cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fractional calculus - A different approach to the analysis of viscoelastically damped structures

Fractional calculus is used to construct stress-strain relationships for viscoelastic materials. These relationships are used in the finite element analysis of viscoelastically damped structures and closed-form solutions to the equations of motion are found. The attractive feature of this approach is that very few empirical parameters are required to model the viscoelastic material and calculate the response of the structure for general loading conditions.
Micro-CT imaging of structure-to-function relationship of bone microstructure and associated vascular involvement

We are exploring methods of quantitating the 3D microstructure of bone in a way that will provide quantitative information about the functional status of the bone. The basic strategy is to image the spatial distribution of a selected, local, marker of function (e.g., material properties or new bone formation) and relate this to the simultaneously imaged 3D anatomic microstructure. Many of these approaches are extensions of well-established 2D imaging techniques (e.g., use of fluorophores and autoradiography) to 3D micro-CT. Local stresses throughout the microstructure can be estimated from the 3D geometry (and change in that geometry in response to stress applied to the outside of the bones) and correlated to the local function. In addition to study of bone, we are also exploring calcification of arterial walls, both within the bone and outside the bone, such as coronary arteries. Arterial calcification in ovariectomised rats has been observed.
Pedagogical Triangulation: The Mergence of Three Traditions in History Instruction.

History is often viewed unfavorably by students. In this article the author asserts that students’ disfavor of history may originate from the narrow pedagogical flavor of the history class. The purpose of this article is to describe the three traditions of history education, with their accompanying strengths and weaknesses. Three sample lessons on immigration in United States History are provided to illustrate how these three traditions of history education may actually harmoniously coexist within a history curricula as a means to meet the learning needs of students.
Standing Waves in Pipes

A cylindrical pipe (a flute, a marimba resonator, an automobile exhaust pipe) filled with ordinary air is a system that shows standing waves. If both ends of the pipe are open, the boundary conditions insist that the pressure at the open end is zero. Zero means that it is not overpressure (positive); it is not underpressure (negative); it is ordinary atmospheric pressure (zero).
Accrediting Standards Affecting Mid-Level Teacher Education Preparation in the Community College

This chapter reviews the accrediting standards of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council, assessess the ease or difficulty with which community colleges could meet the required standards, and suggests accreditation models appropriate for community colleges.
VCSEL-pumped photonic crystal lasers

Summary form only given. We report on our work on VCSEL-pumped photonic crystal lasers beginning with a discussion of the cavity design based on finite-difference time-domain and finite element numerical simulations. The loss in these cavities can be controlled by engineering the photonic lattice as well as by engineering the epitaxial layer thicknesses. We discuss the trade-offs involved in obtaining high Q, vertically emitting laser cavities.
In Situ Cranioplasty Technique for Immediate Calvarial Reconstruction to Optimize Cosmesis.

Objective One of the goals of calvarial reconstruction after craniectomy is optimization of cosmesis. A simple technique for intraoperative generation of an implant based on the patient's native skull contour for immediate skull reconstruction after craniectomy is described. Methods In this technique, a titanium mesh is molded to the contour of the skull in situ and temporarily secured to the calvarium before the craniectomy. After the definitive portion of the procedure, the implant is resecured using the predrilled holes in the skull. Results In situ titanium cranioplasties are easily contoured to the patient's native skull before, and resecured after, craniectomy. Postoperative cosmesis is excellent. Conclusions In selected cases, this technique for in situ cranioplasty before craniectomy generates an implant that mimics the patient's calvarium and results in excellent cosmetic outcomes.
Sensitivity of Simulated Sea Breezes to Initial Conditions in Complex Coastal Regions

AbstractMesoscale simulations of sea breezes are sensitive to the analysis product used to initialize the simulations, primarily due to the representation of the coastline and the coastal sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the analyses. The use of spatially coarse initial conditions, relative to the horizontal resolution of the mesoscale model grid, can introduce errors in the representation of coastal SSTs, in part due to the incorrect designation of the land surface. As a result, portions of the coastal ocean are initialized with land surface temperature values and vice versa. The diurnal variation of the sea surface is typically smaller than over land on meso- and synoptic-scale time scales. Therefore, it is common practice to retain a temporally static SST in numerical simulations, causing initial SST errors to persist through the duration of the simulation. These SST errors influence horizontal coastal temperature and humidity gradients and thereby the development of the sea-breeze circulations.The a...
Testimony of Robert Hockett: Financial Services Panel Series, the Honorable Maxine Waters (CA-35) Presenting: The Housing Crisis and Policy Solutions: Should Eminent Domain Be Used to Save Underwater Homeowners?

This written testimony accompanied Professor Hockett's oral testimony, given 11 September 2012, before a House of Representatives panel convened by Rep. Maxine Waters, on the necessity of municipalities' employing their eminent domain authority to purchase and write-down principal on deeply underwater private label securitized (PLS) mortgage loans. Professor Hockett argues that familiar market impediments prevent voluntary write-downs of such loans even when such write-downs are as creditor- as they are debtor-friendly. Pursuit of his eminent domain approach to the otherwise insoluble, still ongoing mortgage debt deflation, Professor Hockett concludes, will be 'win-win' for all interested parties.
Should vitamin D deficiency be corrected before parathyroidectomy

Background Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with hyperparathyroidism, but the importance of replacement before surgery is controversial. We aimed to evaluate the impact of vitamin D deficiency on the extent of resection and risk of postoperative hypocalcemia for patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. Methods We identified patients with primary hyperparathyroidism undergoing parathyroid surgery between 2000 and 2015 using a prospectively maintained database. Patients with normal (≥30 ng/mL) vitamin D were compared to those with levels less than 30 ng/mL. Results There were 1015 (54%) patients with normal vitamin D and 872 (46%) patients with vitamin D deficiency undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher preoperative parathyroid hormone (median 90 versus 77 pg/mL, P < 0.001) and calcium (median 10.5 versus 10.4 mg/dL, P < 0.001) compared with normal vitamin D. To achieve similar cure rates, patients with vitamin D deficiency were less likely to require removal of more than one gland (20% versus 30%, P < 0.001) than patients with normal vitamin D. Patients with vitamin D deficiency had similar rates of persistent (1.5% versus 2.0%, P = 0.43) and recurrent (1.7% versus 2.6%, P = 0.21) hyperparathyroidism. Postoperatively, both groups had equivalent rates of transient (2.3% versus 2.3%, P = 0.97) and permanent (0.2% versus 0.4%, P = 0.52) hypocalcemia. Conclusions Restoring vitamin D in deficient patients should not delay the appropriate surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism. Deficient patients are more likely to be cured with the excision of a single adenoma and no more likely to suffer persistence, recurrence, or hypocalcemia than patients with normal vitamin D.
Denosumab:new breakthrough in treatments for giant-cell tumor of bone

The giant cell tumor of bone(GCTB)is one type of giant cell-rich lesion of bone characterized by the presence of numerous multinucleated osteoclast-type giant cells which had been confirmed to express the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand(RANKL)and be responsible for the aggressive osteolytic nature of the tumor.There is no definitely effective treatment option which can fully cure this disease,especially for surgically unsalvageable GCTB.In recent years,several studies of denosumab in patients with advanced or unresectable GCTB had showed objective changes in tumor composition,reduced bony destruction,and clinical benefit.Denosumab is a fully humanised monoclonal antibody that targets and binds with high affinity and specificity to RANKL.Several large phase III studies have shown that denosumab is more effective than bisphosphonates in reducing skeletal morbidity arising from a wide range of tumors,and can delay bone metastasis.The related articles will be reviewed in this paper.The most considerable questions related to the future management of denosumab treatment in GCTB would be discussed.
Genetic Diversity Analysis of Main Male Sterile Lines for Indica Hybrid Rice Based on SSR Markers

Genetic diversity was analyzed among 15 main male sterile lines of indica hybrid rice from China with 99 pairs of SSR marker evenly distributed in the 12 chromosomes of rice.The results indicated that 71(71.1%) pairs of SSR marker showed polymorphism.There were 171 alleles detected with those 71 pairs of SSR marker.The number of alleles for per locus ranged 2-5 with an average of 2.47.The average of He was 0.716 and average of PIC was 0.393.The 15 main male sterile lines were divided into two groups at genetic distance 0.693.The sterile line Guangzhan 63S could be grouped alone.Another group was composed of four photo-thermo-sensitive genic male sterile lines and all main three-line male sterile lines.The clustering results based on SSR analysis was basically consistent with the pedigree of 15 main male sterile lines.
Tracking algorithms based on quantum genetic particle filter for WSN

Degeneracy phenomenon is serious in particle filter algorithm,common re-sampling method can resolve degeneracy phenomenon, but the sample impoverishment is a secondary result.To solve above problem,the causes of Particle filter degradation phenomena and the advantages of quantum genetic algorithm are studied.Tracking algorithms based on quantum genetic particle filter for wireless sensor networks is proposed,inwhich quantumgenetic algorithmis introduced.The diversity of particle sets increase through encoding of the quantum genetic algorithm,thus,the degradation in particle filter is eased and the problem of particle depletion is solved.Quantum parallelism saves the computation time and improved the real-time of tracking.Simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed algorithm.
Effects of sulfur dioxide and polyvinylpolypyrrolidone on the flavor stability of beer as measured by sensory and chemical analysis

A sensory panel was trained to articulate and quantify aged characters in ales and lagers. Key terms used to describe aging were hay/straw aroma, cardboard flavor, and apple/wine flavor. The panel was employed to detect the merits of adding sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) at levels that would be permissible without labeling in the United States. Although some benefit was observed, few of the differences were robust statistically. The observations made by the panel were compared with the observed impact of SO 2 on total levels of carbonyl substances measured in the same beers. The reduction in carbonyls was similar irrespective of whether SO 2 was added before or after accelerated aging regimes, whereas the limited benefits seen via sensory evaluation were only observed for sulfite addition prior to aging. It is inferred that the limited protective action of SO 2 is as an antioxidant rather than as a binder of carbonyls through adduct formation. The taste panel was also used to demonstrate that the partial removal of polyphenols by polyvinylpolypyrrolidone was without any significant effect on the flavor stability of the beers studied.
Complex Domain Iterative K-Best Decoder

This chapter presents an iterative soft decision-based complex K-Best decoder, which enables the utility of lattice reduction and complex SE enumeration in MIMO decoder [15]. For complex domain detection, the tree search does not need to be expanded twice the height for the mapping to real domain. This inherently saves complexity and required calculation. However, node calculation with complex value became challenging in terms of algorithmic and hardware implementation.
High Stability of Immobilized Polyoxometalates on TiO2 Nanoparticles and Nanoporous Films for Robust, Light-Induced Water Oxidation

Solutions to two general limitations in the immobilization of molecular water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) on nanoparticle or photoelectrode surfaces have been investigated: (a) a straightforward electrostatic method to bind charged WOCs more effectively to these surfaces and (b) a method to increase the concentration of the semiconductor- and/or electrode-immobilized WOCs so they can be spectroscopically characterized in this form. Polyoxometalate (POM) WOCs, known to be fast, selective, and oxidatively stable under homogeneous conditions, and their high negative charges are a good test case to assess the viability of electrostatic surface immobilization. The POM WOCs, [RuIV4O5(OH)(H2O)4(γ-PW10O36)2]9– (Ru4P2) and [{RuIV4(OH)2(H2O)4}(γ-SiW10O34)2]10- (Ru4Si2), have been immobilized by silanization on TiO2 nanoparticles and nanoporous electrodes and have been found to retain catalytic water oxidation activity. In photoelectrochemical systems, increased current density of WOC-TiO2/FTO electrodes is consisten...
Aspirin and Risk of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background and Purpose—Recent studies have suggested that the use of low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We aimed to evaluate any association between ...
US emergency department encounters for law enforcement-associated injury, 2006-2012

This study uses a nationally representative database to determine whether the incidence of emergency department visits for law enforcement increased relative to total emergency department visits from 2006 to 2012.
Career Progression of the Pharmacy/MBA Professional: Characterization and Perceptions of the Combined Degree.

Objectives. To characterize pharmacy/MBA professionals during their entry-level and current positions and to describe their attitudes and perceptions toward their combined degree.Methods. A cross-sectional survey of University at Buffalo (UB) alumni who obtained both pharmacy and MBA degrees was used. An electronic survey was developed through collaboration with the UB School of Management and administered in winter 2015.Results. A total of 68/115 (59% response rate) pharmacy/MBA professionals responded to the survey. Post-graduate training was completed by 24% of respondents, and most commonly it was a residency program. After adjusting for inflation to 2014 dollars, the median entry-level salary for pharmacy/MBA professionals was $140,123 (mean = $144,327) and this increased to $179,947 (mean = $205,623) for those in their current position. Practice settings for entry-level professionals included pharmaceutical industry (25%) and chain pharmacies (18%). Most respondents believed that a combined degree h...
Mini-Open Subpectoral Biceps Tenodesis With an All-Suture Anchor

The long head of the biceps tendon can be a source of pain in a variety of shoulder pathogies such as including biceps tenosynovitis, type II SLAP tears, partial long head of the biceps tears, and long head of the biceps subluxations or dislocations among others. When nonoperative management has failed and surgical management is indicated, the long head of the biceps can be treated with either tenotomy or tenodesis. Although tenotomy is reliably effective, tenodesis is often preferred as it helps prevent complications such as cramping, fatigue, and supination and elbow flexion weakness. Several biceps tenodesis techniques have been described including suprapectoral vs subpectoral, open vs arthroscopic and a variety of fixation methods have been used including a biotenodesis screw, cortical button, bone bridge, and suture anchor. This article describes the technique for a mini-open, subpectoral on-lay biceps tenodesis using an all-suture anchor double loaded with suture tape. We prefer this method as it provides effective fixation with minimal tendon slippage and minimizes the risk of complication.
Structural components of rna tumor viruses.

Publisher Summary Progress during the past several years, has resulted in the elucidation of the mechanism of replication of a variety of bacterial and animal viruses. The sequence of events leading to the formation of complete virus particles has been described in considerable detail through the analysis of virus gene products at various stages during the infectious cycle. Most of the early advances were made by studying the intracellular localization and synthesis of the structural components of the viruses. In the case of RNA tumor viruses, very little is known about the mechanism of replication of these agents. Although it has been well established that the particles mature at the cell surface, it is not understood how and where the individual nucleic acid and protein components are synthesized. Recently, a great deal of information has been obtained about the various structural components of the virus particle. It is the purpose of this chapter to bring this information into focus and to indicate how these materials are being utilized to study the expression of the virus genome in the host cell.
Biochemically estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone receptor-positive breast carcinoma : immunocytochemical hormone receptors and prognostic factors

The significance of breast carcinomas biochemically negative (-) for estrogen receptor (ER), but positive (+) for progesterone receptor (PR), is poorly understood. It has been proposed that these tumors, more common in younger women, contain ER whose presence is masked in a biochemical binding assay by endogenous estrogen. Such tumors should be positive for ER by immunocytochemical assay. In a series of 319 tumors, 18 (5.6%) were biochemically ER-PR+. Patient age in this group (mean age, 59 years; range, 36 to 89 years) was slightly, but not significantly, lower than in patient groups with other receptor profiles. Only two (11%) of the 18 tumors were ER+ by immunocytochemical assay, not higher than the immunocytochemical ER positivity rate of seven (13%) of 62 biochemically ER-PR- tumors in the same series. Progesterone receptor was positive by immunocytochemistry in nine (50%) ER-PR+ tumors, lower than the rate in biochemically ER+PR+ tumors (158 [87%] of 181). The tumor size, histologic tumor grade, and S-phase fraction showed trends to be higher in biochemically ER-PR+ tumors than in ER+PR+ tumors. Biochemically ER-PR+ breast carcinomas are biologically different from ER+PR+ tumors.
Amine-Boranes and Related Structures

The ability of trivalent boron compounds of the type BR3 to accept electron pairs from suitable electron donors has long been recognized. The driving force for such events is the tendency for boron to complete its outer shell of electrons in order to obtain the most favorable electronic configuration. Hence an extremely large number of molecular addition compounds of BR3 molecules with a variety of nitrogen bases and, more general, nitrogen-containing compounds, have been described over the last 150 years. For instance, H3N BF3, the adduct of ammonia and trifluoroborane, was prepared by Gay-Lussac in i.8091 and was studied in more detail by Davy in 18122. In spite of the large number of such coordination compounds cited in the literature, it is amazing how few of their properties have been recorded and how little study of their behavior has been pursued.
Adult Jewish Learning: The Landscape

In a retrospective review of the research literature, Schuster and Grant (2005) described the evolution of the field of adult Jewish learning, situating the blossoming of adult Jewish learning in the historical and social contexts of the late twentieth century. Here they ask how contemporary social forces have led to new developments in the field and what changes and priorities appear to be shaping the vision and decisions of adult education planners and policy makers today. Using Schwab’s four commonplaces as an organizing frame, they describe the increasingly diverse constituencies who now participate in adult Jewish learning activities; assess the impact of various contemporary social and historical factors on the learning needs of these groups; suggest a new conceptual framework for situating the “where, when, and what” of different types of learners and the learning programs that attract them; and offer suggestions for future planning and research in the field of adult Jewish learning.
Analyzing DNA-Protein Interactions on a Chip

Gene expression is regulated by multi-protein complexes binding to short noncoding regions of genomic DNA, called cis-regulatory elements. A long-term goal of genomics is to identify and annotate all essential elements of the genome. Most coding elements of the genome have been identified and annotated; however, most regulatory elements have not. This chapter describes a method for the high throughput identification of DNA-protein interactions to identify cis-regulatory elements.
Accidental ecosystem restoration? Assessing the estuary-wide impacts of a new ocean inlet created by Hurricane Sandy

Abstract Barrier island lagoons are the most common type of estuary in the world and can be prone to eutrophication as well as the formation and closure of ocean inlets via severe storm activity. This study describes the biological, chemical, and physical changes that occurred along the south shore of Long Island, NY, USA, following the formation of a new ocean inlet in eastern Great South Bay (GSB) by Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012. Time series sampling and experiments were performed at multiple locations within GSB and neighboring Moriches Bay from 2013 through to 2018. Historical comparisons to prior water quality monitoring data, fecal coliform concentrations, and hard clam growth rates were also made. Measurements indicated that the New Inlet provided asymmetrical ocean flushing. Within locations north (Bellport Bay) and east (Narrow Bay, western Moriches Bay) of the New Inlet, water residence times, summer water temperatures, total and dissolved nitrogen, chlorophyll a, the harmful brown tide alga, Aureococcus anophagefferens, pigments associated with diatoms and dinoflagellates (fucoxanthin and peridinin), and fecal coliform bacteria levels all significantly decreased, while salinity, dissolved oxygen, and water clarity significantly increased. In contrast, waters west of the New Inlet within the center of GSB experienced little change in residence times, significant increases in chlorophyll a and harmful brown tides caused by A. anophagefferens, as well as a significant decrease in water clarity and summer dissolved oxygen levels. Growth rates of juvenile hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) near the New Inlet increased compared to before the inlet and were significantly higher than in central GSB, where growth rates significantly declined compared to before the inlet. Hence, while enhanced ocean flushing provided a series of key ecosystem benefits for regions near the New Inlet, regions further away (> 10 km) experienced more frequent HABs and poorer performance of bivalves, demonstrating that enhanced ocean flushing provided by the breach was not adequate to fully restore the whole GSB ecosystem.
The effect of reverberation on listening effort

The current study investigates whether long reverberation increases listening effort during speech recognition. Listening effort during word recognition in multi-talker babble noise was assessed with or without high levels of reverberation. A dual-task paradigm was adopted, in which the primary task was word recognition in noise at individually selected signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that yielded an average performance level of 50% correct, and the secondary task was a visual-tracking task with individually adjusted difficulty level to yield an average performance level of 85% correct. In each 30-s trial, seven monosyllabic words were presented sequentially at a rate of four seconds per word. Young normal-hearing listeners were instructed to verbally repeat each word while performing the secondary task. In the reverberant condition, a cascade of all-pass filters was used to achieve a reverberation time of 1 s without altering the original spectrum of the speech. For the primary task in isolation, the reverberant condition required 10 dB or more in SNR to achieve the 50% target performance level. When the listeners performed the two tasks simultaneously, no consistent adverse effect of reverberation was found on the performance of the primary or secondary task compared to the no-reverberation condition.The current study investigates whether long reverberation increases listening effort during speech recognition. Listening effort during word recognition in multi-talker babble noise was assessed with or without high levels of reverberation. A dual-task paradigm was adopted, in which the primary task was word recognition in noise at individually selected signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that yielded an average performance level of 50% correct, and the secondary task was a visual-tracking task with individually adjusted difficulty level to yield an average performance level of 85% correct. In each 30-s trial, seven monosyllabic words were presented sequentially at a rate of four seconds per word. Young normal-hearing listeners were instructed to verbally repeat each word while performing the secondary task. In the reverberant condition, a cascade of all-pass filters was used to achieve a reverberation time of 1 s without altering the original spectrum of the speech. For the primary task in isolation, the reverbe...
Recall responses from brain-resident memory CD8+ T-cells (bTRM) induce reactive gliosis

Summary HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) persist even during effective combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Although the cause of HAND is unknown, studies link chronic immune activation, neuroinflammation, and cerebrospinal fluid viral escape to disease progression. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that specific, recall immune responses from brain-resident memory T cells (bTRM) could activate glia and induce neurotoxic mediators. To address this question, we developed a heterologous prime-central nervous system (CNS) boost strategy in mice. We observed that the murine brain became populated with long-lived CD8+ bTRM, some being specific for an immunodominant Gag epitope. Recall stimulation using HIV-1 AI9 peptide administered in vivo resulted in microglia displaying elevated levels of major histocompatibility complex class II and programmed death-ligand 1, and demonstrating tissue-wide reactive gliosis. Immunostaining further confirmed this glial activation. Taken together, these results indicate that specific, adaptive recall responses from bTRM can induce reactive gliosis and production of neurotoxic mediators.
Net-zero and beyond! Design and performance of NIST's net-zero energy residential test facility

Abstract A Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility has been constructed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to demonstrate that a home similar in size, aesthetics, and amenities to those in the surrounding communities can achieve net-zero while meeting the needs of a four member family. The home incorporates a vast array of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, a subset of which was used during the first year of operation, including an air-to-air heat pump system, a solar photovoltaic system, a solar thermal hot water system, and a heat recovery ventilation system (HRV). The solar photovoltaic system generated 13,523 kW h of energy, exceeding the home's annual energy consumption by 484 kW h during the 12-month test interval. The solar thermal hot water system provided 54% of the energy required to meet the hot water load. Use of the heat recovery ventilator, used to provide ventilation air to the home, resulted in 1965 kW h of energy consumption, 514 kW h to power the HRV and 1451 of energy used by the heat pump system to meet the additional sensible and thermal loads. This paper describes the facility and presents performance data for the first year of operation.
Efficient Feature Selection for Intrusion Detection Systems

Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) monitor network traffics to find suspicious activities, such as an attack or illegal activities. These systems play an important role in securing computer networks. Due to availability of irrelevant or redundant features and big dimensionality of network datasets which results to an inefficient detection process, this study, focused on identifying important attributes in order to build an effective IDS. A majority vote system, using three standard feature selection methods, Correlation-based feature selection, Information Gain, and Chi-square is proposed to select the most relevant features for IDS. The decision tree classifier is applied on reduced feature sets to build an intrusion detection system. The results show that selected reduced attributes from the novel feature selection system give a better performance for building a computationally efficient IDS system.
Sartre and the American New Left

In the May 1965 issue of Harper’s magazine, a little-known philosophy professor named Glenn Gray at a small college in Colorado published an article titled “Salvation on the Campus: Why Existentialism is Capturing the Students.” In it he spoke about the mood of the current generation, born into relative affluence, lacking any compelling historical cause such as previous generations’ experience of the Great Depression, the threat of fascism, or the struggle against Nazism. Gray’s students found themselves alienated from a vastly expanded university system perceived as soulless, impersonal, and competitive. Influenced by Heidegger and Sartre, they were drawn to themes like Absurdity and Nothingness and sought to avoid bad faith and find authenticity. Rejecting the packaged lives awaiting them, they found themselves forced to choose between life paths pointing to absurdity on the one hand or tragedy on the other, yet sought to take responsibility for themselves by creating their own lives.
Exploring \(SU\left( 2^K\right) \)

We’ve seen that the space of unitary operators is gigantic. Now I want to discuss how to move through it. I’ve already hinted that we don’t make big complexity jumps, but instead move in little steps called gates. A sequence of gates is called a circuit although it has nothing to do with periodicity. It’s just a name.
Plant invasion alters the Michaelis–Menten kinetics of microbial extracellular enzymes and soil organic matter chemistry along soil depth

Microbial extracellular enzymes decompose distinct components of soil organic matter (SOM), thus influencing its stability. However, we lack the knowledge about how the kinetics of individual enzymes vary when multiple substrates change simultaneously. Here we used Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) invasion as a model system to explore how the Michaelis–Menten kinetics (Vmax and km) of microbial extracellular enzymes vary with corresponding SOM components across soil depth (0–5, 5–10, and 10–15 cm). We hypothesized that invasion will increase the Vmax (maximum enzyme activity) and km (substrate concentration at half Vmax) of oxidative enzymes but decrease the Vmax and km of hydrolytic enzymes, and that increasing soil depth will alleviate the invasion effects on the enzyme kinetics. The invasion of knotweed, which input litter rich in recalcitrant compounds, altered soil chemistry including an increase in lignin and fungal biomass compared to the adjacent non-invaded soils. The Vmax of peroxidase, the oxidative enzyme that degrades lignin, increased in the invaded soils (0–5 cm) compared to the non-invaded soils. Among the hydrolytic enzymes, the Vmax of N-acetyl-glucosaminidase which degrades chitin from fungal cell walls increased in the invaded soils (0–5 cm). However, there was no associated change in the km of peroxidase and N-acetyl-glucosaminidase under invasion, suggesting that microbes modified the enzyme production rates, not the types (isozyme) of enzymes under invasion. The Vmax of all enzymes decreased with depth, due to the reduced substrate availability. These results highlight that the addition of relatively recalcitrant substrates due to plant invasion altered the kinetics of microbial extracellular enzymes with implications for SOM chemistry in the invaded soils.
Ultrathin Conformal oCVD PEDOT Coatings on Carbon Electrodes Enable Improved Performance of Redox Flow Batteries

Surface engineering of porous carbon electrodes is an effective strategy to enhance the power output of redox flow batteries (RFBs) and may enable new cost reduction pathways for energy storage. Here, a surface modification strategy that enhances the electrochemical performance of RFBs in iron-based electrolytes is demonstrated. Nanometric films of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) are grown conformally onto carbon cloth electrodes using oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) and the impact of film properties on electrode performance in model iron-based electrolytes is investigated. Depositing oCVD PEDOT films on the electrode surface is found to reduce ohmic, kinetic, and mass transport resistances, with the highest current densities and lowest resistances observed for electrodes coated with a ≈78 nm thick film. As compared to unmodified electrodes, coated electrodes enhance the maximum obtained current density at an applied overpotential of 350 mV by 6.7× and 3.7× in iron sulfate and iron chloride, respectively. The oCVD PEDOT film described here represents an initial step toward electrode surfaces of tailored activity, selectivity, and wettability for specific RFB chemistries and, more generally, electrochemical systems with liquid-phase reactants.
Reproductive adaptations to high densities in social mammals

An overview of population density control in social mammals sets the framework for examining reproductive responses to increasing population densities. We begin by honoring John B. Calhoun who played a major role, starting about 70 years ago, in correcting the conventional wisdom of the time that population control was all about adjusting mortality rates. Reproduction was considered a constant, and emigration was viewed as a component of mortality. His research was mostly on domestic and feral populations of Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus for which he built complex arenas that could house thousands of inhabitants. In addition, he constructed elaborate living quarters in the alleyways of Baltimore. For the captive populations, he would individually mark all the inhabitants so that he could identify them and observe their behavior. Eight examples of his research publications are described. He was able to document a list of reproduction related behaviors that are the main focus of this essay, and clearly demolish the simplistic notion that reproduction is a constant. A summary of some of the major issues that encompasses the science of population growth and regulation is provided. There follows a series of 19 examples of non-Calhoun publications that cover many more species of social mammals, including humans. A comprehensive list of the many negative adaptations involving reproductive processes are documented for the 27 publications reviewed confirming that in many species reproductive constraints are non-trivial. There follows a brief discussion that attempts to create a cohesive whole for this intellectual adventure.
Do not forget the brachial plexus—prevalence of distal brachial plexus pathology on routine shoulder MRI

Most of the shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination focuses on internal joint structures but disregarding other structures like the distal brachial plexus, which may miss important findings. Hereby, we attempt to evaluate the prevalence of distal brachial plexus abnormalities and/or muscular denervation changes seen on routine shoulder MRI examinations and discuss common pathologies affecting the distal brachial plexus. A total of 701 routine shoulder MRI studies were evaluated. The evaluation of each exam was focused on the visualized brachial plexus elements and musculature abnormalities in each case. If any abnormalities of plexus and/or musculature were found, potential underlying etiologies such as paralabral or spinoglenoid notch cysts, infiltrative/primary masses on imaging, history of prior viral illness, and radiation therapy were searched. It was then confirmed whether the abnormal findings were mentioned in the exam reports or not. Thirty-four cases (4.85%) demonstrated abnormal findings of the visualized brachial plexus cords or branches and/or musculature. It was observed that in 35.3% of exam reports these findings were not mentioned, mainly missing subtle nerve abnormalities, but correctly reporting and interpreting the encountered muscle abnormalities. The distal brachial plexus and its branches should be included in the search pattern for shoulder MRI examinations. • Normal T2 signal of the brachial plexus is iso- to slightly hyperintense to muscle but less signal intense than fluid. • Diffuse, geographic muscle edema is an indirect sign of brachial plexus pathology. • Increased T2-weighted nerve signal with or without caliber or course change should be reported and followed up to find the underlying etiology.
White Matter Injury Is Associated with Reduced Manual Dexterity and Elevated Serum Ceramides in Subjects with Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Introduction: We have demonstrated that asymptomatic cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) measured by white matter hyperintensity volume is associated with reduced manipulative manual dexterity on the Grooved Peg Board Test (GPBT) in middle-aged healthy individuals with a family history of early coronary artery disease. In this current study, we aim to identify the association of subcortical white matter microstructural impairment measured by diffusion tensor imaging, manual dexterity measured by GPBT and circulating serums ceramide, another marker for white matter injury. We hypothesize that lower regional fractional anisotropy (rFA) is associated with worse performance on GPBT and elevated serum ceramides in the same study population. Methods: rFA of 48 regions representing the subcortical white matters were analyzed in GeneSTAR participants in addition to serum ceramides and GPBT scores. Unadjusted univariable analyses with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were completed using Spearman correlation for testing the associations between ceramides, rFA of subcortical white matter, and GPBT performance. Subsequently, sensitivity analyses were performed after excluding the participants that had any physical limitation that may influence their performance on GPBT. Finally, in the adjusted analysis using generalized estimating equation, linear regression models were performed for the areas that met significance threshold in the unadjusted analyses. Results: 112 subjects (age [49 ± 11], 51% female, 39.3% African American) were included. Adjusted analyses for the significant correlations that met the Bonferroni correction threshold in the unadjusted univariable analyses identified significant negative associations between rFA of the right fornix (RF) and log-GPBT score (β = −0.497, p = 0.037). In addition, rFA of RF negatively correlated with log serum ceramide levels (C18: β = −0.03, p = 0.003, C20: β = −0.0002, p = 0.004) and rFA of left genu of corpus callosum negatively correlated with log C18 level (β = −0.0103, p = 0.027). Conclusions: These results demonstrate that subcortical microstructural white matter disruption is associated with elevated serum ceramides and reduced manual dexterity in a population with cSVD. These findings suggest that injury to white matter tracts undermines neural networks, with functional consequences in a middle-aged population with cardiovascular risk factors.
Determination of Solar System R-Process Abundances using ENDF/B-VIII.0 and TENDL-2015 libraries

Recent multi-messenger detection of the binary neutron star merger (GW170817) energized the astrophysical community and encouraged further research for determination of nuclear physics observables. Comprehensive studies of atomic nuclei in the cosmos provide an opportunity for investigating these astrophysical phenomena and acquiring complementary information on stellar nucleosynthesis processes that can be verified using the latest nuclear data. Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) libraries contain complete collections of reaction cross sections over the energy range relevant to astrophysics, fission yields and decay data. These data collections have been used worldwide in nuclear science, industry and national security applications. There is great interest in exploring the ENDF/B-VIII.0 and TALYS Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (TENDL-2015) for nuclear astrophysics purposes and comparing findings with the Karlsruhe Astrophysical Database of Nucleosynthesis in Stars (KADoNiS). The Maxwellian-averaged cross sections (MACS) and astrophysical reaction rates have been calculated using the ENDF/B-VIII.0 and TENDL-2015 evaluated data sets. The calculated cross sections were combined with the solar system abundances and fitted using the classical model of stellar nucleosynthesis. Astrophysical rapid- and slow-neutron capture, $r$- and $s$-process, respectively, abundances were obtained from present data and compared with available values. Further analysis of MACS reveals potential evaluated libraries data deficiencies and a strong need for new measurements. The current results demonstrate a large nuclear astrophysics potential of evaluated libraries and mutually beneficial relations between nuclear industry and research efforts.
Can Inflation Targeting Regimes Be Effective in Developing Countries? The Turkish Experience

In 2002, the the Central Bank of Turkey (CBT) shifted to an implicit inflation targeting framework (IIT) that encompassed the most of core attributes of an official IT regime. Successful disinflation and progress in the policy environment led to the introduction of full-fledged IT in 2006 that brought further transparency to the monetary policy framework. We found Turkey’s new monetary approach to be an effective framework with more progress to come. Our judgment is based on three broad conclusions pointed at by empirical analyses. First, fiscal stability is an effective tool for a successful monetary policy. Second, the CBT’s overnight policy rate is a significant determinant of the changes in market lending rates, which is the preliminary step in the monetary transmission mechanism. Third, recent developments on the broader issue of the effectiveness of interest rate policy in controlling inflation through aggregate demand management and through other channels is encouraging. Based on our findings, we can argue that the impact of policy rate changes on economic activity and inflation have become more predictable and changed in the direction in line with theory, improving the transmission capacity of monetary policy.
Harmonizing Private Securities Offering Exemptions

The Securities and Exchange Commission requested public comment on ways to simplify, improve, or harmonize exemptions from the requirement to register securities offerings. The SEC acknowledged that the current array of exempt offerings is complex and might be difficult for issuers to navigate. See Concept Release on Harmonization of Securities Offering Exemptions, 84 Fed. Reg. 30,460 (June 26, 2019). My comment proposed a new exemption from the registration requirements to replace several of the current exemptions and simplify access to capital for startup companies and small to mid-sized companies. It would combine features from Rules 506(b) and (c) of Regulation D and eliminate costly and cumbersome limitations and restrictions that are part of current exemptions for smaller companies, particularly Regulation A, Regulation CF, and Rule 504 of Regulation D. The approach also would broaden the base for sources of capital by eliminating the accredited investor restriction in Rule 506, but it would preserve fundamental investor protection by requiring a set of mandatory disclosures in each sale. The central element of the proposed exemption is a solid disclosure document. An important qualification is that the disclosures must not be as extensive as those mandated by Regulation S-K, Form S-1, Rule 506(b) for nonaccredited investors, or Regulation A. The disclosure obligations of the new exemption should provide essential company and security information to buyers but avoid the high costs associated with longer disclosures.
Intrapersonal and relationship characteristics: the importance of partner-specific measures in sexual health research

Collecting partner-specific data about multiple sexual partners is resource intensive. However, many variables that have been measured with generalized questions may, in fact, vary across different partnerships. Few studies have examined the need for data from all partners. The goal of this study was to examine if measuring intrapersonal and relationship constructs among high-risk individuals with multiple sexual partners benefitted from the use of partner-specific measures. We used data from a study that examined relationship dynamics among women and men aged 18–30 from the Los Angeles area. We assessed seven partner-specific measures of intrapersonal characteristics and relationship qualities/dynamics. We estimated multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models for each partner-specific outcome with random intercepts for individual participants and calculated the unconditional intraclass correlation (ICC). The similarity of partner-specific responses was very low or low for three measures (perceived vulnerability to HIV/STIs, relationship commitment, and relationship satisfaction); moderate for three measures (perceived vulnerability to pregnancy, sexual decision-making, and relationship power); and high for one measure (condom use self-efficacy). When studying populations with multiple sexual partners, relationship qualities are likely to vary across partners. In order to fully understand partnership dynamics, including influences on health behaviors, investing in partner-specific measurement is crucial.