cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Extensible Crosslinguistic Readability Framework.

Automatic assessment of the readability level (i.e., the relative linguistic complexity) of documents in a large number of languages is an important problem that can be applied to many real-world applications, such as retrieving age-appropriate search engine results for kids, constructing automatic tutoring systems, and so on. Unfortunately, existing readability labeling techniques have only been applied to a very small number of languages. In this paper, we present an extensible crosslin-guistic readability framework based on the use of parallel corpora to quickly create readability software for thousands of languages, including languages for which no linguists are available to define readability rules or for which documents with readability labels are lacking to train readability models. To demonstrate our idea, we developed a system based on the proposed framework. This paper discusses the theoretical and practical issues involved in designing such a system and presents the results of an experiment conducted with the system.
Loss of endothelial nitric oxide synthase exacerbates intestinal and lung injury in experimental necrotizing enterocolitis.

Abstract Background Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) continues to be a devastating condition among preterm infants. Nitric oxide, which is synthesized in the intestine by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), acts as a potent vasodilator and antioxidant within the mesentery and may play a role in prevention of NEC. We hypothesized that loss of endothelial nitric oxide would worsen both intestinal and associated lung injury and increase local and systemic inflammation during experimental NEC. Methods NEC was induced in five-day-old wild type (WT) and eNOS-knockout (eNOSKO) mouse pups. Experimental groups (n=10) were formula fed and subjected to intermittent hypoxic and hypothermic stress, while control groups (n=10) remained with their mother to breastfeed. Pups were monitored by daily clinical assessment. After sacrifice on day nine, intestine and lung were assessed for injury, and cytokines were measured in tissue homogenates by ELISA. Data were compared with Mann–Whitney, and p Results Each NEC group was compared to its respective strain's breastfed control to facilitate comparisons between the groups. Both NEC groups were significantly sicker than their breastfed controls. eNOSKO NEC animals had a median clinical assessment score of 3 (IQR=1–5), and the WT NEC animal's median score was 3 (IQR=2–5). Despite similar clinical scores, intestinal injury was significantly worse in the eNOSKO NEC groups compared to WT NEC groups (median injury scores of 3.25 (IQR=2.25–3.625) and 2 (IQR=1–3), respectively (p=0.0474). Associated lung injury was significantly worse in the eNOSKO NEC group as compared to the WT NEC group (median scores of 8.5 (IQR=6.75–11.25) and 6.5 (IQR=5–7.5), respectively, p=0.0391). Interestingly, cytokines in both tissues were very different between the two groups, with varying effects noted for each cytokine (IL-6, IL-1β, VEGF, and IL-12) in both tissues. Conclusion Nitric oxide from eNOS plays a key role in preventing the development of NEC. Without eNOS function, both intestinal and lung injuries are more severe, and the inflammatory cascade is significantly altered. Further studies are needed to determine how eNOS-derived nitric oxide facilitates these beneficial effects.
The impact of interest rate caps on the financial sector : evidence from commercial banks in Kenya

Interest rate caps can have far-reaching consequences on the composition and maturity of commercial bank loans and deposits. This paper carefully documents these impacts on the formal financial sector in Kenya after the recent interest rate caps of 2016. Using bank-level panel data from before and after the caps, the paper identifies a significant decline in aggregate lending, an increase in nonperforming loans, and a change in composition of lending away from small and medium enterprises and toward safer corporate clients. Banks also shifted away from offering interest on current account deposits to preserve their interest margins. These quantitative findings are supported by qualitative evidence through detailed interviews of commercial bank executives, and have important implications for economic growth and financial inclusion.
Lukács, Mariátegui, and the Dialectical Roots of Edu-Activism

My intention in this paper is to interrogate the “origins” of Freire’s methodology by focusing on the works of Jose Carlos Mariategui and Georg Lukacs, both of whom wrote extensively on the question of Marxist dialectics and the dynamism of revolutionary engagement. My intention here is twofold: (1) to examine Lukacs and Mariategui as a framework for grasping in concrete terms the complexities of Freire’s radical pedagogical methodology and (2) to probe further what Lukacs argues is the “necessary bond between consciousness and action” that underlies the essence of what this essay terms “edu-activism,” or the consequential outcome of Freire’s conscientization paradigm.
Tip-of-the-tongue states predict enhanced feedback processing and subsequent memory.

Abstract This article investigates the relations among the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state, event related potentials (ERPs) to correct feedback to questions, and subsequent memory. ERPs were used to investigate neurocognitive responses to feedback to general information questions for which participants had expressed either being or not being in a TOT state. For questions in which participants were unable to answer within 3 s, they indicated whether they were experiencing a TOT state and then were immediately provided with the correct answer. Feedback during a TOT state, as opposed to not knowing the answer, was associated with enhanced positivity over centro-parietal electrodes 250–700 ms post-feedback, and this enhanced positivity mediated a positive relationship between TOTs and later recall. Although effects of increased semantic access during TOT states cannot be ruled out, these results suggest that information received during TOT states elicits enhanced processing—suggestive of curiosity—leading to enhanced learning of studied material.
Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) fiber positioner thermal and wind disturbance test

Author(s): Zhang, K; Silber, JH; Heetderks, HD; Leitner, D; Schubnell, M; Levi, M; Wang, G; Fanning, K; Fagrelius, P; Dobson, C; Aguilar, J | Abstract: The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is under construction to measure the expansion history of the Universe using the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation technique. The spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars over 14000 sq deg will be measured during the life of the experiment. A new prime focus corrector for the KPNO Mayall telescope will deliver light to 5000 fiber optic positioners. The fibers in turn feed ten broad-band spectrographs. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to guarantee that fiber positioners work properly under the extremes of potential operating conditions, including the full range of temperatures, high speed wind disturbance etc. Thermal testing provides valuable insight into the functionality of the fiber positioners that can be used to help mitigate poor performance at extreme temperatures and wind disturbance test provide guidance to design of ventilation system. Here, we describe the thermal and wind disturbance tests for DESI fiber positioners and how the test results helped improve the robustness of the positioners.
Music Recombination using a Genetic Algorithm

This paper presents a new system, based on genetic algorithms, to compose music pieces automatically based on analysis of the exemplar MIDI files. The aim of this project is to create a new music piece which is based on the information in the source pieces. This system extracts musical features from two MIDI files and automatically generates a new music piece using a genetic algorithm. The user specifies the length of the piece to create, and the weighting of musical features from each of the MIDI files to guide the generation. This system will provide the composer a new music piece based on two selected music pieces.
Robust Tracking with Model Mismatch for Fast and Safe Planning: An SOS Optimization Approach.

In the pursuit of real-time motion planning, a commonly adopted practice is to compute trajectories by running a planning algorithm on a simplified, low-dimensional dynamical model, and then employ a feedback tracking controller that tracks such a trajectory by accounting for the full, high-dimensional system dynamics. While this strategy of planning with model mismatch generally yields fast computation times, there are no guarantees of dynamic feasibility, which hampers application to safety-critical systems. Building upon recent work that addressed this problem through the lens of Hamilton-Jacobi (HJ) reachability, we devise an algorithmic framework whereby one computes, offline, for a pair of “planner” (i.e., low-dimensional) and “tracking” (i.e., high-dimensional) models, a feedback tracking controller and associated tracking bound. This bound is then used as a safety margin when generating motion plans via the low-dimensional model. Specifically, we harness the computational tool of sum-of-squares (SOS) programming to design a bilinear optimization algorithm for the computation of the feedback tracking controller and associated tracking bound. The algorithm is demonstrated via numerical experiments, with an emphasis on investigating the trade-off between the increased computational scalability afforded by SOS and its intrinsic conservativeness. Collectively, our results enable scaling the appealing strategy of planning with model mismatch to systems that are beyond the reach of HJ analysis, while maintaining safety guarantees.
A Review on Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) Systems: Architectures, Controls, and Applications

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) have the potential to address the safety, mobility and sustainability issues of our current transportation systems. Cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC), for example, is one promising technology to allow CAVs to be driven in a cooperative manner and introduces system-wide benefits. In this paper, we review the progress achieved by researchers worldwide regarding different aspects of CACC systems. Literature of CACC system architectures are reviewed, which explain how this system works from a higher level. Different control methodologies and their related issues are reviewed to introduce CACC systems from a lower level. Applications of CACC technology are demonstrated with detailed literature, which draw an overall landscape of CACC, point out current opportunities and challenges, and anticipate its development in the near future.
Multimodal Local-Global Ranking Fusion for Emotion Recognition

Emotion recognition is a core research area at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human communication analysis. It is a significant technical challenge since humans display their emotions through complex idiosyncratic combinations of the language, visual and acoustic modalities. In contrast to traditional multimodal fusion techniques, we approach emotion recognition from both direct person-independent and relative person-dependent perspectives. The direct person-independent perspective follows the conventional emotion recognition approach which directly infers absolute emotion labels from observed multimodal features. The relative person-dependent perspective approaches emotion recognition in a relative manner by comparing partial video segments to determine if there was an increase or decrease in emotional intensity. Our proposed model integrates these direct and relative prediction perspectives by dividing the emotion recognition task into three easier subtasks. The first subtask involves a multimodal local ranking of relative emotion intensities between two short segments of a video. The second subtask uses local rankings to infer global relative emotion ranks with a Bayesian ranking algorithm. The third subtask incorporates both direct predictions from observed multimodal behaviors and relative emotion ranks from local-global rankings for final emotion prediction. Our approach displays excellent performance on an audio-visual emotion recognition benchmark and improves over other algorithms for multimodal fusion.
Dilute Russell viper venom time interpretation and clinical correlation: A two-year retrospective institutional review.

Author(s): Jacquot, Cyril; Wool, Geoffrey D; Kogan, Scott C | Abstract: IntroductionThe dilute Russell viper venom time (dRVVT) detects lupus anticoagulant (LA). International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) guidelines specify positivity criteria, which differ from the assay manufacturer's criteria.MethodsTwo years of dRVVT testing at our institution were reviewed. For patients with prolonged dRVVT screening times, we evaluated dRVVT results by ISTH and manufacturer's criteria and correlated with the results of other antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) testing (LA-sensitive activated partial thromboplastin time and antiphospholipid antibodies) and with history of thromboembolism and other APS manifestations.ResultsApproximately one-fifth of dRVVTs exhibited a prolonged screening time. Among first prolonged dRVVTs, 35% were positive by both ISTH and manufacturer criteria, 44% met neither criteria, and 20% were equivocal (positive by only ISTH or manufacturer). Positivity by ISTH guidelines alone correlated better with other positive APS tests than manufacturer criteria positivity. Positive dRVVTs by both criteria correlated even more strongly with other positive APS assays. We investigated the likelihood of eventual APS diagnosis depending on the testing indication. No patient tested for LA solely for prolonged screening aPTT was subsequently diagnosed with APS. In patients with thrombosis, prolonged dRVVT clotting time not meeting both ISTH and manufacturer criteria was rarely associated with eventual APS diagnosis.ConclusionWe examined the correlation of dRVVT results with other APS testing and clinical outcomes. Interpretation method impacted how dRVVT results related to other APS testing, and, in limited data, to clinical findings. Patients with prolonged dRVVTs meeting only one set of positivity criteria rarely received an APS diagnosis.
Multi-Dimensional Spatially-Coupled Code Design Through Informed Relocation of Circulants

A circulant-based spatially-coupled (SC) code is constructed by partitioning the circulants of an underlying block code into a number of components, and then coupling copies of these components together. By connecting (coupling) several SC codes, multi-dimensional SC (MD-SC) codes are constructed. In this paper, we present a systematic framework for constructing MD-SC codes with notably better cycle properties than their 1D-SC counterparts. In our framework, informed multi-dimensional coupling is performed via an optimal relocation and an (optional) power adjustment of problematic circulants in the constituent SC codes. Compared to the 1D-SC codes, our MD-SC codes are demonstrated to have up to 85% reduction in the population of the smallest cycle, and up to 3.8 orders of magnitude BER improvement in the early error floor region. The results of this work can be particularly beneficial in data storage systems, e.g., 2D magnetic recording and 3D Flash systems, as high-performance MD-SC codes are robust against various channel impairments and non-uniformity.
Big Data in Portfolio Allocation: A New Approach to Successful Portfolio Optimization

In the classic mean-variance portfolio theory as proposed by Harry Markowitz, the weights of the optimized portfolios are directly proportional to the inverse of the asset correlation matrix. However, most contemporary portfolio optimization research focuses on optimizing the correlation matrix itself, and not its inverse. In this article, the author demonstrates that this is a mistake. Specifically, from the Big Data perspective, she proves that the inverse of the correlation matrix is much more unstable and sensitive to random perturbations than is the correlation matrix itself. As such, optimization of the inverse of the correlation matrix adds more value to optimal portfolio selection than does optimization of the correlation matrix. The author further shows the empirical results of portfolio reallocation under different common portfolio composition scenarios. The technique outperforms traditional portfolio allocation techniques out of sample, delivering nearly 400% improvement over the equally weighted allocation over a 20-year investment period on the S&P 500 portfolio with monthly reallocation. In general, the author demonstrates that the correlation inverse optimization proposed in this article significantly outperforms the other core portfolio allocation strategies, such as equally weighted portfolios, vanilla mean-variance optimization, and techniques based on the spectral decomposition of the correlation matrix. The results presented in this article are novel in the data science space, extend far beyond financial data, and are applicable to any data correlation matrixes and their inverses, whether in advertising, healthcare, or genomics.
Endurance Exercise Training Attenuates Natriuretic Peptide Release During Maximal Effort Exercise: Biochemical Correlates of the "Athlete's Heart"

Using longitudinal pre- and postendurance training natriuretic peptide measurements, we demonstrate that the development of exercise-induced cardiac remodeling results in an attenuated natriuretic ...
Evolving network structure of academic institutions

Today’s colleges and universities consist of highly complex structures that dictate interactions between the administration, faculty, and student body. These structures can play a role in dictating the efficiency of policy enacted by the administration and determine the effect that curriculum changes in one department have on other departments. Despite the fact that the features of these complex structures have a strong impact on the institutions, they remain by-and-large unknown in many cases. In this paper we study the academic structure of our home institution of Trinity College in Hartford, CT using the major and minor patterns between graduating students to build a temporal multiplex network describing the interactions between different departments. Using recent network science techniques developed for such temporal networks we identify the evolving community structures that organize departments’ interactions, as well as quantify the interdisciplinary centrality of each department. We implement this framework for Trinity College, finding practical insights and applications, but also present it as a general framework for colleges and universities to better understand their own structural makeup in order to better inform academic and administrative policy.
An Evaluation of Qualities of Nuclear Medicine Technology Programs and Graduates Leading to Employability

Our rationale was to evaluate how the qualities of nuclear medicine technology (NMT) programs and graduates associate with employability. Methods: We identified all Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board applicants who passed the entry-level NMT examination between 2012 and 2017. Certificants were e-mailed a survey with questions on graduate qualities, program qualities, and initial employment. Each quality was quantified. Age, sex, and desired employment within or outside the United States were also documented. An employability scale was created from the initial employment questions. Subjects were separated into 4 employability groups based on their employability score: poorly employable, marginally employable, satisfactorily employable, and optimally employable. An ANOVA test was performed on each quality using the 4 employability groups; a P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Of the 3,930 surveys distributed, 885 (22.5%) were completed and returned. Six of the 10 qualities evaluated were significantly associated with employability: overall education (P < 0.01), number of clinic hours (P < 0.01), grade-point average (P < 0.01), number of schools within a 100-mile (161-km) radius (P < 0.01), number of attempts to pass the board examination (P < 0.01), and number of clinics (P = 0.04). The qualities that were not statistically significant were age, sex, employment location sought, board score, single versus dual certification, program level of education, and number of graduates in the class. Conclusion: There are multiple graduate and program qualities that are predictive of the employability of NMT graduates.
Escherichia coli "Marionette" strains with 12 highly optimized small-molecule sensors.

Cellular processes are carried out by many genes, and their study and optimization requires multiple levers by which they can be independently controlled. The most common method is via a genetically encoded sensor that responds to a small molecule. However, these sensors are often suboptimal, exhibiting high background expression and low dynamic range. Further, using multiple sensors in one cell is limited by cross-talk and the taxing of cellular resources. Here, we have developed a directed evolution strategy to simultaneously select for lower background, high dynamic range, increased sensitivity, and low cross-talk. This is applied to generate a set of 12 high-performance sensors that exhibit >100-fold induction with low background and cross-reactivity. These are combined to build a single “sensor array” in the genomes of E. coli MG1655 (wild-type), DH10B (cloning), and BL21 (protein expression). These “Marionette” strains allow for the independent control of gene expression using 12 small-molecule inducers. A directed evolution approach was applied to optimize a set of 12 small-molecule-responsive biosensors, which led to the engineering of “Marionette” strains of Escherichia coli incorporating these sensors for biotechnological applications.
Identification of Three Sequence Motifs in the Transcription Termination Factor Sen1 that Mediate Direct Interactions with Nrd1.

Summary The Nrd1-Nab3-Sen1 (NNS) complex carries out the transcription termination of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) in yeast, although the detailed interactions among its subunits remain obscure. Here we have identified three sequence motifs in Sen1 that mediate direct interactions with the Pol II CTD interaction domain (CID) of Nrd1, determined the crystal structures of these Nrd1 interaction motifs (NIMs) bound to the CID, and characterized the interactions in vitro and in yeast. Removal of all three NIMs abolishes NNS complex formation and gives rise to ncRNA termination defects.
Semiparametric model for bivariate survival data subject to biased sampling

To better understand the relationship between patient characteristics and their residual survival after an intermediate event such as the local cancer recurrence, it is of interest to identify patients with the intermediate event and then analyze their residual survival data. One challenge in analyzing such data is that the observed residual survival times tend to be longer than those in the target population, since patients who die before experiencing the intermediate event are excluded from the identified cohort. We propose to jointly model the ordered bivariate survival data using a copula model and appropriately adjusting for the sampling bias. We develop an estimating procedure to simultaneously estimate the parameters for the marginal survival functions and the association parameter in the copula model, and use a two-stage expectation-maximization algorithm. Using empirical process theory, we prove that the estimators have strong consistency and asymptotic normality. We conduct simulations studies to evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed method. We apply the proposed method to two cohort studies to evaluate the association between patient characteristics and residual survival.
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Will China Avoid the Middle-Income Trap?

This article employs a historical approach to address whether a country can avoid the middle-income trap. The development of the manufacturing sector and technological capacities are important for ...
Data-Driven Minimum-Energy Controls for Linear Systems

In this letter, we study the problem of computing minimum-energy controls for linear systems from experimental data. The design of open-loop minimum-energy control inputs to steer a linear system between two different states in finite time is a classic problem in control theory, whose solution can be computed in closed form using the system matrices and its controllability Gramian. Yet, the computation of these inputs is known to be ill-conditioned, especially when the system is large, the control horizon long, and the system model uncertain. Due to these limitations, open-loop minimum-energy controls and the associated state trajectories have remained primarily of theoretical value. Surprisingly, in this letter, we show that open-loop minimum-energy controls can be learned exactly from experimental data, with a finite number of control experiments over the same time horizon, without knowledge or estimation of the system model, and with an algorithm that is significantly more reliable than the direct model-based computation. These findings promote a new philosophy of controlling large, uncertain, linear systems where data is abundantly available.
Plasmacytoid/diffuse urothelial carcinoma: a single-institution immunohistochemical and molecular study of 69 patients.

Summary Accurate diagnosis of plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma (PUC) is important given its poor prognosis and frequent presentation at high stage. We aim to assess the clinicopathological features, molecular aberrations, and follow-up data in a series of PUC cases from a single tertiary cancer center. Seventy-two urinary bladder, ureteral, and renal pelvic specimens with urothelial carcinoma with plasmacytoid differentiation were identified. Immunohistochemical stains were performed on 48 cases. Among urinary bladder origin markers, GATA3 was most sensitive (96%). Breast carcinoma markers (estrogen receptor, mammaglobin) were usually negative, but progesterone receptor stained 1 case (4%). Neuroendocrine markers CD56 and TTF-1 were each positive in 1 case (4% and 4%, respectively). Gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma marker CDX2 was positive in 4 cases (15%), but nuclear β-catenin was negative in all cases. CD138 was positive in 83% and E-cadherin expression was lost in 57% of cases. Fluorescence in situ hybridization using the UroVysion Bladder Cancer Kit and FGFR3 mutational analysis using polymerase chain reaction were performed on 15 cases; deletion of chromosome 9p21 was common (60%), and FGFR3 mutations were detected in 60% of cases (5 cases had both deletion 9p21 and FGFR3 mutations). Cases were divided into 3 morphologic groups: classic (29%), desmoplastic (35%), and pleomorphic (36%). The 3 morphologic subtypes had distinct survival outcomes (P = .083), with median survival for all patients 18 being months versus 10 months for the desmoplastic group.
Synthesis of C-4 substituted nicotine derivatives via an N-acylpyridinium salt of (S)-nicotine.

A variety of novel nicotine derivatives were prepared from (S)-nicotine via a two-step sequence. Addition of a cuprate reagent to an N-acylpyridinium salt of nicotine, followed by aromatization with elemental sulfur, afforded C-4 substituted nicotines in moderate to high yield. Using this method, 4-(dimethylphenylsilyl)nicotine was prepared and oxidized to afford (S)-4-hydroxynicotine.
Intramolecular 4+3 cycloadditions. Vinylthionium ions from allylic alcohols

Abstract Aldehyde 9 can be prepared from ethyl pyruvate in several steps. Treatment of 1 with various diene-containing Grignard reagents results in the formation of the corresponding allylic alcohol in good yield. Exposure of these alcohols to triflic anhydride results in the formation of 4+3 cycloadducts in good to excellent yields. Furan and simple butadiene trap the intermediate allylic cation efficiently in the formation of 5,7-fused ring systems. A tethered thiophene undergoes only intramolecular Friedal-Crafts alkylation.
Anionic facial amphiphiles from cholic acid.

Anionic facial amphiphiles have been prepared from cholic acid. These compounds offer antipodes of recently reported cationic amphiphiles derived from cholic acid. The synthesis of the anionic amphiphiles was accomplished in few steps from a common intermediate. In contrast to many other anionic facial amphiphiles, the cholic acid derived amphiphiles appeared to aggregate at relatively low concentration.
General Strategies toward the Syntheses of Macrolide Antibiotics. The Total Syntheses of 6-Deoxyerythronolide B and Oleandolide

The asymmetric syntheses of 6-deoxyerythronolide B (1) and oleandolide (2) have been achieved, each in 18 linear steps. These syntheses demonstrate the utility of chiral β-keto imide building block 3 as a versatile building block for the aldol-based assemblage of polypropionate-derived natural products.
Water is an efficient medium for Wittig reactions employing stabilized ylides and aldehydes

Water is demonstrated to be an excellent medium for the Wittig reaction employing stabilized ylides and aldehydes. Although the solubility in water appears to be an unimportant characteristic in achieving good chemical yields and E/Z-ratios, the rate of Wittig reactions in water is unexpectedly accelerated.
A novel route to the anti-HIV nucleoside d4T

Abstract A novel 2-pot process involving cyclonucleoside formation across C-5′ oxygen in the 2′-deoxyribose and C-6 in the base ultimately leads to the title compound.
Elimination of peripheral auditory pathway activation does not affect motor responses from ultrasound neuromodulation.

Abstract Background Recent studies in a variety of animal models including rodents, monkeys, and humans suggest that transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) has considerable promise for non-invasively modulating neural activity with the ability to target deep brain structures. However, concerns have been raised that motor responses evoked by tFUS may be due to indirect activation of the auditory pathway rather than direct activation of motor circuits. Objective In this study, we sought to examine the involvement of peripheral auditory system activation from tFUS stimulation applied to elicit motor responses. The purpose was to determine to what extent ultrasound induced auditory artifact could be a factor in ultrasound motor neuromodulation. Methods In this study, tFUS-induced electromyography (EMG) signals were recorded and analyzed in wild-type (WT) normal hearing mice and two strains of genetically deaf mice to examine the involvement of the peripheral auditory system in tFUS-stimulated motor responses. In addition, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were measured to elucidate the effect of the tFUS stimulus envelope on auditory and motor responses. We also varied the tFUS stimulation duration to measure its effect on motor response duration. Results We show, first, that the sharp edges in a tFUS rectangular envelope stimulus activate the peripheral afferent auditory pathway and, second, that smoothing these edges eliminates the auditory responses without affecting the motor responses in normal hearing WT mice. We further show that by eliminating peripheral auditory activity using two different strains of deaf knockout mice, motor responses are the same as in normal hearing WT mice. Finally, we demonstrate a high correlation between tFUS pulse duration and EMG response duration. Conclusion These results support the concept that tFUS-evoked motor responses are not a result of stimulation of the peripheral auditory system.
HIERARCHICAL POLYMER REGISTRATION AND SOURCE-BASED/STRUCTURE-BASED CORRELATIVE SEARCH CAPABILITY VIA A HUB CONCEPT

For certain polymersone- and two-component polyamides, polyamic acids, polyesters, polyimides, polyurethanes, and combinations of these, e.g., polyamide-esterssearching comprehensively in Chemical Abstracts Service's File Registry is difficult. There are two major problems: coexisting structure-based and source-based representations and coexisting multiple source-based representations arising from registration of essentially the same polymer from different monomer combinations. To circumvent both of these problems, solutions are offered in the form of a “hub concept” to link source- and structure-based representations and hierarchical polymer searching to retrieve families of closely related polymers.
Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination with BOP ligands and its applications to the synthesis of fused polycyclic alkaloids

Abstract Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination reaction of piperonylamides and a 2-siloxymethylcyclohexenyl carbonate, using chiral biphenol-based diphosphinite (BOP) ligands gave the corresponding cyclohexenylpiperonylamides in excellent yield and enantiopurity (93–95% ee). These amides were applied to the synthesis of fused polycyclic alkaloids in a short sequence of steps.
N-ALKOXY ANALOGUES OF 3,4,5-TRIHYDROXYPIPERIDINE

Two practical procedures are described for the synthesis of the N-alkoxy analogues of 3,4,5-trihydroxypiperidine. The key feature of these methods is the intramolecular N-cyclization of hydroxylamine derivatives which are readily obtained from the reduction of the corresponding oximes. One method is to reductively hydroxyaminate an aldehyde group in the presence of a primary tosylated alcohol which is subsequently cyclized in situ upon neutralization. The intramolecular Mitsunobu coupling of a hydroxylamine with a primary alcohol proved useful for the preparation of compounds which contained the trans diol structure.
Increased adaptability to rapid environmental change can more than make up for the two-fold cost of males

The famous "two-fold cost of sex" is really the cost of anisogamy -- why should females mate with males who do not contribute resources to offspring, rather than isogamous partners who contribute equally? In typical anisogamous populations, a single very fit male can have an enormous number of offspring, far larger than is possible for any female or isogamous individual. If the sexual selection on males aligns with the natural selection on females, anisogamy thus allows much more rapid adaptation via super-successful males. We show via simulations that this effect can be sufficient to overcome the two-fold cost and maintain anisogamy against isogamy in populations adapting to environmental change. The key quantity is the variance in male fitness -- if this exceeds what is possible in an isogamous population, anisogamous populations can win out in direct competition by adapting faster.
Facile synthesis of substituted phenanthroline ligands by samarium-promoted coupling of phenanthroline with ketones.

1,10-Phenanthroline undergoes coupling with ketones promoted by samarium diiodide to produce 2-(1-hydroxyalkyl)-1,10-phenanthrolines. O-Methylation of these derivatives provides the corresponding 2...
C-acylation of 2-methylfuran and thiophene using N-acylbenzotriazoles

Reactions of 2-methylfuran and thiophene with readily available N-acylbenzotriazoles (RCOBt, where R = 4-tolyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, benzyl, 4-nitrophenyl, 4-diethylaminophenyl, 2-pyridyl and 1-naphthyl) in the presence of TiCl 4 or ZnBr 2 produced 2-methyl-4-acylfurans 2a-e and 2-acylthiophenes 3a-f in average yields of 54 % and 75 %, respectively. Literature yields for the preparation of the same compounds are significantly lower.
Expiration and Revocation of Keys for Attribute-based Signatures.

Attribute-based signatures, introduced by Maji et al., are signatures that prove that an authority has issued the signer “attributes” that satisfy some specified predicate. In existing attribute-based signature schemes, keys are valid indefinitely once issued. In this paper, we initiate the study of incorporating time into attribute-based signatures, where a time instance is embedded in every signature, and attributes are restricted to producing signatures with times that fall in designated validity intervals. We provide three implementations that vary in granularity of assigning validity intervals to attributes, including a scheme in which each attribute has its own independent validity interval, a scheme in which all attributes share a common validity interval, and a scheme in which sets of attributes share validity intervals. All of our schemes provide anonymity to a signer, hide the attributes used to create the signature, and provide collusion-resistance between users.
Synthesis of furanyl and oxazolyl N‐substituted piperidine and imidazoline salts as potential agonists of M1 muscarinic receptors

Furanyl and oxazolyl N-substituted imidazoline salts were prepared by reacting furanyl and oxazolyl esters with ethylenediamine and trimethyl aluminum, followed by the addition of methyl iodide or hydrogen chloride. The piperidinium salts were prepared by treating furanyl and oxazolyl chlorides with piperidine base, followed by the addition of methyl iodide or hydrogen chloride.
Aluminum-Induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon (α-Si:H) at 150°C

Thin amorphous silicon (α-Si:H) films (50 nm) were grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on carbon-coated nickel transmission electron microscope (TEM) grids. A thin layer (50 nm or less) of aluminum (Al) was then deposited on the α-Si:H films by vacuum evaporation. These structures were then annealed at temperatures between 140 and 200°C in vacuum using a lamp furnace to investigate the aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of PECVD grown α-Si:H. The process of crystallization was studied by TEM and electron diffraction (ED) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). For glancing angle XRD studies, 500 nm thick α-Si:H and 400 nm thick Al films were used, and in situ annealing was performed at temperatures between 100 and 250°C using a model TTK low temperature camera mounted on the omega shaft of the goniometer of a Philips X'Pert XRD system. The TEM results revealed complete crystallization of the α-Si:H film in 30 min at an annealing temperature of 150°C. The in situ XRD data also indicate conversion of the α-Si:H into a crystalline silicon phase at temperatures between 150 and 160°C. These results show for the first time that polycrystalline silicon with grain sizes as large as 0.2 to 0.5 μm can be obtained by AIC of PECVD α-Si:H at a temperature as low as 150°C. © 2001 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.
Synthesis, Structure, and Dielectric Properties of (Bi1/2Ag1/2)TiO3

The compound Bi1/2Ag1/2TiO3 has been synthesized, for the first time, at 14−14.5 GPa and 1000 °C using the uniaxial split sphere anvil type press (USSA-2000). The structure of the quenched powder s...
Synthesis and redox properties of novel alkynyl flavins

Abstract The synthesis of C7 and/or C8 alkynyl flavins is described. The yields range from 14–48% over six steps. The reduction potentials of these compounds are in good agreement with the values expected based on the Hammett substituent coefficients.
Integrated Biomedical System

Background: Capabilities for generating and storing large amounts of data relevant to individual health and performance are rapidly evolving and have the potential to accelerate progress toward quantitative and individualized understanding of many important issues in health and medicine. Recent advances in clinical and laboratory technologies provide increasingly complete and dynamic characterization of individual genomes, gene expression levels for genes, relative abundance of thousands of proteins, population levels for thousands of microbial species, quantitative imaging data, and more – all on the same individual. Personal and wearable electronic devices are increasingly enabling these same individuals to routinely and continuously capture vast amounts of quantitative data including activity, sleep, nutrition, environmental exposures, physiological signals, speech, and neurocognitive performance metrics at unprecedented temporal resolution and scales. While some of the companies offering these measurement technologies have begun to offer systems for integrating and displaying correlated individual data, these are either closed/proprietary platforms that provide limited access to sensor data or have limited scope that focus primarily on one data domain (e.g. steps/calories/activity, genetic data, etc.). Methods: The Integrated Biomedical System is developed as a Ruby on Rails application with a relational database. Results: Data from multiple wearable monitors for activity, sleep, and physiological measurements, phone GPS tracking, individual genomics, air quality monitoring, etc. have been integrated into the Integrated Biomedical System. Conclusions: The Integrated Biomedical System is being developed to demonstrate an adaptable open-source tool for reducing the burden associated with integrating heterogeneous genome, interactome, and exposome data from a constantly evolving landscape of biomedical data generating technologies. The Integrated Biomedical System provides a scalable and modular framework that can be extended to include support for numerous types of analyses and applications at scales ranging from personal users, communities and groups, to potentially large populations.
Facile Preparation of Protected Furanoid Glycals from Thymidine

The synthesis of O-silyl- and O-acyl-protected furanose glycals from free thymidine was investigated. The method of glycal formation reported by Pedersen et al. was successfully expanded to include 5-ester (toluoyl) protected glycals as well as various combinations of 5‘-ester and 3- and 5-tert-butyldimethylsilyl and tert-butyldiphenylsilyl protection. Gram quantities of furanoid glycals can be prepared in a few days in two−four synthetic steps in overall yields ranging from 17 to 80%.
Investigation of isothiocyanate addition to alkylidene derivatives of malononitrile and cyanoacetic acid esters

Addition of arylisothiocyanates to active methylene compounds leads to a variety of compounds depending on the structure of the starting material and conditions used to conduct the addition. Addition of arylisothiocyanate to ethyl 4,4-dicyano-3-methylbut-2-enoate (1c) leads to a pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine resulting from addition of a second mole of cyanate to the initial adduct. Addition of arylisothiocyanate to diethyl 2-cyano-3-methylpent-2-enedioate (1b) led to a mixture of pyridine and thiopyran adducts, while addition to diethyl 3-amino-2-cyanopent-2-enedioate (1a) led to open chain structures
Photoinduced Formation of Selenium Molecules in Zeolites: A Resonant Raman Spectroscopy Study

After excitation of selenium encapsulated in Y-zeolite with 476 nm radiation, decomposition of the initially present semiconductor chains is observed. The fragmentation is influenced by the nature ...
Tools and techniques for computational reproducibility

When reporting research findings, scientists document the steps they followed so that others can verify and build upon the research. When those steps have been described in sufficient detail that others can retrace the steps and obtain similar results, the research is said to be reproducible. Computers play a vital role in many research disciplines and present both opportunities and challenges for reproducibility. Computers can be programmed to execute analysis tasks, and those programs can be repeated and shared with others. The deterministic nature of most computer programs means that the same analysis tasks, applied to the same data, will often produce the same outputs. However, in practice, computational findings often cannot be reproduced because of complexities in how software is packaged, installed, and executed—and because of limitations associated with how scientists document analysis steps. Many tools and techniques are available to help overcome these challenges; here we describe seven such strategies. With a broad scientific audience in mind, we describe the strengths and limitations of each approach, as well as the circumstances under which each might be applied. No single strategy is sufficient for every scenario; thus we emphasize that it is often useful to combine approaches.
Why biphenyl configuration still matters

More than 40 years ago, Kurt Mislow synthesized restrained biphenyl derivatives, classically resolved them and correlated their absolute configuration with the sign of the Cotton effect. We have encountered biphenyl dyes in mixed crystals and crystalline tissues that were presumably resolved by interaction with chiral crystal facets or by adsorption to biopolymers. Understanding association mechanisms required that we likewise determine the absolute configuration, but inside organized media which traditionally do not reveal optical rotation or circular dichroism because of the dominance of linear anisotropies. We therefore recently invented the first circular extinction imaging microscope that can detect circular dichroism in low-symmetry media, and also a new effect in crystal optics that we call anomalous circular extinction. Here, we show what information can be obtained from dyed, organized substances containing biphenyl derivatives by exploiting this new tool. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Syntheses of stereodefined β‐alkylidene‐γ‐lactones and substituted β, γ‐unsaturated δ‐lactones

1-Trimethylsilyl-1,3-diyne derived trans-bis(trimethylstannyl) enynes undergo stepwise transmetallation with methyllithium to furnish the corresponding enynyllithium reagents. The application, in various orders, of a sequence of transmetallation-protonation-alkylation-hydroxyalkylation-hydroboration-oxidation reactions provides a novel approach to stereo-defined β-alkylidene γ-lactones and β, γ-unsaturated δ-lactones.
The Capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans Modulates Phagosomal pH through Its Acid-Base Properties.

ABSTRACT Phagosomal acidification is a critical cellular mechanism for the inhibition and killing of ingested microbes by phagocytic cells. The acidic environment activates microbicidal proteins and creates an unfavorable environment for the growth of many microbes. Consequently, numerous pathogenic microbes have developed strategies for countering phagosomal acidification through various mechanisms that include interference with phagosome maturation. The human-pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans resides in acidic phagosomes after macrophage ingestion that actually provides a favorable environment for replication, since the fungus replicates faster at acidic pH. We hypothesized that the glucuronic acid residues in the capsular polysaccharide had the capacity to affect phagosomal acidity through their acid-base properties. A ratiometric fluorescence comparison of imaged phagosomes containing C. neoformans to phagosomes containing beads showed that the latter were significantly more acidic. Similarly, phagosomes containing nonencapsulated C. neoformans cells were more acidic than those containing encapsulated cells. Acid-base titrations of isolated C. neoformans polysaccharide revealed that it behaves as a weak acid with maximal buffering capacity around pH 4 to 5. We interpret these results as indicating that the glucuronic acid residues in the C. neoformans capsular polysaccharide can buffer phagosomal acidification. Interference with phagosomal acidification represents a new function for the cryptococcal capsule in virulence and suggests the importance of considering the acid-base properties of microbial capsules in the host-microbe interaction for other microbes with charged residues in their capsules. IMPORTANCECryptococcus neoformans is the causative agent of cryptococcosis, a devastating fungal disease that affects thousands of individuals worldwide. This fungus has the capacity to survive inside phagocytic cells, which contributes to persistence of infection and dissemination. One of the major antimicrobial mechanisms of host phagocytes is to acidify the phagosomal compartment after ingestion of microbes. This study shows that the capsule of C. neoformans can interfere with full phagosomal acidification by serving as a buffer.