cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Confirmation and Control of HPPD-Inhibiting Herbicide–Resistant Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) in Nebraska

Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted in Nebraska to (1) confirm the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting resistant-waterhemp biotype (HPPD-RW) by quantifying the resistance levels in dose-response studies, and (2) to evaluate efficacy of PRE-only, POST-only, and PRE followed by POST herbicide programs for control of HPPD-RW in corn. Greenhouse dose-response studies confirmed that the suspected waterhemp biotype in Nebraska has evolved resistance to HPPD-inhibiting herbicides with a 2- to 18-fold resistance depending upon the type of HPPD-inhibiting herbicide being sprayed. Under field conditions, at 56 d after treatment, ≥90% control of the HPPD-RW was achieved with PRE-applied mesotrione/atrazine/S-metolachlor+acetochlor, pyroxasulfone (180 and 270 g ai ha−1), pyroxasulfone/fluthiacet-methyl/atrazine, and pyroxasulfone+saflufenacil+atrazine. Among POST-only herbicide programs, glyphosate, a premix of mesotrione/atrazine tank-mixed with diflufenzopyr/dicamba, or metribuzin, or ...
Methods of Analysis of Drugs and Drug Metabolites

Pharmacokinetics requires the determination of concentrations of a drug, its metabolite(s), or an endogenous targeted substance in physiological fluids or tissues, with respect to time. These analytical tasks have stimulated the field of analytical chemistry to devise technologies that are appropriately sensitive, precise, accurate, and matched to the demands for speed and automation – important factors in research and clinical chemistry. During the past decade, the principle determinant influencing the choice of competing analytical technologies has been speed – the coupled need to reduce both the time required for assay development and the assay cycle time for large numbers of samples. As a result, instrumentation that can measure drug concentrations in blood, tissue, and urine with minimal chemical treatment has emerged and will be discussed in this chapter using recently published examples.
Introduction to This Special Issue on the Lived Experience of Personal Informatics

Over the last decade, the idea of a “quantified self” has become increasingly well-known (Swan, 2013). The main premise is to collect and reflect on data about oneself in order to gain new insights...
Mechanistic Insight into the Photocontrolled Cationic Polymerization of Vinyl Ethers.

The mechanism of the recently reported photocontrolled cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers was investigated using a variety of catalysts and chain-transfer agents (CTAs) as well as diverse spectroscopic and electrochemical analytical techniques. Our study revealed a complex activation step characterized by one-electron oxidation of the CTA. This oxidation is followed by mesolytic cleavage of the resulting radical cation species, which leads to the generation of a reactive cation—this species initiates the polymerization of the vinyl ether monomer—and a dithiocarbamate radical that is likely in equilibrium with the corresponding thiuram disulfide dimer. Reversible addition–fragmentation type degenerative chain transfer contributes to the narrow dispersities and control over chain growth observed under these conditions. Finally, the deactivation step is contingent upon the oxidation of the reduced photocatalyst by the dithiocarbamate radical concomitant with the production of a dithiocarbamate anion tha...
Reading Feminine Mysticism in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Queen of Dreams

(2010). Reading Feminine Mysticism in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Queen of Dreams. South Asian Review: Vol. 31, Postcolonial Considerations, pp. 186-207.
Can the sovereign gift? Gandhi's Maryada and the moral law

Comment on Skaria, Ajay. 2016. Unconditional Equality: Gandhi’s Religion of Resistance. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Efficient Computational Modeling of Human Ventricular Activation and Its Electrocardiographic Representation: A Sensitivity Study

Patient-specific models of the ventricular myocardium, combined with the computational power to run rapid simulations, are approaching the level where they could be used for personalized cardiovascular medicine. A major remaining challenge is determining model parameters from available patient data, especially for models of the Purkinje-myocardial junctions (PMJs): the sites of initial ventricular electrical activation. There are no non-invasive methods for localizing PMJs in patients, and the relationship between the standard clinical ECG and PMJ model parameters is underexplored. Thus, this study aimed to determine the sensitivity of the QRS complex of the ECG to the anatomical location and regional number of PMJs. The QRS complex was simulated using an image-based human torso and biventricular model, and cardiac electrophysiology was simulated using Cardioid. The PMJs were modeled as discrete current injection stimuli, and the location and number of stimuli were varied within initial activation regions based on published experiments. Results indicate that the QRS complex features were most sensitive to the presence or absence of four "seed" stimuli, and adjusting locations of nearby "regional" stimuli provided finer tuning. Decreasing number of regional stimuli by an order of magnitude resulted in virtually no change in the QRS complex. Thus, a minimal 12-stimuli configuration was identified that resulted in physiological excitation, defined by QRS complex feature metrics and ventricular excitation pattern. Overall, the sensitivity results suggest that parameterizing PMJ location, rather than number, be given significantly higher priority in future studies creating personalized ventricular models from patient-derived ECGs.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

The enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli are a pervasive cause of serious diarrheal illness in developing countries. Presently, there is no vaccine to prevent these infections, and many features of the basic pathogenesis of these organisms remain poorly understood. Until very recently most pathogenesis studies had focused almost exclusively on a small subset of known “classical” virulence genes, namely fimbrial colonization factors and the heat-labile (LT) and heat stable (ST) enterotoxins. However, recent investigations of pathogen-host interactions reveal a surprisingly complex and intricately orchestrated engagement involving the interplay of classical and “novel” virulence genes, as well as participation of genes highly conserved in the E. coli species. These studies may inform further rational approaches to vaccine development for these important pathogens.
DOSE CALCULATION FOR EXTERNAL BEAMS

This chapter provides an overview of dose calculation for external beams. The actual calculation of dose to a point in a patient is done by using the known, measured dose rate in rad/minute or rad/MU at a particular point in water or in air. Various techniques have been devised to determine the dose rate at other points. Included among these techniques are the source-surface distance technique (SSD) that involves the knowledge of how the dose varies with depth and field size for a fixed SSD, and the source-axis distance technique (SAD) that requires the knowledge of how the dose at a point, usually the axis of rotation of the therapy unit, varies as the amount of overlying tissue and field size changes. The absorbed dose delivered at a particular point in an irradiated medium is often referred to as the depth dose. The ratio of this depth dose to the dose at a reference depth, usually the depth of maximum dose, D max , along the central axis multiplied by 100% is referred to as the central axis percent depth dose. The depth dose at fixed depth in tissue can be considered to be made up of two components: (1) the primary dose component, and (2) a scatter dose component. The scatter dose, which is the dose provided to a point by all the scattered primary radiation, has a strong dependence on the field size and shape as well as on the depth in tissue. However, the primary dose does not change with the field size or shape; it changes only with depth.
Investigation of Coupled Processes in Argillite Rock: FY18 Progress

Author(s): Rutqvist, Jonny | Abstract: The report presents the current status of the TOUGH-FLAC and TOUGH-RBSN simulators for modeling of coupled THM processes in argillite, including fracturing, and verification of the TOUGH-FLAC model against major in situ heater experiments at the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Switzerland and at the URL in Bure, France. The heater experiments modeled are the Mont Terri FE (Full-scale Emplacement) Experiment, conducted as part of the Mont Terri Project, and the TED and ALC experiments conducted in Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx) at the Meuse/Haute-Marne (MHM) URL in Bure, France. The modeling of the TED and ALC heater experiments is part of a modeling task (Task E) of the international DECOVALEX-2019 project. DECOVALEX, which stands for DEvelopment of COupled Models and their VALidation against EXperiments, is an international collaborative activity, in which DOE and LBNL gain access to unique laboratory and field data defined as modeling test cases. DECOVALEX tasks are studied collectively among several international groups to better understand the processes and to improve numerical models that could eventually be applied in the performance assessment for nuclear waste disposal in clay host rocks and bentonite backfill. The report also includes a description of LBNL’s activities for modeling gas migration in bentonite related to Task A of the international DECOVALEX project, and presents new FY2018 work related to monitoring and characterization of faults using a unique borehole tool.
The Impact of Telemonitoring on 30-day Readmissions for Patients Hospitalized with Heart Failure: A Safety-Net Hospital's Experience

Background Patients with heart failure (HF) are at risk for readmissions, either due to progression or related co-morbidities. Post-discharge telemonitoring (TM) provides support to HF patients during the critical hospital to home transition. Here, we provide a safety-net hospital's experience with HF telemonitoring(TM) Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of admissions between November 2015 and December 2016 for 205 patients who were provided with TM kits at discharge. TM was achieved through internet-based weight, blood pressure, and symptoms monitoring. Pre-discharge HF education by the nurse practitioners (NPs) included instructions on the use of the telehealth kits. Abnormal values triggered a telephone call to the patients by the NPs. Data on demographics, health insurance, medications and TM usage were collected. Primary endpoints were 30-day all-cause and HF-related readmissions. Chi-square tests was used to compare all-cause and HF-related 30-day readmission rates for the TM group vs. the non-TM group and Fisher's exact test for 30-day readmission rates for participants with >= 50% TM usage compared to those with Results The mean age was 58 years, 43.4% were female, 51% had Medicaid or were self-pay, 61% had systolic HF and 87% were compliant with TM (>=50% use). 30-day readmission rates were calculated for all patients admitted for HF during the study duration, irrespective of their TM assignment, (n=1242). There was a statistically significant reduction in all-cause 30-day readmission rate in the TM group compared to the non-TM group (12.2% vs. 20.5%, p=0.0055) but no significant difference in 30-day HF-related readmission rates (9.3% vs. 12.8%, p=0.1563). TM compliance was associated with a reduction in all-cause readmission rates for those with >= 50% compliance compared to those with Conclusions In our unique patient population, TM reduced all-cause 30-day readmission in patients hospitalized for HF. When TM was optimally utilized (>=50%), there was a reduction in both all-cause and HF-related 30-day readmission rates. Figure 1 , Figure 2
On the Implications of Age-Specific Fertility for Sibships and Birth Spacing

Demographic analyses of fertility customarily focus on age-specific birth rates, implicitly assuming that, at every age, fertility is the same for women of every parity. This chapter looks at the implications of that common assumption, and finds that they are far-reaching. From a set of age-specific birth rates, one can determine the likelihood that sibships of any size and gender composition arise in a cohort. Calculations for several fertility levels and a variety of sibship constellations are given. Further, overall cohort experience can be divided into subcohorts based on their ultimate number of children, and those subcohorts can be further broken down into the pathways by which that ultimate parity is reached. Such an analysis allows a detailed examination of fertility timing and birth spacing. Illustrative calculations indicate that higher parity subcohorts have children of every birth order earlier and move to higher parities faster than lower parity subcohorts. Because of the sequential nature of fertility, parity homogeneity casts a long shadow.
The Effect of Finishing Diet on Consumer Perception of Enhanced and Non-Enhanced Honduran Beef

The effects of experimental finishing diets and enhancement were tested to determine if they could improve Honduran beef palatability. Fifteen enhanced (ENH) and non-enhanced (NE) paired loins from 7 different finishing diets (n = 210 loins) were fed to Honduran consumers (n = 288). Diets consisted of a grass-finished control (CON) or diets with the inclusion of distiller’s dry grain (DDG), palm kernel meal (PKM), PKM replication (PKMR), sorghum (SORG), soybean meal and corn (SBMC), or sugarcane (SC). An interaction (P 0.05). Without enhancement, CON was rated more tender (P 0.05) juiciness scores between CON, DDG, PKM, and PKMR; however, CON was rated juicier (P 0.05) between CON, DDG, PKM, PKMR, and SBMC, and CON was liked more (P 0.05) overall liking and WTP values between CON, DDG, PKM, PKMR, and SBMC, while SORG and SC were liked less overall (P < 0.05) than CON, which reduced (P < 0.05) WTP values. Experimental diets in conjunction with enhancement were able to improve the consumers’ perception of palatability traits, acceptability, and WTP.
Exploring Cultural Responsiveness among European American Principals in Rural Schools with High-Performing African American Readers.

A comparative case study approach was applied to explore the extent of cultural responsiveness of two European American principals working in two select rural elementary schools where African Ameri...
Role of Cell Surface Lipids and Thiol-Disulphide Exchange Pathways in Regulating the Encryption and Decryption of Tissue Factor.

Tissue factor (TF), a transmembrane glycoprotein, is the cellular receptor of the coagulation factors VII (FVII) and VIIa (FVIIa). The formation of TF–FVIIa complex triggers the initiation of the blood coagulation pathway. TF plays an essential role in haemostasis, but an aberrant expression of TF activity contributes to thrombotic disorders. In health, TF pro-coagulant activity on cells is controlled tightly to allow sufficient coagulant activity to achieve haemostasis but not to cause thrombosis. It is achieved largely by selective localization of TF in the body and encryption of TF at the cell surface. A vast majority of TF on resting cells exists in an encrypted state with minimal pro-coagulant activity but becomes pro-thrombotic following cell injury or activation. At present, the mechanisms that are responsible for TF encryption and activation (decryption) are not entirely clear, but recent studies provide important mechanistic insights into these processes. To date, externalization of phosphatidylserine to the outer leaflet and thiol-disulphide exchange pathways that either turn on and off the allosteric disulphide bond in TF are shown to play a major role in regulating TF pro-coagulant activity on cell surfaces. Recent studies showed that sphingomyelin, a major phospholipid in the outer leaflet of plasma membrane, plays a critical role in the encryption of TF in resting cells. The present review provides an overview of recent literature on the above-described mechanisms of TF encryption and decryption with a particular emphasis on our recent findings.
EYECOM: an innovative approach for computer interaction

Abstract The world is innovating rapidly, and there is a need for continuous interactions with the technology. Sadly, there do not exist promising options for paralyzed people to interact with the machine, i.e., laptops, smartphones, and notepads. A few commercial solutions such as Google Glasses are costly and cannot be afforded by every paralyzed person to interact with the machine. Towards this end, the paper proposes a retina-controlled device called EyeCom. The proposed device is constructed from off-the-shelf cost-effective yet robust IoT devices (i.e., Arduino microcontrollers, Xbee wireless sensors, infrared light emitting (IR) diodes, and accelerometer). The EyeCom can be easily mounted on to the glasses. The paralyzed person using this device can interact with the machine, using simple head movements and eye blinks. The IR detector is located in front of the EyeCom to illuminate the eye region. As a result of the illumination, the eye reflects the IR light, which includes electrical signals. As eyelids close, the reflected light, over all of the eye surface is disrupted, and the change in reflected value is recorded. On the other hand, to enable cursor movement onto the computer screen on behalf of the paralyzed person a device named accelerometer is used. A microcontroller processes the inputs from the IR sensors and accelerometer and transmit them wirelessly via Xbee wireless sensor (i.e., a radio) to another microcontroller attached to the computer. With the help of the proposed algorithm, the microcontroller attached to the computer, on receiving the signal moves the cursor onto the computer screen and facilitate performing actions, as simple as opening a document, to operating a word-to-speech software.
Imaging in CNS Disease States: PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with changes in specific brain regions. These brain regions, which include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, are involved in memory as well as the stress response. Brain studies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have replicated findings in animal studies by finding alterations in these brain areas. Brain areas implicated in PTSD play an important role in the stress response as well as memory, highlighting the important interplay between memory and the traumatic stress response. Abnormalities in these brain areas are hypothesized to underlie symptoms of PTSD.
Guidelines for Pomegranate Nutrient Management in Florida

Many Florida growers are interested in the potential of pomegranate as an alternative fruit crop. The first flush of flowers produces the best quality fruit, and climatic conditions have a great impact on the timing of flowering. Proper fertilization is critical to promote healthy canopy development, minimize nutrient disorders, and maximize fruit yield and quality. This new 5-page article, written by Shinsuke Agehara, Weining Wang, and Ali Sarkhosh and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, provides guidelines for pomegranate nutrient management in Florida.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1347
Derivation of monoclonal antibodies against Brucella abortus antigens.

Abstract In vivo immunization, fusion, antibody detection, and cryopreservation procedures for monoclonal antibody production against antigens of Brucella abortus are described. Splenocytes from BALB/c mice immunized with irradiated B. abortus S2308 were fused with Sp2/0-Ag14 myeloma cells and 61 hybridomas secreting anti- Brucella antibodies were cloned. Hybridoma antibody synthesis was detected effectively and most efficiently by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Antibodies from clones of hybridoma A23 reacted with S19 and S2308 whole bacterial cells, while hybridoma B49 reacted primarily with alkali—treated lipopolysaccharides of S19, S1119.3 and S2308. Cryopreservation of clones had no major effect on antibody synthesis. The application of monoclonal anti- Brucella antibodies in the differential diagnosis of bovine brucellosis is discussed.
Examining Educational Attainment Outcomes: A Focus on Latina/o Community College Students.

Objective: This study examined how a set of theoretically derived factors predicted the educational attainment outcomes of Latina/o community college students. The guiding research question was, “W...
Diagnosis of paraproteinemic neuropathy: Room for improvement.

Abstract Objective To report our institutional experience with paraproteinemic neuropathy. Methods We reviewed the charts of patients evaluated at our tertiary, academic neuromuscular clinic for neuropathy between 2017 and 2019 and selected those with a serum monoclonal protein. We collected patients' characteristics and reviewed their initial diagnoses and eventual outcomes. Results Fifty-four of 410 patients with neuropathy (13%) had a monoclonal protein. Of these patients, 25% had not had SPEP or IFE checked prior to referral. FLC was not checked in any of the patients prior to referral. The neuropathy was felt to be related to the monoclonal protein in 24 patients (44%). Ten patients (19%), had been misdiagnosed either because they were not screened for monoclonal protein or the monoclonal protein was considered a MGUS. AL amyloid and POEMS syndrome were the most frequently missed diagnoses. Conclusion The diagnosis of paraproteinemic neuropathy was missed in nearly one in five patients in our cohort. Failure to accurately characterize a paraproteinemic neuropathy can have devastating effect on patients as some have underlying malignancies. We propose that testing serum free light chains in patients with peripheral neuropathy of unknow etiology, when SPEP/IFE are normal, may reduce the rate of misdiagnosis. Furthermore, patients with refractory CIDP should be carefully screened for POEMS syndrome.
Optimal Priority Assignment for Multiple CAN/CAN-FD Buses with a Central Gateway

Automakers keep introducing new functions to vehicles to entice customers, thus increasing the size/number of in-vehicle buses. As a result, adopting multi-buses with a central gateway is becoming a norm in current and future vehicles. Since adding buses increases production cost, knowing whether or not to add a bus at design time to meet the given requirements is essential to design a cost-optimized in-vehicle network. However, due to the lack of an optimal priority-assignment algorithm for multi-bus systems, it is difficult to determine whether additional buses are needed. To address this difficulty, we propose an optimal priority-assignment algorithm, called OPMB, for multiple CAN/CAN-FD buses with a central gateway. OPMB builds on backtracking, and is thus of exponential time complexity. To reduce the execution time effectively for industry-size problems, we identify several theory-proven search-space reduction conditions. Our in-depth simulation has demonstrated that OPMB outperforms the state-of-art priority-assignment algorithms for multi-bus systems, and is suitable for high-speed systems which represent future automotive systems. Also, OPMB is shown to be feasible for most realistic automotive message sets.
Much Uncertainty About Uncertain Tax Positions

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced in January 2010 a new initiative to require certain businesses to report “uncertain tax positions” on a new schedule filed with their annual tax returns. Draft schedules and instructions issued in April 2010 clarified some of the mechanical aspects of the new requirement but left many open issues and questions. The IRS proposal built on requirements by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (“FIN 48”). The standard requires companies, in their financial statements, to reserve some of the benefits from any position taken on their tax returns unless it is more likely than not that the IRS would fully concede the issue prior to litigation if it arose during an audit. The article describes the proposals and then discusses concerns and open issues. The most significant concerns include that, as a practical matter, information asymmetry may result in overly aggressive positions taken by the IRS and the IRS may not have the administrative capacity to use the additional information properly. The proposal also raises concerns about privilege and waiver, particularly with respect to the work-product doctrine and tax accrual workpapers.
Creating Diverse and Religiously Inclusive Workplace Cultures in Hyper-Connected, Technical, and Cyber-Driven Organizations

Many organizations are driven by technology. If you consider the nature of workforce shortages and recruiting challenges in areas like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, it is important to understand how organizations need to recruit diverse technology-savvy talent including those from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and religions. There have been several incidents in the United States that point to significant problems with religious incivility in the workplace. In 2016, when the company Chargrill fired 150 non-Christian workers over prayer breaks, the incident points to a growing challenge in the American workplace about what companies can do to accommodate their employees' faiths. This article explores the literature on religious conflict and incivility since there needs to be more exploration on how religious conflict and incivility manifests itself through everyday interactions in the hyper-connected and cyber-driven workplace.
A spectrally-resolved method for evaluating the solar effect on user thermal comfort in the near-window zone

Abstract The effects of solar radiation play an important role in human thermal comfort. When predicting the shortwave solar thermal effect through windows on indoor occupants, the spectra of solar irradiance, window transmittance, and skin absorptance must be considered. This work proposes a spectrally-resolved method for predicting this effect on occupants facing windows in the near-window zone. The vertical and horizontal penetration of direct solar irradiance is also characterized. In this work, we quantify the differences in resultant thermal comfort estimations between the spectrally-resolved and conventional constant-value methods through a series of simulated conditions on different days of the year and at different times of day, as well as with various window orientations and sky conditions. Through numerical analysis, we investigate the effects of and interactions among the various parameters and demonstrate situations in which the spectrally-resolved method is necessary. By understanding the necessity of the spectrally-resolved method and the influence of variations in spectral and energy intensities, we are able to make preliminary judgments regarding when the spectrally-resolved method is essential to making relatively accurate predictions of indoor thermal comfort in the near-window zone. This research provides a new and fundamental numerical method that can be used to take the spectral characteristics of solar energy, windows, and human skin into account for more accurate user thermal comfort analyses in the near-window zone.
The onset of alloying in Cu-Ni powders under high-shear consolidation

Abstract Friction consolidation (FC) is a solid phase processing methodology that densifies a material through high-shear deformation and pressure at elevated temperature. The method has garnered interest in the scientific community because of its ability to produce extremely refined and homogeneous microstructures, off-axis texture development, and improved material properties. This manuscript presents an investigation of Cu and Ni material mixing via evaluation of morphological evolution, grain boundary characterization, and compositional analysis to provide insights on the operational alloying mechanisms occurring under high shear and elevated temperature. Using correlative microscopy techniques, we show alloying progresses via a combination of grain boundary diffusion and interfacial roughening at heterophase boundaries. Evidence supporting Cu infiltration along Ni-Ni grain boundaries along with asymmetric diffusion of Cu into Ni grains is highlighted. The resultant, consolidated microstructure was produced directly from a powder compact in ∼30 s and exhibited a submicrometer, equiaxed grain size.
Detection of Insects in Class-Imbalanced Lidar Field Measurements

In recent years, lidar-based remote sensing has gained popularity in entomological studies due to its ability to non-invasively sense insects in their natural habitat. However, previous studies that combined entomological lidar and machine learning for insect classification tasks have all been performed under controlled laboratory conditions. In this study, we compared several machine learning algorithms' ability to detect insects in field data with a high class imbalance of 7667:1. Using a single-hidden-layer neural network, we detected 61.19% of the insects, and were able to discard 98.25% of the testing data. Compared to state-of-the-art field studies where researchers manually detect insects, our results are a significant step towards automated insect detection and classification in field experiments.
T-cell surface generation of dual bivalent, bispecific T-cell engaging, RNA duplex cross-linked antibodies (dbBiTERs) for re-directed tumor cell lysis.

Background Genetic engineered Bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) generate potent cytotoxic effects. Methods Alternately, click chemistry engineered, dual specific bivalent Bispecific T-cell engaging antibodies (dbBiTEs) on T-cell surfaces can be generated from parent monoclonal antibodies. Results We show the formation of dbBiTEs on the surface of T-cells along with the introduction of complementary 2'-OMe RNA 32-mer oligonucleotides allowing duplex formation between antibodies, designated as dbBiTERs. dbBiTERs generated in solution from anti-CEA and anti-CD3 OKT3 antibodies retained specific binding to CEA positive vs CEA negative cancer cells and to CD3 positive T-cells comparable to dbBiTEs. When T-cells were precoated with dbBiTEs or dbBiTERs and mixed with CEA positive vs CEA negative cancer cells, similar dose dependent and specific cytotoxicity were observed in redirected cell lysis assays. On-cell generated dbBiTERs exerted potent cytotoxic responses against CEA positive targets and were localized at the cell surface by immuno-gold EM. In addition, we demonstrate that target and T-cells, each coated separately with complementary 2'OMe-RNA-linked antibodies can be cross-linked by RNA duplex formation in vitro to generate redirected cell lysis. Conclusion The facile generation of dbBiTERs with specific cytolytic activity from intact antibodies and their generation on-cell offers a new avenue for antigen specific T-cell therapy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Fundamental Study of Microelectronic Chips’ Response Under Laser Excitation and Signal Processing Methods

In surface-mount technology, the solder bumps between chips and printed circuit boards are difficult to inspect. The laser ultrasonic-interferometric (LUI) technique proved promising for the non-destructive inspection of solder bump qualities. Previous signal interpretation methods were based on the comparison of signal similarities. A fundamental insight into the chips’ response under the laser excitation was lacking. In this paper, a C-scan procedure was performed to inspect the full surface of chips. This procedure, along with different signal processing techniques such as continuous wavelet transformation, ideal filters and multi-dimensional Fourier transform, established a fundamental understanding of the LUI signals acquired from different chips.
Plan Merging & Plan Reuse as Satisfiability

Planning as satisfiability has hitherto focused only on purely generative planning. There is an evidence in traditional refinement planning that planning incrementally by reusing or merging plans can be more efficient than planning from scratch (sometimes reuse is not more efficient, but becomes necessary if the cost of abandoning the reusable plan is too high, when users are charged for the planning solution provided). We adapt the satisfiability paradigm to these scenarios by providing a framework where reusable or mergeable plans can be either contiguous or partially ordered and their actions can be removed and new actions can be added. We report the asymptotic sizes of the propositional encodings for several cases of plan reuse and plan merging. Our empirical evaluation shows that the satisfiability paradigm can scale up to handle plan reuse and plan merging.
Neuropsychiatric features of dementia

Introduction Neuropsychiatric symptoms are a common problem in dementia. Epidemiological studies indicate that approximately 60% of demented subjects in the community exhibit some degree of psychopathology. Among specific populations of subjects diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD), the prevalence of behavioral pathology increases to 95%. The most frequently reported behavioral symptoms include apathy, agitation and depression. The significant contributions of neuropsychiatric symptoms to the more common dementia syndromes are reflected by their prominent role in the diagnosis of these conditions. Behavioral symptoms are primary components of the diagnostic criteria for FTD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and are among the secondary supportive factors in the diagnostic criteria for AD and vascular dementia (VaD). Disturbances in behavior have also been reported in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). While the severity of a dementing illness is often determined using cognitive criteria, behavioral disturbances are responsible for a substantial proportion of the morbidity caused by different dementia syndromes. Caregivers for patients with dementia find behavioral abnormalities significantly more troubling than cognitive deficits. The presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms correlates with increased rates of institutionalization, cost of care and caregiver stress and burden. The behavioral disruptions seen in dementia are not simply an inevitable consequence of worsening cognitive impairment. Although neuropsychiatric symptoms are often seen with greater frequency and severity in the later stages of dementing illnesses, the clinical course of different behavioral symptoms is often heterogeneous and does not correlate closely with the severity of cognitive or functional impairment.
Waves on Stretched Strings

The string under tension, when only lightly disturbed, is the simplest example of a distributed system undergoing linear wave motion. This chapter begins with a derivation of the wave equation governing the vibrations of the string. As in Chap. 2 we divide the analysis into natural and driven motion. The natural motion is shown to consist of an infinite number of independent contributions, each contribution a so-called normal mode. Associated with each mode is a harmonic oscillator, with a natural frequency characteristic of the mode. The spatial dependences of the modes together form a complete orthonormal basis over the interval occupied by the string. This last fact facilitates the solution of the initial value problem. Analysis of the driven motion reveals that the oscillator characterizing each mode displays a resonance response just as did the single oscillator in the previous chapter.
The effects of high pressure upon ligated and deoxyhemoglobins and myoglobin. An optical spectroscopic study.

The effects of high pressure (0.1-3.4 gigapascal (GPa)) on the ferrous heme active sites of human adult hemoglobin, sperm whale myoglobin, and Glycera dibranchiata hemoglobin (Fraction II) were probed using resonance Raman and absorption spectroscopies. High-to-low spin transitions of the heme iron occur for hemoglobin, myoglobin, and Glycera hemoglobin at 0.35, 0.75, and 0.50 GPa, respectively, for the deoxy species. These interspecies differences result from variations in the composition of the hemepockets and/or their rigidity to pressure-induced volume changes. Heme active sites initially bound to CO or O2 exhibit distinctive behavior at high pressures. For all proteins studied, O2 apparently dissociates from the heme at only moderately high pressure, while CO remains bound to the heme moiety even at extreme pressures. The Raman spectra demonstrate the differences in the ligated and deoxy species at 3.4 GPa in the high frequency region. Discrete changes (i.e. iron spin-state transitions and dissociation of O2) occur that are commensurate with the collapse of the distal pocket, while continuous shifts in the absorption and Raman spectra are observed at pressures above those required for pocket collapse.
Activation of the retrotrapezoid nucleus by posterior hypothalamic stimulation

The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) contains chemically defined neurons (ccRTN neurons) that provide a pH-regulated excitatory drive to the central respiratory pattern generator. Here we test whether ccRTN neurons respond to stimulation of the perifornical hypothalamus (PeF), a region that regulates breathing during sleep, stress and exercise. PeF stimulation with gabazine increased blood pressure, phrenic nerve discharge (PND) and the firing rate of ccRTN neurons in isoflurane-anaesthetized rats. Gabazine produced an approximately parallel upward shift of the steady-state relationship between ccRTN neuron firing rate and end-tidal CO2, and a similar shift of the relationship between PND and end-tidal CO2. The central respiratory modulation of ccRTN neurons persisted after gabazine without a change in pattern. Morphine administration typically abolished PND and reduced the discharge rate of most ccRTN neurons (by 25% on average). After morphine administration, PeF stimulation activated the ccRTN neurons normally but PND activation and the central respiratory modulation of the ccRTN neurons were severely attenuated. In the same rat preparation, most (58%) ccRTN neurons expressed c-Fos after exposure to hypercapnic hyperoxia (6–7% end-tidal CO2; 3.5 h; no hypothalamic stimulation) and 62% expressed c-Fos under hypocapnia (∼3% end-tidal CO2) after PeF stimulation. Under baseline conditions (∼3% end-tidal CO2, hyperoxia, no PeF stimulation) few (11%) ccRTN neurons expressed c-Fos. In summary, most ccRTN neurons are excited by posterior hypothalamic stimulation while retaining their normal response to CNS acidification. ccRTN neurons probably contribute both to the chemical drive of breathing and to the feed-forward control of breathing associated with emotions and or locomotion.
Sea surface temperature at the Last Glacial Maximum: A reconstruction using the modern analog technique

[1] We have applied the modern analog technique (MAT) to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SST) at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using a database of 292 planktonic foraminiferal samples from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. LGM SST maps reveal many important patterns and gradients which reflect the climate and circulation patterns of the LGM. One of the most important results is the 2°–6°C mean annual cooling in the central to eastern tropical Atlantic and up 8°C cooling in the eastern tropical Pacific. These changes resulted in an increased east-west SST gradient in the equatorial regions of these two basins, compared to modern. SSTs in eastern boundary currents of all three ocean basins were cooler than modern at the LGM. Additionally, results indicate more zonal flow patterns in the Kuroshio/North Pacific Current and Gulf Stream/North Atlantic Drift. These changes indicate more intense midlatitude-to-equator SST gradients at the LGM, which likely resulted in more intense circulation and increased zonal winds. SSTs in much of the tropical and northern Indian Ocean were within 2°C of modern temperatures. Consistent with the results of previous studies, results indicate little change in much of the western tropics and the subtropics of all ocean basins.
Soil Microorganisms: Role in Biodegradation

Over the last 100 years, the study of soil microbiology has revealed that a wide array of inherent biochemical abilities exist in each gram of soil. The study of microorganisms was hampered for many years by our inability to separate the cells from their growth environment. This makes the study of soil ecology unique because few other areas of ecological investigation have such difficulty in separating the studied organisms from their habitat. Therefore, the structure and function of soil reflects the interrelatedness of the organism and their habitat. Keywords: soil microbiology; microorganisms; aerobic; anaerobic; biodegradation; microbial community; biochemical processing; soil ecology
On the Complexity of Function Pointer May-Alias Analysis

This paper considers the complexity of interprocedural function pointer may-alias analysis, i.e., determining the set of functions that a function pointer (in a language such as C) can point to at a point in a program. This information is necessary, for example, in order to construct the control flow graphs of programs that use function pointers, which in turn is fundamental for most dataflow analyses and optimizations. We show that the general problem is complete for deterministic exponential time. We then consider two natural simplifications to the basic (precise) analysis and examine their complexity. The approach described can be used to readily obtain similar complexity results for related analyses such as reachability and recursiveness.
IPPD, complex electronic systems and distributed design teams: a user perspective

The engineering of complex electronic systems presents many substantial challenges. Modeling, simulation and analysis of complete systems (hardware and software) are often quite difficult and often beyond the computational capability of typical workstation-based design environments. Of equal difficulty, however, are the challenges of project management and team communication and coordination since such a system evolves from concept to finished product. This paper presents a few brief observations about these real-world project management and communication challenges followed by a few thoughts on how they might be successfully overcome.
A relaxed cutting plane algorithm for solving fuzzy inequality systems

This paper studies a system of infinitely many fuzzy inequalities with concavemembership functions. By using the tolerance approach, we show that solving such system can be reduced to a semi-infinite programming problem. A relaxed cutting plane algorithm is proposed. In each iteration, we solve a finite convex optimization problem and add one or two more constraints. The proposed algorithm chooses a point at which the infinite constraints are violated to a degree rather than at which the violation is maximized. The iterative process ends when an optimal solution is identified. A convergence proof, under some mild conditions, is given. An efficient implementation based on the "method of centres" with "entropic regularization" techniques is also included. Some computational results confirm the efficiency of the proposed method and show its potential for solving large scale problems.
Opaque assemblages in CR2 Graves Nunataks (GRA) 06100 as indicators of shock‐driven hydrothermal alteration in the CR chondrite parent body

We have studied the petrologic characteristics of sulfide-metal lodes, polymineralic Fe-Ni nodules, and opaque assemblages in the CR2 chondrite Graves Nunataks (GRA) 06100, one of the most altered CR chondrites. Unlike low petrologic type CR chondrites, alteration of metal appears to have played a central role in the formation of secondary minerals in GRA 06100. Differences in the mineralogy and chemical compositions of materials in GRA 06100 suggest that it experienced higher temperatures than other CR2 chondrites. Mineralogic features indicative of high temperature include: (1) exsolution of Ni-poor and Ni-rich metal from nebular kamacite; (2) formation of sulfides, oxides, and phosphates; (3) changes in the Co/Ni ratios; and (4) carbidization of Fe-Ni metal. The conspicuous absence of pentlandite may indicate that peak temperatures exceeded 600 °C. Opaques appear to have been affected by the action of aqueous fluids that resulted in the formation of abundant oxides, Fe-rich carbonates, including endmember ankerite, and the sulfide-silicate-phosphate scorzalite. We suggest that these materials formed via impact-driven metamorphism. Mineralogic features indicative of impact metamorphism include (1) the presence of sulfide-metal lodes; (2) the abundance of polymineralic opaque assemblages with mosaic-like textures; and (3) the presence of suessite. Initial shock metamorphism probably resulted in replacement of nebular Fe-Ni metal in chondrules and in matrix by Ni-rich, Co-rich Fe metal, Al-Ti-Cr-rich alloys, and Fe sulfides, while subsequent hydrothermal alteration produced accessory oxides, phosphates, and Fe carbonates. An extensive network of sulfide-metal veins permitted effective exchange of siderophile elements from pre-existing metal nodules with adjacent chondrules and matrix, resulting in unusually high Fe contents in these objects.
523 GASTRIC ACID SECRETION IN CHILDREN: A COMPARISON BE-TWEEN NORMALS AND THOSE WITH PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE (PUD)

Basal acid output (BAO) and pentagastrin (6 μg/kg SC) stimulated maximal acid output (MAO) were measured in 42 normal (NL) children (age range 2-144 mo; x = 19.4 mo). Similar measurements were made in 16 patients with PUD (age range 3-216 mo; x = 96.6 mo) including 7 evaluated both before and after 6 weeks of therapy. BAO and MAO were calculated by conventional technique with hydrogen ion concentration determined by titration to pH 7.0. The BAO and MAO in the NL children were (x ± SEM) 0.17 ± 0.22 meq/kg/hr and 1.38 ± 0.61 meq/kg/hr respectively. Although older heavier children produced more total acid than younger smaller ones, on a per kg basis no correlation was found between acid output (BAO/MAO) and increasing weight. Neither was there a correlation found between acid output (BAO/MAO; meq/kg/hr) and either height, age or sex. There was no significant difference between either the BAO (0.08 ± 0.02 meq/kg/hr) or the MAO (0.90 ± 0.14 meq/kg/hr) in the PUD patients and the values obtained in NL children (p > 0.05). There was also no significant difference between the groups for either BAO or MAO when comparisons were made on a meq/M2/hr basis. Pre and post treatment BAO and MAO values in PUD patients were not statistically different (p > 0.5). In conclusion: 1) Since neither the BAO or the MAO in children correlated with weight, height, age or sex, gastric acid secretory data should be interpreted on a meq/kg/hr basis. 2) Gastric acid hypersecretion was not found in children with PUD either before or after treatment.
Mining Revision History to Assess Trustworthiness of Article Fragments

Wikis are a type of collaborative repository system that enables users to create and edit shared content on the web. The popularity and proliferation of Wikis have created a new set of challenges for trust research because the content in a Wiki can be contributed by a wide variety of users and can change rapidly. Nevertheless, most Wikis lack explicit trust management to help users decide how much they should trust an article or a fragment of an article. In this paper, we investigate the dynamic nature of revisions as we explore ways of utilizing revision history to develop an article fragment trust model. We use our model to compute trustworthiness of articles and article fragments. We also augment Wikis with a trust view layer with which users can visually identify text fragments of an article and view trust values computed by our model.