cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parallel iterative methods for dense linear systems in inductance extraction

Accurate estimation of the inductive coupling between interconnect segments of a VLSI circuit is critical to the design of high-end microprocessors. This paper presents a class of parallel iterative methods for solving the linear systems of equations that arise in the inductance extraction process. The coefficient matrices are made up of dense and sparse submatrices where the dense structure is due to the inductive coupling between current filaments and the sparse structure is due to Kirchoff's constraints on current. By using a solenoidal basis technique to represent current, the problem is transformed to an unconstrained one that is subsequently solved by an iterative method. A dense preconditioner resembling the inductive coupling matrix is used to increase the rate of convergence of the iterative method. Multipole-based hierarchical approximations are used to compute products with the dense coefficient matrix as well as the preconditioner. A parallel formulation of the preconditoned iterative solver is outlined along with parallelization schemes for the hierarchical approximations. A variety of experiments is presented to show the parallel efficiency of the algorithms on shared-memory multiprocessors.
Influence of calcium channel blocker treatment on the mechanical properties of diabetic rat myocardium

The objective of this investigation was to determine whether calcium channel blocker (CCB) treatment effectively restores normal baseline mechanical function in diabetic myocardium and to evaluate its effect on the interval-strength relationship. Wistar rats were made diabetic with streptozotocin (55 mg/kg, IV). Left-ventricular papillary muscles from normal and diabetic (10 weeks) rats were superfused with Tyrode's solution at 30°C. A subgroup of diabetic and normal animals received daily injections of verapamil or nifedipine (10 mg/kg, IP; 8 weeks) to compare the effectiveness of a phenylalkylamine to a dihydropyridine in reversing diabetes-induced contractile dysfunction in vitro. Muscles were electrically stimulated at 0.5 Hz with suprathreshold stimuli, and the following parameters were measured: peak tension developed, time-to-peak tension, time-to-90% relaxation, and the maximum velocities of tension development and decay. Experimental diabetes was characterized by: severe hyperglycemia, hepatomegaly, reduced body weight gain, cardiomegaly, and increased plasma phospholipid levels. In addition, baseline values of peak tension developed, time-to-peak tension, and time-to-90% relaxation were significantly greater in muscles from diabetic animals. Chronic nifedipine treatment reduced hyperglycemia and plasma phospholipid levels, normalized body weight gain, and reduced both heart and liver sizes in diabetic animals. Nifedipine treatment completely reversed diabetes-induced prolongation in both time-to-peak tension and time-to-90% relaxation. In diabetic myocardium, a slightly positive component was present in the interval-strength relationship between 0.01 and 1 Hz, resulting in a rightward shift in the entire curve across a wide range of stimulation frequencies (0.01–5 Hz). This positive component was absent in muscles from diabetic animals treated with both CCBs, and verapamil produced a leftward shift in the frequency-response curve. The results of this study suggest that chronic nifedipine treatment may be more effective than verapamil in restoring normal baseline myocardial mechanical function, reducing hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, as well as attenuating both cardiac and liver enlargement in experimental diabetes. In contrast, verapamil treatment tended to normalize more effectively the inotropic response to changes in stimulation frequency in diabetic myocardium.
Use of a custom alignment guide to improve glenoid component position in total shoulder arthroplasty

Total and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) are used to treat patients with glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis. The revision rate remains high compared with hip and knee arthroplasty. Glenoid component loosening is an important complication and may be caused by poor positioning of the component. We aimed to evaluate the safety and accuracy of a custom glenoid jig created using preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging with 3D modelling for glenoid component implantation. Preoperative CT scans of each shoulder (N = 7) were obtained. Implants were virtually aligned and custom templates were created for intraoperative use. A two-part custom jig was manufactured for alignment of the central peg and the peripheral screws. Three-dimensional orientation of the component and screws was evaluated in postoperative CT scans. The difference between the preoperative plan and the result was then calculated. No technical difficulties or complications occurred. The mean absolute difference between the planned alignment and the postoperative placement of the glenoid component in the three-dimensional space was 3.4 mm (SD = 1 mm). The total average difference for all screws (N = 10) was 6.3° (SD = 3.2°). A CT-based custom glenoid component alignment can reliably guide the placement of the glenoid component during conventional and reverse TSA. This custom jig may be useful for optimizing glenoid component position in the setting of reverse and TSA. IV.
Cognitive Scripting and Sexual Identification: Essentialism, Anarchism, and Constructionism

Building on insights from Zerubavel's (1991) version of cognitive sociology and Gagnon and Simon's (1974) sexual scripting theory, this study describes a “cognitive scripting” model of identity, outlining three ideal typical cultural scenarios of sexual identification as an example. Employing a variety of data sources—including participant observation, informal interviews, and popular and scholarly media—each type is distinguished through its conceptions of ontology, classification, and temporal continuity. Finally, individuals' interpersonal and intrapsychic negotiations of competing cognitive paradigms are explored.
Rat Gastrointestinal Tissues Metabolize Quercetin

Quercetin and quercetin glycosides from food or dietary supplements appear in body tissues almost exclusively as glucuronated, sulfated, and methylated quercetin conjugates, suggesting that the in vivo bioactivity of quercetin may be due to its metabolites. In this study, pre- and postabsorptive metabolism of orally ingested quercetin was examined by comparing the metabolite pattern in gastrointestinal (GI) tissues, contents, and internal tissues. F344 rats (n = 6) were fed for 6 wk a diet containing 0.45% quercetin and the metabolite patterns were determined in the tissues and contents of stomach, small intestine, cecum, and colon and in liver, kidney, and plasma using LC-MS/MS. GI contents contained predominantly unmetabolized quercetin at 94-100%, whereas quercetin in GI tissues was present as 11 different sulfated, glucuronated, and methylated metabolites at 32% in stomach, 88% in small intestine, 27% in cecum, and 46% in colon. Quercetin was further metabolized postabsorption and found in liver, kidney, and plasma almost exclusively as sulfated methyl-quercetin glucuronide. The unique pattern of quercetin metabolites in each GI tissue indicates extensive biotransformation before absorption and distribution in rats.
Outer loop power control using channel-adaptive processing for 3G WCDMA

In power control systems for wide-band code division multiple-access (WCDMA), the outer loop power control (OLPC) algorithm initially sets a target signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) based on the required target block error rate (BLER), assuming a particular channel condition. A mismatch between the BLER and the target SIR usually results since the actual and assumed channel conditions are rarely the same. This mismatch tends to be especially large at very low BLERs. The OLPC depends on cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs) and often takes a long time to converge to the required target SIR for low target BLERs. In this paper, a channel-adaptive algorithm is presented that controls the target SIR for downlink transmission in WCDMA TDD. The proposed algorithm characterizes the multipath channel profile using predefined multipath channel patterns and compensates for the channel/mapping errors. Link level simulations are conducted in various channel conditions defined by 3GPP and the ITU. The comparison in performance between the channel-adaptive algorithm and the generic "jump algorithm" is illustrated and conclusions are drawn.
Sixth-order magnetic moment of the electron

We have evaluated the contribution of 50 Feynman diagrams of three-photon-exchange type to the electron magnetic moment by two independent methods. The results are mutually consistent and are several times more accurate than previously reported calculations. If we combine the analytic result of Levine and Roskies for 10 diagrams and our numerical result for the remaining 40 diagrams, we obtain the best estimate available at present: $(0.922\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.024)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{(\frac{\ensuremath{\alpha}}{\ensuremath{\pi}})}^{3}$. Including the contribution from the remaining 22 diagrams calculated previously, the complete theoretical prediction for the electron anomaly up to the order ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{3}$ is $\frac{1}{2}\frac{\ensuremath{\alpha}}{\ensuremath{\pi}}\ensuremath{-}0.32848{(\frac{\ensuremath{\alpha}}{\ensuremath{\pi}})}^{2}+(1.195\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.026){(\frac{\ensuremath{\alpha}}{\ensuremath{\pi}})}^{3}$, in fair agreement with the latest experimental result.
The Logistical Session Layer

The Logistical Session Layer is a system to enable enhanced functionality to distributed programming systems. The term Logistical refers to the fact that we enhance the traditional client-server model to allow for intermediate systems which are neither. This system generalizes the notion of caches but represents a cleaner architecture in that it explicitly declares itself to be a session layer protocol.
SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION AS THE AWAKENING OF GLOBAL CONSCIOUSNESS: A DIMENSIONAL SHIFT IN THE TECHNOLOGY OF MIND

Abstract. Great spiritual and philosophical traditions through the ages have sought to tap and articulate the grammar or logic of the fundamental unified field that is the common generative ground of our diverse worldviews, religions, cultures, ideologies, and disciplinary languages. I suggest that we are in the midst of a profound dimensional shift in our rational capacity to process reality, and I seek to articulate the implications of this evolutionary shift to global reason and awakened consciousness for all aspects of our human and rational enterprise. It is clear that we are in the midst of an unprecedented shift in the human condition—a global renaissance that affects every aspect of our cultural lives, self-understanding, experience, and world making. This evolutionary transformation, when seen through the dilated global lens, has been emerging through the ages on a global scale. I suggest that this advance in our technology of mind is of an order of magnitude that is so radical and comprehensive that the very concept of a person, of what it means to be human, of our encounter with Reality, and of all our hermeneutical arts including the sciences are likewise taken to a higher, global, dimension. I explore this emergent grammar of spiritual transformation to global, dialogic, integral, and holistic consciousness, the global awakening of reason, scientific knowing, and the holistic worldview.
Shifting trends in bacterial keratitis in South Florida and emerging resistance to fluoroquinolones

Abstract Objective To study the distribution, current trends, and patterns of resistance to antimicrobial agents of bacterial keratitis isolates in South Florida. Design Retrospective, observational, case series. Participants The microbiology records of all patients with bacterial keratitis seeking treatment at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute from January 1, 1990 through December 31, 1998 were reviewed. Main outcome measures In vitro laboratory minimum inhibitory concentration testing of the corneal isolates to the fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin) and to the aminoglycosides (tobramycin and gentamicin) was performed using the Vitek (Automatic Microbial System Biomerieux Vitek, Inc., Hazelwood, Missouri) method. Results During this 9-year period, 2920 consecutive corneal cultures were obtained, and a pathogen was recovered in 1468 cultures (50%). The number of corneal ulcers scraped, positive cultures, recovered bacterial isolates, and ratio of gram-positive to gram-negative isolates per year remained approximately equal throughout the study period. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa represented 19.4% and 25.7%, respectively, of the total bacterial isolates during this period. However, we documented a gradual increase in the number of S. aureus keratitis isolates (29% of gram-positive organisms in 1990 versus 48% in 1998, P = 0.01) coupled with a decrease in the number of P. aeruginosa isolates (54% of gram-negative organisms in 1990 versus 46% in 1998). A decrease in the incidence of contact lens-associated keratitis and P. aeruginosa isolates in this group of patients was documented. Serratia marcescens and P. aeruginosa were most commonly isolated in contact lens-associated keratitis (18% each). There was increasing laboratory resistance of S. aureus keratitis isolates to the fluoroquinolones (11% in 1990 to 28% in 1998), but resistance patterns to the aminoglycosides remained unchanged. There was a three-fold increase in the percentage of resistant S. aureus isolates to fluoroquinolones between 1990 and 1994 and between 1995 and 1998. Both fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides exhibited low in vitro effectiveness against P. aeruginosa throughout the study period. Conclusions The increased recovery of S. aureus keratitis isolates and decreased laboratory effectiveness against fluoroquinolones to these pathogens present an important therapeutic challenge.
A neural-network-based space-vector PWM controller for a three-level voltage-fed inverter induction motor drive

A neural-network-based implementation of space-vector modulation (SVM) of a three-level voltage-fed inverter is proposed in this paper that fully covers the linear undermodulation region. A neural network has the advantage of very fast implementation of an SVM algorithm, particularly when a dedicated application-specific IC chip is used instead of a digital signal processor (DSP). A three-level inverter has a large number of switching states compared to a two-level inverter and, therefore, the SVM algorithm to be implemented in a neural network is considerably more complex. In the proposed scheme, a three-layer feedforward neural network receives the command voltage and angle information at the input and generates symmetrical pulsewidth modulation waves for the three phases with the help of a single timer and simple logic circuits. The artificial-neural-network (ANN)-based modulator distributes switching states such that neutral-point voltage is balanced in an open-loop manner. The frequency and voltage can be varied from zero to full value in the whole undermodulation range. A simulated DSP-based modulator generates the data which are used to train the network by a backpropagation algorithm in the MATLAB Neural Network Toolbox. The performance of an open-loop volts/Hz speed-controlled induction motor drive has been evaluated with the ANN-based modulator and compared with that of a conventional DSP-based modulator, and shows excellent performance. The modulator can be easily applied to a vector-controlled drive, and its performance can be extended to the overmodulation region.
Variability in Postural Control With and Without Balance-Based Torso- Weighting in People With Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Controls

Background People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have diminished postural control, and center of pressure (COP) displacement varies more in this population than in healthy controls. Balance-based torso-weighting (BBTW) can improve clinical balance and mobility in people with MS, and exploration using both linear and nonlinear measures of COP may help determine whether BBTW optimizes movement variability. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of BBTW on people with MS and healthy controls during quiet standing. Design This was a quasi-experimental study comparing COP variability between groups, between eye closure conditions, and between weighting conditions in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. Methods Twenty participants with MS and 18 healthy controls stood on a forceplate in 4 conditions: eyes open and closed and with and without BBTW. Linear measures of COP displacement included range and root mean square (RMS). Nonlinear measures included approximate entropy (ApEn) and Lyapunov exponent (LyE). Three-way repeated-measures analyses of variance compared measures across groups and conditions. The association between weighting response and baseline nonlinear variables was examined. When significant associations were found, MS subgroups were created and compared. Results The MS and control groups had significantly different range, RMS, and ApEn values. The eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions had significantly different range and RMS values. Change with weighting correlated with LyE ( r =−.70) and ApEn ( r =−.59). Two MS subgroups, with low and high baseline LyE values, responded to BBTW in opposite directions, with a significant main effect for weighting condition for the LyE variable in the medial-lateral direction. Limitations The small samples and no identification of impairments related to LyE at baseline were limitations of the study. Conclusions The LyE may help differentiate subgroups who respond differently to BBTW. In both subgroups, LyE values moved toward the average of healthy controls, suggesting that BBTW may help optimize movement variability in people with MS.
Identification and mapping of conserved ortholog set (COS) II sequences of cacao and their conversion to SNP markers for marker-assisted selection in Theobroma cacao and comparative genomics studies

Theobroma cacao (cacao) is a tree cultivated in the tropics around the world for its seeds that are the source of both chocolate and cocoa butter. Genetic marker development for marker-assisted selection (MAS) is critical for the success of cacao breeding for disease resistance and yield. To develop conserved ortholog set II (COSII) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for MAS in cacao, we have used three strategies and three types of cacao genetic and sequence data to identify and map 98 cacao COSII genes. The resources available at the time these studies were first undertaken dictated the strategy utilized. For the first strategy, SNPs were identified using cacao expressed sequence tags homologous to COSII sequences. Strategy II utilized a leaf transcriptome of cacao genotype “Matina 1–6” and Strategy III the genomic sequence of a 3-Mb region of “Matina 1–6” linkage group 5 associated with an important quantitative trait locus (QTL) for resistance to black pod. We have identified SNP markers for 83 of the 98 mapped COSII genes, and 19 of these SNP markers co-locate with QTLs. These COSII SNP markers, the first identified for cacao, will be used for genotyping and off-typing in cacao breeding programs and employed for genetic mapping and syntenic studies to trace co-location of genes regulating traits of importance between cacao and other species.
Solubilization of DNA in Bacillus subtilis during recovery from UV-irradiation

Abstract Autoradiography of individual Bacillus subtilis cells in a UV-irradiated population shows that extensive degradation of DNA occurs only in those cells that do not recover the ability to divide and form microcolonies.
DNA-BAR: distinguisher selection for DNA barcoding

Summary: DNA-BAR is a software package for selecting DNA probes (henceforth referred to as distinguishers) that can be used in genomic-based identification of microorganisms. Given the genomic sequences of the microorganisms, DNA-BAR finds a near-minimum number of distinguishers yielding a distinct hybridization pattern for each microorganism. Selected distinguishers satisfy user specified bounds on length, melting temperature and GC content, as well as redundancy and cross-hybridization constraints. Availability: DNA-BAR can be used online through the web interface provided at http://dna.engr.uconn.edu/~software/DNA-BAR/. The open source C code, released under the GNU General Public License, is also available at the above address. Contact: ion@engr.uconn.edu
Economizing on the Sins of Our Past: Cleaning Up Our Hazardous Wastes

Traditional economic analysis suggests that internalization of costs, that is, firms bearing all the social costs of their production, is necessary to achieve social efficiency. This approach has been used to bolster the legal argument that liability should be based on causation. My concern is that the principles of internalization and liability based on causation are playing an excessively dominating role in determining what the most equitable and efficient means are for managing and cleaning up environmental harms.My purpose in this article is threefold. One is to explain some of these economic and legal concepts underlying those policies and the second is to demonstrate how the policies generated by these principles do not adequately or fairly address the problems we face with our risks of environmental harms. My third objective is to propose an alternative basis and solution for coping with the risk of mass environmental harm which I believe is more efficient in its application as well as more equitable . In particular, I focus on the fact that despite the best of regulatory regimes and even the best intentions of corporations, accidents do happen, causing large scale harm even though the probability of its occurrence is extremely small. To hamstring that one unlucky company upon whom the accident has befallen with the full responsibility of remedying an accident can lead to unsatisfactory results. The company may be driven into bankruptcy, leaving its victims uncompensated, the environment still damaged and overall productivity diminished. Furthermore, since the probability of any one firm causing a mass harm is extremely small, every firm is discouraged from undertaking risk reduction research as the research costs exceed the expected value of the harm the firm is at risk of paying, i.e., the value of the harm diminished by the small probability of it occurring.I suggest instead that an industry wide tax be imposed on all firms based on the likelihood of an industrial harm occurring and the level of damage it would cause. This would create a fund to ensure that the resources are available to compensate the victims and correct the damage when an accident does occur. The tax also could be adjusted to provide funds for risk reduction research that all firms in the industry would benefit from and employ.
Neural Networks for Fast Estimation of Social Network Centrality Measures

Centrality measures are extremely important in the analysis of social networks, with applications such as identification of the most influential individuals for effective target marketing. Eigenvector centrality and PageRank are among the most useful centrality measures, but computing these measures can be prohibitively expensive for large social networks. This paper shows that neural networks can be effective in learning and estimating the ordering of vertices in a social network based on these measures, requiring far less computational effort, and proving to be faster than early termination of the power grid method that can be used for computing the centrality measures. Two features describing the size of the social network and two vertex-specific attributes sufficed as inputs to the neural networks, requiring very few hidden neurons.
The harnack inequality for second-order elliptic equations with divergence-free drifts

We consider an elliptic equation with a divergence-free drift b. We prove that an inequality of Harnack type holds under the assumption b ∈ L ∩L where δ > 0. As an application we provide a one sided Liouville’s theorem provided that b ∈ L(R) ∩ L(R).
Natural history: an approach whose time has come, passed, and needs to be resurrected

The development of our understanding of fish and other marine fauna, including my own over several decades, has proceeded from basic natural history to ecologyand evolution, butweoftenneed to return tonatural history to address deficiencies in our attempts tomanagefisheries, conserve habitats, andmodel ecosystems. This resurrection of natural history is still neededbecause of the complex life historyof fish, andmanyothermarine fauna, and the lack of appreciation of shifting baselines in marine environments. These inadequacies are especially evident when we try to address the effects of human influences, e.g. fishing, urbanization, and climate change relative to fisheries management and conservation. A solution lies in the rebirth of natural history studies, especially at “places” such as marine field stations. Long-term monitoring, especially, continues to provide critical insights. All of these approaches are limited by inadequate appreciation and, as a result, funding. The solutions are largely site and investigation specific but would be enhanced by a greater appreciation of the advantages of comprehensive, long-term studies in natural environments, especially with regard to the increasing worldwide emphasis on conservation and habitat restoration.
90 EFFECT OF PRENATAL ARSENIC EXPOSURE ON BEHAVIOR IN MICE

Arsenic, one of the most common environmental contaminants, is found in water, food, and air. Drinking water sources are a main concern because of the concentration of the inorganic forms of arsenic. While much of the research on the impact of arsenic has focused on its carcinogenic potential, several studies have suggested that arsenic poses a threat to human cognitive development. Deficits in learning and memory, particularly hippocampal-dependent tasks, following acute and chronic arsenic exposure have been reported for both rodents and humans. We recently studied hippocampal-dependent learning in adult mice whose mothers consumed 50 parts per billion (ppb) arsenic in drinking water during pregnancy and until offspring weaning. Our studies have found that adult offspring from mouse dams exposed to 50 ppb arsenic throughout pregnancy have a deficit in hippocampal fear-conditioned learning. Further, offspring from mothers who consumed arsenic were more likely to fail in an active avoidance task. These deficits did not appear to be due to a failure in motor activity or in attentive behavior since open field locomotion and novel object exploration were unchanged compared to control mice. These data suggest that prenatal arsenic damages associative pathways in the hippocampus and may result in cognitive deficits. Future work will examine the impact of prenatal arsenic on the signaling pathways within the hippocampus with particular focus on the corticotrophin releasing factor receptor.
Analysis on the Safety in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective To analysis the definition of Adverse Drug Reaction(ADR),and discuss the concept of ADR on Traditional Chinese Medicines(TCMs),and then clear the connotation of the safety on TCMs and achieve the definition and the important several concepts.Methods To use the methods of comparing and literature reviewing systematically, to focus on the affecting factors,to explore the deep reasons and comparing the same aml difference between ADR,ADR on TCMs and the TCMs Safety.Results TCMs Safety is defined as,‘the adverse event(s) to a Traditional Chinese Medicine which is unfavourable to health,and which occurs after using the medicine in man.'The adverse event(s) may be caused by one specific reason and several,but which has the core relationship with the medicine.Conclusion TCMs Safety is a long term scientific issues,how to understand and master which not only has the relation with the modern science and technology,but also is the closer with theories of TCMs.
Artificial Heart and Left Ventricular Assist Devices

We are on the verge of effectively using ventricular assist pumps and total artificial hearts in a large number of patients. Cardiac transplant candidates could be hemodynamically improved and kept alive prior to heart transplantation. Bioengineering capabilities can make life acceptable with a total artificial heart.
Optical Pulse Filtering with Dispersion-Imbalanced Nonlinear Loop Mirrors

The nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) [1] and the nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) [2] have been shown to possess optical switching properties [3] when they are imbalanced by an asymmetric coupler and by an asymmetrically placed gain element, respectively.
Superior Customer Value in the New Economy : Concepts and Cases, Second Edition

Great companies consistently meet and exceed customer desires. Superior Customer Value in the New Economy: Concepts and Cases, Second Edition offers a blueprint for responding effectively to customer demands and for creating the benchmarks common to world-class service companies. The Second Edition elaborates on the latest perspectives of the busin
The method and application of electric energy meter status evaluation fused security region

With the large-scale application of smart meter, for the needs of electric energy meter status evaluation and present situation of the large number of low-voltage electric energy meter and long time interval for the operational information collection, this paper present a method of electric energy meter status evaluation fused security region. Though analyzing the common factors that affect power metering accuracy and status, designed of the security domain model and evaluation system based on the status assessment algorithm in the virtual load network, got the key factors affecting the reliability of energy metering, and given the status evaluation, improve the accuracy of status evaluation, according to the result can dynamically guidance of the site inspection and adjust the cycle of rotation of the meter.
Toward a Cognitive Processing Theory of Player's Experience of Computer Mediated Environments

There is a large body of work in psychology demonstrating that aesthetic pleasure is a function of the perceiver's cognitive processing dynamics [6]. The current work aims to develop a theoretical account of the processing dynamics players experience in interacting with computer mediated environments. The present paper integrates the latest theories in Cognitive Science viewing the brain as a Bayesian hierarchical predictive machine, and develops insights into the presence illusion experienced in VR and other representational medium. Clark's [3] Bayesian hierarchical predictive processing theory indicates that reuse and redeployment of existing neuronal circuits would both be expected and would be a common and highly effective method to make (re)use of scarce cognitive resources. In the hierarchical predictive view of cognition, higher levels of the hierarchy have the goal of reducing prediction error on the generated error signals. We propose that users automatically adapt (typically lower) their expectations at the onset of interactions with virtual environments or other computer mediated environments. In the process of interaction, mismatches between expected and actual signals produce prediction errors and lead to jagged processing fluency. Processing fluency is not presence, but presence entails processing fluency.
Voltage-controlled oscillators based on optically injected semiconductor lasers

A microwave voltage-controlled oscillator is demonstrated using an optically injected semiconductor laser enabling tuning from 5–15 GHz in 10 ns with a voltage change of 600 mV; a tuning rate of ∼ 1 × 1018 Hz/sec.
Anti-FcγRIIB mAb suppresses murine IgG-dependent anaphylaxis by Fc domain targeting of FcγRIII

Background The inhibitory receptor FcγRIIB is expressed on human and murine bone marrow–derived cells and limits inflammation by suppressing signaling through stimulatory receptors. Objective We sought to evaluate the effects of K9.361, a mouse IgG 2a alloantibody to mouse FcγRIIB, on murine anaphylaxis. Methods Wild-type and FcγR-deficient mice were used to study anaphylaxis, which was induced by injection of 2.4G2 (rat IgG 2b mAb that binds both FcγRIIB and the stimulatory receptor FcγRIII), by actively immunizing IgE-deficient mice and then challenging with the immunizing antigen, and by passive immunization with IgG or IgE anti–2,4,6-trinitrophenyl mAb, followed by injection of 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl–ovalbumin. Pretreatment with K9.361 was assessed for its ability to influence anaphylaxis. Results Unexpectedly, K9.361 injection induced mild anaphylaxis, which was both FcγRIIB and FcγRIII dependent and greatly enhanced by β-adrenergic blockade. K9.361 injection also decreased expression of stimulatory Fcγ receptors, especially FcγRIII, and strongly suppressed IgG-mediated anaphylaxis without strongly affecting IgE-mediated anaphylaxis. The F(ab′) 2 fragment of K9.361 did not induce anaphylaxis, even after β-adrenergic blockade, and did not deplete FcγRIII or suppress IgG-mediated anaphylaxis but prevented intact K9.361-induced anaphylaxis without diminishing intact K9.36 suppression of IgG-mediated anaphylaxis. Conclusion Cross-linking FcγRIIB to stimulatory FcγRs through the Fc domains of an anti-FcγRIIB mAb induces and then suppresses IgG-mediated anaphylaxis without affecting IgE-mediated anaphylaxis. Because IgG- and IgE-mediated anaphylaxis can be mediated by the same cell types, this suggests that desensitization acts at the receptor rather than cellular level. Sequential treatment with the F(ab′) 2 fragment of anti-FcγRIIB mAb followed by intact anti-FcγRIIB safely prevents IgG-mediated anaphylaxis.
INBORN ERRORS, INBORN PREDISPOSITIONS, AND NORMAL VARIATION: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH

Many biochemical abnormalities have been found in patients with psychiatric disease, but their significance has been questioned because they did not correlate closely with specific psychiatric syndromes. However, modern genetic studies have demonstrated biochemical heterogeneity, not only in clinically normal individuals but often among patients with well-recognized inborn errors of metabolism. Consideration of these data and of newer concepts of psychiatric diagnosis support the potential significance of biochemical and other biological abnormalities which have already been described in psychiatric patients.
A GREEN's FORMULA FOR WEAK SOLUTIONS OF VARIATIONAL PROBLEMS

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the Greens formula for weak solutions of variational problems. Weak solutions of certain operator equations can be characterized by partial differential equations together with natural or variational boundary conditions. It discusses the way in which this arises in a classical treatment of the Neumann problem. The chapter discusses the way in which an elementary extension of Greens formula is useful in problems without regularity. The extension has little to do with linearity and applies as well to nonlinear operator equations and inequalities.
Group Representations and Unbounded Operators

Among a number of important developments emerging from the foregoing discussions none is more logical and significant than the extension of spectral theory to unbounded operators, and related developments in group-representation theory. The theorem of Stone, giving the structure of the general one-parameter continuous unitary group on a Hilbert space, connects with both these matters and is intrinsically important. Its analogs for groups which are either compact or locally compact Abelian are central for harmonic analysis on these groups.
Assessing the effectiveness of nutrition interventions implemented among US college students to promote healthy behaviors: A systematic review

Background:Nutrition interventions are used to increase knowledge, change attitudes and beliefs about healthy eating, to increase skills, and promote healthy eating.Aims:To review the effectiveness...
Electrochemical study of magnetic nanogel designed for controlled release of chlorhexidine gluconate

Abstract Intensive care is required for patient with higher degree of burns as they are prone to sepsis mortality. Topical antimicrobials/antiseptics are the conventional treatment of choice with each having its limitation in terms of toxicity and effectiveness. Magnetic nanogel have long been studied for in vivo drug delivery in cancer treatment. Inspired by fact that incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles will enhance the antimicrobial properties of nanogel, we developed a chitosan-gelatin based polymer with dispersed magnetic Cobalt iron oxide nanoparticles for controlled release of chlorhexidine gluconate. MNPs were synthesized by co-precipitation method and confirmation of CoFe2O4 phase was done with XRD analysis. Nanogel was fabricated by solution casting method and further characterization to determine drug interaction with polymer and MNPs was performed using Fourier Transformed Infra-Red Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Electroanalytical methods including Cyclic Voltammetry, Square Wave Voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. Results of the study indicate that electrochemical nature of nanogel is pH dependent and the drug release can be induced at pH ranging from 6 to 7. Findings of this study highlight potential of the synthesized nanogel in developing burn care treatment that enables on demand drug release in response to sepsis with changing pH and can be integrated with detection system due to the presence of MNPs in it.
Method for Vertical Calibration of Laser-Projection Transnasal Fiberoptic High-Speed Videoendoscopy.

Summary The ability to provide absolute calibrated measurement of the laryngeal structures during phonation is of paramount importance to voice science and clinical practice. Calibrated three-dimensional measurement could provide essential information for modeling purposes, for studying the developmental aspects of vocal fold vibration, for refining functional voice assessment and treatment outcomes evaluation, and for more accurate staging and grading of laryngeal disease. Recently, a laser-calibrated transnasal fiberoptic endoscope compatible with high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) and capable of providing three-dimensional measurements was developed. The optical principle employed is to project a grid of 7 × 7 green laser points across the field of view (FOV) at an angle relative to the imaging axis, such that (after calibration) the position of each laser point within the FOV encodes the vertical distance from the tip of the endoscope to the laryngeal tissues. The purpose of this study was to develop a precise method for vertical calibration of the endoscope. Investigating the position of the laser points showed that, besides the vertical distance, they also depend on the parameters of the lens coupler, including the FOV position within the image frame and the rotation angle of the endoscope. The presented automatic calibration method was developed to compensate for the effect of these parameters. Statistical image processing and pattern recognition were used to detect the FOV, the center of FOV, and the fiducial marker. This step normalizes the HSV frames to a standard coordinate system and removes the dependence of the laser-point positions on the parameters of the lens coupler. Then, using a statistical learning technique, a calibration protocol was developed to model the trajectories of all laser points as the working distance was varied. Finally, a set of experiments was conducted to measure the accuracy and reliability of every step of the procedure. The system was able to measure absolute vertical distance with mean percent error in the range of 1.7% to 4.7%, depending on the working distance.
Hepatic IKKε expression is dispensable for high-fat feeding-induced increases in liver lipid content and alterations in glucose tolerance

There are endocrine and immunological changes that occur during onset and progression of the overweight and obese states. The inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB kinase-e (IKKe) was originally described...
Timing and distribution of early renal cell carcinoma recurrences stratified by pathological nodal status in M0 patients at the time of nephrectomy

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the timing and distribution of first renal cell carcinoma metastasis after nephrectomy stratified by nodal status. METHODS We evaluated patients treated with nephrectomy for sporadic, unilateral renal cell carcinoma between 1970 and 2011 who subsequently developed distant metastasis to three or fewer sites. Site-specific metastases-free 2-year survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Associations of nodal status with time to metastasis were evaluated using multivariable Cox regression models. RESULTS A total of 1049 patients met the inclusion criteria (135 pN1, 914 pN0/x patients). The median time to identification of first distant metastasis for pN1 patients was 0.4 years (interquartile range 0.2-1.1 years) versus 2.2 years (interquartile range 0.6-6.0 years) in pN0/x patients. The most common site of metastasis was to the lung, but this occurred earlier in pN1 patients (median 0.3 years vs 2.0 years). pN1 was associated with significantly lower site-specific 2-year metastases-free survival when compared with pN0/x for lung (37% vs 70%, P < 0.001), bone (63% vs 87%, P < 0.001), non-regional lymph nodes (60% vs 96%, P < 0.001) and liver metastases (79% vs 91%, P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, pN1 status remained significantly associated with lung, bone, and non-regional lymph node (all P < 0.001) metastases, but it was no longer associated with liver metastases (P = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS pN1 nodal status in M0 patients treated with nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma is associated with more frequent early metastasis to sites conferring poor prognosis when compared with pN0/x. Our findings highlight the importance of rigorous, early surveillance though the multimodal use of a comprehensive history, physical, laboratory and radiological studies, as outlined in societal guidelines.
Induced differentiation of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells to monocyte/macrophages is inhibited by hydroquinone, a hematotoxic metabolite of benzene

Chronic exposure of humans to benzene has been shown to have a cytotoxic effect on hematopoietic progenitor cells in intermediate stages of differentiation, which can lead to aplastic anemia and acute myelogenous leukemia. We studied the effect of hydroquinone (HQ), a toxic metabolite of benzene found in the bone marrow, on the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60), which can be induced to differentiate to both monocyte and myeloid cells, and thus has been used as a surrogate for a granulocyte/macrophage progenitor cell. Exposure of HL-60 cells to noncytotoxic concentrations of HQ for 3 hours before induction with phorbol myristate acetate (TPA) caused a dose-dependent inhibition of the acquisition of characteristics of monocytic differentiation, such as adherence, nonspecific esterase (NSE) activity, and phagocytosis, but had no effect on cell proliferation. HQ appeared to be affecting maturation beyond the monoblast/promonocyte stages. HQ also prevented differentiation induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3]; however, the block occurred after the acquisition of adherence. HQ at concentrations that inhibited monocytic differentiation had no effect on differentiation to granulocytes, suggesting that the block in the differentiation of these bipotential cells is a step unique to the monocytic pathway. HQ was unable to prevent differentiation induced by the macrophage-derived cytokine, interleukin (IL)-1, a differentiation factor for cells of the monocytic lineage.
Is clinical effectiveness in the eye of the beholder during the COVID-19 pandemic?

There is no shortage of cliches being used during the current global pandemic, but none is more striking than the Hippocratic aphorism ‘for extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure’ or, in its modern variants, ‘for desperate times, desperate measures’ or even, ‘take it! What do you have to lose?’. The current crisis has challenged the erroneous perception that threats to global public health by rapidly spreading infectious diseases were under control. COVID-19 is indeed an extreme disease, not in its nature but due to its global reach and the level of social disruption it is causing. The extent of the direct and indirect adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global socioeconomic structures is yet to be ascertained but will probably have systemic and long-lasting repercussions. In these challenging times, we must consider drastic measures to ensure that clinical practice continues to be rooted in sound evidence. Contrary to those fighting to control the 1918 influenza pandemic, we have at our disposal a body of methodological knowledge to conduct rapid and efficient clinical trials. Furthermore, innovations in information technology, computing and telecommunications have made economic globalisation a reality and enabled a previously unimaginable level of global interconnectedness. As with other sectors of society, science and medicine have significantly benefited from the almost instantaneous speed of communication between different parties involved in medical research, fostering collaboration and information dissemination. It is thus essential, at a time when global public health response …
Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)

This essay explains in practical terms what Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) means in the context of a law school curriculum and why a law school may want to implement a WAC requirement. It also explains how to create, implement, and maintain a robust WAC requirement within a law school.
LINKING TIME-DEPENDENT CARBON-FIXATION EFFICIENCIES IN DUNALIELLA TERTIOLECTA (CHLOROPHYCEAE) TO UNDERLYING METABOLIC PATHWAYS(1).

The chl-specific short-term (14) C-based production (P(b) ) measurement is a widely used tool to understand phytoplankton responses to environmental stresses. However, among the metabolic consequences of these stresses is variability in lifetimes of newly fixed carbon that cause P(b) to range between chl-specific net primary production (NPP*) and chl-specific gross photosynthetic electron flow that is available for carbon reduction () depending on growth rate. To investigate the basis for this discrepancy, photosynthate utilization was characterized in Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher grown at three different growth rates in N-limited chemostats. P(b) was measured throughout a 2 min to 24 h time course and showed clear growth-rate-dependent differences in lifetimes of newly fixed carbon. (14) C pulse-chase experiments revealed differences in patterns of carbon utilization between growth rates. At high growth rate, the majority of (14) C was initially fixed into polysaccharide and lipid, but the relative contribution of each labeled biochemical pool to the total label changed over 24 h. In fast-growing cells, labeled polysaccharides decreased 50%, while labeled lipids increased over the first 4 h. At low growth rate, (14) C was initially incorporated primarily into protein, but the contribution of labeled protein to the total label increased over the next 24 h. Together, time-resolved measurements of P(b) and cellular NAD and NADP content suggest an enhanced role for alternative dissipation pathways at very low growth rate. Findings of this study contribute to an integrated understanding of growth-rate-dependent shifts in metabolic processes from photosynthesis to net growth.