cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Children as creative thinkers in music

THE study of creative thinking in music involves a complex combination of cognitive and affective variables, often executed at the highest levels of human thinking and feeling. This is such a complicated set of long-term engagements (composition, repeated music listening, or decisions about previously composed music in performance) or ‘in the moment’ engagements (improvisation and one-time listening), that it becomes quickly apparent why this fi eld has not attracted more music researchers and why many feel the topic is hopelessly impregnable. There are many reasons for optimism, however, as we are starting a new century of scholarship. The changes in education and the role of music in formal learning demands that we address creative thinking as best we can. The serious study of creative thinking from a psychological perspective is helpful to review as well. This chapter is designed to offer some perspective on these matters and to place in context the growing research literature in music completed by musicians. While it is generally acknowledged that children’s creative thinking in music occurs as part of many music experiences such as listening, performance, conducting, and improvising (Reimer 2003 ), the focus here is on composition.
Rapid Synthesis of Aryl Fluorides in Continuous Flow through the Balz–Schiemann Reaction

The Balz–Schiemann reaction remains a highly utilized means for preparing aryl fluorides from anilines. However, the limitations associated with handling aryl diazonium salts often hinder both the substrate scope and scalability of this reaction. To address this, a new continuous flow protocol was developed that eliminates the need to isolate the aryl diazonium salts. The new process has enabled the fluorination of an array of aryl and heteroaryl amines.
The effects of bonding layer on the high-frequency dynamic response of piezoelectric augmented structures

Embedded and surface bonded piezoelectric wafers have been widely used for control, energy harvesting, and structural health monitoring applications. The basis for all these applications is the energy transfer between the piezoelectric wafer and the host structure, which takes place through the adhesive bonding layer. The characteristics of the bonding layer are found to have an important impact on the sensing and actuation capabilities of piezoelectric-based applications. In this paper, the high-frequency dynamic response of an elastic beam coupled with a piezoelectric wafer is investigated, including the bonding layer in between. A previously developed three-layer spectral element model, with high-frequency capabilities, is utilized for this purpose. Timoshenko beam and elementary rod theories are adopted to describe axial and lateral deformations in each of the three layers. A parametric study is conducted to evaluate the effects of bonding layer characteristics on the steady-state dynamic response of the coupled system, including frequency response functions and electromechanical impedance. The frequency-dependent nature of bonding layer effects is highlighted and discussed.
Comparison of Two Probabilistic Fatigue Damage Assessment Approaches Using Prognostic Performance Metrics

In this paper, two probabilistic prognosis updating schemes are compared. One is based on the classical Bayesian approach and the other is based on newly developed maximum relative entropy (MRE) approach. The algorithm performance of the two models is evaluated using a set of recently developed prognostics-based metrics. Various uncertainties from measurements, modeling, and parameter estimations are integrated into the prognosis framework as random input variables for fatigue damage of materials. Measures of response variables are then used to update the statistical distributions of random variables and the prognosis results are updated using posterior distributions. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique is employed to provide the posterior samples for model updating in the framework. Experimental data are used to demonstrate the operation of the proposed probabilistic prognosis methodology. A set of prognostics-based metrics are employed to quantitatively evaluate the prognosis performance and compare the proposed entropy method with the classical Bayesian updating algorithm. In particular, model accuracy, precision, robustness and convergence are rigorously evaluated in addition to the qualitative visual comparison. Following this, potential development and improvement for the prognostics-based metrics are discussed in detail.
The Effects of Specialist Type and Estimate Aggressiveness on Juror Judgments of Auditor Negligence

Auditors often rely on specialists to establish reasonable ranges for management estimates. While the main purported benefit of using specialists is increased audit effectiveness, prior research suggests that using specialists can also provide litigation protection for auditors. We predict and provide experimental evidence that the extent of such litigation protection depends on the relative aggressiveness of the estimate and the type of specialist used. Specifically, when auditors use a specialist to develop a reasonable range for an estimate, jurors view auditors’ acceptance of a relatively aggressive management estimate as more justifiable and thus are less likely to find the auditors negligent. This effect, however, does not occur when auditors accept less aggressive estimates. Further, the observed effects are stronger when auditors use external rather than internal specialists. Overall, this study indicates that utilizing specialists, particularly external specialists, may provide superior litigation protection for auditors who accept relatively aggressive management estimates.
Exploring the Behaviors of Organic and Bio-active Compounds by Spectroscopic and Quantum Computational Techniques

The research exploration will involve in investigating the molecular structure, the reactivity centers, bonding and anti-bonding nature, nonlinear optical, electronic and thermodynamic nature of the molecule. The research is made on two levels: First level is done upon using the spectroscopic techniques—FTIR, FT-Raman, UV and NMR characterizing techniques; secondly the same data is analyzed through theoretical methods using ab initio and DFT theories which involve basic principle of solving the Schrodinger equation for many body systems. Finally the two levels are compared and discussed. The bio-active property of the molecule is analyzed and the target molecule is found well fit with the breast cancer protein using molecular docking techniques. Higher the basis sets and methods are used closer will be the result to the experimental data. This makes analysis of the any organic, inorganic, and pharmaceutical, bio-samples more economic, feasible and less time consuming. The results of two organic 1-phenyl-2-nitropropene and 1-phenyl-1-propanol are selected, analyzed and discussed.
Modified Moment Estimation for the Three-Parameter Inverse Gaussian Distribution

A modification of moment estimators, in which the third moment is replaced by a function of the first order statistic, is presented for the mean, variance, shape, and threshold parameters of the three-parameter inverse Gaussian distribution. The modifi..
Brackish habitat dictates cultivable Actinobacterial diversity from marine sponges

Bacterial communities associated with marine invertebrates such as sponges and ascidians have demonstrated potential as sources of bio-medically relevant small molecules. Metagenomic analysis has shown that many of these invertebrates harbor populations of Actinobacteria, many of which are cultivable. While some populations within invertebrates are transmitted vertically, others are obtained from the environment. We hypothesized that cultivable diversity from sponges living in brackish mangrove habitats have associations with Actinobacterial populations that differ from those found in clear tropical waters. In this study, we analyzed the cultivable Actinobacterial populations from sponges found in these two distinct habitats with the aim of understanding the secondary metabolite potential. Importantly, we wanted to broadly evaluate the potential differences among these groups to guide future Actinobacterial collection strategies for the purposes of drug discovery.
Stomatal opening in response to the simultaneous increase in vapor pressure deficit and temperature over a 24-h period under constant light in a tropical rainforest of the central Amazon

Stomatal functioning is modulated by several factors and, in most circumstances, stomatal aperture declines with increasing leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (VPDL) and temperature, but stomatal functioning under the humid conditions of the tropical rainforest understory has been scarcely investigated. The aim of this study was to determine how stomatal conductance of saplings responds to the changing understory temperatures of a tropical rainforest. We measured gas-exchange in four saplings of Guarea carinata (1–2 m tall). On each plant, stomatal conductance (g s), VPDL and leaf temperature were measured continuously at 3-min intervals during 24 h. We used a constant irradiance of 50 µmol m−2 s−1 and nearly constant relative humidity (75.8 ± 1.9%). Within the leaf chamber, leaf temperature over plants varied from 25.8 to 30.7 °C and VPDL from 0.62 to 0.93 kPa. Contrary to expectations, g s increased with the increase in leaf temperature and VPDL, and throughout the 24-h cycle, g s was maximum (0.123 mol m−2 s−1) at midday when temperatures were higher and minimum (0.016 mol m−2 s−1) after midnight, when the lower temperatures were recorded. There was a positive relationship between g s and both leaf temperature (p < 0.0001) and VPDL (p < 0.0001). If global temperature continues to increase as predicted by models, the direct increase in g s of saplings associated with an increase in temperature can be nullified if global warming negatively affects the water balance of plants (e.g. Guarea carinata) in this part of the Amazon.
New Miller Codes for Run-Length Control in Visible Light Communications

Designing run-length limited codes for visible light communication systems must account for multiple performance factors, including spectral efficiency, power efficiency, dc balance, and flicker avoidance. This paper reports a new class of enhanced Miller codes, termed eMiller codes, which are capable of achieving highly desirable performances in all of these accounts. An improved Viterbi algorithm (VA), termed $mn$ VA, is developed to help further enhance the performance of eMiller codes by preserving multiple candidate sequences at each decoding stage. This performance-enhancing algorithm introduces little complexity increase compared with the original VA. Analysis on flicker control, power spectral density, and minimum Hamming distance demonstrates the all-around wellness of these new codes. Extensive simulations are carried out to evaluate eMiller codes by themselves and in practical visible light communication (VLC) systems. It is shown that the original VA already allows eMiller codes to deliver a performance noticeably better than conventional Miller and FM0/FM1 codes (and on par with Manchester codes). This result is particularly exciting, as eMiller codes are also more spectrally efficient than Manchester codes. The $mn$ VA further allows eMiller codes to surpass Manchester codes and 4B6B codes in practical RS-coded VLC systems. Simulation results confirm the superb performance of the RS-eMiller schemes.
Central Hemodynamics Measured During 5 Repetition Maximum Free Weight Resistance Exercise.

The PhysioFlow™ is a piece of equipment that uses bioimpedance cardiography to measure central hemodynamics. The purpose of this research was to explore the novel approach of monitoring central hemodynamics during free weight resistance exercise using bioimpedance cardiography throughout a 5 repetition maximum (5RM). Thirty participants ranging from beginner to advanced lifters (16 males and 14 females) completed a 5RM for back squat, seated push press, and bicep curl while connected to the PhysioFlow™ to assess the response of heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (Q), and ejection fraction (EF). Participants were cued for form and to breathe normally throughout the lifts. The PhysioFlow™ detected an increase in HR and Q for all lifts between rest and each repetition (p 0.05) and no changes in EF or SV were detected when all repetitions were compared to each other for all lifts (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the PhysioFlow™ was able to detect changes in HR and Q during dynamic free weight resistance exercise. This novel approach may provide a mechanism for monitoring central hemodynamics during free weight resistance training. However, more research needs to be conducted as the exercise protocol for this investigation did not allow for a comparison to a reference method.
A study of the effect of fiber orientation on the torsional behavior of RC beams strengthened with PBO-FRCM composite

Abstract Repair and rehabilitation of reinforced concrete (RC) structures with different types of external reinforcement has been investigated widely. Fiber reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) is a new type of composite system that contains continuous fibers embedded in inorganic matrix. This system has been proven to be effective for strengthening RC members under flexure, shear, and axial loadings. However, studies on the use of FRCM composite for torsional strengthening are very limited. This study investigated experimentally the torsional behavior of solid rectangular RC beams strengthened with externally bonded PBO-FRCM composite in different wrapping configurations. The study focused on the effect of fiber orientation as well as other parameters that influence the torsional strength, torsional moment-twist per unit length response, and mode of failure including fiber continuity and number of composite layers. The strains in the internal and external reinforcement and the longitudinal elongation of the strengthened beams were examined, and a comparison with other types of fiber reinforced composite was also discussed. The 90° fiber orientation (perpendicular to the beam longitudinal axis) was more effective in increasing the torsional strength than the 45° fiber orientation since premature debonding of the fibers occurred at the ends of the 45° strips, which contrasted the potential benefits from optimizing the fiber orientation and led to the underutilization of the composite. The 90° fiber orientation was also more effective than the 0° fiber orientation.
What) do top performing real estate agents deliver for their clients

Abstract Existing evidence indicates that larger listing inventories thin agent effort dedicated to each individual client. This study examines whether shopping externalities or other scale effects offset this inventory externality for agents with the largest market presence. Data from Central Virginia shows that agents holding the greatest percentage of listings in the housing market obtain higher prices and sell listing faster than other agents. This pattern is consistent with the notion that top tier listing agents are able to exploit their market presence to generate meaningful positive shopping externality effects for individual clients. Propensity scoring models provide evidence that the performance advantage of these agents is not driven by differences in the types of houses they represent, but reflects agent productivity. On the other hand, top tier agents in terms of sales do not consistently obtain higher prices or shorter selling times for their listing clients. The shopping externalities associated with top tier listing agents do not appear to extend to top tier selling agents.
Petro-masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire:

As the planet warms, new authoritarian movements in the West are embracing a toxic combination of climate denial, racism and misogyny. Rather than consider these resentments separately, this article interrogates their relationship through the concept of petro-masculinity, which appreciates the historic role of fossil fuel systems in buttressing white patriarchal rule. Petro-masculinity is helpful to understanding how the anxieties aroused by the Anthropocene can augment desires for authoritarianism. The concept of petro-masculinity suggests that fossil fuels mean more than profit; fossil fuels also contribute to making identities, which poses risks for post-carbon energy politics. Moreover, through a psycho-political reading of authoritarianism, I show how fossil fuel use can function as a violent compensatory practice in reaction to gender and climate trouble.
Enhanced Nucleocytoplasmic Transport due to Competition for Elastic Binding Sites.

Abstract Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) control all traffic into and out of the cell nucleus. NPCs are molecular machines that simultaneously achieve high selectivity and high transport rates. The biophysical details of how cargoes rapidly traverse the pore remain unclear but are known to be mediated by interactions between cargo-binding chaperone proteins and natively unstructured nucleoporin proteins containing many phenylalanine-glycine repeats (FG nups) that line the pore’s central channel. Here, we propose a specific and detailed physical mechanism for the high speed of nuclear import based on the elasticity of FG nups and on competition between individual chaperone proteins for FG nup binding. We develop a mathematical model to support our proposed mechanism. We suggest that the recycling of nuclear import factors back to the cytoplasm is important for driving high-speed import and predict the existence of an optimal cytoplasmic concentration of cargo for enhancing the rate of import over a purely diffusive rate.
Oceanic Fate and Transport of Chemicals

or their consumers, are nonessential elements or compounds, or are major components with essentially uniform concentration across the ocean system. Given that there are over 100 elements on Earth, and a finite but very large number of organic chemicals, derived either from an original biochemical source or manufactured by humans, it would be impossible to deal with all these compounds and elements in any detail. Therefore, while this chapter contains a description of the cycling of compounds through the marine environment and identifies the main pathways of movement and the major sources and sinks for compounds, in both the solid and dissolved phases, the focus of the discussion is a smaller list of/or their consumers, are nonessential elements or compounds, or are major components with essentially uniform concentration across the ocean system. Given that there are over 100 elements on Earth, and a finite but very large number of organic chemicals, derived either from an original biochemical source or manufactured by humans, it would be impossible to deal with all these compounds and elements in any detail. Therefore, while this chapter contains a description of the cycling of compounds through the marine environment and identifies the main pathways of movement and the major sources and sinks for compounds, in both the solid and dissolved phases, the focus of the discussion is a smaller list of compounds whose inputs to the ocean and whose fate and transport have important consequences for oceanic life and the environmental health of the ocean and the biosphere in general. The four main groups of elements/compounds and their fate and transport, and how these have changed in the recent and geological past, and the consequences of these changes on the ocean are described.
Polynomial time summary statistics for two general classes of functions

In previous work we showed, by Walsh analysis, that summary statistics such as mean, variance, skew, and higher order statistics can be computed in polynomial time for embedded landscapes. We then used these statistics to study the epistatic structure of MAXSAT problems. These results were dependent on two facts: these functions have a polynomial number of nonzero Walsh coefficients and the coefficients can be computed in polynomial time. It has since been shown that for any arbitrary function in which the number of epistatically interacting bits is bounded above by k the nonzero Walsh coefficients are also polynomial in number and can be computed in polynomial time. This extends the applicability of our earlier results. In this paper, I extend these results further to include hyperplane statistics. These statistics can help us understand the hyperplane structure of sparsely epistatic functions as well as functions of bounded epistasis.
Design and Analysis of Hybrid Wireless Mesh Networks for Smart Grids

In this paper the use of a Hybrid Wireless Mesh Network (HWMN) technologies for the smart grid of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), which enables the collecting of meter data in real-time, was proposed and analyzed. A Google Maps mashup was developed to read the real GIS data from a local utility company and display the locations of the meters and light poles, which can be selected for mounting the WiMAX or Wi-Fi network devices. A NS-3 simulator was developed to simulate the network traffic of meter data collection over the HWMN and to allow us to evaluate different topologies and to see if their capacities are adequate to report all meter values to the data center within one second. The preliminary simplified simulation results show that with the proper antennae selection for the HWMN, it is feasible to collect meter data from hundreds of thousands smart meters within one second.
Salinity and temperature influence on Scyphozoan jellyfish abundance in the Western Gulf of Mexico

Increasing jellyfish abundance has been documented worldwide, though few studies have used standardized long-term data to examine jellyfish abundance across environmental gradients. Such datasets can provide an opportunity to analyze historical trends, document rates of change, and identify potential mechanisms of change. This study used standardized fishery monitoring data from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from 1983 to 2013 to identify the abundance trends of three common scyphozoan jellyfish species in eight Texas bays that span environmental gradients. We hypothesized that jellyfish abundance would vary across the environmental gradient and jellyfish abundance would increase with increasing salinity and temperature. Although no strong abundance trends were observed, abundance peaks occurred in some bay systems. Salinity and temperature were found to be the most influential factors for jellyfish occurrence while dissolved oxygen ranked the lowest. Bell-curve functions generalized the relationship between salinity and scyphozoan abundance and identified abundance peaks at high estuarine salinities for A. aurita, and differing tolerance ranges for each species. Temperature relationships were generalized with a sigmoid function and highlighted tolerance at the highest water temperatures observed. These findings suggest that some jellyfish species may respond positively in Texas bays if climate change increases salinity and temperature regimes of estuaries.
Surgical Options and Criteria for Bariatric Surgery

A 41-year-old male presents for follow-up of weight management. He has struggled with obesity for most of his adult life and is currently at his highest weight of 300 lbs. He states that he cannot stop eating until he is “uncomfortably full” and sometimes eats because of stress and not necessarily hunger. In the past, he has successfully lost weight through commercial weight loss programs but has been unable to keep the weight off for more than 1 year. The most weight that he has ever lost was approximately 20 lbs. Because of his weight, he has difficulty walking and climbing stairs. He denies daytime somnolence, joint pain, exertional dyspnea, binge eating, or depressed mood. Past medical history is significant for hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and dyslipidemia. His medications include hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg daily, atorvastatin 40 mg daily, metformin 500 mg daily, and omeprazole 40 mg daily. Physical exam is notable for a body mass index (BMI) of 43 kg/m2 but is otherwise unremarkable. Labs reveal normal complete blood count, basic metabolic panel, and liver function tests. His fasting lipid panel is as follows: total cholesterol 184 mg/dL, LDL 97 mg/dL, HDL 30 mg/dL, and triglycerides 155 mg/dL; and his hemoglobin A1c is 7.4%. Today the patient inquires about his surgical options and would like to know if surgery is an option for him.
MicroRNAs in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

4519 Treatment success for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), both B- and T-cell, is one of cancer research’s greatest achievements. However, while molecular determinants of outcome have been identified for B-ALL, no useful prognostic factors for T-ALL have been identified. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small 21-23 nucleotide non-coding RNA molecules that can positively or negatively regulate gene expression and have recently been shown to have prognostic potential. Using a miRNA gene chip to investigate the involvement of miRNA in T-ALL, we analyzed the miRNA expression in RNA from 41 individual T-ALL cell samples, 4 normal thymocyte samples and 9 normal blood mono-nuclear cell (MNC) samples hybridized against arrays containing 368 (161 human or 460 (235 human) miRNA genes. Differentially expressed miRNAs were observed in T-ALL vs. the normal samples. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering revealed homogenous but distinctive expression profiles for each sample type, with T-ALL samples falling into a cluster that was distinct from that of MNCs or thymocytes. Using LInear Models for MicroArrays (LIMMA) to evaluate differential expression between T-ALL and thymocytes, we identified 43 genes that had statistically significant differences in expression levels between the two groups (P In conclusion, we have characterized the miRNA expression profile of T-ALL and have identified a number or miR genes that are highly downregulated vs. normal thymocytes. The combined downregulation of related miR genes on 9q22 suggests downregulation of the entire primary transcript is occurring in T-ALL. However, the observation that related genes on 19p13 are also among the most significantly down-regulated miR genes in T-ALL increases the likelihood that one or more genes of this cluster may play a role in T-ALL biology.
A Hybrid Experimental-Computational Modeling Framework For Cardiovascular Device Testing.

Significant advances in biomedical science often leverage powerful computational and experimental modeling platforms. We present a framework named "PSCOPE" that can capitalize the strengths of both types of platforms in a hybrid model. PSCOPE uses an iterative method to couple an in-vitro mock circuit to a lumped-parameter numerical simulation of physiology, obtaining closed-loop feedback between the two. We first compared results of Fontan graft obstruction scenarios modeled using both PSCOPE and an established multiscale computational fluid dynamics method; the normalized root-mean-square error values of important physiologic parameters were between 0.1% ~ 2.1%, confirming the fidelity of the PSCOPE framework. Next, we demonstrate an example application of PSCOPE to model a scenario beyond the current capabilities of multiscale computational methods-- the implantation of a Jarvik 2000 blood pump for cavopulmonary support in the single-ventricle circulation; we found that the commercial Jarvik 2000 controller can be modified to produce a suitable rotor speed for augmenting cardiac output by approximately 20% while maintaining blood pressures within safe ranges. The unified modeling framework enables a testing environment which simultaneously operates a medical device and performs computational simulations of the resulting physiology, providing a tool for physically testing medical devices with simulated physiologic feedback.
Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Brain: A Population-Based Study.

Background Primary melanocytic neoplasms of the central nervous system (CNS) are rare and account for 1% of all melanomas. This study used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to evaluate the epidemiology of primary CNS melanoma and further characterize their treatment. Methods Data from the National Cancer Institute SEER program, collected from 1973–2015, were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 86 records of malignant melanoma cases with CNS as the primary site were identified, and 54 patients were studied based on the inclusion criteria. Demographic, tumor, and treatment regimen effectiveness were studied. Results A total of 54 patients were included in this study. Tumors were distributed evenly in size and localized primarily to the cerebral meninges and spinal cord. A total of 13% of patients underwent biopsy, 40.7% gross total resection (GTR), 7.4% subtotal resection (STR), 46.3% radiation therapy (RT), and 27.3% chemotherapy (CT) in a variety of treatment combinations. GTR alone and STR + RT resulted in increased disease-specific survival compared to biopsy alone, but no survival benefit was found with biopsy with RT and/or CT as well as STR alone. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the largest single database study completed for primary malignant melanoma of the CNS. The study identified the need for tumor resection for the proper treatment of these lesions, particularly GTR. GTR could be paired with adjuvant RT or RT + CT providing survival benefit as well. In cases when GTR is unable to be completed, STR + RT provides significant improvement in survival compared to biopsy alone.
Transcriptome-wide Cas13 guide RNA design for model organisms and viral RNA pathogens

Abstract CRISPR-Cas13 mediates robust transcript knockdown in human cells through direct RNA targeting. Compared to DNA-targeting CRISPR enzymes like Cas9, RNA targeting by Cas13 is transcript- and strand-specific: It can distinguish and specifically knock-down processed transcripts, alternatively spliced isoforms and overlapping genes, all of which frequently serve different functions. Previously, we identified optimal design rules for RfxCas13d guide RNAs (gRNAs), and developed a computational model to predict gRNA efficacy for all human protein-coding genes. However, there is a growing interest to target other types of transcripts, such as noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) or viral RNAs, and to target transcripts in other commonly-used organisms. Here, we predicted relative Cas13-driven knock-down for gRNAs targeting messenger RNAs and ncRNAs in six model organisms (human, mouse, zebrafish, fly, nematode and flowering plants) and four abundant RNA virus families (SARS-CoV-2, HIV-1, H1N1 influenza and MERS). To allow for more flexible gRNA efficacy prediction, we also developed a web-based application to predict optimal gRNAs for any RNA target entered by the user. Given the lack of Cas13 guide design tools, we anticipate this resource will facilitate CRISPR-Cas13 RNA targeting in common model organisms, emerging viral threats to human health, and novel RNA targets.
Who Says Shut Up and Dribble? Race and the Response to Athletes’ Political Activism

In response to a political comment from NBA superstar LeBron James, a Fox News commentator suggested he “shut up and dribble.” James and many others considered the comment racist. Defenders suggested the comment was driven by political ideology rather than race. Interestingly, both perspectives could find support in existing research, as some studies depict race as a central factor in responses to political athletes, while other studies dismiss the role of race and find that political ideology and nationalistic sentiments drive how people see activist athletes. Using responses to a large national survey asking whether respondents find athlete political activism “acceptable,” here I find strong evidence that both ideology and race shape attitudes on the subject. The picture that emerges reveals that party and ideology matter, but even after controlling for them, the race and racial views of the respondent help shape their perspective on political athletes. Establishing the importance of race and racial views here helps illuminate why the intersection of sports and politics generates such fierce responses including unvarnished vitriol from some political figures.
A prospective randomized double-blind clinical trial to assess the effects of leukocyte-reduced platelet-rich plasma on pro-inflammatory, degradative, and anabolic biomarkers after closed pilon fractures.

Posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) significantly affects patients with pilon fractures even after adequate anatomical reduction, and treatment strategies targeting the biologic mediators of PTOA are needed. This study was designed to determine the effects of intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on synovial fluid (SF) biomarkers for patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of pilon fractures. Patients undergoing staged management of pilon fractures were enrolled in a prospective, double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine the effects of a single intra-articular injection of leukocyte-reduced PRP on SF biomarkers. Arthrocentesis of the injured and uninjured ankles was performed at the time of external skeletal fixation (ESF) and ORIF. Patients were randomized to receive either autogenous leukocyte-reduced PRP or saline (control) via intra-articular injection into the injured ankle at the time of ESF. SF biomarker concentrations were compared-uninjured, injured pretreatment, and saline-injected or PRP-injected. Eleven patients (PRP, n = 5; saline, n = 6) completed the study. Twenty-one uninjured, and 11 injured pretreatment, five PRP-treated, and six saline-treated SF samples were analyzed. PRP-treated SF contained significantly higher levels of PDGF-AA (p = 0.046) and significantly lower levels of MMP-3 (p = 0.042), MMP-9 (p = 0.009), IL-1β (p = 0.049), IL-6 (p < 0.01), IL-8 (p = 0.048), and PGE2 (p < 0.04). This study provided mechanistic data to suggest that a single intraarticular injection of leukocyte-reduced PRP is associated with anti-inflammatory, anti-degradative, and anabolic responses compared with saline control. These findings provide the impetus for investigating long-term clinical outcomes after PRP injection as an orthobiologic adjunct to ORIF for mitigating the incidence and severity of PTOA after pilon fractures.
Medicaid coverage for tobacco dependence treatment: Enrollee awareness and use.

Medicaid-insured adults smoke at twice the rate of privately insured adults. Insurance coverage for tobacco dependence treatments (TDTs) has been shown to increase quit attempts, but few published studies have measured enrollees' awareness of Medicaid coverage. We assessed awareness of Medicaid coverage for and use of TDTs among New York State (NYS) Medicaid-insured smokers and recent quitters. In July-August 2017, we conducted a probability-based online survey of Medicaid enrollees in NYS aged 18 to 65 in fee-for-service and managed care plans (n = 266; AAPOR 4RR = 22.5%). In 2017, we estimated descriptive statistics and used Adjusted Wald tests to assess differences in awareness and use of TDTs (p < 0.05). We used logistic regression to assess correlates of coverage awareness and use of TDTs. Most participants (94.3%) were aware of TDTs, but fewer were aware that Medicaid covers them (59.7%). Most participants believed TDTs are effective in helping smokers quit, although many also believed non-evidence-based methods are effective. Awareness of Medicaid coverage was associated with awareness of a Medicaid-related antitobacco television ad (p < 0.05), moderate nicotine dependence (p < 0.05), and believing that TDTs are effective (p < 0.01). Although awareness of Medicaid coverage for TDTs was found to be high, there remains room for improvement, even in a state that actively promotes these benefits. It is important for states to not only expand Medicaid coverage of TDTs but to also promote the benefits to improve the chances of quit success. Understanding Medicaid enrollees' awareness of and perceptions of covered TDTs can inform messaging to maximize utilization of evidence-based benefits.
Normal-State Conductivity of Cuprate Superconductors: One-Component and Two-Component Viewpoints

We discuss the evolution of our understanding of the normal state infrared conductivity of cuprate superconductors. The discussion begins with results from polycrystalline samples and continues up to the recent work on single domain (untwinned) crystals. The issue of whether the conductivity at low frequency (i.e. ω≲1000 cm−1) should be described with one (intraband) component, or with two (intraband + interband) components is central to the discussion.
Addison's Empire: Whig Conceptions of Empire in the Early 18th Century

Why did whigs consider the Treaty of Utrecht to be an imperial disaster? Contemporary scholarship makes this a difficult question to answer. Imperial historians insist that it was an imperial triumph. While political historians point to rough-and-tumble party politics that was not about empire. This article aims to recover the rich intellectual history of party political debate about empire in the age of Anne. I suggest that there was bitter conflict between tories who sought territorial empire based on South American mines, and whigs who sought a manufacturing empire based on penetrating South American markets with British manufactures. The Sacheverell trial and its aftermath marked a turning point in British imperial policy. As a result the whigs felt betrayed, venting their anger in the immediate aftermath of the Hanoverian succession.
The presequence of rat liver aldehyde dehydrogenase requires the presence of an alpha-helix at its N-terminal region which is stabilized by the helix at its C termini.

Previous nuclear magnetic resonance data showed that the conformation of the signal peptide of rat liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase in a micelle environment contained a N-helix and a C-helix which were separated by a flexible hinge region (Karslake, C., Piotto, M.E., Pak, Y.K., Weiner, H. and Gorenstein, D. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 9872-9878). Deletion of either helix from the presequence caused complete loss of the precursor import. Switching the positions of the two helices had little effect on import but decreased processing efficiency. Import was not affected by replacing the C-helix with the N-terminal helix of the presequence of cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV, however, it was decreased by replacing the C-helix with the C-terminal random coil of the oxidase's presequence. Circular dichroism studies on the synthesized signal peptides indicated that a helix in the C-segment of aldehyde dehydrogenase signal peptide was needed to stabilize the N-helix. It is concluded that a stable helix in the N-terminal region is necessary for a functional mitochondrial presequence. This helix could be obtained from its own sequence, or from the interaction with other portions of the presequence.
Molecular Mechanisms Controlling the Gene Expression Program for Corneal Repair

The wound healing response following surgical injury to the cornea can be quite variable and difficult to predict. The goal of this paper is to elucidate basic mechanisms which control activation of the corneal stromal cell to the repair phenotype and its subsequent competence to mediate repair tissue remodeling. These studies focused on expression of the matrix metalloproteinase, collagenase. The experiments performed in this study lead to the proposal of a new paradigm for understanding the modulation of repair gene expression by the wound environment, that is, regulation through autocrine cytokine intermediates. This model suggests a novel point at which drug intervention can be used to alter the repair process.
Effects of pH on Lignin and Cellulose Degradation by Streptomyces viridosporus.

Lignocellulose degradation by Streptomyces viridosporus results in the oxidative depolymerization of lignin and the production of a water-soluble lignin polymer, acid-precipitable polymeric lignin (APPL). The effects of the culture pH on lignin and cellulose metabolism and APPL production by S. viridosporus are reported. Dry, ground, hot-water-extracted corn (Zea mays) lignocellulose was autoclaved in 1-liter reagent bottles (5 g per bottle) and inoculated with 50-ml volumes of S. viridosporus cells suspended in buffers of specific pH (pH 6.0 to 9.2 at 0.4 pH unit intervals). Four replicates of inoculated cultures and of uninoculated controls at each pH were incubated as solid-state fermentations at 37°C. After 6 weeks of incubation the percent loss of lignocellulose, lignin, and carbohydrate and the amount of APPL produced were determined for each replicate. Optimal lignocellulose degradation, as shown by substrate weight loss, was observed in the pH range of 8.4 to 8.8. Only minor differences were seen in the Klason lignin, carbohydrate, protein, and ash contents of the APPLS produced by cultures at each pH. The effects of pH on the degradation of a spruce (Picea pungens) [14C-lignin]lignocellulose and a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) [14C-glucan]-lignocellulose were also determined at pH values between 6.5 and 9.5 (0.5 pH unit intervals). The incubations were carried out for 3 weeks at 37°C with bubbler-tube cultures. The percentage of initial 14C recovered as 14CO2, 14C-labeled water-soluble products, and [14C]APPL was then determined. The mineralization of lignin and cellulose to CO2 was optimal at pHs 6.5 and 7.0, respectively. However, the optimum for lignin and cellulose solubilization was pH 8.5, which correlated with the pH 8.5 optimum for APPL production. Overall, the data show that, whereas lignin mineralization is optimal at neutral to slightly acidic pHs, lignocellulose degradation with lignin solubilization and APPL production is promoted by alkaline pHs. These findings indicate that lignin-solubilizing actinomycetes may play an important role in the metabolism of lignin in neutral to alkaline soils in which ligninolytic fungi are not highly competitive.
Cr3+ in kyanite: A new mechanism of thermally enhanced 2E decay

Abstract An unusually large splitting of the 2 E state of Cr 3+ in kyanite (Al 2 O 3 :SiO 2 ) is reported. To account for the thermal quenching of the R-lines it is necessary to recognize that the two components of the doublet may have remarkably different radiative lifetimes (3400 and 480 μs). These lifetimes were obtained from low temperature decay and from the temperature dependence of the intensity ratio of the two components. These separate lifetimes were then set to fit the temperature dependence of the joint effective lifetime and of the steady state intensities of both lines. At higher temperatures the effect of an unobservable quartet had to be postulated. A reasonable agreement between theory and experiment was achieved assuming that the quartet radiative lifetime was 13 μs and its zero-phonon energy 15570 cm -1 . A simple approach, based on spin-orbit coupling of split 2 E components to 4 T 2 and a one-configuration-coordinate model is an aid to a qualitative understanding of the large difference between the lifetimes of the R-lines, although quantitative agreement between theory and experiment is far from satisfactory.
Changes to euchromatin on LAT and ICP4 following reactivation are more prevalent in an efficiently reactivating strain of HSV-1.

Background Epigenetic mechanisms, via post-translational histone modifications, have roles in the establishment and maintenance of latency of the HSV-1 genome in the sensory neurons. Considering that many post-translational histone marks are reversible in nature, epigenetic mechanisms may also play a critical role in the process of induced HSV-1 reactivation. Methodology/Principal Findings This study utilized the rabbit ocular model of HSV-1 infection and reactivation, induced by the transcorneal iontophoresis of epinephrine (TCIE), to characterize changes to chromatin that occur between 0.5 and 4 h following the application of the reactivation stimulus. Our goal was to explore the hypothesis that chromatin remodeling is an early and essential step in the process of HSV-1 reactivation. Analysis of the HSV-1 latently infected rabbit trigeminal ganglia (TG) showed that enrichment of the euchromatic marker H3K4me2 significantly decreased in the LAT 5′exon region (∼2.5-fold) and significantly increased in the lytic ICP4 promoter region (∼3-fold) by 1 h post-TCIE in the highly efficient reactivating McKrae strain of HSV-1. In contrast, we observed no significant change in the euchromatic marks of H3K4me2 associated with LAT 5′exon or ICP4 promoter regions of the poorly reactivating KOS strain of HSV-1 following TCIE through 4 h. The implication that these observed epigenetic changes were linked to transcriptional activity was confirmed by qRT-PCR examining both LAT and lytic transcript abundance following TCIE. We found a significant decrease in the abundance of LAT RNA by 2 h post-iontophoresis of epinephrine coupled to an increase in the transcript abundance of ICP4 in the McKrae strain of HSV-1. By comparison, we observed no change in the LAT or ICP4 transcript abundance of the poor reactivator KOS following iontophoresis of epinephrine through 4 h. Conclusions/Significance Our results implicate that chromatin remodeling is an early and essential step involved in the process of in vivo HSV-1 reactivation.
Petrov-Galerkin finite element analysis for advancing flow front in reaction injection molding

Abstract A numerical scheme for computing the advancement of a flow front and related velocity, pressure, conversion and temperature distributions during mold filling in reaction injection molding (RIM) is described in this work. In the RIM process, the convective term in the energy equation is dominant. Therefore, the numerical scheme has incorporated a Petrov-Galerkin finite element method to suppress spurious oscillations and to improve accuracy of the calculations. The other feature of the numerical scheme is that the flow front locations are computed simultaneously with primary variables by using a surface parameterization technique. The numerical results compare well with the reported experimental data. Improved accuracy obtained by this numerical scheme in the flow front region is expected to assist in the predictions of the fiber orientations and the bubble growth in RIM, which are determined primarily by the flow front region.
HRTEM and EELS study of aluminum nitride in nanostructured Al 5083/B4C processed via cryomilling

Abstract The presence of aluminum nitride in nanostructured aluminum metal matrix composites was studied by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis and electron microscopy simulations. Three types of aluminum nitride structures were identified; predominantly, one layer of N atoms occupies the tetrahedral interstitial positions in the Al lattice, the frequency of which varies as a function of spatial location. The second and third were in the form of hexagonal and possibly cubic aluminum nitride particles with particle sizes on the order of 15–20 nm. The results suggest that the aluminum nitride phase evolves from intermediate transitional structures that involve N atoms in the Al lattice. The aluminum nitride phases frequently contained O and Mg, which preferentially segregate in close proximity to the reinforcement particles. First-principle calculations were used to describe the influence of O and Mg on the adsorption of N.