cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ENZYMES AND THE LAW OF MASS ACTION.

It is known that the concentration of both the substrate and the end product influence enzymatic activity in a way that has been explained by the law of mass action. Solutes other than substrate and end product have recently been found to have a retarding influence on enzyme action. For example, separately, potassium nitrate and cane sugar markedly reduce the rate at which soluble starch is digested to glucose by diastase. In the experimental investigation described in table I, 9 ml. of 1 per cent, soluble starch and 1 ml. of 1 per cent, diastase were used. The control had an additional 10 ml. of distilled water. The experimental mixtures had 10 ml. of 2 M commercial glucose, 10 ml. of 2 M cane sugar, and 10 ml. of 2 M potassium nitrate, respectively, in addition to the 9 ml. of 1 per cent, soluble starch and 1 ml. of 1 per cent, diastase. It can be readily ascertained that the commercial glucose, cane sugar, and potassium nitrate, respectively, had a final concentration of 1 M. As can be noted from the data in table I, 1 M cane sugar had slightly more retarding influence on diastase than did an equal concentration of commercial glucose, and 1 M potassium nitrate had twice as much retarding influence. The experiments were carried out at room temperature (about 25? C). TABLE I
A supervised 'lesion-enhancement' filter by use of a massive-training artificial neural network (MTANN) in computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) *

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) has been an active area of study in medical image analysis. A filter for the enhancement of lesions plays an important role for improving the sensitivity and specificity in CAD schemes. The filter enhances objects similar to a model employed in the filter; e.g. a blob-enhancement filter based on the Hessian matrix enhances sphere-like objects. Actual lesions, however, often differ from a simple model; e.g. a lung nodule is generally modeled as a solid sphere, but there are nodules of various shapes and with internal inhomogeneities such as a nodule with spiculations and ground-glass opacity. Thus, conventional filters often fail to enhance actual lesions. Our purpose in this study was to develop a supervised filter for the enhancement of actual lesions (as opposed to a lesion model) by use of a massive-training artificial neural network (MTANN) in a CAD scheme for detection of lung nodules in CT. The MTANN filter was trained with actual nodules in CT images to enhance actual patterns of nodules. By use of the MTANN filter, the sensitivity and specificity of our CAD scheme were improved substantially. With a database of 69 lung cancers, nodule candidate detection by the MTANN filter achieved a 97% sensitivity with 6.7 false positives (FPs) per section, whereas nodule candidate detection by a difference-image technique achieved a 96% sensitivity with 19.3 FPs per section. Classification-MTANNs were applied for further reduction of the FPs. The classification-MTANNs removed 60% of the FPs with a loss of one true positive; thus, it achieved a 96% sensitivity with 2.7 FPs per section. Overall, with our CAD scheme based on the MTANN filter and classification-MTANNs, an 84% sensitivity with 0.5 FPs per section was achieved.
Control of seismically excited cable-stayed bridge using a resetting semi-active stiffness damper

Cable-stayed bridges are prone to exhibit large amplitude oscillations due to the large flexibility, small mass and small inherent damping. Hence, the reduction of seismic or wind-induced vibration of cable-stayed bridges is vital for their safety and serviceability. A resetting semi-active stiffness damper (RSASD) is utilized to control the peak dynamic response of a benchmark problem on cable-stayed bridge subject to earthquakes developed recently by S.J. Dyke et al (2000). The model of the benchmark cable-stayed bridge is based on the actual cable-stayed bridge that is under construction on Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA. The prime aim of the study is to investigate the application of protective devices, such as semi-active and passive dampers, in reducing the displacement of the deck as well as base shear and moments at the base of the towers. In this research, we have investigated the applications of resetting semi-active damper (RSASD) as well as passive viscous and fluid dampers to the benchmark bridge problem. Numerical simulations are conducted by installing RSASD devices as well as passive viscous and friction dampers between the pier and the deck of the bridge. Numerical results clearly indicate that the displacement of the deck, and those of the shear and moment at the base of the towers are reduced substantially by installing these protective devices.
AUTOMATIC-SPREADING ACTIVATION EFFECTS FOLLOWING CHILDREN'S READING OF COMPLETE SENTENCES

Third-, sixth-, and college-grade level students participated in an on-line reading task that incorporated both a naming latency and a subsequent cued-recall memory requirement. Following reading of a complete sentence, latency for naming a target word was measured in which the target word was either (a) a repetition of a word in the previous sentence, (b) an associate of a word in the previous sentence, (c) inferable from the integrated meaning of words in the previous sentence, or (d) unrelated to words in the previous sentence. Increased speed was found for naming words presented in the repeated, associated, and inferred target conditions as compared to the unrelated word condition. In each case, the observed facilitation effect was of greater magnitude for the younger readers. In the cued-recall task, singleword cues resulted in better recall memory performance when the cue had been explicitly presented in a prior sentence as compared to cues which were only inferable from previously read material. Results were interpreted in terms of context effects which extend beyond sentence completion boundaries and in terms of developmental differences in automatic expectancy and semantic integration effects.
Hemoglobin A1c in diabetes: panacea or pointless?

Glycation is the nonenzymatic attachment of a monosaccharide to amino groups of proteins. The reaction has been recognized for many years in the food industry, where it is known as browning (also termed the Maillard reaction) and is responsible for the formation of commonly ingested items, such as toast. In patients with diabetes, glucose accumulation results in enhanced glycation of many proteins, both in tissues (e.g., the lens) and in the blood. Of these, glycated hemoglobin (GHb) is by far the most frequently measured in patient care. Hemoglobin (Hb) in healthy adults consists predominantly of HbA, which has 2α- and 2β-chains. Glucose can attach to several amino acid residues in these chains. HbA1c is formed when glucose attaches specifically to the NH2-terminal valine of the β-chain. Formation of HbA1c is essentially irreversible, and its concentration in the blood depends on both the life span of the red blood cell (RBC), which averages ∼120 days, and the blood glucose concentration. Because the rate of formation of HbA1c is directly proportional to the concentration of glucose in the blood, HbA1c represents integrated values for glucose over the preceding 8 to 12 weeks (Table 1). View this table: TABLE 1 Selected attributes of HbA1c Initially described 57 years ago (1), GHb was first reported to be increased in patients with diabetes in the late 1960s (2). The clinical value of GHb was soon realized and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) began encouraging the routine measurement of GHb in all patients with diabetes (3). The fundamental role of GHb in diabetes was accentuated by the publication in 1993 of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) (4). The study, which compared intensive to conventional insulin therapy in patients with type 1 diabetes, documented a direct relationship between blood glucose concentrations …
Structural determinants of the 5'-methylthioinosine specificity of Plasmodium purine nucleoside phosphorylase.

Plasmodium parasites rely upon purine salvage for survival. Plasmodium purine nucleoside phosphorylase is part of the streamlined Plasmodium purine salvage pathway that leads to the phosphorylysis of both purines and 5′-methylthiopurines, byproducts of polyamine synthesis. We have explored structural features in Plasmodium falciparum purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PfPNP) that affect efficiency of catalysis as well as those that make it suitable for dual specificity. We used site directed mutagenesis to identify residues critical for PfPNP catalytic activity as well as critical residues within a hydrophobic pocket required for accommodation of the 5′-methylthio group. Kinetic analysis data shows that several mutants had disrupted binding of the 5′-methylthio group while retaining activity for inosine. A triple PfPNP mutant that mimics Toxoplasma gondii PNP had significant loss of 5′-methylthio activity with retention of inosine activity. Crystallographic investigation of the triple mutant PfPNP with Tyr160Phe, Val66Ile, andVal73Ile in complex with the transition state inhibitor immucillin H reveals fewer hydrogen bond interactions for the inhibitor in the hydrophobic pocket.
High Order Fast Sweeping Methods for Static Hamilton---Jacobi Equations

We construct high order fast sweeping numerical methods for computing viscosity solutions of static Hamilton---Jacobi equations on rectangular grids. These methods combine high order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) approximations to derivatives, monotone numerical Hamiltonians and Gauss---Seidel iterations with alternating-direction sweepings. Based on well-developed first order sweeping methods, we design a novel approach to incorporate high order approximations to derivatives into numerical Hamiltonians such that the resulting numerical schemes are formally high order accurate and inherit the fast convergence from the alternating sweeping strategy. Extensive numerical examples verify efficiency, convergence and high order accuracy of the new methods.
Application of Phi29 DNA polymerase mediated whole genome amplification on single spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi

Genetic analysis of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi relies on analysis of single spores. The low DNA content makes it difficult to perform large scale molecular analysis. We present the application of Phi29 DNA polymerase mediated strand displacement amplification (SDA) to genomic DNA extracted from single spores of Glomus and Gigaspora species to address this problem. The genome coverage of the SDA process was evaluated by PCR amplification of the β-tubulin1 gene and part of the rDNA cluster present in AM fungi. The fidelity of SDA was evaluated further by sequencing the Glomus intraradices ITS1 variants to detect the four ITS1 variants previously identified for this fungus.
Rodent Carcinogenicity Bioassay: Past, Present, and Future

Toxicity/carcinogenicity studies in rodents have played a pivotal role in identifying chemicals that are potentially hazardous to humans. In fact, nearly all of the known human carcinogens are also carcinogenic in 1 or more rodent species. During the past 20 yr the quality and consistency of rodent studies has improved considerably, and much has been learned about mechanisms whereby chemicals initiate or promote the carcinogenic process in rats and mice. The process of identifying chemicals that cause toxicity or carcinogenicity in rodents is quite well established, but the procedures for extrapolating this data for risk management decisions in the protection of human health have lagged far behind. While many would accept the assumptions that genotoxic chemicals that cause cancer in animals pose a cancer risk to humans and that genotoxic chemicals causing cancer at high doses pose a risk at lower doses, there is much less certainty with respect to nongenotoxic chemicals. The confusion about risk extrapolation for nongenotoxic chemicals has often lead to criticism of the hazard identification process for chemicals in general. There is increasing awareness of the complexity of the carcinogenic process that has made species extrapolation and dose extrapolation from rodent studies to humans more complex. Although newer molecular biological techniques and cell kinetic measurements offer exciting possibilities for better risk assessment, it is the combination of well-designed rodent studies with appropriate mechanistic studies that offers the best hope for regulatory decisions based on sound scientific principles.
Facts and Fiction: Cellular Models for High Throughput Screening for HIV-1 Reactivating Drugs

A curative therapy for HIV-1 infection will have to include measures to eliminate the reservoir of latently HIV- 1 infected cells that allow the virus to persist despite otherwise successful therapy. To date, all efforts to deplete the latent reservoir by triggering viral reactivation have used preexisting drugs that are believed to potentially target molecular mechanisms controlling HIV-1 infection. These therapeutic attempts were not clinically successful. Only in the last few years have cellular models of latent HIV-1 infection suitable for high throughput screening been developed and concerted drug discovery efforts were initiated to discover new HIV-1 reactivating drugs. We here provide a historic overview about the development of cell models with latent HIV-1 infection that lend themselves to drug discovery. We provide an overview from the first reported latently infected cell lines to current in vitro models of latent HIV-1 infection in primary T cells, and compare their potential to be used in future large-scale drug screening efforts.
Value of bone scanning in neoplastic disease

This article reviews recent literature on a variety of primary and secondary bone tumors in an attempt to indicate the use of bone scans in the peri- and posttreatment phases. The data indicate that the yields and value of bone scans are tumor specific and that for some tumors (particularly breast and prostate) interpretation of studies on patients undergoing hormonal or chemotherapy can be complicated by the "flare phenomenon." Data are still needed on the rate of development of bone metastases in the follow-up period on a stage-specific and therapy-specific basis.
Discounted Cash Flow Exercises

Students are asked in each of the situations presented, which alternative is better, assuming that they would put whatever money they receive in a secure investment that returns 10% annually.
An angle-selective CMOS imager with on-chip micro-collimators for blur reduction in near-field cell imaging

Development of microfabricated imagers placed within the resection bed intraoperatively can significantly improve image-guided surgery. One application is identifying microscopic disease during cancer removal. This class of imagers requires robustness against variations in fluid, blood, and tissue surface profile which vary the distance of the tissue from the imager, causing light from the sample to be incident on the imager at a wide range of angles, thereby blurring the image. This paper addresses this problem by demonstrating an angle-selective imager fabricated in a 0.18um CMOS process, capable of reducing light incident at angles >25° from the perpendicular by >50%.
Seeing How Far I’ve Come: The Impact of the Digital Sexual Life History Calendar on Young Adult Research Participants

The Digital Sexual Life History Calendar (d/SLHC) is a Web-based platform for collecting young adults' sexual histories. In addition to collecting diverse data, the d/SLHC was designed to benefit participants by enabling reflection on their sexual and relationship experiences in the context of other life events and circumstances. In a pilot study of the d/SLHC, survey data were collected to test whether creating a d/SLHC timeline had any impact on sexual well-being. A sample of 18- to 25-year-old participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) completed an online survey about sexuality and relationships. Of those, 113 also completed d/SLHC timelines and 262 served as a comparison group. Six months later, participants from both groups were invited to complete a follow-up survey (total N = 249). Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicated that participants who completed d/SLHC timelines exhibited higher sexual esteem immediately following d/SLHC completion and at follow-up. No changes in sexual esteem were observed in the comparison group, and there were no differences between the groups with regard to sexual health behaviors and outcomes. These findings suggest that sexuality studies may have the potential to yield not only rich data for researchers but also rich experiences for participants.
The Estimated Size of Pseudomonas aeruginosa β-Galactosidase

SummaryThe β-galactosidase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated and enriched approximately 25-fold. Gel filtration experiments provide an estimated molecular weight of 45,000. The comparatively small size of this enzyme is evidence for the nonrelatedness of pseudomonads and previously characterized microorganisms (e.g., Aeromonas formicans).
Khans, Kings, Communists, Warlords and Presidents: Afghan Kirghiz Socioeconomic Strategies for Extorting and Extracting from the State

The Afghan state, for most of its existence and in its various forms, has attempted to exert sovereignty over the whole of its territory while constrained by its limited ability to directly administer unproductive, marginal areas. The political history of the Kirghiz of the Afghan Pamirs illustrates how this core-periphery model of state control has affected local governance. The resources controlled by the state as well as the state’s willingness to expend them in the Pamirs have resulted in new forms of political capital for Kirghiz leaders to exploit. In the post-Taliban period, a highly centralized government in Kabul, supported by huge amounts of international assistance, has offered unprecedented incentives for active cooperation with the state in exchange for patronage. In response, Kirghiz leaders have come to depend on access to external rather than domestic resources to maintain their influence. Declining levels of international aid to Afghanistan will render this system increasingly unstable and threaten to undermine Kirghiz strategies for negotiating with the state.
Effects of Nutrients on Prevention and Treatment of Subclinical Lead-poisoning

Some nutrients play important roles in preventing and treating for lead-poisoning.A review with 39 references is given on the effects of calcium,iron,zinc,selenium and vitamins on prevention and treatment of subclinical lead-poisoning.
Spermatogenesis in the Unilateral Cryptorchid Testis After Orchiopexy

We herein examine the role of orchiopexy in the child with unilateral cryptorchidism and specifically discuss whether this operation produces a testis capable of good sperm production. Contralateral vasectomy was performed in subjects who previously had undergone unilateral orchiopexy. Semen analysis from the previously operated testes showed marked diminution in spermatogenesis.
Surgery and Radiotherapy for Primary Breast Cancer: What We Have Learned from the Controlled Clinical Trials

The history of the use of surgery and radiotherapy for the management of primary breast cancer is reviewed wth an emphasis on the conclusions to be reached from the controlled clinical trials. Prophylactic treatment of clinically negative regional nodes by either surgical extirpation or radiotherapy does not improve survival in comparison with a policy of observation and treatment at the time of clinical progression. Axillary node dissection is currently important for histologic staging of the axillary nodes. Early results of the controlled trials appear to support the concept that for selected patients, a regimen of complete excision of the primary tumor and breast irradiation produces results equivalent to those of total mastectomy in terms of distant recurrence and survival.
The efficacy and safety of the combination of anti-BRAF agent and MEK inhibitor in advanced melanoma patients with BRAF V600 mutation: A meta-analysis.

e20006 Background: The combination of anti-BRAF agent and MEK inhibitor has been shown to improve outcomes for advanced melanoma patients with BRAF V600E mutation. A meta-analysis was performed to ...
Flag Manifolds and Representation Theory

This article is an expanded version of lectures at the “Fifth Workshop on Representation Theory of Lie Groups and Its Applications,” Cordoba, Argentina, August 1995. The topics were complex flag manifolds, real group orbits, and linear cycle spaces, with applications to the geometric construction of representations of semisimple Lie groups. These topics come up in many aspects of complex differential geometry and harmonic analysis.
Adventures in Mentoring: Lessons Learned from a Peer Mentor

Often one thinks of mentoring being used to prepare a mentee for a new position, where the mentor has a job role similar to the goal position. However the ACM SIGUCCS Mentoring Program has always been open to other types of mentoring relationships, where the mentor is the "guide on the side" to help a mentee reach one or more goals during the 10 month mentoring period. In 2016, Trevor and Kathy applied for the mentoring program, requesting to be paired up. Trevor, who has past experience as a mentor (to someone else) is the mentee of the pair while Kathy, who has past experience as a mentee with a different mentor, is serving as a mentor for Trevor. Our goals for the year do not include seeking promotions or attaining a professional certification. Although one of us is ostensibly the mentor, we both plan to learn and grow from this relationship. We decided to keep track of any challenges and life lessons we encounter during this year and share our thoughts at the conference for the benefit of those considering applying for the program in the future.
New research progress of HVDC transmission technology in China Southern Power Grid Corporation

With more and more HVDC transmission projects built and becoming operational, more issues are emerging. The increasing scarcity of land resources narrows down the choice of sites for ground electrodes and makes site selection ever difficult. Studies on the deep well grounding technique show that the currents flowing into the earth can be brought far below the surface and the line corridor and land use can be significantly reduced. High altitude and high-intensity earthquakes present major challenges to the seismic performance of high voltage equipment in converter stations, and therefore, various types of equipment require testing and simulation for verification of seismic performance, and equipment that is able to meet the seismic performance requirements needs to be developed. In addition, to enable flexible electric power dispatching, high security and stability, and DC interconnected power system, flexible multi-terminal HVDC technologies need to be promoted with great efforts.
A Hierarchical Framework of Cloud Resource Allocation and Power Management Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Automatic decision-making approaches, such as reinforcement learning (RL), have been applied to (partially) solve the resource allocation problem adaptively in the cloudcomputing system. However, a complete cloud resource allocation framework exhibits high dimensions in state and action spaces, which prohibit the usefulness of traditional RL techniques. In addition, high power consumption has become one of the critical concerns in design and control of cloud computing systems, which degrades system reliability and increases cooling cost. An effective dynamic power management (DPM) policy should minimize power consumption while maintaining performance degradationwithin an acceptable level. Thus, a joint virtual machine (VM) resource allocation and power management framework is critical to the overall cloud computing system. Moreover, novel solution framework is necessary to address the even higher dimensions in state and action spaces. In this paper, we propose a novel hierarchical framework forsolving the overall resource allocation and power management problem in cloud computing systems. The proposed hierarchical framework comprises a global tier for VM resource allocation to the servers and a local tier for distributed power management of local servers. The emerging deep reinforcement learning (DRL) technique, which can deal with complicated control problems with large state space, is adopted to solve the global tier problem. Furthermore, an autoencoder and a novel weight sharing structure are adopted to handle the high-dimensional state space and accelerate the convergence speed. On the other hand, the local tier of distributed server power managements comprises an LSTM based workload predictor and a model-free RL based power manager, operating in a distributed manner. Experiment results using actual Google cluster traces showthat our proposed hierarchical framework significantly savesthe power consumption and energy usage than the baselinewhile achieving no severe latency degradation. Meanwhile, the proposed framework can achieve the best trade-off between latency and power/energy consumption in a server cluster.
Preparing for Local Labor: Curricular Stratification across Local Economies in the United States.

I investigate how the educational demands of local labor markets shape high school course offerings and student course taking. Using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 linked to the U.S. Census 2000, I focus on local economic variation in the share of jobs that do not demand a bachelor’s degree. I find that schools in local labor markets with higher concentrations of subbaccalaureate jobs devote a larger share of their course offerings to career and technical education (CTE) courses and a smaller share to advanced college-preparatory courses compared to schools in labor markets with lower concentrations of subbaccalaureate jobs, even net of school resources. Students in labor markets with higher concentrations of subbaccalaureate jobs take greater numbers of CTE courses, and higher-achieving students in these labor markets are less likely to take advanced math and Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate courses. These course-taking disparities are largely due to school course offerings. This ...
Improving documentation of surrogate decision makers in medical oncology clinic.

63Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is an important component of high quality care for cancer patients. A measurable and early step in the ACP process is for patients to identify a surrogate decision maker and document this information in the medical record. Methods: To improve documentation of surrogate decision makers for stage IV cancer patients, we designed a hematology/oncology fellow-led multidisciplinary quality improvement (QI) initiative including: 1) ACP education for fellows, 2) ACP patient education materials and online resources, and 3) standardized note templates for surrogate documentation. We aimed to document surrogate decision makers or discussions for > 50% of stage IV cancer outpatients evaluated by a fellow cumulatively over the 2016-2017 academic year. Patients seen for second opinion visits were excluded. Audit and feedback of individual fellow and group results were conducted twice a month. During each audit period, we randomly selected 2 medical oncology clinic sessions per ...
Skeletal growth and bone mineral acquisition in type 1 diabetic children; abnormalities of the GH/IGF-1 axis☆

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases diagnosed in childhood. Childhood and adolescent years are also the most important period for growth in height and acquisition of skeletal bone mineral density (BMD). The growth hormone (GH)/insulin like growth factor -1 (IGF-1) axis which regulates growth, is affected by T1DM, with studies showing increased GH and decreased IGF-1 levels in children with T1DM. There is conflicting data as to whether adolescents with TIDM are able to achieve their genetically-determined adult height. Furthermore, data support that adolescents with T1DM have decreased peak BMD, although the pathophysiology of which has not been completely defined. Various mechanisms have been proposed for the decrease in BMD including low osteocalcin levels, reflecting decreased bone formation; increased sclerostin, an inhibitor of bone anabolic pathways; and increased leptin, an adipocytokine which affects bone metabolism via central and peripheral mechanisms. Other factors implicated in the increased bone resorption in T1DM include upregulation of the osteoprotegerin/ receptor-activator of the nuclear factor-κB ligand pathway, elevated parathyroid hormone levels, and activation of other cytokines involved in chronic systemic inflammation. In this review, we summarize the clinical studies that address the alterations in the GH/IGF-I axis, linear growth velocity, and BMD in children and adolescents with T1DM; and we review the possible molecular mechanisms that may contribute to an attenuation of linear growth and to the reduction in the acquisition of peak bone mass in the child and adolescent with T1DM.
Investigation of spectral effects on measurement of gamma camera maximum count rate

1936 Objectives Traditional methods for estimating maximum count rate (MCR) are performed under specific spectral conditions. We hypothesize that the MCR is independent of the incident energy spectrum when using an open energy window. Methods Count rate performance was evaluated for two detectors (SymbiaS, Siemens) using the decay method. Two spectral conditions were evaluated with Tc-99m point sources located ~2.5 m away: (1) NEMA: source in a lead block with the open end filtered with 6 mm of Cu to suppress scatter, and (2) SCATTER: source in a plastic block filtered with 9 cm of acrylic to introduce scatter. Initial activities for each condition yielded count rates beyond the fold-over point. Count rates were measured without collimation for 48 hours using the following sample X duration combinations: 540X2 min, 90X4 min, and 96X16 min. 1 photopeak window (PW) and 3 adjacent energy windows were used to capture counts across the entire spectrum. The sum of counts from all 4 energy windows is defined as open window (OW) counts, which captured >99.4% of total counts. Results The NEMA and SCATTER conditions resulted in substantially different incident energy spectra with mean energies of 145.4 and 116.1 keV, respectively. The OW MCR for detectors 1 & 2 were measured to be 369 & 357 kcps for NEMA and 383 & 369 kcps for SCATTER. The OW MCR for NEMA and SCATTER are within 4% of each other. In both conditions, the MCR occurred concurrently in OW and PW. Under both conditions, the MCR was found to be significantly different between the OW and PW. The PW MCR for detectors 1 & 2 were measured to be 234 & 219 kcps for NEMA and 113 & 113 kcps for SCATTER. However, the PW MCR was found to be proportional to the OW MCR, with the ratio of total counts to PW counts from energy spectra acquired at MCR as the constant of proportionality. The scaled PW MCR was within 1% of the measured OW MCR. Conclusions The observed MCR depends on the energy window definition. The MCR determined using an OW is independent of the incident energy spectrum. The OW MCR can be calculated by scaling the PW MCR
Transcriptional control of microglia phenotypes in health and disease

Microglia are the main resident macrophage population of the CNS and perform numerous functions required for CNS development, homeostasis, immunity, and repair. Many lines of evidence also indicate that dysregulation of microglia contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and behavioral diseases. These observations provide a compelling argument to more clearly define the mechanisms that control microglia identity and function in health and disease. In this Review, we present a conceptual framework for how different classes of transcription factors interact to select and activate regulatory elements that control microglia development and their responses to internal and external signals. We then describe functions of specific transcription factors in normal and pathological contexts and conclude with a consideration of open questions to be addressed in the future.
Functional recovery from spinal cord trauma following delayed incision of spinal meninges in dogs.

The spinal cords of 16 normal dogs were exposed via dorsal laminectomies and damaged with a known force. In eight dogs the spinal cord meninges were incised longitudinally after a delay of 2 h. The other eight dogs were kept as controls and their meninges were not incised. The spinal cord function of all dogs was monitored for up to .32 days. The results show that delayed incision of the spinal meninges is of little benefit to dogs following experimental trauma to the spinal cord.
Do GANs learn the distribution? Some Theory and Empirics

Do GANS (Generative Adversarial Nets) actually learn the target distribution? The foundational paper of Goodfellow et al. (2014) suggested they do, if they were given sufficiently large deep nets, sample size, and computation time. A recent theoretical analysis in Arora et al. (2017) raised doubts whether the same holds when discriminator has bounded size. It showed that the training objective can approach its optimum value even if the generated distribution has very low support. In other words, the training objective is unable to prevent mode collapse. The current paper makes two contributions. (1) It proposes a novel test for estimating support size using the birthday paradox of discrete probability. Using this evidence is presented that well-known GANs approaches do learn distributions of fairly low support. (2) It theoretically studies encoder-decoder GANs architectures (e.g., BiGAN/ALI), which were proposed to learn more meaningful features via GANs, and consequently to also solve the mode-collapse issue. Our result shows that such encoder-decoder training objectives also cannot guarantee learning of the full distribution because they cannot prevent serious mode collapse. More seriously, they cannot prevent learning meaningless codes for data, contrary to usual intuition.
Design and Experimental Validation of a Velocity Decomposition-Based Controller for Underactuated Planar Bipeds

This letter extends the use of the velocity decomposition metric for underactuated mechanical systems to the design of an enhanced hybrid zero dynamics (HZD)-based controller for biped robots. The metric has been used to quantify the control authority of underactuated planar bipeds by measuring the amount of nonlinear coupling between the actuated and unactuated degrees of freedom. Here, an offset to the biped's desired torso angle is applied in proportion to the error in the unactuated velocity, as determined through the decomposition. This offset aids in rejecting both acceleration and deceleration disturbances to the unactuated velocity. Simulation results with a point-foot, three-link planar biped show that the velocity decomposition-enhanced controller has identical performance to transverse linearization feedback control and outperforms both the unmodified HZD-based controller and an alternative hip velocity-enhanced controller in rejecting disturbances. Experimental results with the planar, point-foot, five-link biped ERNIE confirm these same trends. The velocity decomposition-enhanced controller enables return to steady-state walking in fewer steps following a disturbance and with lower average and peak torques.
New Directions in Organic Electronic Materials Based on Tetrathiafulvalene

Widespread interest has been shown recently in the chemistry1 and physics2 of charge-transfer salts based on the organic π-donor, tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) since some of these materials were found to display unusual metal-like properties. This paper will describe two approaches that we have taken for preparing new organic electronic materials based on some of the insights and understanding gained from studying TTF. The first approach is essentially synthetic in orientation, and involves the preparation of extended π-systems based on the TTF ring system. The second approach involves the study of electron transport in less ordered systems, namely polymeric materials in which TTF has been incorporated as a pendant group.
The Concept of Space in Medieval Drama: Toward a Phenomenological Interpretation in Medieval Studies

Until recently, the study of Middle English literature, particularly drama, was a bastion of traditional scholarly application: textual studies and manuscript editing, historical studies, economic and social studies, philosophy and theology, iconography (often used just to support historical explication or to add support to the typological focus of much of the scholarship). Medieval drama was treated as if it consisted of two entirely separate areas, the written dramatic texts on the one hand, and on the other the issues related to staging. The medieval stage as an object of scholarly interest was studied mostly from the point of view of history and archival studies, social arena, stage organization, iconography (mostly to solve problems concerning technical aspects of medieval staging). This paper will closely examine the shift in the studies of the medieval drama and its staging towards a more acknowledged phenomenological interpretation, towards semiotics and recent reception theories. It will also propose a secondary thesis for the purpose of illustration of this movement toward a different treatment of space in medieval studies. Thus the paper will comment on how the sense of space was translated by the medieval audience into the sense of place.
Chief Justice Roberts (A Preliminary Assessment)

In "Chief Justice Roberts (A Preliminary Assessment)", Professor Loewy explores Chief Justice John Roberts time as chief justice as both a leader and a jurist in his own right. Loewy finds that while Roberts does not stand out as a leader now, his influence may increase if the court is filled with more like-minded justices. As a jurist, however, Loewy provides a critical analysis of his major opinions in criminal procedure, free speech, religion, and federalism. During this analysis, Loewy finds that while Roberts stays consistent with the Reinquist Court on issues of criminal procedure, he may differ from the previous court in federalism issues.
Cognitive Aspects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a brief overview of some recent research on the cognitive aspects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Content-independent abnormalities emerge when patients display cognitive problems irrespective of the meaning of the information processed. For example, Vietnam veterans with PTSD not only exhibit selective Stroop interference for trauma words consistent with symptoms of intrusive cognition, they often exhibit overall slowed color-naming suggestive of general concentration impairment. The PTSD patients automatically process trauma cues in the sense that they cannot help but do so (i.e., automaticity as involuntary processing), but they do not appear to detect these cues when masked (i.e., automaticity as occurring outside awareness). Not everyone exposed to traumatic events develops PTSD, and therefore researchers need to identify what variables predict severity of PTSD. Lower intelligence is a risk factor for the development of chronic PTSD symptoms. Chronic PTSD does not appear related to change (or decrease) in estimated IQ. Estimated IQ is a proxy measure for generalized problem-solving capability, including coping with the problem of recovering from exposure to horrific events.
Where Did You Get That Story?: An Examination of Story Sourcing Practices and Objectivity on Citizen Journalism Websites

A content analysis of 560 articles from 56 citizen journalism websites based in the United States showed more than a quarter of the stories didn’t use sources and nearly half used only one source. ...
It Is Past Time to Think More Inclusively About "Deaths of Despair".

Social class has played a role in the “deaths of despair” driving the contraction in white life spans that Blacksher discusses (Blacksher 2018). However, it seems that Blacksher has likely mischara...
Digital Preservation in Libraries: Preparing for a Sustainable Future

As library holdings become more and more dependent on digital formats for online access and dynamic sharing and use of content, the necessity of digital preservation (DP) planning is unavoidable. T...
Neighborhood socio-demographic characteristics and bike share member patterns of use

Abstract Information about factors that affect patterns of use by bike share members is needed to manage systems effectively and equitably. Recent research into the patterns of use by members across heterogeneous neighborhoods indicates that neighborhood characteristics as well as built environment characteristics may be associated with use. We use 2017 data on trips taken by 30-day and annual members of the Nice Ride Bike Share System in Minneapolis-St. Paul and examine the associations between user behavior and socio-demographic characteristics at the Census block group (CBG) level where members live. We estimate linear mixed-effects models and multinomial logistic models to analyze the associations of neighborhood socio-demographic characteristics with, respectively, (1) the frequency and duration of weekday and weekend trips by members and (2) the temporal and spatial patterns of their trips. Our results show that, after controlling for station accessibility, nearby bike infrastructure, the built environment, gender, and age, members who reside in minority-concentrated and lower socio-economic status (SES) neighborhoods use bike share more frequently, take trips at more varied times-of-day and across days-of-week, and have more frequently-used origin-destination pairs of stations. A limitation of our analysis is that patterns of use of casual users are not investigated. Our findings have implications for efforts to serve members in neighborhoods with higher concentrations of minorities and residents of lower SES and illustrate the need for more detailed surveys of members to obtain additional information about individual characteristics associated with behaviors of bike share users.
Voter Identification and Nonvoting in Wisconsin—Evidence from the 2016 Election

How much did Wisconsin's voter identification requirement matter in 2016? We conducted a survey of registered nonvoters in the counties surrounding the cities of Milwaukee and Madison to estimate t...
As-Needed Budesonide/Formoterol Similar to Maintenance Budesonide Plus SABA in Patients with Mild Asthma.

In these patients with mild asthma (more than one-half used a short-acting beta-agonist [SABA] such as albuterol two or fewer times per week), as-needed use of a combined budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort) inhaler was as effective at preventing exacerbations as daily maintenance budesonide (Pulmicort) plus an as-needed SABA, and both were better than an as-needed SABA alone.
Pathways to being CIO: The role of background revisited

Abstract This study examines the relationship between the background of an organization’s top information systems executive or chief information officer (CIO) and what a CIO does. It provides a somewhat different picture of the much discussed relative merits of a CIO’s background. Findings indicate that a technical background has little relationship to what the CIO does once they become CIO. Where they are hired from, however, does relate to reporting line, business focus, and how and with whom they spend their time once hired. These findings will enable more effective CIO hiring and development activities, and inform future research.
Public Justice and Personal Liberty: Variety and Linguistic Skill in the Letters of Mary Fisher

This essay concerns the use of language in letters by Mary Fisher, the seventeenth-century Quaker missionary. It shows how she adapts her exegetical discourse to suit her readers, and uses it for more than self­ justification. Her first letter, written from York prison is shown to be influenced by the work of Elizabeth Hooton. It is also used as an example of a letter containing a complex and subtle biblical subtext. This technique gave these early Quaker women the confidence to write. Both Fisher and Hooton started writing to draw attention to injustice. Hooton continued to do this throughout her life; Fisher went on to use the same technique to express affectionate parental care for her converts. She continues to use biblically imitative language in order to write in a way acceptable to many readers in various situations. This is particularly useful when writing to Barbadian households where slaves and poor servants are kept. Fisher's letters show how an early modern serving woman adapted a particular linguistic technique to a variety of situations and readers. Her biblically imitative text justifies her public expression of faith and provides her with a rich and varied subtext. Hooton's example enables Fisher to express her concern for public justice. Fisher develops her skill to write about a spiritual liberty that transcends material confinement. 133 Quaker Studies 3 (1998): 133-59
The Changed BATNA

This column invites readers to consider whether the adjudicated outcome should be relied on as a realistic benchmark for advocates and mediators. In everyday dispute resolution practice, advocates and mediators regularly consider an adjudicated decision to be a realistic point of comparison to a negotiated or mediated outcome. For example, when assessing the merits of settlement, lawyers preparing for a legal negotiation and mediation frequently consider the likely adjudicated outcome as their best alternative to a negotiated agreement (hereinafter BATNA). In mediation, mediators often focus parties and their lawyers on the cost, time and likelihood of a favorable adjudicated decision as part of the mediators’ reality testing with parties who are ambivalent about settling. Despite this reliance on an adjudicated outcome, however, we also know that only 5 percent of civil cases and 1.8 percent of federal cases are actually adjudicated to decision. Does it make sense to use an adjudicated outcome as a measure of settlement reasonableness or alternative to settlement if such a measure only represents a small percentage of actual legal resolutions? Are there more realistic BATNAs and viable alternatives that should be used? This provocative discussion takes place in three parts. Part One explains why using an adjudicated decision as a BATNA may not be as helpful as we think. Part Two explains how ethical mandates may require adding other factors to the assessment of alternatives. Part Three suggests alternative BATNAs. I then conclude by cautioning that this discussion about the changed BATNA is actually part of a broader discussion about the changing reliance on the rule of law.