An efficient algorithm for identifying objects using robot probes

When robot finger probes are used to recognize objects,m-1 probes are necessary and sufficient to identify an object with a fixed orientation and position among a set ofm convex planarn-sided objects. An algorithm is presented to preprocess a set of objects for efficient probing, together with a probing scheme and algorithms to delete objects from or to insert objects into the set.     

A selective human beta3 adrenergic receptor agonist increases metabolic rate in rhesus monkeys

Activation of beta3 adrenergic receptors on the surface of adipocytes leads to increases in intracellular cAMP and stimulation of lipolysis. In brown adipose tissue, this serves to up-regulate and activate the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1, which mediates a proton conductance pathway that uncouples oxidative phosphorylation, leading to a net increase in energy expenditure. While chronic treatment with beta3 agonists in nonprimate species leads to uncoupling protein 1 up-regulation and weight loss, the relevance of this mechanism to energy metabolism in primates, which have much lower levels of brown adipose tissue, has been questioned. With the discovery of L-755,507, a potent and selective partial agonist for both human and rhesus beta3 receptors, we now demonstrate that acute exposure of rhesus monkeys to a beta3 agonist elicits lipolysis and metabolic rate elevation, and that chronic exposure increases uncoupling protein 1 expression in rhesus brown adipose tissue. These data suggest a role for beta3 agonists in the treatment of human obesity.     

Multiple relations in supervision: Guidance for administrators, supervisors, and students.

As fiduciaries, supervisors are to act on behalf of their supervisees; there are at least 10 provisions in the American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002) that provide guidance for those in this role. Unfortunately, there are many questions the APA Ethics Code does not answer with regard to multiple relations in supervision. The authors address a variety of problems that can arise in this professional context and offer guidance for administrators, practitioners, and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cost-effectiveness of a community-level HIV risk reduction intervention

OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a community-level HIV prevention intervention that used peer leaders to endorse risk reduction among gay men. METHODS: A mathematical model of HIV transmission was used to translate reported changes in sexual behavior into an estimate of the number of HIV infections averted. RESULTS: The intervention cost $17,150, or about $65,000 per infection averted, and was therefore cost-saving, even under very conservative modeling assumptions. CONCLUSIONS: For this intervention, the cost of HIV prevention was more than offset by savings in averted future medical care costs. Community-level interventions to prevent HIV transmission that use existing social networks can be highly cost-effective.     

Multi-threshold threshold logic circuit design using resonant tunnelling devices

A novel and extremely compact circuit topology able to implement a generalised threshold logic function with two thresholds is presented. The circuit consists of resonant tunnelling diodes and heterostructure field effect transistors.     

Determining the duration of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) attachment to tick-bite victims

The duration of tick attachment is one factor associated with risk for human infection caused by several tick-borne pathogens. We measured tick engorgement indices at known time intervals after tick attachment and used these indices to determine the length of time that ticks were attached to tick-bite victims in selected Rhode Island and Pennsylvania communities where the agents of Lyme disease and human babesiosis occur. The total body length and width as well as the length and width of the scutum were measured on nymphal and adult female Ixodes scapularis Say removed from laboratory animals at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h after their attachment. Three engorgement indices were calculated at each time interval. In addition, engorgement indices measurements were recorded for 504 ticks submitted to a commercial laboratory for pathogen detection testing between 1990 and 1992. No detectable change was observed in the average engorgement indices for either nymphal or adult ticks between 0 and 24 h of attachment using any of the engorgement indices. After 24 h of tick attachment, all engorgement indices continuously increased: average indices for nymphs attached 36, 48, and 60 h were significantly different from those attached < or = 24 h and from each other. Similarly, average engorgement indices for adult ticks attached < or = 36 h were significantly different from those attached for 48 h or more. More than 60% of tick-bite victims removed adult ticks by 36 h of attachment, but only 10% found and removed the smaller nymphal ticks within the first 24 h of tick feeding. The duration of tick attachment may serve as a useful predictor of risk for acquiring various infections, such as Lyme disease and babesiosis, transmitted by I. scapularis. Regression equations developed herein correlate tick engorgement indices with duration of feeding. A table containing specific engorgement index prediction intervals calculated for both nymphs and adults will allow the practitioner or clinical laboratory to use easily measured tick engorgement indices to predict transmission risk by determining the duration of feeding by individual ticks.     

Simulation of a novel, optically addressable,switched-current/continuous-time, current-mode cellular neural network

The authors describe simulation results of a novel GaAs-based current-mode cellular neural network (CNN) connected component detector. It uses a new two-stage integrator which may be operated in switched-current or continuous-time mode. Our system approach would afford CNN parallel optical input and output