New approaches to robotics

In order to build autonomous robots that can carry out useful work in unstructured environments new approaches have been developed to building intelligent systems. The relationship to traditional academic robotics and traditional artificial intelligence is examined. In the new approaches a tight coupling of sensing to action produces architectures for intelligence that are networks of simple computational elements which are quite broad, but not very deep. Recent work within this approach has demonstrated the use of representations, expectations, plans, goals, and learning, but without resorting to the traditional uses of central, abstractly manipulable or symbolic representations. Perception within these systems is often an active process, and the dynamics of the interactions with the world are extremely important. The question of how to evaluate and compare the new to traditional work still provokes vigorous discussion.     

New approaches to nuclear proliferation policy

Nuclear proliferation is not one but a complex of problems. One relates to the collapse of the Soviet Union and its effect on the spread of nuclear weapons and knowledge. Second, Iraq's violation of its Non-Proliferation Treaty obligation has exposed certain weaknesses in the traditional regime of multilateral nonproliferation institutions and treaties. Third, Pakistan's achievement of a nuclear weapons capability in the late 1980s brings the postproliferation question to the forefront in South Asia. There is no single solution to this complex set of problems, but the beginning of wisdom is to build upon the successes of the past, add new policy procedures, and, above all, increase the priority given to the issue. Otherwise, we may be faced with the ironic outcome that the widely welcomed end of the Cold War may increase the prospect of nuclear use.     

New approaches in economic analysis

The level of detail of economic models has until recently been limited by the availability of computational capability. At present, the constraint is the systematic compilation of detailed and comprehensive economic and technical data and the ability to manipulate them. The effective use of enhanced data processing capabilities will have to proceed hand in hand with a concerted effort to develop the economic database and with the shift from analytic approaches based on aggregative data to those that can take advantage of detailed information.     

山区县农业经济结构调整的有效途径初探

农业经济在县域经济发展中有举足轻重的地位和作用,壮大县域经济特别是地处山区的县域农业经济,最有效的途径是强力推进农业经济结构的优化调整。对西峡县大力调整农业经济结构以促进县域经济发展的实践进行了分析总结,提出了退耕还林后4种产业种植结构调整的新思路和如何搞好农业产业化发展的3条措施。     

New approaches for evaluation of soil health,sensitivity and resistance to degradation

Assessment of soil health requires complex evaluation of properties and functions responsible for a broad range of ecosystem services. Numerous soil quality indices (SQI) have been suggested for the evaluation of specific groups of soil functions, but comparison of various SQI is impossible because they are based on a combination of specific soil properties. To avoid this problem, we suggest an SQI-area approach based on the comparison of the areas on a radar diagram of a combination of chemical, biological and physical properties. The new approach is independent of the SQI principle and allows rapid and simple comparison of parameter groups and soils. Another approach analyzing the resistance and sensitivity of properties to degradation is suggested for a detailed evaluation of soil health. The resistance and sensitivity of soil properties are determined through comparison with the decrease of soil organic carbon (SOC) as a universal parameter responsible for many functions. The SQI-area and resistance/sensitivity approaches were tested based on the recovery of Phaeozems and Chernozems chronosequences after the abandonment of agricultural soils. Both the SQI-area and the resistance/sensitivity approaches are useful for basic and applied research, and for decision-makers to evaluate land-use practices and measure the degree of soil degradation.     

Practical approaches to green solvents

Solvents are widely used in commercial manufacturing and service industries. Despite abundant precaution, they inevitably contaminate our air, land, and water because they are difficult to contain and recycle. Researchers have therefore focused on reducing solvent use through the development of solvent-free processes and more efficient recycling protocols. However, these approaches have their limitations, necessitating a pollution prevention approach and the search for environmentally benign solvent alternatives. This report highlights opportunities for the practical implementation of such green solvents.     

Immunotherapeutic approaches to Alzheimer's disease

Although neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease are not classically considered mediated by inflammation or the immune system, in some instances the immune system may play an important role in the degenerative process. Furthermore, it has become clear that the immune system itself may have beneficial effects in nervous system diseases considered neurodegenerative. Immunotherapeutic approaches designed to induce a humoral immune response have recently been developed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. These studies have led to human trials that resulted in both beneficial and adverse effects. In animal models, it has also been shown that immunotherapy designed to induce a cellular immune response may be of benefit in central nervous system injury, although T cells may have either a beneficial or detrimental effect depending on the type of T cell response induced. These areas provide a new avenue for exploring immune system-based therapy of neurodegenerative diseases and will be discussed here with a primary focus on Alzheimer's disease. We will also discuss how these approaches affect microglia activation, which plays a key role in therapy of such diseases.     

Therapeutic approaches to bone diseases

The strength and integrity of our bones depends on maintaining a delicate balance between bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. As we age or as a result of disease, this delicate balancing act becomes tipped in favor of osteoclasts so that bone resorption exceeds bone formation, rendering bones brittle and prone to fracture. A better understanding of the biology of osteoclasts and osteoblasts is providing opportunities for developing therapeutics to treat diseases of bone. Drugs that inhibit the formation or activity of osteoclasts are valuable for treating osteoporosis, Paget's disease, and inflammation of bone associated with rheumatoid arthritis or periodontal disease. Far less attention has been paid to promoting bone formation with, for example, growth factors or hormones, an approach that would be a valuable adjunct therapy for patients receiving inhibitors of bone resorption.     

Computational approaches to developmental patterning

Computational approaches are breaking new ground in understanding how embryos form. Here, we discuss recent studies that couple precise measurements in the embryo with appropriately matched modeling and computational methods to investigate classic embryonic patterning strategies. We include signaling gradients, activator-inhibitor systems, and coupled oscillators, as well as emerging paradigms such as tissue deformation. Parallel progress in theory and experiment will play an increasingly central role in deciphering developmental patterning.     

适应现代大学教学管理理念的制度构架及实践途径

在对我国大学教学管理实践中存在问题分析的基础上,提出了现代大学教学管理理念的核心是满足人的发展需要,树立现代大学教学管理理念应在教学管理的价值取向、管理行为、策略和目标等方面转变观念;现代大学教学管理制度建设应遵循选择、开放、和谐和多元的基本原则,现代大学教学管理制度应包括调控、政策、执行和评价体系,应建立教学管理决策、教学质量保障、教学过程应变、教学效果反馈等运行机制,并就培养模式、培养方案、教学内容与方式等教学管理实践中如何贯彻以学生为本进行了探讨。     

Surface tension and surface structure of water

The surface tension-temperature relationship for water is smooth and linear when account is taken of the expansion of the surface with temperature. This plot permits the calculation of thermodynamic properties for 1 square centimeter of surface. Molar surface quantities are derived by assuming a hexagonal water surface structure.     

Immunological approaches to the nervous system

Immunology has had a major impact on neurobiology, expanding dramatically the number of subjects amenable to investigation. Studies with antibodies to neuropeptides, transmitters, and transmitter enzymes have disclosed a great heterogeneity among neurons and have provided clues for interpreting anatomical connections. Monoclonal antibodies are being used to identify functionally related subpopulations of neurons and cell lineages in development and to study mechanisms by which axons grow along stereotypic pathways to reach their targets. Other antibodies have identified molecules that appear to participate in cell aggregation, cell migration, cell position, and axon growth. Antibodies have revealed that many proteins are concentrated in anatomically distinct regions of the neuron. Moreover, these studies have suggested that individual proteins have different antigenic epitopes shielded or modified in different parts of the same neuron. Antibodies to membrane proteins crucial for neuronal function, such as ion pumps, ion-selective channels, and receptors, have been used to map their distributions and to study their structures at high resolution.     

Innovative approaches to plasminogen activator therapy

Plasminogen activator therapy for acute myocardial infarction has become standard medical practice. Bleeding complications, however, limit the utility of the currently available agents. This article reviews how the tools of molecular biology and protein engineering are being used to develop safer and more effective plasminogen activators.     

Penicillin blood-level determinations with a Streptococcus dysgalactiae resistant to normal blood inhibitors

A strain of Str. dysgalactiae was found to be an effective test organism for penicillin blood-level determinations. This organism, although inhibited by penicillin in concentrations of 0.006-0.008 unit/ml., is resistant to the natural inhibiting substances of blood sera. The latter characteristic is very significant, since the test organisms (Str. pyogenes C-203 and B. subtilis) that are now employed for penicillin assay of body fluids are inhibited by a large percentage of human sera. The method described can detect penicillin blood levels in concentration of 0.016 unit/ml. of blood sera. Since blood levels above 0.03 unit/ml. are considered to be therapeutically effective, this method of assay is adequately sensitive for routine clinical application.     

试论创造性教育开展之途径

新世纪经济的发展离不开创造性人才的培养，这已成为不争的事实，而创造性人才的培养要靠创造性教育。本通过对当前教育弊端的认识，论证了创造性人才的培养要靠学生自身、教师、学校及社会各方面的努力。其途径是构建创造性学校、培训创造性教师、从而培养创造性人才。     

Imaging surface atomic structure by means of auger electrons

Measurements of the complete angular distribution of Auger electrons emitted from well-defined platinum[111] single-crystal surfaces have led to the discovery that the distributions are composed of "silhouettes" of surface atoms "back lit" by emission from atoms deeper in the solid. Theoretical simulations of Auger electron angular distributions based upon atomic point emitters and spherical atomic scatterers of uniform cross section are in close agreement with these experimental results, but opposite to previous theoretical predictions. In view of the definitive results obtained and the straightforward agreement between theory and experiment, angular distribution Auger microscopy (ADAM) is useful for direct imaging of interfacial structure and investigation of electron-solid interactions in the physical and biological sciences and engineering. Applicability of ADAM is illustrated by images obtained for monolayers of silver and iodine on platinum[111].     

Pleistocene age determinations from california and Oregon

Mollusks have been collected from Pleistocene marine deposits at Tomales Bay, California, and Cape Blanco, Oregon. Dating by the carbon-14 and thorium-230-uranium-234 methods suggests that the shells are at least 33,000 years old. The more probable age of the Tomales Bay locality is >/= 50,000 years.     

Band structure and Fermi surface of electron-doped C60 monolayers

C60 fullerides are challenging systems because both the electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions are large on the energy scale of the expected narrow band width. We report angle-resolved photoemission data on the band dispersion for an alkali-doped C60 monolayer and a detailed comparison with theory. Compared to the maximum bare theoretical band width of 170 meV, the observed 100-meV dispersion is within the range of renormalization by electron-phonon coupling. This dispersion is only a fraction of the integrated peak width, revealing the importance of many-body effects. Additionally, measurements on the Fermi surface indicate the robustness of the Luttinger theorem even for materials with strong interactions.     

Schizophrenia: diverse approaches to a complex disease

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness that affects 1% of the population. Despite intensive study, its molecular etiology remains enigmatic. Like many common diseases, schizophrenia is multifactorial in origin, with both genetic and environmental contributions likely playing an important role in the manifestation of symptoms. Recent advances based on pharmacological studies, brain imaging analyses, and genetic research are now converging on tantalizing leads that point to a central role for several neurotransmitters, including dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin, that may interface with neurodevelopmental defects reflecting disease-related genetic aberrations. Here, we provide a brief overview of the parallel approaches being used to identify the molecular causes of schizophrenia and discuss possible directions for future research.