cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mnemonic responses of single units recorded from monkey inferotemporal cortex, accessed via transcommissural versus direct pathways: a dissociation between unit activity and behavior.

Three macaques were trained on a task in which a sequence of single visual images was presented serially, and the monkeys signaled whether the image was a new or a repeated one. The optic chiasm and splenium of the corpus callosum were transected, leaving the anterior commissure as the only path for cortical interhemispheric transfer. Images were presented to only one eye at a time. Re-presentations of images to the same eye were recognized correctly in >95% of trials. A robust stimulus-specific adaptation (i.e., a reduced response to a repeated image) was seen in the population of single units recorded from inferotemporal cortex during these same trials. When an interhemispheric transfer was demanded of the animals (i.e., the re-presentation was made to the other eye), recognition performance was somewhat reduced, to 86% correct. Interestingly, in this situation the stimulus-specific adaptation disappeared completely. The disappearance occurred regardless of whether the transfer direction was from the hemisphere ipsilateral to the recording site to the hemisphere contralateral to the recording site, or vice versa. Thus, stimulus-specific adaptation in inferotemporal cortex units is not required for recognition.
A correct network flow model for escape routing

Escape routing for packages and PCBs has been studied extensively in the past. Network flow is pervasively used to model this problem. However, none of the previous works correctly models the diagonal capacity, which is essential for 45° routing in most packages and PCBs. As a result, existing algorithms may either produce routing solutions that violate the diagonal capacity or fail to output a legal routing even though there exists one. In this paper, we propose a new network flow model that guarantees the correctness when diagonal capacity is taken into consideration. This model leads to the first optimal algorithm for escape routing. We also extend our model to handle missing pins.
Antisocial Behavior, Family History, and Alcohol Dependence Symptoms

Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of young adults, this study examines the effects of antisocial behavior on alcohol dependence among young men and women in the United States. An analysis of the data from the study indicates that there are effects of antisocial behavior and that these effects cannot be attributed to a lower social class family of origin or to a positive family history of alcoholism. The analysis also indicates that the strongest effects are found among young adults with both antisocial behavior and a positive family history.
Weighted correlation receivers for ultra-wideband transmitted reference systems

This work derives the average likelihood ratio test (ALRT) receiver for ultra-wideband transmitted reference systems in multipath environments with Rayleigh path strength models. A theoretical weighting function is obtained by approximating the ALRT receiver structure, and can be applied to correlation receivers. Compared to a simple correlation receiver, results show that theoretical weighted correlation receivers are more robust to different environments, and can reduce bit error probabilities even for IEEE 802.15.3a ultra-wideband channel models with lognormal path strength models.
Tag and contour detection in tagged MR images of the left ventricle

Tracking magnetic resonance tags in myocardial tissue promises to be an effective tool for the assessment of myocardial motion. The authors describe a hierarchy of image processing steps which rapidly detects both the contours of the myocardial boundaries of the left ventricle and the tags within the myocardium. The method works on both short axis and long axis images containing radial and parallel tag patterns, respectively. Left ventricular boundaries are detected by first removing the tags using morphological closing and then selecting candidate edge points. The best inner and outer boundaries are found using a dynamic program that minimizes a nonlinear combination of several local cost functions. Tags are tracked by matching a template of their expected profile using a least squares estimate. Since blood pooling, contiguous and adjacent tissue, and motion artifacts sometimes cause detection errors, a graphical user interface was developed to allow user correction of anomalous points. The authors present results on several tagged images of a human. A fully automated run generally finds the endocardial boundary and the tag lines extremely well, requiring very little manual correction. The epicardial boundary sometimes requires more intervention to obtain an acceptable result. These methods are currently being used in the analysis of cardiac strain and as a basis for the analysis of alternate tag geometries. >
Preparation and characterization of calibration beads for sorting cells expressing a β-lactamase gene reporter

Background Modern drug discovery has been based on high-throughput screening using whole-cell assays. A prominent role has been assigned to the reporter gene technology based on a β-lactamase and the fluorogenic substrate CCF2. Successful application of this technology requires fluorescence-activated cell sorting. We describe the preparation and characterization of calibration beads for sorting cells expressing the β-lactamase gene using the CCF2 substrate. Methods To model Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the coumarin donor and the fluorescein acceptor of the CCF2 reporting dye, we used activated polystyrene beads with primary amino groups. Donor and acceptor fluorophores were attached to the beads at different ratios via succinimidyl esters. The beads were characterized with a fluorescence plate reader and a flow cytometer. Results We prepared polystyrene beads with five different ratios of donor and acceptor fluorophores and beads that carried a donor or a receptor fluorophore alone. Fluorescence measurements demonstrated that the prepared beads well represent the FRET of CCF2 substrate. Conclusion We have demonstrated that the prepared beads can be successfully used for the setup of fluorescence-activated cell sorting to sort cells with CCF2 reporter substrate and the β-lactamase reporter gene. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Detection of Gliotoxin in Experimental and Human Aspergillosis

Gliotoxin was measured in the lungs (mean, 3,976 ± 1,662 ng/g of tissue) and sera (mean, 36.5 ± 30.28 ng/ml) of mice with experimentally induced invasive aspergillosis (IA), and levels decreased with antifungal therapy. Gliotoxin could also be detected in the sera of cancer patients with documented (proven or probable) IA.
Apparent pA2 analysis on the respiratory depressant effects of alfentanil, etonitazene, ethylketocyclazocine (EKC) and Mr2033 in rhesus monkeys.

Respiratory depression is a limiting factor in the therapeutic use of opioid analgesics. It has been suggested that respiratory depression is mediated by mu rather than kappa receptors and may involve a decrease in central nervous system sensitivity to hypercapnia. This study investigated opioid receptor mechanisms underlying respiratory depression in unanesthetized rhesus monkeys (n = 3) breathing air or 5% CO2 in air into a pressure displacement head plethysmograph. Apparent pA2 analyses of s.c. quadazocine (a mu-selective antagonist) were carried out on the effects of cumulative doses of s.c. bremazocine, ethylketocyclazocine (EKC) and (+/-)-(1-R/S,5-R/S,2 = R/S)-5,9-dimethyl-2'-hydroxy-2- tetrahydrofurfuryl-6,7-benzomorphan (Mr2033) (compounds with kappa agonist effects in other in vivo assays), alfentanil and etonitazene (compounds with mu agonist effects in other in vivo assays). Alfentanil, bremazocine, EKC and Mr2033 were approximately equipotent in causing dose-dependent depression of respiratory minute volume of CO2-stimulated and air respiration, whereas etonitazene was approximately 10-fold more potent than the above compounds. Dose-effect curves for respiratory frequency, tidal volume and respiratory minute volume for all of the agonists except bremazocine were shifted to the right by increasing quadazocine doses. Together with data previously obtained in drug discrimination and analgesia assays, results of the present study demonstrating homogeneous pA2 values for quadazocine with alfentanil, etonitazene, EKC and Mr2033 strongly suggest that the latter two compounds decrease respiratory function in rhesus monkeys by acting on mu receptors.
Decolonisation and its discontents: Thoughts on the postcolonial African moral self

Decades after the end of colonialism, Africa seems well positioned to evaluate the successes or failures of Africa as a continent of liberated people. Nearly all analyses of African liberation movements have rightly highlighted the glories of decolonisation; very few have stressed its pitfalls. This article examines the negative moral consequences of certain philosophical assumptions of the African decolonisation process. Of particular interest in this inquiry is the frame of mind of African actors of decolonisation who eventually became the political and intellectual leaders of their countries. How might we conceive of the African moral subject within the contexts both of decolonisation and as a member of the global community in the twenty-first century? What, if anything, can Africa learn from the missteps of the decolonisation process?
Autophagy and mTOR inhibition as mechanisms for combatting chemoresistance to standard chemotherapy: Final results of a phase I study of infusional cyclophosphamide (cy), pulse dexamethasone (dex), rapamycin (rapa) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

PO-350 Autophagy and mTOR inhibition as mechanisms for combatting chemoresistance to standard chemotherapy: Final results of a phase I study of infusional cyclophosphamide (cy), pulse dexamethasone (dex), rapamycin (rapa) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) E.C. Scott, S. Reasor-Heard, K. Floyd, B. Park, P. Trubowitz, E. Medvedova, S.E. Spurgeon, S.D. Smith, A. Kratz, M. Gordon, M. Siegel, S.Q. Liu, R. Arora, M. Loriaux, E. Stadtmauer, R. Amaravadi, D.T. Vogl, R.T. Maziarz The Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University; The Abramson Cancer Center, the University of Pennsylvania
The Relationship Model of Bank Credit,Money Supply and Economic Growth

A short-term equation and a long-term equation have been established to discuss the relationship among bank credit,money supply and economic growth.Then the investment-push economic growth model has been proved by the Granger causality test.At the same time,it is found that economic growth is not the reason of monetary supply growth,however,the reverse is somewhat making sense.At last,some political suggestions are provided.
DC-DC power converter controller for SOC balancing of paralleled battery system

This paper presents a DC-DC power converter control scheme and system architecture for batteries which are connected in parallel in order to maintain State-Of-Charge (SOC) balancing between batteries without the need for additional circuitries and their associated controllers. When the battery cells or battery packs are connected in parallel, it is desired to maintain SOC balancing during both charging mode and discharging mode. Using conventional balancing circuits is energy inefficient and/or might be complicated/not suitable. This paper addresses this by presenting a controller that is able to maintain a real-time natural charge balance between the in parallel connected batteries while maintaining output voltage regulation at the same time.
Examining the geography of cancer incidence and care.

The article by Aneja, Gross, Soulos, and Yu outlines applications of geographical information systems (GIS) software to oncology research.
Identification of the form of cytochrome P-450 induced in neonatal rabbit liver microsomes by phenobarbital.

Transplacental induction of cytochrome P-450 by phenobarbital was studied in neonatal rabbit liver microsomes. This treatment increased a single form of cytochrome P-450 identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, peptide mapping and immunological characterization as cytochrome P-450, form 2. Form 2 is the predominant species of the cytochrome in adult liver microsomes from rabbits pretreated with phenobarbital. This assignment was further supported by examining the kinetics of 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation. Reconstituted form 2 and phenobarbital-induced neonatal microsomes showed a similar monophasic dependence on 7-ethoxycoumarin concentration. Phenobarbital-induced adult microsomes, however, exhibited a biphasic dependence on substrate concentration. This is apparently due to the presence of other forms of cytochrome P-450 in these microsomes participating in the O-deethylation of this substrate. Previously an age difference was found to exist in the induction by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin of two forms of cytochrome P-450, forms 4 and 6, in rabbit liver microsomes. Form 6 is the sole form induced in the neonate, whereas form 4 is the major form and form 6 is the minor form induced in the adult rabbit liver. Thus, phenobarbital, like 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, induces only one form of cytochrome P-450 in neonatal liver microsomes. Unlike 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, phenobarbital induces the same major form in both adults and neonates.
Accuracy of prenatal sonography performed by family practice residents.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Sonographic evaluation of the fetus is a common procedure in modern antepartum management. This study investigates the accuracy of family physicians at different levels of training in performing common prenatal sonographic measurements. METHODS Records of prenatal sonographic measurements of gestational age (279 scans) and estimated birth weight (62 scans) performed by family practice residents and family medicine teaching faculty at Silas B. Hays Army Community Hospital were compared to actual gestational age and birth weight. Associations between sonographically predicted gestational age and weight, Dubowitz-determined gestational age, actual birth weight, and training level of the operator were examined using analysis of variance. RESULTS The mean measurement difference in weeks between ultrasound-estimated gestational age and Dubowitz-determined gestational age on sonograms performed between 6 and 20 weeks of gestation was 1 week. The mean measurement difference on sonograms performed between 21 and 30 weeks of gestation was 1.3 weeks, and the mean measurement difference on sonograms performed between 31 and 42 weeks was 1.6 weeks. No significant difference was found between any of the resident year groups and family medicine faculty in accuracy of measuring gestational age. Sonograms estimating fetal weight within 10 days of delivery were within 10% of the actual birth weight. Faculty sonographic estimates were slightly more accurate than resident estimates. CONCLUSIONS The psychomotor skills necessary to perform accurate prenatal sonographic biometric measurements are easily learned within the confines of a 3-year family practice residency.
ePathOptimize: A Combinatorial Approach for Transcriptional Balancing of Metabolic Pathways

ePathOptimize: A Combinatorial Approach for Transcriptional Balancing of Metabolic Pathways
Improving multisensor estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation via conditional bias-penalized optimal estimation

Abstract A new technique for merging radar precipitation estimates and rain gauge data is developed and evaluated to improve multisensor quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE), in particular, of heavy-to-extreme precipitation. Unlike the conventional cokriging methods which are susceptible to conditional bias (CB), the proposed technique, referred to herein as conditional bias-penalized cokriging (CBPCK), explicitly minimizes Type-II CB for improved quantitative estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation. CBPCK is a bivariate version of extended conditional bias-penalized kriging (ECBPK) developed for gauge-only analysis. To evaluate CBPCK, cross validation and visual examination are carried out using multi-year hourly radar and gauge data in the North Central Texas region in which CBPCK is compared with the variant of the ordinary cokriging (OCK) algorithm used operationally in the National Weather Service Multisensor Precipitation Estimator. The results show that CBPCK significantly reduces Type-II CB for estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation, and that the margin of improvement over OCK is larger in areas of higher fractional coverage (FC) of precipitation. When FC > 0.9 and hourly gauge precipitation is > 60 mm, the reduction in root mean squared error (RMSE) by CBPCK over radar-only (RO) is about 12 mm while the reduction in RMSE by OCK over RO is about 7 mm. CBPCK may be used in real-time analysis or in reanalysis of multisensor precipitation for which accurate estimation of heavy-to-extreme precipitation is of particular importance.
The Association of Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness on mortality risk among those with an elevated gamma gap.

Abstract Objectives An elevated (≥3.1g/dl) gamma gap (Total Protein (g/dl)−Albumin (g/dl)) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk and risk for all-cause mortality. Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with reduced mortality risk. The potential protective effects of cardiorespiratory fitness on mortality risk among those with an elevated gamma gap have yet to be investigated, which was the purpose of this study. Methods Data from the 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used (N=9251 adults 20–85yrs). Participants were followed through 2011. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated from a recently developed algorithm that was derived to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness within the context of predicting mortality risk. Results After full adjustments among those with an elevated gamma gap, a 1 metabolic equivalent of task (MET) increase in cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a 24% reduced hazard of all-cause mortality (HR=0.76; 95% CI: 0.64–0.91; P=0.003). Conclusion Having adequate levels of cardiorespiratory fitness may be of critical importance in reducing all-cause mortality risk, particularly among adults with an elevated gamma gap.
Ghana’s Petroleum: Will the Myth of Ghanaian Exceptionalism in Africa Be Sustained or Broken?

Prior to joining the league of petro-states in Africa and the world, Ghana was well known for two major resources: Cocoa beans, which are well liked and suitable for making excellent confectionery, chocolate in particular; and the yellow or original Eldorado—gold. In addition to these two items, Ghana produces a range of raw materials: industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, salt, and silver. With regard to the latter, for which Ghana is less renowned, it produced 3,900 kg in 2012. Silver production started in 1955 and peaked in the same year at 12,218 kg and reached its nadir in 1962 at 138.19kg.
Review: The Art of the Yellow Springs: Understanding Chinese Tombs by Wu Hung

Wu Hung The Art of the Yellow Springs: Understanding Chinese Tombs Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2010, 272 pp., 83 color and 147 b/w illus. $50.00 (cloth), ISBN 9780824834265 Within the field of Chinese art history there are few subjects that Wu Hung has not yet tackled. He has published nearly a dozen books and articles on the subject of funerary arts alone. Wu is therefore well positioned to take on the ambitious task of determining which factors “define [the] art and architectural tradition we call Chinese tombs” (16). While some of the arguments Wu presents in this book will be familiar to readers of his previous studies, The Art of the Yellow Springs is by no means a recitation of old material. Rather, it devises a novel and useful conceptual framework in order to identify the persistent patterns among materials spanning a period of almost 3,000 years. According to Wu, Chinese tombs comprise two independent architectures: aboveground structures that served as landmarks or ritual shrines and underground constructions furnished with grave goods. Wu’s study focuses on the underground part of tombs, as suggested by the term Yellow Springs , the Chinese word for the netherworld, in the title of the book. Wu writes that before the advent of modern archaeology, it was virtually impossible to study individual graves. Although ancient writers frequently described (and often critiqued) the ritual practices associated with burials, few wrote about their specific layout and contents. Once the body was interred and the tomb sealed up, tombs became “solely the domain of the departed soul” (8–9). Archaeological excavations in the last fifty years have changed …
What Nietzsche Loved About Socrates

Because Nietzsche’s Plato is the doctrinal system-builder of the idealist tradition of transmission, Nietzsche has missed the important point that Plato’s knowledge is just the kind of knowledge which only the creator of a world can have. Nietzsche had said in The Birth of Tragedy (sec.5) that this is the only kind of knowledge which does not fail in the human struggle for self-definition in the face of death and nihilistic pessimism. For, doctrines come and doctrines go; but the worlds of art endure. On the other hand, Nietzsche does seem to have read the Apology and the Symposium for themselves; for, it is from these works that he abstracts the traits of the Socrates whom he admires.1
A Novel Investigation of Generalized Motor Program Theory: Syllable Stress as a Motor-Class Variable

Purpose This experiment evaluated syllable-stress position as a motor class directed by a syllable-sized generalized motor program. Reaction times were predicted to be slower for stimuli with untra...
Predicting Ion Effects in an RNA Conformational Equilibrium

We develop a partial charge-based tightly bound ion (PCTBI) model for the ion effects in RNA folding. On the basis of the Monte Carlo tightly bound ion (MCTBI) approach, the model can account for ion fluctuation and correlation effects, and can predict the ion distribution around the RNA. Furthermore, unlike the previous coarse-grained RNA charge models, where negative charges are placed on the phosphates only, the current new model considers the detailed all-atom partial charge distribution on the RNA. Thus, the model not only keeps the advantage of the MCTBI model, but also has the potential to provide important detailed information unattainable by the previous MCTBI models. For example, the model predicts the reduction in ion binding upon protein binding and ion-induced conformational switches. For hepatitis C virus genomic RNA, the model predicts a Mg2+-induced stabilization of a kissing motif for a cis-acting regulatory element in the genomic RNA. Extensive theory–experiment comparisons support the r...
Turnaround Success: An Exploratory Study of Three Middle Grades Schools that Achieved Positive Contextual and Achievement Outcomes Using the Schools to Watch i3 Project

This article presents the results of a study examining the highest implementers of the Schools to Watch (STW): School Transformation Network Project, and the impact the project had on their teachin...
Rectal and Bladder Temperatures vs Forehead Core Temperatures Measured With SpotOn Monitoring System.

Background Methods and frequency of temperature monitoring in intensive care unit patients vary widely. The recently available SpotOn system uses zero-heat-flux technology and offers a noninvasive method for continuous monitoring of core temperature of critical care patients at risk for alterations in body temperature. Objective To evaluate agreement between and precision of a zero-heat-flux thermometry system (SpotOn) and continuous rectal and urinary bladder thermometry during fever and defervescence in adult patients in intensive care units. Methods Prospective comparison of SpotOn vs rectal and urinary bladder thermometry in eligible patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial on the effect of acetaminophen on core body temperature and hemodynamic status. Results A total of 748 paired temperature measurements from 38 patients who had both SpotOn monitoring and either continuous rectal or continuous bladder thermometry were analyzed. Temperatures during the study were from 36.6°C to 39.9°C. The mean difference for SpotOn compared with bladder thermometry was -0.07°C (SD, 0.24°C; 95% limits of agreement, ± 0.47°C [-0.54°C, 0.40°C]). The mean difference for SpotOn compared with rectal thermometry was -0.24°C (SD, 0.29°C; 95% limits of agreement, ± 0.57°C [-0.81°C, 0.33°C]). Most differences in temperature between methods were within ± 0.5°C in both groups (96% bladder and 85% rectal). Conclusions The SpotOn thermometry system has excellent agreement and good precision and is a potential alternative for noninvasive continuous monitoring of core temperature in critical care patients, especially when alternative methods are contraindicated or not available.
The relationship between cigarette taxes and child maltreatment

Prior research suggests that income and child maltreatment are related, but questions remain about the specific types of economic factors that affect the risk of maltreatment. The need to understand the role of economics in child welfare is critical, given the significant public health costs of child maltreatment. One factor that has been overlooked is regressive taxation. This study addresses this need by examining whether state-level changes in cigarette tax rates predict changes in state-level child maltreatment rates. The results of both a fixed effects (FE) and a fixed effects instrumental variables (FE-IV) estimator show that increases in state cigarette tax rates are followed by increases in child abuse and neglect. An additional test finds that increases in the sales tax (another tax deemed to be regressive) also predict increases in child maltreatment rates. Taken as a whole, the findings suggest that regressive taxes have a significant effect on the risk of child maltreatment.
Impact of neutron irradiation on mechanical performance of FeCrAl alloy laser-beam weldments

Abstract Oxidation-resistant iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys demonstrate better performance in Loss-of-Coolant Accidents, compared with austenitic- and zirconium-based alloys. However, further deployment of FeCrAl-based materials requires detailed characterization of their performance under irradiation; moreover, since welding is one of the key operations in fabrication of light water reactor fuel cladding, FeCrAl alloy weldment performance and properties also should be determined prior to and after irradiation. Here, advanced C35M alloy (Fe-13%Cr-5%Al) and variants with aluminum (+2%) or titanium carbide (+1%) additions were characterized after neutron irradiation in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor at 1.8–1.9 dpa in a temperature range of 195–559 °C. Specimen sets included as-received (AR) materials and specimens after controlled laser-beam welding. Tensile tests with digital image correlation (DIC), scanning electron microscopy-electron back scatter diffraction analysis, fractography, and x-ray tomography analysis were performed. DIC allowed for investigating local yield stress in the weldments, deformation hardening behavior, and plastic anisotropy. Both AR and welded material revealed a high degree of radiation-induced hardening for low-temperature irradiation; however, irradiation at high-temperatures (i.e., 559 °C) had little overall effect on the mechanical performance.
Corridors of power: the politics of environmental aid to Madagascar

In her book Corridors of power: the politics of environmental aid to Madagascar, political ecologist Catherine A. Corson examines the conservation and development landscape of the island of Madagas...
Painful white plaques of the folds revealing papular acantholytic dyskeratosis

Papular acantholytic dyskeratosis (PAD) is a challenging diagnosis for both dermatologist and pathologist. It predominantly affects female patients, but men can present less frequently the disease. Histopathology is required to confirm the diagnosis and to exclude other acantholytic dermatoses. We present a rare case of PAD in a young male patient, diagnosed by histopathology, and responded well to oral retinoids.
The dimension and structure of the space of harmonic 2-spheres in the $m$-sphere

We prove the conjecture, posed in 1993 by Bolton and Woodward, that the dimension of the space of harmonic maps from the 2-sphere to the 2nsphere is 2d + n 2 . We also give an explicit algebraic method to construct all harmonic maps from the 2-sphere to the m-sphere.
Measuring Student Motivation in an Introductory Biology Class

Student motivation is widely regarded as an essential prerequisite for learning and success. To learn more about biology student motivation and how it changes over time, pre/post-surveys were administered to a large introductory biology course during the fall of 2015. These pre/post-surveys contained motivation subscales from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Although students began the course with high levels of motivation, the pre/post-survey scores revealed that their intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and value scores declined during the semester. The value/usefulness (IMI), pressure/tension (IMI), and test anxiety (MSLQ) pre-survey scores were the best predictors of course performance. The implications of these findings and suggestions for improving student motivation are discussed.
A highly active Ni(II)-triadamantylphosphine catalyst for ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene synthesis

Here we report that the tri-1-adamantylphosphine-nickel complex [Ad3PNiBr3]-[Ad3PH]+ upon activation with an alkylaluminoxane catalyzes the polymerization of ethylene to ultrahigh-molecular-weight, nearly linear polyethylene (Mn up to 1.68 × 106 g mol−1) with initial activities reaching 3.7 million turnovers per h−1 at 10 °C. Copolymerizations of ethylene with α-olefins such as 1-hexene and 1-octadecene, as well as tert-butyldimethyl(dec-9-en-1-yloxy)silane give the corresponding copolymers with no decrease in activity. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is a desirable commodity. Here the authors show that a tri-1-adamantylphosphine-nickel complex, when exposed to alkyl aluminium activators, polymerizes ethylene to ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene with initial activities reaching 3.8 million turnovers/h at 10 °C.
Process-Policy & Outcome-Policy: Rethinking How to Address Poverty & Inequality

Process matters not just for diagnosing the causes of inequality, but also for how policy is shaped. The dominant paradigms for policy-making – neoliberalism, neo-Keynesianism, and neopaternalism –...
Differentially Private Confidence Intervals

Confidence intervals for the population mean of normally distributed data are some of the most standard statistical outputs one might want from a database. In this work we give practical differentially private algorithms for this task. We provide five algorithms and then compare them to each other and to prior work. We give concrete, experimental analysis of their accuracy and find that our algorithms provide much more accurate confidence intervals than prior work. For example, in one setting (with {\epsilon} = 0.1 and n = 2782) our algorithm yields an interval that is only 1/15th the size of the standard set by prior work.
Coping with home demands can be contagious: A faultline perspective on the role of in-groups, out-groups, and family supportive supervision

Abstract We integrate behavioral contagion and faultline perspectives to understand the association between workgroup context and individuals' coping with home demands. Our central contention is that workgroup members who are similar to one another come to adopt similar strategies for coping with home demands. To assess similarity, we use faultline techniques based on average silhouette width to differentiate an individual's workgroup into an in-group versus out-group based on a set of theoretically derived demographic characteristics concerning life conditions (i.e., gender, age, marital status, and parental status). Results from a sample of 3640 staff employees in 471 workgroups showed consistent positive relationships between a focal individual's coping with home demands and the aggregated level of coping in his or her in-group for coping strategies of using social support, limiting avocational activities, and reducing overload. This contrasts with consistent null relationships with the aggregated level of coping in one's out-group. Moreover, for the coping strategies of using social support and limiting avocational activities, an individual's coping was more positively related to the in-group members' coping when he or she perceived higher family supportive supervision. Our results show that workgroup members experiencing similar life conditions deploy similar strategies for coping with home demands, and that family supportive supervision strengthens this contagion of coping behaviors.
Binding of quadruplex DNA to nickel and zinc complexes monitored by surface-enhanced raman and fluorescence spectroscopy

Abstract The interactions between quadruplex DNA and various transition metal complexes were studied using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Using gold nanoparticles as the SERS substrate and Raman signal enhancer, intensity changes in the Raman peaks of the metal complexes were used as a measure of these interactions. Water-soluble zinc and nickel metal complexes with a N,N'- bis (2-pyridylmethylene)-1,3-diaminopropyl ligand in octahedral geometry were used. The Raman intensities of these complexes decreased in the presence of various quadruplex DNA sequences and similar trends were observed using fluorescence spectroscopy. The DNA sequences studied were the thrombin-binding aptamer or 15mer (5′-GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG-3′), 8mer (5′-TTTTGGGG-3′), 16mer (5′-TTTTGGGG GGGGTTTT-3′), and 17mer (5′-GGTATGGTGTGGATTGG-3′) DNA sequences, and the changes in SERS and fluorescence signal intensities indicate that the metal complexes were binding to the DNA.
Front-line Nursing Home Staff Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract Objective The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for nursing homes, where staff have faced rapidly evolving circumstances to care for a vulnerable resident population. Our objective was to document the experiences of these front-line health care professionals during the pandemic. Design Electronic survey of long-term care staff. This report summarizes qualitative data from open-ended questions for the subset of respondents working in nursing homes. Setting and Participants A total of 152 nursing home staff from 32 states, including direct-care staff and administrators. Methods From May 11 through June 4, 2020, we used social media and professional networks to disseminate an electronic survey with closed- and open-ended questions to a convenience sample of long-term care staff. Four investigators identified themes from qualitative responses for staff working in nursing homes. Results Respondents described ongoing constraints on testing and continued reliance on crisis standards for extended use and reuse of personal protective equipment. Administrators discussed the burden of tracking and implementing sometimes confusing or contradictory guidance from numerous agencies. Direct-care staff expressed fears of infecting themselves and their families, and expressed sincere empathy and concern for their residents. They described experiencing burnout due to increased workloads, staffing shortages, and the emotional burden of caring for residents facing significant isolation, illness, and death. Respondents cited the presence or lack of organizational communication and teamwork as important factors influencing their ability to work under challenging circumstances. They also described the demoralizing impact of negative media coverage of nursing homes, contrasting this with the heroic public recognition given to hospital staff. Conclusions and Implications Nursing home staff described working under complex and stressful circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges have added significant burden to an already strained and vulnerable workforce and are likely to contribute to increased burnout, turnover, and staff shortages in the long term.
Understanding Emotional Expression with Haptic Feedback Vest Patterns and Immersive Virtual Reality

Haptic feedback vests afford a unique opportunity to enhance a user’s emotional engagement within the virtual world. In this paper, we present a two-stage study on user experience towards understanding emotional expression through utilizing the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance model and the International Affective Picture System. We examine an authoring survey with 40 young adults, where users contextualized five emotion groups and designed patterns to express the feelings associated with each stimulus. Our resulting content analysis suggests design themes on a body-mind situation axis and an internal-external location axis. We found that vibrotactile actuation extends user emotion through phenomena which we call scene emulation, body function emulation, emotional resemblance, and emotional reflection. Lastly, we pilot these findings through an immersive virtual reality experience.
Rival, Ally, or Subordinate? Anglo-American Relations in Latin America during the First World War

This chapter underlines the importance of Latin America to the fortunes of both the United States and Britain during World War I. The conflict in Europe transformed the positions of both powers in Latin America. Traditionally the United States and Britain exerted political and economic influences in different regions of the Americas, but new rivalries blossomed after Britain declared war on Germany in 1914. The chapter shows how both Britain and the United States hoped to profit from the wartime difficulties facing the Germans, but the war-strapped British increasingly could not keep up. Even after the United States joined the war against Germany in April 1917, competition marked the Anglo-American relationship in Latin America. Ironically, this rivalry nurtured Latin American resentments of both Allies’ war-fighting efforts, and also opposition to the globalisation programmes desired by both great powers.
Sex differences in behavioral responding and dopamine release during early Pavlovian learning

Learning associations between cues and rewards requires the mesolimbic dopamine system. The dopamine response to cues signals differences in reward value in well-trained animals. These value-related dopamine responses are absent during early learning when cues signal differences in the reward rate, which suggests cue-evoked dopamine release conveys differences between outcomes only after extensive training. However, it is unclear if this lack of value coding by cue-evoked dopamine release during early learning is unique to when cues signal differences in reward rate, or if this is also evident when cues signal differences in other value-related parameters such as reward size. To address this, we utilized a Pavlovian conditioning task in which one audio cue was associated with a small reward (one pellet) and another audio cue was associated with a large reward (three pellets). We performed fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to record changes in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of male and female rats throughout early learning. Cue-evoked dopamine release did not encode differences in reward value, and there were no differences in this response between males and females. However, female rats exhibited higher levels of conditioned responding and a faster latency to respond. Reward-evoked dopamine release scaled with reward size in both sexes, though there were transient sex differences in the dynamics of this response. We additionally identified sex differences in the number of post-reward head entries. Collectively these data illustrate sustained sex differences in behavioral responding as well as transient sex differences in reward-evoked dopamine release.
The Macroprudential Turn: From Institutional 'Safety and Soundness' to Systematic 'Financial Stability' in Financial Supervision

Since the global financial dramas of 2008-09, authorities on financial regulation have come increasingly to counsel the inclusion of macroprudential policy instruments in the standard ‘toolkit’ of finance-regulatory measures employed by financial supervisors. The hallmark of this perspective is its focus not simply on the safety and soundness of individual financial institutions, as is characteristic of the traditional ‘microprudential’ perspective, but also on certain structural features of financial systems that can imperil such systems as wholes. Systemic ‘financial stability’ thus comes to supplement, though not to supplant, institutional ‘safety and soundness’ as a regulatory desideratum. The move from primarily micro- to combined micro- and macroprudential finance-regulatory regimes is surely to be welcomed, for reasons that this author and others have offered in earlier articles. The old ‘lean versus clean’ debate is resolved once again now in favor of leaning. The victory does, however, raise certain new legal challenges to which predominantly microprudential finance-regulatory regimes are not typically subject – challenges of which regulators and other financially-oriented lawyers will wish to stay mindful. This Article aims to respond to that wish by comprehensively cataloguing and provisionally addressing the mentioned challenges, in order that interested parties might thereby be able to find full treatment of the subject in one place.
Antral control of gallbladder cyclic motor activity in the fasting state.

Abstract The hypothesis that gastric antrum controls the phasic contractions of gallbladder cyclic motor activity in the fasting state was tested. Gallbladder, gastric, and small bowel motor and myoelectric activity was recorded by strain gauge transducers and bipolar electrodes. Gallbladder pressure was measured manometrically by a surgically implanted intraluminal catheter. After control recordings for 4 to 6 weeks, antrectomy and gastroduodenostomy were performed. Six weeks later, bilateral truncal vagotomy was performed in each dog. Recordings were made after each surgical procedure. In the control state, the gallbladder exhibited cyclic motor activity consisting of phasic contractions at a frequency of 0.75 ± 0.02/min superimposed on an increase in baseline pressure. Antrectomy and gastroduodenostomy completely abolished the phasic contractions of gallbladder cyclic motor activity and significantly decreased the incidence of the cyclic increase in baseline pressure. Subsequent vagotomy had no additional effect on gallbladder cyclic motor activity. In intact dogs, the gallbladder filled from 0% to 80% and emptied from 80% to 100% of the duodenal migrating motor complex cycle, which was considered to begin at the start of phase I activity. Antrectomy significantly altered this pattern; after antrectomy, the gallbladder filled from 0% to 10% and from 90% to 100% and emptied during the remainder of the duodenal migrating motor complex cycle. Subsequent vagotomy had no additional effect on periodic gallbladder filling and emptying. It is concluded that major changes occur in gallbladder cyclic motor activity and its periodic filling and emptying pattern in the fasting state after antrectomy and vagotomy. It is hypothesized that in the absence of cyclic phasic contractions after antrectomy, periodic stirring and agitation of gallbladder bile and its mixing with fresh hepatic bile may not occur in the fasting state. The absence of this phenomenon may lead to supersaturation of bile near the mucosal surface and increase the propensity for precipitation of salts and formation of gallstones.
Classification on compressed images with bounded loss

The influence of lossy compression is evaluated by using a classification algorithm on high resolution two-band images of vegetation canopies. The experiments were aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using lossy compression techniques to save on the immense storage requirements of remotely-sensed images. The images were compressed using a discrete cosine transform based approach, at various degrees of loss and compression. An unsupervised classification was performed with ERDAS to stratify each image into ten classes. The classification results are compared with those obtained from the original image without compression. This comparison is done by plotting the percentage of pixels classified differently as a result of the loss.
Design and implementation of modular neural networks based on the ALOPEX algorithm [face recognition application]

The hypothesis of the current work is that a modular neural network provides a better recognition of templates containing missing features, as opposed to a conventional multi-layer neural network. The authors designed and implemented an algorithm which allows one to create neural networks containing multiple modules, as well as interneuronal lateral inhibition. The training stage of the network in this project is based on the ALOPEX algorithm. The hierarchy of the network provides independence of its functions on the number of modules in the network, number of layers within each module, number of nodes within each layer, and finally, number of connections of each node. Three sets of tests were performed on a modular network, and on a control network, using the same optimization ALOPEX algorithm. In the tests the authors used five, six, and seven templates respectively. The results show that the modular approach gives a more accurate recognition of templates containing missing features, which proves the authors' initial hypothesis. One possible application of this approach is in face recognition, when certain parts of a face image (like nose or eyes) are not available for some images.
Characteristics and applications of wideband guided-wave devices

Design and fabrication of wideband and high-speed guided-wave electro-optic and electroabsorption devices will be reviewed. Their applications in rf fiber-optic links will be presented.
Joint thresholding and quantizer selection for decoder-compatible baseline JPEG

This paper introduces a novel, image-adaptive, encoding scheme for the baseline JPEG standard. In particular, coefficient thresholding, JPEG quantization matrix (Q-matrix) optimization, and adaptive Huffman entropy-coding are jointly performed to maximize coded still-image quality within the constraints of the baseline JPEG syntax. Adaptive JPEG coding has been addressed in earlier works: by Ramchandran and Vetterli (see IEEE Trans. on Image Processing, Special Issue on Image Compression, vol.3, p.700-704, September 1994), where fast rate-distortion (R-D) optimal coefficient thresholding was described, and by Wu and Gersho (see Proc. Inter. Conf. Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, vol.5, p.389-392, April 1993) and Hung and Meng (1991), where R-D optimized Q-matrix selection was performed. By formulating an algorithm which optimizes these two operations jointly, we have obtained performance comparable to more complex, "state-of-the-art" coding schemes: for the "Lenna" image at 1 bpp, our algorithm has achieved a PSNR of 39.6 dB. This result represents a gain of 1.7 dB over JPEG with a customized Huffman entropy coder, and even slightly exceeds the published performance of Shapiro's (see IEEE Trans. on Signal Processing, vol.41, p.3445-3462, December 1993) wavelet-based scheme. Furthermore, with the choice of appropriate visually-based error metrics, noticeable subjective improvement has been achieved as well.