cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Picosecond Time-resolved Spectroscopy of the Initial Events in the Bacteriorhodopsin Photocycle

The initial 100 ps interval of the room temperature bacteriorhodopsin photocycle is examined in terms of the molecular properties of the retinal chromophore in the K-590 intermediate. Picosecond transient absorption, picosecond time-resolved fluorescence, and picosecond time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy are used to characterize the electronic states and the vibrational degrees of freedom of retinal.
Partisanship and political accountability in new democracies: Explaining compliance with formal rules and procedures in Ghana:

Standard political agency models generally predict an inverse relationship between the degree of partisan allegiance among citizens and political accountability. Does variation in voter attachments to political parties influence the behavior of public officials in new democracies? I take advantage of data from a unique audit of local governments in Ghana—the Functional Organizational Assessment Tool (FOAT)—to examine the impact of partisanship on public officials’ compliance with formal rules and procedures. Because unattached or weakly attached voters are more responsive to the performance of incumbent officials, they are more likely to deter rent seeking, corruption, and other administrative malpractices. Analysis of the baseline FOAT results provides strong support for this idea: compliance with formal rules and procedures is significantly higher in districts where voters evince weak attachments to political parties. This result is robust to controls for alternate explanations and sheds light on the co...
Empirical algorithms to estimate water column pH in the Southern Ocean

Empirical algorithms are developed using high-quality GO-SHIP hydrographic measurements of commonly measured parameters (temperature, salinity, pressure, nitrate, and oxygen) that estimate pH in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. The coefficients of determination, R2, are 0.98 for pH from nitrate (pHN) and 0.97 for pH from oxygen (pHOx) with RMS errors of 0.010 and 0.008, respectively. These algorithms are applied to Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) biogeochemical profiling floats, which include novel sensors (pH, nitrate, oxygen, fluorescence, and backscatter). These algorithms are used to estimate pH on floats with no pH sensors and to validate and adjust pH sensor data from floats with pH sensors. The adjusted float data provide, for the first time, seasonal cycles in surface pH on weekly resolution that range from 0.05 to 0.08 on weekly resolution for the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean.
Abstract 4349: The tumor suppressor WTX is inactivated in a subset of pediatric tumors

WTX is a recently identified tumor suppressor gene that is expressed during embryonic kidney development and that is inactivated by deletions and truncations in approximately 30% of Wilms tumors, the most common pediatric kidney cancer. Initial functional studies point to a role for this gene in Wnt signaling and WT1 mediated transcription. Given that WTX is also present in a variety of other tissues during development, we tested for potential involvement of WTX in other pediatric tumors. 25 hepatoblastomas, 87 rhabdomyosarcomas, 11 adrenocortical carcinomas, 15 pleuropulmonary blastomas, 30 neuroblastomas and 30 medulloblastomas were tested by 3 color- fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with probes corresponding to WTX (Xq11.1) and two flanking control sites. Discrete WTX deletions were identified in two cases, one hepatoblastoma and one rhabdomyosarcoma, and not in matched control tissues. Direct sequencing of the full WTX open reading frame in 24 hepatoblastomas, 27 rhabdomyosarcomas and 11 adrenocortical carcinomas did not reveal point mutations in these tumor types. CTNNB1 exon 3 mutations, which are present in Wilms tumor but generally do not overlap with WTX inactivation, were detected in 8 of 25 hepatoblastomas but not in the tumor with a WTX deletion. Our results indicate that WTX inactivation is a genetic event that occurs in other pediatric malignancies, albeit at a lower frequency than in Wilms tumors. Notably, tumors with evidence of WTX inactivation, Wilms tumor, hepatoblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, constitute a subset of pediatric tumors that are linked to abnormalities of the IGF2 locus on 11p15 in the Beckwith-Wiedemann overgrowth syndrome. Finally, the high frequency of WTX inactivation in Wilms tumors compared to other pediatric malignancies, points to the specificity of the connection between WTX and the kidney developmental pathways that are dysregulated in this disease. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4349. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4349
GENE FLOW DISTANCES IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF TETRAOPES TETRAOPHTHALMUS.

Estimates of the rate or scale of gene flow are required for evaluating the various processes likely to maintain spatial variation in gene frequencies in any given species. A measure of gene flow must be incorporated into models of geographic differentiation under spatially varying selection pressures, most models of speciation, and models of inter-demic selection accompanying population differentiation. One convenient measure of the geographic scale of gene flow is the "gene flow distance," 1, described by several authors (i.e., Slatkin, 1973; Endler, 1979). This distance is defined as the square root of the mean squared distance from birth to reproduction and is proportional to the radius of the genetic neighborhood as described by Wright (Wright, 1946; Endler, 1979). Measures of gene flow in natural populations are usually obtained by studies of dispersal, be they studies of dispersal of the whole organism (i.e., animal and seed dispersal studies) or gametes (i.e., pollen dispersal studies). Endler (1979) points out that to properly evaluate gene flow from dispersal studies one must measure several life-history characteristics of the organism during the dispersal period. In studies of sexually reproducing animals that reproduce more or less continually over the dispersal period these parameters include age-specific survivorship and fecundity schedules as well as temporal patterns in the mating frequencies of males. Endler (1979) showed that dispersal studies of Drosophila that did not consider lifehistory patterns could over-estimate gene flow by 40% or more. This paper reports on dispersal and lifehistory studies of natural populations of the milkweed beetle Tetraopes tetraophthalmus. Previous studies (McCauley et al., 1981; Lawrence, 1982) have shown that dispersal is quite limited in this insect and that populations could be structured on a rather fine geographic scale. In neither study, however, was dispersal directly related to gene flow. Given that mating by both sexes and egg laying by females continues over the entire six week flight period of this univoltine insect, a more detailed analysis of movement and life-history as suggested by Endler (1979) is required to properly evaluate the scale of gene flow in this species. Movement patterns of reproducing adults and information on survivorship and fertility patterns during the reproductive/dispersal period are combined here to provide estimates of the gene flow distance, 1, in two populations with contrasting habitat structure. The implications of these results for micro-evolutionary processes in this species are discussed.
Electrical current stimulated desorption of carbon dioxide adsorbed on graphene based structures

The objective of this study was to investigate Joule heating/electric swing adsorption (ESA) as a mode of regeneration and to compare the carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption capacity of pristine graphene films and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogels. Joule heating/ESA has not been previously demonstrated in graphene based structures. Various forms of graphene have been previously evaluated for their use as a CO2 adsorbent, but most of these studies have focused on graphene oxide powders and films. We utilize both pristine graphene and rGO; we also highlight regeneration through Joule heating in contrast to heating under vacuum or by pressure swing. The amount of CO2 captured by graphene films and rGO aerogels was 0.52 ± 0.02 and 0.94 ± 0.02 g of CO2 per g of adsorbate, respectively. This adsorption capacity of pristine graphene films and rGO aerogels was found to be stable over multiple samples and multiple cycles of adsorption and electrical current stimulated desorption.
Right ventricular--saphenous vein graft fistula. Unusual complication of aorta-coronary bypass grafting.

A fistula between the right ventricle and a saphenous vein graft aneurysm developed 10 years following aorta-coronary bypass. Surgical repair was attempted, but the autopsy finding of a large myocardial infarction raised the possibility of a “coronary steal” phenomenon.
Probing the Dimerization Affinity of Visual Opsins

Visual opsins are the light sensing proteins at the center of human vision. Rhodopsin is the pigment for low-light vision, and three cone opsins serve as the pigments for daytime image-forming vision. Opsin proteins are part of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, and rhodopsin has served as something like a prototype for structural studies of GPCRs. Rhodopsin has also been observed to form dimeric complexes in vitro, in tissue, and in cell cultures, including recent work from our lab using pulsed-interleaved excitation fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (PIE-FCCS). Here we report on our recent investigation of cone opsin dimerization in a heterologous expression system. PIE-FCCS is used to resolve the relative population of dimeric complexes over a range of concentrations in live cell membranes. Surprisingly, the homodimerization affinities of the cone opsins are not identical to rhodopsin and there are significant differences in the dimerization affinity of the three cone opsins. This raises important questions about the physiological role of opsin dimerization, which has wide-ranging implications for GPCR dimerization in general. To investigate these questions we explored the differential dimerization affinity with mutational studies, in which we identify key residues responsible for dimerization. To connect the dimerization affinity to its functional consequences we also measured the spectral shifts in the absorption profiles of the wild-type and mutant cone opsins regenerated with the retinal chromophore. The results of our work provide critical insight into the molecular basis of color vision. They also will inform the ongoing study of GPCR dimerization in cell signaling.
Dynamic high resolution imaging of rats: quantitative potentials

Finite spatial resolution and low annihilation photon detection sensitivity are studied in order to evaluate the design parameters for positron emission tomography (PET) systems built to image tracer biodistribution in rats. Simulations were run to determine the maximum dynamic counting rates likely during a typical rat blood flow study. For a tomograph with a 7.5-cm detector ring radius and 5-mm axial collimation, count densities of approximately 600 counts/voxel/s were calculated for 3-mm voxels of the brain, assuming a 10 mCi injection of /sup 15/O water. Simulations were also run to estimate recovery coefficient (RC) values for rat structures of imaging interest. For tomography with 4-mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) image resolution, RC values were approximately 1.0 for the whole brain (assuming uniform activity), approximately 1.0 for the whole heart (assuming uniform activity and no motion), and approximately 0.5 for a 2.3-mm radius spherical tumor. The limiting factor in the quantitative potential for dynamic rat imaging is the image resolution of the tomography, and this design parameter must be stringently optimized. Two high-resolution detector decoding strategies were evaluated for implementation of a two-layer BGO block detector module for use in a dedicated rat tomograph. >
A Decade Back: Comparative Analysis of Accounting Practice in Commercial Bank of Nepal

This research was conducted to analyze the change in accounting practice in commercial bank of Nepal within last ten years. Not only secondary, but also primary data were collected through direct interview and questionnaire survey. 11 questions were asked with 24 staffs of 6 commercial banks listed in the Nepal Stock Exchange. Three to five point Likert Scale with various Likert items were used in the data collection process.
Next Generation Precision-Polyesters Enabling Optimization of Ligand-Receptor Stoichiometry for Modular Drug Delivery.

The success of receptor-mediated drug delivery primarily depends on the ability to optimize ligand–receptor stoichiometry. Conventional polyesters such as polylactide (PLA) or its copolymer, polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA), do not allow such optimization due to their terminal functionality. We herein report the synthesis of 12 variations of the PLA–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based precision-polyester (P2s) platform, permitting 5–12 periodically spaced carboxyl functional groups on the polymer backbone. These carboxyl groups were utilized to achieve variable degrees of gambogic acid (GA) conjugation to facilitate ligand–receptor stoichiometry optimization. These P2s-GA combined with fluorescent P2s upon emulsification form nanosystems (P2Ns) of size <150 nm with GA expressed on the surface. The P2Ns outclass conventional PLGA-GA nanosystems in cellular uptake using caco-2 intestinal model cultures. The P2Ns showed a proportional increase in cellular uptake with an increase in relative surface GA density f...
The Physical Effectiveness of Conscious Intent

Classical mechanics says that your thoughts cannot affect the behavior of particles; but realistically construed orthodox quantum mechanics says they can.
Accounting Students Will Live in the Cloud

Cloud computing is growing and its implications for accounting and auditing are unlimited. As familiarity among risk averse and technology-challenged accountants morphs into a mature understanding of the benefits of the cloud, use of the cloud by accountants will be as ubiquitous as use of the computer itself. This paper addresses areas of training accounting students need to understand so they will be prepared for use of the cloud by their employers, and so they can help their employers move ahead with the cloud in a controlled, safe manner.
Soil property distribution following oil well access road removal in North Dakota, USA

Increases in oil extraction on public lands in the US northern Great Plains has created an extensive network of access roads that must be removed upon well abandonment. However, the effects of road removal on soil properties are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to determine whether soil properties were altered on removed roadbeds and whether time since road removal has improved soil properties. Soils were sampled (n = 208) on perpendicular transects across removed roadbeds and extending into undisturbed areas on 16 restored roads located on two ecological site classifications such as (i) thin loamy and (ii) sandy. A Bayesian hierarchical mixed model was used to determine posterior predictive distributions and means of measured particle size distribution, gravel content, infiltration rate, pH, electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio, CaCO3 content, and organic matter. Alterations in the predicted distribution of particle size, pH, CaCO3 content, and sodium adsorption ratio were att...
Probing the evolutionary conserved residues Y204, F259, S400 and W590 that shape the catalytic groove of human TDP1 for 3′- and 5′-phosphodiester-DNA bond cleavage

Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1) is an ubiquitous DNA repair enzyme present in yeast, plants and animals. It removes a broad range of blocking lesions at the ends of DNA breaks. The catalytic core of TDP1 consists in a pair of conserved histidine-lysine-asparagine (HKN) motifs. Analysis of the human TDP1 (hTDP1) crystal structure reveals potential involvement of additional residues that shape the substrate binding site. In this biochemical study, we analyzed four such conserved residues, tyrosine 204 (Y204), phenylalanine 259 (F259), serine 400 (S400) and tryptophan 590 (W590). We show that the F259 residue of hTDP1 is critical for both 3'- and 5'-phosphodiesterase catalysis. We propose that the double π-π interactions of the F259 residue with the -2 and -3 nucleobases serve to position the nucleopeptide substrate in phase with the active site histidines of hTDP1. Mutating Y204 of hTDP1 to phenylalanine (Y204F), as in fly and yeast TDP1 enzymes, had minor impact on TDP1 activity. In constrast, we find that S400 enhances 3'-processing activity while it suppresses 5'-processing activity, thereby promoting specificity for 3'-substrates. W590 is selectively important for 5'-processing. These results reveal the impact of conserved amino acid residues that participate in defining the DNA binding groove around the dual HKN catalytic core motif of TDP1, and their differential roles in facilitating the 3'- vs 5'-end processing activities of hTDP1.
Learning with Virtual Peers

Schools aren't the only places people learn, and in the field of educational technology, informal learning is receiving increasing attention. In informal learning peers are of primary importance. But, how do you discover what works in peer learning? If you want to discover what peers do for one other so that you can then set up situations and technologies that maximize peer learning, where do you get your data from? You can study groups of children and hope that informal learning will happen and hope that you have a large enough sample to witness examples of each kind of peer teaching that you hope to study. Or you can make a peer Unfortunately, the biological approach takes years, care and feeding is expensive, diary studies are out of fashion, and in any case the human subjects review board frowns on the kind of mind control that would allow one to manipulate the peer so as to provoke different learning reactions. And so, in my own research, I chose to make a bionic peer. In this talk I describe the results from a series of studies where we manipulate a bionic peer to see the effects of various kinds of peer behavior on learning. The peer is sometimes older and sometimes younger than the learners, sometimes the same race and sometimes a different race, sometimes speaking at the same developmental level --and in the same dialect --and the learners, and sometimes differently. In each case we are struck by how much learning occurs when peers play, how learning appears to be potentiated by the rapport between the real and virtual child, and how many lessons we learn about the more general nature of informal learning mediated by technology.
Radionuclide Incorporation via Organoboranes

The role of organoboranes in organic synthesis has expanded immensely since Professor Brown first reported their simple preparation via hydroboration.1,2 Examination of the current literature leads to the conclusion that the expansion is far from over. Certainly the presentations at this symposium support such a conclusion.
Postmortem Alzheimer's Disease Hippocampi Show Oxidative Phosphorylation Gene Expression Opposite that of Isolated Pyramidal Neurons.

Abstract . Causes of initiation and progression of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (sAD) are likely multiple and include impair-ment of mitochondrial bioenergetics. We analyzed RNA expression levels of multiple mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation(OXPHOS) and biogenesis (mitobiogenesis) genes in unﬁxed hippocampal (WH) frozen sections (10 sAD; 9 CTL) and laser-capturedhippocampalpyramidalneurons(PyNs,∼1000neuronsfromeachcase)from8sADand7CTLcases.Nuclear-encodedOXPHOS genes in WH were signiﬁcantly increased in sAD, whereas in isolated sAD PyNs, these same genes were signiﬁcantlydecreased. Mitochondrial DNA-encoded genes were increased in sAD PyNs but showed a non-signiﬁcant downward trend insAD WH. Relationships among WH and PyN gene expression levels in sAD distributed in a different population compared toCTL. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed clustering of CTL but widespread heterogeneity of sAD samples. In sAD,mitochondrial bioenergetics at the gene expression level are depressed in vulnerable PyNs. PCA revealed that CTL samplesclusteredtogether,whereassADsamplesvariedwidely.FromtheperspectiveofOXPHOSbioenergetics,sADisaheterogeneoussyndrome and not likely due to a single abnormality. Increased stimulation of nuclear-encoded OXPHOS gene expression inPyNs is a rational therapeutic approach for most but not all cases of sAD.Keywords: Laser capture microdissection, mitochondria, mitochondrial biogenesis, relative gene expression, quantitative PCR
Boundary integral method for multispecies 1-D convection-diffusion-reaction problems

Boundary integral method has been proposed to solve a system of differential equations with a convection-diffusion operator and a nonlinear rate term for each equation. The operator part can be eliminated by using an inverse formulation by a proper choice of the weighting function for each differential equation. This reduces the problem to an integral formulation which is then solved by approximating the dependent variables by cubic osculation. The method has been demonstrated to a packed bed reactor with heat and mass dispersion and for a countercurrent heat exchanger.
The Illicit Economy in Turkey: How Criminals, Terrorists, and the Syrian Conflict Fuel Underground Markets

Crime may be unavoidable, but it is seldom studied well. Situated in a theoretical borderland between political economy, security studies, and legal theory, few scholars produce quality research on...
Transcriptional reprogramming in fused cells is triggered by plasma-membrane diminution

Developing cells divide and differentiate, and in many tissues, such as bone, muscle, and placenta, cells fuse acquiring specialized functions. While it is known that fused-cells are differentiated, it is unclear what mechanisms trigger the programmatic-change, and whether cell-fusion alone drives differentiation. To address this, we employed a fusogen-mediated cell-fusion system involving undifferentiated cells in tissue culture. RNA-seq analysis revealed cell-fusion initiates a dramatic transcriptional change towards differentiation. Dissecting the mechanisms causing this reprogramming, we observed that after cell-fusion plasma-membrane surface area decreases through increased endocytosis. Consequently, glucose-transporters are internalized, and cytoplasmic-glucose and ATP transiently decrease. This low-energetic state activates AMPK, which inhibits YAP1, causing cell-cycle arrest. Impairing either endocytosis or AMPK prevents YAP1 inhibition and cell-cycle arrest after fusion. Together these data suggest that cell-fusion-induced differentiation does not need to rely on extrinsic-cues; rather the plasma-membrane diminishment forced by the geometric-transformations of cell-fusion cause transient cell-starvation that induces differentiation.
Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Regulates Internalization of the Dopamine D2 Receptor

The dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) expressed in regions of the brain that control motor function, cognition, and motivation. As a result, D2R is involved in the pathophysiology of disorders such as schizophrenia and drug addiction. Understanding the signaling pathways activated by D2R is crucial to finding new therapeutic targets for these disorders. D2R stimulation by its agonist, dopamine, causes desensitization and internalization of the receptor. A previous study found that inhibitors of the receptor tyrosine kinase anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) blocked D2R desensitization in neurons in the ventral tegmental area of the brain. In the present study, using a cell-based system, we investigated whether ALK regulates D2R internalization. The ALK inhibitor alectinib completely inhibited dopamine-induced D2R internalization. Since GPCRs can transactivate receptor tyrosine kinases, we also examined if D2R stimulation activated ALK signaling. ALK phosphorylation increased by almost 2-fold after dopamine treatment and ALK coimmunoprecipitated with D2R. To identify the signaling pathways downstream of ALK that might regulate D2R internalization, we used pharmacological inhibitors of proteins activated by ALK signaling. Protein kinase Cγ was activated by dopamine in an ALK-dependent manner, and a protein kinase C inhibitor completely blocked dopamine-induced D2R internalization. Taken together, these results identify ALK as a receptor tyrosine kinase transactivated by D2R that promotes its internalization, possibly through activation of protein kinase C. ALK inhibitors could be useful in enhancing D2R signaling. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Receptor internalization is a mechanism by which receptors are desensitized. In this study we found that agonist-induced internalization of the dopamine D2 receptor is regulated by the receptor tyrosine kinase ALK. ALK was also transactivated by and associated with dopamine D2 receptor. Dopamine activated protein kinase C in an ALK-dependent manner and a PKC inhibitor blocked dopamine D2 receptor internalization. These results indicate that ALK regulates dopamine D2 receptor trafficking, which has implications for psychiatric disorders involving dysregulated dopamine signaling.
Loss of epigenetic modifications on the inactive X chromosome and sex-biased gene expression profiles in B cells from NZB/W F1 mice with lupus-like disease.

The mechanisms underlying the female-bias in autoimmunity are poorly understood. The contribution of genetic and epigenetic factors from the inactive X chromosome (Xi) are beginning to emerge as critical mediators of autoimmunity in females. Here, we ask how epigenetic features of the Xi change during disease development in B cells from the NZB/W F1 spontaneous mouse model of lupus, which is female-biased. We find that Xist RNA becomes increasingly mislocalized from the Xi with disease onset. While NZB/W F1 naive B cells have H3K27me3 foci on the Xi, which are missing from healthy C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, these foci are progressively lost in stimulated B cells during disease. Using single-molecule RNA FISH, we show that the X-linked gene Tlr7 is biallelically expressed in ~20% of NZB/W F1 B cells, and that the amount of biallelic expression does not change with disease. We also present sex-specific gene expression profiles for diseased NZB/W F1 B cells, and find female-specific upregulation of 20 genes, including the autoimmunity-related genes Cxcl13, Msr1, Igj, and Prdm1. Together, these studies provide important insight into the loss of epigenetic modifications from the Xi and changes with gene expression in a mouse model of female-biased SLE.
Fluoropyrimidine‐Associated Cardiotoxicity: A Retrospective Case‐Control Study

BACKGROUND The fluoropyrimidines, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and capecitabine, are commonly used chemotherapeutic agents that have been associated with coronary vasospasm. METHODS In this retrospective case-control study, we identified patients at our institution who received 5-FU or capecitabine in 2018. We compared characteristics of patients who experienced cardiotoxicity with controls. We described phenotypes and outcomes of cardiotoxic cases. RESULTS We identified 177 patients who received fluoropyrimidines. After adjudication, 4.5% of the cohort met the criteria for cardiovascular toxicity. Coronary artery disease was more common among cases than controls (38% vs. 7%, p < .05). There was also a trend toward increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in cases compared with controls. Most cardiotoxic cases had chest pain, although a minority of cases presented with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSION Cardiotoxicity phenotypes associated with fluoropyrimidine use are not limited to coronary vasospasm. Cardiac risk factors and ischemic heart disease were highly prevalent among patients with cardiotoxicity.
The Littoral Combat Ship, or the Designs of Liquid Sovereignty

This essay analyzes the design of and thinking behind the US Navy’s latest warship—the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The modular design of the LCS was intended to allow it to interchange between humanitarian and warfighting capacities at sea (a “plug and play” capacity) without having to dock. While the design of the LCS reveals how warfare is being reimagined in a post-Cold War and post-9/11 world, I argue that increasingly the relationship between humanitarianism and war is not simply instrumental or ideological. Rather, the link between combat and compassion is being naturalized through the integration of weapons systems, such as the LCS, within the military’s new strategic thinking that plans for future wars in the coastal megacities of the Global South.
Template-based PDN Synthesis in Floorplan and Placement Using Classifier and CNN Techniques

Designing an optimal power delivery network (PDN) is a time-intensive task that involves many iterations. This paper proposes a methodology that employs a library of predesigned, stitchable templates, and uses machine learning (ML) to rapidly build a PDN with region-wise uniform pitches based on these templates. Our methodology is applicable at both the floorplan and placement stages of physical implementation. (i) At the floorplan stage, we synthesize an optimized PDN based on early estimates of current and congestion, using a simple multilayer perceptron classifier. (ii) At the placement stage, we incrementally optimize an existing PDN based on more detailed congestion and current distributions, using a convolution neural network. At each stage, the neural network builds a safe-by-construction PDN that meets IR drop and electromigration (EM) specifications. On average, the optimization of the PDN brings an extra 3% of routing resources, which corresponds to a thousands of routing tracks in congestion-critical regions, when compared to a globally uniform PDN, while staying within the IR drop and EM limits.
Auditory paired-stimuli responses across the psychosis and bipolar spectrum and their relationship to clinical features

Abstract Background EEG responses during auditory paired-stimuli paradigms are putative biomarkers of psychosis syndromes. The initial iteration of the Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP1) showed unique and common patterns of abnormalities across schizophrenia (SZ), schizoaffective disorder (SAD), and bipolar disorder with psychosis (BDP). This study replicates those findings in new and large samples of psychosis cases and extends them to an important comparison group, bipolar disorder without psychosis (BDNP). Methods Paired stimuli responses from 64-sensor EEG recording were compared across psychosis (n = 597; SZ = 225, SAD = 201, BDP = 171), BDNP (n = 66), and healthy (n = 415) subjects from the second iteration of B-SNIP. EEG activity was analyzed in voltage and in the time-frequency domain. Principal component analysis (PCA) over sensors (sPCA) was used to efficiently capture EEG voltage responses to the paired stimuli. Evoked power was calculated via a Morlet wavelet procedure. A frequency PCA divided evoked power data into three frequency bands: Low (4−17 Hz), Beta (18−32 Hz), and Gamma (33−55 Hz). Each time-course (ERP Voltage, Low, Beta, and Gamma) were then segmented into 20 ms bins and analyzed for group differences. To efficiently summarize the multiple EEG components that best captured group differences we used multivariate discriminant and correlational analyses. This approach yields a reduced set of measures that may be useful in subsequent biomarker investigations. Results Group ANOVAs identified 17 time-ranges that showed significant group differences (p all other groups); the S1 N100 response separated groups along an axis of psychopathology severity (HC > BDNP > BDP > SAD > SZ); the S1 P200 response indexed psychosis psychopathology (HC/BDNP > SAD/SZ/BDP); and the preparatory period to the S2 stimulus separated SZ from other groups (SZ > SAD/BDP>HC/BDNP). Canonical correlation identified an association between the neural responses during the S1 N100, S1 N200 and S2 preparatory period and PANSS positive symptoms and social functioning. The neural responses during the S1 P50 and S1 N100 were associated with PANSS Negative/General, MADRS and Young Mania symptoms. Conclusions This study constructively replicated prior B-SNIP1 research on auditory deviations observed during the paired stimuli task in SZ, SAD and BDP. Inclusion of a group of BDNP allows for the identification of biomarkers more closely related to affective versus nonaffective clinical phenotypes and neural distinctions between BDP and BDNP. Findings have implications for nosology and future translational work given that some biomarkers are shared across all psychosis and some are unique to affective syndromes.
Ex vivo confocal microscopy: a diagnostic tool for skin malignancies

Confocal microscopy is an imaging tool that uses a laser system to image the skin noninvasively with cellular resolution. With both in vivo and ex vivo systems, tissue can be imaged rapidly without damaging the sample. Herein, we discuss the capabilities of the ex vivo confocal microscope and its implementation for treatment and management of cutaneous malignancies.
Drone Journalism as Visual Aggregation: Toward a Critical History

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs—commonly referred to as drones) in journalism has emerged only recently, and has grown significantly. This article explores what makes drone imagery as an instance of what scholars of visual culture call an aerial view so compelling for major news organizations as to warrant such attention and investment. To do this, the concept ‘visual aggregation’ is introduced to theorize the authority of drone imagery in conventional journalistic practice. Imagery produced through drone journalism is a visual analogy to statistical summary and, more recently, of what is referred to as data journalism. Just as these combine an aggregate of cases to produce an understanding of an overall trend, drone imagery aggregates space visually, its broad visual field revealing large-scale spatial patterns in ways analogous to the statistical capture/analysis of large bodies of data. The article then employs a cultural and historical approach to identify key points in the emergence of visual aggregation as authoritative truth. The aerial view as a claim to truth is manifest in a wide range of antecedent social formations, devices and practices prior to their amalgamation in what has today become drone journalism. This analysis aids understanding of how drone journalism is a response to the institutional crises of journalism today.
Optimally Sparse Representations of Cartoon-Like Cylindrical Data

Sparse representations of multidimensional data have received a significant attention in the literature due to their applications in problems of data restoration and feature extraction. In this paper, we consider an idealized class $${\mathcal {C}}^2(Z) \subset L^2({\mathbb {R}}^3)$$ of 3-dimensional data dominated by surface singularities that are orthogonal to the xy plane. To deal with this type of data, we introduce a new multiscale directional representation called cylindrical shearlets and prove that this new approach achieves superior approximation properties not only with respect to conventional multiscale representations but also with respect to 3-dimensional shearlets and curvelets. Specifically, the N-term approximation $$f_N^S$$ obtained by selecting the N largest coefficients of the cylindrical shearlet expansion of a function $$f \in {\mathcal {C}}(Z)$$ satisfies the asymptotic estimate $$ \Vert f - f_N^S\Vert _2^2 \le c \, N^{-2} \, (\ln N)^3, \quad \text {as } N \rightarrow \infty .$$ This is the optimal decay rate, up the logarithmic factor, outperforming 3d wavelet and 3d shearlet approximations which only yield approximation rates of order $$N^{-1/2}$$ and $$N^{-1}$$ (ignoring logarithmic factors), respectively, on the same type of data.
Memory-Equipped Quantum Architectures: The Power of Random Access

Resonant cavities can be used to extend conventional superconducting transmon-based quantum architectures by adding a few bits of quantum memory to each transmon. Such architectures leverage the long coherence times of cavities creating a "memory-equipped'' quantum architecture (MEQC) extending the amount of quantum state a machine can manipulate. However, random access to data will have the greatest effect on improving machine performance. Existing transmon architectures are locally connected and performing gates between distant qubits requires expensive pairwise swaps for execution. Added swap operations increase the probability of errors by increasing both operation count and execution time. We develop a complete compilation framework with heuristics to optimize for the load-store execution model of MEQC. We reduce the gate count and depth of compiled quantum programs by an average 1.62x and 1.70x, respectively compared to traditional transmon architectures. Based on small noise simulations, MEQC architectures outperform on programs as small as 10 qubits, and in general the probability of no gate errors, dominant in NISQ era, is greater on MEQC. If idle errors become more significant, MEQC will have a greater advantage. We conclude with an exploration of different architectural choices, such as transmon-transmon connectivity and cavity size, and explore their effect on the performance of the proposed architecture. While we expect due to small initial physical experiments that we have O(10) modes per cavity, the particular choice of cavity size in this 2.5D architecture is an important one. For example, when coherence times are high and we can withstand greater serialization it becomes more advantageous to favor larger cavity sizes. In the early stages of these devices, we expect transmon-transmon interactions to be potentially more expensive than transmon-cavity interactions. Our proposed solution can tolerate potentially up to 12x worse interconnect error.
High rates of de novo malignancy compromise post-heart transplantation survival.

BACKGROUND Transplant patients are known to have increased risk of developing de novo malignancies (DNMs). As post-transplant survival increases, DNM represents an obstacle to further improving survival. We sought to examine the incidence, types, and risk factors for post-transplant DNM. METHODS We studied adult heart transplant recipients from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database (1987-2018). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to determine annual probabilities of developing DNM, excluding squamous and basal cell carcinoma. Rates were compared to the general population in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to calculate hazard ratios for risk factors of DNM development, all-cause, and cancer-specific mortality. RESULTS Over median follow-up of 6.9 years, 18% of the 49,361 patients developed DNM, which correlated with an incidence rate 3.8 times that of the general population. The most common malignancies were lung, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, and prostate. Risk was most increased for female genital, tongue/throat, and renal cancers. Male gender, older age, smoking history, and impaired renal function were risk factors for developing DNM, whereas the use of MMF for immunosuppression was protective. Cigarette use, increasing age, the use of ATG for induction and calcineurin inhibitors for maintenance were risk factors for cancer-specific mortality. The development of a DNM increased the risk of death by 40% (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS Heart transplant patients are at increased risk of malignancy, particularly rare cancers, which significantly increases their risk of death. Strict cancer surveillance and attention to immunosuppression are critical for prolonging post-transplant survival.
Effects of Background Noise on Speech and Language in Young Adults.

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate how different types of background noise that differ in their level of linguistic content affect speech acoustics, speech fluency, and language produ...
Adipokines, Weight Gain and Metabolic and Inflammatory Markers after Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation: ACTG A5260s

Background The adipokines leptin and adiponectin, produced primarily by adipose tissue, have diverse endocrine and immunologic effects, and circulating levels reflect adipocyte lipid content, local inflammation, and tissue composition. We assessed relationships between changes in regional fat depots, leptin and adiponectin levels, and metabolic and inflammatory markers over 96 weeks in the ACTG A5260s metabolic substudy of the A5257 randomized trial of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-emtricitabine plus atazanavir-ritonavir, darunavir-ritonavir, or raltegravir among treatment-naive persons with HIV (PWH). Methods Fat depots were measured using dual-energy absorptiometry and abdominal CT imaging at treatment initiation and 96 weeks later. Serum leptin and adiponectin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were measured at the same timepoints. Multivariable regression models assessed relationships between fat depots, adipokines, HOMA-IR, and hsCRP at week 96. Results 234 participants maintained viral suppression through 96 weeks (90% male, 29% Black, median age 36 years). Serum leptin increased over 96 weeks (mean change 22%) while adiponectin did not (mean change 1%), which did not differ by study arm. Greater trunk, limb, and abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat were associated with higher HOMA-IR and hsCRP at 96 weeks, but serum leptin level was a stronger determinant of these endpoints using a mediation model approach. A similar mediating effect was not observed for adiponectin. Conclusions Higher circulating leptin is associated with greater HOMA-IR and hsCRP independent of fat depot size, suggesting greater adipocyte lipid content may contribute to impaired glucose tolerance and systemic inflammation among PWH starting ART.
W(H)Ither the Full Season: An Empirical Model for Predicting the Duration of New Television Series’ First Season

Television seasons have gotten shorter and shorter over the past few decades. This has been especially true for new dramatic television series where the norm has dropped to thirteen episodes from almost double that figure twenty years ago. Somewhat surprisingly, there is a dearth of empirical research on this question. In this study, we build on recent research in the field of cultural economics to test the effect of three factors on the duration of new television series’ first season — the originality of the series’ premise, the track record of its creators, and the cognitive complexity of the pilot episode script. As expected, we find that in a sample of 165 new dramatic series debuting in the nine most recently completed seasons, these three factors — both individually and in combination — positively impact both the number of episodes of a new series and the likelihood that new series gets a “full” first season.
The Discovery Module

The objective of the Discovery Module is to find candidate causal relationships. It is the most recent addition to the RX program; hence, its structure is apt to be expanded and improved over the next few years. In this chapter I will present its current structure, some preliminary experimental results, and designs for the future.
Coding the Hypothetical: A Comparative Typology of Russian and Macedonian Conditionals

Conditionals encode speculation. They convey how events could have been different in the past or present, or might be different in the future if particular conditions had been or will be met. While all languages afford the means to speculate or hypothesize about possible events, the ways in which they do so vary. This work explores some of this variation through an analysis of the stucture and semantics of complex conditional sentences in Russian and Macedonian. It addresses typological questions about the general properties of natural language conditionals and examines the role of the grammatical categories tense , aspect , mood and status in the coding of conditional meaning. The book also discusses the relationship between the use of these categories and the shape of a language’s conditional system. For example, the use of tense in counterfactual contexts in Macedonian correlates with the grammaticalization of more shades of conditional meaning than are grammaticalized in Russian, which does not employ tense forms in this way. The study draws on data from a rich variety of sources and thus includes kinds of conditionals overlooked in many other studies. The book addresses issues of concern to Slavists and raises questions for those interested in conditionals and the coding of hypothetical meaning.
Emotions in the Mobilization of Rights

What is the relation between emotions and rights? It is not a question for which answers spring readily to mind, particularly for legal scholars. Rights2 may be conceived as inhering in, or being conferred upon, a postEnlightenment, rationalist subject, who is hardly a creature brimming with affect. They may be associated, for some, with abstract claims of entitlement, and, for others, with intricate Hohfeldian frameworks that connect them with state or private obligations: neither association brings emotions to mind. Moreover, the literatures which explore the meaning, mobilization, recognition, and constitutive effects of rights provide little more guidance. Few acknowledge the emotions;3 those that do often neglect the diverse con-
The human LT system. IV. Studies on the large MW LT complex class: association of these molecules with specific antigen binding receptor(s) in vitro.

Abstract The present studies demonstrate that a portion of lymphotoxin (LT) cell-lytic activity present in supernatants from: 1) lectin (Con A, PHA) stimulated nonimmune; or 2) antigen (soluble or cellular) stimulated immune human lymphocytes in vitro, is associated with immunoglobulin (Ig) or “Ig-like” receptor molecule(s). This concept was supported by three findings: 1) LT activity in these supernatants was partially inhibited by heterologous anti-human (IgG) Fab′2 antisera; 2) LT activity present in soluble antigen stimulated immune human lymphocyte supernatants could specifically bind to and be eluted from Sepharose 4B columns to which the specific stimulating antigen was covalently attached; and 3) LT activity present in primary one-way mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) supernatants could be removed by absorption on the specific stimulator cells. The amount of total LT activity found to be associated with “Ig” in these supernatants was variable, but ranged from 5 to 20% in lectin stimulated cell supernatants to 20 to 50% in antigen or MLC stimulated supernatants. Physical-chemical studies on the molecular weight class of LT molecules having reactivity with anti-Fab′2 sera, as well as antigen binding capacity, revealed these properties reside in the large (>200,000) MW LT class, termed complex. The nature and biological significance of these “antigen specific” LT complexes, as they relate to mechanisms of cytotoxicity in vitro, will be discussed.