Introduction of Formal Reliability Engineering in Israel

During my sabbatical leave in Israel, I approached reliability engineering in a number of ways. The papers I delivered in conferences, lectures, workshops, short courses, in-plant training, and indoctrination in reliability engineering appreciably increased interest in the reliability discipline. Engineers in Israel for the first time took the 1981 American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) examination for ASQC certification as reliability engineers. The results of the 1981 April examination were gratifying: 11 passed the examination and were awarded the CRE (ASQCCertified Reliability Engineer).     

Influence of systemic diseases and environmental factors on age at appearance, location and type of acquired cataract

We studied 257 patients scheduled for cataract surgery for possible correlation with systemic diseases, blood chemistry, and environmental exposure. We found that posterior subcapsular cataract appeared in patients 10 years younger on average than those with other types of cataract. Nuclear cataract patients had higher blood levels of uric acid and creatinine and lower blood levels of calcium. We suggest capsular insult as a possible pathophysiological explanation for cataract formation in young age groups (as well as diabetes) and a toxic effect of blood metabolites in patients with renal failure, resulting in earlier and more prevalent sclerosis of lens fibers. No effect of smoking or of exposure to sunlight on the distribution of various types of cataracts was noted.     

Using text mining for personalization and recommendation for an enriched hybrid learning experience

Students are nowadays given many options to consume educational content in digital formats as alternatives to printed material. Previous research suggests that while digital content has advantages, printed media still provides other benefits that cannot be matched by digital. Therefore, technology should leverage the benefits of both. In this paper, we present the Meaningful Education and Training Information System, a multifaceted hybrid textbook learning platform. The goal of the system is to provide an easy digital‐to‐print‐to‐digital content creation and reading service. The Meaningful Education and Training Information System incorporates technologies for layout, personalization, cocreation, and assessments. These facilitate common teacher/student tasks and help provide a richer, more effective learning experience. Our system has been demonstrated in multiple international education events, partner engagements, and pilots with local universities and high schools.     

Correlation of the boiling points of mixtures

A modified Swietoslawski equation has been developed to correlate the boiling points of mixtures. Vapor—liquid equilibrium data have been determined at 760 mm for the binary systems normal butanol-tertiary butanol and normal butanol-secondary butanol. Both systems present slight negative deviations from ideal solution behavior. The boiling points of the two binaries and of several other non-ideal systems were satisfactorily correlated by means of the above equation. Prediction of ternary boiling points from binary data and simplifications in the correlation which are useful for practical applications are also discussed.     

Link between O2SiH infrared band amplitude and porous silicon photoluminescence during ambient O3 oxidation

We carefully evaluate how porous silicon (pSi) surface oxidation by ozone (O(3)) and the resulting changes in nanocrystallite surface chemistries (e.g., SiOSi, SiH(x) (x = 1-3), O(y)SiH (y = 1-2), and SiOH) influence the pSi photoluminescence (PL). We discover a relationship between the pSi PL and the O(2)SiH band amplitude.     

A new two-impinging-streams heterogeneous reactor

The characteristics of a new heterogeneous reactor of the “two impinging streams” type, suitable for gas-solid heat and mass-transfer operations, were investigated. The operating limits of the reactor, with respect to gas and solid particles mass flow rate and pressure drop, were determined; scale-up criteria with respect to the hydrodynamics of the reactor were also established. It has been found that, under certain conditions, the introduction of solid particles into the gas stream lowers the pressure drop on the reactor. In addition, the maximal pumping energy per kg of solids transported through the reactor by the air is much lower than in a fluidized-bed-type reactor. A stochastic model based on Markov processes was developed which closely describes the behavior of the solid particles in the reactor. A technique based on this model was employed for determining the residence time distribution of the particles in the reactor.     

Etheno adducts in spleen DNA of SJL mice stimulated to overproduce nitric oxide

In order to investigate specific DNA damage caused by nitric oxide (NO) induced lipid peroxidation, levels of promutagenic etheno adducts 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (epsilondA) and 3,N4-ethenodeoxycytidine (epsilondC) were measured in spleen DNA of SJL mice induced to produce high levels of NO by injection of RcsX (pre-B-cell lymphoma) cells. epsilondA and epsilondC levels were quantified by an ultrasensitive immunoaffinity-32P-post-labeling method. Spleen DNA of control mice (n = 5) had background levels of 9.2+/-5.4 epsilondA adducts per 10(9) dA and 13.1+/-5.7 epsilondC adducts per 10(9) dC. In RcsX cell-injected mice (n = 7), levels of these adducts were elevated approximately 6-fold, i.e. 53.9+/-39.4 epsilondA per 10(9) dA and 83.5+/-57.8 epsilondC per 10(9) dC (P < 0.05). Mice injected with RcsX cells and also treated with NG-methyl-L-arginine (NMA), an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (n = 6), had significantly reduced levels (P < 0.05) of both epsilondA and epsilondC (13.5+/-5.7 epsilondA per 10(9) dA and 28.2+/-15.7 epsilondC per 10(9) dC). These findings constitute the first available evidence of formation of etheno adducts associated with NO overproduction in vivo. The adducts were presumably formed from lipid peroxidation products such as trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), generated via oxidation of lipids by peroxynitrite. The results suggest that etheno-DNA adducts, among other types of damage, may contribute to the etiology of cancers associated with chronic infection/inflammation in which NO is overproduced.     

Inhibition of T lymphocyte activation by cAMP is associated with down-regulation of two parallel mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, the extracellular signal-related kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase

The induction of T cell proliferation requires signals from the TCR and a co-receptor molecule, such as CD28, that activate parallel and partially cross-reactive signaling pathways. These pathways are disrupted by agonists that utilize adenylate cyclase and cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). We found that the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, inhibits anti-CD3-induced shift in Lck electrophoretic mobility, suggesting an intervention at the TCR-coupled phosphoinositide turnover that precedes the activation of PKC. The shift of Lck following direct PKC activation by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate, which bypasses early receptor-triggered biochemical events, is insensitive to forskolin. Nevertheless, forskolin also inhibits PKC downstream events, such as c-jun expression, which is critical for the activation process of T cells. To further analyze potential cross points between positively and negatively regulating signaling pathways in T cells, we tested the effects of activators of the adenylate cyclase or PKA on two parallel mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways mediated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Using a PKC-specific inhibitor, GF109203X, or PKC-depleted T cells, we found that a large part of the anti-CD3-induced ERK activation is PKC dependent. Both PKC-dependent and -independent activation of ERK were sensitive to inhibition by forskolin or a cell-permeable cAMP analogue, dbcAMP. Furthermore, the effect of 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate and ionomycin, which synergized to fully activate c-Jun N-terminal kinase, was also sensitive to inhibition by forskolin. Our results suggest that PKA inhibits T cell activation by interfering with multiple events along the two signaling pathways operating downstream of the TCR and the CD28 co-receptor molecules.     

Regulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity by the tyrosine kinase receptor, REK7/EphA5, and its ligand, AL-1/Ephrin-A5

The Eph-related tyrosine kinase receptor, REK7/EphA5, mediates the effects of AL-1/Ephrin-A5 and related ligands and is involved in the guidance of retinal, cortical, and hippocampal axons during development. The continued expression of REK7/EphA5 in the adult brain, in particular in areas associated with a high degree of synaptic plasticity such as the hippocampus, raises the question of its function in the mature nervous system. In this report we examined the role of REK7/EphA5 in synaptic remodeling by asking if agents that either block or activate REK7/EphA5 affect synaptic strength in hippocampal slices from adult mouse brain. We show that a REK7/EphA5 antagonist, soluble REK7/EphA5-IgG, impairs the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) without affecting other synaptic parameters such as normal synaptic transmission or paired-pulse facilitation. In contrast, perfusion with AL-1/Ephrin-A5-IgG, an activator of REK7/EphA5, induces a sustained increase in normal synaptic transmission that partially mimics LTP. The sustained elevation of normal synaptic transmission could be attributable to a long-lasting binding of the AL-1/Ephrin-A5-IgG to the endogenous REK7/EphA5 receptor, as revealed by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, maximal electrical induction of LTP occludes the potentiating effects of subsequent treatment with AL-1/Ephrin-A5-IgG. Taken together these results implicate REK7/EphA5 in the regulation of synaptic plasticity in the mature hippocampus and suggest that REK7/EphA5 activation is recruited in the LTP induced by tetanization.