cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partners in crime: bidirectional transcription in unstable microsatellite disease

Nearly two decades have passed since the discovery that the expansion of microsatellite trinucleotide repeats is responsible for a prominent class of neurological disorders, including Huntington disease and fragile X syndrome. These hereditary diseases are characterized by genetic anticipation or the intergenerational increase in disease severity accompanied by a decrease in age-of-onset. The revelation that the variable expansion of simple sequence repeats accounted for anticipation spawned a number of pathogenesis models and a flurry of studies designed to reveal the molecular events affected by these expansions. This work led to our current understanding that expansions in protein-coding regions result in extended homopolymeric amino acid tracts, often polyglutamine or polyQ, and deleterious protein gain-of-function effects. In contrast, expansions in noncoding regions cause RNA-mediated toxicity. However, the realization that the transcriptome is considerably more complex than previously imagined, as well as the emerging regulatory importance of antisense RNAs, has blurred this distinction. In this review, we summarize evidence for bidirectional transcription of microsatellite disease genes and discuss recent suggestions that some repeat expansions produce variable levels of both toxic RNAs and proteins that influence cell viability, disease penetrance and pathological severity.
Thermosensitive hydrogel coatings : synthesis and heparin release

The synthesis and drug release properties of crosslinked N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAAm) copolymer coatings on the surface of a hydrophobic poly(ester-urethane) tubing were examined. A method was designed to coat hydrophobic polymer surface with a thermosensitive get layer. Crosslinked NiPAAm copolymer coatings were synthesized using UV-initiated polymerization. The feasibility of using NiPAAm based gels as heparin releasing thermosensitive coatings was investigated. Heparin, a high molecular weight hydrophilic solute, was loaded into hydrogels using a simple solution sorption technique. The release of heparin from NiPAAm copolymer get coatings was compared to that of crosslinked NiPAAm copolymers. The get coatings demonstrated a more gradual and prolonged heparin release as compared to get disks of the same composition.
Lower Extremity EMG in Male and Female College Soccer Players during Single-Leg Landing

Context: Gender differences in muscle activity during landing have been studied as a possible contributing factor to the greater incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in women. Objective: To compare root-mean-square (RMS) electromyography (EMG) of selected lower extremity muscles at initial contact (IC) and at peak knee internal-rotation (IR) moment in men and women during landing. Design: Preexperimental design static-group comparison. Setting: Motion-analysis laboratory. Participants: 16 varsity college soccer players (8 men, 8 women). Main Outcome Measures: EMG activity of the gluteus medius, lateral hamstrings, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris during landing. Results: When RMS EMG of all muscles was considered simultaneously, no significant differences were detected between genders at IC or at peak knee IR moment. Conclusion: Male and female college soccer players display similar relative muscle activities of the lower extremity during landing. Gender landing-control parameters might va...
Image denoising based on adaptive nonlinear diffusion in wavelet domain

In this paper, we propose a context adaptive nonlinear diffusion method for image denoising in wavelet domain which we call context based diffusion in stationary wavelet domain (SWCD). In diffusing detail coefficients, the method adapts to the local context such that strong edges are preserved and smooth regions are diffused in a greater extent. The local context which is derived directly from the transform energies at scales 1 and 2 of two-level stationary wavelet transform (SWT) controls the diffusion. The shift invariance of SWT contributes to the performance of the method. The experiment is conducted on a number of benchmark images and compared to recently developed denoising methods which explore the adaptation concept for wavelet shrinkage and diffusion. A comparison is performed also to a method of diffusing both approximation and detail coefficients. The proposed SWCD method outperforms recently proposed adaptive shrinkage and adaptive diffusion, particularly at high noise levels. The method is computationally efficient due to the Haar wavelet and fast convergence attained due to exploiting the context information.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN SIMULTANEOUS C14 AND TRITIUM COUNTING

Since all biological, organic material contains carbon and hydrogen, radioactive isotopes of these two elements have proven to be very important in tracing the course of metabolites in biological systems. The simultaneous use of C14- and H3-tagged metabolites under identical experimental conditions greatly extends the usefulness of tracer methodology in various field of research. In biochemistry, double-labeled nutrients permit the study of the incorporation of a C14-labeled compound and a tritiated labeled compound in the same experiment. This can be accomplished either by labeling two parts of the same molecule, as in the case of tritiated methyl-labeled acetate and carboxyl-labeled acetate (acetate-1-C14), or by introducing two different metabolites in the same experiment as glucose-U-C14 and tritiated acetate [1]. Another type of double-label experiment is one in which the turnover of a product and the incorporation of precursors into the product can be measured in the same experimental animals [2]. In pharmacology the metabolic fate of a drug labeled with both C14 and tritium can be followed [3]. When the drug is labeled in two different positions of the molecule, changes in the C14: H3 ratio indicate that specific activity can be used for analysis where the isotope-derivative or dilution-derivative methods are employed [4]. These procedures are of particular value for the estimation of components of a mixture of related compounds for which individual chemical methods of analysis are not available. It should be noted that the accuracy of these methods of assay are independent of loss of material.
Self‐awareness of functional impairment in individuals at clinical high‐risk for psychosis

Aims A major public health concern associated with schizophrenia is the long-term disability that involves an inability to function independently in the community. An individual's self-awareness of functional impairment may be a significant factor contributing to long-term disability. In fact, subjective interpretation of one's illness impacts treatment participation and adherence, and is linked to poor outcomes. However, it remains unclear how illness-related functional impairment is perceived by individuals prior to the onset of psychosis. This study aims to examine the relationship between clinician-based and self-report assessments of functioning, as well as the contribution of clinical symptoms to this relationship in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis. Methods The Sheehan Disability Scale, a self-rated instrument, was used to measure disruption in daily functioning in social and role functioning due to symptoms in a sample of 73 treatment-seeking patients at clinical high-risk for psychosis and 50 healthy controls. Results Relative to healthy controls, clinical high-risk patients self-reported significant disruptions in social and role functioning. In addition, a specific relationship emerged in that clinician-rated measures of functioning and depression were related to subjective functioning. Conclusions These findings suggest that clinical high-risk patients are significantly disturbed by their illness. Self-reported disruption of daily functioning was associated with clinician-rated functioning and depressive symptoms, further highlighting the impact of functional impairments on the level of distress experienced by patients in the early phases of the illness. Intervention strategies that repair functional impairment before the onset of psychosis may prevent long-term disability.
Towards Precise and Efficient Information Flow Control in Web Browsers

JavaScript (JS) has become the dominant programming language of the Internet and powers virtually every web page. If an adversary manages to inject malicious JS into a web page, confidential user data such as credit card information and keystrokes may be exfiltrated without the users knowledge.
Visual tracking using the sum of conditional variance

The goal of this paper is to introduce a direct visual tracking method based on an image similarity measure called the sum of conditional variance (SCV). The SCV was originally proposed in the medical imaging domain for registering multi-modal images. In the context of visual tracking, the SCV is invariant to non-linear illumination variations, multi-modal and computationally inexpensive. Compared to information theoretic tracking methods, it requires less iterations to converge and has a significantly larger convergence radius. The novelty in this paper is a generalization of the efficient second-order minimization formulation for tracking using the SCV, allowing us to combine the efficient second-order approximation of the Hessian with a similarity metric invariant to non-linear illumination variations. The result is a visual tracking method that copes with non-linear illumination variations without requiring the estimation of photometric correction parameters at every iteration. We demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method through comparative studies and tracking experiments under challenging illumination conditions and rapid motions.
Inhibition of the chronic ethanol-induced fatty liver by antioxidant administration.

SummaryFemale rats were maintained for 21 days on nutritionally adequate liquid diets containing either “low” or “high” fat content and supplemented with ethanol or isocaloric sucrose as 35% of the calories. Liver triglyceride concentrations were significantly elevated in animals maintained on both diets supplemented with ethanol. However, a greater increment in triglyceride concentrations was manifested in the “high” fat ethanol group under conditions of similar caloric intake. The intraperitoneal administration of the lipid antioxidant, N,N′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD), prior to, and during the dietary period significantly inhibited the ethanol-induced increment in hepatic triglyceride concentration. The inhibition of the chronic ethanol-induced steatosis, in conjuction with our previous studies of antioxidant modification of the acute ethanol-in-duced hepatic lesion, further accents the possible role of lipid peroxidation as a determinant in cell injury and the role of antioxidants as liver prot...
Preparing for the coming storm: Exploring interactions between corporate values and crisis management

One of the most prevalent corporate trends of the last several years has been the rush for companies to identify their core purpose and core values as a means to differentiate and create a sustainable winning culture. Yet even with more emphasis on stated ethical philosophies, internal crises and scandals have continued to plague corporations. This pilot project uses in-depth interviews with senior public relations executives from large companies. The project examines how companies integrate corporate ethical philosophy into their crisis planning and response procedures and concludes that, while a well-entrenched core values program can serve as a powerful tool and a framework for crisis planning and decision-making, it should not be viewed as a panacea. Further, the research finds that poorly executed values programs are destabilizing to an organization and actually make crisis response more problematic. ©Journal of Professional Communication, all rights reserved.
Study on Self-Organized Criticality of Power System Blackouts in China

Based on the concept of self-organized criticality (SOC) and fractal and by analyzing power system blackouts in China from 1981 to 2002, the characters of SOC of domestic power system blackouts are revealed, and the scale-frequency models for blackouts occurred in nationwide power grid as well as in Northeast China, Central China and Northwest China power grids are constructed. Through the research on how to describe the SOC of power system by use of sand pile model, a conception is proposed, that is, the real-time dynamic sand pile models for smaller regional or provincial power grids are established to form a sand pile group model by which the nationwide power grid can be simulated.
Screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults.

Case study: A 50-year-old woman with a history of hyperlipidemia visits your office for a physical examination. Her blood pressure is 140/82 mm Hg, and her body mass index is 30 kg per m2.
The establishment of sheep flocks of predictable susceptibility to expirimental scrapie.

A selection experiment, based on a foundation stock of over 700 Herdwiek sheep and aimed at producing divergent populations of predictable high susceptibility or resistance to experimental scrapie was begun at this Institute in 1961. Twelve years later, flocks of presumed 100 per cent susceptibility to the Cheviot-derived scrapie agent SSBP-I used throughout the experiment, and also manifesting a high incidence of the disease when challenged with other scrapie strains, are used in the Compton scrapie research programme. The highly resistant (locks appear to have a small residual incidence of scrapie cases, often with very long incubation periods. The type of scrapie caused by the SSHP-t agent is largely under the genetic control of a single pair of autosomal alleles, the dominant allele conferring susceptibility .
Glacier Volume Estimation on Cascade Volcanoes: An Analysis and Comparison with Other Methods

During the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the occurrence of floods and mudflows made apparent a need to assess mudflow hazards on other Cascade volcanoes. A basic requirement for such analysis is information about the volume and distribution of snow and ice on these volcanoes. An analysis was made of the volume-estimation methods developed by previous authors and a volume- estimation method was developed for use in the Cascade Range. A radio echo-sounder, carried in a backpack, was used to make point measurements of ice thickness on major glaciers of four Cascade volcanoes (Mount Rainier, Washington; Mount Hood and the Three Sisters, Oregon; and Mount Shasta, California), These data were used to generate ice-thickness maps and bedrock topographic maps for developing and testing volume-estimation methods. Subsequently, the methods were applied to the unmeasured glaciers on those mountains and, as a test of the geographical extent of applicability, to glaciers beyond the Cascades having measured volumes. Two empirical relationships were required in order to predict volumes for all the glaciers. Generally, for glaciers less than 2.6 km in length, volume was found to be estimated best by using glacier area, raised to a power. For longer glaciers, volume was found to be estimated best by using a power law relationship, including slope and shear stress. The necessary variables can be estimated from topographic maps and aerial photographs.
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and Bacterial Community Structure Following a Sewage Spill Into an Aquatic Environment

ABSTRACT Sewage spills can release antibiotic-resistant bacteria into surface waters, contributing to environmental reservoirs and potentially impacting human health. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are nosocomial pathogens that have been detected in environmental habitats, including soil, water, and beach sands, as well as wildlife feces. However, VRE harboring vanA genes that confer high-level resistance have infrequently been found outside clinical settings in the United States. This study found culturable Enterococcus faecium harboring the vanA gene in water and sediment for up to 3 days after a sewage spill, and the quantitative PCR (qPCR) signal for vanA persisted for an additional week. Culturable levels of enterococci in water exceeded recreational water guidelines for 2 weeks following the spill, declining about five orders of magnitude in sediments and two orders of magnitude in the water column over 6 weeks. Analysis of bacterial taxa via 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed changes in community structure through time following the sewage spill in sediment and water. The spread of opportunistic pathogens harboring high-level vancomycin resistance genes beyond hospitals and into the broader community and associated habitats is a potential threat to public health, requiring further studies that examine the persistence, occurrence, and survival of VRE in different environmental matrices. IMPORTANCE Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are harmful bacteria that are resistant to the powerful antibiotic vancomycin, which is used as a last resort against many infections. This study followed the release of VRE in a major sewage spill and their persistence over time. Such events can act as a means of spreading vancomycin-resistant bacteria in the environment, which can eventually impact human health.
Detection of Flaws Below Curved Surfaces

A measurement model has been developed to describe ultrasonic measurements made with circular piston transducers in parts with flat or cylindrically curved surfaces. The model includes noise terms to describe electrical noise, scatterer noise and echo noise as well as effects of attenuation, diffraction and Fresnel loss. An experimental procedure for calibrating the noise terms of the model was developed. Experimental measurements were made on a set of known flaws located beneath a cylindrically curved surface. The model was verified by using it to correct the experimental measurements to obtain the absolute scattering amplitude of the flaws. For longitudinal wave propagation within the part, the derived scattering amplitudes were consistent with predictions at internal angles of less than 30°. At larger angles, focusing and aberrations caused a lack of agreement; the model needs further refinement in this case. For shear waves, it was found that the frequency for optimum flaw detection in the presence of material noise is lower than that for longitudinal waves; lower frequency measurements are currently in progress. The measurement model was then used to make preliminary predictions of the best experimental measurement technique for the detection of cracks located under cylindrically curved surfaces.
KL-->2 gamma and KL--> pi + pi - gamma decays.

Under the assumption of pseudoscalar-meson pole dominance for ${K}_{L}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and ${K}_{L}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays, the $a({K}_{L}\ensuremath{\eta})$ and $a({K}_{L}{\ensuremath{\eta}}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ are determined. Experimental consequences on ${K}_{L}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$, ${K}_{L}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}$, and ${K}_{L}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}{e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ are discussed.
Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Medicine

After six years and six medical school classes, the course leader of Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Medicine reflects on how the course began and where it is going.
Scalable rendering of large SPH simulations using an RK-enhanced interpolation scheme on constrained datasets

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a Lagrangian alternative to mesh-based schemes for simulating fluid flows in a wide variety of physical applications. However, there are a number of challenges that arise when attempting to visualize the results of these simulations. This poster presents a Reproducing Kernel (RK) enhanced SPH Resample Operator we have developed, in VisIt [1], to run on high performance computing (HPC) platforms, scale across compute nodes, and work efficiently on constrained datasets. We define constrained datasets as data that is exported in a way as to not allow efficient processing within a visualization tool. For us, these constrained datasets are pre-partitioned spatially, which in most cases, is not ideal for good load balancing. Furthermore, they also lack metadata, like the identification of halo or ghost zone regions, needed for node independent processing.
The Changing Demographic Base of Housing Demand

This account of demographic forces affecting future housing demand is rendered in three parts. The first focuses on the projected decline in the number of young adults whose increase in the past two decades was a major factor in household formation. The second describes the slowing growth of households, the demand units for housing. The third portrays the continued shift in the composition of households in disfavor of the conjugal family, once the main source of rising demand for housing and especially for home ownership.
Interview with Dennis Pearl

Dennis Pearl is Professor of Statistics at Pennsylvania State University and Director of the Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE). He is a Fellow of the Amer...
FDA Exclusivity and Patents

Patents, formally known as intellectual property or IP, are a government-granted monopoly or ownership of an idea (hence intellectual property). The ownership is granted for a certain period of time, known as the patent life. Patents are offered in order to guarantee that the information will be made public and ultimately useful to all. This is in contrast to a trade secret, such as the formula for Coca-Cola, which remains generally unknown after being on the market in one form or another since the 1880s. Patents are vital to drug developers because they offer some assurance that the cost to develop innovative agents can be recouped and a profit made. When drugs are protected by IP their prices are usually high, falling by an average of 80 % within 2 years after the generic versions are ultimately marketed. A dramatic example of this is anti-HIV drugs. Patented anti-HIV drugs in the year 2000 cost about $10,000/year per person, while 13 years later generic versions of the same drugs cost about $150/year.
Characterization techniques for graphene-based materials in catalysis

Graphene-based materials have been studied in a wide range of applications including catalysis due to the outstanding electronic, thermal, and mechanical properties. The unprecedented features of graphene-based catalysts, which are believed to be responsible for their superior performance, have been characterized by many techniques. In this article, we comprehensively summarized the characterization methods covering bulk and surface structure analysis, chemisorption ability determination, and reaction mechanism investigation. We reviewed the advantages/disadvantages of different techniques including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (DRIFTS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The application of temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), CO chemisorption, and NH3/CO2-temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) was also briefly introduced. Finally, we discussed the challenges and provided possible suggestions on choosing characterization techniques. This review provides key information to catalysis community to adopt suitable characterization techniques for their research.
Patient Engagement Following Acute Myocardial Infarction and Its Influence on Outcomes

The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) is a validated assessment tool that evaluates how engaged patients are in their own health care. The more engaged or "activated" patients are, the higher the score and the more likely they are to adhere to medical therapy and make healthy lifestyle choices. Little is known regarding patient activation in patients after an acute myocardial infarction. From March 2016 to December 2016, we administered PAM surveys to patients after myocardial infarction at the time of a clinic visit scheduled within 10 days of hospital discharge. Demographic and outcome data were collected. The primary outcome was defined as a composite end point of major medication errors, emergency department visits, and/or unplanned readmission. The secondary outcome was continued tobacco use after discharge. A total of 93 patients were enrolled and 39 (42%) were positive for the primary outcome. PAM scores ranged from 40.9 to 100 (median 62.6, interquartile range 56.0 to 72.1). In multivariable analysis, adjusting for age, gender, and burden of co-morbidities, patients with lower PAM scores were more likely to have the primary outcome (odds ratio 1.063, 95% confidence interval 1.020 to 1.109, p = 0.0041). Patients with lower PAM scores also were more likely to continue to use tobacco after discharge (odds ratio 1.060, 95% confidence interval 1.005 to 1.118, p = 0.0325). In conclusion, we found an association between lower PAM scores and subsequent adverse clinical outcomes, including unplanned readmissions. Further investigation into the potential effect of education and coaching interventions in patients with low PAM scores after acute myocardial infarction is warranted.
Angiogenesis and Vascular Malformations

The role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis and progression of vascular malformations is not fully understood. It is clear that vascular malformations develop because of defective angiogenesis or vasculogenesis caused by somatic or germline mutations in the proteins that regulate this process. Once formed, both normal angiogenesis involved in growth and reproduction, and pathological angiogenesis, often a reaction to intervention or injury, have roles in progression and symptomatology.
Desarrollando un cuestionario exploratorio de la sensación de pertenencia relacionado al aprendizaje de idiomas utilizando la teoría de medición educacional de Rasch

This study explored the psychometric properties of a survey designed to measure the construct of belongingness based on a pilot administration of a new instrument. This exploration used Rasch measurement theory to determine the degree to which the instrument could be used to examine this construct within the context of language learning and instruction, and to inform revisions to the instrument prior to its use in future research. Pilot data for the new survey were collected from 249 undergraduate students enrolled at four universities in the Southeastern United States and displayed overall good fit to the Rasch model. Overall, the results suggested that the students reported complex perceptions of their own belonging, indicating neither isolation nor a close community in learning French. Students reported a general lack of pride or shame with complex disclosure patterns. Implications for theory, research, and practice suggest a need for further exploration of the various aspects of sense of belongingness, for the active cultivation of community, as well as for advocacy work.
AACC Academy's Pain Management LMPG: Verification of Drug Dosing with Quantitative Urine Drug Testing?

Clinical practice guidelines have become a mainstay for streamlining medical practices and function to ensure uniformity. Clinical practice guidelines are relevant in the world of laboratory medicine, given the large number of medical decisions that are based on the result of a clinical laboratory test. The first set of guidelines was created in 1995 by the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (now the AACC Academy) and was called “Standards of Laboratory Practice.” The topic was the laboratory support of thyroid disease, and the guidelines were first published as a series of papers (1) and then widely distributed as a monograph. Later, guidelines were produced under the label “Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines” (LMPGs). In this issue of JALM , the Academy's latest LMPG addresses laboratory tests to monitor drug therapy in pain management patients (2). As an author of several other LMPGs, including one on laboratory tests to support cases of drug poisoning (3), a coauthor of a recently released toxicology guideline, the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute Guideline on Toxicology and …
Probing Plasmons in Three Dimensions

In this chapter I show how the type of plasmonic analysis shown in the previous chapter can be taken to the next level by understanding the way that the STEM interacts with optical phenomena such as LSPRs. Here, I combine EELS and CL together to perform a joint analysis on a single plasmonic structure and show how the complementarity of the two can be exploited to access the three-dimensional plasmonic response of the system.
Diversity of Guenon Positional Behavior

I assess the positional diversity characterizing the guenons and examine the correlation between locomotion and posture with other aspects of guenon biology including diet, body size and limb length. I discuss data from three field studies on six species representing most guenon species groups. Additional data on ground dwelling were culled from the literature. Results indicate that terrestriality varies widely among guenons. Current data indicate that Cercopithecus solatus may be the most ground-dwelling member of this group though additional data are needed for confirmation. Most guenons are predominately quadrupedal, most leap approximately 10% of the time and climbing is the most variable locomotor behavior. Climbing and leaping are not correlated with body size; intermembral index is a much better predictor of leaping. Certain elements of positional behavior are associated with guenon diets. Climbing is negatively correlated with fruit intake while species that eat more insects sit less and employ more transitional postures. Additional field studies are needed to understand more fully the diversity of positional behavior within the guenon radiation, and thus to allow more stringent tests of the relationships among locomotion, posture, diet, body size and limb length.
NMR of Less-Sensitive Spin — 1/2 Nuclei

Nearly every stable element has one or more magnetic isotopes which can, at least in principle, be observed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Only argon, among the naturally abundant representative and outer transition elements, possesses no isotope with a nuclear magnetic moment. Magnetic nuclei have properties that fall conveniently into two classes according to the magnitude of nuclear spin. Those with spins greater than one-half (shown hatched in figure 1) have nonspherical nuclear charge distributions which give rise to electric quadrupole moments. Resonances of these nuclei are generally broad, often beyond the practical limits of detection, because of the highly efficient electric quadrupole contribution to the relaxation rates. Chemically interesting information can in favorable cases be obtained from these resonances however (1–6) although the quadrupolar broadening tends to obscure chemical shift differences and spin-spin multiplet structure.
A locomotor learning paradigm using distorted visual feedback elicits strategic learning

The results of this study suggest that distorted visual feedback during locomotor learning involves the development of an explicit strategy with only a small component of implicit learning. This is...
Beyond speech representation: Describing and evaluating speech in Early Modern English prose fiction

Abstract This article is concerned with “speech descriptors”, markers that describe or evaluate the nature of represented speech, such as very modestly in “The Gentlewoman very modestly bade him welcome” (CED, D2FKIT). The form, frequency and function of such features are charted in Early Modern English prose fiction, drawn from A Corpus of English Dialogues 1560–1760, and the results are compared to those of Grund (2017a), which considers speech descriptors in contemporaneous witness depositions. The comparison reveals generic differences and points to the importance of studying speech descriptors for our understanding of the dynamics of speech representation in the history of English.
Age-related racial/ethnic differences in the impact of targeted therapy and immunomodulatory agents on survival of patients with multiple myeloma: A population-based analysis.

e17604 Background: In clinical trials, targeted therapy and immunomodulatory agents significantly improved survival of patients with multiple myeloma, compared with traditional chemotherapy. Howeve...
Quantification of Macrophage-Derived Substance P Receptor mRNA Using Competitive Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substance P containing neurons can be found innervating lymphoid organs and are especially prevalent in the gut (1,2). The presence of these peptidergic neurons takes on added significance since a variety of leukocytes have been shown to express substance P receptors (reviewed in 3). However it is not clear the extent to which substance P receptor expression is dynamically regulated by individual leukocyte populations. The task of determining modulation of both substance P receptor mRNA and/or protein expression in each leukocyte population requires development of appropriate reagents and protocols which are both sensitive and specific, since expression of small numbers of substance P receptors can be biologically significant and since homology exists between substance P receptors and the family of other receptors which have seven transmembrane regions (4).
Effects of hypobaric hypoxia on the intercellular coupling of glomus cells.

Prolonged exposure to a hypobaric medium induces profound effects on the carotid body, as reported in many studies. Among these we remark hyperplasia and hypertrophy of glomus cells, increased transmitter secretion and an increase in connexin Cx43 linking coupled glomus cells (Poncet et ai 1996; Wang and Bisgard, 2002; Chen et al 2002). Thus, the number of gap junctions between glomus cells appeared to be more numerous in animals chronically exposed to hypobaric conditions.
General Strategies for Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Identification, Capture, and Heterologous Expression

Abstract This article provides an overview of both well established and emerging (reported within ~ 5 years) tools for biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) capture and titer improvement. Topics included cover BGC identification, methods for BGC cloning, as well as BGC specific and pleiotropic methods for yield improvement. Recent developments in established hosts, with a special focus on Streptomyces, which serve as the front-line choice for heterologous expression, are also highlighted.
LEUKOCYTOCLASTIC VASCULITIS DUE TO ACUTE INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS IMPROVES WITH ANTIBIOTICS

Infective endocarditis (IE) can lead to antibody positive autoimmune vasculitis. Secondary vasculitis due to IE is a critical diagnosis as outcomes favor treating the vegetation. A 71 year old female with dual chamber AICD being treated for non-vegetative MSSA bacteremia presented with septic shock
Pay for Performance and Treatment Outcome in Agonist Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Pay for performance (P4P) models have become more popular in reimbursement for medical services, including treatment for substance use disorders. However, studies have not examined whether P4P has an impact on treatment outcome in the individual in opioid agonist treatment (OAT). Thus, the present study was conducted at the individual level, rather than the programmatic level, to determine whether meeting the P4P early engagement criteria (four services in the initial 14 days of treatment and/or eight services within the initial 30 days of treatment) resulted in reduced opioid, benzodiazepine, and cocaine use. METHODS We performed a retrospective study of 63 patients enrolled in OAT for opioid use disorder. χ2 analyses were conducted crossing P4P early engagement criteria status and urine drug screen (UDS) results for opioid, cocaine, and/or benzodiazepine use at 6 and 12 months postadmission. Methadone dosage and treatment retention were also considered. The odds ratio was used to determine the directionality of significant results. RESULTS Significant relationships were revealed between patients meeting 30-day P4P early engagement criteria and opioid negative UDS, and with retention in treatment at 6 and 12 months. Methadone dosage was significant at a 6-month follow-up. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Since significant associations between opioid use and P4P as well as opioid use and methadone dose were revealed, findings partially supported hypothesis. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE P4P and methadone dosage may have some benefit to individuals in OAT in attaining short-term abstinence from opioids. P4P may be less useful in helping individuals achieve abstinence from other substances of abuse. (Am J Addict 2020;00:00-00).
Consistent and robust inference in hazard probability and odds models with discrete-time survival data

For discrete-time survival data, conditional likelihood inference in Cox's hazard odds model is theoretically desirable but exact calculation is numerical intractable with a moderate to large number of tied events. Unconditional maximum likelihood estimation over both regression coefficients and baseline hazard probabilities can be problematic with a large number of time intervals. We develop new methods and theory using numerically simple estimating functions, along with model-based and model-robust variance estimation, in hazard probability and odds models. For the probability hazard model, we derive as a consistent estimator the Breslow-Peto estimator, previously known as an approximation to the conditional likelihood estimator in the hazard odds model. For the odds hazard model, we propose a weighted Mantel-Haenszel estimator, which satisfies conditional unbiasedness given the numbers of events in addition to the risk sets and covariates, similarly to the conditional likelihood estimator. Our methods are expected to perform satisfactorily in a broad range of settings, with small or large numbers of tied events corresponding to a large or small number of time intervals. The methods are implemented in the R package dSurvival.
Comparison Between Conventional Solvothermal and Aqueous Solution-based Production of UiO-66-NH2: Life Cycle Assessment, Techno-economic Assessment, and Implications for CO2 Capture and Storage

Abstract Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of materials that has shown great potential in catalysis, sensing, separations, and carbon capture and storage. Conventionally, MOFs are synthesized at lab-scale using organic solvent-based systems, leading to high environmental burdens and high operating costs, which ultimately hinders the large-scale production and application of MOFs. Aqueous synthesis of MOFs overcomes such difficulty by eliminating the organic solvent, which makes it an environmental-friendlier and economically-favorable alternative to the current production method. However, further quantitative analysis is required to compare the environmental and economic performances of the two methods. Here, we used life cycle assessment (LCA) coupled with techno-economic analysis (TEA) to evaluate the environmental and economic performances of different UiO-66-NH2 production methods. When the solvothermal method was replaced by the aqueous solution-based method, the LCA and TEA results suggest the environmental burdens and cost of UiO-66-NH2 production were reduced by up to 91% and 84%, respectively. By using aqueous solution-based method, the cradle to gate carbon footprint, and production cost of UiO-66-NH2 were estimated to be 43 kg CO2 eq/kg, and $15.8/kg, respectively. We further applied our LCA results to reassess the role of UiO-66-NH2 in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and compare its environmental performance with current benchmark (amine-based solvent). Our results show that electricity produced from UiO-66-NH2 CCS system could potentially have better environmental performance (lower Global Warming Potential (GWP)) than that of the amine-based CCS system if the sorbent loss is less than 0.0017 tonne/tonne CO2 captured. This work is the first comprehensive LCA-TEA study that quantifies the substantial environmental and economic benefits of using the aqueous solution-based systems to produce UiO-66-NH2, and the analysis in this work is intended to be a starting point for further systematic studies on the full life-cycle impacts of MOFs.
Orthogonal but linked neural codes for value

Our ability to effectively choose between dissimilar options implies that information regarding the options values must be available, either explicitly or implicitly, in the brain. Explicit realizations of value involve single neurons whose responses depend on value and not on the specific features that determine it. Implicit realizations, by contrast, come from the coordinated action of neurons that encode specific features. One signature of implicit value coding is that population responses to offers with the same value but different features should occupy semi- or fully orthogonal neural subspaces that are nonetheless linked. Here, we examined responses of neurons in six core value-coding areas in a choice task with risky and safe options. Using stricter criteria than some past studies have used, we find, surprisingly, no evidence for abstract value neurons (i.e., neurons with the response to equally valued risky and safe options) in any of these regions. Moreover, population codes for value resided in orthogonal subspaces; these subspaces were linked through a linear transform of each of their constituent subspaces. These results suggest that in all six regions, populations of neurons embed value implicitly in a distributed population.
Sensitivity Metrics for Maximum Likelihood System Identification

AbstractThis paper introduces a set of sensitivity metrics to be used along likelihood-based modal identification methods. In maximum likelihood (ML) estimation theory, the precision of ML point estimates can be measured by the curvature of the likelihood function. This paper presents closed-form partial derivatives, observed information, and variance expressions for discrete-time stochastic state-space model parameters as well as state matrix features that influence modal estimates. The results are derived for the observation matrix and the state matrix as well as eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the state matrix; these model entities correspond to natural vibration properties of a structural system. Confidence intervals are constructed for natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes using the derived asymptotic covariance matrices and the asymptotic normality property of ML estimators. The results are a supplement to the ML-based structural identification using expectation maximization (STRIDE) ...
Covariance, Correlation, and Portfolios

Tests based on paired comparisons discussed in Class 8 are often able to detect differences that would require much larger samples without the pairing. Why does this pairing work?
Materiality and Social Change: The Case for Replacing "the Reasonable Investor" with "the Least Sophisticated Investor" in Inefficient Markets

The current materiality standard for federal securities fraud is a mid-twentieth century construct that fails to accommodate certain twenty-first century realities. This Article argues that its reach should be restricted to preserve it for the many circumstances in which it continues to function well. The current standard measures materiality from the standpoint of the reasonable investor, a savvy person who grasps market fundamentals. This standard has a fatal flaw: its inability to protect unsophisticated investors who are duped by implausible falsehoods in inefficient markets. This flaw can no longer be ignored, given Internet and telemarketing securities fraud and their many unsophisticated, elderly, and immigrant victims. In recent SEC and Justice Department actions against the perpetrators, courts have conceded the implausibility of the falsehoods but have nevertheless found them to be material. While commendable as investor protection, these decisions threaten the very concept of the reasonable investor. This Article proposes an alternative materiality standard for courts to apply in inefficient markets. The alternative standard replaces the reasonable investor with the least sophisticated investor, a construct modeled on the least sophisticated consumer from federal consumer law. In exchange for lowering the required level of materiality, the alternative standard raises the required level of scienter. The trade-off between lowered materiality and heightened scienter finds support in tort law, long a wellspring of federal securities fraud jurisprudence.
129 Convergence and reproducibility of the DNA duplex d(GCACGAACGAACGAACGC) using molecular dynamics simulations

DNA dynamics and structure are tightly related to its function. To fully understand the biological relevance, regulation and function of DNA in processes ranging from replication to transcription a...
The Last Wave: The Rise of the Contingent School District

Spurred in part by state court cases holding that states bear a constitutional duty to educate all children adequately, and making creative use of the arguments of school choice advocates, the states and other policy actors have in recent years recast the problem of deficient schooling as one of government structure rather than one of individual rights. This reorientation has contributed to a dramatic erosion of the traditional role of the local school district as the leading administrative, policymaking, and legal unit of American school government. A new, polyarchic distribution of power has arisen in place of district primacy, bearing potentially momentous consequences for educational litigation and for the realization of educational rights generally. Interests that currently wield disproportionate power over urban school district management, especially teachers’ unions, will likely find their influence reduced. Structural change will also likely blunt the ability of courts to guide further the course of school reform. Finally, the shift towards polyarchy may well begin to erode the power of suburban interests that have long dominated educational law and politics.
Mechanisms of Generalized Exchange: Towards an Integrated Model

Generalized exchange is a common practice with wide-ranging implications. Yet it remains a puzzle for theories of rational choice, social exchange, and evolutionary biology. Prior investigations focus on mechanisms developed or tested in isolation, and almost all assume that social preferences are homogenous. This article presents and tests an integrated model of generalized exchange that combines strategic reputation building, fairness-based selective-giving, the obligation to pay it forward, and heterogeneous social preferences (values). Using laboratory experiments, we show that each mechanism is robust: each has significant effects even when we include all four mechanisms in the model and control for other factors. However, some mechanisms have more influence than others, and different combinations of mechanisms yield a wide range of generalized exchange. Overall, generalized exchange is a collective result of people who strive to increase their resources, make decisions contingent on the visibility of their actions and on the behavior of others with whom they interact, reciprocate to a system from which they benefited, and behave consistently with their values. These values moderate how people respond to the presence or absence of reputational incentives, as well as the extent to which they reward generous behavior and punish stingy behavior.