specific proteins. How these proteins are transported from soma to synapses, and how they become concentrated at SV clusters at presynaptic terminals were examined by immunogold electron microscopy in dissociated rat hippocampal neurons at 3–6 days in culture, a developmental stage when axonal transport of SV proteins is robust. In neuronal somas, labels for the SV integral membrane proteins (synaptophysin, SV2, VAMP/synaptobrevin, and synaptotagmin) were localized at Golgi complexes and other membranous structures that were dispersed in the cytoplasm as individual vesicle/vacuoles. These vesicles/vacuoles became aggregated in axons, with the size of aggregates ranging from 0.2 to 2 μm in length. Pleomorphic vesicle/vacuoles within the aggregate were typically larger (50–300 nm) than SVs, which were uniform in size at ~ 40 nm. These pleomorphic vesicles/vacuoles are probably transport cargos carrying SV integral membrane proteins from the soma, and then are preferentially sorted into axons at early developmental stages. Serial thin sections of young axons indicated that many labeled aggregates were not synaptic, and in fact, some of these axons were without dendritic contacts. In contrast, labels for two SV-associated proteins, synapsin I and α-synuclein, were not localized at the Golgi complexes or associated with membranous structures in the soma, but were dispersed in the cytoplasm. However, these SV-associated proteins became highly concentrated on clusters of SV-like vesicles in axons, and such clusters were already distinctive in axons as early as 3 days in culture. These clusters consisted of ~ 4–30 vesicles in single thin sections, and the vesicles were of a uniform size (~ 40 nm). Serial sectioning analysis showed that these clusters could be part of nascent synapses or exist in axons without any dendritic contact. Importantly, the vesicles were intensely labeled for SV integral membrane proteins as well as SV-associated proteins. Thus, these EM observations reveal that the two groups of proteins, SV integral membrane and SV-associated, proceed through different routes of biosynthesis and axon transport, and are only sorted into the same final compartment, SV clusters, when they are in the axons.
“We Could Do Better”: Librarian Engagement in LGBTQ Collection Development in Small and Rural Public Libraries in the Southern U.S

Although the LGBTQ community, from all appearances, maintains a strong connection to libraries as safe spaces, it is unclear whether the libraries themselves are providing relevant resources and se...
Endemic situation of schistosomiasis in surveillance sites of Tianmen City from 2015 to 2018

OBJECTIVE To monitor the change patterns of the endemic situation of schistosomiasis in Tianmen City from 2015 to 2018, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the schistosomiasis control strategy in the city. METHODS A total of 8 schistosomiasis surveillance sites were assigned in Tianmen City from 2015 to 2018, and the endemic situation of schistosomiasis and the related epidemiological factors were monitored. RESULTS During the period from 2015 to 2018, a total of 15 983 local person-times and 3 629 mobile populations were detected for schistosomiasis using an indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) in Tianmen City, and the sero-prevalence was 0.88% to 1.44% and 0.96% to 2.39%, respectively; however, no egg-positives were identified. A total of 1 245 herd-times were detected, and no egg-positives were found in bovines. In addition, the areas of snail habitats were 116.69 to 117.23 hm2 and the mean densities of living snails were 0.07 to 0.17 snails/0.1 m2 during the study period; however, no infections were identified in snails. CONCLUSIONS The endemic situation of schistosomiasis appears low in Tianmen City; however, the factors related to schistosomiasis transmission remain in the city. The integrated strategy with emphasis on the control of infectious sources should be still intensified to consolidate the schistosomiasis control achievements.
Differences in caregiver behaviors of infants at-risk for autism and typically developing infants from 9 to 15 months of age

During an object sharing paradigm, we compared infant-caregiver interactions between two groups: i) infants at high-risk (HR) for being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ii) low-risk (LR) infants, observed at 9, 12, and 15 months of age. 16 HR infants (14 infants with an older sibling diagnosed with ASD and 2 preterm infants that received a diagnosis of ASD at 2 years) and 16 LR infants (typically developing infants without older siblings diagnosed with ASD) were included in the study. At each visit, infants played with objects in the presence of their caregivers as crawlers or walkers. Previously, we found that HR infants are less likely to share their object play with caregivers at walker ages. The present study found that caregivers of HR infants used greater directive bids including being more proximal to infants and using greater verbal and non-verbal bids to sustain their infant's attention and to ensure their compliance during the task compared to caregivers of LR infants. Our study emphasizes the bidirectional and dynamic nature of infant-caregiver interactions. Our findings have implications for caregiver training programs that teach parents appropriate strategies to promote early social communication skills in at-risk infants.
Professional Development of School Psychologists as Child Rights Advocates

Creating a culture of respect for child rights within professional school psychology requires that child rights are central to the ideology of professionals individually and collectively and that individual professionals have the knowledge, values, beliefs, and skills for engaging in child advocacy. To accomplish this necessitates review and possible reconceptualization or extension of professional preparation and development. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the competencies necessary for engaging in advocacy efforts and current representation of child rights in professional standards for training, practice, and ethics and to propose a course of action for initial preparation in university training programs and continued professional development of school psychologists. We also introduce the training materials (These training materials are available in a training manual which is a resource to this volume provided online at no charge by the publisher) developed through the collaborative efforts of ISPA, CRED-PRO, Tulane University, APA’s Division 16, and Cleveland State University, and we conclude with recommendations for training programs and professional organizations.
A Whole-Brain and Cross-Diagnostic Perspective on Functional Brain Network Dysfunction

A wide variety of mental disorders have been associated with resting-state functional network alterations, which are thought to contribute to the cognitive changes underlying mental illness. These observations appear to support theories postulating large-scale disruptions of brain systems in mental illness. However, existing approaches isolate differences in network organization without putting those differences in a broad, whole-brain perspective. Using a graph distance approach-connectome-wide similarity-we found that whole-brain resting-state functional network organization is highly similar across groups of individuals with and without a variety of mental diseases. This similarity was observed across autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. Nonetheless, subtle differences in network graph distance were predictive of diagnosis, suggesting that while functional connectomes differ little across health and disease, those differences are informative. These results suggest a need to reevaluate neurocognitive theories of mental illness, with a role for subtle functional brain network changes in the production of an array of mental diseases. Such small network alterations suggest the possibility that small, well-targeted alterations to brain network organization may provide meaningful improvements for a variety of mental disorders.
A new approach to effective circuit clustering

It is pointed out that the complexity of next-generation VLSI systems will exceed the capabilities of top-down layout synthesis algorithms, particularly in netlist partitioning and module placement. Bottom-up clustering is needed to condense the netlist so that the problem size becomes tractable to existing optimization methods. Here, the DS quality measure, a general metric for evaluation of clustering algorithms, is established. The DC metric in turn motivates the RW-ST algorithm, a self-tuning clustering method based on random walks in the circuit netlist. RW-ST efficiently captures a globally good circuit clustering. When incorporated within a two-phase iterative Fiduccia-Mattheyses partitioning strategy, the RW-ST clustering method improves bisection width by an average of 17% over previous matching-based methods. >
Maternal sepsis update.

Purpose of review Maternal sepsis is the second leading cause of maternal death in the United States. A significant number of these deaths are preventable and the purpose of this review is to highlight causes such as delays in recognition and early treatment. Recent findings Maternal sepsis can be difficult to diagnose due to significant overlap of symptoms and signs of normal physiological changes of pregnancy, and current screening tools perform poorly to identify sepsis in pregnant women. Surveillance should not only include during pregnancy, but also throughout the postpartum period, up to 42 days postpartum. Education and awareness to highlight this importance are not only vital for obstetric healthcare provides, but also for nonobstetric healthcare providers, patients, and support persons. Summary Through education and continual review and analysis of evidence-based practice, a reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality secondary to maternal sepsis should be attainable with dedication from all disciplines that care for obstetric and postpartum patients. Education and vigilance also extend to patients and support persons who should be empowered to escalate care when needed.
Access to Mars Surface Using a Low-Cost Rough Lander

In order to reduce the cost of landing small payloads on Mars, a new technology is being developed: the Small High Impact Energy Landing Device concept (SHIELD). The purpose of SHIELD is to provide a low-cost option to deliver up to 6 kg of science payload to the surface of Mars. SHIELD could be launched as a hosted payload, rideshare on as a secondary payload adapter, or launching from a dedicated small launch vehicle using a kick stage to get to Mars. In order to enable delivery of low cost, SHIELD uses a large diameter deployed drag surface (> 2 m diameter) and low entry mass (< 50 kg) to achieve a very low ballistic coefficient (< 10 kg/m^2): this low ballistic coefficient results in low terminal velocity (< 70 m/sec) without requiring a parachute. Upon impacting the Martian surface at terminal velocity, SHIELD uses a mechanism to decelerate the payload to rest in a robust and predictable manner that limits acceleration of the payload to < 2000 g with a duration less than 8 milliseconds. The SHIELD concept payload subsystem includes a “ruggedized” small warm electronics box (WEB). The WEB houses the telecommunications, command and data handling, thermal control, electrical power, and payload subsystems while maintaining an internal operating temperature ranging between −20° to 20° C. The system is designed to survive the Martian night by utilizing electric heaters powered in a highly insulated box that is powered solar cells and secondary batteries. The WEB is designed to be impact resistant, capable of surviving an impact acceleration pulse equal to or less than 2000 g's.
Exosome-mediated bioinspired drug delivery

Abstract Exosomes are cell-derived membrane vesicles and constitute an endogenous mechanism for cell–cell communication. Since the discovery of exosomes which are capable of carrying biological messages, exosome getting attention by scientists as drug delivery vesicle and biomarkers for deadly diseases. Their unique structure, biocompatibility, higher stability, lower toxicity, preferred tumor homing, and adjustable targeting efficiency make exosome an attractive potential blister of drug delivery method for cancer and brain diseases. Currently, surface modification with DNA tethers, cationic polymers, and CRISPR9 makes engineered exosome ideal drug delivery vehicles. However, lack of optimized production methodologies is the primary barrier for therapeutic application because of their heterogeneity and low productivity. Despite these limitations, scientists have achieved potential therapeutic efficiency compared with traditional drug delivery systems. Besides, the improvement of the therapeutic potential and delivery efficiency of exosomes is essential for their therapeutic application. In this chapter, we summarized current knowledge on exosome therapeutic application and discussed some challenges with successful use in the field of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and central nervous system diseases. We also present the future direction and perspective of exosome drug delivery in clinical applications.
CCNE1 copy number is a biomarker for response to combination WEE1-ATR inhibition in ovarian and endometrial cancer models

CCNE1-amplified ovarian cancers (OVCAs) and endometrial cancers (EMCAs) are associated with platinum resistance and poor survival, representing a clinically unmet need. We hypothesized that dysregulated cell-cycle progression promoted by CCNE1 overexpression would lead to increased sensitivity to low-dose WEE1 inhibition and ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) inhibition (WEE1i-ATRi), thereby optimizing efficacy and tolerability. The addition of ATRi to WEE1i is required to block feedback activation of ATR signaling mediated by WEE1i. Low-dose WEE1i-ATRi synergistically decreases viability and colony formation and increases replication fork collapse and double-strand breaks (DSBs) in a CCNE1 copy number (CN)-dependent manner. Only upon CCNE1 induction does WEE1i perturb DNA synthesis at S-phase entry, and addition of ATRi increases DSBs during DNA synthesis. Inherent resistance to WEE1i is overcome with WEE1i-ATRi, with notable durable tumor regressions and improved survival in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in a CCNE1-level-dependent manner. These studies demonstrate that CCNE1 CN is a clinically tractable biomarker predicting responsiveness to low-dose WEE1i-ATRi for aggressive subsets of OVCAs/EMCAs.
How do Informal Norms affect Rule Compliance: Experimental Evidence

Abstract I use a dictator game experiment to show that an individual’s compliance with an egalitarian formal rule depends on his/her group’s informal norms. A group of dictators communicate with each other to decide the “guideline” for the amount of money to send to their matched recipients. This guideline functions as the group’s informal norm and significantly affects the sending behavior of dictators despite being non-binding. Next, an egalitarian formal rule is introduced that requires dictators to send at least half of their money to a matched recipient. Dictators are less likely to obey the egalitarian rule if they are in groups with more selfish norms.
Psychiatric Evaluation of Traumatic Impotence: Evolution of a Case

A problem facing medicolegal examiners is evaluating the uncommon case in which scientific knowledge and clinical experience are often limited and in which relevant information is derived from a number of disciplines. Many experts are confronted with situations that occur rarely in the course of one individual's practice and yet one can formulate a reasonable opinion with review and collation of applicable information and coordinated input from different professionals. Particularly in psychiatric cases, or those with psychiatric implications, evaluators may react on the basis of their own set or bias [1] as well as countertransference attitudes. When a case involves an unclear diagnosis of one of the participants, non-psychiatrists are perhaps even more likely to attribute these events to psychologic phenomena, some of which can be utilized in a disparaging or demeaning fashion.
Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy and Bone Health in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies of women. The majority of breast cancers express estrogen and/or progesterone receptors, permitting anticancer targeting strategies to reduce estrogen signaling in the cancer cells and thereby lowering the risk of breast cancer recurrence. The development of the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) tamoxifen marked a significant milestone in breast cancer care that transcended older estrogen ablative strategies such as oophorectomy and ovarian irradiation. An unintended benefit of tamoxifen in postmenopausal women was bone density preservation. The third generation of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) have demonstrated superior efficacy to tamoxifen in improving disease-free survival in postmenopausal women. However, the AIs significantly increase bone resorption, reduce bone mineral density, and increase the risk of fracture above that of tamoxifen. As a consequence of this, clinical oncologists have assumed a larger role in the screening and treatment of the skeletal complications of breast cancer therapies. The key features of managing bone health in women with early stage breast cancer receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy are reviewed here.
Pseudo-acetylation of K326 and K328 of actin disrupts Drosophila melanogaster indirect flight muscle structure and performance

In striated muscle tropomyosin (Tm) extends along the length of F-actin-containing thin filaments. Its location governs access of myosin binding sites on actin and, hence, force production. Intermolecular electrostatic associations are believed to mediate critical interactions between the proteins. For example, actin residues K326, K328, and R147 were predicted to establish contacts with E181 of Tm. Moreover, K328 also potentially forms direct interactions with E286 of myosin when the motor is strongly bound. Recently, LC-MS/MS analysis of the cardiac acetyl-lysine proteome revealed K326 and K328 of actin were acetylated, a post-translational modification (PTM) that masks the residues' inherent positive charges. Here, we tested the hypothesis that by removing the vital actin charges at residues 326 and 328, the PTM would perturb Tm positioning and/or strong myosin binding as manifested by altered skeletal muscle function and structure in the Drosophila melanogaster model system. Transgenic flies were created that permit tissue-specific expression of K326Q, K328Q, or K326Q/K328Q acetyl-mimetic actin and of wild-type actin via the UAS-GAL4 bipartite expression system. Compared to wild-type actin, muscle-restricted expression of mutant actin had a dose-dependent effect on flight ability. Moreover, excessive K328Q and K326Q/K328Q actin overexpression induced indirect flight muscle degeneration, a phenotype consistent with hypercontraction observed in other Drosophila myofibrillar mutants. Based on F-actin-Tm and F-actin-Tm-myosin models and on our physiological data, we conclude that acetylating K326 and K328 of actin alters electrostatic associations with Tm and/or myosin and thereby augments contractile properties. Our findings highlight the utility of Drosophila as a model that permits efficient targeted design and assessment of molecular and tissue-specific responses to muscle protein modifications, in vivo.
Initiation and termination of bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid replication in low concentrations of chloramphenicol.

Abstract Escherichia coli 15T− can initiate a cycle of deoxyribonucleic acid replication with equal efficiency in the presence of 25 or 50 μg of chloramphenicol/ml. However, these replication cycles are not completed in the presence of these drug concentrations, and the amount of replication decreases with increasing drug concentration.
Security pipeline interface (SPI)

Proposes a new approach, security pipeline interface, for adding security to existing systems. Security functions are added in series to existing I/O paths without modification to the host system internals. The result is an I/O pipeline of security functions which is adaptable to both trusted and untrusted environments. Security of the physically separated SPI architecture is easier to analyze then other security products. Additionally, SPI requires no modification to the operating system. However, SPI is limited to the host processor interfaces. The SPI approach is compared with and contrasted to other ongoing security pipeline research. Examples of applications are presented which illustrate how security functions are added in a pipeline. These include a rogue program controller and intrusion detection systems. >
Esophageal Candidiasis in a Patient With Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus and Recurrent Abdominal Pain, Symptomatic Or Incidental? A Case Report and Brief Literature Review

Esophageal candidiasis (EC) is a common opportunistic infection in patients with impaired cellular immunity, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, it can also be found in individuals with certain predisposing conditions like uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM) and the use of certain medications. We report a 54-year-old female with past medical history of DM, hypertension and hyperlipidemia who presented to the ER with worsening periumbilical and epigastric pain for 2 days. She had multiple similar presentations requiring admissions to different hospitals and had undergone extensive workup over the past year. She only had transient improvement from these hospitalizations. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) performed on day 2 of admission revealed extensive creamy pseudomembranous exudate through the entire length of esophagus confirmed as Candida albicans by brush scraping analysis. She received oral fluconazole with significant relief of her symptoms over the next couple of weeks. Although EC remains asymptomatic in the majority of patients and is only detected incidentally on EGD, its diagnosis and treatment can provide significant symptomatic relief in many patients. EC should be considered as a potential diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting even in patients with no evidence of overt immunodeficiency. J Med Cases. 2015;6(11):523-526 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2337w
The Pipeline program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry.

This chapter presents an overview of the Pipeline, Profession, and Practice: Community-Based Dental Education program as it was conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry from 2002 to 2007. Pipeline programs, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and
Re-evaluating ethical concerns in planned emergency research involving critically ill patients: an interpretation of the guidance document from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Background U.S. federal regulations require that certain ethical elements be followed to protect human research subjects. The location and clinical circumstances of a proposed research study can differ substantially and can have significant implications for these ethical considerations. Both the location and clinical circumstances are particularly relevant for research in intensive care units (ICUs), where patients are often unable to provide informed consent to participate in a proposed research intervention. Purpose Our goal is to elaborate on the updated 2013 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance document regarding an exemption from the requirement of obtaining informed consent from patients or their surrogates and to address certain elements within that document, thereby assisting clinicians in developing a framework for emergency research in accordance with the regulatory bodies at their own institutions and in the United States. Methods Review of the 2011 and updated FDA guidance document on exemption from informed consent. Results The current process of obtaining informed consent within ICUs needs to be revisited, especially for research in which timely informed consent is not likely. In particular, the process of obtaining informed consent may not be appropriate or even ethical for critically ill patients in extremis who require an intervention for which there is no current acceptable standard of care and clinical equipoise exists. We provide clinicians with a viewpoint that further elaborates on the FDA guidance document. Limitations The viewpoints provided herein are those of the authors and are therefore inherently limited by the personal views of a selected few. Other clinicians or researchers may not interpret the FDA guidelines in a similar manner. Moreover, the discussion of a guideline document is a limitation in and of itself. The guidelines set forth by the FDA are precisely that-guidelines. Therefore, they may not be followed as outlined in the guidance document within one's own institution. Our goal is that, by elaborating on the guidelines for planned research involving human subjects in the ICU, institutional regulatory bodies may gain a better understanding in drafting their own document when faced with a clinician or a researcher who wishes to conduct planned research in an ICU. Conclusions We believe that the interpretations provided will allow clinicians to safely undertake planned research in ICUs without endangering the main tenets of ethical research involving human participants. This research is needed for the advancement of care in the critically ill.
The interaction of rare gas atoms with graphite surfaces. II. Adatom-adatom potentials

The Gordon–Kim local density method is applied to the calculation of the interaction energy of pairs of neon, argon, and krypton atoms adsorbed on the basal plane of graphite. At the adatom–surface equilibrium separation, the adatom–adatom interaction potentials are found to be from 12% to 20% more repulsive than the gas phase counterparts. At much smaller adatom–surface separations, the adatom–adatom effective potential well depth is only 3% of the gas phase well depth. It is found that the nonadditive contributions to the interaction energy are more important for the smaller rare gas adatoms than for the larger ones. This trend is observed experimentally. It is concluded that rare gas films on graphite are too mobile to be in registry with the substrate.
Space and Time Scales of Atmospheric Variability

Abstract The horizontal and vertical scales of transient atmospheric disturbances are determined from the general circulation statistics compiled by A. Oort at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. The horizontal scale is ∼ 1000 km (corresponding with a wavelength of ∼6000 km) in both zonal and meridional directions and tends to increase toward the equator. The vertical scale is about equal to the scale height of the atmosphere (8 km) and tends to increase with height and decrease toward the equator. The time scale for these transients is estimated by comparing the daily and monthly variances for various quantities (including temperature, geopotential and wind). The time scale for the wind is about 2–4 days in both high and low latitudes. The time scales for temperature and geopotential are 2–5 days in high and middle latitudes but increase to 5–10 days in the tropics. These space and time scales are used to estimate the sampling errors in spatial and time averages, which are due to these transients.
A method for improved yield and purity in extracting lymphocytes from lung tumors.

Abstract Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from human pulmonary tumors have been studied as a model for local depression of cell-mediated immunity at the tumor site. To better characterize these lymphoid infiltrates, a new method of lymphocyte extraction of high yield and purity was developed. The TIL from 11 human lung tumors of varying histologic types were prepared. After mechanical disaggregation to a single cell suspension, the TIL, contaminated with tumor cells and macrophages, were incubated with carbonyl iron to deplete macrophages. Further purification was performed in a unit gravity sedimentation apparatus utilizing a continuous 2–4% Ficoll gradient. Usable TIL recovery was 41.2 ± 7.7% of input cells and was minimally contaminated by tumor cells and macrophage/monocytes. The high yield and purity of TIL preparations have resulted in a higher proportion of tumors suitable for immunological analysis. An example of the type of experiments possible with such preparations is shown.
Effect of Calcium and Magnesium Ions on the Susceptibility of Pseudomonas Species to Tetracycline, Gentamicin Polymyxin B, and Carbenicillin

The effect of calcium and magnesium on the susceptibility of 13 species of Pseudomonas to tetracycline, gentamicin, polymyxin B, and carbenicillin was measured. The majority of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of these antibiotics was increased if these cations were added to the test media. The increases in MICs caused by calcium or magnesium were similar, but the combination of both ions generally caused a greater change than either alone. Although the MIC of polymyxin B was most affected by calcium and magnesium, its interpretive susceptibilities (i.e., whether susceptible or resistant) were least changed. Susceptibility tests on Pseudomonas species probably should be done with Muller-Hinton broth supplemented with physiological concentrations of calcium and magnesium to better approximate the in vivo activity of these antibiotics. When the susceptibility tests were performed with Mueller-Hinton agar, the MICs were slightly less than those obtained with Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with both cations but greater than those obtained with Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with individual cations.
Internal stress plasticity due to chemical stresses

Internal stress plasticity occurs when a small external stress biases internal mismatch strains pro- duced by, e.g., phase transformation or thermal expansion mismatch. At small applied stresses, this defor- mation mechanism is characterized by a deformation rate which is proportional to the applied stress and is higher than for conventional creep mechanisms. In this work, we demonstrate the operation of internal stress plasticity due to internal chemical stresses produced by chemical composition gradients. We subject speci- mens of β-phase Ti-6Al-4V to cyclic charging/discharging with hydrogen (by cyclic exposure of specimens to gaseous H2), under a small external tensile stress. As expected for internal stress plasticity, the average strain rate during chemical cycles at 1030°C is larger than for creep at constant composition (hydrogen-free or -saturated), and a linear stress dependence is observed at small applied stresses. Additionally, we present an analytical model which couples elastic and creep deformation with a transient diffusion problem, wherein the diffusant species induces swelling of the host lattice. Without the use of any adjustable parameters, the model accurately predicts both the observed strain evolution during hydrogen cycling of Ti-6Al-4V and the measured stress dependence of the deformation.  2001 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Use of environmentally-responsive smart glasses in controlled release: Diffusion of molecules under applied stimuli

The use of organosilica sol-gels as environmentally-responsive materials for stimuli-controlled release of encapsulated molecules is reported. These sol-gels exhibit bulk volume changes with respect to applied stimuli such as pH, temperature, salt, and solvents. These volume changes result in expulsion/intake of solvent molecules which can be utilized as a means for externally-regulated release and delivery of dopant molecular entities. For these materials, which undergo a volume transition in response to environmental changes, the magnitude and response time of the material is related to diffusion of solvent molecules in and out of the material. The release of encapsulated molecules and diffusion of solvent accompanies the volume transitions, which can be initiated by changes in temperature or ionic concentration. The kinetics and mechanism of volume changes of organosilica network consisting of hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments are investigated which provide critical insights into the nature of underlying factors that influence release of encapsulated entities. The diffusion coefficient of water molecules in these gels is determined to be considerably faster as compared to organic polymer gels and silica gels indicating rapid volume responses which can be utilized as efficient trigger mechanisms for release of molecules. The results validate preliminary feasibility of stimuli-controlled release of molecules with these gels initiated by the diffusional flow of solvent established by the volume changes.
Bringing Reality to the Table

ABSTRACT The collaborative role of parents in any system that is focused on meeting their needs has been recognized as important to that system's effectiveness. Unfortunately, the extent to which parents are involved in these programs is woefully wanting. This article reports the findings of a study examining a innovative state child care and eaarly education initiative called “Smart Start.” Hindrances to parent participation and recommendations for enhancing the involvement of families in collaborative social service partnerships are highlighted.
Pink eye is an unusual periderm disorder characterized by aberrant suberization : A cytological analysis

Potato tuber pink eye (PE) is a disorder of unknown origin that results in significant postharvest quality deterioration and rot. Little is known about the physiology of PE, including the characteristic tissue autofluorescence that defines the PE syndrome. The objective of this research was to identify the source of PE-induced autofluorescence and PE-related susceptibility to infection. The suberized barrier of the native periderm and cellular characteristics of neighboring parenchyma tissues were investigated to determine their involvement in the PE disorder. The results create a new physiological model describing the disorder and addressing the enigma of PE. Characteristics of the PE model emerge from the following results: (1) the integrity of the suberized barrier of the native periderm was compromised or absent in some surface areas of PE tubers thereby implicating the breakdown of the native periderm and its associated suberin barrier with PE and the susceptibility of PE tubers to pathogen infection; (2) the PE complex was characterized by unusual suberin poly(phenolic) (SPP) accumulations in the cortical parenchyma followed by latent suberin poly(aliphatic) (SPA) accumulations that were generally insufficient to form a complete barrier that was competent to block infections by pathogenic bacteria and fungi; (3) the aberrant absence or compromised integrity of the suberin barrier, including associated waxes, resulted in erratic increased susceptibility to water vapor loss known to cause tuber shrinkage and flaccidity; (4) widespread accumulations of SPP on parenchyma cell walls were the durable source of autofluorescence commonly used to determine the presence of the disorder; (5) the erratic development of unusual internal phellogen and periderm layers that, if complete with SPA, blocked hyphal advancement; (6) combined, the data provide a plausible explanation for PE infection court and rot anomalies as they occur without ingress of a wound opening. Results also demonstrated that neutral red may be used as a sensitive fluorochrome to detect intact hydrophobic areas in hyphae. Collectively, the results provide compelling evidence that the PE disorder includes a physiological basis.
Relation of Validation Experiments to Applications: A Nonlinear Approach

Model validation efforts often use a suite of experiments to provide data to test models for predictive use for a targeted application. A question that naturally arises is “Does the experimental suite provide data to adequately test the target application model?” The goal of this article is to develop methodology to partially address this question by utilizing computational models for the individual test suite experiments and for the target application, coupled with linear and nonlinear optimization techniques. The results show that the nonlinear methodology developed represents a significant improvement in ability to address this question, for the application considered.
An empirical examination of the impact of the Sarbanes Oxley Act in the reduction of pension expense manipulation

Since the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) attempts to make managers more accountable for the fair presentation of reported earnings in their financial statements, we expect managers to manipulate pension expense less during the three years after the passage of SOX than during the three years preceding the passage of SOX. Our results reveal that for smoothing firms the magnitude of pension expense manipulation during the three years after the passage of SOX on average increases instead of decreases. On the other hand, for benchmark firms the magnitude of pension expense manipulation during the three years after the passage of SOX on average decreases as expected. This research provides mixed evidence concerning the effectiveness of SOX in making financial statement reporting more transparent and representative of actual financial position, in the area of pension expense.
Mössbauer spectroscopy of Fe/S proteins

Abstract Iron-sulfur (Fe/S) clusters are structurally and functionally diverse cofactors that are found in all domains of life. 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy is a technique that provides information about the chemical nature of all chemically distinct Fe species contained in a sample, such as Fe oxidation and spin state, nuclearity of a cluster with more than one metal ion, electron spin ground state of the cluster, and delocalization properties in mixed-valent clusters. Moreover, the technique allows for quantitation of all Fe species, when it is used in conjunction with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and analytical methods. 57Fe-Mossbauer spectroscopy played a pivotal role in unraveling the electronic structures of the “well-established” [2Fe-2S]2+/+, [3Fe-4S]1+/0, and [4Fe-4S]3+/2+/1+/0 clusters and -more-recently- was used to characterize novel Fe/S clustsers, including the [4Fe-3S] cluster of the O2-tolerant hydrogenase from Aquifex aeolicus and the 3Fe-cluster intermediate observed during the reaction of lipoyl synthase, a member of the radical SAM enzyme superfamily.
Multidimensional ambiguity functions of linear, interferometer, antenna arrays

Greater insight into the resolution and accuracy, as well as the data processing, of an interferometer radar is obtained in this partly tutoral paper by the examination of the multidimensional ambiguity function. Two approaches are used for determining the multidimensional ambiguity function. First, it is determined by the classical and more standard procedure in which the signals at the target and at the receiver antenna output terminals are found by the superposition of the signals of each antenna array element. The second method considers the antenna as a network having a specified frequency transfer characteristic which is dependent on the azimuth spatial coordinate of the target and on the axis of the antenna beam. Prime consideration is given to signals having large time-bandwidth products and wide bandwidth. Extensive plots are made for the multidimensional ambiguity function of the linear, interferometer, antenna array system. The analysis verifies the previously obtained result that the grating lobes of an interferometer radar can be eliminated by the use of very wide band signals. The results also show that a trade off can be made between the signal bandwidth and the number of array elements in order to achieve a specified sidelobe level. Furthermore, it is found that increasing the spacing between the array elements results in an improvement in the angular accuracy and resolution in direct proportion to the increase in spacing. This improvement is accrued without degradation in the estimation of the other target parameters or in detectability.
TWO-PHOTON EXCITATION OF FLUORESCENCE FROM CHICKEN TISSUE

We have measured UV fluorescence excited through two-photon absorption from native chicken tissue, using 600-nm, 500-fs pulses from a R6G dye laser. The observed emission signal was found to depend quadratically on the excitation intensity. The two-photon excitation-induced fluorescence spectrum is attributed to tryptophan residues in proteins.
Scalable, vector processors for embedded systems

For embedded applications with data-level parallelism, a vector processor offers high performance at low power consumption and low design complexity. Unlike superscalar and VLIW designs, a vector processor is scalable and can optimally match specific application requirements.To demonstrate that vector architectures meet the requirements of embedded media processing, we evaluate the Vector IRAM, or VIRAM (pronounced "V-IRAM"), architecture developed at UC Berkeley, using benchmarks from the Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC). Our evaluation covers all three components of the VIRAM architecture: the instruction set, the vectorizing compiler, and the processor microarchitecture. We show that a compiler can vectorize embedded tasks automatically without compromising code density. We also describe a prototype vector processor that outperforms high-end superscalar and VLIW designs by 1.5x to 100x for media tasks, without compromising power consumption. Finally, we demonstrate that clustering and modular design techniques let a vector processor scale to tens of arithmetic data paths before wide instruction-issue capabilities become necessary.
Adenosine kinase from Cryptosporidium parvum

Analysis of the Cryptosporidium parvum genome demonstrates that the parasite cannot synthesize purines de novo and reveals that the sole route for purine salvage by the parasite is via adenosine kinase (CpAK). In order to initiate a biochemical characterization of CpAK and ultimately validate this apparently essential enzyme as a therapeutic target, the CpAK gene was redesigned for optimum codon usage, overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant protein purified to homogeneity and characterized. CpAK appears to be specific for adenosine among the naturally occurring nucleosides but can utilize ATP, GTP, UTP and CTP as the phosphate donor. The enzyme exhibits K(m) values of 1.4microM for adenosine and 41microM for ATP, has a pH optimum approximately 7.0, and is dependent upon the presence of a divalent cation. Structure-activity data intimate that catalysis requires contacts between residues on CpAK with the six-position of the purine ring and the O2' and O3' hydroxyls of the ribose sugar. Additionally, 4-nitro-6-benzylthioinosine, a compound that demonstrates therapeutic promise against the related parasite Toxoplasma gondii, also inhibits adenosine phosphorylation by CpAK. The overproduction and purification of CpAK now enables a thorough evaluation of its potential as a drug target.