cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract P311: Cardiac Sympathetic Afferents Does Not Initiate but Contributes to the Further Development of Hypertension in Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats

Sympatho-excitation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, it is unclear what factors initiate and maintain sympatho-excitation in hypertension. Our past studies have confirmed a critical role of cardiac sensory nerve endings that mediate a sympatho-excitatory reflex called the “cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex” (CSAR) in the setting of heart failure. However, whether/when the CSAR is activated and contributes to the development of hypertension remains unclear. To address this issue, we chronically abolished the CSAR by epidural application of a selective afferent neurotoxin, resiniferatoxin (RTX) at the level of the T1-T4 dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) by destroying TRPV1-expressing neuronal soma in 8-week and 16-w old spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR). Conscious blood pressure was monitored before (baseline) and during 2 months post RTX using radio telemetry. As shown in Figure 1A, in early-hypertensive (8-w old) SHR rats, there was no difference in mean arterial pressure (MAP) between vehicle and RTX groups until 3 weeks post intervention. At that time, MAP in vehicle-treated SHR rats continued to increase whereas this increase was largely abolished in the RTX-treated group. In the established (16-w old) SHR rats (Figure 1B), treatment with RTX immediately reduced MAP by ~15 mmHg, which was maintained for the 2-month recording period. These data strongly suggest that although CSAR does not initiate hypertension at the early stage in SHR, it contributes to the further development of hypertension in the mid/late stages. These data support a potential novel therapy possibly involving cardiac afferents.
pragmatism and the unlearning of learnification

Biesta pensa que o ensino esta em perigo pela enfase contemporânea na aprendizagem dos alunos e a epistemologia construtivista por tras disso - um fenomeno que ele se refere como "aprendizacao". Para ele, aprender transforma o mundo em um objeto de compreensao e adaptacao, posicionando o self no seu centro. Biesta critica P4/wC por se adaptar a essa aprendizagem, por ajudar os alunos a aprender as habilidades de pensamento critico necessarias para se adaptarem ao capitalismo global sem critica-lo. Ele usa o pragmatismo em geral, e o trabalho de John Dewey sobre a educacao em particular, para caracterizar e explicar a teoria educacional construtivista, o que torna a sua critica a Filosofia com e para Criancas mais afiada, dado a influencia de Dewey naquele movimento. Neste artigo, desafiamos o pragmatismo de uso da Biesta como representante da aprendizagem. Mostramos que o pragmatismo oferece insights e praticas importantes que nao so tornam a aprendizagem mais rica do que a adaptacao inteligente, mas tambem desfigura as distincoes entre adaptacao e reconstrucao e entre aprendizagem e relacao etica. Argumentamos que o pragmatismo nem desvaloriza o ensino nem restringe o aprendizado a mente do individuo. Promove a investigacao como um processo socialmente incorporado, experimental e indeterminado de auto-reconstrucao do mundo. Mostramos conexoes entre o foco de Biesta, inspirado por Levinas, na interrupcao, suspensao e sustento, e a enfase pragmatica na duvida, interesse e comunidade de investigacao. Para o pragmatismo, aprender e essencialmente autocorrigir a compreensao, o desejo e / ou o comportamento de alguem, mas apenas como resultado de ser desafiado e ajudado por outros. Alem disso, a experiencia de ser alterada pela participacao em uma comunidade nunca e meramente neural ou intelectual, mas tambem sempre etica, ou mesmo espiritual. Concluimos, contrariamente a Biesta, que o pragmatismo de Charles Pierce, Dewey, Matthew Lipman e Ann Margaret Sharp concebe a educacao construtivista como um meio para um tratamento e resposta radicalmente intersubjetivas e inter-geracionais, e para o questionamento e subversao radicais dos modos de vida pessoal, social e cultural.
Interaction Between Cytochrome P450 and Reductase

The cytochrome P450 monooxygenase systems consist of two membrane-bound proteins, a hemoprotein terminal oxidase (cytochrome P450) and a pyridine nucleotide-utilizing reductase as a source of reducing equivalents. Mitochondrial forms of the monooxygenase make use of a nonheme iron sulfur protein as an electron carrier between the reductase and terminal oxidase, while in the endoplasmic reticulum NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase serves as the direct source of reducing equivalents for the monooxygenase. This latter reductase is a flavoprotein, containing two flavin molecules per molecule of enzyme,one of which is flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and the other is flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) (Iyanagi et al.,1974). The two flavin molecules have different functions in the reductase, one bringing electrons into the flavoprotein, and the other serving to transfer electrons out to a redox partner, which acts as an acceptor molecule. FAD was shown to receive reducing equivalents from NADPH, while FMN was shown to function at the donor side to such acceptors as cytochrome c and cytochrome P450 (Vermilion and Coon, 1978).
Mismatch between right- and left-sided filling pressures in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction

Abstract Background Mismatch between right- and left-sided filling pressures is poorly understood in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods and results We retrospectively analyzed 170 patients with HFpEF (EF≥40%) who underwent right heart catheterization. Low match (right atrial pressure [RAP] Conclusions Discordance exists between right- and left-sided filling pressures in HFpEF. Physicians may utilize pulmonary artery pressure to evaluate left-sided filling pressure, which is a significant predictor of prognosis.
Plasmonic Materials for Surface-Enhanced and Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on the fabrication and characterization of plasmonic materials that show promise in chemical/biological sensing and surface-enhanced spectroscopy applications. Plasmonics is an emerging branch of nano-optics and nano-photonics that examines the properties of collective electronic excitations in noble metal films or nanoparticles known colloquially as surface plasmons. The chapter briefly reviews the simple, massively parallel method of nanosphere lithography and its use in the fabrication of size- and shape-controlled nanostructures. The essential physics of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and the theoretical methods used to understand it are described, and key results concerning the short- and long-range distance dependencies of the electromagnetic fields surrounding the nanoparticles are summarized in the chapter. The relationship between LSPR spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is analyzed in the chapter. SERS provides a systematic reproducible way to optimize the signal intensity in SERS experiments. These experiments are directly relevant to optimization of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) experiments, where the electromagnetic enhancement mechanism is expected to play a crucial role. The chapter also presents some initial works on force dependence in TERS.
mTORC1 Signaling and Hypoxia

mTORC1 is an important regulator of cell growth and cell proliferation and its activity is adjusted in response to multiple cues including oxygen levels. Under conditions of hypoxia, mTORC1 is inhibited. Hypoxia-induced mTORC1 inhibition typically involves the REDD1 protein. REDD1 is transcriptionally induced in response to hypoxia, and in fibroblasts and many other cell types, REDD1 is necessary for mTORC1 inhibition by hypoxia. Moreover, REDD1 overexpression is sufficient to inhibit mTORC1. REDD1 is a member of a family that includes also REDD2, which appears to have arisen through a gene duplication event occurring independently in insects and humans. REDD1 is a 25 kDa protein with no known structural or functional domains, and a novel structural fold. Despite that hypoxia would predictably lead over time to decreased energy stores, mTORC1 inhibition by hypoxia can occur independently of the energy signaling kinases AMPK and LKB1. REDD1-induced mTORC1 inhibition requires a functional TSC1/TSC2 complex and can be blocked by Rheb overexpression, but how REDD1 signals remains to be elucidated. The TSC1/TSC2 complex is also required for mTORC1 inhibition by hypoxia in many cell types and failure to downregulate mTORC1 in TSC1/TSC2-deficient fibroblasts in response to hypoxia results in increased cell proliferation. How tumors sustain mTORC1 activity despite hypoxia remains to be elucidated, but in normal cells, the downregulation of mTORC1 by hypoxia likely represents an adaptative mechanism whereby energy demanding processes, such as protein translation, are downregulated.
Male Adaptations to Female Ovulation

In myriad species, including humans, females experience dramatic shifts in fertility levels. Given that conception is most likely to occur during periods of peak fertility, evolutionary theories suggest that males possess adaptive attunements to those shifting fertility levels. While male adaptations to female fertility have been demonstrated in many nonhuman species, only recently have researchers begun to examine whether a similar fertility attunement exists in humans. In this chapter, we discuss a burgeoning literature examining whether men are attuned to shifts in women’s fertility across the ovulatory cycle, and, if so, how that attunement is reflected in men’s physiology, psychology, and behavior. We review evidence that men are sensitive to three broad types of fertility cues—olfactory, auditory, and visual, and that when exposed to those cues, men display changes in mate-seeking and relationship maintenance processes—changes that ultimately enhance men’s likelihood of reproductive success. Potential directions for future research in this area are discussed as well as the implications of this research for evolutionary psychological theories of romantic relationships.
The Information Infrastructure of a Treaty Monitoring System

The information infrastructures for arms control treaties are complex systems, because they are global and they generate outputs which may have major impact on the stability of the international security system. The information services they provide may make the difference between war and peace. Consequently, they need to be designed in such a manner that the quality of these services is commensurate with their importance. In this chapter we have identified the attributes of validity, sufficiency, integrity and timeliness to describe and measure the quality of the information services expected to be provided by a treaty information infrastructure. We have also presented the outline of a systematic approach for translating these service attributes into system design specifications. Essential to this approach is a properly designed infrastructure information management system. Without it one would never know whether or not the quality of services required by the treaty verification regime is, in effect, provided by the information infrastructure.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Sjögren Syndrome, and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease in Children and Adolescents.

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE), mixed connective tissue disease (jMCTD), and Sjogren syndrome (jSS) are systemic autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with distinct patterns of organ involvement. All are characterized by autoantibody formation, with antinuclear (ANA) and anti-double-stranded DNA common in jSLE, ANA with high-titer ribonucleoprotein antibody in jMCTD, and Sjogren syndrome A and Sjogren syndrome B antibodies + ANA in jSS. Recognition, monitoring, and management for primary care providers are discussed, focusing on the role of primary physicians in recognizing and helping maintain optimal health in children with these potentially life-threatening diseases.
Bone Mineral Density Changes in Transsexual Persons: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction Both estrogen and testosterone are important in maintaining bone health. It is known that those in the transsexual population undergo significant changes in their body composition and bone mass due to the hormonal changes, either from male-to-female or female-to-male after sex reassignment surgery. Objective This meta-analysis aimed to explore the bone mineral changes in transsexual female individuals before and after following either genital reassignment surgery or cross-sex hormonal therapy or both. We additionally performed a systemic review of the bone mineral change in transsexual male individuals. Method A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was performed from inception through October 2017. The inclusion criterion was observational studies evaluating the bone mineral density change in transsexual persons. The pooled mean difference (MD) of bone mineral density (BMD) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis to compare the changes between transsexual persons and controls. The between-study heterogeneity of effect-size was quantified using the Q statistic and I2. Result Data were extracted from 5 observational studies involving 322 subjects. Pooled results from trans women compared to age-matched male controls demonstrated a statistically significant lower BMD at the lumbar spine (MD= -0.08; 95% CI: -0.14 to -0.01, p-value=0.02, I2 =87%) and hip (MD= -0.16; 95% CI: -0.20 to -0.12, p-value Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the bone mineral density change in transsexual persons. We found a statistically significant decrease in BMD at hip and spine among transsexual female individuals compared to the male control groups. The result of our meta-analysis suggested that low bone mineral density could be found in transsexual female individuals.
Neural Decoding of Synergy-Based Hand Movements Using Electroencephalography

The human central nervous system (CNS) effortlessly performs complex hand movements with the control and coordination of multiple degrees of freedom. It is hypothesized that the CNS might use kinematic synergies to reduce the complexity of movements, but how these kinematic synergies are encoded in the CNS remains unclear. In order to investigate the neural representations of kinematic synergies, scalp electroencephalographic (EEG) signals and hand kinematics were recorded from ten subjects during six representative types of hand grasping. Kinematic synergies were obtained from recorded hand kinematics using singular value decomposition. The recorded kinematics were then reconstructed using weighted linear combinations of synergies, and the optimal weights were computed using optimal linear estimation. Using EEG spectral powers as neural features, a multivariate linear regression model was trained on the weights of the kinematic synergies. Using this model, kinematics from the testing subset of data was decoded from the EEG features with threefold cross-validation. The results show that the weights of kinematic synergies used in a particular movement reconstruction were strongly correlated to EEG features obtained from that movement. EEG features were able to successfully decode synergy-based movements with an average decoding accuracy of 80.1 ± 6.1 % (best up to 93.4 ± 2.3%). These results have promising applications in noninvasive neural control of synergy-based prostheses and exoskeletons.
Perspectives on the Controlled Propagation, Augmentation, and Reintroduction of Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionoida)

Controlled propagation, augmentation, and reintroduction (PAR) of rare and endangered aquatic organisms has become a priority action for recovery and delisting, and in many cases is an action of “last resort” to either restore or maintain existing populations. The guiding principle of PAR efforts should be to avoid harming existing populations of congeneric or nontarget species and also minimize risks to extant populations and habitats. Controlled PAR of freshwater mussels should not be a long-term management strategy conducted in perpetuity and should not be used as a substitute for recovery tasks such as habitat restoration or addressing the causes of endangerment. The determination to pursue controlled PAR for freshwater mussels should follow a thorough evaluation of the status of existing wild populations, an agreement that PAR in the historic range is needed, and a conclusion that suitable habitat for long-term success is present. The primary purpose of any efforts to augment or reintroduce animals should be to establish free-ranging wild populations. Concomitant with this goal is the distinct possibility that these activities can represent appreciable genetic or ecological risks to resident animals, both nontarget taxa and wild conspecifics. To maintain the integrity of the fauna, communities, and ecosystems it is imperative that these risks be carefully considered before conducting controlled PAR. In this paper we pose several questions that we believe are important to consider before initiating PAR of freshwater mussels. We also recommend actions, some already used at individual facilities or by agencies, that we believe will aid in developing a more uniform approach to controlled PAR and safeguarding the ecological and genetic integrity of freshwater mussel communities.
A coupled microscopy approach to assess the nano-landscape of weathering

Mineral weathering is a balanced interplay among physical, chemical, and biological processes. Fundamental knowledge gaps exist in characterizing the biogeochemical mechanisms that transform microbe-mineral interfaces at submicron scales, particularly in complex field systems. Our objective was to develop methods targeting the nanoscale by using high-resolution microscopy to assess biological and geochemical drivers of weathering in natural settings. Basalt, granite, and quartz (53–250 µm) were deployed in surface soils (10 cm) of three ecosystems (semiarid, subhumid, humid) for one year. We successfully developed a reference grid method to analyze individual grains using: (1) helium ion microscopy to capture micron to sub-nanometer imagery of mineral-organic interactions; and (2) scanning electron microscopy to quantify elemental distribution on the same surfaces via element mapping and point analyses. We detected locations of biomechanical weathering, secondary mineral precipitation, biofilm formation, and grain coatings across the three contrasting climates. To our knowledge, this is the first time these coupled microscopy techniques were applied in the earth and ecosystem sciences to assess microbe-mineral interfaces and in situ biological contributors to incipient weathering.
To License or Not to License? A Look at Differing Approaches to Policing the Activities of Nonlawyer Immigration Service Providers

State (and some local) governments have struggled to find ways to protect immigrants from exploitation by persons falsely holding themselves out as immigration lawyers or claiming expertise as notarios or immigration consultants. Existing legislation ranges from attempts to regulate the activities of nonlawyer immigration service providers (ISPs) by delineating prohibited practices; to requiring ISPs to post a bond or register with the state; to specifically restricting the provision of immigration assistance for compensation by any nonlawyer who is not accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to transcription, translation, document procurement and related clerical tasks. A comparative look at the current law in New York - and at suggestions that enforcement would be enhanced if ISPs were required to obtain a license - on the one hand, and at a new law in the State of Washington that seeks to ban the activities of ISPs altogether on the other hand, highlights both the advantages and shortcomings of these approaches. To sidestep the pitfalls associated with licensing or otherwise regulating ISPs, officials might consider an alternative approach, and replace laws regulating ISPs with laws that specifically target, and ban, the unauthorized practice of immigration law and that mete out serious punishment for egregious, willful violations - while providing legitimate nonprofit religious, charitable, and community-based organizations with no mens rea to do harm with the opportunity to avoid sanctions if they seek recognition and accreditation by the BIA.
Structure-Toxicity Relationships of Para-Position Alkyl- and Halogen-Substituted Monoaromatic Compounds

The relative toxicity of 46 para-position alkyl- and halogen-substituted pyridines, cyanobenzenes, nitrobenzenes, phenols, benzyl alcohols, and benzaldehydes was determined by measuring the population growth impairment (log BR) of the ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis. The 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (log K o w )-dependent quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) for the pyridines, cyanobenzenes, and nitrobenzenes is log BR = 0.8222 (log K o w )- 1.7889; n = 19, r 2 = 0.937, and s = 0.155. A similar QSAR for the phenols, benzyl alcohols, and benzaldehydes is log BR = 0.6360 (log K o w )- 1.2012; n = 27, r 2 = 0.726, and s = 0.284 (where n = the number of data points; r 2 = the coefficient of determination; and s = root mean square.) The predictability of the latter QSAR is improved by the addition of the orthogonal field electronic parameter F. The resulting QSAR is log BR = 0.7891 (log K o w ) + 0.6793 (F) - 1.7457; n = 27, r 2 = 0.925, and s = 0.163.
15 Internal Migration

In this chapter, internal migration is examined as one event among several demographic phenomena that can result in shifts in population distribution across space. Migration operates as a dynamic demographic process that is highly responsive to social and economic conditions at multiple geographic scales. This chapter reviews contemporary research regarding internal migration in both more and less developed countries, with particular attention to policy concerns. The chapter includes a presentation of theories related to migration as influenced by multiple disciplines. Methods, measurement, and data are discussed, followed by a synoptic review of empirical findings. The chapter content reflects features of the migration landscape that have grown in recent years, such as environmental migration, the movements of refugees and displaced persons, and the roles of socio-geographic context and gender. The chapter offers a concluding section that considers new research directions in the field.
Prediction of PEKK properties related to crystallization by molecular dynamics simulations with a united-atom model

Abstract Semicrystalline polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) is widely used as the matrix in carbon-fiber composites. Understanding and predicting the crystallization thermodynamics and kinetics of this class of polymers is, thus, of great interest. This paper uses molecular dynamic (MD) simulations using Dreiding united-atom (UA) potentials to characterize a wide range of thermos-physical properties of PEKK. We characterized the effect of terephthaloyl chloride to isophthaloyl chloride (T/I) on an extensive set of properties, including the lattice parameters and stability of PEKK crystal structures, glass transition temperature, melting temperature, crystal/amorphous interfacial energy, and enthalpy of fusion. We find good overall agreement between predicted properties and experimental values and the simulations help clarify inconsistencies in the literature. In combination with classical nucleation theory, nucleation barriers and critical nucleus size at different temperature are predicted.
A method to assess significant differences in RNA expression among specific gene groups

Most expression studies measure transcription rates across multiple conditions followed by clustering and functional enrichment. This enables discovery of shared function for differentially expressed genes, but is not useful for determining whether pre-defined groups of genes share or diverge in their expression patterns. Here we present a simple data transformation method that allows Gaussian parametric statistical analysis of expression for groups of genes, thus enabling a biologically relevant hypothesis-driven approach to gene expression analysis.
Production of aflatoxin and its partition between the medium and the mycelium ofaspergillus parasiticus during incubation under various conditions

Spores of an aflatoxigenic strain ofAspergillus parasiticus were inoculated into a glucose-salts medium which was incubated with and without shaking at 28° C for 15 days. Without shaking, maximal production of total aflatoxin and aflatoxins B1, G1, and G2, occured at 5 days, whereas the maximal amount of B2 appeared after 7 days. Initially approximately 5% of the total toxins appeared in the mycelium but this increased to more than 60% after 5 days. Shaking of cultures during incubation served to reduce production of total aflatoxin and of each of the individual toxins. The maximal amount of total aflatoxin and of toxins B1, and G1, appeared in shaken cultures after 5 days, whereas 8 and 11 days were needed to obtain maximal amounts of B2 and G2, respectively. The mycelium of shaken cultures initially retained approximately 50% of the total aflatoxin and this increased to about 80% as the incubation progressed. Very little aflatoxin was synthesized at 35 and 45° C and production of total aflatoxin and of each individual toxin was less at 15° C than at 25 or 28° C.
Viscous Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory for topological electromagnetic phases of matter

Chern-Simons theories, initially developed for high-energy physics, have been very successful in explaining integer and fractional quantum Hall phases of matter, topological insulators, and Weyl semimetals. However, it was an open question as to whether Chern-Simons theories can be adapted to topological photonics. Here, the authors develop a viscous Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory to capture the fundamental physics of a topological electromagnetic phase of matter. The theory applies to viscous Hall fluids and predicts the existence of unique spin-1 photonic skyrmions in momentum space.
The generation and use of graphical examples in calculus classrooms: The case of the mean value theorem

Abstract We analyzed video data of five instructors teaching the Mean Value Theorem (MVT) in a first-semester calculus course as part of a broader project investigating how active learning strategies were being implemented and supported in calculus courses. We sought to identify the ways examples of functions that did or did not satisfy the conclusion of MVT were generated and used in instruction. Using thematic analysis, we identified four themes that serve as characterizations of examples, which then allowed for the analysis of trends and patterns. We propose that attention to the generation and use of examples serves as one lens for considering how students can be engaged in the mathematical activity of the classroom, with implications for learning. This work contributes to an evolving notion of what is entailed in students’ active learning of mathematics and the role of the instructor in facilitating active learning opportunities.
Review of chest CT manifestations of COVID-19 infection

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a viral pandemic that started in China and has rapidly expanded worldwide. Typical clinical manifestations include fever, cough and dyspnea after an incubation period of 2-14 days. The diagnosis is based on RT-PCR test through a nasopharyngeal swab. Because of the pulmonary tropism of the virus, pneumonia is often encountered in symptomatic patients. Here, we review the pertinent clinical findings and the current published data describing chest CT findings in COVID-19 pneumonia, the diagnostic performance of CT for diagnosis, including differential diagnosis, as well the evolving role of imaging in this disease.
Stable isotopic and geochemical analysis of lacustrine carbonates from the Al-Azraq basin, Jordan: implications for paleoenvironment and paleohydrology

This study tests the geochemical basis for the paleoenvironmental history of 31 m of cored lacustrine sediments in the Al-Azraq basin, in the eastern desert of Jordan. The analysis of carbon and oxygen isotopes of carbonates distinguishes patterns of aridity and increased moisture over greater than 250 ka. Initial analysis examined the isotope data identifying oxygen isotopes of carbonate that reflect precipitation and evaporation trends which are further supported by the paleoenvironmental proxies of ICP-AES, SEM, XRD, and magnetic susceptibility. The study identifies seven environmental zones that fluctuate between phases of aridity punctuated with periods of higher moisture and occasional aeolian deposition. The covariance of δ13Ccarb and δ18Ocarb indicates the paleolake was a closed-basin system throughout its history. Sediments from 31.69 m to the surface transition from lake to increasingly arid environments with multiple wet periods and the upper most sediments reflecting aeolian deposition determined by significant fluctuations in isotopes, grain size, and element ratios. Fe/Mn demonstrates a saw-toothed pattern for the first 10 m averaging below 100. The ratio then fluctuates substantially into the 200 and 300s in Zones F and G. The ratio of Sr/Ba averages 1.46 yet fluctuates strongly in arid zones of F and G, and to as much as 43.48 in Zone C. X-ray diffraction and SEM reveal the presence of carbonate minerals including authigenic calcite, dolomite, gypsum, and celestite in arid zones. Zones B and D signal higher moisture environments with negative δ18Ocarb values and increases in clay percent. IRSL determinations provide a sequence of three ages reaching saturation limits of greater than 250 ka at 10 m. The AZ1 lacustrine basin record has significantly older sediment ages than the fringing marsh and oasis sites. Correlation with speleothem records from local and northern Israel caves generally corresponds with MIS 9, MIS 8, and MIS 6. Correlation with the youngest age could be either MIS 5, a significant wet period recognized regionally and along the basin margins, or MIS 2, but neither are strong signals in the central basin.
Delivery of Alkaline Phosphatase Promotes Periodontal Regeneration in Mice.

Factors regulating the ratio of pyrophosphate (PPi) to phosphate (Pi) modulate biomineralization. Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) is a key promineralization enzyme that hydrolyzes th...
Human-caused mortality of large carnivores in Iran during 1980–2021

Abstract Human-caused mortality is the main cause of death for large carnivores worldwide and has had serious adverse effects on their populations. Detailed quantitative information on potential causes and patterns of mortalities are vital for development of effective conservation strategies. We investigated human-caused large carnivore mortalities across Iran using reports provided by Iran’s Department of the Environment (DOE) during January 1980–January 2021, which comprised 399 mortality instances involving 443 carnivore deaths. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) had the highest frequency of occurrence (30%), followed by striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena; 24%), and Persian leopards (Panthera pardus saxicolor; 17%). Overall, mortalities related to agricultural (i.e. livestock, or crops including plants, fruits, beehives) loss occurred more frequently (31%) than mortality related to illegal trade (21%) and risk to humans (7%). Specifically, brown bears were killed more frequently due to potential threats to human life and crops, whereas leopards and wolves were killed more often because of livestock depredations. Additionally, leopards were killed more frequently for illegal trade of their skins. We recommend the DOE improve local communities’ attitudes toward large carnivores by promoting conservation education programs and incentive compensation schemes, as well as implement mitigation measures (e.g. wildlife crossing structures or fencing) at road mortality hotspots to prevent unnecessary deaths of large carnivores in Iran.
Is ACL Repair Really Back? A Review of Modern Techniques

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair has been suggested to have several potential advantages over ACL reconstruction (ACLR) including preservation of both the native anatomy and the proprioceptive function of the knee. The initial open surgical techniques of ACL repair fell out of favor due to the limited success and unpredictability of the results. There has been a renewed interest in ACL repair given its biomechanical advantages, the advent of new arthroscopic surgical techniques, modern repair technology (implants and biological adjuncts), and perhaps a better understanding of which tear patterns may be more amenable to successful repair. More recently, ACL repair has been shown to be most successful in patients with proximal ACL tears and good tissue quality, as well as with the ability to biologically augment the repair. Midterm follow-up of these patients have promising outcomes in regards to patient satisfaction, stability, and return to work or sport. Broadly, the different ACL repair techniques include internal augmentation, enhancement of the biologic environment, and the use of secure femoral-sided footprint fixation. This article aims to summarize these studies and review the different techniques for ACL repair that have been described in the literature.
A Layered Model for Building Cyber Defense Training Capacity

As technology proliferates and becomes indispensable to all functions of society, so does the need to ensure its security and resilience through cyber defense training, education, and professional development. This paper presents a layered model that supports cyber defense training progressively through the development of technology services, digital context, performance assessment, and impact analysis. The methods used were applied to college laboratories associated with cybersecurity classes, defense training exercises, cyber based competitions, and graduate research program designs. The service layer presents methods for developing the technical infrastructure and agile deployment necessary to support cyber defense training. This, then, is layered with conceptual frameworks to guide teams as they immerse into scenarios within cyberspace. To enhance team performance in this space and to enhance the value of the training process itself, psychometric feedback, Agile methods, and quantitative assessments are used to track efficacy and facilitate future development. The final layer represents active incident response and ongoing collaborative efforts between institutions and across disciplines. The work is presented as a progression and illustrates a decade of research from 2010 to 2020. The context has been updated here with the intention that it can be used as a guide for designing a broad range of collaborative cyber defense and cyber range programs. The influence of socio-behavioral factors increasingly illuminates the path forward.
Product Customization on the Web: An Empirical Study of Factors Impacting Choiceboard User Satisfaction

Although choiceboard technology is being widely used to enhance the customer’s experience, very little is known about the actual impact of this technology on overall user satisfaction or the intention to use the choiceboard. Similar concerns have been expressed for web-based decision support systems (Bharati and Chaudhury, 2004b). In particular, it remains unclear how the provision of more information, facilitation of decisionmaking through what if analysis, and choice comparisons through the use of choiceboard technology affects user satisfaction and the intention to use. In this research, the relationships are developed and operationalized between system-level factors (such as quality of the system and information in choiceboards, and presentation of information) and user’s decisionmaking and interface satisfaction. Furthermore, the analysis investigates the relationship between information and decisionmaking satisfaction, with overall satisfaction and intention to use. The statistical analysis consists of path analysis, assessing a pattern of predictive relationships among the measured variables.
High-Density Lipoproteins in Kidney Disease.

Decades of epidemiological studies have established the strong inverse relationship between high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol concentration and cardiovascular disease. Recent evidence suggests that HDL particle functions, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions, and cholesterol efflux capacity may be more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease protection than HDL cholesterol concentration. These HDL functions are also relevant in non-cardiovascular diseases, including acute and chronic kidney disease. This review examines our current understanding of the kidneys’ role in HDL metabolism and homeostasis, and the effect of kidney disease on HDL composition and functionality. Additionally, the roles of HDL particles, proteins, and small RNA cargo on kidney cell function and on the development and progression of both acute and chronic kidney disease are examined. The effect of HDL protein modification by reactive dicarbonyls, including malondialdehyde and isolevuglandin, which form adducts with apolipoprotein A-I and impair proper HDL function in kidney disease, is also explored. Finally, the potential to develop targeted therapies that increase HDL concentration or functionality to improve acute or chronic kidney disease outcomes is discussed.
Learning Augmentation Distributions using Transformed Risk Minimization.

Adapting to the structure of data distributions (such as symmetry and transformation invariances) is an important challenge in machine learning. Invariances can be built into the learning process by architecture design, or by augmenting the dataset. Both require a priori knowledge about the exact nature of the symmetries. Absent this knowledge, practitioners resort to expensive and time-consuming tuning. To address this problem, we propose a new approach to learn distributions of augmentation transforms, in a new \emph{Transformed Risk Minimization} (TRM) framework. In addition to predictive models, we also optimize over transformations chosen from a hypothesis space. As an algorithmic framework, our TRM method is (1) efficient (jointly learns augmentations and models in a \emph{single training loop}), (2) modular (works with \emph{any} training algorithm), and (3) general (handles \emph{both discrete and continuous} augmentations). We theoretically compare TRM with standard risk minimization, and give a PAC-Bayes upper bound on its generalization error. We propose to optimize this bound over a rich augmentation space via a new parametrization over compositions of blocks, leading to the new \emph{Stochastic Compositional Augmentation Learning} (SCALE) algorithm. We compare SCALE experimentally with prior methods (Fast AutoAugment and Augerino) on CIFAR10/100, SVHN . Additionally, we show that SCALE can correctly learn certain symmetries in the data distribution (recovering rotations on rotated MNIST) and can also improve calibration of the learned model.
Effectiveness of dynamic value voting

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of 'dynamic value voting' when used by a group in making a sequence of deci­ sions. The essential and novel characteristic of this group decision-making procedure is the use of ' flotes', a kind of currency that enables each group member to weight each of his votes in accordance with his estimate of the relative importance of the current decision in comparison with future decisions the group will be making. It is shown by computer simulation and mathematical analysis that groups do well using dynamic value voting when contrasted with results achieved using ordinary majority voting and related ordering procedures. The procedure is also suitable for use by an individual, or a group, for a multi-attribute decision application - where the flote alloca­ tions reflect anticipated changes in relative importance of indi­ vidual attributes over time. Dynamic value voting has been used by groups interacting entirely by computer conferencing, with individual members geographically dispersed. The proce­ dure is especially attractive for this type of modern communi­ cation and decision system.
Experimental microwave power extraction in the Multi-Frequency Recirculating Planar Magnetron

The Multi-Frequency Recirculating Planar Magnetron (MFRPM) is a variant of the Recirculating Planar Magnetron (RPM), a crossed-field oscillator capable of producing high-power microwaves (HPM). The first multi-frequency RPM, termed the MFRPM-6+8, consists of a 6-cavity 1-GHz and 8-cavity 2-GHz set of planar cavity arrays coupled by cylindrical electron beam / RF recirculation bends. Recent experimental work involved installation of an axial microwave power extraction assembly. Experiments are currently underway using a −300 kV, 200–300 ns voltage pulse, a 0.1–0.3 T axial magnetic field, and a Mode-Control Cathode (MCC) with a velvet electron emitter.
Radial Multi-focal Tensors

The 1D radial camera maps all points on a plane, containing the principal axis, onto the radial line which is the intersection of that plane and the image plane. It is a sufficiently general model to express both central and non-central cameras, since the only assumption it makes is of known center of distortion. In this paper, we study the multi-focal tensors arising out of 1D radial cameras. There exist no two-view constraints (like the fundamental matrix) for 1D radial cameras. However, the 3-view and 4-view cases are interesting. For the 4-view case we have the radial quadrifocal tensor, which has 15 d.o.f and 2 internal constraints. For the 3-view case, we have the radial trifocal tensor, which has 7 d.o.f and no internal constraints. Under the assumption of a purely rotating central camera, this can be used to do a non-parametric estimation of the radial distortion of a 1D camera. Even in the case of a non-rotating camera it can be used to do parametric estimation, assuming a planar scene. Finally we examine the mixed trifocal tensor, which models the case of two 1D radial cameras and one standard pin-hole camera. Of the above radial multifocal tensors, only the radial trifocal tensor is useful practically, since it doesn't require any knowledge of the scene and is extremely robust. We demonstrate results based on real-images for this. For the quadrifocal tensor, too, we present a way to do a metric reconstruction of the scene and to undistort the image (given a sufficiently dense set of point-correspondences). We also show results on synthetic images. However, it must be noted that currently the quadrifocal and mixed trifocal tensors are useful only from a theoretical stand-point.
Aromaticity and Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution

The meaning of the word aromaticity has evolved as understanding of the reason for the special properties of benzene and other aromatic molecules has deepened. Originally, aromaticity was associated with a special chemical reactivity.1 The aromatic hydrocarbons were considered to be those unsaturated systems that underwent substitution reactions in preference to addition. Later, the idea of special stability came to play a larger role. Benzene can be shown to be much lower in enthalpy than predicted by summation of the normal bond energies for the C=C, C-C, and C-H bonds present in the Kekule representation of benzene. Aromaticity has now been generally equated with this property of lowered molecular energy. A major contribution to the stability of the aromatic systems is recognized as being due to the delocalized nature of the electrons in these molecules.
Turnover and Return in Global Stock Markets: A Time Seriesand Cross Sectional Analysis

I study the liquidity of global stock exchanges and how it determines cross sectional returns on stock portfolios of the exchanges. I measure liquidity by turnover ratio computed as value of shares traded over the market capitalization. I obtain data from FIBV, an association of global stock exchanges and conduct a univariate analysis of turnover ratio. I find evidence that liquidity is trend weakly stationary for most stock exchanges, however, exchange and time specific factors are more appropriate for modeling liquidity. In a multivariate regression model, I find age, size, type of exchange, competition for order flow, and growth rate to be significant determinants of liquidity. The exchange specific factors are surrogates for the legal systems, English common law, and Civil laws of the countries. I estimate the parameters of a multiple regression model in a two stage GLS framework in which index return is a function of turnover. The significant determinants of index return are size, turnover, and volatility, although some of the volatility effect may be a spillover from a January effect. Investors expect higher return from high turnover markets. The turnover return relation is found to be true only in emerging markets and not in developed markets. This result confirms existing empirical evidence that high turnover stock portfolios generate superior returns.
Future perspectives of SAR polarimetry with applications to multi-parameter fully polarimetric POLSAR remote sensing & geophysical stress-change monitoring within the equatorial/sub-equatorial belts by implementation of equatorially orbiting POLSAR single and tandem satellite sensors — Focused on Malaysia and Indonesia

The Indonesian Islands stretch over almost four time zones along the equatorial belt in between +/− 10∗ latitude, and its lush vegetation along with its mineral resources are exposed to increasing natural hazards like volcano eruptions, earthquakes and seaquakes with ensuing tsunami, cyclones with devastating floods plus ruthless mineral mining and conversion of natural tropical jungles into oil-palm estates for ethanol production. Thus, disaster assessment and prevention has become an ever more pressing topic of top priority. Current ground-based disaster damage assessment methods are cumbersome and costly due to sudden sporadic hazard occurrences; and local point measurements are not representative of larger affected regions. Due to the strong spatial and temporal dynamics of geo/bio-environmental constituents enhanced by distinct local weather conditions, frequent continual observations are necessary for which microwave satellite remote sensing and stress change monitoring provide the sought for repetitive monitoring capability and synoptic coverage subject to equatorially orbiting POL-SAR satellite implementation.
Explaining modal logic proofs

There has recently been considerable progress in the area of using computers as a tool for theorem proving. In this paper we focus on one facet of human-computer interaction in such systems: generating natural language explanations from proofs. We first discuss the /spl xi/ proof system-a tactic style theorem proving system for first-order logic with a collection of inference rules corresponding to human-oriented proof techniques. In /spl xi/, proofs are stored as they are discovered using a structured term representation. We describe a method for producing natural language explanations of proofs via a simple mapping algorithm from proof structures to text. Nonclassical or specialized logics are often used in specialized applications. For example, modal logics are often used to reason about time and knowledge, and inheritance theories are often developed for classification systems. The form of, and explanations for, proofs in these systems should be tailored to reflect their special features. In this paper, we focus on the extension of /spl xi/ to incorporate proofs in modal logic, and on the different kinds of explanations of modal proofs that can be produced to meet the needs of different users.