cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
B cell TLRs and induction of immunoglobulin class-switch DNA recombination

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of conserved pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Engagement of TLRs in B cells by microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) induces T-independent (TI) antibody responses and plays an important role in the early stages of T-dependent (TD) antibody responses before specific T cell help becomes available, in part by facilitating B cell entry into the germinal center reaction. The role of B cell TLRs in the antibody response is magnified by the synergy of B cell receptor (BCR) crosslinking and TLR engagement in promoting B cell proliferation and efficiently inducing immunoglobulin (Ig) class switch DNA recombination (CSR), which crucially diversifies the antibody biological effector functions. Dual engagement of TLRs and BCR can be mediated by complex MAMPs such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which engages TLR4 through its lipid A moiety and crosslinks the BCR through its polysaccharidic moiety (O-antigen). Dual BCR/TLR engagement induces CSR to all Ig isotypes, as directed by different cytokines, while engagement of any TLR alone induces only marginal CSR. Integration of BCR and TLR signaling results in activation of the canonical and non-canonical NF-κB pathways, induction of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) and germline transcription of switch (S) regions in the IgH locus. The last two are essential events for CSR to unfold. A critical role of dual BCR/TLR engagement in induction of CSR and generation of neutralizing antibodies is emphasized by the emergence of TLR ligands as integral components of vaccines that greatly boost humoral immunity in a B cell-intrinsic fashion. Further, dual BCR/TLR engagement by complex self-antigens will result in dysregulation of AID expression and CSR in autoreactive B cells, leading to generation of isotype-switched pathogenic autoantibodies. Finally, an important aspect of dual BCR/TLR engagement is the boosting of specific antibody response to tumor antigens, as suggested by high titers of anti-tumor antibodies in response to tumor vaccines that contain TLR agonists.
Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay for Field Detection of Tomato Bacterial Spot Pathogens

Bacterial spot of tomato is caused by Xanthomonas gardneri, X. euvesicatoria, X. perforans, and X. vesicatoria. Current diagnostic methods for the pathogens are not in-field assays. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is ideal for in-field detection assays, because it is an isothermal technique that is rapid and more tolerant to inhibitors compared with polymerase chain reaction. Hence, novel RPA probes and primers were designed to amplify regions of the hrcN gene of X. gardneri, X. euvesicatoria, and X. perforans. The X. gardneri RPA is specific to X. gardneri with a detection limit of 106 CFU/ml and detected X. gardneri in lesions from naturally (n = 6) or artificially (n = 18) infected plants. The X. euvesicatoria RPA detects both X. euvesicatoria and X. perforans with a detection limit of 106 CFU/ml and detected both pathogens in plants artificially infected (n = 36) or naturally infected (n = 85) with either X. euvesicatoria or X. perforans. The X. perforans RPA is specific to X. perforans with a detection limit of 107 CFU/ml. Although the X. perforans RPA assay was unable to detect X. perforans from lesions, the X. euvesicatoria RPA was successfully used in field to detect X. perforans from symptomatic field samples (n = 31). The X. perforans RPA was then used to confirm the pathogen in the laboratory. The X. euvesicatoria and X. gardneri RPA is promising for rapid, real-time in-field detection of bacterial spot and one of the first developed among plant pathogenic bacteria.
Rhodium(II)-catalyzed carbocyclization reaction of alpha-diazo carbonyls with tethered unsaturation

o-Alkynyl-substituted α-diazoketones undergo internal cyclization to produce indenone derivatives upon treatment with catalytic quantities of Rh(II)-carboxylates. A variety of structural influences were encountered by varying the nature of the substituent group attached to the diazo center. The cyclization reaction involves addition of a rhodium-stabilized carbenoid onto the acetylenic π-bond to generate a cycloalkenone carbenoid. The cyclized carbenoid was found to undergo both aromatic and aliphatic C−H insertion as well as cyclopropanation across a tethered π-bond. Subjection of diazo phenyl acetic acid 3-phenylprop-2-ynyl ester to Rh(II) catalysis furnished 8-phenyl-1,8-dihydro-2-oxacyclopenta[a]indenone in high yield. The formation of this compound involves cyclization of the initially formed carbenoid onto the alkyne to produce a butenolide which then undergoes C−H insertion into the neighboring aromatic system. When a vinyl ether is added, the initially formed rhodium carbenoid intermediate can be ...
Derrida’s “aporia of responsibility” in José Rizal’s El Filibusterismo

This article examines themes of revolution, responsibility, and colonial suffering in Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo. The second and more confounding of Rizal’s two novels, El Filibusterismo is vag...
Unravel the Black Box between Fear and Security Coping Behavior: The Role of Learning from Failure

Leadership and organizational learning theorists have argued that psychological safety is associated with learning from failures at all three levels - individual, group, and organization. Meanwhile...
Comparison of blind deconvolution- and Patlak analysis-based methods for determining vascular permeability

This study describes a computational algorithm to determine vascular permeability constants from time-lapse imaging data without concurrent knowledge of the arterial input function. The algorithm is based on "blind" deconvolution of imaging data, which were generated with analytical and finite-element models of bidirectional solute transport between a capillary and its surrounding tissue. Compared to the commonly used Patlak analysis, the blind algorithm is substantially more accurate in the presence of solute delay and dispersion. We also compared the performance of the blind algorithm with that of a simpler one that assumed unidirectional transport from capillary to tissue [as described in Truslow et al., Microvasc. Res. 90, 117-120 (2013)]. The algorithm based on bidirectional transport was more accurate than the one based on unidirectional transport for more permeable vessels and smaller extravascular distribution volumes, and less accurate for less permeable vessels and larger extravascular distribution volumes. Our results indicate that blind deconvolution is superior to Patlak analysis for permeability mapping under clinically relevant conditions, and can thus potentially improve the detection of tissue regions with a compromised vascular barrier.
Fat and Dermis Grafting in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

SUMMARY Autogenous fat, dermis, and their combination have a long-established ability to survive transplantation. The tissues are abundant in supply, are readily harvested from multiple sites, and are easily adaptable to most areas of the maxillofacial region. They have found application primarily in immediate or delayed correction of soft tissue defects, prevention or correction of scar contraction, protection of vital structures, and augmentation of facial contours. The graft bulk is rather easily modified, and the proce-dures can be repeated if necessary. Use of these tissues causes only moderate morbidity to the patient at either donor or host sites. The histologic potentials for foreign body excitation or pathologic proliferation of epidermal inclusions, while consistently demonstrated on a transient microscopic basis in myriad investigations, rarely lead to clinical consequence. The chief biologic shortcoming of these tissues is their unpredictable degree of resorption/atrophy in the long term, particularly in regard to fat alone. This uncertainty is aggravated by the facts that, despite myriad very good histologic investigations, long-term clinical evaluations of any one technique on significant numbers of patients have not been done, and objective criteria for evaluating long-term esthetic effects have not been established. Fat and dermal-fat grafts often do not assume the character of the tissues they replace and in many cases impart an unnatural texture to their host sites. Generally speaking, small grafts of fat and/or dermis are more stable and predictable in behavior than are larger grafts. Despite their disadvantages, however, and the emphasis on and great clinical activity in microvascular grafting today, free grafts of dermis, fat, and their composite still find appropriate application in several established clinical circumstances.
Mechanisms of bulk and surface diffusion in metallic glasses determined from molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract The bulk and surface dynamics of Cu50Zr50 metallic glass were studied using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. As the alloy undergoes cooling, it passes through liquid, supercooled, and glassy states. While bulk dynamics showed a marked slowing down prior to glass formation, with increasing activation energy, the slowdown in surface dynamics was relatively subtle. The surface exhibited a lower glass transition temperature than the bulk, and the dynamics preceding the transition were accurately described by a temperature-independent activation energy. Surface dynamics were much faster than bulk at a given temperature in the supercooled state, but surface and bulk dynamics were found to be very similar when compared at their respective glass transition temperatures. The manifestation of dynamical heterogeneity, as characterized by the non-Gaussian parameter and breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein equation, was also similar between bulk and surface for temperatures scaled by their respective glass transition temperatures. Individual atom motion was dominated by a cage and jump mechanism in the glassy state for both the bulk and surface. We utilize this cage and jump mechanisms to separate the activation energy for diffusion into two parts: (i) cage-breaking barrier (Q1), associated with the rearrangement of neighboring atoms to free up space and (ii) the subsequent jump barrier (Q2). It was observed that Q1 dominates Q2 for both bulk and surface diffusion, and the difference in activation energies for bulk and surface diffusion mainly arose from the differences in cage-breaking barrier Q1.
Development and field testing of primary care screening tools for harms of long-term opioid therapy continuation and tapering to discontinuation: a study protocol.

Introduction Despite calls for screening tools to help providers monitor long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) harms, and identify patients likely to experience harms of discontinuation, such screening tools do not yet exist. Current assessment tools are infeasible to use routinely in primary care and focus mainly on behaviours suggestive of opioid use disorder to the exclusion of other potential harms. This paper describes a study protocol to develop two screening tools that comprise one integrated instrument, S creen to E valuate and T reat (SET). SET1 will indicate if LTOT may be harmful to continue (yes or no), and SET2 will indicate if tapering to discontinue opioids may be harmful to initiate (yes or no). Patients receiving LTOT who screen positive on the SET tools should receive subsequent additional assessment. SET will give providers methods that are feasible to implement routinely to facilitate more intensive and comprehensive monitoring of patients on LTOT and decision-making about discontinuation. Methods and analysis We will develop the screening tools, SET1 and SET2, concurrently. Tool development will be done in stages: (1) comprehensive literature searches to yield an initial item pool for domains covered by each screening tool; (2) qualitative item analyses using interviews, expert review and cognitive interviewing, with subsequent item revision, to yield draft versions of each tool; and (3) field testing of the draft screening tools to assess internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Boards of Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and the VA San Francisco Healthcare System, respectively. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed manuscripts and presentations at research conferences.
The Large Hadron Collider and the ATLAS Detector

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator ever built for particle physics research, operating at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, in Switzerland. The collider is installed in the tunnel of 27 km of circumference that hosted the former Large Electron-Positron Collider (LEP) [1] and is located 100 m underground. LHC is a two-ring-superconducting-hadron synchrotron designed to accelerate bunches of protons in opposite directions and collide them up to a centre-of-mass energy of \(\sqrt{s} = 13\) TeV. The machine is also capable of accelerating heavy ions. The analyses and studies reported on this thesis are obtained with pp collisions at \(\sqrt{s} = 13\) TeV.
Lateral Locking Plate Fixation of Simple Weber B Fibula Fractures Without a Lag Screw Yields Excellent Radiographic Results.

BACKGROUND The most common first-line fixation technique for simple Weber B fibula fractures is a lag screw with lateral neutralization plate. The most common surgical technique for unstable Weber B fibula fracture is one-third semi-tubular plate and cortical screws, implemented with lag screw when appropriate. However, the lag technique can be technically challenging in osteoporotic bone or within fibulas of smaller diameter, and in some cases can result in fragmentation at the fracture site, malreduction, or peroneal irritation. The purpose of this study is to examine an alternative first-line method for routine treatment of simple Weber B fibula fractures. METHODS Fifty-two consecutive patients undergoing open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of a Weber B fibula fracture by a single surgeon were included in this retrospective study. After reduction, a lateral locking plate was applied with cortical screws proximally and locking screws distally. No screw crossed the fracture in any case. Per published precedent, nonunion was defined as either a gap of >3 mm between fracture surfaces >6 months postoperatively or a fracture line >2 to 3 mm wide and sclerosing of the fracture surfaces. Similarly, malunion was defined as one or more of the following: talar tilt >2o, talar subluxation >2 mm, or tibiofibular clear space ≥5 mm. RESULTS The mean (± standard deviation) age of the 52 included patients was 44.2 ± 16.2 years, the mean body mass index was 27.7 ± 6.6 kg/m2, and 63.5% of patients identified themselves as female sex. The mean follow-up was 6.2 (range: 1.5-15) months. In addition to undergoing fixation of the lateral malleolus, 21 patients also underwent fixation of the posterior malleolus, 27 underwent fixation of the medial malleolus, 29 underwent fixation across the syndesmosis, and 7 underwent repair of the deltoid. In all patients, bony anatomic union of the fibula and congruence of the mortise were achieved with no cases of malunion or nonunion. CONCLUSIONS The Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Osteosynthesefragen (AO) fixation technique for simple Weber B fractures with a lag screw and lateral neutralization plating has provided good outcomes for decades. We present an alternative technique for ORIF of these fractures with a lateral locking plate and no lag screw. In our series, we evaluated radiographic union and alignment as our primary outcome measures and found no cases of nonunion or malunion. Prospective cohort testing of lateral locking plates versus traditional fixation in the context of patient-centered value is warranted.Level of Evidence: Level III.
Functional response of the isolated, perfused normoxic heart to pyruvate dehydrogenase activation by dichloroacetate and pyruvate

Dichloroacetate (DCA) and pyruvate activate pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), a key enzyme that modulates glucose oxidation and mitochondrial NADH production. Both compounds improve recovery after ischemia in isolated hearts. However, the action of DCA and pyruvate in normoxic myocardium is incompletely understood. We measured the effect of DCA and pyruvate on contraction, mitochondrial redox state, and intracellular calcium cycling in isolated rat hearts during normoxic perfusion. Normalized epicardial NADH fluorescence (nNADH) and left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) were measured before and after administering DCA (5 mM) or pyruvate (5 mM). Optical mapping of Rhod-2AM was used to measure cytosolic calcium kinetics. DCA maximally activated PDH, increasing the ratio of active to total PDH from 0.48 ± 0.03 to 1.03 ± 0.03. Pyruvate sub-maximally activated PDH to a ratio of 0.75 ± 0.02. DCA and pyruvate increased LVDP. When glucose was the only exogenous fuel, pyruvate increased nNADH by 21.4 ± 2.9 % while DCA reduced nNADH by 21.4 ± 6.1 % and elevated the incidence of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). When lactate, pyruvate, and glucose were provided together as exogenous fuels, nNADH increased with DCA, indicating that PDH activation with glucose as the only exogenous fuel depletes PDH substrate. Calcium transient time-to-peak was shortened by DCA and pyruvate and SR calcium re-uptake was 30 % longer. DCA and pyruvate increased SR calcium load in myocyte monolayers. Overall, during normoxia when glucose is the only exogenous fuel, DCA elevates SR calcium, increases LVDP and contractility, and diminishes mitochondrial NADH. Administering DCA with plasma levels of lactate and pyruvate mitigates the drop in mitochondrial NADH and prevents PVCs.
Theory and Practice in the Fundamental Computer Science Course

The fundamental computer science course in this curriculum is the two-semester sequence FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURES OF COMPUTER SCIENCE 1 AND II [211/212]. Fundamental Structures was originally designed in 1974 and 1975, and the original lecture notes evolved to a textbook based upon the course[127]. In 1978 William A. Wulf Mary Shaw, Paul N. Hilftnger; and Larty Flon prepared two papers about the course[36, 50] This chapter incorporates extensive material from these two papers along with new information based on more recent offerings of the course.
28 – THE QUANTITIES OF TRANSPORT

This chapter examines the case of thermal migration through a barrier. This leads to three specifically non-equilibrium quantities called “quantities of transport.” They are the entropy of transport, the energy of transport, and the heat of transport. The latter is a true thermodynamic quantity, which can be determined by calorimetric measurements in steady-state migration. Furthermore, chapter establishes the relation between entropy and energy transport. The same result is obtained for the expression of energy of transport, regardless of the representation selected. This served to demonstrate the equivalence of the representations by the pivotal equations of linear steady-state thermodynamics and parallels the equivalence of the representations by the cardinal equations of the equilibrium theory.
Koorde: A Simple Degree-Optimal Distributed Hash Table.

Koorde is a new distributed hash table (DHT) based on Chord 15 and the de Bruijn graphs 2. While inheriting the simplicity of Chord, Koorde meets various lower bounds, such as O(log n) hops per lookup request with only 2 neighbors per node (where n is the number of nodes in the DHT), and O(log n/log log n) hops per lookup request with O(log n) neighbors per node.
Measuring Isotope Fractionation by Autotrophic Microorganisms and Enzymes

Physical, chemical, and biological processes commonly discriminate among stable isotopes. Therefore, the stable isotope compositions of biomass, growth substrates, and products often carry the isotopic fingerprints of the processes that shape them. Therefore, measuring isotope fractionation by enzymes and cultures of autotrophic microorganisms can provide insights at many levels, from metabolism to ecosystem function. Discussed here are considerations relevant to measuring isotope discrimination by enzymes as well as intact cells, with an emphasis on stable one-carbon isotopes and autotrophic microorganisms.
Working Toward Fair Treatment for Retail Investors

Twenty years ago, in Shearson/American Express, Inc. v. McMahon, the Supreme Court held that brokerage firms could require their customers to arbitrate all their disputes in industry-sponsored fora - a decision that had great significance for the law of arbitration as well as securities regulation. In 1996, a blue-ribbon task force released its report, assessing the securities arbitration process at National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD), the principal securities arbitration forum, and the report led to several symposia on the topic coinciding with the tenth anniversary of McMahon. Since then, arbitration scholars and practitioners have intensified the debate over the fairness of arbitration, both generally and specifically in the context of brokerage customers' disputes. In addition, in the last ten years, the stock market has undergone a boom and bust cycle that generated a record number of customers' claims filed at NASD; the securities industry has continued to market new investment products, strategies, and services for retail investors; and the aging population has increasingly become aware of the importance of investing for retirement, but has also become susceptible to deceptive promises offering freedom from financial worries. As a result of these developments, now is an opportune time for a re-examination of arbitration and investors' remedies.
Total Quality Management: A Plan for Optimizing Human Potential?

Israel Scheffler’s ground-breaking essay, On Human Potential, deserves to be more widely known among educational policy analysts, especially in light of the popularity in educationist circles of W.E. Deming’s organizational philosophy known as “Total Quality Management”. In what follows, I argue that the heuristical value of Deming’s perscriptions are entailed in Scheffler’s On Human Potential. More importantly, I argue, where Deming’s work falls short, especially in being naive about the human condition, Scheffler’s analysis provides a foundation for management theory in education that insures the flourishing of an optimal number of contributing participants. In fashioning these ideas, Scheffler brings pioneering thinking to the emerging fields of management studies generally and educational policy specifically.
Preventing plagiarism in computer literacy courses

When students enrolled in a computer literacy course are required to submit assignment for grades, plagiarism may occur. This unethical student behavior requires instructors to address the plagiarism that occurs in their classes. Unfortunately, each incident of plagiarism requires time on the part of the instructor: beyond their regular academic duties. This paper presents a method that truly prevents plagiarism in computer literacy courses, describes an experiment conducted during the Fall Semester 2001, and reviews the results of the experiment.
Effect of Abrupt Discontinuation of High Glucose Infusion Rates During Parenteral Nutrition SL WERLIN, D WYATT, AND B CAMITTA J Pediatr 124:441-444, 1994

Serum glucose and insulin concentrations were measured in 15 children older than 2 years of age for 30 minutes after abrupt discontinuation of total parenteral nutrition (TPN). The children ranged in age from 2.4 to 14.2 years (mean 7.9 years). These infants were receiving <10% of their caloric intake by the enteral route. Four patients were receiving corticosteroids. The glucose concentration in the TPN solutions at the time of discontinuation was 15% to 20%. The glucose infusion rate was 0.53 ± 0.23 mmol/kg/min (range 0.22 to 1.2) (9.6 ± 4.2 mg/kg/min; range 4 to 21). Paired glucose and insulin concentrations were measured before, 15, and 30 minutes after the TPN was abruptly discontinued. One child was considered an outlier because of insulin concentrations that were approximately 10-fold higher than the other children and was not included in the analysis. The initial insulin levels were elevated and rapidly became normal. Glucose concentrations were slightly elevated at the time parenteral nutrition w...
Benefits of tracked vehicles in crop production.

Summary There is concern about compaction of soils by wheeled agricultural equipment, and especially by equipment with high axle loads. Tracked vehicles have been and continue to be used to some extent in crop production. Development of rubber-belt tracks has removed many of the disadvantages of steel tracks relative to rubber tires. This has caused renewed interest in tracked equipment. Loading of the soil by trafficking with wheeled or tracked equipment is a complex dynamic process that is not well understood. Evaluation of the stresses applied to the soil by traffic with wheels and tracks and of the resulting soil compaction, shows that tracked vehicles can be used to reduce compaction, which tends to improve crop emergence, growth and yield. Effective management of field traffic with equipment used in crop production requires an improved understanding of the mechanics of soil loading by wheels and tracks.
Low-Profit Limited Liability Companies: High-Risk Tax Fad or Legitimate Social Investment Planning Opportunity?

Any entrepreneur starting a new venture will inevitably have to address issues of entity formation as well as fundamental tax and legal planning. Prior to existence of the Low-Profit Limited Liability Company, commonly referred to as the “L3C,” entrepreneurs with social objectives seeking to formalize their businesses legally were limited in choice between either nonprofit or for-profit private company structures. While each of these organizational structures has their own benefits and drawbacks, social entrepreneurs are often left without a business form designed for their unique business models. In order to address this dilemma, the L3C is designed to combine benefits of both the non-profit and for-profit business structure into one single entity.
Big‐Box Stores

A big-box store is a physically large retail establishment, often part of a chain, whose size allows for enormous quantities of goods to be sold under one roof. Big-box stores are associated with a range of contemporary consumption phenomena: strong emphasis on low prices, outsourcing of manufacturing to countries with inexpensive, non-unionized labor, consistent retail environments regardless of geographical location, suburban sprawl and automobile-centered transportation, and the advent of “one-stop shopping.” As their dominance has grown, big-box stores have attracted both praise for making groceries and household goods cheaper and easier to buy, and criticism for their alleged role in the decline of small, independent businesses and traditional downtowns. Keywords: capitalism; consumerism; economy; globalization
Dietary Vitamin E Enhances Color and Display Life of Frozen Beef from Holstein Steers

We studied effects of freeze-thaw treatments, storage time, light and film permeability on color of frozen longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle from control and vitamin E supplemented (2100 IU/head/day) Holstein steers. Color changes with time were modeled using an exponential decay equation. Dietary vitamin E supplementation increased color stability of frozen LL samples kept at −20°C. After 3 mo of dark storage, saturation index and a* for control LL wrapped in polyethylene were 11.4 and 8.8; for supplemented meat, same conditions, they were 19.0 and 17.0, respectively. Illumination and vacuum packaging increased color changes. Predisplay dark storage of 30 days reduced discoloration of supplemented LL. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles caused fading of semimembranosus muscle (SM) and the effect was more pronounced in meat from control animals.
Elemental abundances in seven fragments from lunar rock 12013

Apollo 12 lunar rock 12013, discussing major and trace elemental abundances determination by neutron activation analysis
On the plotting of flood‐discharges

We ask: Which frequency shall we attribute to the m'th observation of a statistical variate, and especially to the m'th flood-discharge? Let xm[m = 1, 2,...... (n − 1), n] be n observations arranged according to increasing magnitude. The question is, shall we use (m/n) or [(m − 1 ) / n] as the observed cumulative frequency? Both methods are equally legitimate. The first corresponds to the arrangement of the observations in increasing magnitude, the second to the arrangement in decreasing magnitude.
Critical charge calculations for a bipolar SRAM array

The critical charge, Q{sub crit}, of a memory array storage cell is defined as the largest charge that can be injected without changing the cell`s logic state. The Q{sub crit} of a Schottky-coupled complementary bipolar SRAM array is evaluated in detail. An operational definition of critical charge is made, and the critical charge for the cell is determined by circuit simulation. The dependence of critical charge on upset-pulse wave shape, statistical variations of power supply voltage, temperature gradients, manufacturing process tolerances, and design-related influences due to word- and drain-line resistance was also calculated. A 2{times} range in Q{sub crit} is obtained for the SRAM memory array cell from simulations of normal ({+-}3{sigma}) variations in manufacturing process tolerances, the shape of the upset current pulse, and local cell temperatures. Using SEMM, a 60{times} variation of the soft-error rate (SER) is obtained for this range in Q{sub crit}. The calculated SER is compared to experimental values for the chip obtained by accelerated testing. It is concluded that a range in values of the critical charge of a cell due to normal manufacturing and operating tolerances must be considered when calculating soft-error rates for a chip.
COMPARISON OF BIOIMPEDANCE AND THERMODILUTION METHODS FOR DETERMINING CARDIAC OUTPUT : EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES

Abstract The changes in electrical bioimpedance caused by the blood flow through a thoracic segment may be measured using a series of electrodes placed at opposing ends of this segment. Cardiac output (CO) is calculated by computer as the change in bioimpedance over time. This study was performed to determine the accuracy of bioimpedance CO (CObi) compared with standard thermodilution CO (COtd) in an animal model and in patients. COtd was determined using a thermodilution CO computer, and CObi was calculated with a bioimpedance computer in 10 dogs at baseline and at 5-minute intervals following the injection of 7 mEq of calcium chloride. A high correlation between COtd and CObi was observed ( r = 0.91, p r = 0.77, p
Legal highs: the dark side of medicinal chemistry

Synthetic chemist David Nichols describes how his research on psychedelic compounds has been abused — with fatal consequences.
Inquiry-based learning environment using intelligent tutoring system

The present study aims to discuss the development of a collaborative inquiry-based learning environment with the support of an intelligent tutoring system for general education. Following an inquiry-based learning approach, the learner-centered activities involve students making questions about a given theme based on a subject proposed by teachers. Here the collaborative nature of interaction is seen as a fertile space for learning since it enables the mobilization, interpretation and coordination of contributions to achieve a common goal. Students may require instruction and feedback to help them exploit the learning environment to its full potential. To provide the necessary assistance, an intelligent tutoring system is proposed. Intelligent tutoring systems are computer programs capable of providing immediate and customized instruction or feedback to students, without the need of human intervention. In our proposal, a text mining tool provides key concepts about the interaction of the student within the environment. This information can be used by a recommender system, which searches for related material in the Internet and in other specific learning repositories. The relevance of the learning environment proposed here lies on its capacity to give assistance through a recommender system, promoting a richer interactive learning.
Brief announcement: a framework for building self-stabilizing overlay networks

We describe a simple framework, called the transitive closure framework (TCF), for the self-stabilizing construction of any overlay network. The TCF is easy to reason about and algorithms derived from it stabilize within O(log n) more rounds than the optimal. As evidence of the power of this framework, we derive from the TCF a simple, self-stabilizing protocol for constructing Skip + graphs in O(log n) rounds.
Mining repetitive sequences using a big data ecosystem

Identifying repetitive gene sequences occurring within DNA sequences that span a collection of species is a challenge that is conceptually simple yet computationally challenging. Biological research suggests that certain regions within genomic sequences may be unchanged for hundreds of millions of years; understanding and identifying these highly preserved regions is a major challenge faced by bioinformaticians. Taking an evolutionary perspective on DNA, pinpointing these repetitive sequences is the first step to understanding functional similarities and diversities. The difficulty of this problem arises from the volume of the data required for analysis; it grows with every genome that is sequenced. Traditional approaches used to identify repetitive sequences often require the pair-wise comparison of chromosomes, which takes a significant amount of time to gather results. When comparing n chromosomes, n(n-l) individual comparisons must be made. To avoid exhaustive pair-wise comparisons, we designed an algorithm that partitions genomic sequences into search key values representing potential repetitive sequences, which are hashed into bins. With the introduction of new genomes, we only process the new sequences and aggregate new results with those that were previously processed.
Temperature measurements in a spherical field: Transfer coefficients and corrections for thermocouples in boundary flows

A study was made of the deviation between the temperature of thermocouple junctions and the temperature of the fluid surrounding them which arises as a result of conduction along the thermocouple leads. Measurements around a 1/2-in. heated sphere in the plane of the equator normal to an air stream having a velocity of 16 ft./sec. were made with a 0.001-in.-diam. thermocouple of platinum and platinum rhodium. Air temperatures in the boundary flows of the sphere were predicted from the indications of the thermocouple. The method of prediction employed also determined the heat transfer coefficients for the thermocouple wire in the boundary layer. These local heat transfer coefficients are lower than those observed in a uniform stream having a velocity equal to the estimated local velocity in the boundary layer.
Thermalization of quarks and gluons in heavy-ion collisions.

The thermalization problem in relativistic heavy-ion collisions is considered. The initial momentum distribution of the quarks and gluons in a nucleus-nucleus collision before thermalization takes place is first determined. It is then argued that the relativistic Fokker-Planck equation is the appropriate transport equation to describe the time evolution of the quark-gluon system. In terms of a scaled time variable, the thermalization time is determined without fully solving the Fokker-Planck equation. The actual proper time of local thermalization is then estimated on the basis of some reasonable inputs on the soft interactions among quarks and gluons; the resultant value is of order 0.1 fm/c. The time for global (in rapidity) thermalization is longer.
“Okay, My Rant is Over”: The Language of Emotion in Computer-Mediated Communication

Abstract Even when instructors take steps to mitigate conflict between students, online discussions are likely to be more emotional than face-to-face discussions, and student posts frequently bear characteristics of ranting. This paper uses a model from the field of psycholinguistics to identify linguistic features that writers use to communicate emotion in CMC to substitute for the nonverbal emotional cues that speakers and listeners rely on in face-to-face conversation. Our analysis of the online forum for a course called Presidential Election Rhetoric illustrates not only that students use linguistic features to express emotion but also that they transmit emotion to one another through the use of these features. Additionally, we suggest that students’ unfamiliarity expressing emotion subtly and accurately using linguistic features contributes to the quality of ranting in CMC. Finally, we recommend specific strategies to help students further hone their skills at expressing and perceiving emotion in CMC.
African-American fathers' involvement with infants: Relationship to their functioning style, support, education, and income

Abstract Using the cultural and human ecology models as a guide, African-American fathers' involvement with infants as a function of whether their wife worked full-time or part-time, and the association between father involvement and fathers' functional styles within the family, family support, income, and education were examined. Fathers were less likely to engage in and devote time to basic caregiving activities than were mothers. Paternal investment in childcare did not differ as a function of whether wives worked full-time or part-time outside of the home. Fathers were more likely to invest time in playing with the infant than in feeding or cleaning. Fathers' ability to communicate effectively within the family and their commitment to the family were significantly associated with their degree of involvement in feeding and comforting infants. The data are discussed with respect to role differentiation in caregiving in African-American families.
Coupling in rat hippocampal slices: dye transfer between CA1 pyramidal cells.

Intracellular injections of Lucifer Yellow-CH (LY) into CA1 pyramidal cells were made in rat hippocampal slices to study dye transfer between neurons as evidence that these cells are electrotonically coupled. Extensive control procedures were performed which substantially reduced inadvertent staining. Over half of the neurons were dye-coupled after injections in stratus pyramidale. Dye coupling occurred even when spike amplitudes were ⩾70 mV throughout the impalement and was still present after chemical synapses were blocked with a low Ca2+ solution containing Mn2+. Somata of dye-coupled cells were usually located within 35 μm (post-fixation) of the injected cell and showed no preferred orientation. Fast prepotentials and dye coupling occurred independently. Neurons in superior cervical ganglia, which were sliced and injected using similar procedures, showed no dye coupling. Intradendritic injections of LY in stratum radiatum also yielded dye coupling between CA 1 pyramidal cells, although the dye coupling was less frequent. Within stratum radiatum, neither extracellular ejections nor intracellular injections of interneurons were associated with multiple staining. Thus, injection of LY into the soma or dendrite of a single CA1 pyramidal cell often resulted in multiple staining, and in many ensembles the somata were well spaced. Control experiments suggested that such dye transfer is not by an extracellular route. This implies that some CA1 cells are electrotonically coupled. Further electrophysiological and morphological studies are required to resolve the discrepancies among various techniques used to evaluate the amount of coupling in the hippocampus.
Synergistic effect of combinations of cephalothin and kanamycin on strains of E. coli.

TREATMENT of urinary infections caused by Gram negative bacteria is often very difficult. It is frequently necessary to administer antibiotics in large doses, which presents a hazard to patients with impaired renal function. In many cases relapses occur as a result of bacterial resistance1. This study was undertaken to establish in vitro a synergistic combination of antibiotics against several strains of E. coli isolated from urinary infections.
Postharvest quality of GA-treated Florida grapefruit after gamma irradiation with TBZ and storage.

Abstract Grapefruit, Citrus paradisi (Macf.), harvested from gibberellic acid (GA) treated trees were irradiated at 0.3 or 0.6 kGy, and evaluated for quality after treatment and simulated commercial storage. The peel of GA-treated fruit retained green color and the fruit were firmer than control fruit after treatment. A condition, not observed before with grapefruit, was described and termed ‘spongy fruit’, which increased as irradiation dosage increased. The incidence of fruit peel pitting after five weeks' storage increased from
Empirical fits to the Voigt line width: A brief review

Abstract We briefly review previous attempts to obtain useful empirical expressions for the width of the Voigt line. We present a new empirical fit, quite different in form, which is accurate to within ±0.01% for any combination of Lorentz (pressure) and doppler line widths. We also show a simple modification to the expression given by Whiting which attains an accuracy of approx. ±0.02%.
On the contents of the cortical granules from Xenopus laevis eggs.

Abstract The extruded contents of the cortical granules in eggs of Xenopus laevis were solubilized by exposure to divalent metal ion chelators. Chelator extraction of cortical granule (CG) material from intact fertilized or artificially activated eggs was quantitated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The isolated fertilization envelope, formed upon interaction between CG material and the preexisting vitelline envelope, was also subject to extraction. An ultrastructural analysis revealed that chelator exposure resulted in the disruption of the structural integrity of the CG-derived F-component of the fertilization envelope. CG material was isolated from Xenopus ova by three procedures: (1) extrusion from artificially activated, dejellied eggs; (2) extraction of intact, fertilized eggs; and (3) extraction of isolated fertilization envelopes. Only 4–5% of the CG protein recovered by extrusion or by extraction of the intact fertilized egg could be associated with the isolated fertilization envelopes. One predominant polypeptide fraction with an identical relative mobility was demonstrated in all CG preparations upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in SDS. Polymeric forms of CG protein were detected in chelator extracted preparations. The presence of an intact jelly coat during CG breakdown was a prerequisite to the transformation of the vitelline envelope to a fertilization envelope with altered physicochemical characteristics. Further, the CG-derived F-component of the fertilization envelope did not appear to play a critical role in determining the physicochemical properties of the fertilization envelope.
Photochemical scission of cinnamic acid dimers: α-truxillic and β-truxinic acids

Abstract Excited α-truxillic acid and β-truxinic acid monomerize in solution to yield cinnamic acid with quantum efficiencies of 0.12 and 0.41, respectively. The photoscission proceeds via excited singlet and triplet molecules.
Topologically Induced 2-in/2-out Operation on Loop Cohomology

We apply the transfer algorithm to transfer an A∞-algebra structure that cannot be computed using the classical basic perturbation lemma. We construct a space X whose topology induces a nontrivial 2-in/2-out operation \( \omega_2^2 \) on loop cohomology \( {H^{*}}\left( {\Omega X;{{\mathbb{Z}}_2}} \right) \).
Effects of cyclic bending and physiological solution on plasma-sprayed hydroxylapatite coatings of varying crystallinity.

This study investigated the effects of cyclic bending stress levels and testing in simulated physiological solutions or air on the integrity of plasma-sprayed hydroxylapatite (HA) coatings of two different crystallinities. Hydroxylapatite-coated commercially pure (CP) Ti rods were evaluated by immersion testing in Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) and by rotating bending in air and HBSS. Static immersion testing of nonstressed specimens resulted in significant microcracking of coating surfaces after 42 days. Specimens cyclically tested at bending stresses above the yield strength of Ti experienced low cycle fatigue failure of the Ti substrates prior to spallation of the HA coatings. Coatings tested at 1 x 10(6) cycles with interface bending stresses of 180 MPa displayed increased surface microcracking, but no bulk coating spallation. Coatings cycled in HBSS displayed greater amounts of microcracking and surface alteration than samples cycled in air. There was no apparent relation between HA crystallinity and mechanical integrity under cyclic bending stresses.
Olfactory morphology and physiology of elasmobranchs

Elasmobranch fishes are thought to possess greater olfactory sensitivities than teleost fishes due in part to the large amount of epithelial surface area that comprises their olfactory organs; however, direct evidence correlating the size of the olfactory organ to olfactory sensitivity is lacking. This study examined the olfactory morphology and physiology of five distantly related elasmobranch species. Specifically, we quantified the number of lamellae and lamellar surface area (as if it were a flat sheet, not considering secondary lamellae) that comprise their olfactory organs. We also calculated the olfactory thresholds and relative effectiveness of amino acid odorants for each species. The olfactory organs varied in both the number of lamellae and lamellar surface area, which may be related to their general habitat, but neither correlated with olfactory threshold. Thresholds to amino acid odorants, major olfactory stimuli of all fishes, ranged from 10⁻⁹·⁰ to 10⁻⁶·⁹ mol l⁻¹, which indicates that these elasmobranch species demonstrate comparable thresholds with teleosts. In addition, the relative effectiveness of amino acid stimuli to the olfactory organ of elasmobranchs is similar to that previously described in teleosts with neutral amino acids eliciting significantly greater responses than others. Collectively, these results indicate parallels in olfactory physiology between these two groups of fishes.
Optical lumen measurement of coronary artery latex casts.

To facilitate calibration and testing of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) systems, an optical technique has been developed to measure the vessel dimensions of complex coronary artery phantoms. The technique provides accurate geometric data such as centerline position and cross‐sectional area of vessel branches. The sequential steps involved in the measurement include taking pictures of different views, tracing magnified images, point‐by‐point digitizing and computing the center positions and radii along each vessel branch. The accuracy of the optical technique is assessed using the measurement of a precisely known aluminum phantom. Measurement repeatability is assessed by multiple measurement of the same branches on a barium impregnated latex cast which provides a realistic coronary artery phantom. The measurement is demonstrated to be accurate to within 0.01 mm and repeatable to within 0.05 mm on the wire phantom measurement and 0.08 mm on the realistic phantom measurement.