cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Microparticles as Biomarkers in the Development of Therapy for Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune diseases are a diverse group of conditions that result from abnormalities in immune cell function that culminate in tissue inflammation, destruction, or dysfunction. Despite advances in immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory therapy, the development of more safe and effective treatments has been limited by a paucity of biomarkers that can reliably monitor events in pathogenesis. Among new biomarker approaches, the characterization of cellular microparticles (MPs) has provided a unique perspective on the status of both the immune and vascular systems in autoimmunity. MPs are small extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are released from dead and dying as well as activated cells and then appear in the blood as a source of bioactive molecules. MPs contain a wide variety of cytoplasmic and nuclear constituents that can stimulate immunity as well as promote thrombosis. Levels of MPs are elevated in the blood of patients with many autoimmune diseases, with flow cytometric assays using antibodies to cell surface markers allowing identification of the cell of origin. In the context of autoimmunity, MPs are important as a source of alarmins or DAMPs (damage-associated molecular patterns), including high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), the prototype of this class of molecules. In addition, MPs can provide self-antigen to form immune complexes (ICs) which play a key role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. MPs can be a target of therapy on the basis of their constituent bioactive molecules, with agents that prevent MP release a potential novel approach to attenuating inflammation and thrombosis.
Two Bots, One Brain: Component Sharing in Cognitive Robotic Architectures

Humans communicate knowledge and coordinate actions through natural language exchanges, effectively externalizing their thoughts as they cannot directly access each others' minds. This, however, is not a limitation for artificial agents like robots which can easily access its each others' minds directly. Specifically, with the right provisions, cognitive robotic architectures can enable robots to directly access each others' control systems and the knowledge contained therein. They can even enable robots to share components of their architecture analogous to the human case of craniopagus twins that have direct brain connections. In the robotic case, however, the robot bodies do not have to be physically connected; rather, their ``brains'' can communicate through wireless connections.In this video, we demonstrate the utility of being able to share components in our cognitive robotic DIARC architecture [1] which is implemented in the ADE middleware [2]. Shared natural language processing and dialogue management systems, for example, allow physically distributed robots to understand conversations at remote locations, and local robots to speak on behalf of others that are remotely located. Sharing internal perceptual and long-term memories allows robots to report what other robots in their cohort see, know, do, and intend. Shared perceptual systems also allow robots to learn about environments in which they are not located, and report on them to humans.We believe that the underlying technology of architectural component sharing can be very useful in any application domain where multiple artificial agents like robots have to cooperate on a common task and coordinate their activities, especially in mixed initiative teaming contexts where groups of robots work together with multiple humans. In addition, this notion of shared components, and ultimately architectures, raises interesting philosophical questions about the identity of those agents: who is who? Is the identity of such agents only constituted by the agents' different bodies? And what if those agents were instead virtual?
Education for Citizen Responsibilities

(1942). Education for Citizen Responsibilities. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 13, No. 9, pp. 503-504.
Laboratory evaluation of biologically-based compounds as antifeedants for the pales weevil, Hylobius pales (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Twenty plant-produced compounds or mixtures and one insect-produced semiochemical were evaluated as potential antifeedants for the pales weevil, Hylobius pales (Herbst). Initially, a choice laborat...
Canadian Multiculturalism Ideology: Mere Tolerance or Full Acceptance

September 11, 2001 will forever be etched in the memory of Canadians who were deeply affected by the events of that day. This cataclysmic occurrence had a pivotal place not only upon the private troubles of those directly related but also upon the public issues and the consequent public policies of all of us who may not have been as directly touched. Such a life-changing experience will impinge upon the politics of our entire nation. The terrorist act was a political statement at one level which must be addressed politically as well It is noteworthy, given this context of the terrorist attack in the nation to the South, that October 8, 2001 represented the thirtieth anniversary of the political declaration of multiculturalism as a public state policy within Canada What difference does the official policy discourse and ideology of multiculturalism make in the political response to the ethnocultural and racial diversity within and without its national borders?
Metabolic activity induces membrane phase separation in endoplasmic reticulum

Membrane phase behavior has been well characterized in model membranes in vitro under thermodynamic equilibrium state. However, the widely observed differences between biological membranes and their in vitro counterparts are placing more emphasis on nonequilibrium factors, including influx and efflux of lipid molecules. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the largest cellular membrane system and also the most metabolically active organelle responsible for lipid synthesis. However, how the nonequilibrium metabolic activity modulates ER membrane phase has not been investigated. Here, we studied the phase behavior of functional ER in the context of lipid metabolism. Utilizing advanced vibrational imaging technique, that is, stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, we discovered that metabolism of palmitate, a prevalent saturated fatty acid (SFA), could drive solid-like domain separation from the presumably uniformly fluidic ER membrane, a previously unknown phenomenon. The potential of various fatty acids to induce solid phase can be predicted by the transition temperatures of their major metabolites. Interplay between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids is also observed. Hence, our study sheds light on cellular membrane biophysics by underscoring the nonequilibrium metabolic status of living cell.
Potential Mechanisms of Sex Ratio Adjustment in Birds

In Chap. 5, I discussed the overwhelming evidence suggesting that female birds can control the sexes of their offspring in response to surrounding conditions. Since birds exhibit a strictly genetic system of sex determination, the precise mechanisms by which this may occur remain unclear. There is now evidence that birds of some species may be able to influence the process of meiosis to control which sex chromosome is retained in the oocyte and which is discarded into an unfertilizable polar body, while in other cases, environmental conditions can influence the survival of males versus females differently. In this chapter, I detail potential developmental targets both before and after fertilization at which sex ratio adjustment may occur in birds.
Sturdy inference and the amelioration potential for driverless cars: The reduction of motor vehicle fatalities due to technology

Abstract Motor vehicle crashes continue to result in a large number of fatalities each year and represent the leading cause of death for young persons. This study is the first to examine specifically the effects of a set of focus variables thought to be major contributors to motor vehicle fatalities including distractions caused by, for example, cell phones, suicidal propensities among others using a newly developed Bayesian technique designed to measure the \sturdiness of the results. The analysis is conducted using a rich panel data set for the period 1980–2010 by the State and the District of Columbia which includes motor vehicle, economic, and driver-related variables. As mentioned, the analysis makes use of a new Bayesian statistic developed by Leamer, that is, S-values. This statistic summarizes both estimation uncertainty and model ambiguity by considering millions of potential models of motor vehicle fatalities. Once the major factors of motor vehicle fatalities are unambiguously determined and their influences measured, the study considers the ameliorating potential of driverless cars on such fatalities as well as their costs to society. In particular, the ability of driverless cars with, for example, their self-braking capacity, to reduce the number of crashes, and their associated fatalities and injuries in a significant manner is examined. In addition, they may offer individuals the ability to use cell phones for calls and texting while not enhancing risks to vehicle occupants and pedestrians. Obviously, they may also serve in place of a designated driver should alcohol use be an issue. However, the ability of driverless vehicles to provide safe transportation is not without costs. These include developing and maintaining reliable computer systems and sensors along with back-up systems while addressing legal and possible environmental issues. We conclude that driverless cars offer the potential to ameliorate motor vehicle fatalities due to distractions, such as with the use of cell phones, alcohol use, and suicidal propensities. In addition, modernization of the vehicle fleet is expected to reduce motor vehicle fatalities since newer vehicles are expected to incorporate technologies which may be life saving.
Discriminative and Analgesic Effects of Mu and Kappa Opioids: In Vivo pA2 Analysis

This paper illustrates the use of antagonists to study receptor mediation of the discriminative stimulus effects of opioids and to determine if their analgesic effects are mediated in a similar manner. Analysis by pA2 was used to quantify interactions between the opioid antagonist quadazocine and several opioid agonists. Interactions were examined under a drug discrimination procedure and under a tail withdrawal analgesia procedure. Values of pA2 for quadazocine in combination with the kappa agonists bremazocine, ethylketazocine, and U50,488 ranged between 6.1 and 6.4 under the drug discrimination and tail withdrawal procedures. In contrast, the pA2 values for the mu agonists etorphine, fentanyl, and morphine under these procedures ranged between 7.6 and 8.2. The difference between these pA pA2 values indicates that the affinity of quadazocine for the receptors mediating the effects of the kappa agonists is over one log unit lower than its affinity for the receptors mediating the effects of the mu agonists. This suggests that the discriminative stimulus and analgesic effects of kappa opioid agonists are mediated at the same opioid receptor type, which is different from the type of opioid receptor at which mu agonists produce their discriminative stimulus and analgesic effects.
Lipoproteins as Risk Factor

This paper reviews the role of the lipoproteins as risk factors, the metabolic relationship between them and how this contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The conclusion to be drawn is that lipoproteins should not only be considered individually as risk factors but also as part of a dynamic system whereby metabolic products of lipoproteins may be atherogenic.
The Role of Benzoic Acid Derivatives in Systemic Acquired Resistance

Diseases of major crops limit crop quality, yield and grower choice. To address this issue, we have taken an approach that capitalizes on the natural phenomenon of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) to develop disease resistant crops. We found chemicals which induce SAR, examined the activity of Sar genes/anti-fungal peptides expressed in plants responding to pathogens, and isolated varieties with constitutive SAR.
Characterization of a Reversible Thermally-Actuated Polymer-Valve: A Potential Dynamic Treatment for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Background Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a fetal defect comprising an incomplete diaphragm and the herniation of abdominal organs into the chest cavity that interfere with fetal pulmonary development. Though the most promising treatment for CDH is via interventional fetoscopic tracheal occlusion (TO) surgery in-utero, it has produced mixed results due to the static nature of the inserted occlusion. We hypothesize that a suitable noninvasively-actuatable, cyclic-release tracheal occlusion device can be developed to enable dynamic tracheal occlusion (dTO) implementation. Objective To conduct an in-vitro proof-of-concept investigation of the construction of thermo-responsive polymer valves designed for targeted activation within a physiologically realizable temperature range as a first step towards potential development of a noninvasively-actuatable implantable device to facilitate dynamic tracheal occlusion (dTO) therapy. Methods Six thermo-responsive polymer valves, with a critical solution temperature slightly higher than normal physiological body temperature of 37°C, were fabricated using a copolymer of n-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and dimethylacrylamide (DMAA). Three of the valves underwent ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization while the other three served as controls for EtO-processing compatibility testing. Thermal response actuation of the valves and their steady-state flow performances were evaluated using water and caprine amniotic fluid. Results All six valves consisting of 0.3-mole fraction of DMAA were tested for thermal actuation of caprine amniotic fluid flow at temperatures ranging from 30–44°C. They all exhibited initiation of valve actuation opening at ~40°C with full completion at ~44°C. The overall average coefficient of variation (CV) for the day-to-day flow performance of the valves tested was less than 12%. Based on a Student t-test, there was no significant difference in the operational characteristics for the EtO processed versus the non-EtO processed valves tested. Conclusions We successfully fabricated and demonstrated physiological realizable temperature range operation of thermo-responsive polymer valves in-vitro and their suitability for standard EtO sterilization processing, a prerequisite for future in-vivo surgical implantation testing.
CXA-10, a Nitrated Fatty Acid, Is Renoprotective in Deoxycorticosterone Acetate-Salt Nephropathy

Underlying pathogenic mechanisms in chronic kidney disease (CKD) include chronic inflammation, oxidant stress, and matrix remodeling associated with dysregulated nuclear factor-κ B, nuclear factor-κ B, and SMAD signaling pathways, respectively. Important cytoprotective mechanisms activated by oxidative inflammatory conditions are mediated by nitrated fatty acids that covalently modify proteins to limit inflammation and oxidant stress. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of chronic treatment with CXA-10 (10-nitro-9(E)-octadec-9-enoic acid) in the uninephrectomized deoxycorticosterone acetate-high-salt mouse model of CKD. After 4 weeks of treatment, CXA-10 [2.5 millligrams per kilogram (mpk), p.o.] significantly attenuated increases in plasma cholesterol, heart weight, and kidney weight observed in the model without impacting systemic arterial blood pressure. CXA-10 also reduced albuminuria, nephrinuria, glomerular hypertrophy, and glomerulosclerosis in the model. Inflammatory MCP-1 and fibrosis (collagen, fibronectin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and osteopontin) renal biomarkers were significantly reduced in the CXA-10 (2.5 mpk) group. The anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects, as well as glomerular protection, were not observed in the enalapril-treated group. Also, CXA-10 appears to exhibit hormesis as all protective effects observed in the low-dose group were absent in the high-dose group (12.5 mpk). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that, at the appropriate dose, the nitrated fatty acid CXA-10 exhibits anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects in the kidney and limits renal injury in a model of CKD.
Brain Computer Interface Switch Based on Quasi-Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials

Gaze detection by Steady State Visually Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) has been a very popular topic for neural rehabilitation and especially Brain Computer Interface (BCI) research. Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) provide reliable robust electrophysiological signals for communication and control applications. In this research Quasi-Steady-State VEPs (QSS-VEPs) and their correspondence in this kind of dual target gaze detection application has been demonstrated. Methods for a dual target BCI switch has been developed. Since QSS-VEPs enable acquisition of both SSVEP and transient VEP (TR-VEP) signals at the same time, exploitation of them in a two target BCI application was reasonable. Stimulations of low and high rate pattern-reversal VEPs were utilized in gaze detection. QSS-VEPs and transient VEPs were compared. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were calculated in order to assess performance. We have found that it is possible to achieve high accuracy or ROC area values with QSS-VEPs. The best performance was obtained at 50 reversal per second (rps) stimulation rate. At this rate deconvolved transient signals, which normally has low performance compared to QSS-VEPs, resulted in comparable Information Transfer Rates (ITR) with QSS-VEPs.
Social influences on cognitive processing in enacted social support: effects on receivers’ cognitive appraisals, emotion, and affiliation

Background and objectives. Social support is linked with psychological health, but its mechanisms are unclear. We examined supporters’ influence on recipients’ cognitive processing as a mechanism o...
Response: Animus, Its Critics, and Its Potential

This brief essay responds to written works submitted as part of Stetson Law Review’s April 2018 symposium on my book, Animus: A Brief Introduction to Bias in the Law (NYU Press 2017). It considers critiques of the Supreme Court’s emerging equal protection “animus” doctrine, and one work that deals more generally with statutory equality rights. This essay finds much to admire in all of these works, including those that critique the animus concept. Nevertheless, this response concludes that animus, as a properly explained but also properly limited doctrine, can play a positive role in equal protection law. In particular, it argues that animus doctrine can provide the vehicle for a candid and direct response to many of the maladies affecting contemporary American politics and society. It also argues that it can play that role in a way that more tightly connects modern equal protection law to its historical aspirations. For these reasons, it is appropriate both to celebrate animus doctrine but also for scholars to continue studying it, to ensure that it remains confined to its proper sphere.
Valproate intoxication in a patient with bipolar I disorder due to SGLT2 inhibitor-induced weight reduction.

Introduction: Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are hypoglycemic agents characterized by a weight loss effect. This effect is likely to increase blood levels of other drugs. Reason for the report: SGLT2 inhibitor-induced weight reduction could bring unexpected side effects of other drugs whose blood concentrations are affected by body weight. However, this interaction between SGLT2 inhibitor and other drugs via weight loss effect has not been reported so far. Case summary: I describe the case of a 67-year-old male with bipolar I disorder who was treated with valproate. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, started treatment with empagliflozin, and his body weight decreased gradually. Two months after he started empagliflozin, he developed hand tremor which was one of the symptoms of valproate intoxication, and his tremor was improved by dose reduction of valproate. It seemed that this symptom was brought mainly by weight loss effect of empagliflozin. These observations suggest the existence of a detour where blood concentrations of some drugs are increased by weight loss due to SGLT2 inhibitors. Clinicians need to be aware of the blood levels of drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after starting SGLT2 inhibitors.
Influence of Distillers Grains from a Cellulosic Ethanol Process Utilizing Corn Kernel Fiber on Nutrient Digestibility of Lambs and Steer Feedlot Performance

Two experiments were designed to evaluate the impact of traditional wet distillers grains (T-WDG) compared to wet distillers grains derived from a novel process for conversion of corn kernel fiber into cellulosic ethanol (C-WDG) on nutrient digestibility and animal performance. Experiment 1 utilized 10 wethers in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square design to evaluate the digestibility of dry matter, fiber, fat, and crude protein in diets containing T-WDG or C-WDG. In experiment 2, 168 crossbred steers were used in a randomized complete block design to determine the impact of T-WDG or C-WDG in finishing diets on performance and carcass characteristics. Although digestibility of T-WDG and C-WDG slightly varied at moderate inclusions in the diet, performance and carcass characteristics of steers fed 30% T-WDG were similar to steers fed 30% C-WDG. Therefore, incorporation of a co-product from a novel, secondary fermentation process for conversion of corn kernel fiber into cellulosic ethanol maintained significant growth performance of cattle when replacing corn in finishing diets.
Genomic analysis of 21 patients with corneal neuralgia after refractive surgery.

Background Refractive surgery, specifically laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and photorefractive keratectomy, are widely applied procedures to treat myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. After surgery, a subgroup of cases suffers from persistent and intractable pain of obscure etiology, thought to be neuropathic. We aimed to investigate the contribution of genomic factors in the pathogenesis of these patients with corneal neuralgia. Methods We enrolled 21 cases (6 males and 15 females) from 20 unrelated families, who reported persistent pain (>3 months), after refractive surgery (20 laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and 1 photorefractive keratectomy patients). Whole-exome sequencing and gene-based association test were performed. Results Whole-exome sequencing demonstrated low-frequency variants (allele frequency < 0.05) in electrogenisome-related ion channels and cornea-expressed collagens, most frequently in SCN10A (5 cases), SCN9A (4 cases), TRPV1 (4 cases), CACNA1H and CACNA2D2 (5 cases each), COL5A1 (6 cases), COL6A3 (5 cases), and COL4A2 (4 cases). Two variants, p.K655R of SCN9A and p.Q85R of TRPV1, were previously characterized as gain-of-function. Gene-based association test assessing "damaging" missense variants against gnomAD exome database (non-Finnish European or global), identified a gene, SLC9A3R1, with statistically significant effect (odds ratio = 17.09 or 17.04; Bonferroni-corrected P-value < 0.05). Conclusion These findings in a small patient cohort did not identify a common gene/variant among most of these cases, as found in other disorders, for example small-fiber neuropathy. Further studies of these candidate genes/variants might enhance understanding of the role of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of corneal neuralgia.
Improving Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning via Hamiltonian Policy.

Approximating optimal policies in reinforcement learning (RL) is often necessary in many real-world scenarios, which is termed as policy optimization. By viewing the reinforcement learning from the perspective of variational inference (VI), the policy network is trained to obtain the approximate posterior of actions given the optimality criteria. However, in practice, the policy optimization may lead to suboptimal policy estimates due to the amortization gap and insufficient exploration. In this work, inspired by the previous use of Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) in VI, we propose to integrate policy optimization with HMC. As such we choose evolving actions from the base policy according to HMC, which has two benefits: i) HMC can improve the policy distribution to better approximate the posterior and hence reduces the amortization gap; ii) HMC can also guide the exploration more to the regions with higher action values, enhancing the exploration efficiency. Instead of directly applying HMC into RL, we propose a new leapfrog operator to simulate the Hamiltonian dynamics. With comprehensive empirical experiments on continuous control baselines, including MuJoCo and PyBullet Roboschool, we show that the proposed approach is a data-efficient, and an easy-to-implement improvement over previous policy optimization methods. Besides, the proposed approach can also outperform previous methods on DeepMind Control Suite which has image-based high-dimensional observation space.
Computing Optimal Persistent Cycles for Levelset Zigzag on Manifold-like Complexes.

In standard persistent homology, a persistent cycle born and dying with a persistence interval (bar) associates the bar with a concrete topological representative, which provides means to effectively navigate back from the barcode to the topological space. Among the possibly many, optimal persistent cycles bring forth further information due to having guaranteed quality. However, topological features usually go through variations in the lifecycle of a bar which a single persistent cycle may not capture. Hence, for persistent homology induced from PL functions, we propose levelset persistent cycles consisting of a sequence of cycles that depict the evolution of homological features from birth to death. Our definition is based on levelset zigzag persistence which involves four types of persistence intervals as opposed to the two types in standard persistence. For each of the four types, we present a polynomial-time algorithm computing an optimal sequence of levelset persistent $p$-cycles for the so-called weak $(p+1)$-pseudomanifolds. Given that optimal cycle problems for homology are NP-hard in general, our results are useful in practice because weak pseudomanifolds do appear in applications. Our algorithms draw upon an idea of relating optimal cycles to min-cuts in a graph that we exploited earlier for standard persistent cycles. Note that levelset zigzag poses non-trivial challenges for the approach because a sequence of optimal cycles instead of a single one needs to be computed in this case.
MRI induced heating for fully implanted, partially implanted and minimum implanted medical electrode leads

One of the most critical MRI safety concerns for patients with medical implants is the RF coil induced heating in the vicinity of medical electrode lead tip. In this study, temperature rises for different lead path configurations are evaluated using transfer function method. Lead tip heating along three configurations: fully implanted, partially implanted, and minimum implanted medical electrode leads are evaluated in both adult male and boy models. The lead length is 40 cm and the maximum temperature rise is 3.19 °C when normalized to 2 WIkg.
The biology of the Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris. III. The coevolution of Alpine Accentors and lice (Phthiraptera).

The species Philopterus emiliae is more abundant in the bodies of accentors than Ricinus subpallidus . Of the 100 inspected accentors, 36 were insected by Ph.emiliae , and 10 by R. subpallidus . There is probably no evidence of competition between the two lice. Two birds only harboured both species of lice. Seasonal change is probably important determinant of population size and sex ratio of lice Ph. emiliae . Females of lice are probably capable of adaptive selection of females of accentors for the purposes of vertical transmission and lice dispersal. Species Ph. emiliae is also capable of adaptive sex ratio manipulation. Presuming a female bias in the lice departing from large late winter subpopulations to colonize on new hosts (from late May to early August) could explain the female bias of the summer subpopulations. Male bias of louse subpopulation occurred in autumn and early winter.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Does not Accelerate Endothelial Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

For clinical applications of engineered vascular replacements, endothelial cells may not be available in sufficient quantities due to limited harvesting sites and slow in vitro expansion rates. Soluble vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is often added to differentiate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into endothelial cells; however, recent studies demonstrate that VEGF is not required to upregulate endothelial markers. In contrast to previous assumptions, this study demonstrates that exogenous VEGF does not enhance or accelerate the upregulation of common endothelial markers during endothelial differentiation of human MSCs. MSCs were cultured at confluence for up to 3 weeks in either basal medium or medium containing VEGF. Cells were examined for gene and protein expression as well as the ability to internalize acetylated low density lipoprotein. With either treatment, endothelial differentiation occurred as evidenced by upregulation of gene and protein expression of typical endothelial markers and the ability to internalize acetylated low density lipoproteins. Interestingly, the addition of VEGF at typical or high concentrations (50 or 100 ng/ml) did not result in differences in gene or protein expression levels of many typical endothelial markers. However, high concentrations of VEGF did significantly increase protein expression of the arterial marker Ephrin-B1. Thus, VEGF did not accelerate or enhance differentiation of human MSCs towards endothelial cells but was vital for specification of arterial fate.
Exploring the missing link: an empirical study of software fixes

Many papers have been published on analysis and prediction of software faults and/or failures, but few addressed the software fixes made to correct the faults and prevent failures from reoccurring. This paper contributes towards filling this gap by focusing on empirical characterization of software fixes. The results are based on the data extracted from a safety-critical NASA mission. In particular, 21 large-scale software components which together constitute over 8000 files and millions of lines of code were analysed. The unique characteristic of this work is the fact that links were established from software faults i.e. the root causes to potential or observed failures and consequently to fixes made to correct these faults. Specifically, for the fixes associated with individual failures, the spread across software components and types of software artifacts being fixed was studied. Our results showed that significant number of software failures required fixes in multiple software components and/or multiple software artifacts i.e. 15% and 26%, respectively. The results also showed that the patterns of software components that were often fixed together were significantly affected by the software architecture. Furthermore, the types of fixed software artifacts were highly correlated with fault type and they had different distributions for prerelease and post-release failures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Homogeneity of urban biotopes and similarity of landscape design language in former colonial cities

Introduction When the Anglo settlers set out to establish colonies in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand they were attempting to create a ‘new England’, a purified British society transplanted to another land. These countries have a lot in common in history, demography and interconnections: they are Anglo ‘colonies of settlement’ (unlike ‘colonies of Empire’) where Europeans dispossessed and almost exterminated the earlier inhabitants (Diamond,1997; Dunlap, 1999). In the case of the United States and Canada there were also other significant European settlement influences such as French, German, Dutch and Spanish. In the nineteenth century the settlers made themselves at home in these new lands by making it like home. They used European plants and animals and tools of industrial civilisation to transform the countryside with a speed and thoroughness never seen before and on a scale that has never been repeated. The destruction of native ecosystems was a central process, eclipsed only by the subsequent enthusiasm for importing mammals and birds for sentiment and sport. Both had dire biological and social consequences. Changing the land was not an event but a process characterised by a set of actions that created a suite of landscapes. The transformation was most complete around settler homes. European grasses spread to picket fences, roses and lilacs bloomed in North American yards, primroses and other English flowers by Australian and New Zealand homes.
Expression of Na(+)-H+ exchange and ATP-dependent proton extrusion in growing rat IMCD cells

As the last step of urinary acidification, the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) is thought to secrete protons into the tubular lumens by means of a H(+)-translocating adenosinetriphosphatase ...
Head-up tilt and hyperventilation produce similar changes in cerebral oxygenation and blood volume: an observational comparison study using frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy

Purpose During anesthesia, maneuvers which cause the least disturbance of cerebral oxygenation with the greatest decrease in intracranial pressure would be most beneficial to patients with intracranial hypertension. Both head-up tilt (HUT) and hyperventilation are used to decrease brain bulk, and both may be associated with decreases in cerebral oxygenation. In this observational study, our null hypothesis was that the impact of HUT and hyperventilation on cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) are comparable.
Phenomenological modeling of plasma generation for real-time control of RIE systems

A phenomenological approach to modeling plasma parameters in a reactive ion etching system is described, combining a simplified continuum model of electrons and ions with a continuously stirred tank reactor model of plasma chemistry. The model relates equipment parameters such as power and pressure to parameters central to equipment control such as reactive radical concentration. The simplified models allow transient response characteristics of the equipment to be calculated in reasonable time. >
A procedure for plant regeneration from immature cotyledon tissue of soybean

For some time, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) has been conspicuous among major crops in lacking an in vitro regeneration system. This deficiency has precluded the application of many nonconventional techniques of crop improvement (See Abelson, 1983; Lea and Stewart, 1984; Hildebrand et al., 1985 for reviews). Although soybean is recalcitrant in vitro, some wild Glycine species are more responsive. Of these, Glycine canescens F. J. Herm appears most amenable; shoot production has been obtained from hypocotyl (Kameya and Widholm, 1981; Widholm and Rick, 1983), cotyledon (Widholm and Rick, 1983; Grant, 1984), leaf and flower tissues (Lazzeri, Hildebrand and Collins, unpublished) and also from protoplasts (Newell and Luu, 1985; Myers, Lazzeri and Collins, unpublished). Shoot regeneration has also been reported in two other wild species, G. tomentella Mayata (Kameya and Widholm, 1981) and G.clandestina Wendl. (Hymowitz et al., 1986).
Statics and Dynamics of Grain Boundaries in Ni3Al

Various modeling techniques have been used to study the structure of grain boundaries in ordered compounds, particularly Ni3Al. The techniques include computer simulation, group theoretical analysis and the cluster variation method for high temperature effects. A multiplicity of possible grain boundary structures was analyzed for different misorientations and grain boundary plane location. 1The influence of several alloy properties like atomic size differences and deviation from stochiometry on the occurrence of these different structures is analyzed. The implications of these results for grain boundary misorientation distribution, grain boundary plane location and faceting behavior are discussed and compared to experimental findings. The possibility of orderdisorder transitions in the grain boundary region is also discussed.
Open label pilot study of oxcarbazepine for inpatients under evaluation for epilepsy surgery

Oxcarbazepine (OXC) is a keto analogue of carbamazepine with no epoxide metabolite. We performed an open-label pilot study of OXC in six men and four women undergoing presurgical evaluation for complex partial or secondarily generalized seizures. Mean age was 34.3 ± 8.3 years, and mean duration of epilepsy was 18.2 ± 11.1 years. Patients were monitored for approximately 7 days before entry into an open-label add-on OXC study. Baseline antiepileptic medications were stopped in seven of the ten patients prior to initiating OXC. OXC was titrated to 2,400 mg/day in two divided doses over 2–3 days. The baseline daily seizure frequency was 0.75 ± 0.49, compared to 0.19 ± 0.31 seizures per day during the 10 days subjects were on OXC (P = .04, two-tailed paired t test). Overall, 80% of patients showed at least a 50% reduction in seizures, and the mean reduction was to 32% of the baseline. Adverse events consisted of nausea (20%), ataxia (10%), fatigue (10%), blurred vision (10%), and pruritus (10%). Segmented neutrophil counts, serum sodium, and serum AST declined with OXC. This pilot study suggests preliminary evidence for safety and efficacy of OXC. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Substance Use, Violence, and HIV Risk Behavior in El Salvador and the United States: Cross-National Profiles of the SAVA Syndemic

AbstractStudies examining the SAVA Syndemic—that is, the synergistic links between substance use, violence, and HIV risk behavior—have rarely been conducted cross-nationally. Using samples of high-risk youth in San Salvador, El Salvador (n = 237) and western Pennsylvania, United States (n = 253), latent class analysis is employed to identify behavioral subgroups of youth. Subgroups of “SAVA Youth” characterized by universally elevated levels of substance use, violence, and HIV risk behavior were identified in both El Salvador (20%) and the United States (42%). Membership in these behaviorally severe subgroups was associated with extremely high levels of severe violence exposure.
Possible Effects of Embryo Transfer on Evaluation of Cows and Bulls

Abstract Embryo transfer offers special opportunities and problems in genetic evaluations. Accurate evaluation of donors is of considerable importance. Greater accuracy in cow evaluation can come from progeny tests made possible by embryo transfer, but that information is available 4 to 6 yr after the cow already has been selected as a donor. Formulas are derived for adding daughter or son (granddaughter) data to the cow index to form a theoretically more accurate index. Addition of daughter data may introduce a bias because of the likelihood of nonrandom treatment of daughters. Adding more data to the cow indexing procedure will make results less dependent on accuracy of data from any one source. Thus, addition of dam and maternal grandsire data to data on the cow and her sire has come at an opportune time. Embryo transfer could result in substantial nonrandomness in mates of a bull, and evaluation procedures may need to be adjusted or at least suspect conditions identified. Mating each of a few donors with a number of bulls being sampled could control mate merit but only among bulls being sampled. This procedure is an example of how embryo transfer may offer opportunities for innovative, efficient sire-sampling programs. Donors and service sires used in embryo transfer thus far do not have the genetic superiority for production that will provide more than a slight increase in genetic progress.
A Call for Cicero and Vergil

Author's summary.— A plea that Latin be pursued long enough to make it a source of indispensable strength for those who proceed in English and the modern foreign languages.
Mercury Vaporization from Amalgams with Varied Alloy Compositions

The fact that mercury is released from dental amalgam restorations after abrasion provides a source of continued controversy over the safe use of this material. Studies have shown that the amount and rate of mercury release vary for different amalgam products. The objective of this study was to determine how alloy composition affects mercury vaporization from experimental amalgams with similar alloy particle size and shape and percent residual mercury. An hypothesis to be tested was that mercury release is dependent upon the concentration of tin in the silver-mercury matrix phase of the amalgam. Seven spherical amalgam alloys (two low-copper and five high-copper) were made by a dental manufacturer (Tokuriki Honten, Japan). Trituration conditions were adjusted so that all set amalgams had the same residual Hg (47.3%). ADA-type amalgam cylinders were aged for 14 days at 37 degrees C, then lightly wet-abraded on #600 silicon carbide, dried, and placed into a tube through which air was blown at a rate of 750 mL/min. Mercury vaporization was monitored with a gold film analyzer (Jerome 411) for 30 min. Total Hg release was determined by integration. We analyzed polished specimens via electron microprobe to determine composition, volume fraction of silver-mercury matrix (gamma 1), and amount of tin in the gamma 1. The results showed a strong negative correlation (r2 = 0.941) between the log of total mercury released and the amount of tin in the gamma 1. The effect of alloy composition, specifically the presence or absence of zinc in the amalgam, could not be definitively determined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Single-tree nut immunotherapy attenuates allergic reactions in mice with hypersensitivity to multiple tree nuts.

Background Allergic reactions to tree nuts are often severe and are outgrown in less than 10% of diagnosed patients. Objectives To determine whether treatment of underlying tree nut sensitization will prevent allergic reactions to cross-reacting tree nuts and to determine the effects of single–tree nut immunotherapy on true multi–tree nut sensitization. Methods Cross-reactivity model: Cashew-sensitized mice underwent immunotherapy with cashew and were subsequently challenged with cashew and pistachio. Multisensitization model: Cashew plus walnut-sensitized mice were treated with cashew alone, walnut alone, or both cashew and walnut and then underwent challenges to cashew and walnut. Challenges were assessed on the basis of symptoms, changes in body temperature, and mouse mast cell protease-1 release. Results In the cross-reactivity model, cashew immunotherapy completely prevented allergic reactions on challenges with cashew or the cross-reactive pistachio. In the multisensitization model, mice with cashew plus walnut allergy were significantly protected from anaphylactic reactions on cashew challenge in both the cashew-alone and walnut-alone immunotherapy groups. Results from the walnut challenge demonstrated significantly decreased allergic responses in the walnut immunotherapy group, whereas mice in the cashew immunotherapy group experienced significantly lower symptoms. In the cross-reactivity model, immunotherapy effectively decreased IL-4 and IL-5 production and increased IL-12 relative to placebo while also inducing a 5-fold increase in specific IgG 1 . Conclusion Single–tree nut immunotherapy can effectively decrease allergic responses in both the cross-reactivity and multisensitization mouse models. Further studies are needed to determine which single–tree nut immunotherapies will be most effective for specific multi–tree nut allergy profiles.
NASA Wake Vortex Research for Aircraft Spacing

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is addressing airport capacity enhancements during instrument meteorological conditions through the Terminal Area Productivity (TAP) program. Within TAP, the Reduced Spacing Operations (RSO) subelement at the NASA Langley Research Center is developing an Aircraft Vortex Spacing System (AVOSS). AVOSS will integrate the output of several inter-related areas to produce weather dependent, dynamic wake vortex spacing criteria. These areas include current and predicted weather conditions, models of wake vortex transport and decay in these weather conditions, real-time feedback of wake vortex behavior from sensors, and operationally acceptable aircraft/wake interaction criteria. In today's ATC system, the AVOSS could inform ATC controllers when a fixed reduced separation becomes safe to apply to large and heavy aircraft categories. With appropriate integration into the Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS), AVOSS dynamic spacing could be tailored to actual generator/follower aircraft pairs rather than a few broad aircraft categories.
Spectroscopy of Hydrothermal Reactions. 9. IR and Raman Spectroscopy of Hydrolysis and Self-Reaction of Cyanamide and Dicyandiamide at 130-270 °C and 275 bar

The hydrothermolysis reaction scheme of cyanamide, NH2CN, and dicyandiamide, (NH2)2CNCN, applies to the role of these compounds in chemical evolution and to their destruction in aqueous waste streams by hydrothermal methods. Real-time IR spectroscopy with an optically accessible flow cell and Raman spectroscopy with a stopped-flow cell were used at set temperatures of 130−270 °C and a pressure of 275 bar to specify the details of the pathway. Rate constants and Arrhenius parameters were determined for the major steps, i.e., hydrolysis of cyanamide, conversion of cyanamide into dicyandiamide, hydrolysis of dicyandiamide, and hydrolysis of the guanylurea intermediate. Previously reported hydrolysis kinetics for guanidine and urea at hydrothermal conditions were used to complete the kinetic scheme. In addition, the apparent equilibrium constants for deprotonation of cyanamide and the protonation of dicyandiamide and its monoanion were determined. The conversion of dicyandiamide to ammeline and the hydrolysis...
Thermolysis chemical ionzation of a complex polar lipid

Vaporization of a ornithine-containing polar lipid from Thiobacillus thiooxidans has been accomplished by thermolysis in a chemical ionization source. The thermolysis has been shown to be more extensive than previously thought. It occurs in at least two steps, the first being dehydration of the ornithine to produce a substituted piperidone. This fragment undergoes a facile elimination to produce two neutral lipid components: a long chain fatty acid and piperidone-containing fatty amide. The results demonstrate the utility of chemical ionization for developing an understanding of a thermolysis process.