cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biologic Aspects of Leukocyte Chemotaxis

To protect a host against microbial invasion and the development of neoplasms, the immune system must discriminate self from nonself and then efficiently localize and eliminate material recognized as nonself. The process of localizing, degrading, and eliminating nonself can be termed an immune effector function and is largely mediated by the accumulation of wandering phagocytic cells, such as polymorpho-nuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and macrophages. One process that could result in the local accumulation of immune effector cells is chemotaxis, the unidirectional migration of cells along a concentration gradient of a chemoattractant substance. During the past decade, it has clearly been shown that the interaction of lymphocytes or immunoglobulins with antigens can result in the production or release of biologically active products that are capable of enhancing vascular permeability and attracting leukocytes. The production of chemotactic gradients as well as the ability of wandering cells to respond normally to such gradients appears to be critical for immunologically mediated host defense. Dysfunctions of leukocyte chemotaxis may render an individual more susceptible to infectious, inflammatory, and perhaps neoplastic diseases. In this chapter, we will review methodology for quantifying chemotaxis, describe factors that are chemotactic for polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and discuss recent observations of abnormalities of human leukocyte chemotaxis and their relationship to human disease states.
An estuarine-tuned quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA-V): assessment and application to satellite estimates of SPM in Galveston Bay following Hurricane Harvey

Abstract. The standard quasi-analytical algorithm (Lee et al., 2002) was tuned as QAA-V using a suite of synthetic data and in situ measurements to improve its performance in optically complex and shallow estuarine waters. Two modifications were applied to the standard QAA: (1) the semi-analytical relationship for obtaining remote sensing reflectance just below the water surface as a function of absorption and backscattering coefficients was updated using Hydrolight® simulations, and (2) an empirical model of the total non-water absorption coefficient was proposed using a ratio of green to red bands of an ocean color sensor, which is known to work well in various inland and estuarine environments. The QAA-V-derived total absorption and backscattering coefficients, which were evaluated in a variety of waters ranging from highly absorbing and turbid to relatively clear shelf waters, showed satisfactory performance on a Hydrolight-simulated synthetic dataset ( R2 > 0.87, MRE 17 %), an in situ estuarine and nearshore dataset ( R2 > 0.70, MRE 35 %), and the NOMAD ( R2 > 0.90, MRE 30 %). When compared to the standard QAA (QAA-v6), the QAA-V showed an obvious improvement with ∼ 30–40 % reduction in absolute mean relative error for the Hydrolight-simulated synthetic and in situ estuarine and nearshore datasets, respectively. The methodology of tuning QAA was applied to the VIIRS ocean color sensor and validation results suggest that the proposed methodology can also be applied to other ocean color and land-observing sensors. The QAA-V was also assessed on VIIRS imagery using a regional relationship between suspended particulate matter (SPM) and particulate backscattering coefficient at 532 nm ( bbtnw 532; R2 = 0.89, N = 33). As a case study, the QAA-V processing chain and VIIRS imagery were used to generate a sequence of SPM maps of Galveston Bay, Texas following the unprecedented flooding of Houston and the surrounding regions due to Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. The record discharge of floodwaters through two major rivers into the bay resulted in very high SPM concentrations over several days throughout the bay, with wind forcing additionally influencing its distribution into the coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The promising results of this study suggest that the application of QAA-V to various ocean color and land-observing satellite imagery could be used to assess the bio-optical state and water quality dynamics in a variety of coastal systems around the world.
Theoretical quantification of shock-timing sensitivities for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions on OMEGA

Using temporally shaped laser pulses, multiple shocks can be launched in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosion experiments to set the shell on a desired isentrope or adiabat. The velocity of the first shock and the times at which subsequent shocks catch up to it are measured through the velocity interferometry system for any reflector diagnostic [T. R. Boehly et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 092706 (2011)] on OMEGA [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. Simulations reproduce these velocity and shock-merger time measurements when using laser pulses designed for setting mid-adiabat (α ∼ 3) implosions, but agreement degrades for lower-adiabat (α ∼ 1) designs. Simulation results indicate that the shock timing discrepancy is most sensitive to details of the density and temperature profiles in the coronal plasma, which influences the laser energy coupled into the target, and only marginally sensitive to the target offset and beam power imbalance. To aid in verifying the coronal profile's inf...
Chikungunya and Zika Disease

Abstract Chikungunya and Zika viruses belong to different viral families. Both viruses exact a heavy toll of human disability. Chikungunya produces a crippling postacute illness arthritis and may be the cause of deaths in the very young and in older individuals with predisposing conditions. Zika virus is the cause at high incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) that follows acute infection by a matter of weeks, but more critically by a severe Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) that has followed Zika infection of pregnant women in many countries in the Americas. Zika virus, itself, in susceptible individuals produces a mild febrile exanthem, with modest acute illness disability. A notable feature of Zika virus, possibly linked to placenta and fetal infection, is the ability of the virus to replicate in mucosal and generative organs. The fact that Zika virus is present in saliva and reproductive tract secretions results in a significant risk of person-to-person transmission. Despite abundant in vitro and laboratory model evidence that dengue antibodies enhance ZIKV infections, recent studies find no evidence that dengue antibody enhancement contributes to GBS or CZS.
Political Mandate and Clarity of Responsibility: Economic Policies under Rightist Governments in Latin America

Since the mid-1990s, some rightist governments in Latin America have adhered to a strict market orientation while others have shown less attachment to doctrinaire neoliberal policies, a puzzle as rightists are expected to favor minimal government intervention in the economy. In an environment over the past two decades in which market-oriented policies, in general, have grown increasingly unpopular with many Latin Americans, we contend that rightists have less political cover to endorse neoliberal policies. Using panel data for eighteen Latin American countries from 1995 to 2015, we find that, because of the clarity of responsibility that occurs under political mandates and the unpopularity of market reforms, mandate-holding rightist governments will tend to go against their ideological preferences and decrease neoliberal policies. Our findings indicate that as presidential vote margins increase and responsibility for unpopular economic policies becomes clearer, rightist executives will be less willing to support such policies, but only to a point. The results suggest that clarity of responsibility can influence presidential decision-making concerning unpopular policies, especially microeconomic policies, but this influence diminishes as presidents become more electorally secure. Resumen A partir de mediados de la decada de los 90, algunos gobiernos latinoamericanos de derecha han adoptado politicas estrictas de apertura comercial, mientras que otros se han mostrado mas alejados de adoptar politicas neoliberales. Esto es un elemento relevante de analisis ya que se espera que los gobiernos de derecha esten en contra de la intervencion del gobierno en la economia. Usando una base de datos panel sobre 18 paises latinoamericanos para el periodo de 1995 a 2015, encontramos que los gobiernos de derecha actuan en contra de sus preferencias ideologicas disminuyendo politicas neoliberales por dos razones: la claridad que los mandatarios tienen sobre sus responsabilidades y la impopularidad de las reformas de libre mercado en Latinoamerica. Nuestros hallazgos indican que, si el margen de votos en las elecciones presidenciales incrementa y el sentido de responsabilidad sobre la adopcion de politicas economicas impopulares es claro, los gobernantes de derecha estaran menos dispuestos a adoptar este tipo de politicas de libre mercado.
Streuung an einem Potential

Wir wenden uns wieder dem Modellpotentiai zu, das wir in Kap. 10 und Abschn. 12.6 und 12.7 untersucht haben, und berechnen das Kontinuums-spektrum seiner stationaren Zustande, indem wir die zeitabhangige Schrodin-ger-Gleichung numerisch integrieren. Anhand dieser Losung konnen wir die Streuung eines Teilchens der Masse m an einem Potential untersuchen und ein Verstandnis von Resonanzen und metastabilen Zustanden entwickeln. Wir wollen dies inbesondere fur ein System durchfuhren, fur das keine analytische Losung existiert.
Rousseau at the Roundtable-The Social Contract and the Physician's Responsibility to Society.

Physicians accept, and are held to, higher expectations and a more prominent social role than the average citizen.
Vitamin D Binding Proteins

In recent years, considerable growth has occurred in our understanding of the distribution, metabolism, and action of antiricketic sterols. Vitamin D is recognized to be synthesized in the skin, absorbed from the intestine, and transformed to more potent bioactive metabolites. Whether derived from cutaneous transformation of 7-dehydrocholesterol or dietary sources, vitamin D enters the liver where it is metabolized to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) by microsomal (De-Luca and Schnoes, 1976) and/or mitrochondrial (Bjorkhem and Holmberg, 1978) hydroxylases. Subsequently, 25-OHD can be metabolized to an array of dihy-droxylated forms of vitamin D. The most potent of these sterols in calcium translocation at the intestine and skeleton is 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25-(OH)2D], a product of kidney (Fraser and Kodicek, 1970) cell metabolism. The production of 1,25-(OH)2D is closely regulated, perhaps most strikingly by the trophic action of parathyroid hormone (Fraser and Kodicek, 1973). Other metabolites have been isolated arid identified, but their physiological significance awaits clarification (DeLuca, 1979).
The Dialectic of Knowledge and Ignorance in Advaita Vedānta

One striking feature of Indian philosophers’ concern with knowledge (jnāna)- especially in the Advaita Vedānta-is the way a theory of ignorance (ajnāna) is made to play a central role in theory of knowledge (analogously to the role theory of error plays in theory of truth). In this paper I will focus on this dialectic of knowledge and ignorance (as I shall call it), and will draw attention to some interesting consequences of this way of looking at things.
Foraging behavior of ants: Experiments with two species of myrmecine ants

1. Experiments presented in this paper for two species of ants confirm the predictions of models based upon the hypothesis that the animals maximize the net rate of energy intake while foraging. 2. Solenopsis geminata in the laboratory recruited at higher rates to patches of sugar solution when the distance to a patch decreased, the diameter of a patch increased, or the sugar concentration increased. 3. Pogonomyrmex occidentalis in its natural setting recruited at higher rates to patches of seeds mixed with pebbles when the distance to a patch was decreased, the size of the patch was increased (when recruitment was already at a high level), the density of seeds was increased, or seed size was increased. When presented with a uniform distribution of seed sizes within a patch, this species tended to choose intermediate-sized seeds, but there was no tendency to choose a narrower range of seed sizes as the distance to the patch increased. This last finding was the only one inconsistent with a model based on maximization of net rate of energy intake. 4. The tendency for Solenopsis to respond to sugar concentration and for Pogonomyrmex to respond to seed size refutes the predictions of models based on minimization of the average time required to obtain each food item. 5. Increased temperature increases running speed. Thus, when the temperature increased during an experimental session for Pogonomyrmex, a particular rate of recruitment to a patch was maintained by a decrease in the total number of recruits on the trail to the patch. 6. Further analysis of the Pogonomyrmex results reveals that different levels of response to variable changes in the various experiments can be explained in terms of the model. This indicates that interference among recruits to a patch is always important to the level of response.
One-minute nano-tomography using hard X-ray full-field transmission microscope

Full field transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) is a powerful technique for non-destructive 3D imaging with nanometer-scale spatial resolution. However, to date, the typical acquisition time with the hard X-ray TXM at a synchrotron facility is >10 min for a 3D nano-tomography dataset with sub-50 nm spatial resolution. This is a significant limit on the types of 3D dynamics that can be investigated using this technique. Here, we present a demonstration of one-minute nano-tomography with sub-50 nm spatial resolution. This achievement is made possible with an in-house designed and commissioned TXM instrument at the Full-field X-ray Imaging beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source-II at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This capability represents an order of magnitude decrease in the time required for studying sample dynamics with 10 s of nm spatial resolution.
Quantifying choriocapillaris flow deficits using global and localized thresholding methods: a correlation study

Background To investigate the correlation and agreement of two previously published choriocapillaris (CC) quantification methods using a normal database with swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA). Methods Normal adult subjects from all age groups imaged by SS-OCTA were used in this study. Each subject was imaged with 3 mm × 3 mm and 6 mm × 6 mm scan patterns centered on fovea, upon which en face CC images were generated by segmenting volumetric OCTA data. After signal compensation and removal of projection artifacts and noise, CC images were analyzed to identify flow deficits (FD) using two published methods. The first method utilized standard deviation from a young normal database (SD method) as the global thresholding while the second method utilized fuzzy C-means algorithm (FCM method) with local thresholding. Both methods segmented FDs from CC images and quantified FD density (FDD) and mean FD size (MFDS). In each 3 mm × 3 mm scan, three regions were quantified: a 1 mm circle (C1), a 1.5 mm rim (R1.5) and a 2.5 mm circle (C2.5). In each 6 mm × 6 mm scan, five regions were quantified: C1, R1.5, C2.5, a 2.5 mm rim (R2.5) and a 5 mm circle (C5). Spearman correlation and Bland-Altman plot analyses were conducted to compare the two methods. Results Data obtained from 164 normal subjects (age: 56±19, 59% females) were used in this study. Strong correlations were observed between the two methods in all comparisons (r: 0.78-0.94, all P<0.0001). Overall MFDS provided higher or comparable correlation coefficients (r) compared to FDD. We have also observed stronger correlations in the central macula compared to parafoveal and perifoveal regions for both FDD and MFDS. In regions of C1, R1.5 and C2.5, 6 mm × 6 mm scans resulted in better agreement (smaller mean bias, similar or tighter limit of agreement) between the two methods for both FDD and MFDS compared to 3 mm × 3 mm scans. Conclusions There are strong correlations and satisfactory agreement between SD method and FCM method. SD method requires the reference to a normal database for CC quantification while FCM does not. Both methods could be used for the analysis of CC FDs in clinical settings depending on specific study designs such as the availability of a normal database.
Creating fluorescent quantum defects in carbon nanotubes using hypochlorite and light

Covalent doping of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can modify their optical properties, enabling applications as single-photon emitters and bio-imaging agents. We report here a simple, quick, and controllable method for preparing oxygen-doped SWCNTs with desirable emission spectra. Aqueous nanotube dispersions are treated at room temperature with NaClO (bleach) and then UV-irradiated for less than one minute to achieve optimized O-doping. The doping efficiency is controlled by varying surfactant concentration and type, NaClO concentration, and irradiation dose. Photochemical action spectra indicate that doping involves reaction of SWCNT sidewalls with oxygen atoms formed by photolysis of ClO− ions. Variance spectroscopy of products reveals that most individual nanotubes in optimally treated samples show both pristine and doped emission. A continuous flow reactor is described that allows efficient preparation of milligram quantities of O-doped SWCNTs. Finally, we demonstrate a bio-imaging application that gives high contrast short-wavelength infrared fluorescence images of vasculature and lymphatic structures in mice injected with only ~100 ng of the doped nanotubes. Creating fluorescent defects in single-walled carbon nanotubes is a promising way to modify their optical properties, but defect generation is still difficult to control. Here, the authors report an efficient method to incorporate high-quality oxygen defects in carbon nanotubes using only hypochlorite and light.
Biobehavioral effects of Tai Chi Qigong in men with prostate cancer: Study design of a three-arm randomized clinical trial.

Abstract Fatigue is often one of the most commonly reported symptoms in prostate cancer survivors, but it is also one of the least understood cancer-related symptoms. Fatigue is associated with psychological distress, disruptions in sleep quality, and impairments in health-related quality of life. Moreover, inflammatory processes and changes related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and/or autonomic nervous system may also play a role in cancer-related fatigue. Thus, effective treatments for fatigue in prostate cancer survivors represent a current unmet need. Prior research has shown that Tai Chi Qigong, a mind-body exercise intervention, can improve physical and emotional health. Herein, we describe the protocol of the ongoing 3-arm randomized controlled Health Empowerment & Recovery Outcomes (HERO) clincal trial. One hundred sixty-six prostate cancer survivors with fatigue are randomized to a modified Tai Chi Qigong intervention (TCQ), intensity-matched body training intervention (BT), or usual care (UC) condition. Guided by biopsychosocial and psychoneuroimmunology models, we propose that TCQ, as compared to BT or UC will: i) reduce fatigue (primary outcome) in prostate cancer survivors; ii) reduce inflammation; and iii) regulate the expression of genes from two major functional clusters: a) inflammation, vasodilation and metabolite sensing and b) energy and adrenergic activation. Assessments are conducted at baseline, the 6-week midpoint of the intervention, and 1 week, 3 months, and 12 months post-intervention. If our findings show that TCQ promotes recovery from prostate cancer and its treatment, this type of intervention can be integrated into survivorship care plans as the standard of care. The study's findings will also provide novel information about underlying biobehavioral mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue. Trial registration number NCT03326713; clinicaltrials.gov .
Gross Die Per Wafer and Yield Optimization for GaAs ICs With Sub-Micron Features

In an effort to maximize gross die per wafer (GDPW) while improving yield, various steps were taken to implement changes in the reticle layout and stepper exposure conditions across multiple designs. This allowed us to satisfy high yield goals for the BiHEMT process in a high volume manufacturing environment.
Contextual factors that enable forest users to engage in tree-planting for forest restoration

Social, biophysical, and institutional contexts affect forest users’ incentives to work together to restore forests. With renewed government commitments to support such activities, we argue that effective interventions need to consider several context-specific factors – such as the user groups’ future discount rates, opportunity costs, and collective-action capabilities – because these factors will help determine the effectiveness of such interventions. To test the effects of a suite of contextual factors, we analyzed observations from 184 different groups in 133 forests across eight developing countries. We find that the combination of certain enabling factors increases the probability of users undertaking forest improvement activities, and that social contexts can condition the effect of institutional and biophysical contexts. Our findings carry implications for the design and implementation of future interventions to restore forests in developing countries.
Leveraging Multiple Analytic Frameworks to Assess the Stability of Students' Knowledge in Physiology.

When a student explains a biological phenomenon, does the answer reflect only the product of retrieving knowledge or does it also reflect a dynamic process of constructing knowledge? To gain insight into students' dynamic knowledge, we leveraged three analytic frameworks-structures-behaviors-functions (SBF), mental models (MM), and conceptual dynamics (CD). To assess the stability of student knowledge, we asked undergraduate students to explain the same physiological phenomenon three times-once verbally, once after drawing, and once after interpreting a diagram. The SBF analysis illustrated fine-grained dynamic knowledge between tasks. The MM analysis suggested global stability between tasks. The CD analysis demonstrated local instability within tasks. The first two analyses call attention to differences between students' knowledge about the parts of systems and their organization. The CD analysis, however, calls attention to similar learning mechanisms that operate differently vis-a-vis external representations. Students with different mental models deliberated localization or where to locate the structures and mechanisms that mediate physiological responses, but students made these deliberations during different tasks and arrived at different conclusions. These results demonstrate the utility of incorporating dynamic approaches to complement other analytic approaches and motivate future research agendas in biology education research.
Rapid effects of VEGF Trap on angiogenesis and tumor cell proliferation

2127 Blockade of VEGF has been shown to be effective at inhibiting tumor growth in various preclinical models and in diverse human cancers. Preclinical and clinical data suggest that ongoing VEGF signaling is necessary to maintain the angiogenic tumor vasculature, as treatment with VEGF blockers results in a rapid loss of tumor vessels and a decrease in tumor perfusion. In this study, we sought to characterize in more detail the rapid changes in angiogenic vessels, and to relate the vessel loss to corresponding effects on tumor cell proliferation. SCID mice bearing established tumors of different origins (two human renal cell carcinomas (786-0, A498), a human fibrosarcoma (HT1080), a human and a rat glioblastoma (U87-MG, C6), and a human basal cell carcinoma (A431) or polyvinyl acetate sponge implants (a simplified model of angiogenesis) were treated with a single subcutaneous dose of VEGF Trap (25 mg/kg), a potent inhibitor of all isoforms of VEGF-A and placental growth factor (PlGF) that is currently in Phase II clinical trials. At 24 or 72 hr after treatment, tumors and sponges were excised and stained for blood vessels (PECAM/CD31), and tumors were stained for hypoxia (HypoxyProbe) or cell proliferation (Ki67). We found that VEGF Trap induced a reduction in vessel density in all tumor types and in the sponges at both 24 and 72 hr, although the magnitude of the vessel loss varied (ranging from 24% reduction in HT1080 tumors to 69% reduction in A498 tumors at 72 hr). The vessel loss was characterized by decreased angiogenic sprouting, pruning of small vessels, and a more uniform size and appearance of the remaining vessels. Similarly, all tumors showed an increase in tumor hypoxia and a decrease in tumor cell proliferation, although again the magnitude of these effects varied in the different tumors. The relative magnitude of the vessel loss was not directly proportional to the levels of VEGF expression by the tumor cells, as assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. These results show that while VEGF blockade results in rapid vessel loss in all tumors and other models of angiogenesis, the extent of the vessel loss varies significantly and may affect the subsequent pattern and extent of tumor cell proliferation.
Structural Characterization of Individual α-Synuclein Oligomers Formed at Different Stages of Protein Aggregation by Atomic Force Microscopy-Infrared Spectroscopy

Aberrant α-synuclein aggregation is strongly associated with the onset and development of Parkinson's disease (PD). Therefore, characterizing the structure of toxic intermediate oligomers plays an essential role in better understanding their neurotoxicity. Using atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR), we were able to reveal the structure of α-synuclein oligomers present at different stages of protein aggregation and establish a relationship between morphology and structure on the single oligomer level. We were also able to probe the secondary structure evolution of individual oligomers. Moreover, the IR spectra of individual oligomers suggest structural rearrangement that is necessary for oligomers with an antiparallel β-sheet to propagate into fibrils that have a parallel-β-sheet secondary structure. Detailed investigation of structural organization of α-synuclein oligomers reported in this study is critically important to understand the toxicity of these protein species. We also anticipate that this work will help developing approaches for oligomer detection and consequently presymptomatic diagnostic of PD.
Effects of tissue autofluorescence on FRET efficiency estimates

F¨orster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a tool used for studying various biological process as well as for measuring molecular distances. This process can occur when the emission spectrum of the donor fluorophore overlaps with the excitation spectrum of the acceptor, and the fluorophores are in close enough distance for the energy to pass from donor to acceptor non-radiatively. The efficiency of this energy transfer is dependent on the distance and orientation of the fluorophores, in addition to their overlapping spectra. Here we present a study to assess the impact of tissue autofluorescence on estimates of FRET efficiency and fluorophore abundance within experimental cellular images in tissue. To accomplish this we performed a theoretical sensitivity analysis on FRET rat kidney control images with varying ranges of donor and acceptor fluorophores to observe their pixel by pixel responses. In the experimental data, the donor was the Turquoise fluorescent protein and the acceptor fluorophore was the Venus fluorescent protein. Detection of the acceptor was more difficult due to its excitation spectrum closely resembling the autofluorescence spectrum from the base image while the emission spectrum of the Turquoise donor was more unique and easier to detect. In addition, variable FRET efficiencies were added to data at different fluorophore levels to compare the visible abundance of FRET to the autofluorescence in the resultant images. This analysis can benefit future work by furthering the understanding of the donor and acceptor concentrations needed for strong FRET measurements.
Efficient coupled noise estimation for on-chip interconnects

Noise analysis and avoidance is an increasingly critical step in deep submicron design. Ever increasing requirements on performance have led to widespread use of dynamic logic circuit families and its other derivatives. These aggressive circuit families trade off noise margin for timing performance making them more susceptible to noise failure and increasing the need for noise analysis. Currently, noise analysis is performed either through circuit or timing simulation or through model order reduction. These techniques in use are still inefficient for analyzing massive amount of interconnect data found in present day integrated circuits. This paper presents efficient techniques for estimation of coupled noise in on-chip interconnects. This noise estimation metric is an upper bound for RC circuits, being similar in spirit to Elmore delay in timing analysis. Such an efficient noise metric is especially useful for noise criticality pruning and physical design based noise avoidance techniques.
ABC Epatite Web App: raising health awareness in a mobile world.

Background This paper presents the case study of a health campaign for mobile devices launched in Italy in 2019 aimed at raising viral hepatitis awareness. The research project "ABC epatite. Sviluppo di una app per la prevenzione delle epatiti virali e per la consapevolezza dei comportamenti a rischio", winner of the 2018 Digital Health Program of Gilead Italia, was carried out by the Italian National Research Council. Methods The project entailed the development of a free Italian language Progressive Web App (PWA) providing current and scientifically validated information on viral hepatitis (A, B and C). Results A mobile first PWA health awareness app was implemented (https://epatite.web.app) together with an Android app version. Diversified landing pages cater to two target audiences: general public and schools. An initial campaign was directed toward engaging schools in nine Italian regions. Conclusions Preliminary results based on the campaign directed toward Italian schools in just under half of its regions have shown promise on the feasibility of reaching large audiences and encouraging engagement on viral hepatitis prevention. A mobile first approach to health communication is a cost-effective way to help reaching the goal of eradicating viral hepatitis by reducing infections and deaths.
Problems of Women Self Help Group Members in Kota District of Rajasthan

Rural women play vital function in carrying out the transformational, financial, conservational and social changes required for sustainable growth. Restriction on get right of entry to credit score, poor health care management and literacy rate are the problems they face. Women empowerment is the important thing now no longer simplest to the welfare of character individuals of the own circle of relatives and rural communities, however additionally to common economic increase of the nation. Half of the arena’s populace is represented with the aid of using ladies and till they're given the same possibilities society cannot gain increase. Government, society and non – governmental organizations (NGOs) round the arena come ahead and take crucial steps to empower ladies and supply them the same rights in monetary and non-monetary improvement. Therefore, that is the perfect time to shift from welfare mode to empowerment mode in governmental regulations designed for the development of ladies. To empower women’s continuous efforts taken with the aid of using Indian authorities and National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) via microfinance raised the popular of residing of negative ladies and their family members above poverty line to a few extents. Therefore, the tasks have to recognition on the above stated problems confronted with the aid of using ladies. In this way, this paper is analyzed with self assist group's rural women empowerment and satisfaction via micro credit in Kota District. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2021.v08i8.009
Analyzing College Students’ Perceptions About How Parents Should Interpersonally Communicate Divorce to Their Children:

The objective of this study was to investigate college students’ perceptions about how parents should interpersonally communicate divorce to their children. One hundred and nine college students pr...
N-Acetyl-B-D-Glucosaminidase as a Predictor of Milk Loss and Recovery Following Clinical Mastitis

Clinical mastitis is becoming more important as management improvements have resulted in greater control of nonclinical pathogens (2,11). Economic losses due to clinical mastitis include decreased milk production, discarded milk, loss of animals due to culling or death, therapeutic costs, veterinary fees, and labor (1,5). Clinical mastitis cases vary greatly in lost milk production, duration of treatment, duration of clinical signs, and risk of culling from the herd. At the onset of signs, it is difficult to predict which cases will be most severe. Accurate early prognosis for mastitis has economic value. This study was conducted to assess the ability of a single milk NA Gase level (obtained at clinical onset) to predict severity of mastitis.
Utility of the General Validity Scale Model: Development of Validity Scales for the Co-parenting Behavior Questionnaire

UTILITY OF THE GENERAL VALIDITY SCALE MODEL: DEVELOPMENT OF VALIDITY SCALES FOR THE CO-PARENTING BEHAVIOR QUESTIONNAIRE Kimberly M. Parker, B.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Director: Dr. Arnold L. Stolberg Emeritus Professor of Psychology Validity scales for child-report measures are necessary tools in clinical and forensic settings in which major decisions affecting the child and family are in question. Currently there is no standard model for the development and testing of such validity scales. The present study focused on 1) creating the General Validity Scale (GVS) Model to serve as a guide in validity scale development and 2) applying this model in the development of validity scales for the Coparenting Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), a child-report measure of parenting and co-parenting behaviors for children whose parents are divorced. Study 1 used the newly developed GVS Model to identify threats to CBQ validity and to develop procedures for detecting such threats. Four different validity scales were created to detect inaccurate responding due to 1) presenting mothering, fathering, and/or co-parenting in an overly negative light, 2) rating mothering and fathering in a highly discrepant manner, 3) inconsistent item responses, and 4) low reading level. Study 2 followed the GVS Model to test the newly developed scales by comparing CBQ responses produced under a standard instruction set to responses from contrived or randomly generated data. Support for the ability of each validity scale to accurately detect threats to validity was found.
Liver Regeneration and Tissue Engineering

The liver is one of the largest and most complex organs in the human body. It is a vital organ weighing about 1,500 g and it continuously performs over 500 different functions. As a result, the liver is a vital organ and liver failure in the absence of liver transplantation often results in death to the patient. The shortage of donor livers for transplantation, the demand from industry to develop new drugs and new systems to test their safety, along with the need to better understand the many metabolic pathways of the liver, have been the major driving forces behind liver tissue engineering and advances to create livers synthetically, either in culture or ex vivo or by using animals as in vivo incubators. The liver is also a privileged organ in its ability to regenerate spontaneously in response to acute injury. For these reasons, it has been a major focus of research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, the ideal source of liver cells (hepatocytes) for synthetic livers has not yet been identified, and numerous research efforts are underway. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to produce an abundant, high quality and readily available source of primary human hepatocytes or synthetic liver tissue constructs for discovery, therapeutic, and diagnostic applications. This chapter explores many recent advances in the field of liver regeneration and liver tissue engineering, and new areas of research and future development.
Elements of Moral Cognition: Moral Grammar and Intuitive Jurisprudence: A Formal Model

A critic who wished to say something against that work [ Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals ] really did better than he intended when he said that there was no new principle of morality in it but only a new formula. Who would want to introduce a new principle of morality and, as it were, be its inventor, as if the world had hitherto been ignorant of what duty is or had been thoroughly wrong about it? Those who know what a formula means to a mathematician, in determining what is to be done in solving a problem without letting him go astray, will not regard a formula which will do this for all duties as something insignificant and unnecessary. – Immanuel Kant, Critique of Practical Reason [In] our science, everything depends upon the possession of the leading principles, and it is this possession which constitutes the greatness of the Roman jurists. The notions and axioms of their science do not appear to have been arbitrarily produced; these are actual beings, whose existence and genealogy have become known to them by long and intimate acquaintance. For this reason their whole mode of proceeding has a certainty which is found no where else, except in mathematics; and it may be said, without exaggeration, that they calculate with their notions. – F. C. Von Savigny, Of the Vocation of Our Age for Legislation and Jurisprudence The demand is not to be denied: every jump must be barred from our deductions. […]
Fly height measurement technology below 10 nm [HDD]

This poster describes recent advances in fly height (FH) measurement technology for rigid disk drives. Such advances have become necessary as fly heights (i.e. the spacing between the head and the disk in a rigid disk drive) drop below 10 nm, giving rise to new measurement challenges, especially in the area of slider calibration. New algorithms have been developed that enable accurate measurements (95% confidence int. /spl sim/1 nm) with low one sigma (/spl sim/0.5 nm) at low fly heights (mean FH /spl sim/9 nm).
The New York Law of Interstate Succession Compared with the Uniform Probate Code: Where There's No Will There's A Way

The purpose of this Article is to analyze, compare, and contrast New York’s law of intestacy with that of the Uniform Probate Code (Code). The Article may serve as a basis for estimating the impact on existing concepts of descent and distribution should New York adopt the Code. It addresses itself to the law of intestate succession, delves into present New York law on the subject, examines corresponding sections of the Code, analyzes the differences, and arrives at an evaluation of the benefits and detriments that adoption of the Code would bring. The final analysis reveals that, on balance, the Code’s treatment of intestate succession is preferable to present New York law.
Design of analog CMOS integrated circuits input stage for the operation at zero temperature coefficient using PSPICE

A PSPICE program is utilized to design an analog CMOS integrated circuit amplifier for operation at zero temperature coefficient, which solves the problem of drift in DC amplifiers under the effect of temperature variations. The model used includes the linear and nonlinear parameters of the devices. The device channel parameters length l, and width w, are evaluated to give the proper bias to reduce the drift characteristics. The constraints of the device parameters in improving the AC characteristics are discussed, and the useful range of temperature for optimum design performance is determined. In the authors' model, a drift of 4 mu v/c over the range of 30 degrees C to 90 degrees C is observed. The overall gain of the two stages is estimated to be >or=50 dBs with the gain-bandwidth product of 5.9 MHz at 500- mu A biasing. The noise figure for the given bias is 0.5 mu v/ square root Hz. >
Rapidly growing towns in the former USSR and Russia, 1970-1993.

Using urban places of 15,000 or more inhabitants as its point of reference, this paper identifies and investigates the most rapidly growing towns and cities of the USSR during the recent intercensal periods of 1970-79 and 1979-89. Rapidly growing towns are defined as towns that grew by at least 50 percent overall for the intercensal period and at a rate equal to or exceeding 4.1 percent annually. In addition, a category of “doubling towns” is investigated, defined as towns that increased in population by at least 100 percent (or 6.3 percent or more annually). Special attention is devoted to the geographical aspects, economic functions, and size characteristics of the towns involved. Comparisons with 1959-70, an overall examination from 1959-89, and an update for contemporary Russia during 1989-93 also are undertaken. 8 tables, 3 figures, 24 references.
On-chip hermetic packaging enabled by post-deposition electrochemical etching of polysilicon

The authors present a novel monolithic on-wafer packaging, which solves the main problems of existing monolithic encapsulation techniques for MEMS polysilicon surface micromachining. It involves the formation of a nanoporous polysilicon encapsulation layer by post-deposition electrochemical etching on top of PSG sacrificial layer, followed by removal of the sacrificial layer through the nanopores and a final vacuum sealing by depositing a polysilicon layer. Thanks to the nanopores through the thick porous polysilicon layer, the vacuum sealing is achieved by depositing a polysilicon layer as thin as 1000 /spl Aring/, and no sealing material is deposited inside the cavity. The pressure inside the sealed cavity, measured by an encapsulated polysilicon pirani gauge, was around 200 mTorr and showed no detectable leaks over 3 months.
Etnoarqueología de la cerámica en el Oeste de Etiopía

The results of three ethnoarchaeological field seasons carried out among the Berta, Gumuz, Mao and Kwama of western Ethiopia are presented here. Fieldwork focused on the gathering of general data on the material culture of Benishangul- Gumuz, and particularly on pottery and vernacular architecture. The data relating to production, distribution and consumption of pottery are addressed in this article. The peoples studied are organised on egalitarian lines and practise a slash-and-burn agriculture.
Analysis of sequential stages in serum bactericidal reactions.

Abstract Michael, J. Gabriel (House of the Good Samaritan, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, Mass.), and Werner Braun. Analysis of sequential stages in serum bactericidal reaction. J. Bacteriol. 87:1067–1072. 1964.—The bactericidal reaction of “normal” human serum against Escherichia coli was found to be separable into two distinctive stages. The early (first) stage of the reaction lasts for a relatively short period of time, and involves factors that are present in sufficient amounts only in slightly diluted serum. The later (second) stage needs more time and requires factors present in highly diluted serum. The first stage depends on the presence of Ca++ and Mg++ and on the activity of all components of complement; the second stage does not require divalent cations and C′1, C′2, and C′4, but requires factors that can be removed by zymosan. Under our conditions, removal of lysozyme did not influence either stage of the reaction. Bacteria exposed to concentrated serum for a short time, during the first stage, are essentially unaffected as far as their potential for subsequent multiplication is concerned; the actual damage to cellular integrity occurs only during the second stage of the reaction. In the absence of cell division, the “sensitization” produced during the first stage can be preserved for prolonged periods, and the bactericidal reaction can be completed later by exposure to antibody-free, highly diluted serum (second stage). Cell multiplication abolishes the sensitizing effects of the first stage.
Chapter 2 – Early Specification and Patterning of the Intermediate Mesoderm: Genetics and Epigenetics

In the developing kidney, the intermediate mesoderm must be specified along the anteroposterior and mediolateral axes of the embryo, such that the kidney progenitor field is separated from the paraxial and lateral plate mesoderm shortly after gastrulation. This region of mesoderm generates both the metanephric mesenchyme and the ureteric bud epithelium, the two populations of progenitor cells that differentiate into nephrons and collecting ducts, respectively. Cell signaling pathways, nuclear DNA biding proteins, and epigenetic modifiers act in concert to imprint a kidney specific fate upon the intermediate mesoderm and its derivatives. This chapter describes the process of early kidney development and introduces the latest advancements in the understanding of how epigenetic modifications affect renal lineage specification and the maintenance of the renal cell phenotype in the adult.
Private Information and the Deterrent Effect of Antitrust Damage Remedies

The private treble damages remedy for antitrust violations allows the victim to collect triple the overcharge from the antitrust violator. This remedy is intended to deter antitrust violations, compensate victims, and prevent the unjust enrichment of lawbreakers. Critics contend, though, that it deters the creation of joint ventures that would produce large social cost savings, and that the haphazard nature of compensation is unfair to victims as a class. In this article I evaluate systematically the allocative consequences of the set of possible private antitrust damages remedies, including treble damages, with a partial equilibrium model. Both buyer (victim) and seller (violator) are modeled as optimizing actors in a world where the prospect of a successful private antitrust damages action is uncertain. The model recognizes the importance of ancillary social benefits arising from anticompetitive actions. Anticompetitive seller behavior is deterred by the prospect of antitrust dam-