cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Near optimum universal belief propagation based decoding of low-density parity check codes

In this paper, we propose a belief-propagation (BP)-based decoding algorithm which utilizes normalization to improve the accuracy of the soft values delivered by a previously proposed simplified BP-based algorithm. The normalization factors can be obtained not only by simulation, but also, importantly, theoretically. This new BP-based algorithm is much simpler to implement than BP decoding as it requires only additions of the normalized received values and is universal, i.e., the decoding is independent of the channel characteristics. Some simulation results are given, which show this new decoding approach can achieve an error performance very close to that of BP on the additive white Gaussian noise channel, especially for low-density parity check (LDPC) codes whose check sums have large weights. The principle of normalization can also be used to improve the performance of the max-log-MAP algorithm in turbo decoding, and some coding gain can be achieved if the code length is long enough.
Evaluation of Well Heads by Using Different Approaches: Well Package, Multi- node Well Package, and Analytical Solution

An integrated spatially distributed groundwater-econometric model is being developed for the Southern Ogallala aquifer located almost entirely in the northwestern part of Texas (Texas High Plains) with a minor portion in New Mexico. The groundwater flow model provides well heads (which are used to estimate pumping lift) and maximum well yield data needed for the econometric model, while the econometric model provides inputs for water use (pumping rate) and return flows into the groundwater flow model. One of the preliminary challenges of this modeling effort is to select an appropriate method to estimate well heads. Three alternatives are evaluated: (a) the traditional approach which assumes that well head value is equal to the cell head values where the well is located (under this approach wells are introduced into the MODFLOW model using the Well package ); (b) wells are introduced into the model with the Multi-Node Well (MNW) package, which has imbedded the steady state Thiem equation accounting for aquifer head losses and, consequently, provides with a more accurate estimation of well head values; and c) the third is analytical solution , by integrating the wells and the equation in ArcGIS environment and estimating the well head values by using the steady state Thiem Equation. By comparing results from three methods, one can gain insights into precision of each method in the estimation of well head values, and could serve as a reference for other water resources assessment with similar modeling requirements.
Multilayer properties of aorta

Current finite element models of the aorta assume a homogenous material, but in fact aorta is composed of three major layers. Understanding of the material properties of these layers is essential in order to study the local mechanism of dynamic rupture. The material properties of aorta wall layers were determined from microindentation tests. The results showed significant linear increase of the shear modulus in the inner half of media. A dominant viscoelastic behavior was observed which was almost uniform throughout the layers.
Differential expression of dicer, miRNAs, and inflammatory markers in diabetic Ins2+/- Akita hearts.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and Insulin2 mutant (Ins2+/−) Akita is a genetic mice model of diabetes relevant to humans. Dicer, miRNAs, and inflammatory cytokines are associated with heart failure. However, the differential expression of miRNAs, dicer, and inflammatory molecules are not clear in diabetic cardiomyopathy of Akita. We measured the levels of miRNAs, dicer, pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and anti-inflammatory interleukin 10 (IL-10) in C57BL/6J (WT) and Akita hearts. The results revealed increased heart to body weight ratio and robust expression of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP: a hypertrophy marker) suggesting cardiac hypertrophy in Akita. The multiplex RT-PCR, qPCR, and immunoblotting showed up regulation of dicer, whereas miRNA array elicited spread down regulation of miRNAs in Akita including dramatic down regulation of let-7a, miR-130, miR-142-3p, miR-148, miR-338, miR-345-3p, miR-384-3p, miR-433, miR-450, miR-451, miR-455, miR-494, miR-499, miR-500, miR-542-3p, miR-744, and miR-872. Conversely, miR-295 is induced in Akita. Cardiac TNFα is upregulated at mRNA (RT-PCR and qPCR), protein (immunoblotting), and cellular (immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy) levels, and is robust in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes suggesting direct association of TNFα with hypertrophy. Contrary to TNFα, cardiac IL-10 is downregulated in Akita. In conclusion, induction of dicer and TNFα, and attenuation of IL-10 and majority of miRNA are associated with cardiomyopathy in Akita and could be used for putative therapeutic target for heart failure in diabetics.
“Time-out from positive reinforcement” as the UCS in a CER paradigm with rats

In the presence of a signal preceding time-out from positive reinforcement, and not in the presence of a control CS, rats’ positively reinforced lever pressing behavior was suppressed, a result similar to what has often been obtained in the CER paradigm with a signal preceding electric shock. When time-out was withdrawn, response rate during the signal recovered; and when time-out was reinstated, response rate again declined. This finding with rats, however, is not in accord with previous findings with chimpanzees and pigeons whose ongoing positively reinforced behavior was accelerated rather than suppressed by a signal preceding time-out.
Genomic consequences of multiple speciation processes in a stick insect

Diverse geographical modes and mechanisms of speciation are known, and individual speciation genes have now been identified. Despite this progress, genome-wide outcomes of different evolutionary processes during speciation are less understood. Here, we integrate ecological and spatial information, mating trials, transplantation data and analysis of 86 130 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eight populations (28 pairwise comparisons) of Timema cristinae stick insects to test the effects of different factors on genomic divergence in a system undergoing ecological speciation. We find patterns consistent with effects of numerous factors, including geographical distance, gene flow, divergence in host plant use and climate, and selection against maladaptive hybridization (i.e. reinforcement). For example, the number of highly differentiated ‘outlier loci’, allele-frequency clines and the overall distribution of genomic differentiation were recognizably affected by these factors. Although host use has strong effects on phenotypic divergence and reproductive isolation, its effects on genomic divergence were subtler and other factors had pronounced effects. The results demonstrate how genomic data can provide new insights into speciation and how genomic divergence can be complex, yet predictable. Future work could adopt experimental, mapping and functional approaches to directly test which genetic regions are affected by selection and determine their physical location in the genome.
Rates of digestion of bacteria by marine phagotrophic protozoa: temperature dependence.

The effect of temperature on length of time for digestion of bacteria was evaluated, by using fluorescently labeled bacteria (FLB), for phagotrophic flagellates and ciliates isolated from coastal northwest Mediterranean waters. Accumulation of FLB in protozoan food vacuoles was followed until a plateau of FLB per cell occurred; then after a 1:10 dilution of FLB with unlabeled bacteria, disappearance of FLB in food vacuoles was monitored. For both 3- to 5-μm flagellates and 10- to 40-μm ciliates, the absolute linear slopes of FLB uptake and disappearance were nearly identical in individual experiments over a temperature range of 12 to 22°C. We inferred from these results that the leveling off of the uptake curves resulted when equilibrium between ingestion and digestion of bacteria was attained. The time to leveling off then represented the average time needed for complete digestion of the bacteria ingested at the start of the experiment, and the inverse of this time represented a bacterial digestion rate. The digestion rate increased exponentially from 12 to 22°C for both a mixed flagellate assemblage and the oligotrichous ciliate Strombidium sulcatum, with a Q10 of 2.8 for the flagellates and 2.0 for the ciliate. Although bacterial ingestion rates varied greatly, depending on protozoan cell size, total bacterial abundance, and temperature, digestion times appeared to be significantly influenced only by protozoan cell size (or type of protozoan) and by temperature.
Optical and structural characterization of heavily boron-implanted CdTe

Abstract CdTe single crystals were subjected to multiple-energy boron ion implants with total doses up to 1.5×10 16 B + ions/cm 2 . Various diagnostic techniques were used to assess the structural and electronic properties of these crystals in their as-implanted condition and after anneals under vacuum. The degradation of crystallinity following the boron implants was clearly evident. Annealing temperatures up to 500°C were not effective to remove the damage from these heavy dose implants. The chosen boron implant conditions and annealing procedures have not produced substitutional boron donor centers. Excellent correlations were obtained for model calculations of boron projected range and implant damage profiles with the corresponding experimental parameters.
Tracking symbol-valued output sequences

Given a discrete-time state-space linear system whose available outputs are instantaneous discrete-valued functions of the system's state, the author considers the problem of choosing a feedback control law so as to make the record of discrete state measurements track a given sequence of symbols from the set in which these measurements take values. The problem of optimizing different measures of tracking fidelity for symbol sequences is considered. The control strategies used are of two principal types: the first, traditional schemes based on linear reasoning that regard the discrete measurement history as generating a sequence of approximations to the system's state, and second, strategies that regard the discrete measurement record simply as a sequence of partial observations whose utility can be enhanced by manipulation of the control. >
Migration Policies: Recent Advances on Measurement, Determinants and Outcomes

This article introduces the special volume on migration policies, providing motivation and organizing and summarizing its contributions.
Testing Conditions in Kolsky Bar Experiments

In a material property characterization experiment, the specimen should deform uniformly under well-controlled testing conditions in order for the experimental results to be clearly documented and interpreted. In quasi-static experiments, testing conditions are monitored and adjusted in real time by closed-loop feedback control systems such that the specimen deforms under specified conditions throughout the test. In Kolsky-bar experiments, feedback control systems are not available. Furthermore, due to the relatively low stiffness of the bars, even under identical loading conditions, the testing conditions on the specimen depend on the specimen response. Therefore, it is challenging to subject the specimen to specified loading conditions in Kolsky-bar experiments. Both the loading processes in the specimen and their relations to the commonly defined testing conditions need to be carefully examined. In addition, the development of Kolsky bar and its data reduction scheme involves many idealized assumptions. However, in actual Kolsky-bar experiments, these assumptions are not satisfied automatically, which requires further efforts in experiment design. The valid testing conditions and necessary approaches to achieve specified conditions in the Kolsky-bar experiments are presented in this Chapter.
Food security and the global agrifood system: Ethical issues in historical and sociological perspective

Abstract The world food system was developed under the auspices of free trade. Very quickly though free trade was countered with protectionism in the form of policies favoring national and cultural food security. The traumas of World War led to the introduction of international commitments on individual rights with respect to labor and the right to freedom from hunger. From the seventies, the pendulum swung back in favor of free trade, this time provoking a response in the form of fair and ethical trade. The introduction of new food markets promoted by social movements as from the eighties where values were attached to the conditions and processes of production rather than the product itself led to agriculture and food markets becoming imbued with ethical attributes. At the same time, an increasingly holistic concept of food security became adopted in international forums pointing to the need for policies which were no longer reducible to food aid. While for a period, broader ethical values were identified only with alternative food networks, as from the turn of the new millennium, under the collective umbrella of economic, social and environmental sustainability, they became adopted by the global agri-food players as the triple bottom line for all agricultural and food markets. Although a new consensus has been achieved on the centrality of sustainability and food security a range of tensions and conflicts persist over the relation between food security and trade, investment, biofuels, producer and consumer rights, animal welfare, nature and the environment.
Systematics, natural history, and hemipenial morphology of Dendrophidion brunneum (Günther) (Serpentes: Colubridae), a poorly known snake from the Andes of Ecuador and Peru

Systematic characters, distribution, natural history, and hemipenial morphology are described for Dendrophidion brunneum (Gunther), a poorly known snake from Ecuador and Peru. It has 17 midbody scale rows; 145–165 ventrals; 135–158 subcaudals; a tail 38–44% of total length; a relatively uniform green to brown dorsum; and a maximum length of 1370 mm (700–800 mm SVL). The species occurs from northern Ecuador to 8° S latitude in Peru, primarily on the Pacific slopes of the Andes but with a few documented lowland localities in Peru. Dendrophidion brunneum is diurnal, terrestrial, heliophilic, and oviparous. It occurs in humid montane forests or mixed puna grassland/highland forest. Recorded prey are small terrestrial frogs but a large individual possibly consumed a lizard. Defensive mechanisms include a pseudautotomic tail and behaviors such as striking, biting, and neck inflation. The hemipenis has a short, narrow base, a greatly expanded distal region, and a simple, centrolineal sulcus spermaticus. The expanded region is ornamented with spines, distal to which two flounces completely encircle the organ and another extends partially around one side. The flounces are unusual in being thin, membranous structures and in having mineralized rods (reduced spinules) completely embedded within the membranes. The apex is nude except for a few vestigial calyces. Unusual hemipenial characters are discussed.
Refactoring Myths

Refactoring myths are popular misconceptions about tool-based refactoring-about the tools' intent, the principle they follow, their robustness, and support for them. This article is part of a special issue on Refactoring.
George E. P. Box — Statistician — The Early Years

AbstractThe paper is an overview of how George Box profoundly influenced the world of statistics since the early years. It covers his pre-Wisconsin career beginning with early WWII army work in England and later at Imperial Chemical Industries, including prewar statistics paper at age 19 and British Empire Medal in 1946. It recalls and discusses the relevance to the Statistics community of George Box one year visit, in 1953, to the USA and later return to Princeton University (1956–59) where he headed the Statistical Techniques Research Group (STRG) as well as his move, in 1960, to establish the Statistics Department at the University of Wisconsin where remained until his death in 2013
Proofs of Urysohn's Lemma and Related Theorems by Means of Zorn's Lemma

(1974). Proofs of Urysohn's Lemma and Related Theorems by Means of Zorn's Lemma. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 71-78.
Insights into the Glycyl Radical Enzyme Active Site of Benzylsuccinate Synthase: A Computational Study

The fumarate addition reaction, catalyzed by the enzyme benzylsuccinate synthase (BSS), is considered to be one of the most intriguing and energetically challenging reactions in biology. BSS belongs to the glycyl radical enzyme family and catalyzes the fumarate addition reaction, which enables microorganisms to utilize hydrocarbons as an energy source under anaerobic conditions. Unfortunately, the extreme sensitivity of the glycyl radical to oxygen has hampered the structural and kinetic characterization of BSS, thereby limiting our knowledge on this enzyme. To enhance our molecular-level understanding of BSS, a computational approach involving homology modeling, docking studies, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations has been used to deduce the structure of BSS's catalytic subunit (BSSα) and illuminate the molecular basis for the fumarate addition reaction. We have identified two conserved and distinct binding pockets at the BSSα active site: a hydrophobic pocket for toluene binding and a polar pocket for fumaric acid binding. Subsequent dynamical and energetic evaluations have identified Glu509, Ser827, Leu390, and Phe384 as active site residues critical for substrate binding. The orientation of substrates at the active site observed in MD simulations is consistent with experimental observations of the syn addition of toluene to fumaric acid. It is also found that substrate binding tightens the active site and restricts the conformational flexibility of the thiyl radical, leading to hydrogen transfer distances conducive to the proposed reaction mechanism. The stability of substrates at the active site and the occurrence of feasible radical transfer distances between the thiyl radical, substrates, and the active site glycine indicate a substrate-assisted radical transfer pathway governing fumarate addition.
A look at the dynamics of the JavaScript package ecosystem

The node package manager (npm) serves as the frontend to a large repository of JavaScript-based software packages, which foster the development of currently huge amounts of server-side Node.js and client-side JavaScript applications. In a span of 6 years since its inception, npm has grown to become one of the largest software ecosystems, hosting more than 230, 000 packages, with hundreds of millions of package installations every week. In this paper, we examine the npm ecosystem from two complementary perspectives: 1) we look at package descriptions, the dependencies among them, and download metrics, and 2) we look at the use of npm packages in publicly available applications hosted on GitHub. In both perspectives, we consider historical data, providing us with a unique view on the evolution of the ecosystem. We present analyses that provide insights into the ecosystem’s growth and activity, into conflicting measures of package popularity, and into the adoption of package versions over time. These insights help understand the evolution of npm, design better package recommendation engines, and can help developers understand how their packages are being used.
Public Choice Economics

Previous chapters have been concerned with people’s behaviors in private spheres. When government was considered, it was always in terms of the consequences of policies that had already been adopted (for example, price controls). We have said little about how government policies are determined or why government may prefer one policy to another.
Extirpation of the Primary Canine Tooth Follicles: A Form of Infant Oral Mutilation

ABSTRACT Background Ebinyo is a form of infant oral mutilation (IOM), widely practiced in rural areas of eastern Africa, in which traditional healers and other village elders extirpate the primary canine tooth follicles of infants by using crude, often unsterilized, instruments or utensils. Traditional folklore suggests that the underlying tooth follicles, thought to resemble worms, are the cause of high temperature, vomiting, loss of appetite and diarrhea in infants. In addition to the serious and potentially fatal immediate postsurgical complications, many of those who undergo this practice exhibit characteristic long-term adverse dentoalveolar effects. Children in these families also may be at greater risk of undergoing other mutilation rituals because of their cultural background. Case Description We report on the clinical and radiographic findings in five siblings who apparently were subjected to IOM as infants before immigrating to the United States. Clinical Implications Although the practice of IOM is believed to be exceedingly rare in developed countries, it is important that dentists and allied dental personnel who treat refugees from areas of the world in which IOM is endemic be aware of the social factors behind this practice as well as be able to recognize its dental and psychological sequelae.
Securitization and Repos

In the following two chapters we examine several of the major shadow banking entities and processes. In Chap. 5, we discuss securitization and repossession agreements (repos). Securitization is the structured process whereby illiquid assets are packaged, underwritten, and transformed into asset-backed securities and sold in a more liquid form. We review the subprime mortgage fiasco; the Dodd-Frank Act provisions that sought to impose minimum standards with respect to mortgages; the nature of asset-backed securities; and the international regulation of securitization. We then examine repos; Federal Reserve Board discussion; regulation or lack thereof; and international regulation of repos.
Obesity-induces Organ and Tissue Specific Tight Junction Restructuring and Barrier Deregulation by Claudin Switching

Obesity increases susceptibility to multiple organ disorders, however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The subclinical inflammation assisted by obesity-induced gut permeability may underlie obesity-associated co-morbidities. Despite eminent clinical significance of the obesity led gut barrier abnormalities, its precise molecular regulation remains unclear. It is also unknown whether barrier deregulations, similar to the gut, characterize other vital organs in obese individuals. The claudin family of proteins is integral to the tight junction (TJ), the apical cell-cell adhesion and a key regulator of the epithelial barrier. Using comprehensive physiological and biochemical analysis of intestinal and renal tissues from high-fat diet fed mice, critical for maintaining metabolic homeostasis, this study demonstrates that profound TJ-restructuring by organ and tissue-specific claudin switching characterize obese organs. Protein expression and cellular distribution were examined. In-silico analysis further highlighted potential association of select claudins, modulated by the obesity, with signaling and metabolic pathways of pathological significance. In vitro studies using Leptin or DCA-treatment suggested causal significance of obesity-induced changes in tissue microenvironment in regulating barrier deregulations in tissue-specific manner. Overall, current findings advances our understanding of the molecular undertakings of obesity associated changes that help predispose to specific diseases and also identifies novel windows of preventive and/or therapeutic interventions.
The error structure of the SMAP single and dual channel soil moisture retrievals.

Knowledge of the temporal error structure for remotely sensed surface soil moisture retrievals can improve our ability to exploit them for hydrologic and climate studies. This study employs a triple collocation analysis to investigate both the total variance and temporal auto-correlation of errors in Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) products generated from two separate soil moisture retrieval algorithms, the vertically-polarized bright ness temperature based Single Channel Algorithm (SCA-V, the current baseline SMAP algorithm) and the Dual Channel Algorithm (DCA). A key assumption made in SCA V is that real-time vegetation opacity can be accurately captured using only a climatology for vegetation opacity. Results demonstrate that, while SCA-V generally outperforms DCA, SCA-V can produce larger total errors when this assumption is significantly violated by inter-annual variability in vegetation health and biomass. Furthermore, larger auto-correlated errors in SCA-V retrievals are found in areas with relatively large vegetation opacity deviations from climatological expectations. This implies that a significant portion of the auto-correlated error in SCA-V is attributable to the violation of its vegetation opacity climatology assumption and suggests that utilizing a real (as opposed to climatological) vegetation opacity time series in the SCA-V algorithm would reduce the magnitude of auto-correlated soil moisture retrieval errors.
Milrinone-Associated Cardiomyopathy and Arrhythmia in Cerebral Vasospasm.

Background Milrinone is an inotropic and vasodilatory drug proven safe for use in treatment of cerebral vasospasm. Despite its reported safety profile, its use is not free of side effects. Milrinone-associated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia can occur in patients with cerebral vasospasm. Case Description This is a retrospective chart review of a patient who presented with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and developed clinical vasospasm twice over a period of 2 weeks. Sustained intravenous milrinone infusion was used in association with norepinephrine infusion during this period. The patient developed R-on-T triggered torsades de pointes and cardiogenic shock requiring resuscitation. Follow-up echocardiogram showed decreased ejection fraction from 64% to 43% consistent with cardiac remodeling. Systemic complications such as cardiotoxicity and arrhythmias with the use of intravenous milrinone can be seen particularly when used in combination with catecholamines. Conclusions With increased combined milrinone and catecholamine use for the treatment of cerebral vasospasm, physicians should be aware of the potential cardiac complications of these agents. Close monitoring with daily electrocardiograms may be helpful to detect changes that suggest cardiotoxicity. If changes are noted, an echocardiogram and cardiology consultation may be warranted.
Bullying and Lethal Acts of School Violence

In Chap. 3, we address a topic that has received considerable research attention over the past decade and has been implicated as a causal factor in LSV. It has been reported that many lethal school shootings were in part in retaliation for being bullied. Within this chapter, we address prevalence of bullying in the USA and then discuss different forms of bullying. Specifically, we describe overt and covert forms of bullying, including relational aggression and cyber-bullying. We then discuss negative effects of bullying on students, school personnel, and the school climate, followed by the links between LSV and bullying. We then conclude with a brief overview of several anti-bullying programs that have been empirically supported.
Calcium homeostasis in single intact smooth muscle cells.

The force of contraction of smooth muscle cells, is a function of the Ca2+ ion activity of the myoplasm (Fay et al., 1974). There has therefore been a tremendous effort directed at understanding Ca2+ homeostatic mechanisms, with experiments ranging the spectrum from isolated genes to intact cells. The work of the scientists in this laboratory has concentrated on the latter, Ca2+ regulation in intact, single smooth muscle cells that have been enzymatically isolated from the stomach muscularis of the toad Bufo marinus (Fay et al., 1982). These experiments became possible only because of key technological developments of the last decade. In particular, it was the rational design of ion-sensitive fluorescent dyes that could be used ratiometrically to measure ion concentrations in living cells (Grynkiewicz et al, 1985) and the marriage of this technique with digital imaging microscopy (Fay et al, 1986), which enabled our experimental approach.
What Goes in is What Comes Out: How to Design and Implement a Successful Microarray Experiment

Microarrays that measure thousands of gene expression changes simultaneously are powerful tools to pose far-reaching biological questions that could not have been asked previously. The trick is to understand what goes on inside the ‘black box’ before designing a microarray experiment. In this way, a high level of confidence will be generated that truly novel and interesting results are being generated, rather than re-affirmations of previous notions or experimental artefacts. This requires limiting the experiments to examine only the variables to be tested, designing microarray experiments with sufficient replicates to achieve high statistical power, analyzing results in an impartial way, and verifying the findings both technically and functionally. If these principles are addressed, microarray experiments can provide a rich substrate on which many exciting new discoveries can be realized.
Using graphical models to classify dialogue transition in online Q&A discussions

In this paper, we examine whether it is possible to automatically classify patterns of interactions using a state transition model and identify successful versus unsuccessful student Q&A discussions. For state classification, we apply Conditional Random Field and Hidden Markov Models to capture transitions among the states. The initial results indicate that such models are useful for modeling some of the student dialogue states. We also show the results of classifying threads as successful/unsuccessful using the state information.
Circadian Organization of the Avian Annual Cycle

Organization of the avian annual cycle involves an interplay of exogenous and endogenous timing factors. In many species of the temperate zones, increasing daylengths in spring induce migratory and reproductive preparation. However, following breeding in summer when daylengths are still long, the reproductive system regresses and a complete feather molt occurs. Molting in turn is followed by metabolic and behavioral changes associated with fall migration to the wintering quarters. The entire sequence of conditions from reproductively photosensitive birds in spring to phototrefractory birds in late summer occurs when daylengths are long (greater than 12 hr). Re-establishment of photosensitivity in many species (i.e., of Zonotrichia) depends on an intervening period of short daylengths that occur naturally in late fall and winter. Thus, an endogenous system accounts for seasonal changes in responsiveness to daylength and this system in turn is gradually adjusted by daylengths.
Regulation of Hepatic Glycogenolysis by Calcium-Mobilizing Hormones

The hormonal regulation of glycogen metabolism in the liver has been a subject of investigation for more than 30 years. The intracellular mediators responsible for this regulation have been identified as cAMP and Ca2+ . In the liver, several hormones such as vasopressin, angiotensin II, epidermal growth factor (Boschet al., 1986), glucagon (Blackmore and Exton, 1986),α 1-adrenergic agonists and P2purinergic agonists (Charestet al., 1985a,b) increase free cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+ ]i). Each of these hormones binds to specific cell surface receptors; this interaction then leads to the activation of a guanine nucleotide-binding protein (Gp) (e.g., Blackmoreet al., 1985; Uhinget al., 1986). In the case of glucagon and epidermal growth factor, the mechanism of activation of Gpis not known but probably involves phosphorylation of Gp(Boschet al., 1986; Johnsonet al., 1986; Blackmore and Exton, 1986). This coupling protein then activates a specific phospholipase C which catalyzes the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI-4,5-P2) (Creba et al., 1983; Rhodeset al., 1983; Thomaset al., 1983; Litoschet al., 1983). The hydrolysis of PI-4,5-P2yields myoinositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins-1,4,5-P3) (Thomaset al., 1984) and 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) (Bocckinoet al., 1985). The Ins-1,4,5-P3releases Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum into the cytoplasm (Josephet al., 1984), while DAG activates a Ca2+ -and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) in the plasma membrane (Nishizuka, 1984; Berridge, 1984).
Clinical Drug Development for Rare Disease in Neurology (P2.194)

Objective: The goal of this project is to screen the approved orphan drug products in neurology and characterize the contents of the clinical pharmacology packages submitted to the drug applications. In addition, it was intended to identify the characteristics of the efficacy studies that supported the approval of these drug products and identify instances where FDA provided flexibility in reviewing these applications. Background: Drug development for rare diseases in neurology can be very challenging due to small number of patient available for clinical trials, poor understanding of the disease. It’s essential that the FDA recognize the need for flexible regulatory policies for establishing drug safety and efficacy given the consideration of the inherent limitation in rare diseases. Design/Methods: We used publically available databases including Drugs@FDA and orphan drug database, to screen the approved drugs with orphan indication in neurology. We screened the clinical pharmacology packages and efficacy trials from drug labels and assessed multiple elements of clinical trial design including, randomization, control, study design, number of participants, blinding, length of study, number of pivotal studies and number of doses tested. Results: 20% of neurological products approved through 2015 have orphan indications. About 53% of these products had other non-orphan indication and the majority of these products were developed to treat seizures and movement disorders with limited number of drugs developed for other neurological disorders such as head and spinal trauma. 22% of neurological products were approved based on a single, well controlled efficacy trial. Most of the orphan applications used parallel designs and tested only one dose or used titration to effect dosing. Conclusions: Implementation of innovative trial designs and flexible methods of analysis for small clinical trials can improve the drug development for rare disease. Moreover, clinical pharmacology can enhance the quantity and quality of data needed to satisfy the regulatory standards for approval. Disclosure: Dr. Abuasal has nothing to disclose. Dr. Albusaysi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bhattaram has nothing to disclose. Dr. Uppoor has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mehta has nothing to disclose.
Going native? Examining nativity and public opinion of environment, alternative energy, and science policy expenditures in the United States

Abstract While there is a well-developed literature on public opinion of environmental, alternative energy, and science policy, studies focused on survey respondent place of birth are fairly limited. Our paper explores the role of respondent race, gender, ethnicity, political ideology, party identification, religious belief, socio-political trust, institutional confidence, and nativity in shaping public opinion about U.S. environmental, alternative energy, and science policy governmental expenditures. The study employs General Social Survey data in logistic regression modeling of pooled time series data. Our longitudinal study demonstrates that native born survey respondents tend to be significantly more supportive of funding for the natural environment, alternative energy, and science policy governmental expenditures than are non-native born survey respondents.
Creating emergent phenomena in oxide superlattices

Complex oxides are record holder materials for many phenomena, including ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, superconductivity and multiferroicity. Complex oxides often have competing ground states with energies slightly higher than that of the true ground state. This competition is fortuitous because thermodynamic variables (for example, temperature, electric field, magnetic field, stress and chemical potentials) can access these metastable phases that are usually hidden but emerge as the energetic landscape is reshaped by adjusting the thermodynamic variables. Epitaxial superlattices are a platform for imposing thermodynamic boundary conditions to unleash the properties of hidden phases by altering the delicate balance between competing spin, charge, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. Additionally, a feature of complex oxides with large responses (large property coefficients) is the coexistence of phases on the nanoscale. New phases can emerge at the heterointerfaces of oxide superlattices, and X-ray, electron, neutron and proximal probes as well as ab initio theoretical studies can provide insights into these emergent phenomena. Oxide superlattices reveal emergent phenomena if the balance between competing degrees of freedom is altered. In this Review, synthetic approaches to tap the properties of competing ground states are described, focusing on two examples — one example yielding a room-temperature multiferroic and a second producing polarization skyrmions.
Edge Breakdown Suppression of Avalanche Photodiodes using Zn Diffusion and Selective Area Growth

Avalanche photodiodes are fabricated and characterized, using a single diffusion fabrication process with the surface patterned by selective area growth prior to diffusion. Raster mapping of the photocurrent near the breakdown voltage is used to characterize the electric field distribution in the multiplication layer. Devices fabricated with the precursor CBrCl 3 introduced during selective area epitaxy show a smoother surface morphology and effective edge breakdown suppression, while those fabricated without CBrCl 3 have a rougher surface morphology and exhibit evidence of premature edge breakdown at the corners of the device along specific crystal orientations. Comparison of the dark current — voltage curves below breakdown shows a reduction of dark current associated with the use of CBrCl 3 , as well as with the inclusion of floating guard rings in the device design.
Influence of different sign-post designs on avian predator perching activity

Abstract Beach-nesting shorebirds are declining due, in part, to human disturbance in nesting areas. Sign-posts are installed around nesting areas to protect nests from people, but they may serve as perches and attract avian predators. From March–August 2018, we used passive infrared game cameras to monitor perching activity on 15 variations of sign-post designs on 2 barrier islands in North Carolina. We observed 110 independent perching events dominated (70%) by common (Quiscalus quiscula) and boat-tailed grackles (Quiscalus major) and laughing gulls (25%; Leucophaeus atricilla). We compared how the number of days perching occurred was associated with sign shape, material, sign-construction (sign x shape), position on post, and presence/absence of a nail on top of the post. Position of the sign on the post had the strongest effect on the number of days perching events occurred (χ2 = 18.62 df = 2 P
Evidence-Based Management of Calculous Biliary Disease for the Acute Care Surgeon.

Background: Gallstones and cholecystitis are common clinical problems. There is a wide spectrum of disease severity, from rare symptoms of biliary colic to severe cholecystitis with marked gallbladder infection and inflammation that can cause life-threatening sepsis. The care of such patients is similarly varied and multi-disciplinary. Despite the prevalence of cholecystitis, there remain questions about how to manage patients appropriately. Methods: A multi-disciplinary team created institutional cholecystitis guidelines, and supporting evidence was compiled for review. Results: Even in "routine" cholecystitis, patient triage and work-up can be variable, resulting in unnecessary tests and delay to cholecystectomy. Beyond this, there are new treatment options available that may serve special populations particularly well, although the appropriate pattern of emerging endoscopic and percutaneous treatment modalities is not well defined. Conclusions: This review outlines evidence-based management of cholecystitis from diagnosis to treatment with a focused discussion of special populations and emerging therapies.
Toward an Interspecies Right to Breastfeed

Milk is young mammals’ primary food. Yet, lactating animals raised for their milk, such as cows and goats, are subject to extreme forms of violence and control preventing them from breastfeeding their own young. Numerous human parents also lack the legal, economic, social, and emotional support they need to nurse their children. At one level, the situation of humans and that of farmed animals is incommensurable in that the latter’s reproductive and lactating capacity is typically exploited and rewarded by death when unprofitable. At another level, lactating animals of all species are in a related social status. Lactating parents, typically gendered as female, produce a highly valuable resource in a position of subordination. Meanwhile, many infants are neither breastfed nor fed their species’ milk. While breastfeeding law and policy is usually presented as a human public health problem, this Article argues that it is also an interspecies food and environmental justice problem. Both humans and animals are under-protected or unprotected by the law when it comes to lactation. This Article proposes the idea of an interspecies right to breastfeed, that is, a right the central meaning of which would be similar across species, even though its full implementation might require different accommodations, depending on each species. At its core, the right should be understood as relational in that it protects the breastfeeding relation, rather than the breastfeeding parent/ caregiver or the breastfed child each taken in isolation.
A broad-based probe-free qPCR assay for detection and discrimination of three human herpes viruses

Abstract Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and herpes simplex viruses (HSV) 1 and 2 are double stranded DNA viruses that establish lifetime latency in a host upon initial infection. Primary infection or reactivation of latent virus during pregnancy can transmit the virus in utero or during natural childbirth to the fetus. The majority of these infections are asymptomatic at birth but may present later with potentially lethal disseminated infection or meningitis (HSV), or long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae including sensorineural hearing loss or neurodevelopmental impairments (HCMV). Unfortunately, early signs and symptoms of disseminated viral infections may be misdiagnosed as bacterial sepsis. Therefore, immediate testing for viral etiologies may not be ordered or even considered by skilled clinicians. In asymptomatic HCMV infections, early detection is necessary to monitor for and treat future neurologic sequelae. In acutely ill-appearing infants, specific detection of viruses against other disease-causing agents is vital to inform correct patient management, including early administration of the correct antimicrobial(s). An ideal test should be rapid, inexpensive, require low sample volumes, and demonstrate efficacy in multiple tissue matrices to aid in timely clinical decision-making for neonatal infections. This work discusses the development of a rapid probe-free qPCR assay for HSV and HCMV that enables early and specific detection of these viruses in neonates. The assay’s probe free chemistry would allow easier extension to a broad-based multiplexed pathogenic panel as compared to assays utilizing sequence-specific probes or nested PCR.
A Retrospective on Developing Hybrid System Provers in the KeYmaera Family

This chapter provides a retrospective on the developments of three theorem provers for hybrid systems. While all three theorem provers implement closely related logics of the family of differential dynamic logic, they pursue fundamentally different styles of theorem prover implementations. Since the three provers KeYmaera, KeYmaeraD, and KeYmaera X share a common core logic, yet no line of code, and differ vastly in prover implementation technology, their logical proximity yet technical distance enables us to draw conclusions about the various advantages and disadvantages of different prover implementation styles for different purposes, which we hope are of generalizable interest.
Meeting Students Where they Are: A Virtual Computer Science Education Research (CSER) Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Currently, the computer science community is experiencing a rise in interest in computer science education research (CSER). However, current structures and belief systems within the discipline have largely relegated computer science education researchers to the margins. Computer science education researchers are mainly 'lone-wolf' scholars in their departments that participate in CSER in addition to their more widely 'accepted' computer science research. As such, there has been a resistance to offer doctoral programs in CSER. Florida International University has not only invested inCSER by hiring a CSER tenure-track faculty member, they have also established a School of Computer Science Education and Engineering Education. Despite this investment, one obstacle remains the low visibility and understanding of computer science education research among undergraduate students. This makes establishing are search group of Ph.D. students challenging. In order to combat this obstacle, a four-year program was developed as a dedicated pipeline to the computer science education Ph.D. through a series of research experiences for undergraduates (REU). Summer 2020 consisted of the first cohort of this four year commitment. Given that 2020 was wrought with a series of unprecedented events, this REU was designed and executed virtually. This paper presents the plan, setting, execution, and subsequent evaluation of this virtual REU experience. Student-feedback was overwhelmingly positive; however, as with any endeavor there were many lessons learned.
Peer Support for Older Adults

As the number of older adults increases worldwide, supplementing healthcare interventions with peer support has the potential to mitigate workforce challenges in a way that capitalizes upon a developmental strength of later life—prioritizing relationships. Peer support interventions for older adults include peer companionship (peers are older adults), peer specialists (peers are individuals in recovery from mental health or substance use disorders), and patient navigation (peers are individuals diagnosed with the same health condition). Peer companionship programs aim to reduce loneliness and isolation and help older adults remain independent in the community by providing instrumental support and/or respite for caregivers. Peer specialist programs aim to promote treatment engagement for health conditions, including via self-management. Patient navigation programs aim to promote full engagement in healthcare by helping individuals navigate services. We describe example programs and evidence on effectiveness and also discuss the concept of social prescribing, which has the potential to increase the number of older adults who receive peer support programs by linking healthcare and community agencies.