cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparing the Spelling and Reading Abilities of Students With Cochlear Implants and Students With Typical Hearing

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students with and without hearing loss (HL) differed in their spelling abilities and, specifically, in the underlying linguistic awareness skills that support spelling ability. Furthermore, we examined whether there were differences between the two groups in the relationship between reading and spelling. We assessed the spelling, word-level reading, and reading comprehension skills of nine students with cochlear implants and nine students with typical hearing who were matched for reading age. The students' spellings were analyzed to determine whether the misspellings were due to errors with phonemic awareness, orthographic pattern or morphological awareness, or poor mental graphemic representations. The students with HL demonstrated markedly less advanced spelling abilities than the students with typical hearing. For the students with HL, the misspellings were primarily due to deficiencies in orthographic pattern and morphological awareness. Correlations between measures of spelling and both real word reading and reading comprehension were lower for the students with HL. With additional investigations using a similar approach to spelling analysis that captures the underlying causes for spelling errors, researchers will better understand the linguistic awareness abilities that students with HL bring to the task of reading and spelling.
Storage optimization through code size reduction for digital signal processors

Most modern digital signal processors (DSPs) provide multiple address registers and a dedicated address generation unit (AGU) which performs address generation in parallel to instruction execution. There is no address computation overhead if the next address is within the auto-modify range. A careful placement of variables in memory is utilized to decrease the number of address arithmetic instructions and thus to generate compact and efficient code. The simple offset assignment (SOA) problem concerns the layout of variables for machines with one address register and the general offset assignment (GOA) deals with multiple address registers. Both these problems assume that each variable needs to be allocated for the entire duration of a program. Both SOA and GOA are NP-complete. In this paper, we present an effective heuristic for the general offset assignment problem with variable coalescing (CGOA) where two or more non-interfering variables can be mapped into the same memory location. Results on several benchmarks show the significant improvement of our solution compared to other heuristics. Results were further improved using a simulated annealing (SA).
Study of magnetic helicity injection via plasma imaging using a high-speed digital camera

The evolution of a plasma generated by a novel planar coaxial gun is photographed using a state-of-the-art digital camera, which captures eight time-resolved images per discharge. This experiment is designed to study the fundamental physics of magnetic helicity injection, which is an important issue in fusion plasma confinement, as well as solar and astrophysical phenomena such as coronal mass ejections and accretion disk dynamics. The images presented in this paper are not only beautiful but provide a powerful way to understand the global dynamics of the plasma.
Disclosure Patterns of Black Female Sexual Assault Survivors

Drawing from interviews conducted with 12 Black women who experienced various forms of sexual violence, this study looks specifically at disclosure patterns of Black female sexual assault survivors. In particular, it examines how survivors' awareness of their social location as Black women influences the likelihood of their reporting sexual victimization to family members, friends, criminal justice personnel, and/or helping professionals. The purpose of the study is to add to the knowledge base regarding the impact of sexual violence on Black women's lives and to increase understanding of the factors influencing Black women's decisions to disclose or not to disclose their victimization as well as the consequences of those decisions.
Endoscopic Treatment of Hypothalamic Hamartomas

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HH) are rare non-neoplastic congenital malformations arising from the inferior hypothalamus and associated with gelastic seizures, precocious puberty, and cognitive problems. Except patients with precocious puberty, all others will require surgical treatment. They are classified anatomically according to the Delalande classification and depending on the anatomical position, a different surgical approach or a combination should be used. The transcallosal craniotomy approach is preferred for large HHs. The modified orbitozygomatic craniotomy helps to achieve as low and lateral of an angle of approach as possible to lesions with bilateral attachment. Endoscopic resection assisted usually by stereotactic navigation is preferred as the stand-alone surgical treatment for small HHs. Gamma knife surgery (GKS) is another option ideal for small lesions. Frequently the surgery of HH is a multistep surgery. The endoscopic disconnection of HHs seems to be safer and more effective than other modalities. In our series the outcomes at 6 months were essentially the same in all treatment groups.
Prognosis in Elderly Hypertensive Patients

Hypertension is much more prevalent in the aged than in younger individuals and the risk of cardiovascular complications increases with age. Treatment of hypertension reduces this risk significantly. The benefits of treatment in improving prognosis are at least as striking in elderly as in young and middle-aged hypertensive patients.
Intergenerational Transmission of Abuse of Incarcerated Fathers A Study of the Measurement of Abuse

Research on the intergenerational transmission of abuse hypothesis often only examined the existence of abuse. The current study utilizes retrospective recalls of incarcerated male defendants (N = 414), using questions formulated from the modified Conflict Tactics Scales. Five logistic regression models are run, representing a different physical abuse measure, including incidence of physical abuse; severity of physical abuse; and three composite measures: total frequency, total severity, and total frequency/severity. Although social desirability is a limitation in any study relying on self-report data, the comparison of the chi-square values of each model may give indication that the simpler abuse measures (“incidence of physical abuse” and “severity of physical abuse”) are more predictive of later abusive behaviors than the more complex, composite measures.
Perturbation-resistant and overlay-independent resource discovery

This paper realizes techniques supporting the position that strategies for resource location and discovery in distributed systems should be both perturbation-resistant and overlay-independent. Perturbation-resistance means that inserts and lookups must be robust to ordinary stresses such as node perturbation, which may arise out of congestion, competing client applications, or user churn. Overlay-independence implies that the insert and lookup strategies, and to an extent their performance, should be independent of the actual structure of the underlying overlay. We first show how a well-known distributed hash table (Pastry) may degrade under perturbation. We then present a new resource location and discovery algorithm called MPIL (multi-path insertion/lookup) that is perturbation-resistant and overlay-independent. MPIL is overlay-independent in that it effectively provides to the distributed application an ability to insert and lookup Pastry objects in an overlay with Pastry IDs, but without the need to have Pastry-style overlay maintenance (i.e., the overlay underneath can be arbitrary). We quantify, through analysis and simulation results, the behavior of MPIL over complete, random, and power-law overlays. We also show how MPIL outperforms regular Pastry routing when there is perturbation.
Rabphilin regulates SNARE-dependent re-priming of synaptic vesicles for fusion

Synaptic vesicle fusion is catalyzed by assembly of synaptic SNARE complexes, and is regulated by the synaptic vesicle GTP-binding protein Rab3 that binds to RIM and to rabphilin. RIM is a known physiological regulator of fusion, but the role of rabphilin remains obscure. We now show that rabphilin regulates recovery of synaptic vesicles from use-dependent depression, probably by a direct interaction with the SNARE protein SNAP-25. Deletion of rabphilin dramatically accelerates recovery of depressed synaptic responses; this phenotype is rescued by viral expression of wild-type rabphilin, but not of mutant rabphilin lacking the second rabphilin C2 domain that binds to SNAP-25. Moreover, deletion of rabphilin also increases the size of synaptic responses in synapses lacking the vesicular SNARE protein synaptobrevin in which synaptic responses are severely depressed. Our data suggest that binding of rabphilin to SNAP-25 regulates exocytosis of synaptic vesicles after the readily releasable pool has either been physiologically exhausted by use-dependent depression, or has been artificially depleted by deletion of synaptobrevin.
Improved Hepatic Gene Transfer by Using an Adeno-Associated Virus Serotype 5 Vector

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors have been shown to direct stable gene transfer and expression in hepatocytes, which makes them attractive tools for treatment of inherited disorders such as hemophilia B. While substantial levels of coagulation factor IX (F.IX) have been achieved using AAV serotype 2 vectors, use of a serotype 5 vector further improves transduction efficiency and levels of F.IX transgene expression by 3- to 10-fold. In addition, the AAV-5 vector transduces a higher proportion of hepatocytes (∼15%). The subpopulations of hepatocytes transduced with either vector widely overlap, with the AAV-5 vector transducing additional hepatocytes and showing a wider area of transgene expression throughout the liver parenchyma.
A Novel Test Generation Methodology for Adaptive Diagnosis

This paper presents a automatic test pattern generation technique to improve the diagnostic resolution of a given test set. Each test pattern generated by existing techniques detects a large number of faults. Identifying the faulty candidate from a large set of possible fault candidates is extremely difficult and time consuming. A novel framework to adoptively generate additional patterns for diagnosing the faulty location is presented. The additional patterns prune a set of fault free candidates from the possible fault candidates. The proposed technique improves the diagnostic resolution where each new pattern detects only a small number of faults and each fault is detected by few patterns. The proposed method is applicable to any fault model and distinguishes a large number of faults with a small number of patterns. For simplicity we demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach on the path delay fault model.
Blurred Lines? Provincial Reconstruction Teams and NGO Insecurity in Afghanistan, 2010–2011

Members of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been critical of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) initiative in Afghanistan since its inception, claiming that the mixture of military and humanitarian operations has resulted in ‘blurred lines’ that inhibit insurgents from identifying who is and is not a combatant. Certain organizations have hypothesized that aid workers are more likely to come under attack as a result of this mixture. Although this claim has surfaced in multiple outlets over the years, there was a lack of empirical evidence to support it. This study tests this hypothesis using a panel-corrected standard error regression model of all 34 Afghan provinces in 2010 and 2011. Preliminary results show that NGOs were likely to encounter a greater number of security incidents in provinces with PRTs; however, further analysis reveals this was only the case in provinces with teams not led by the US. This calls into question the validity of a general ‘blurred lines’ explanation for decreased aid worker security.
A time-domain layered finite element reduction recovery method (LAFE-RR) for high-frequency VLSI design

In this paper, we develop a time-domain layered finite element reduction recovery (TD-LAFE-RR) method to solve large-scale IC design problems at high frequencies. This method rigorously reduces the matrix of the original multilayer system to that of a single-layer no matter how large the original problem is. More importantly, the matrix reduction is achieved analytically, and hence the CPU and memory overheads are minimal. Compared to the layered finite-element method we developed earlier, the proposed method further improves the modeling capacity and performance since the matrix reduction is achieved analytically. In addition, developed in time domain, the method permits nonlinear modeling and broadband simulation within one run. Numerical results are given to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.
Results from demineralized bone creep tests suggest that collagen is responsible for the creep behavior of bone.

Cortical and trabecular bone have similar creep behaviors that have been described by power-law relationships, with increases in temperature resulting in faster creep damage accumulation according to the usual Arrhenius (damage rate approximately exp (-Temp.-1)) relationship. In an attempt to determine the phase (collagen or hydroxyapatite) responsible for these similar creep behaviors, we investigated the creep behavior of demineralized cortical bone, recognizing that the organic (i.e., demineralized) matrix of both cortical and trabecular bone is composed primarily of type I collagen. We prepared waisted specimens of bovine cortical bone and demineralized them according to an established protocol. Creep tests were conducted on 18 specimens at various normalized stresses sigma/E0 and temperatures using a noninvasive optical technique to measure strain. Denaturation tests were also conducted to investigate the effect of temperature on the structure of demineralized bone. The creep behavior was characterized by the three classical stages of decreasing, constant, and increasing creep rates at all applied normalized stresses and temperatures. Strong (r2 > 0.79) and significant (p < 0.01) power-law relationships were found between the damage accumulation parameters (steady-state creep rate d epsilon/dt and time-to-failure tf) and the applied normalized stress sigma/E0. The creep behavior was also a function of temperature, following an Arrhenius creep relationship with an activation energy Q = 113 kJ/mole, within the range of activation energies for cortical (44 kJ/mole) and trabecular (136 kJ/mole) bone. The denaturation behavior was characterized by axial shrinkage at temperatures greater than approximately 56 degrees C. Lastly an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of our demineralized cortical bone regressions with those found in the literature for cortical and trabecular bone indicates than all three tissues creep with the same power-law exponents. These similar creep activation energies and exponents suggest that collagen is the phase responsible for creep in bone.
Design of a tunable time-delay element with high data fidelity using dispersion management

We propose a design method for a tunable time-delay element based on the eye-diagram metrics of a system. Two approaches using dispersion management are given, and both show improved fractional delay with high data fidelity.
Review of Careless People

In Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of The Great Gatsby, Sarah Churchwell offers the reader a rich feast complete with an array of amuse bouches such as ‘bootlegging was becoming ...
The effect of sterile inflammation on skin flap survival.

Several investigations have suggested that a sterile inflammatory reaction in a skin flap enhances flap survival. A chemical peel produces a mild chemical burn, which is one form of nonbacterial inflammatory response. Some authors advocate the concomitant use of face lift and chemical peel, while others caution that the peel might jeopardize the facial flaps. To determine whether the reaction caused by a chemical peel enhances or impairs skin flap survival, a study using miniature pigs was undertaken. Survival length of flaps treated with a chemical peel was compared to that of untreated flaps. A total of 36 dorsally based random flaps were used on three miniature pigs. Six identical 14 × 4 cm flaps were designed on each side of the pigs. A chemical peel was applied to the area of 18 of the proposed flaps 2 days prior to elevation. Alternate flaps on each side of the pigs were treated. As the flaps were elevated, the tips were examined to document the inflammatory response histologically. After 14 days, t...
World Systems Theory, Core Periphery Interactions and Elite Economic Exchange in Mississippian Societies

World Systems Theory has been one approach used to explain the rise of the Mississippian social and political phenomenon. In this paper it is argued that a hierarchical model of core-periphery interaction does not explain the Cahokianphenomenon, because several crucial clements of such a model cannot be demonstrated to have existed within the Mississippian system. It is suggested that looking at Mississippian society as a differential core-peripheral system may have utility as a framework for including concepts such as gateway communities and interaction spheres previously used to describe the economic interactions between Cahokia and its neighbors.
Photovoltaic Effect in Bent Quantum Wires in the Ballistic Transport Regime

We propose a scheme for the generation of photocurrent in bent quantum wires. We calculate the current using a generalized Landauer-Buttiker approach that takes into account the electromagnetic radiation. For circularly polarized light, we find that the curvature in the bent wire induces an asymmetry in the scattering coefficients for left and right moving electrons. This asymmetry results in a current at zero bias voltage. The effect is due to the geometry of the wire which transforms the photon angular momentum into translational motion for the electrons.
Phase I trial of high-dose bolus interleukin-2 and interferon alfa-2a in patients with metastatic malignancy.

PURPOSEBased on preclinical evidence that the antitumor effects of the combination of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon alfa (IFN alpha) are greater than those of either cytokine alone, we have performed a phase I trial of recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) and recombinant human IFN alpha 2a (rHuIFN alpha 2a) in patients with refractory malignancies. This study was an extension of an earlier trial that identified reversible myelosuppression as the dose-limiting toxicity of this combination. The present trial used modified definitions of unacceptable toxicity to allow exploration of higher doses of rIL-2.PATIENTS AND METHODSBoth rHuIFN alpha 2a 10.0 x 10(6) U/m2 intramuscularly (IM) and rIL-2 were administered three times weekly for 4 consecutive weeks. IL-2 was given by intravenous (IV) bolus injection at doses that were escalated in successive cohorts of four to six patients, provided that toxicity at the preceding dose level was acceptable. Unacceptable toxicity was defined as an elevation of the serum creatini...
United States Establishes Fund for Abandoned Seafarers

In the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014, the U.S. Congress established a US$5 million fund to pay "necessary support" of a seafarer who is physically present in the U.S. after having been abandoned. Such support may include repatriation expenses. This article examines the legislation and its relationship to relevant international instruments, including the 2006 Maritime Labor Convention.
Tectonic Elements of the Southern Part of the Gulf of California

Closely spaced seismic and bathymetric surveys in the southern province of the Gulf of California reveal a tectonically active and structurally complex plate boundary. While heat-flow measurements, seismicity, large sediment accumulations on continental margins, and the presence of oceanic crust in deep basins strongly suggest divergent plate motion, magnetic anomaly patterns are conspicuously absent in the Gulf as a whole. The rate of sediment accumulation (range: 6-1,000 m/m.y.), however, provides an alternative for the differentiation of two types of fault traces and suggests a process by which recently formed plate boundary zones evolve. Active faults manifest themselves as steep, elongate scarps delineating the active plate boundary zone. These fault traces appear to converge and diverge, for example in the Pescadero Basin complex, in a manner similar to the Southern California borderland. The floors of the intervening basins are flat and relatively sediment free. Relict faults, also elongate fracture zones, are distinguished from active traces in that they are completely filled with hemipelagic muds. The relict faults are located along both sides of the active plate boundary zone and subparallel to it. These features infer that plate motion is relatively rapid, thus explaining the paucity of sediment accumulation in actively spreading basins in spite of high sedimentation rates. Substantial plate boundary readjustment in short time periods is suggested by the periodic abandoment and subsequent infilling and attachment of formerly active transform faults to the more stable margins of the plates involved. The Gulf of California, therefore, represents a working model of the evolution of a plate boundary and its sedimentological consequences in the early tectonic developmental stage of a passive margin ocean basin such as the Atlantic.
Discrete Adjoint Design Optimization Approach for Increasing Transonic Buffet Onset Angle-of-Attack

Presented is a discrete adjoint method for transonic buffet design optimization. The method is based on a frequency domain approach for modeling unsteady aerodynamics. Automatic differentiation is used to derive the computer code representing the adjoint gradient unsteady frequency domain solver. The gradient information is then used to optimize the geometric design in order to minimize unsteady aerodynamic response near the buffet onset boundary. The methodology is demonstrated for a NACA 0012 airfoil transonic buffet configuration. Preliminary analysis indicates that design modification can be done to increase buffet onset angle-of-attack by around one degree for a flow condition where the buffet onset angle-of-attack for the nominal design is roughly three degrees, and that it is possible to do this while maintaining the symmetry of airfoil as well as not greatly altering the maximum airfoil thickness.
Immunophenotyping of lymphomas and leukemias in paraffin-embedded tissues.

The current status of immunophenotyping of lymphomas and leukemias on paraffin-embedded tissue sections is reviewed. We have chosen to describe only commercially available antibodies that are most commonly used in hematopathology laboratories. Paraffin-embedded tissues have advantages over frozen tissues because they have superior morphology, permitting better analysis of immunoreactivity in both malignant and reactive cell populations. Additionally, retrospective studies can be done with archival material. The number of antibodies available for paraffin sections is limited, however, compared with available frozen-section material. Thus, fresh tissue for frozen-section and/or flow-cytometric analysis should continue to be collected to supplement studies on paraffin-embedded tissues when necessary
Wolman's disease: report of two new cases, with a review of the literature.

Two additional cases of the acute infantile form of Wolman’s disease, occurring in Iranian Moslems, are described. Diagnosis in both cases was made on the basis of clinical findings of hepatosplenomegaly, malabsorption, and adrenal calcification demonstrated by roentgenographic examination. Histochemical studies confirmed the presence of cholesterol and triglycerides in “foam cells.” Extensive involvement of the small intestine, adrenal glands, and reticuloendothelial system, but not of the central nervous system, was found at autopsy. The literature is reviewed, with emphasis on the clinical and pathologic involvement found, recently described milder variants of the disease, and biochemical and genetic aspects.
Nature of Induced Attacks by the Black Hills Beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Attractants of Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, made by attaching infested bolts to green trees or forcing attacks on such trees under screen cages, provided a means to study how the beetle attacks trees and stands. Attractant trees were always infested first; first attacks occurred below 8 ft, and generally below 4 ft. Initial attacks on adjacent trees, which occurred during the mass attack, appeared slightly higher on the trees but not higher than 10 ft. Subsequent attacks occurred below and above the initial attacks, with the mean height increasing with time. Trees became infested at progressively greater distances from the attractant center. Infested trees were significantly larger than green trees within the radius of infestation. The greatest number of attacks was recorded at the end of the 4 PM to 6 AM period.
Partial Atomic Charges and Screened Charge Models of the Electrostatic Potential.

We propose a new screened charge method for calculating partial atomic charges in molecules by electrostatic potential (ESP) fitting. The model, called full density screening (FDS), is used to approximate the screening effect of full charge densities of atoms in molecules. The results are compared to the conventional ESP fitting method based on point charges and to our previously proposed outer density screening (ODS) method, in which the parameters are reoptimized for the present purpose. In ODS, the charge density of an atom is represented by the sum of a point charge and a smeared negative charge distributed in a Slater-type orbital (STO). In FDS, the charge density of an atom is taken to be the sum of the charge density of the neutral atom and a partial atomic charge (of either sign) distributed in an STO. The ζ values of the STOs used in these two models are optimized in the present study to best reproduce the electrostatic potentials. The quality of the fit to the electrostatics is improved in the s...
Discussion of “Target's Tax Shelter Participation and Takeover Premiums”

Chow, Klassen, and Liu (), hereafter CKL, examine whether M&A bidding firms are willing to pay more for target firms that disclose they have not participated in a “tax shelter” sometime in the past. My discussion provides an overview of the past and current tax literature in accounting and places CKL within this expanding literature. I then provide a critique of this interesting and well-executed study that exploits an unusual disclosure to examine tax shelter participation effects.
Genome assembly from synthetic long read clouds

Motivation: Despite rapid progress in sequencing technology, assembling de novo the genomes of new species as well as reconstructing complex metagenomes remains major technological challenges. New synthetic long read (SLR) technologies promise significant advances towards these goals; however, their applicability is limited by high sequencing requirements and the inability of current assembly paradigms to cope with combinations of short and long reads. Results: Here, we introduce Architect, a new de novo scaffolder aimed at SLR technologies. Unlike previous assembly strategies, Architect does not require a costly subassembly step; instead it assembles genomes directly from the SLR’s underlying short reads, which we refer to as read clouds. This enables a 4- to 20-fold reduction in sequencing requirements and a 5-fold increase in assembly contiguity on both genomic and metagenomic datasets relative to state-of-the-art assembly strategies aimed directly at fully subassembled long reads. Availability and Implementation: Our source code is freely available at https://github.com/kuleshov/architect. Contact: ude.drofnats@vohseluk
De Morgan′s Series Test

Augustus De Morgan, widely known for his eponymous logic laws, also formulated a little-known convergence test for infinite series in his 1842 calculus textbook. After demonstrating a problem with ...
Temporal resolution enhancement of image sequences capturing evolving weather phenomena

In this paper, we develop an approach for temporal resolution enhancement of blurry and distorted image sequences capturing evolving weather phenomena. We first enhance the spatial resolution of a sequence of images using an efficient deconvolution method which we showed to reduce image ringing, blurring, and distortion, while sharpening the image and preserving information content. Such methodology is based on current research in sparse optimization and compressed sensing, which lead to unprecedented efficiencies for solving image reconstruction problems. We then consider the evolving sequence to be embedded in a deformable medium, and enhance temporal resolution of a sequence using nonlinear viscous fluid registration model. The physical continuum equation is solved using an efficient multigrid full approximation scheme.
Preparation and Characterization of Four Stereoisomers of Monatin

Monatin is a naturally occurring, sweet amino acid comprising four stereoisomers due to its two asymmetric centers at C2 and C4. However, the characteristics of each stereoisomer have not yet been fully investigated. To obtain a sufficient amount of racemic monatin for optical resolution, a synthetic method was developed by modifying a possible biosynthetic pathway, i.e., a cross-aldol reaction and subsequent transamination. The key intermediate, 4-hydroxy-4-(3-indolylmethyl)-2-ketoglutaric acid, was obtained via the cross-aldol reaction of pyruvic acid and indole-3-pyruvic acid. Subsequently, the carbonyl group was converted to a hydroxyimino group through reaction with hydroxylamine and then to an amino group via hydrogenation to produce monatin. Next, the racemic monatin was divided into mixtures of two pairs of enantiomers through recrystallization. Finally, both enantiomers of the N-carbobenzoxy-γ-lactone derivatives of monatin were separated by preparative HPLC and deprotected. It was found that all optically pure stereoisomers exhibited a sweet taste. The isomer that displayed the most intense sweetness was the (2R,4R)-isomer, as determined by single crystal X-ray structure analysis of the monatin potassium salt, whereas the least sweet isomer was the (2S,4S)-isomer, which demonstrated a far lower sweetness than was previously reported.
All N-3 PUFA are not the Same: A Comparison of DPA, EPA and DHA by MD Simulations

Long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have drawn a lot of attention due to the enormous health benefits associated with their dietary consumption. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6) have been the primary focus while docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5), the elongation product of EPA, has only begun to be studied recently. They differ in the number and/or location of double bonds and thereby biological activity. One approach to discriminating differences between the three n-3 PUFA is to understand how they modulate the molecular organization of cell membranes when incorporated into phospholipids.
The Role of Multiple Neuromodulators in Reinforcement Learning That Is Based on Competition between Eligibility Traces.

The ability to maximize reward and avoid punishment is essential for animal survival. Reinforcement learning (RL) refers to the algorithms used by biological or artificial systems to learn how to maximize reward or avoid negative outcomes based on past experiences. While RL is also important in machine learning, the types of mechanistic constraints encountered by biological machinery might be different than those for artificial systems. Two major problems encountered by RL are how to relate a stimulus with a reinforcing signal that is delayed in time (temporal credit assignment), and how to stop learning once the target behaviors are attained (stopping rule). To address the first problem, synaptic eligibility traces were introduced, bridging the temporal gap between a stimulus and its reward. Although these were mere theoretical constructs, recent experiements have provided evidence of their existence. These experiments also reveal that the presence of specific neuromodulators converts the traces into changes in synaptic efficacy. A mechanistic implementation of the stopping rule usually assumes the inhibition of the reward nucleus; however, recent experimental results have shown that learning terminates at the appropriate network state even in setups where the reward cannot be inhibited. In an effort to describe a learning rule that solves the temporal credit assignment problem and implements a biologically plausible stopping rule, we proposed a model based on two separate synaptic eligibility traces, one for long-term potentiation (LTP) and one for long-term depression (LTD), each obeying different dynamics and having different effective magnitudes. The model has been shown to successfully generate stable learning in recurrent networks. Although the model assumes the presence of a single neuromodulator, evidence indicates that there are different neuromodulators for expressing the different traces. What could be the role of different neuromodulators for expressing the LTP and LTD traces? Here we expand on our previous model to include several neuromodulators, and illustrate through various examples how different neuromodulators contribute to learning reward-timing within a wide set of training paradigms and propose further roles that multiple neuromodulators can play in encoding additional information of the rewarding signal.
Unsuccessfully Treated Hypertension: A Major Public Health Problem With a Potential Solution.

Background About one-half of all hypertensive adults do not have their blood pressure controlled. They are often prescribed medications that conform to national guidelines but they continue to have elevated blood pressure. This public health problem might be improved by applying plasma renin guided therapy. Results A contributor to the public health problem of unsuccessfully treated hypertension is that the circulating renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is not recognized in treatment guidelines as clinically relevant for the treatment of hypertension or as important as the body salt status for determining blood pressure levels. Another contributor to the problem is the lack of specificity in the package inserts for antihypertensive drugs. They do not specifically state under the heading "Indications" that RAS blockers are primarily most effective in hypertensive subjects with medium and high plasma renin levels; by contrast, natriuretic drugs are most effective in those with low plasma renin levels. Methods Literature review. Conclusions To address the problem of unsuccessfully treated hypertension, we recommend that the "Indications" section of package inserts for antihypertensive drugs be more specific. The primary indication for RAS blockers ought to be hypertension with medium and high plasma renin levels, and natriuretic agents for those with low plasma renin levels. Similar language ought to be added to treatment guidelines. Additionally, 3 other reasons for lack of blood pressure control also need to be addressed-failure to prescribe antihypertensive drugs to hypertensive subjects, failure of patients to fill prescriptions, and low drug adherence.
A low power 2.4 GHz superheterodyne receiver architecture with external LO for wirelessly powered backscatter tags and sensors

We present a low power superheterodyne receiver architecture for wirelessly powered backscatter tags and sensors. This receiver architecture eliminates the power hungry local oscillator (LO) from the receiver by leveraging an external continuous wave (CW) carrier as both power source and LO source. The superheterodyne intermediate frequency (IF) is obtained from the output of a custom designed passive two-port mixer which simultaneously serves as an energy harvester. We have validated the proposed architecture at 2.4 GHz in benchtop proof-of-concept testing by successfully receiving and decoding Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising packets, which use GFSK modulation at 1 Mbps.
Optical materials for the infrared

Various optical, mechanical and thermal properties of old and new infrared materials are reviewed with attention to their application.
Labeling Actors in Social Networks Using a Heterogeneous Graph Kernel

We consider the problem of labeling actors in social networks where the labels correspond to membership in specific interest groups, or other attributes of the actors. Actors in a social network are linked to not only other actors but also items (e.g., video and photo) which in turn can be linked to other items or actors. Given a social network in which only some of the actors are labeled, our goal is to predict the labels of the remaining actors. We introduce a variant of the random walk graph kernel to deal with the heterogeneous nature of the network (i.e., presence of a large number of node and link types). We show that the resulting heterogeneous graph kernel (HGK) can be used to build accurate classifiers for labeling actors in social networks. Specifically, we describe results of experiments on two real-world data sets that show HGK classifiers often significantly outperform or are competitive with the state-of-the-art methods for labeling actors in social networks.
Passports, Citizenship, Residency and Asylum: The Meanings of Decolonisation in Lesotho

In late colonial Basutoland and early independence Lesotho, the issue of who could access citizenship rights and passports became increasingly important. Political refugees fleeing apartheid South ...
An exceptionally potent analog of sandramycin

Abstract The preparation and preliminary evaluation of 2 , an analog of sandramycin, are detailed. Although 2 was typically 4–10x less potent than sandramycin against leukemia cell lines, it was found to be 1–10,000x more potent against melanomas, carcinomas, and adenocarcinomas exhibiting typical IC 50 values of 200-1 pM and placing it among the most potent agents identified to date.
Controlling Complex Coacervation via Random Polyelectrolyte Sequences

The utilization of chemical sequence control in polymeric materials is key to enabling material design on par with biomacromolecular systems. One important avenue for scalable sequence-controlled p...
Silicon Nitride Photonic Platform for 2D Materials Integration

Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of Silicon Nitride photonic platform for visible wavelength (~640 nm). The optimized passive SiN platform could be interesting for integrated 2D materials based photonic devices exploiting sharp exciton resonance.
Clinicopathologic Features of Small Renal Masses Associated With Distant Metastatic Disease

OBJECTIVES To assess the clinicopathologic features of small renal masses (≤4 cm) associated with distant metastatic disease. METHODS We identified radical or partial nephrectomies with renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) measuring 4 cm or less in size (pT1a or pT3a) from 2005 to 2015. Clinicopathologic features were compiled. RESULTS A total of 590 RCCs 4 cm or less were identified, of which 3.9% were associated with distant metastatic RCC. Metastasis was more common in pT3a tumors 4 cm or less than pT1a tumors (19% vs 2.7%; P < .01). Seventy percent of tumors were clear cell RCCs. Overall, 43% of patients had previously (30%) or subsequently (13%) diagnosed RCC prior to development of metastasis, 80% of which were the same histologic subtype as the small renal mass. CONCLUSIONS Distant metastatic disease was rarely encountered in patients with small renal masses. Many of the patients with distant metastases had previously or subsequently diagnosed RCC, which could represent the true source of metastatic disease.
Barriers to the Enhancement of Effective Communication in Neurosurgery.

Communication issues play a major role within neurosurgery. There has been a growing awareness of the necessity of enhanced patient-centered communication between the physician and patient to improve patient satisfaction, compliance, and outcomes. In addition, the threat of malpractice litigation within neurosurgery is of particular concern, and improved communication may lead to some degree of risk mitigation. Within the neurosurgical and medical team, effective transmittal of vital clinical data is essential for patient safety. Despite the recent recognition of the critical role that communication plays in all aspects of medical care, multiple impediments hinder the improvement and use of effective techniques. We have identified 8 unique barriers to the advancement of communication practices: lack of recognition of the importance of communication skills; cognitive bias; sense that it “takes too much time”; cultural hierarchy within medicine; lack of formal communication skill training; fear that disclosure of medical errors will lead to malpractice litigation; the electronic medical record; and frequent shift changes and handoffs.
PPCA: privacy-preserving conditional actions for IoT environments using smart contracts

Automated tasks play an important role in both consumer and industrial IoT environments. In many scenarios, the IoT tasks are performed given certain conditions. To facilitate the tasks, it is necessary to delegate a third party to listen to events that trigger the conditions and issue commands to the IoT resources accordingly. However, without restriction, the third party may be over-privileged and able to control the resources unconditionally. We define the third party's permission to act under some conditions as a conditional action. We propose PPCA, a privacy-preserving service that allows users to create conditional actions in a decentralized platform using smart contracts. PPCA can guarantee strict privilege at the third party that holds conditional actions. By generalizing a variety of conditions into simple forms of conditional logic, the conditions can be verified in a privacy-preserving manner. We build a prototype of PPCA on Ethereum. The performance shows the feasibility of PPCA in IoT environments.
Transcriptional control of parallel-acting pathways that remove discrete presynaptic proteins in remodeling neurons

Synapses are actively dismantled to mediate circuit refinement, but the developmental pathways that regulate synaptic disassembly are largely unknown. We have previously shown that the epithelial sodium channel UNC-8 triggers an activity-dependent mechanism that drives the removal of presynaptic proteins liprin-a/SYD-2, Synaptobrevin/SNB-1, RAB-3 and Endophilin/UNC-57 in remodeling GABAergic neurons in C. elegans (Miller-Fleming et al. 2016). Here, we report that the transcription factor Iroquois/IRX-1 regulates UNC-8 expression as well as an additional pathway, independent of UNC-8, that functions in parallel to dismantle functional presynaptic terminals. We show that the additional IRX-1-regulated pathway is selectively required for the removal of the presynaptic proteins, Munc13/UNC-13 and ELKS, which normally mediate synaptic vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release. Our findings are notable because they highlight the key role of transcriptional regulation in synapse elimination and reveal parallelacting pathways that orchestrate synaptic disassembly by removing specific active zone proteins.
CT-guided biopsy of pulmonary nodules ≤10 mm: Diagnostic yield based on nodules' lobar and segmental distribution.

Abstract Purpose The aim of our study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT-guided biopsy of lung nodules ≤10 mm based on their lobar and segmental location. Materials and methods This was a retrospective study performed on 193 CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsies of lung nodules ≤10 mm in greatest dimension, between January 1, 2013 and April 30, 2019. Biopsies were classified as either diagnostic or non-diagnostic based on final cytology and surgical pathology reports. Diagnostic results were those that met parameters for malignancy or a specific benign diagnosis, whereas atypical cells, non-specific benignity, or insufficient specimen were considered non-diagnostic. Results A total of 1577 CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsies were reviewed. Of these, 193 nodules (12.24%) measured ≤10 mm and were selected for further analysis. Of the 193 biopsies, 138 yielded diagnostic results while 56 yielded nondiagnostic results (71% vs 29%, respectively). When analyzed by nodule location, the superior segments of the lower lobes boasted the highest diagnostic yield compared to nodules located in the basal segments of the lower lobes which had the lowest diagnostic yield (84.2% vs 64.7%, respectively). Nodules in the upper lobes and in the middle lobes had a diagnostic yield of 70% and 66.7%, respectively. Conclusion The diagnostic performance of CT-guided biopsy of lung nodules ≤10 mm in diameter may be affected by lobar and segmental location. While the overall performance was good (diagnostic yield of 71%), the yield varied nearly 20% depending on location.
Exploring 1-adamantanamine as an alternative amine moiety for metabolically labile azepane ring in newly synthesized benzo[ d]thiazol-2(3 H)one σ receptor ligands

In this work we report the structure–affinity relationships, binding properties, and metabolic stability studies of a series of benzo[d]thiazol-2(3H)one as sigma receptor (σR) ligands. Specifically, to improve the metabolic stability of the cyclic amine fragment of our lead compound (SN56), the metabolically unstable azepane ring was replaced with a 1-adatamantamine moiety. Within the synthesized analogs, compound 12 had low nanomolar affinity for the σ1R (Ki = 7.2 nM) and moderate preference (61-fold) over the σ2R. In vitro metabolic stability studies showed a slight improvement of the metabolic stability for 7–12, even though an extensive metabolism in rat liver microsomes is being observed. Furthermore, metabolic soft spot identification of 12 suggested that the N-methyl group of the adamantyl moiety is a major site of metabolism.
Heterostructure Device Physics: Band Discontinuities as Device Design Parameters

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the physics of heterostructure devices. Heterostructures are semiconductor structures in which the basic semiconductor itself is different in different portions of the structure. There are several reasons why the incorporation of heterojunctions into device structures is advantageous. The dominant one, more important than all other reasons combined, is the fact that the abrupt change in the basic semiconductor implies an abrupt change in the energy band structure. This invariably leads to discontinuities, or offsets, in the conduction and valence band edges. These offsets act as potential steps, like abrupt electrostatic potential steps, but independently of and in addition to whatever purely electrostatic potential variations are present. Such quasielectric potential steps provide an extraordinarily powerful new design parameter to aid in the control of the flow and distribution of the mobile charge carriers in device structures. To be able to utilize heterostructure band offsets as device design parameters, it is necessary to know the magnitude of the band offsets. Therefore, the chapter presents the current status of the knowledge on this matter and it also illustrates the complete energy band diagram of a single heterojunction in the presence of the band bending caused by the space charges that accompany heterojunctions just as they accompany p–n homojunctions.
Children with CKD Are Not Little Adults with CKD: Pediatric Considerations for the Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative.

The Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health (AAKH) focused overdue attention on the long-underserved needs of patients with CKD. Most notably, it called for broad changes in care delivery, especially the current approach to KRT in chronic pediatric kidney failure. Although a child