cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low-Altitude Emission of Energetic Neutral Atoms: Multiple Interactions and Energy Loss

Low Altitude Emissions (LAEs) are the energetic neutral atom (ENA) signature of ring current ions precipitating along the magnetic field to an altitude of 200-800 km. This altitude region is considered to be “optically thick” because ring current ions undergo multiple charge changing interactions (MCCIs) with Earth's dense oxygen exosphere. While each interaction involves an energy loss of ~36 eV, no prior study has determined the accumulated energy lost by 1-100 keV H+ emerging as LAEs. We have developed a 2-D model with a geomagnetic dipole that captures the net effects in energy loss and pitch angle evolution as a result of MCCIs without the computational requirements of a full Monte-Carlo simulation. Dependent on the amount of latitudinal migration, the energy loss is greater than 20% for ions below 60 keV for equatorward moving particles (30 keV for poleward). Since the ENA travels ballistically across a geomagnetic dipole, upon reionization, ion velocity along the local field increases (anti-parallel in the northern hemisphere). Redirecting the particle upward through MCCIs is most effective during poleward ENA motion. The net effect is to redirect precipitating ions (below 2,500 km) to eventually emerge from the optically thick region either as an ion or ENA. Precipitation is a joint ion-neutral process, affecting both the energy and pitch angle distribution through the transverse motion of ENA segments in a converging field. For particles that enter the MCCI regime, the energy loss and evolution of the pitch angle distribution must be considered within a realistic magnetic field.
Disease and Surgery of the Equine Lens

Examination of the lens is critical, particularly when evaluating horses with visual impairment or performing prepurchase examinations. To adequately evaluate the lens, the pupil must be pharmacologically dilated. A cataract is any lens opacity. The size, density, and position of a cataract determine the impact on vision. Cataracts may be congenital or inherited or occur secondary to trauma or equine recurrent uveitis. Surgical removal is the only treatment option for vision impairing cataracts, but careful selection of surgical candidates is critical for successful outcomes.
Self-Driving Cars and Engineering Ethics: The Need for a System Level Analysis

The literature on self-driving cars and ethics continues to grow. Yet much of it focuses on ethical complexities emerging from an individual vehicle. That is an important but insufficient step towards determining how the technology will impact human lives and society more generally. What must complement ongoing discussions is a broader, system level of analysis that engages with the interactions and effects that these cars will have on one another and on the socio-technical systems in which they are embedded. To bring the conversation of self-driving cars to the system level, we make use of two traffic scenarios which highlight some of the complexities that designers, policymakers, and others should consider related to the technology. We then describe three approaches that could be used to address such complexities and their associated shortcomings. We conclude by bringing attention to the “Moral Responsibility for Computing Artifacts: The Rules”, a framework that can provide insight into how to approach ethical issues related to self-driving cars.
Channel Network Decay in Sintering

The development of the topological model of sintering is reviewed. It is pointed out that the decay of the topological network of channels and junction pores (i.e., sintering) is directly comparable to other network decay processes, such as that of grain growth in a polycrystalline aggregate, wherein surface tension both drives and directs the geometric changes that occur. Through this analogy some unfamiliar, though important, features of sintering have been deduced.
The θ Mode of Hippocampal Function

The θ rhythm is an approximately sinusoidal electrical signal that can be recorded from the hippocampus, diencephalon, and neocortex of a large number of mammalian species. It was first investigated systematically in 1954 by Green and Arduini, who reported the presence of regular, high-amplitude slow waves at frequencies of 3–7 Hz in the hippocampus of both the curarized and the freely moving rabbit. In the cu-rarized preparation, the waves appeared following natural sensory stimulation or electrical stimulation of the brain stem reticular formation or other subcortical structures. In the freely moving animal, the waves appeared when the animal was judged to be alert and interested in its surroundings. The electrical activity was most pronounced when the animal was presented with a new phenomenon and tended to disappear with repeated stimuli. They termed this activity “θ rhythm” in accordance with the designation that had previously been established for the components of the human EEG in this frequency range (Walter and Walter, 1953). In view of their observations, it was quite natural for them to associate the θ rhythm with a state of arousal in the animal.
Flexible updating of beliefs in order to forgive.

We rapidly make inferences about the moral character of others. Observing a single immoral behaviour is often sufficient to make us think of them as morally ‘unworthy’. But our beliefs about others’ ‘badness’ (as opposed to ‘goodness’) are more uncertain. That is, we allow ourselves more space to re-assess and, if needed, rectify these beliefs.
Clinical and pathological characterization of patients (pts) with functional deficiency of the fanconi anemia (FA) pathway.

e23247Background: Genetic and epigenetic FA disruption is expected to occur in a significant proportion of solid tumors. Intact FA pathway is associated with FancD2 repair foci formation in respons...
Multimode Interference Waveguide-Based 7× Multiplexed Detection of Nucleic Acids for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Screening

A multimode interference (MMI) waveguide creates distinct spectral spot patterns at three wavelengths in a single liquid-core waveguide on an optofluidic chip. These patterns enable 7× multiplexed fluorescence detection of bacterial nucleic acids combinatorially labeled with these three colors.
Calcium-calmodulin gating of a pH-insensitive isoform of connexin43 gap junctions.

Intracellular protons and calcium ions are two major chemical factors that regulate connexin43 (Cx43) gap junction communication and the synergism or antagonism between pH and Ca2+ has been questioned for decades. To assess the ability of Ca2+ ions to modulate Cx43 junctional conductance (gj) in the absence of pH-sensitivity, patch clamp experiments were performed on Neuroblastoma-2a (N2a) cells or neonatal mouse ventricular myocytes (NMVMs) expressing either full-length Cx43 or the Cx43-M257 (Cx43K258stop) mutant protein, a carboxyl-terminus (CT) truncated version of Cx43 lacking pH-sensitivity. The addition of 1 μM ionomycin to normal calcium saline reduced Cx43 or Cx43-M257 gj to zero within 15 min of perfusion. This response was prevented by Ca2+-free saline or addition of 100 nM calmodulin (CaM) inhibitory peptide to the internal pipette solution. Internal addition of a connexin50 cytoplasmic loop calmodulin-binding domain (CaMBD) mimetic peptide (200 nM) prevented the Ca2+/ionomycin-induced decrease in Cx43 gj, while 100 μM Gap19 peptide had minimal effect. The investigation of the transjunctional voltage (Vj) gating properties of NMVM Cx43-M257 gap junctions confirmed the loss of the fast inactivation of Cx43-M257 gj, but also noted the abolishment of the previously reported facilitated recovery of gj from inactivating potentials. We conclude that the distal CT domain of Cx43 contributes to the Vj-dependent fast inactivation and facilitated recovery of Cx43 gap junctions, but the Ca2+/CaM-dependent gating mechanism remains intact in its absence. Sequence-specific connexin CaMBD mimetic peptides act by binding Ca2+/CaM non-specifically and the Cx43 mimetic Gap19 peptide has negligible effect on this chemical gating mechanism.
The ethics of material provisioning: Insiders’ views of work in the extractive industries

Abstract While social science research has vividly studied the extractive industries by documenting and theorizing their impacts on communities and the corporate social responsibility teams who manage those relationships, this article draws on ethnographic research to investigate the ethical and political frameworks of the people who work in technical positions inside of these industries. I argue that they provide one example of a much larger phenomenon of an “ethics of material provisioning” that seems to animate industry insiders’ understandings of their work: they view themselves as providing the material basis for people’s everyday lives around the globe. This ethical framework is simultaneously a political one, as foregrounds an imperative to meet rising resource demand rather than questioning or reducing that demand. Analyzing these professionals’ point of view as an ethical and political framework rather than as only the play of ideology draws attention to how debates about resource production are fundamentally about our moral commitments and the role of minerals in the kinds of lives we desire for ourselves and our others.
A Pedagogical Approach to Teaching a First Course in Engineering Electromagnetics

This paper presents a pedagogical approach to the development and teaching of a course in engineering electromagnetics to undergraduate students in electrical and computer engineering at Saint Louis University. It also discusses myriad problems and challenges in offering this course to accommodate the changing discipline boundaries. Engineering electromagnetics, by nature, is not a very popular course to many students because they incorrectly think it is full of complicated mathematics with little or no applications in the real world posing an intellectual and educational challenge to them. It makes this course appear insurmountable, abstract and abstruse. With the evolution of state-of-the-art technologies in electrical and computer engineering, the understanding the fundamental concepts in electromagnetics has become increasingly important. This approach provides tools of accurate analysis through computer methods, in addition to closed-form methods used for design analysis and synthesis. Difficult three-dimensional vector differential and integral concepts are discussed when they are encountered with emphasis being on physical insight. The course is modernized by briefly introducing the finite-difference method, and thereafter, integrating some prewritten computer programs to demonstrate graphical representation of some problems of practical interests. As a result, the students really begin to find a measure of joy in this course and emerge as engineers equipped with the best of the closed-form and computer worlds.
Beyond nanopore sizing: improving solid-state single-molecule sensing performance, lifetime, and analyte scope for omics by targeting surface chemistry during fabrication.

Solid-state nanopores (SSNs) are single-molecule resolution sensors with a growing footprint in real-time bio-polymer profiling—most prominently, but far from exclusively, DNA sequencing. SSNs accessibility has increased with the advent of controlled dielectric breakdown (CDB), but severe fundamental challenges remain: drifts in open-pore current and, (irreversible) analyte sticking. These behaviors impede basic research and device development for commercial applications and can be dramatically exacerbated by the chemical complexity and physical property diversity of different analytes. We demonstrate a SSN fabrication approach attentive to nanopore surface chemistry during pore formation, and thus create nanopores in silicon nitride (SiNx) capable of sensing a wide analyte scope—nucleic acid (double-stranded DNA), protein (holo-human serum transferrin) and glycan (maltodextrin). In contrast to SiNx pores fabricated without this comprehensive approach, the pores are Ohmic in electrolyte, have extremely stable open-pore current during analyte translocation (> 1 hour) over a broad range of pore diameters (3 – ~30 nm) with spontaneous current correction (if current deviation occurs), and higher responsiveness (i.e. inter-event frequency) to negatively charged analytes (~6.5× in case of DNA). These pores were fabricated by modifying CDB with a chemical additive—sodium hypochlorite—that resulted in dramatically different nanopore surface chemistry including ~3 orders of magnitude weaker Ka (acid dissociation constant of the surface chargeable head-groups) compared to CDB pores which is inextricably linked with significant improvements in nanopore performance with respect to CDB pores.
Inventing the Woman Voter: Suffrage, Ability, and Patents

In 1870, the New York State Suffrage Association published a pamphlet titled “Woman as Inventor.” White suffragists distributed this history of female invention to prove women's inventiveness, countering arguments that biological disabilities justified women's legal disabilities. In the United States, inventiveness was linked to the capacity for original thought considered crucial for voters, making female inventiveness relevant to the franchise. As women could and did receive patents, activists used them as government certification of female ability. By publicizing female inventors, counting patents granted to women, and displaying women's inventions, they sought to overturn the common wisdom that women could not invent and prove that they had the ability to vote. Although partially successful, these efforts left undisturbed the equally common assertion that African Americans could not invent. White suffragists kept the contemporary Black woman inventor invisible, relegating the technological creations of women of color to a primitive past. White suffragists created a feminist history of invention, in words and objects, that reinforced white supremacy—another erasure of Black women, whose activism white suffragists were eager to harness, yet whose public presence they sought to minimize in order to keep the woman voter, like the woman inventor, presumptively white.
Development and validation of a droplet digital PCR assay for the detection and quantification of Bartonella species within human clinical samples.

Abstract This report describes the development, optimization, and validation of a ddPCR assay for the detection of Bartonella spp. DNA within several sample matrices, including clinical blood samples from patients with or without documented Bartonella spp. bacteremia. The Bartonella spp. ddPCR assay was developed based upon previously published TaqMan-based qPCR assays that can amplify DNA of over 25 Bartonella spp. Host DNA (housekeeping gene) amplification serves as a reference target to facilitate quantification. The efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity of the Bartonella spp. ddPCR assay was assessed by direct comparison with the current qPCR methods used by the Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory (North Carolina State University, North Carolina, USA), and Galaxy Diagnostics (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA). Bartonella spp. ddPCR assay parameters were successfully optimized to detect Bartonella concentrations equivalent to 0.5 bacterial genome copies per microliter of blood (0.001 pg/ul of bacterial DNA). The number of droplets detected (resolution) for each concentration was consistent across each of four assessed time points. The Bartonella spp. ddPCR assay detected 16 species/strains including B. henselae; B. quintana; B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (genotypes I, II, III and IV); B. vinsonii subsp. vinsonii; B. melophagi; B. volans; B. monaki; B. alsatica; B. bovis; B. elizabethae; B. clarridgeiae; and B. koehlerae. Bartonella DNA was detected in only one previously negative patient sample (119/120 negative; 99% specificity). The ddPCR sensitivity (53/112) was significantly better than qPCR (6/112) when testing patient blood and enrichment blood culture samples. The development of commercial ddPCR systems with integrated technologies has significantly streamlined the DNA detection process, making it more efficient and standardized for clinical diagnostic testing. The assay described in this work is the first step toward the development of a multiplex ddPCR assay (i.e., using the QX One from Bio-Rad) for the simultaneous detection and absolute quantification of multiple vector-borne pathogens (such as Babesia, Bartonella and Borrelia) within clinical samples.
Novel Oxygenation Techniques for Airway Management

Significant morbidity is caused by hypoxemic events during procedural sedation, induction for tracheal intubation, and postoperatively after anesthesia in the postoperative care unit. Novel and advanced oxygenation techniques will be discussed to help prevent hypoxemia and improve patient outcome. ASA closed claims outside the operating room showed an increase in oxygen desaturation during moderate to deep sedation with no or conventional oxygenation. Non-invasive positive pressure oxygenation (NPPO) reduces the incidence of oxygen desaturation during procedural sedation, during induction for tracheal intubation, and postoperatively after anesthesia in the postoperative care unit. Non-invasive positive pressure oxygenation (NPPO) techniques such as high flow nasal cannula and nasal CPAP increase apneic time during intubation as well as decrease hypoxemia during procedural sedation, during induction for tracheal intubation, and post extubation compared with conventional oxygenation.
Predicting healthcare-associated infections, length of stay, and mortality with the nursing intensity of care index.

Objectives The objectives of this study were (1) to develop and validate a simulation model to estimate daily probabilities of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), length of stay (LOS), and mortality using time varying patient- and unit-level factors including staffing adequacy and (2) to examine whether HAI incidence varies with staffing adequacy. Setting The study was conducted at 2 tertiary- and quaternary-care hospitals, a pediatric acute care hospital, and a community hospital within a single New York City healthcare network. Patients All patients discharged from 2012 through 2016 (N = 562,435). Methods We developed a non-Markovian simulation to estimate daily conditional probabilities of bloodstream, urinary tract, surgical site, and Clostridioides difficile infection, pneumonia, length of stay, and mortality. Staffing adequacy was modeled based on total nurse staffing (care supply) and the Nursing Intensity of Care Index (care demand). We compared model performance with logistic regression, and we generated case studies to illustrate daily changes in infection risk. We also described infection incidence by unit-level staffing and patient care demand on the day of infection. Results Most model estimates fell within 95% confidence intervals of actual outcomes. The predictive power of the simulation model exceeded that of logistic regression (area under the curve [AUC], 0.852 and 0.816, respectively). HAI incidence was greatest when staffing was lowest and nursing care intensity was highest. Conclusions This model has potential clinical utility for identifying modifiable conditions in real time, such as low staffing coupled with high care demand.
Repeat exposure to hypercapnic seawater modifies growth and oxidative status in a tolerant burrowing clam

Whereas low levels of thermal stress, irradiance, and dietary restriction can have beneficial effects for many taxa, stress acclimation remains understudied in marine invertebrates, despite being threatened by climate change stressors such as ocean acidification. To test for life-stage and stress-intensity dependence in eliciting enhanced tolerance under subsequent stress encounters, we initially conditioned pediveliger Pacific geoduck (Panopea generosa) larvae to (i) ambient and moderately elevated pCO2 (920 µatm and 2800 µatm, respectively) for 110 days, (ii) secondarily applied a 7-day exposure to ambient, moderate, and severely elevated pCO2 (750 µatm, 2800 µatm, and 4900 µatm, respectively), followed by 7 days in ambient conditions, and (iii) implemented a 7-day third exposure to ambient (970 µatm) and moderate pCO2 (3000 µatm). Initial conditioning to moderate pCO2 stress followed by second and third exposure to severe and moderate pCO2 stress increased respiration rate, organic biomass, and shell size suggesting a stress-intensity-dependent effect on energetics. Additionally, stress-acclimated clams had lower antioxidant capacity compared to clams under ambient conditions, supporting the hypothesis that stress over postlarval-to-juvenile development affects oxidative status later in life. Time series and stress intensity-specific approaches can reveal life-stages and magnitudes of exposure, respectively, that may elicit beneficial phenotypic variation.
On frequency estimation

This paper discusses a least-squares procedure and the use of the periodogram for isolating a discrete harmonic of a time series. It is shown that the usual asymptotics on estimation of frequency, amplitude and phase of such a harmonic have to be used with great caution from a moderate sample perspective. Computational issues are discussed and some illustrations are provided. Bolt & Brillinger (1979) make use of these asymptotic results.
Comparative Study of Properties of Cellulose Nanofibers From Wheat Straw Obtained by Chemical and Chemi-Mechanical Treatments

Objective of this work was to compare morphology, crystalline and thermal properties of cellulose nano fibers derived from wheat straw by two different processes (ball milling and acid hydrolysis treatment). The characterization of extracted CNFs was done by Scanning electron micrograph (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found from morphological, crystalline and thermal analyses that isolated cellulose nanofibers have diameter of nano meter ranges (10–25 nm), 68–80 % crystallinity and decomposition temperature of around 284–353° C, depending upon isolation techniques.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Chapter 10 – Nanotechnology Safety in the Energy Industry

Nonrenewable sources of energy have been rapidly growing in recent years and research emphasis has been directed to the utilization of renewable energy sources for a cleaner and healthier environment. For over two decades, researchers have investigated many possibilities in terms of renewable energies to generate sustainable energy. Solar cells, fuel cells, photoelectrolysis, supercapacitors, batteries, and wind turbines have the potential to be efficient methods to directly convert one state of energy into another one. In these new energy systems, various types of nanotechnology and their products have been utilized to increase the efficiencies of these energy systems. However, these new developments also bring many uncertainties and risks to human health and the environment. Therefore, the future of nanotechnology depends mainly on public acceptance of the risks associated with the use of nanomaterials and their benefits. Risk assessment of nanomaterials is mainly the basis of formulating guidelines of protecting human health and the environment. This chapter provides information on the current state of nanomaterials used by the energy industry and offers suggestions for continuing our path toward sustainable development in the energy field.
Theoretical Capacity of Multi-Hop Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

The capacity of multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks is presented extending the cross-layer model for link capacity in [1]. Two semantics for network capacity are proposed and discussed. The effect of node location on capacity is analyzed within the context of the boundary condition and its impact on evaluation of network capacity. The main focus is on the bottleneck capacity referred to as the “maximum instantaneous network capacity” (MIC). The metric is intended to characterize the true information capacity of the network as a whole—reflecting all possible destinations. The optimization problem is shown to be NP-complete and heuristic algorithms are applied to bound the solution from above. The asymptotic results compare favorably to the well-known results of the highly abstract model in [2].
Leveraging Naturally Distributed Data Redundancy to Reduce Collective I/O Replication Overhead

Dumping large amounts of related data simultaneously to local storage devices instead of a parallel file system is a frequent I/O pattern of HPC applications running at large scale. Since local storage resources are prone to failures and have limited potential to serve multiple requests in parallel, techniques such as replication are often used to enable resilience and high availability. However, replication introduces overhead, both in terms of network traffic necessary to distribute replicas, as well as extra storage space requirements. To reduce this overhead, state-of-art techniques often apply redundancy elimination (e.g. compression or deduplication) before replication, ignoring the natural redundancy that is already present. By contrast, this paper proposes a novel scheme that treats redundancy elimination and replication as a single co-optimized phase: remotely duplicated data is detected and directly leveraged to maintain a desired replication factor by keeping only as many replicas as needed and adding more if necessary. In this context, we introduce a series of high performance algorithms specifically designed to operate under tight and controllable constrains at large scale. We present how this idea can be leveraged in practice and demonstrate its viability for two real-life HPC applications.
Molecules in Starburst and Active Galaxy Nuclei

Molecular line surveys of luminous infrared bright galaxies sampled by the IRAS survey have shown these galaxies to be extraordinarily rich in molecular gas. Optical imaging of the most luminous IRAS galaxies suggest that many have recently undergone a strong galactic interaction or merger. High resolution aperture synthesis CO data in the systems reveal massive concentrations of molecules (108 – 1010 M⊙) ususally in the galactic nuclei. The dense molecular gas is much more highly concentrated than in normal galaxies, probably a result of the viscous dissipation of energy and angular momentum in the ISM as a result of the strong dynamical perturbations. These nuclear gas concentrations are the source of nuclear starbursts, possibly also rejuvinating nuclear nonthermal activity. Interaction induced activity in the interstellar gas of galaxies may play a fundamental role in galactic evolution — leading to star formation rates elevated by at least an order of magnitude for a period ~ 2 × 108 years. Since such activity is presently occurring in approximately 2% of all spiral galaxies, it is clear that galactic interactions can be critical to both the long term stellar populations of galaxies and to the most luminous, energetic phases for galactic evolution.
The Rainbow Connection

In this article, Cheng argues that the symbol of the rainbow—with its associated characteristics of multiplicity, diaspora, and hybridity—can be a helpful way of understanding the experiences of queer people of asian descent. Cheng sketches out an outline of a rainbow theology for queer Asian Christians and examines the classical doctrines of Trinity, eschatology, and Christology in light of such a theology. He concludes by examining possible future directions for queer Asian theologies.
Carnitine Metabolism in Lean and Obese Zucker Rats during Starvation

Carnitine metabolism during starvation was studied in adult lean and obese female Zucker rats. Comparisons were made between rats starved for 0, 3, 6 or 9 d. Total plasma carnitine was not affected by obesity or starvation, but free plasma carnitine decreased with starvation. Plasma acid-soluble acylcarnitine was lower in obese than in lean rats, and increased with starvation in both lean and obese rats. Plasma acid-insoluble acylcarnitine was not affected by obesity but increased with starvation. Liver free and acid-soluble acylcarnitine were lower in obese rats than lean rats, and starvation increased liver free carnitine and acid-insoluble acylcarnitine. Free carnitine was lower in muscle from obese rats than from lean rats. In kidney, free carnitine decreased during starvation. Heart carnitine was not affected by obesity or starvation. Urinary free carnitine and acid-soluble acylcarnitine clearance decreased during starvation. These studies indicate that: 1) lean and obese Zucker rats conserve carnitine during starvation; and 2) the decreases in liver carnitine concentration reflect the loss of cellular constituents rather than increases in total hepatic carnitine.
Predicting complete response: is there a role for non-operative management of rectal cancer?

Pre-operative chemoradiotherapy followed by a total mesorectal excision (TME) is the standard of care for patients with locally advanced (stage II or III) rectal cancer. Approximately 20% of patients may achieve a pathologic complete response after chemoradiation therapy (CRT), which has been shown to be associated with better oncologic outcomes. Whether surgery can be avoided in this population is an area of active investigation. Recent studies demonstrated feasibility and safety of non-operative management in patients with clinical complete response (cCR) after chemoradiotherapy. In this article, we set out to review the current data on non-operative management and to identify areas requiring further investigation, including improvement in imaging for reassessment after CRT and identifying the optimal time frame for restaging. As the field moves forward with non-operative management in select patients with rectal cancer, there continues to be a need to better understand the prognostic factors and biomarkers that may more accurately characterize patients who are qualified for this “wait-and-see” approach and thereby avoid overtreatment, potentially leading to improvements in long-term quality of life.
Class-A Push-Pull Amplifier Theory

Two tubes operating in push-pull, class-A 1 , will produce more than twice the power output of a single tube using the same operating voltages, and with optimum load values in each case. This is demonstrated analytically by means of an equivalent circuit. The change in load impedance seen by one tube due to the effect of coupling to the other tube is considered and used to explain the results obtained. Experimental data are presented to verify the theory.
Multiple Bonding Between Heavier Group 13 Elements

Experimental and theoretical data for stable compounds that have the potential for multiple bonding between heavier group 13 metals have been surveyed. In spite of the fact that only about a dozen such compounds have been isolated under ambient conditions, the area has generated widespread debate owing to widely differing opinions on the multiplicity of the bonding in some compounds, especially the ‘gallyne’ Na2Ga2(C6H3-2,6-Trip2)2 (Trip = C6H2-2,4,6-i-Pr3). The experimental and theoretical data show that group 13–13 heavier element multiple bonding is weak. Only two neutral multiply bonded compounds, i.e., the radical species (t-Bu)3SiMM{Si(t-Bu)3}2 (M = Al or Ga), are known to be stable at room temperature. The other compounds, the majority of which are gallium derivatives, are either mono-or dianionic. All the currently known dianionic species depend on the presence of bridging alkali metal counter cations for stability. Recent computational data also indicate the presence of some alkali metal-group 13 metal bonding in the dianion complexes. Possible future directions and experimental routes to resolving bonding arguments are outlined.
Contractile mechanics and interaction of the right and left ventricles

Abstract The heart and lungs, together with hemoglobin, provide for the transport of oxygen from the atmosphere to the metabolizing tissue. The oxygenation of blood and the circulation of oxygenated blood are precisely synchronized so that the heart and lungs constitute an integrated cardiopulmonary unit. The functional integration of the heart and lungs is fostered by their anatomic arrangement and mechanical interaction. The cardiopulmonary unit consists of the right and left ventricles (two in-series pumps composed of cardiac muscle), which are mechanically coupled by the lungs. The factors that control cardiac muscle shortening (fiber length, afterload and myocardial contractile state) also regulate the pumping behavior of each ventricle. Because the ventricles are aligned in series a perturbation in the mechanical events of one ventricle will influence the behavior of the other ventricle. The interventricular septum and pericardium further promote the mechanical interplay between ventricles. Intrathoracic pressure (the pressure that surrounds the cardiopulmonary unit) creates an additional interaction between the ventricles as well as the heart and lungs.
Volume fusion: a unified framework for multi-scale dynamic and heterogeneous scenes

Summary form only given. This work presents a novel unified solution - a volume fusion framework for 3D modeling, interaction, and visualization applications with complex volumetric scenes composed of any type of conventional and unconventional object representations. The process of volume fusion includes scene expression and scene evaluation. A volume scene evaluation based on slice sweeping approach is employed to provide a general computational framework that extracts volumetric information of the scene expression and then fuse them by specified fusion functions. The key issues of volume fusion are scene tree design and fusion function design. Through the unified framework, different tree structures and fusion functions may result in different outputs (i.e., applications) after scene evaluation. Two case studies, volume modeling and volumetric collision detection, using volume fusion framework are discussed in detail, and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness, flexibility and generality of our volume fusion algorithms for 3D interactive volume applications
Unbinding of three strings in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation

The unbinding transition of three strings, fluctuating without overhangs in two dimensions, is considered in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The calculation, which is extremely simple, gives some insight into the physical considerations that determine the universality class. In the case of short-range pair interactions the unbinding transition is predicted to be universal, with the same critical exponents as in the unbinding of two strings. For strings bound by short-range three-body interactions the unbinding transition is nonuniversal. Both of these predictions are in agreement with recent exact studies.
Comparison of the Reaction Rates of the Alkali-Catalyzed Addition of Formaldehyde to Phenol and Selected Lignins

Abstract A comparison of the reaction rates of the alkali-catalyzed addition of formaldehyde to phenol, Kraft lignin, and steam-exploded lignin was studied by monitoring the disappearance of formaldehyde at four temperatures to determine the Arrhenius parameters. 1H-NMR spectra of acetylated lignins and their hydroxymethylated derivatives and the disappearance of formaldehyde during lignin-formaldehyde reactions were used to quantify the degree of formaldehyde substitution. The rate of the addition of formaldehyde to phenol was faster than the addition of formaldehyde to lignin, although the lignin-formaldehyde reactions were essentially complete under the reaction conditions examined. Both lignin-formaldehyde reactions had lower activation energies than the phenol-formaldehyde reaction. Kraft lignin has a faster rate of reaction with formaldehyde than steam-exploded lignin and the rate of formaldehyde addition to lignin is dependent on the reactive site availability on the lignin molecules.
Reproductive inequality in sub-Saharan Africa differentials versus concentration

Within developing countries our understanding of reproductive inequality-how fertility is distributed within a population-has been shaped largely by studies of fertility differentials a practical but partial-information measure. In this study we examine whether exclusive reliance on differentials biases this understanding. Findings based on recent data from sub-Saharan Africa show bias. We find that historical and especially cross-country comparisons can yield substantially different conclusions about the magnitude and even the direction of inequality patterns and trends depending on whether differentials or fuller-information measures are used. For instance the fertility differentials associated with education have remained relatively stable as national fertility has fallen but inequality (as calculated by a fuller measure) has increased. Such results underscore the value of complementing existing studies of fertility differentials with analyses based on fuller-information measures. The analyses also show how change in differential fertility behavior and in the educational composition of national populations has shaped recent variations in reproductive inequality in the region. (authors)
Chromosome Loss compared with Chromosome Size, Age and Sex of Subjects

STUDIES of human chromosomes1–7 have demonstrated that ageing increases hypodiploidy. Sex differences were said to account for different rates of increase in hypodiploidy as well as the preferential loss of an X chromosome in females and a Y chromosome in males2,4–6.
Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus during PUVA therapy for psoriasis: case report and review of the literature

Lesions typical of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus developed in an elderly woman after 6 months of PUVA (8-methoxypsoralen and longwave ultraviolet light) therapy for psoriasis. Pancytopenia, antibodies to double-stranded DNA, and hypocomplementemia developed concurrently with the appearance of the cutaneous lesions. With discontinuation of photochemotherapy, the cutaneous lesions disappeared and the pancytopenia improved.
Raman spectra and normal mode assignments of superconducting YBa2Cu4O8 single crystals

Abstract Single crystals of YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 high temperature superconductors with well characterized structural, magnetic, and transport properties have been studied by Raman microprobe spectroscopy in various polarization geometries. The unique orthorhombic structure, spacegroup Ammm, with double linear Cu O chains along the a-axis gives rise to two additional modes of A g symmetry that are not present in the single chain YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (1:2:3) structure. Comparison of the observed spectra with YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 shows four modes at nearly identical positions and with comparable strengths to the known 1:2:3 A g modes as expected from the similar structure. Two additional peaks observed at 250 cm −1 and 600 cm −1 in the YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 spectrum have no corresponding modes in the spectrum of fully oxygenated 1:2:3. This suggests their assignment to A g modes associated with Cu O bending and stretching motion in the double chains as predicted by factor group analysis.
Fungal zymosan and mannan activate the cryopyrin inflammasome

Some fungal species are opportunistic pathogens that can cause infection in people with compromised immune systems. Activation of caspase-1 and the subsequent secretion of mature interleukin (IL)-1β is a major signaling pathway of the innate immune system, but how yeasts induce caspase-1 activation is unknown. We show here that stimulation of macrophages and dendritic cells with heat-killed Saccharomyces cerevisiae or the purified cell wall components zymosan and mannan induced caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion when combined with ATP. Macrophages deficient for the inflammasome adaptor ASC were defective in caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion, suggesting involvement of an ASC-dependent inflammasome. Indeed, caspase-1 activation was abrogated in macrophages lacking the NOD-like (NLR) protein Cryopyrin/Nalp3 and in wild type macrophages pretreated with the pannexin-1 inhibitor probenecid. IL-1β secretion further required the Toll-like receptor (TLR) adaptors MyD88 and TRIF, and partially relied on TLR2. We previously showed that bacterial molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan induce activation of caspase-7 through the Cryopyrin inflammasome. Similarly, Cryopyrin and ASC were required for activation of caspase-7 in macrophages stimulated with zymosan or mannan and ATP. These results demonstrate that the conserved fungal components zymosan and mannan require ASC and Cryopyrin for caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion and suggest an important role for the Cryopyrin inflammasome during fungal infections.
The role of aromatization in the development of sexual behavior of the female hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

Abstract An aromatization inhibitor, ATD (1,4,6-andostatrien-3,17-dione) was used to test the hypothesis that aromatization of testosterone to estradiol is necessary for behavioral masculinization and defeminization of female hamsters. Pups received either 0.5 or 1.0 mg ATD or propylene glycol along with either 50 or 100 μg testosterone, 2μg estradiol, or sesame oil. Both hormones and aromatization inhibitor were given on Days 2 through 4 after birth. ATD blocked masculinization of sexual behavior produced by testosterone but did not block the masculinizing effects of estradiol. ATD also blocked the defeminizing effect of testosterone but not estradiol. These data support the aromatization hypothesis.
Brief communication Condition code predictor for fixed-point arithmetic units

Abstract This paper presents a method for determining the ‘results equals zero’ condition code and, by extension, all other related condition codes for arithmetic operations. The ‘result equals zero’ condition is predicted for all arithmetic operations computed by a typical hardwired adder, and can be implemented in hardware in parallel with such an adder without implicit or explicit use of the carries.
Amorphization of Molecular Liquids of Pharmaceutical Drugs by Acoustic Levitation

Acoustic levitation provides a way to process pharmaceutical drugs into desired, highly soluble forms.
The handbook of conversation analysis

A Analise da Conversa recebe, em The Handbook of Conversation Analysis, um excelente material de referencia, tanto para especialistas da area, como para estudantes, sejam da sociolinguistica interacional, da antropologia linguistica ou da sociolinguistica, e para sociologos, psicologos ou quaisquer outros profissionais que usem a interacao conversacional como meio para se estudarem acoes sociais. O livro apresenta uma importante selecao de artigos, organizados em cinco partes, com capitulos escritos por conhecidos teoricos da analise da conversa (AC daqui em diante) procedentes, em sua maioria, da Europa e dos Estados Unidos, ou que trabalham em instituicoes localizadas nestas areas. Os artigos exemplificam as aplicacoes teoricas discutidas e contem uma secao sobre futuras direcoes. Disciplines Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics | International and Intercultural Communication | Linguistic Anthropology | Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Comments This is a review of The Handbook of Conversation Analysis by Jack Sidnell and Tanya Stivers (Ed.) This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/roml_papers/3 RBLA, Belo Horizonte, v. 14, n. 3, p. 715-734, 2014 715 RESENHA Review SIDNELL, Jack; STIVERS, Tanya (Ed.). The Handbook of Conversation Analysis. Oxford: Willey-Blackwell, 2013. 825p. Mercia Regina Santana Flannery University of Pennsylvania Filadelfia Pensilvânia / EUA A Analise da Conversa recebe, em The Handbook of Conversation Analysis, um excelente material de referencia, tanto para especialistas da area, como para estudantes, sejam da sociolinguistica interacional, da antropologia linguistica ou da sociolinguistica, e para sociologos, psicologos ou quaisquer outros profissionais que usem a interacao conversacional como meio para se estudarem acoes sociais. O livro apresenta uma importante selecao de artigos, organizados em cinco partes, com capitulos escritos por conhecidos teoricos da analise da conversa (AC daqui em diante) procedentes, em sua maioria, da Europa e dos Estados Unidos, ou que trabalham em instituicoes localizadas nestas areas. Os artigos exemplificam as aplicacoes teoricas discutidas e contem uma secao sobre futuras direcoes. Na Introducao (capitulo 1), Tanya Stivers e Jack Sidnell apresentam o volume, discutindo os principios da AC, sua genese interdisciplinar e seus principais objetivos. Os editores tambem propoem, de certa forma, que o volume ratifica a validade do “territorio intelectual ganho em uma batalha” (p.8) por Sacks, Schegloff e Jefferson, na instituicao da AC como disciplina. A primeira secao, intitulada “Studying Social Interaction From a CA Perspective”, apresenta os principios da analise da conversa, em quatro artigos. O segundo capitulo, “Everyone and no one to turn to: intelectual roots and contexts for conversation analysis”, de Douglas Maynard, faz uma consideracao panorâmica sobre as raizes da pesquisa na area. O autor parte * merciaf@sas.upenn.edu
Abnormal vibration-induced cerebral blood flow responses in idiopathic dystonia.

Regional cerebral blood flow responses to vibrotactile stimulation were studied in 11 patients with predominantly unilateral idiopathic focal dystonia and 18 normal subjects using PET and H215O. Stimulation produced a consistently localized and robust peak response in primary sensorimotor cortex contralateral to hand vibration in normal subjects (averaged hemisphere response 10.97 ml/(100 g·min) ±2.53). The sensorimotor response in dystonic patients was also consistently localized to the same area, but significantly reduced in magnitude whether vibrating the affected (8.35 ml/(100 g·min)±2.29) or unaffected hand (8.40 ml/(100 g·min) ±2.15). Furthermore, vibration induced a dystonic cramp in the stimulated arm/hand in 6 patients, but not in any normal subjects. To determine whether the cocontraction of aganist and antagonist muscles could, in itself, attenuate the regional blood flow response, 10 normal subjects were studied with vibration during voluntary cocontraction of appropriate hand and forearm muscles, as well as with vibration alone. Vibration with voluntary cocontraction (mean = 12.57 ml/(100 g·min ± 2.13) produced a significantly greater response than vibration alone (mean = 10.30 ml/(100 g·min) ±2.20, P < 0.00008). This abnormal sensorimotor response may have important implications for understanding the pathophysiology of idiopathic dystonia.
Blood oxygen capacities of eels acclimated to fresh-, brackish- and salt-water environments.

1. Groups of American eels, Anguilla rostrata, were acclimated to three environmental salinities and their blood oxygen capacities determined. 2. The brackish-water group exhibited the highest mean oxygen capacity and weight-specific oxygen capacity. 3. Highly significant differences (P < 0·001) were demonstrated between the oxygen capacities of the freshwater and marine groups and between the brackish water and marine groups. A significant difference was not observed between the freshwater and brackish-water eels. 4. Weight-specific blood oxygen capacities for the three groups exhibited an inverse relationship with body weight. 5. The American eel, under different salinity regimes, shows a relationship between oxygen capacity and hematocrit, which appears to be altered by ambient salinity. 6. The lower oxygen capacities and hematocrits observed in the salt water-acclimated eels suggests that the yellow eel is programmed for a freshwater and/or brackish-water existence and that acclimation to higher salinities disrupts its normal blood—oxygen relationships.