Parasitic computing is a term that refers to a concept in which computational resources are harnessed or exploited in an atypical or unconventional manner, often by leveraging existing systems or networks rather than relying solely on dedicated resources. This can include utilizing the residual capacity of devices, networks, or even borrowing processing power from systems without the explicit permission or full utilization of the underlying infrastructure.
The Comet assay, also known as the single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, is a sensitive and versatile technique used to measure DNA damage at the individual cell level. It is particularly useful for assessing the effect of genotoxic agents, such as ionizing radiation, chemical mutagens, and oxidative stress, on genetic material.
Conserved signature indels (insertions and deletions) refer to specific sequences of nucleotides or amino acids that are either added or removed from a genomic or protein sequence, respectively, which are found to be conserved across different species. These indels often provide important insights into the evolutionary relationships between organisms or may indicate functional changes in proteins. In molecular biology and bioinformatics, signatures refer to distinctive patterns that can be used to identify specific genes, proteins, or evolutionary lineages.
Eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF4F) is a crucial protein complex involved in the initiation of translation in eukaryotic cells. It plays a significant role in the process by which ribosomes are recruited to mRNA, facilitating the translation of the genetic code into proteins.
Macromolecular assembly refers to the process by which large molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, or polysaccharides, come together to form higher-order structures. These assemblies are crucial for various biological functions and processes within living organisms.
Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) is a molecular biology technique used to detect and quantify specific DNA sequences. It allows for the simultaneous analysis of multiple targets within a single reaction, making it a powerful tool for genetic analysis, especially in the context of copy number variation (CNV) detection, such as deletions or duplications of genomic regions.
PTPN22 (Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 22) is a gene that encodes a protein involved in the regulation of immune system responses. This protein is a member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) family, which plays essential roles in various cellular processes by dephosphorylating tyrosine residues in proteins.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) optimization is the process of fine-tuning various reaction conditions to achieve maximum efficiency, specificity, and yield in the amplification of DNA. PCR is a widely used technique to amplify specific DNA sequences, and its success relies on several key parameters that can be modified.
Octafluorocubane is a highly fluorinated organic compound with the chemical formula C8F8. It is a member of the cubane family of molecules, which have a cubic structure. In octafluorocubane, all eight hydrogen atoms of the cubane structure are replaced with fluorine atoms, resulting in a highly stable compound due to the strong carbon-fluorine bonds.
A Cubane-type cluster refers to a specific structural arrangement of atoms in a molecular cluster that resembles the shape of a cube. Cubane itself is a hydrocarbon compound with the formula C8H8, consisting of eight carbon atoms arranged at the vertices of a cube and connected by single bonds, with hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon atoms.
Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) is a molecular technique used in microbiology and ecology to analyze the composition of complex microbial communities. It allows researchers to identify and quantify different species of microorganisms present in a sample based on the variations in their DNA sequences.
Zfp82, or zinc finger protein 82, is a member of the zinc finger protein family, which is characterized by the presence of zinc finger motifs. These motifs are specialized structural domains that can interact with DNA, RNA, or proteins, functioning primarily as transcription factors that regulate gene expression. The Zfp82 protein is involved in various biological processes, including development, cell differentiation, and possibly in the regulation of hormonal signaling.
Zinc finger protein 112 (ZFP112) is a member of the zinc finger protein family, which is characterized by the presence of zinc-finger domains that allow these proteins to bind to DNA, RNA, or other proteins. Zinc finger proteins play a crucial role in various biological processes, including gene regulation, signal transduction, and developmental processes. ZFP112 has been implicated in several biological functions, one of which is its potential role in the regulation of gene expression during development.
Coordination number refers to the number of ligand atoms or ions that are directly bonded to a central atom or ion in a coordination complex. It is an important concept in coordination chemistry and helps in understanding the structure and stability of coordination compounds. For example, in a metal complex such as [Co(NH₃)₆]³⁺, the cobalt ion (Co³⁺) is surrounded by six ammonia (NH₃) ligands.
Paaliaq is an exoplanet located in the Kepler-10 system, about 560 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus. It is notable for being one of the first rocky exoplanets discovered, categorized as a "super-Earth" due to its size being larger than Earth's but smaller than that of gas giants like Neptune or Jupiter.
Miranda is one of the moons of Uranus and is noted for its intriguing geological features and diversity. It was discovered in 1948 by the astronomer Gerard Kuiper. Miranda is the fifth-largest of Uranus's moons and has a diameter of about 471.6 kilometers (approximately 292 miles).
Moral Machine is an online platform created by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that explores the ethical decisions made by autonomous vehicles in scenarios involving moral dilemmas. Launched in 2016, the platform presents users with a series of hypothetical scenarios where a self-driving car must make decisions in situations that involve saving different lives or causing harm.
Moral courage refers to the ability to act ethically and stand up for one’s principles, values, and beliefs, even in the face of adversity, criticism, or social pressure. It involves taking personal risks to advocate for what is right, just, and fair, regardless of potential consequences. This can manifest in various situations, such as speaking out against injustice, defending someone being treated unfairly, or making difficult decisions that align with one's ethical beliefs.
Social Dominance Theory (SDT) is a social psychological theory that explores the hierarchical relationships among social groups and how these hierarchies affect intergroup relations. Developed by Jim Sidanius and Felicia Pratto in the 1990s, the theory posits that societies are structured in a way that promotes group-based social inequality. It emphasizes that social hierarchies are maintained through various means, including social norms, ideology, and individual behaviors.
Moral identity refers to the degree to which being a moral person is important to an individual's self-concept. In other words, it reflects how much a person values moral traits and behaviors and considers them central to their identity. This concept emphasizes the integration of ethical principles into one’s values and self-perception. Individuals with a strong moral identity tend to prioritize moral values in their decisions, actions, and interactions with others.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 5. . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact