cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Neurobiology of Some Dimensions of Personality

Publisher Summary This chapter describes personality to neurobiological processes, which integrates personality and neurobiology. One consequence of the dimensional approach to personality has been the tendency to regard abnormalities of behavior as extreme manifestations of selected groups of traits. While neurotics, individuals with anxiety disorders, and other diagnostic groups continue to be treated within the medical model as qualitatively distinct groups of individuals, there is growing recognition of the view that these disorders are mostly exacerbations of more consistent, long-standing personality tendencies that are measurable along dimensions such as neuroticism or anxiety. The intensive study of the limbic systems and their psychopharmacology led to the next advance in biological personality theory. A great deal of research has explored the role of the bioamines and their regulating enzymes in various psychiatric disorders but little is done to relate the biochemistry of the monoamine systems to personality dimensions in normals.
Nanostructuring of Strontium Hexaboride via Lithiation

We describe the top-down nanostructuring of a metal boride using SrB6 as an example. To accomplish this transformation, we demonstrate (1) the direct lithiation of a metal boride using n-butyllithium and then (2) the reactive disassembly of Li-SrB6 into nanoparticles using water. The identity of the Li-SrB6 intermediate, a mixture of Li2B6, LixSr1-2xB6, and SrB6 phases, was established by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), solid-state 11B and 7Li NMR, transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The necessary 2Li+/Sr2+ substitution is enabled by cation mobility within the hexaboride lattice. The subsequent reaction with water results in Li2B6 decomposition and the release of <100 nm SrB6 nanoparticles, which were characterized by PXRD, solid-state 11B and 7Li NMR, and high-resolution TEM. This chemistry opens new solution-based modification and processing options for metal borides.
Hearing health across a lifespan: Hearing screening from cradle to grave

The 2016 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report “Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability” included a call to action for government agencies to strengthen efforts to collect, analyze, and disseminate population-based data on hearing loss in adults. In partial response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed the most recent available data collected both by questionnaire and audiometric tests of participants aged 20–69 years in the 2011–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine the presence of audiometric notches indicative of noise-induced hearing loss. Prevalence of both unilateral and bilateral audiometric notches and their association with self-reported exposure to loud noise were calculated. Nearly one in four adults had audiometric notches, suggesting a high prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss. The prevalence of notches was higher among males. Almost one in four U.S. adults who repor...
Trends in linoleic acid intake in the United States adult population: NHANES 1999–2014

Linoleic acid (LA), the primary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the US diet, is an essential fatty acid. LA is available from a wide variety of foods, although it is primarily sourced from plant seed oils. Individual-level data on demography and food and nutrient intake were acquired from the NHANES waves 1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2011-2012, and 2013-2014. Mean daily intake of (LA) was estimated for each survey wave overall, and by age, gender, educational attainment, race/ethnicity, and income-to-poverty ratio. Linear temporal (1999-2014) trends in LA intake were estimated using univariate linear regression tests, with P < 0.05 and a two-tailed distribution. We found that US adults meet intake recommendation for LA and observed a trend of increasing intake of LA in the US overall and by sub-categories of age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, and income-to-poverty ratio.
La Commedia di Dante nell’editoria del seicento

Sebbene la concezione del Seicento italiano come ‘secolo senza Dante’ sia stata superata dalle indagini piu recenti, la scarsita di stampe della Commedia nel xvii secolo resta un dato evidente. Que...
Partial Reset Methodology and Experiments for Improving Random-Pattern Testability and BIST of Sequential Circuits

Partial reset has been shown to have significant impact on test generation for sequential circuits in a stored-pattern test application environment. In this paper, we explore the use of partial reset in fault-independent testing and built-in self-test (BIST) of non-scan sequential circuits. We select a subset of flip-flops in the circuit to be resetable to logic one or zero during the application of the test vectors. The resetting is performed with random frequency. The selection of the flip-flops and the reset polarity is based on fault-propagation analysis, which determines the impact of a selected flip-flop on fault propagation from the circuits structure. Application of partial reset as described above yields an average improvement of 15% in fault-coverage for sequential circuits resistant to random pattern testing. To further enhance testability, we also present a methodology for selecting observable test points based on propagation of switching activity. Overall, high fault coverages (about 97%) are obtained for many of the ISCAS89 benchmark circuits. Thus, partial reset BIST provides a low cost alternative for testing sequential circuits when scan design is unacceptable due to area and/or delay constraints. The routing overhead for implementing BIST is seen to be about 6%.
Broadening Our Conception of Disasters and Their Consequences

The comprehensive study of disasters requires a multidisciplinary perspective. While both the methods and the object of inquiry may have disciplinary overlap, relevant expertise and uses of these methods vary across disciplines. In this chapter we first discuss the disciplinary perspectives that guide this work and on which we build our inference. Second, we introduce and summarize the dataset that was collected and analyzed, forming the backbone of this book.
Observing Cockroaches: An Introduction to the Beast

Pick up a cockroach from its container (large aquarium) and place it in a small jar for individual observation. If you use your hands you will feel a slight pricking sensation from the cockroach’s tarsi (feet); this is caused by stiff claws on the tarsi that facilitate gripping the substratum during walking. In the observation jar the cockroach will probably run about excitedly and then it will calm down and remain in one place. Its next actions dispel the common belief that cockroaches are filthy creatures, for they will most likely groom and clean all legs, antennae and other parts of the body. What is the cockroach cleaning from its body?
Selection of the Optimal Inspection Precision Level for a Complete Inspection Plan

Due to the advances in automated manufacturing systems and automatic inspection equipment, 100% inspection has recently drawn increased attention. Consider such an inspection plan, where all the outgoing items are subject to inspection by variables. If ..
Independence and Changes in the Size Distribution of Income

It has been suggested that the size distribution of income follows a pure random walk. If true, this has serious implications for the effectiveness of U.S. Government income transfer policies. In this paper the random walk hypothesis is addressed by examining whether changes in the size distribution of income are independent. Conventional linear second-order time series analysis suggests that the first differenced series indeed are white noise processes. Results obtained with Mizrach’s SNT test, based on developments in the recent literature on nonlinear dynamics, strongly reject the independence null for changes in each of the income inequality measures examined. While this suggests that year-to-year shifts in the income distribution are not random, it does not show that U.S. Government income redistribution policies have been either efficient or effective.
Factors associated with proximal femur fracture determined in a large cadaveric cohort.

Abstract Many researchers have used cadaveric fracture tests to determine the relationship between proximal femur (hip) fracture strength and a multitude of possible explanatory variables, typically considered one or two at a time. These variables include subject-specific proximal femur variables such as femoral neck areal bone mineral density (aBMD), sex, age, and geometry, as well as physiological hip fracture event variables such as fall speed and angle of impact. However, to our knowledge, no study has included all of these variables simultaneously in the same experimental dataset. To address this gap, the present study simultaneously included all of these subject-specific and fracture event variables in multivariate models to understand their contributions to femoral strength and fracture type. The primary aim of this study was to determine not only whether each of these variables contributed to the prediction of femoral strength, but also to determine the relative importance of each variable in strength prediction. A secondary aim was to similarly characterize the importance of these variables for the prediction of fracture type. To accomplish these aims, we characterized 197 proximal femurs (covering a wide range of subject-specific variables) with DXA and CT scans, and then tested the femurs to fracture in a sideways fall on the hip configuration. Each femur was tested using one of three fall speed conditions and one of four angles of impact (bone orientations). During each test, we acquired measurements of relevant force and displacement data. We then reduced the test data to determine femoral strength, and we used post-fracture CT scans to classify the fracture type (e.g., trochanteric, cervical). Using these results, the explanatory variables were analyzed with mixed statistical models to explain variations in hip fracture strength and fracture type, respectively. Five explanatory variables were statistically significant in explaining the variability in femoral strength: aBMD, sex, age, fall speed, and neck-shaft angle (P ≤ 0.0135). These five variables, including significant interactions, explained 80% of the variability in hip fracture strength. Additionally, when only aBMD, sex, and age (P
Ecological and economic indicators for measuring erosion control services provided by ecosystems

Abstract The physical process of soil erosion leads to a range of impacts – both onsite and offsite – such as land degradation, nutrient depletion and sedimentation, which in turn affect different economic sectors that are reliant on productive capacity of land and aquatic resources. This erosion process is highly moderated by undisturbed natural ecosystems through physical and geochemical means. However, methods to quantify these linkages are scarce. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate an analytical framework for physical measurements and economic valuation of erosion control services provided by forested ecosystems. The article is divided into two parts: the first part deals with physical measurements of onsite and offsite erosion control services, and in the second part various economic valuation methods for different beneficiary groups are discussed. Ecosystem services are divided according to three beneficiary groups: (1) private benefits to farmers, (2) benefits to businesses, and (3) societal benefits. The article concludes with implications, challenges and future directions.
Sphingomonas paucimobilis-related bone and soft-tissue infections: A systematic review

Abstract Background Sphingomonas paucimobilis is an emerging opportunistic bacterium with a particular tropism toward bones and soft tissues. It is a gram-negative rod that can infect immunosuppressed or immunocompetent individuals in the community or hospital settings. Prognosis of infected patients is generally good, but morbidity and mortality cases have both been documented. Objectives To present and discuss all reported Sphingomonas paucimobilis-mediated bone and soft-tissue infections, and shed light upon the relevance of this organism in orthopaedic surgery. Data sources Pubmed and Cochrane Library. Study eligibility criteria Studies reporting at least one human bone or soft-tissue infection due to Sphingomonas paucimobilis. Results Ten articles describing 19 patients met the inclusion criteria. Common infections included osteomyelitis, cellulitis, and septic arthritis. Fifteen patients (78.9%) had community-acquired diseases. All patients were successfully treated with antibiotic therapy and only one (5.3%) had a residual complication. Limitations The study included a small sample size presenting with bone or soft-tissue infections. Some cases had lacking data. Conclusion Despite being associated with a good prognosis in most cases, Sphingomonas paucimobilis-related orthopaedic infections may exhibit some complications.
Changing orientations to heritage language: The practice-based ideology of Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora families

The notion of heritage language (HL) has recently been challenged by emerging orientations to language. That languages are always in contact, they are constructed by ideologies, and they don’t have an ontological status challenge traditional notions of HL as primordial, pure, and territorialized. In this article, I draw from data from a qualitative inquiry adopting observations, surveys, and interviews on how families of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora community in UK, USA, and Canada define heritage language and competence. I focus specifically on interview data to unveil the language ideologies of community members relating to heritage language and identity. For them, competence means having the ability to align Tamil verbal resources strategically with multimodal semiotic resources and spatial repertoires to accomplish social and cultural communicative activities. For this objective, being proficient in fragmentary verbal resources, receptive and/or conversational skills, low diglossic Tamil, and informal register are deemed satisfactory. Therefore the corpus that is considered as HL is also changing in diaspora contexts to accommodate appropriations from other languages, and metonymic uses, which develop shared indexicality for the community. I label these assumptions as constituting a practice-based ideology of HL. Such an orientation will help us understand HL as a socially constructed and changing construct, while affirming its importance for migrant communities.
The Evolutionary Buffet Method.

Within the field of Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) a variety computational substrates with the power to find solutions to a large variety of problems have been described. Research has specialized on different computational substrates that each excel in different problem domains. For example, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) (Russell et al., Artificial intelligence: a modern approach, vol 2. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 2003) have proven effective at classification, Genetic Programs (by which we mean mathematical tree-based genetic programming and will abbreviate with GP) (Koza, Stat Comput 4:87–112, 1994) are often used to find complex equations to fit data, Neuro Evolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT) (Stanley and Miikkulainen, Evolut Comput 10:99–127, 2002) is good at robotics control problems (Cully et al., Nature 521:503, 2015), and Markov Brains (MB) (Edlund et al., PLoS Comput Biol 7:e1002,236, 2011; Marstaller et al., Neural Comput 25:2079–2107, 2013; Hintze et al., Markov brains: a technical introduction. arXiv:1709.05601, 2017) are used to test hypotheses about evolutionary behavior (Olson et al., J R Soc Interf 10:20130,305, 2013) (among many other examples). Given the wide range of problems and vast number of computational substrates practitioners of GA and AI face the difficulty that every new problem requires an assessment to find an appropriate computational substrates and specific parameter tuning to achieve optimal results.
Soil Aggregate Microbial Communities: Towards Understanding Microbiome Interactions at Biologically Relevant Scales

ABSTRACT Soils contain a tangle of minerals, water, nutrients, gases, plant roots, decaying organic matter, and microorganisms which work together to cycle nutrients and support terrestrial plant growth. Most soil microorganisms live in periodically interconnected communities closely associated with soil aggregates, i.e., small (
Till death do us part: Existential loneliness (EL), psychosocial distress, and survival of advanced cancer patients (ACPs), and their spousal caregivers (SCs).

11628Background: Terminally-ill ACP often experience existential suffering as they near the end-of-life. However, the specific impact of EL on ACP and SC psychosocial wellness and survival has yet ...
Faster Transformer Decoding: N-gram Masked Self-Attention

Motivated by the fact that most of the information relevant to the prediction of target tokens is drawn from the source sentence $S=s_1, \ldots, s_S$, we propose truncating the target-side window used for computing self-attention by making an $N$-gram assumption. Experiments on WMT EnDe and EnFr data sets show that the $N$-gram masked self-attention model loses very little in BLEU score for $N$ values in the range $4, \ldots, 8$, depending on the task.
Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) expression in very preterm human lungs: potential relevance for stem cell therapy for bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Background: The axis formed by CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), expressed on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), expressed in recipient organs, is a critic...
Modeling Hypoxia-Induced Neuropathies Using a Fast and Scalable Human Motor Neuron Differentiation System

Summary Human motor neuron (MN) diseases encompass a spectrum of disorders. A critical barrier to dissecting disease mechanisms is the lack of appropriate human MN models. Here, we describe a scalable, suspension-based differentiation system to generate functional human MN diseases in 3 weeks. Using this model, we translated recent findings that mRNA mis-localization plays a role in disease development to the human context by establishing a membrane-based system that allows efficient fractionation of MN cell soma and neurites. In response to hypoxia, used to mimic diabetic neuropathies, MNs upregulated mitochondrial transcripts in neurites; however, mitochondria were decreased. These data suggest that hypoxia may disrupt translation of mitochondrial mRNA, potentially leading to neurite damage and development of neuropathies. We report the development of a novel human MN model system to investigate mechanisms of disease affecting soma and/or neurites that facilitates the rapid generation and testing of patient-specific MN diseases.
An ontology of decision models.

Decision models are essential theoretical tools in the study of choice behavior, but there is little consensus about the best model for describing choice, with different fields and different research programs favoring their own idiosyncratic sets of models. Even within a given field, decision models are seldom studied alongside each other, and insights obtained using 1 model are not typically generalized to others. We present the results of a large-scale computational analysis that uses landscaping techniques to generate a representational structure for describing decision models. Our analysis includes 89 prominent models of risky and intertemporal choice, and results in an ontology of decision models, interpretable in terms of model spaces, clusters, hierarchies, and graphs. We use this ontology to measure the properties of individual models and quantify the relationships between different models. Our results show how decades of quantitative research on human choice behavior can be synthesized within a single representational framework. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
The evolution of cultural competence theories in American (United States) nursing curricula: An integrative review.

Introduction: Baccalaureate nursing students develop cultural competence through curricula of theories and frameworks which evolve to reflect new knowledge, but their synthesis and impact upon health quality outcomes is not known. Methods: A cross-platform literature review was conducted to identify innovation and use of cultural competency theories and frameworks in nursing. Optimal literature included a formal theory, pedagogy, measures, and outcomes, which were then classified and evaluated. Additional perspectives and interventions were reviewed for potential influence on curricula and impact through the lens of integrative review. Results: A shift in theory from essentialism to constructivism has occurred in undergraduate curricula. Challenges to measuring outcomes have been noted. All studies reported positive outcomes but suffer from self-selection, unvalidated instruments, and little to no longitudinal data. Conclusions: Nursing students are exposed to culturally competent care via several validated and canonical frameworks, but self-efficacy and long-term impact have not been assessed.
Visualization and Modeling of Inhibition of IL-1β and TNFα mRNA Transcription at the Single-Cell Level

Abstract IL-1β and TNF-α are canonical immune response mediators that play key regulatory roles in a wide range of inflammatory responses to both chronic and acute conditions. Here we employ an automated microscopy platform for the analysis of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of IL-1β and TNF-α at the single-cell level. The amount of IL-1β and TNF-α mRNA expressed in a human monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) is visualized and counted using single-molecule fluorescent in-situ hybridization (smFISH) following exposure of the cells to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an outer-membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria. We show that the small molecule inhibitors MG132 (a 26S proteasome inhibitor used to block NF-κB signaling) and U0126 (a MAPK Kinase inhibitor used to block CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins C/EBP) successfully block IL-1β and TNF-α mRNA expression. Based upon this single-cell mRNA expression data, we screened 36 different mathematical models of gene expression, and found two similar models that capture the effects by which the drugs U0126 and MG132 affect the rates at which the genes transition into highly activated states. When their parameters were informed by the action of each drug independently, both models were able to predict the effects of the combined drug treatment. From our data and models, we postulate that IL-1β is activated by both NF-κB and C/EBP, while TNF-α is predominantly activated by NF-κB. Our combined single-cell experimental modeling efforts shows the interconnection between these two genes and demonstrates how the single-cell responses, including the distribution shapes, mean expression, and kinetics of gene expression, change with inhibition.
Optimization Assisted Discovery of a Conductance Based Neuronal Network Model for the Elementary Motion Detector

We present a general optimization procedure that given a parameterized network of nonspiking compartmental model neurons, tunes the parameters to elicit a desired network behavior. We then apply the procedure to the elementary motion detector (EMD) problem. Central to established theoretical models of the EMD, the Hassenstein-Reichardt and Barlow-Levick detectors, are delay lines whose outputs from spatially separated locations are prescribed to be nonlinearly integrated with the direct outputs to engender direction selectivity. The neural implementation of the delay lines has thus far remained elusive. Assisted by the optimization procedure, we construct a network consistent with the connectivity architecture and physiology of the Drosophila optic lobe, that demonstrates that the requisite delay and the concomitant direction selectivity can emerge from the nonlinear dynamics of small recurrent networks of neurons with simple tonically active synapses.
How do members of the public and wildlife managers understand living with wildlife versus coexisting with wildlife

‘Coexisting with wildlife’ and ‘living with wildlife’ are commonly used in communication efforts designed to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. However, there is little information on how the publi...
Toward fully integrated nonlinear photonics

Two key advances recently made toward integrated nonlinear photonic circuits are presented, including an ultra-efficient (Aluminium) Gallium Arsenide on insulator nonlinear platform, and integrated turnkey soliton microcombs. © 2020 The Author(s)
Investing for Impact

We study joint financing between profit-motivated and socially motivated (impact) investors and derive conditions under which impact investments improve social outcomes. When project owners cannot commit to social objectives, impact investors hold financial claims to counterbalance owners’ tendencies to overemphasize profits. Impact investors’ ownership stakes are higher when the value of social output is higher, and pure nonprofit status may be optimal for the highest valued social projects. We provide guidance about the design of contingent social contracts, such as social impact bonds and social impact guarantees.Received May 23, 2016; editorial decision April 28, 2018 by Editor Francesca Cornelli. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Central Bank Digital Currencies and the Role of Central Banks: Evolving Payment Systems in the Digital Era

In accentuating the role of central banks in the future and current payments system, this presentation aims to highlights why central banks do not only serve as channels through which risks attributed to the growing popularity and use of crypto asset platforms can be mitigated, but also why they serve to facilitate a more efficient and reliable system of payment which not only confers trust in money but also fosters corporate governance practices. Further, by way of reference to The “Hybrid private-public partnership CBDC” and the complementary and facilitating roles of CBDCs , public and private sectors, the road and pathway to greater innovative capabilities and possibilities is illustrated.
The application of regenerative medicine in colorectal surgery.

Abstract Tissue reconstruction and regeneration represent one of the greatest challenges in any surgical field. Regenerative medicine combined with stem cell–based therapy is a novel and promising field of medicine. Stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into specialized cells and to decrease inflammation and therefore can play a role in repair or regeneration of damaged tissues. Colorectal surgery often deals with infected, poorly vascularized, radiated, and inflamed tissue, as well as instances where imperfect healing might have grave implications. This problem has led researchers to study utilizing stem cells in many colorectal conditions, such as anastomotic healing, perianal fistulae, rectovaginal fistulae, anal fissure, and fecal incontinence. The purpose of this review was to discuss prominent studies that explored stem cells utilization in treating different colorectal pathologies.
High Efficient Genome Modification by Designed Zinc Finger Nuclease

Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are engineered artificial nucleases for inducing site-specific DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at the genomic loci of interest. There are two major DNA repair mechanisms in plant cells: nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). Repair of the DNA DSBs can lead to different genome modifications, such as targeted mutagenesis or chromosomal deletions by NHEJ, and gene targeting by HR. Thanks to the recent improvement on ZFN-engineering platforms, diverse ZFN-mediated genome modifications have been achieved in different plant species, such as Arabidopsis, tobacco, petunia, maize, and soybean. The frequencies of ZFN-mediated genome modifications are typically high in somatic cells, but quite low in germinal cells. In order to fully empower ZFNs in plant genome engineering, the challenges such as low germinal transmission frequencies and cellular cytotoxicity will need to be addressed in the near future.
The Changing Bariatric Surgery Landscape in the USA

The growth of bariatric surgery in the USA followed the adoption of gastric bypass (RYGB). The recent introduction of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) has been met with wide adoption. A single state report suggests that the popularity of SG has surpassed that of RYGB. Our study aimed to assess the nationwide changes in trend of bariatric procedures performed, using data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2010 to 2013. In this cohort of 74,790 bariatric patients, there was a significant difference in trend between laparoscopic RYGB and SG. By 2013, SG was the most common bariatric procedure performed (49.4 %). This report underlines the exponential adoption of SG and aims to alert patients, physicians, and funding agencies of the need for longitudinal prospective long-term data.
Trunk extensor muscle function in young and old women: A pilot study1

The purpose of this study was to document age-related alterations in trunk extensor strength and to compare these to changes in knee extensor strength over varying angles of muscle contraction. A secondary purpose was to compare age-related changes in trunk extensor endurance while statistically correcting for torso mass differences. Eighteen older (70 ± 7.3 years) and fifteen younger (22.1 ± 4.6 years) women volunteered for the study. Torso mass and trunk extension endurance (Modified- Sorenson test) were also evaluated. The results suggested that age-related torque production was both angle and muscle group dependent. Younger adults were 29% stronger in the knee and 23% stronger in the trunk extensors. Furthermore, the difference between age groups in knee extensor strength was 2.30 Nm/kg at 78 ◦ , but only 0.47 Nm/kg at 6 ◦ of knee flexion. This angle discrepancy was not evident in the trunk extensors. Following torso mass correction, trunk extension endurance time did not differ between ages (Young: 160.4 ± 65.8 vs. Old: 159.5 ± 71.9 sec, p = 0.99). Our study suggests that the elderly should focus on improving trunk extension strength rather than endurance. Also, knee extensor strength exercises should be emphasized between 60 ◦ and 108 ◦ of knee flexion in the elderly to combat the age-related loss of lower extremity strength.
Measurement of the ionization and scintillation yield of nuclear recoils in liquid xenon

The XENON experiment uses liquid xenon as target and detector to look for dark matter weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) through their elastic scattering off Xe nuclei. With a fiducial mass of 1000 kg of liquid xenon, a sufficiently low threshold of 16 keV recoil energy and an un-rejected background rate of 10 events per year, XENON would be sensitive to a WIMP-nucleon interaction cross section of /spl sim/ 10/sup -46/ cm/sup 2/, for WIMPs with masses above 50 GeV. Using time projection chambers operating in dual (liquid/gas) phase, XENON simultaneously detects the ionization, through secondary scintillation in the gas, and primary scintillation in the liquid produced by low energy recoils. We present some results from experiments using prototypes irradiated with neutrons to measure the ionization and scintillation yield of low energy nuclear recoils in liquid xenon.
Human Umbilical Cord Matrix Mesenchymal Stem Cells Suppress the Growth of Breast Cancer by Expression of Tumor Suppressor Genes

Human and rat umbilical cord matrix mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC) possess the ability to control the growth of breast carcinoma cells. Comparative analyses of two types of UCMSC suggest that rat UCMSC-dependent growth regulation is significantly stronger than that of human UCMSC. Their different tumoricidal abilities were clarified by analyzing gene expression profiles in the two types of UCMSC. Microarray analysis revealed differential gene expression between untreated naive UCMSC and those co-cultured with species-matched breast carcinoma cells. The analyses screened 17 differentially expressed genes that are commonly detected in both human and rat UCMSC. The comparison between the two sets of gene expression profiles identified two tumor suppressor genes, adipose-differentiation related protein (ADRP) and follistatin (FST), that were specifically up-regulated in rat UCMSC, but down-regulated in human UCMSC when they were co-cultured with the corresponding species’ breast carcinoma cells. Over-expression of FST, but not ADRP, in human UCMSC enhanced their ability to suppress the growth of MDA-231 cells. The growth of MDA-231 cells was also significantly lower when they were cultured in medium conditioned with FST, but not ADRP over-expressing human UCMSC. In the breast carcinoma lung metastasis model generated with MDA-231 cells, systemic treatment with FST-over-expressing human UCMSC significantly attenuated the tumor burden. These results suggest that FST may play an important role in exhibiting stronger tumoricidal ability in rat UCMSC than human UCMSC and also implies that human UCMSC can be transformed into stronger tumoricidal cells by enhancing tumor suppressor gene expression.
The Transient Behavior of Vipac and Pellet Thermal Reactor Oxide Fuels

The results of comparative transient tests performed in the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) indicate that the cladding failure threshold energy for nonirradiated vibrationally compacted and...
A review of: ‘Taking Responsibility for Tourism’

Advocating for a More Responsible TourismSince The Holiday Makers – Understanding the Impact of Leisure and Travel was published by Jost Krippendorf in 1987, it has become the defining text of the ...
Activation of Ca2+-Dependent Signaling by TLR2

Upon contact with airway epithelial cells, bacterial products activate Ca 2+ fluxes that are required for induction of NF-κB-dependent gene expression. TLR2 is apically displayed on airway cells, making it a likely transducer linking bacterial stimuli and kinases that affect Ca 2+ release. Using biochemical and genetic approaches, we demonstrate that TLR2 ligands stimulate release of Ca 2+ from intracellular stores by activating TLR2 phosphorylation by c-Src, and recruiting PI3K and phospholipase Cγ to affect Ca 2+ release through inositol (1,4,5) trisphosphate receptors. In the absence of TLR2, murine macrophages as well as airway cells do not generate Ca 2+ fluxes or induce proinflammatory signaling. Thus, Ca 2+ participates as a second messenger in TLR2-dependent signaling and provides another target to modulate proinflammatory responses to bacterial infection.
Effect of general anesthesia on modulation of sympathetic nervous system function.

Publisher Summary Halogenated anesthetics exhibit profound cardiovascular depressant effects that may be accompanied by a decrease in plasma catecholamine concentrations. Plasma norepinephrine (NE) concentrations have been used as a measure of sympathetic activity not only during anesthesia, but also in congestive cardiac failure and ischemia and to define sympathetic responses during vasodilator therapy. The inhalational anesthetics halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane and the intravenous anesthetic propofol produce marked sympathetic inhibition as measured by the decrease in NE spillover. It has been shown that NE spillover is a more accurate measure of sympathetic activity during anesthesia than is plasma NE concentration alone. The release of NE from peripheral sympathetic nerves is subject to presynaptic modulation by α -adrenergic, dopaminergic, and angiotensin receptors. A facilitative effect on peripheral noradrenergic sympathetic transmission has been demonstrated during and after exposure to epinephrine. The role of presynaptic β 2 –adrenergic receptors in facilitating NE release in humans is difficult to define because measurement of plasma NE is an inadequate measure of local NE release and β -agonist administration produces systemic effects with consequent vasodilation and hypotension with resultant secondary reflex stimulation of NE release. In addition, coinfusion of the β 1 – and β 1 –antagonist propranolol attenuated the isoproterenol-induced increase in local NE spillover.
N‐acetyl‐aspartyl‐glutamate detection in the human brain at 7 Tesla by echo time optimization and improved Wiener filtering

Purpose To report enhanced signal detection for measuring N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG) in the human brain at 7 Tesla by echo time (TE) -optimized point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) and improved Wiener filtering. Methods Using a highly efficient in-house developed numerical simulation program, a PRESS sequence with (TE1, TE2) = (26, 72) ms was found to maximize the NAAG signals relative to the overlapping Glu signals. A new Wiener filtering water reference deconvolution method was developed to reduce broadening and distortions of metabolite peaks caused by B0 inhomogeneity and eddy currents. Results Monte Carlo simulation results demonstrated that the new Wiener filtering method offered higher spectral resolution, reduced spectral artifacts, and higher accuracy in NAAG quantification compared with the original Wiener filtering method. In vivo spectra and point spread functions of signal distortion confirmed that the new Wiener filtering method lead to improved spectral resolution and reduced spectral artifacts. Conclusion TE-optimized PRESS in combination with a new Wiener filtering method made it possible to fully use both the NAAG singlet signal at 2.05 ppm and the NAAG multiplet signal at 2.18 ppm in the quantification of NAAG. A more accurate characterization of lineshape distortion for Wiener filtering needs B0 field maps and segmented anatomical images to exclude contribution from cerebral spinal fluid. Magn Reson Med 72:903–912, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Literacy for Middle School Students: Challenges of Cultural Synthesis.

AbstractIn this manuscript, the author explores the question, What does research suggest for middle level readers? To answer it, she conducts a synthesis of empirical studies published between 1990 and 2001 that appeared in journals linked to the author’s professional membership (i.e., Research in Middle Level Education (RMLE), Reading Research Quarterly (RRQ), Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (JAAL), American Educational Research Journal (AERJ), Reading Research and Instruction (RRI), and Review of Educational Research (RER)). This examination noted attention to eight categories: (1) interests, (2), strategy instruction, (3) vocabulary, (4) student attributes, (5) comprehension, (6) context, (7) discussion, and (8) tutoring. The author then explores the implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners. Specifically, the author calls for a stronger attention to the literacy learning of middle level students and a greater degree of interplay between researcher and practitioner agendas.
Homoleptic group 12 metal bis(mercaptoimidazolyl)borate complexes M(Bm(R))2 (M = Zn, Cd, Hg).

The sodium salt of the bis(2-mercapto-1-methylimidazolyl)borate anion [BmMe]- and those of the new bis(2-mercapto-1-alkylimidazolyl)borates [BmR]- (R = Bz, But, p-Tol) have been readily obtained fr...
DIARRHEA ASSOCIATED WITH E|[period]| COLI PRODUCING SHIGALIKE CYTOTOXIN

College students spending the summer in Mexico were studied for the development of diarrhea. Stool specimens were collected from sick and asymptomatic students. 188 episodes of gastroenteritis were evaluated for salmonella, shigella, campylobacter, enteropathogenic E. coli, enterotoxigenic E. coli (ST,LT), giardia, E. histolytica, and cryptosporidium. 53 episodes occurred for which no etiologic agent could be defined. E. coli isolated from these students and asymptomatic students were assayed for adherence to HEp-2 cells and production of Shiga-like toxin. HEp-2 adherent E. coli were isolated from ill students more frequently than from those who were well (p < 0.05). 50% of strains from sick students with no known etiology were positive for Shiga-like toxin while only 27% of E. coli from asymptomatic individuals were positive. Strains that were positive for Shiga toxin tended to be positive for HEp-2 adherence and strains that were negative for Shiga or HEp-2 tended to be negative for the other marker (p < 0.02). HEp-2 adherence and Shiga toxin production correlated with presence of gastroenteritis in individuals who had no previously described enteric pathogen. This is the first evidence that Shiga toxin production by E. coli may commonly cause enteritis.
Approximation techniques for parameter estimation in hereditary control systems

Abstract : Two types of approximation techniques for parameter estimation of delay systems are described and compared. One involves state discretization only while the other entails simultaneous state and time discretization. (Author)
Turin workshop on radiocarbon dating the Turin Shroud

Abstract A workshop to explore the procedures for making carbon-14 measurements on the cloth of the Shroud of Turin was held in Turin, Italy on September 29, 30 and October 1, 1986. It was sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences whose president chaired the workshop and by the Archbishop of Turin. Twenty-two people participated including representatives from seven laboratories who have indicated a willingness to carry out the measurements if a request to do so from the Vatican is forthcoming. A protocol for carrying out this task was agreed upon by the workshop delegates and has been presented to Vatican authorities.
How electroreceptors encode JAR-eliciting stimulus regimes: Reading trajectories in a phase-amplitude plane

This study correlates certain features of the Jamming Avoidance Response (JAR) in the electric fish,Eigenmannia, with specific properties of electroreceptors and higher-order electrosensitive units. The JAR is a shift of the animal's own electric organ discharge (EOD) frequency away from similar frequencies of foreign signals, such as EODs of conspecifics. It is controlled by characteristic modulations in the amplitude, ¦S¦, and phase,H, of the electric stimulus which result if foreign signals are superimposed upon the animal's own EOD. Modulations of ¦S¦ andH are respectively encoded in terms of the probability,p, ofP-type electroreceptor firing and in the timing,t, ofT-type electroreceptor firing (Fig. 1). In this paper we describe experiments on curarized animals whose silenced EODs were replaced by an electric stimulus,S 1, while other stimuli,S 2 and sometimes an additionalS 3, mimicked EODs of conspecific neighbors. The results are as follows: 1. The complicated modulations in phase,H, and amplitude, ¦S¦, which result if two foreign stimuli interfere with the animal's EOD, are rather faithfully represented by the timing,t, ofT-unit firing and the probability,p, ofP-unit firing respectively (Fig. 2). However, larger systematic distortions are found in the representation of certain stimulus regimes (Fig. 3), and these distortions cause specific behavioral effects. 2. Given an EOD fundamental frequency,f, JARs can be elicited by a sine wave stimulus with frequency near that of either the fundamental or the higher harmonic, 2f. No JARs result if the stimulus frequency is near the subharmonic,f/2 (Bullock et al. 1972). Correspondingly, the probability,p, ofP-unit firing and the timing,t, ofT-unit firing are modulated in a continuous manner only in the first two instances (f and 2f) but in a discontinuous manner in the last case (f/2). Thus only continuous modulations ofp andt appear to elicit the JAR (Figs. 4 to 6). 3. The possibility of viewing the effect of a closed graph in the ¦S¦,H-state plane as the sum of the contributions made by small vectors which constitute this graph is discussed in the light of receptor responses (Figs. 7–9). 4. If the intensity ratio ¦S 2¦/¦S 1¦ is constant over the animal's body surface no JAR can be elicited as long asS 1 andS 2 are pure sine waves. However, JARs will result under this condition ifS 1 is clipped in one half cycle of its sinusoidal wave from. This correlates with the fact that the modulations of the probability,p, ofP-unit firing and the modulation of the difference,t 1-t 2, in the timing of the firing of pairs ofT-units become Δf-sign specific ifS 1 is clipped. This sign specificity introduces sign-specific differences inp, t-graphs as they normally, and in much stronger form, result from local differences in the ¦S2¦/¦S1¦ ratio (Figs. 10, 11). It is therefore not necessary to postulate JAR mechanisms other than the one presented earlier (Heiligenberg et al. 1978) in order to explain the effect of clipped sine waves.
Influence of Organic Films on the Hygroscopicity of Ultrafine Sulfuric Acid Aerosol

In ambient air, organic chemicals are common constituents of aerosol particles, and many of them are surface-active. If these compounds are present as surface films on aqueous droplets, mass transf...
Caribbean chronostratigraphy refined with U-Pb dating of a Miocene coral

An exceptionally well-preserved aragonitic coral of the extinct species Goniopora hilli was collected from late Cenozoic sedimentary deposits in the Dominican Republic and dated using U-Pb techniques. Nine coralline subsamples yielded a 238 U/ 206 Pb– 207 Pb/ 206 Pb three-dimensional (3-D) inverse linear concordia age of 5.52 ± 0.15 (2σ) Ma, which, when coupled with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios obtained from the same coral, allows for tighter constraints on temporal variability of marine species diversity prior to closure of the Central American Seaway. The recognition that pre-Quaternary aragonitic corals can be suitable for U-Pb dating creates new possibilities for refining the chronologies of late Cenozoic marine sedimentary sequences.
Subcellular location of enzymes involved in oxidation of n-alkane by Cladosporium resinae

More than 70% of n-hexadecane-grown cells of Cladosporium resinae ATCC 22711 were converted to spheroplasts when they were treated with chitinase and lytic enzyme from Trichoderma harziamum. The light mitochondrial fraction, containing microbodies, mitochondria and vacuoles, was isolated from spheroplasts. Vacuoles in cells were demonstrated by the inability of acridine orange to stain organelles previously treated with 2.5 μM Bafilomycin A1, a vacuolar ATPase inhibitor. Microbodies, mitochondria and vacuoles were separated from the light mitochondrial fraction by self-generated density-gradient ultracentrifugation using iodixanol as gradient medium. NADH-dependent n-alkane monooxygenase activity and fatty alcohol oxidase activity were located in the cytoplasm and mitochondrial fractions respectively.
Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Time for Reassessment?

Surgical resection has limited success in curing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly among patients with locally advanced disease (stage IIIA). Combined modality regimens, utilizing surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have improved response rates, although they have not been shown to significantly impact survival among patients with completely resected stage I and II NSCLC. Future improvements in NSCLC therapy, currently under investigation, are likely to come from newer agents shown to be active in this disease and from alternative schedules, such as neoadjuvant or concurrent combined modality treatments. Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy has already been shown to increase cure rates in stage IIIA NSCLC, from 10 to 15% to 25 to 30%. Newer active agents, such as paclitaxel, vinorelbine, and gemcitabine, may be able to advance the cure rate even further. Radiotherapy, which has been shown to decrease the rate of local recurrence, may play a role as well.