cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Are things that are hard to physically move also hard to imagine moving

Are objects that are more difficult to physically manipulate also more difficult to mentally manipulate? In our study, participants interacted with wooden objects modeled after the figures from Shepard and Metzler's (1971) classic mental rotation experiment. One pair of objects was easy to physically rotate while another pair was difficult. They then completed a standard mental rotation task on images of these objects. Participants were slower to mentally rotate objects that were harder to physically rotate when they engaged in motor imagery. Further, this cost accrued with increasing angles of rotation. We verified this was the result of motor imagery by showing that the costs can be eliminated by using a strictly visual imagery strategy (imagining the objects moving on their own). These results reveal a striking constraint imposed by our real-world motor experiences on mental imagery, and also demonstrate a way that we can overcome such constraints.
Genetic programming with Monte Carlo simulation for option pricing

I examine the role of programming parameters in determining the accuracy of genetic programming for option pricing. I use Monte Carlo simulations to generate stock and option price data needed to develop a genetic option pricing program. I simulate data for two different stock price processes - a geometric Brownian process and a jump-diffusion process. In the jump-diffusion setting, I seed the genetic program with the Black-Scholes equation as a starting approximation. I find that population size, fitness criteria, and the ability to seed the program with known analytical equations, are important determinants of the efficiency of genetic programming.
Pyomyositis A Differential Diagnosis for Venous Thrombosis

The American College of Radiology considers ultrasound to be the most appropriate examination for the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT).1,2 However, for patients with persistent calf pain, ...
Photovoltaic power generation

It is noted that the wide acceptance and utilization of the photovoltaic generation of electrical power largely hinges on the ability to decrease the cost of production of solar cells and panels while at the same time increasing their conversion efficiency. A short tutorial is given on solar cells that are presently being investigated for cost reduction and efficiency improvement. The many types of cells are under investigation as well as the wide range of materials are examined. Efficiency improvements that have been achieved for many types of cells that are potentially low cost in large-volume production are described. >
Multiplication and morphology of Spiroplasma citri in the leafhopper Euscelis plebejus

SUMMARY Spiroplasma citri multiplied in all Euscelis plebejus leaf hoppers injected and sometimes reached titres of over 1 × 107 colony forming units per insect. Spiroplasmas could be isolated from the haemolymph at all times although helices were only apparent for a few days after injection. The salivary glands of injected insects contained membrane bound pockets densely packed with mycoplasma-like bodies. These bodies were frequently infected with virus-like particles similar to those found in cultures of S. citri. Spiroplasmas had little effect on the longevity of the leafhoppers.
Estradiol increases the anorectic effect of central apolipoprotein A-IV.

Estrogens have potent suppressive effects on food intake and body weight in many species, including humans. Compelling evidence suggests estrogen’s anorectic action is through an indirect mechanism by enhancing the strength of other physiological signals that reduce meal size such as apolipoprotein A-IV (apo A-IV), a satiation factor from the gut and brain. We determined whether estradiol, the primary form of estrogen, modulates the anorectic effect of apo A-IV. Intrafourth ventricular administration of low doses of apo A-IV reduced food intake to a greater extent in ovariectomized (OVX) rats cyclically treated with estradiol than in vehicle-treated OVX controls, implying that cyclic estradiol replacement increases the satiating potency of apo A-IV. OVX significantly increased food intake and body weight but decreased apo A-IV gene expression in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). All of these alterations were reversed by cyclic regimen of estradiol treatment. The finding of colocalization of apo A-IV w...
A Voice for the People: A Nurse’s Reflections on her Role as an Elected State Representative:

This article presents a case follow-up of a nurse’s election and experiences as a Delaware State Representative. Public policy affects all aspects of the nursing profession. It is important that nu...
Minimal incision rhytidectomy (short scar face lift) with lateral SMASectomy: evolution and application.

Background: The evolution of the author's technique for minimal incision rhytidectomy is reviewed. Objective: The purpose of this article is to outline the indications, advantages, and disadvantages of this technique. Methods: A total of 749 cases covering more than 10 years of clinical experience are reviewed. A classification of patient types is proposed that includes indications and surgical programs appropriate for each patient category. Results: In properly selected patients, the technique is safe, reliable, and reproducible. Complication rates are similar to those of other standard techniques. Conclusions: Minimal incision rhytidectomy with lateral SMASectomy is a useful technique that the plastic surgeon can add to his or her armamentarium.
Microfabricated FSCV-compatible microelectrode array for real-time monitoring of heterogeneous dopamine release

Fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) has been used previously to detect neurotransmitter release and reuptake in vivo. An advantage that FSCV has over other electrochemical techniques is its ability to distinguish neurotransmitters of interest (i.e. monoamines) from their metabolites using their respective characteristic cyclic voltammograms. While much has been learned with this technique, it has generally only been used in a single working electrode arrangement. Additionally, traditional electrode fabrication techniques tend to be difficult and somewhat irreproducible. Described in this report is a fabrication method for a FSCV compatible microelectrode array (FSCV-MEA) that is capable of functioning in vivo. The microfabrication techniques employed here allow for better reproducibility than traditional fabrication methods of carbon fiber microelectrodes, and enable batch fabrication of electrode arrays. The reproducibility and electrochemical qualities of the probes were assessed along with crosstalk in vitro. Heterogeneous release of electrically evoked dopamine was observed in real-time in the striatum of an anesthetized rat using the FSCV-MEA. The heterogeneous effects of pharmacology on the striatum were also observed and shown to be consistent across multiple animals.
Geochemical Modeling of Reaction Paths and Geochemical Reaction Networks

From the discussions in previous chapters, we can see that in order to understand the kinetics of dissolution and precipitation reactions, we really need to understand geochemical reaction networks. The previous chapters have depicted a complex picture of the details of chemical reactions and kinetics. The complexity comes from the nature of chemical kinetics. Unlike thermodynamics, which describes one state versus another, independent of the reaction paths, the kinetics of chemical reactions is path dependent. Lasaga (1998) cited Benson (1960) who described the time- and path-dependent nature of reaction kinetics “ a body of water on top of a hill may be described thermodynamically in terms of its composition, pressure, and temperature. At a later time, this same body of water may find its way to a lake below. The thermodynamic description of the body of water in the lake is again well defined. However, if we try to describe the transition—the water in process of flowing from the hilltop—we see that it may depend on almost innumerable factors: on the outlets, on the contour of the hillside, on the structural stability of the contour, and on the numerous subterranean channels through the hillside that may exist and permit seepage. ” What this familiar quote highlights is the path dependent nature of chemical kinetics, which helps to weave together a bewildering variety of geochemical reaction networks in many geologic systems. How can we handle this complexity and apply chemical kinetics to the geological systems? It is certainly impossible to conduct laboratory experiments to determine every reaction path and explore every type of geochemical reaction network. It appears that geochemical modeling, if standing on solid building blocks of theory and experimental data, can play a critical role in exploring the ranges of behaviors of geochemical reaction networks and extrapolate laboratory experimental …
Economic Issues of Growth Management in Florida

Growth management means protection of the quality of life to those who practice it, and it means exclusionary practices to those who wish to in-migrate into the managed area. The means by which a decline in the quality of life would be mitigated or eliminated has been infrastructural investment-capital improvement. However, inflation has eroded the trust fund system of capital improvement finance. The local jurisdiction must choose between a decline in the quality of life, higher local taxes, or avoidance of the problem by restricting growth, an option being increasingly selected across the country. This situation will continue to exist so long as existing residents are required to pay a portion of the cost of providing services to new residents. Tax reform alternatives are available which will assure the equitable financing of infrastructure improvements.
An Ever-Increasing Pharmacopoeia for the Management of Patients With Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a recurrent and relapsing mood disorder characterized by cycles of depression and mania. This article addresses the treatment of patients with bipolar mania, which remains one of the most difficult challenges facing clinicians. Patients require safe and effective therapeutic approaches for acute episodes of mania and depression, as well as chronic prophylaxis against future episodes. Monotherapeutic approaches are rarely effective, and combination approaches are associated with an increased risk of adverse events. Lithium is the only agent currently approved for the treatment of both acute episodes of mania and maintenance therapy; however, it is associated with a relatively poor response rate, high relapse rate, and less-than-optimal side effect profile. Other recent approaches have included several anticonvulsant agents, as well as conventional and atypical antipsychotic agents.
$D^0 - \overline{D^0}$ Mixing and D0→K-π+π0 Resonant Substructure Results from CLEO

The CLEO Collaboration has an active charm physics effort underway using 14fb-1 of CLEO II and CLEO II.V data. A recent analysis of the time dependence of the 'wrong-sign' decay D0→K+ π- has placed limits on x′ and y′, the amplitudes that describe mixing in the D0 system. The 95% CL limits, with no assumptions about CP violation, are (1/2)x′2 < 0.041% and -5.8% < y′ < 1.0%. Measurements of D0 decay rates to CP eigenstates, D0→K- K+ and D0→π-π+, provide preliminary CP asymmetry measurements and . A third analysis provides the first preliminary evidence for the decay D0→K+π- π0. Finally, a new Dalitz analysis of the decay D0→K-π+ π0 gives preliminary evidence for several new resonance contributions in this decay and also requires the presence of a significant non-resonant component.
A Moment of Constitutional Intersection: The Shipstead Bill, the Competitive Dynamics of Constitutional Advocacy, and the Politics of Race and Class on the Road to the Constitutional Revolution of 1937

In this paper, I sketch the competitive dynamics of constitutional advocacy, analyzing the vertical and horizontal channeling of constitutional claims as applied to the politics surrounding the Shipstead bill, submitted to Congress in 1927 by the American Federation of Labor. The competitive dynamics of constitutional advocacy assume that groups will compete with each other for favorable constitutional outcomes, acting strategically to amass needed political resources in order to exploit constitutional opportunities. I apply this theoretical lens to the Shipstead bill, which represented the culmination of organized labor’s Thirteenth Amendment theory labor rights, a creative adaptation of Lochnerian jurisprudence, as labor activists came to Congress to challenge the jurisdiction of oppressive courts head on. Labor was not the only party interested in reform, however, and the Shipstead bill touched off an episode of contested politics between organized labor, legal progressives, and civil rights activists that would not only critically impact the policy choices leading to the constitutional revolution of 1937, but also reveal the ways forces of both race and class importantly shape constitutional development.
Visibility-Based Finite-Horizon Target Tracking Game

In this letter, we address a visibility-based target-tracking problem in which a mobile observer tries to track a mobile target for a finite time. In order to ensure tracking guarantees for the observer, we formulate the problem as a finite-horizon zero-sum game between the observer and the target. First, we use optimal control theory in conjunction with geometric techniques to solve the problem around a corner. We show that the solution to the optimal control problem for both players is in Nash equilibrium. Next, we partition the visibility polygon of the pursuer and evader based on the winner of the game. These are the projections of the escape set and capture set on the workspace. Finally, we use the partition to construct a region that bounds the set of initial positions of the observer from which it can track the target in an environment containing multiple obstacles for the prespecified time horizon.
Limbic lesions and cue utilization in the Dashiell maze

Septally lesioned, hippocampally lesioned, and unoperated rats were trained for 20 days in one of two conditions in a Dashiell maze. In one maze condition, the peripheral paths were black and the center paths were white, while in the other, the reverse was the case. When the center paths were black and peripheral paths white, lesioned animals, as well as control, preferred center pathways. Although all animals preferred the black peripheral routes in the white-center maze condition, septal animals made significantly fewer errorless runs in this condition. This latter observation reflected an enhanced aversiveness by the septal animals for the white pathways.
Wavelength Scaling of Strong-Field Atomic Physics

Studies of the wavelength scaling of an intense laser interacting with atoms is driving a renewed interest in the fundamental physics and a renaissance in potential applications in ultrafast imaging methods.
Glabromyzus and Utamphorophora (Homoptera: Aphididae) Species of North America

The North American species of Glabromyzus and Utamphorophora are discussed and some synonymies considered. Glabromyzus howardii (Wilson) and G. rhois (Monell) are redescribed, keys are presented to the North American genera of Macrosiphinii with swollen cornicles, as well as to the species of Glabromyzus and Utamphorophora.
Asymptotic formulas for solutions of a singular linear ordinary differential equation

By use of the theory of asymptotic expansions for first-order linear systems of ordinary differential equations, asymptotic formulas are obtained for the solutions of an nth order linear homogeneous ordinary differential equation with complex coefficients having asymptotic expansions in a sector of the complex plane. These asymptotic formulas involve the roots of certain polynomials whose coefficients are obtained from the asymptotic expansions of the coefficients of the differential operator.
Fracture toughness of titanium - Titanium nitride multi-layer thin film

Thin film specimens of titanium - titanium nitride multilayer erosion resistant coating were prepared using liftout technique in Focused Ion Beam - Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The fracture toughness of the thin film specimen was measured in situ using a cantilever bending experiment in SEM to be 11.33 MPa/m0.5 , twice as much as conventional TiN coatings. Ti–TiN multi-layer coatings are part of a new class of advanced erosion resistant coatings and this paper discusses an experimental technique to measure the fracture toughness of these coatings.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Double-antibody radioimmunoassay for parathyroid hormone.

Abstract A sensitive radioimmunoassay utilizing a double-antibody technique for separating bound and free fractions of parathyroid hormone has been developed for the measurement of human and bovine parathyroid hormones. Forty-eight of 50 serum samples obtained from 29 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism had immunologic quantities of parathyroid hormone in excess of those amounts measured in normal subjects. Hormone levels rapidly decreased to nondetectable or low-normal values in each of 21 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism that were studied following parathyroid surgery. The highest levels of hormone were found in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism associated with chronic renal disease.
Thrombin Regulates the Camp Level in Human Platelets through Phosphorylation /Activation of Akt.

Abstract Phosphorylation /activation of Akt is a critical event in platelet activation stimulated by thrombin. We previous demonstrated that the activation of PDE3A was increased concomitantly with the phosphorylation /activation of Akt. In order to demonstrate a link between these two events, in this study, we monitored thrombin-induced cAMP changes in washed platelets. We confirmed that the platelet cAMP level decreased following thrombin stimulation. The thrombin-induced decrease of cAMP was inhibited by an Akt specific inhibitor (1l-6-hydroxymethyl-chiro-inositol 2-(R)-2-O-methyl-3-O-octadecylcarbonate). This Akt inhibitor exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of thrombin-induced decrease of cAMP. The Akt inhibitor blocked 70 % of thrombin-induced decrease of cAMP. Moreover, a phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin also reduced the thrombin effect, consistent with its upstream position relative to Akt. These results suggested that phosphorylation /activation of Akt is required for decrease of cAMP in platelets. In addition, we found that thrombin-induced cAMP level changes were markedly reduced following preincubation of platelets with milrinone, a selective PDE3A inhibitor. We therefore examined PDE3A activity after stimulation of platelets with thrombin with or without the Akt inhibitor or wortmannin. Either the Akt inhibitor or wortmannin inhibited the thrombin-induced activation of PDE3A. Our data indicated that phosphorylation/activation of Akt plays a major role in regulation of cAMP by thrombin. The activation of Akt by thrombin results in activation of PDE3A and a consequent decrease of the intracellular cAMP level, which serves as a positive feedback enhancing the thrombin activation of platelet function. Understanding the mechanisms that are involved in regulation of PDE3A in platelets could provide new targets for therapeutic advances in the treatment of thrombotic disorders.
Test–retest reliability of tibiofemoral joint space width measurements made using a low-dose standing CT scanner

To determine the test–retest reliability of knee joint space width (JSW) measurements made using standing CT (SCT) imaging. This prospective two-visit study included 50 knees from 30 subjects (66% female; mean ± SD age 58.2 ± 11.3 years; BMI 29.1 ± 5.6 kg/m2; 38% KL grade 0–1). Tibiofemoral geometry was obtained from bilateral, approximately 20° fixed-flexed SCT images acquired at visits 2 weeks apart. For each compartment, the total joint area was defined as the area with a JSW <10 mm. The summary measurements of interest were the percentage of the total joint area with a JSW less than 0.5-mm thresholds between 2.0 and 5.0 mm in each tibiofemoral compartment. Test–retest reliability of the summary JSW measurements was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC 2,1) for the percentage area engaged at each threshold of JSW and root-mean-square errors (RMSE) were calculated to assess reproducibility. The ICCs were excellent for each threshold assessed, ranging from 0.95 to 0.97 for the lateral and 0.90 to 0.97 for the medial compartment. RMSE ranged from 1.1 to 7.2% for the lateral and from 3.1 to 9.1% for the medial compartment, with better reproducibility at smaller JSW thresholds. The knee joint positioning protocol used demonstrated high day-to-day reliability for SCT 3D tibiofemoral JSW summary measurements repeated 2 weeks apart. Low-dose SCT provides a great deal of information about the joint while maintaining high reliability, making it a suitable alternative to plain radiographs for evaluating JSW in people with knee OA.
Orbital Cancer Staging

In the twenty-first century, cancer staging is essential for clinical management to decrease tumor morbidity and reduce patient mortality. Staging serves as a common scientific language within which statistically significant answers can be obtained about diagnostic and therapeutic choices. This chapter details the staging process of orbital malignancies. Clinical (cTNM), Pathologic (pTNM), Retreatment (rTNM), and Autopsy (aTNM) classifications are reviewed. Herein, we explain why prospective data collection is required to continuously evolve staging and how staging will accelerate research, save vision and save lives.
Maternal intelligence quotient (IQ) predicts IQ and language in very preterm children at age 5 years.

BACKGROUND Sociodemographic factors are linked to cognitive outcomes in children born very preterm (VPT; ≤30 weeks gestation). The influence of maternal intellectual ability, a heritable trait, is unknown. Also undetermined is the extent to which associations between maternal and child intellectual ability vary according to parenting behaviors that target cognitive stimulation in the home. METHODS At age 5 years, 84 VPT and 38 demographically matched full-term (FT) children underwent neurodevelopmental assessment. Children's intellectual ability was assessed using The Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence-III, and language was assessed with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool-2. The Wechsler Test of Adult Reading estimated maternal intellectual ability. The StimQ-Preschool questionnaire provided a measure of cognitive stimulation in the home. Linear mixed-effects models examined independent effects and interactions between maternal intellectual ability and cognitive stimulation on children's outcomes. RESULTS After covariate adjustment, maternal intellectual ability was associated with child intellectual (p < .001) and language (p = .002) abilities. Stronger associations were observed in FT mother-child dyads (B = .63, p = .04) than VPT dyads (B = .42, p = .01). Mothers of VPT children reported lower levels of Parental Involvement in Developmental Advance (p = .007) and Parental Verbal Responsiveness (p = .04). Group differences in Parental Involvement in Developmental Advance, but not Parental Verbal Responsivity, persisted after adjusting for social background (p = .03). There was no evidence of an interaction between maternal intellectual ability and Parental Involvement in Developmental Advance (p = .34). Instead, maternal intellectual ability (p < .001) and Parental Involvement in Developmental Advance (p = .05) independently predicted VPT children's outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Maternal intellectual ability is an important trait linked to VPT and FT children's intellectual and language outcomes. Prematurity increases variation in the heritability of intellectual ability and shifts children from the expected range based on maternal ability. Parental involvement in activities that help children master new skills may promote cognitive development in VPT children born to mothers of lower intellectual ability.
Electric-field induced surface instabilities of soft dielectrics and their effects on optical transmittance and scattering

When a voltage is applied to a percolative, mechanically compliant mat of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a smooth elastomer bilayer attached to an ITO coated glass substrate, the in-line optical transmittance decreases with increasing voltage. Two regimes of behavior have been identified based on optical scattering, bright field optical microscopy, and confocal optical microscopy. In the low field regime, the electric field produces a spatially inhomogeneous surface deformation of the elastomer that causes local variations in optical refraction and modulates the light transmittance. The spatial variation is associated with the distribution of the CNTs over the surface. At higher fields, above a threshold voltage, an array of pits in the surface form by a nucleation and growth mechanism and these also scatter light. The formation of pits, and creases, in the thickness of the elastomer, is due to a previously identified electro-mechanical surface instability. When the applied voltage is decreased from its maximum, the transmittance returns to its original value although there is a transmittance hysteresis and a complicated time response. When the applied voltage exceeds the threshold voltage, there can be remnant optical contrast associated with creasing of the elastomer and the recovery time appears to be dependent on local jamming of CNTs in areas where the pits formed. A potential application of this work as an electrically tunable privacy window or camouflaging devices is demonstrated.
Using Meteorological Model Output as a Surrogate for On-Site Observations to Predict Deposition Velocity

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Multi-Layer Model (NOAA-MLM) is used by several operational dry deposition networks for estimating the deposition velocity of O3, SO2, HNO3, and particles. The NOAA-MLM requires hourly values of meteorological variables. Since collection of on-site meteorology can be expensive, a study was performed to compare NOAA-MLM predicted deposition velocitiesusing modeled meteorological data in lieu of on-site meteorological data. NOAA-MLM was run for three sites in the Clean Air Status and Trends Network using on-site data as well as the output of two mesoscale meteorological models, Eta and MM5. The differences between the deposition velocities predictedusing the mesoscale models and those predicted using the on-sitemeteorological measurements ranged from –0.001 to 0.106 cm s-1 and were within the model error determined in NOAA-MLM evaluation studies. This research shows that the NOAA-MLM is particularly sensitive to differences in atmospheric turbulence,soil moisture budget, and canopy wetness.
NC Dental Antitrust Professors Amicus Brief

Petitioner advocates a radical change in this Court’s precedent on antitrust state action immunity, which has consistently held that financially-interested market participants must be treated as private actors, regardless of whether the state makes them a state agency. Under Petitioner's logic, a state instead can, by the simple expedient of calling market actors a state agency and giving them authority to enforce their cartel, immunize that private cartel and effectively repeal the operation of federal antitrust law. This sort of inverse preemption of federal antitrust law by states has never been permitted by this Court. Petitioner mischaracterizes the cases it claims support its position, which in fact have never given state action immunity to financially-interested market participants unless they are actively supervised by disinterested government actors, and ignores or mischaracterizes other cases that plainly hold the contrary.In recent decades, the states have created a host of new licensing boards made up of market participants with strong incentives to restrain trade. See Aaron Edlin & Rebecca Haw, Cartels By Another Name: Should Licensed Occupations Face Antitrust Scrutiny? 162 U. Penn. L. Rev. 1093 (2014). Occupational licensing, once limited to a few licensed professions, is widespread and growing -- from 5% of the U.S. workforce in the 1950s, to 15% in the 1970s, to 30% today. Occupational licensing has been abused by incumbent market participants to exclude rivals, often in unreasonable ways, and to raise prices. This disturbing trend already costs consumers billions of dollars every year and impedes job growth, and the trend would get much worse if the Court were to accept Petitioner’s argument and hold that financially-interested market participants enjoy antitrust immunity whenever the state empowers them as a state agency.Even if the North Carolina board members were not themselves financially-interested market participants, the fact that they were all elected to their positions by financially-interested market participants should suffice to treat the board as private. After all, if a private cartel paid an employee a flat salary to fix prices for it, the fixed prices would predictably reflect the cartel’s financial interests even though the employee was not a market participant and had no direct financial interest in the prices set. Thus, election by financially-interested market participants should always be treated as sufficient to treat a board as private, although such election is not necessary for such treatment when (as here) the board members are themselves financially-interested market participants. Sufficiency, should not, however be confused with necessity. Because state boards dominated by financially-interested market participants are almost always appointed, if the Court changed current law to make election by market participants necessary to lose immunity, it would leave the foxes to guard the henhouse for a large fraction of the workforce.
Logic Optimization, Complex Cell Design, and Retiming of Single Flux Quantum Circuits

Single flux quantum (SFQ) technology has emerged as a promising beyond-CMOS technology with Josephson junctions (JJs) as active devices in a superconducting circuit. In this paper, we (i) describe the algorithms and the methodology we used to synthesize a synchronous SFQ circuit using a CMOS logic synthesis tool by adding new features to the tool and by modifying the existing features; (ii) introduce the concept of two kinds of complex cells: (a) stand-alone cells and (b) interconnected cells along with the advantage gained by these complex cells through the results of synthesized SFQ netlists. Design of stand-alone complex cells presented here includes and and or gates with more-than-two inputs, high-fanout splitters, and “A+BC” cell. Circuits of decoders, multiplexers, and carrylook-ahead adders are synthesized with complex cells, and the advantage in terms of JJ count and latency is presented. We have also investigated the possibility of SFQ cells supporting multiple fanout drive capability by modifying the input/output interfaces of SFQ standard cells. In this direction, an algorithm to modify the input interface of a cell so that it can be driven along with similar cells by a single splitter output is presented along with the results for a simple clock-distribution line with multiple-fanout capability.
Is ibrutinib associated with disseminated cryptococcosis with CNS involvement

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disorder of B cells that affects humoral as well as cell-mediated immunity. Protection against cryptococcal infections is mounted by an intricate and synchronized interplay of both integral arms of immunity. Whether CLL or small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors are independently predisposing hosts to cryptococcal infections remain to be explored. Herein, we present a report of a patient who developed disseminated cryptococcosis while receiving ibrutinib therapy for CLL in the salvage setting. We further present relevant literature available thus far on the topic and discuss immunologic mechanisms that may be involved in the fungal pathogenesis in such patients.
‘Do our lives matter?’ Music, poetry, and Freedom School:

This article presents synergies between arts education, political consciousness raising, and leadership development for youth, and suggests roles for the arts in community organizing for personal a...
Creating a Virtual World for Mathematics

A virtual world was created using the popular sandbox game Minecraft to support the development of preservice teachers’ knowledge for teaching mathematics. Preservice teachers explored the virtual world for a geometry activity involving area and volume problems. They then discussed how this integration of technology could support students’ effective learning of mathematics in a meaningful way. The findings of the study demonstrated that to a certain extent the Minecraft activity supported the transfer of knowledge from preservice teachers’ mathematics content knowledge to their mathematics pedagogical and instructional practice knowledge. Preservice teachers appreciated the usefulness and effectiveness of the Minecraft activity in enhancing the teaching and learning of mathematics by visualizing mathematical concepts in the virtual world. This integration of technology also gave them an opportunity for professional growth. Although this study focuses on preservice teachers’ perspectives on the Minecraft activity, the technology integration using Minecraft will also be beneficial for students because it engages them in active and discovery learning.
Neutral-gas-phase metal abundances in Zn II-selected quasar absorption line systems near redshift z = 1.2

We present ten metallicity measurements for quasar absorbers near $z=1.2$ that were selected for having unusually significant ZnII absorption in their SDSS spectra. Follow-up UV space spectroscopy of the Ly$\alpha$ region shows that all ten have damped Ly$\alpha$ (DLA) absorption, corresponding to neutral hydrogen column densities in the range $2.4\times 10^{20}$ $\le$ N(HI) $\le$ $2.5\times 10^{21}$ atoms cm$^{-2}$, and indicating that the gas is very optically thick and essentially neutral. The sample is a very small subset of systems compiled by searching the University of Pittsburgh catalog of $\approx 30,000$ intervening MgII absorption line systems in SDSS quasar spectra up to DR7. We started by isolating $\approx 3,000$ that had strong MgII absorption in the redshift interval $1.0 < z < 1.5$ in brighter background quasars. Of these, 36 exhibited significant absorption near ZnII. Space UV spectroscopy was then obtained for nine of these (25% of the total), and a tenth system in a fainter quasar was found in the HST archives. The result is a representative sample of the highest Zn$^+$ columns of gas within the DLA population. These ZnII-selected systems define the upper envelope of DLA metallicities near $z=1.2$. They show a tight anti-correlation between N(HI) and [Zn/H], with the higher metallicity systems clearly exhibiting more depletion based on [Cr/Zn] values. The various metal-line measurements (Zn, Cr, Si, Fe, Mn) indicate evolved neutral gas with $-0.9 \le$ [Zn/H] $\le +0.4$.
The Instrumentally Derived Incentive-Motivational Function

Through differential reinforcement, a discriminative stimulus (S D ) acquires two properties. The operant contingency is responsible for the S D s response-discriminative property. However, as stimulus control develops an S D also acquires incentive-motivational properties through its association with reinforcement changes. A systematic series of experiments breaks the co-variation of response and reinforcement rates found in most discriminative operant situations. In three groups, S D s (a tone and a light) each occasioned rats’ steady moderate lever pressing that ceased when neither S D was present. With different multi-component operant contingencies, probability of reinforcement (food) during these S D s, relative to when both were off, was systematically manipulated over groups to make the S D s incentive-motivationally excitatory, neutral or inhibitory. Although behaviorally indistinguishable in training, a stimuluscompounding assay revealed that tone-plus-light tripled the response rate in the incentive-excitatory group, doubled rate in the incentive-neutral group and didn’t increase rate in the incentive-inhibitory group ‐ producing the instrumentally derived incentivemotivational function for the first time. An instrumentally-derived aversive incentive-motivational function is also produced. These results are discussed in the context of two-process learning theory, transfer-of-control research, and how response-discriminative and incentive-motivational properties of an S D contribute to stimulus control of behavior. The functions support the contention that in nature environmental conditions being differentially correlated with reinforcement could be responsible for most classical conditioning and resulting incentive-motive states.
Amazon.com vs. EBSCO’s GOBI Library Solutions: Evaluating New and Used Book Vendors While Building a Diverse Collection

This article will share a small college’s comparison of the benefits and challenges that occurred when ordering a curated list of new and used print books from EBSCO’s GOBI Library Solutions, a tra...
Nicotine Dependence in US Military Veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Background: Veterans are a unique population that may be at increased risk of tobacco use disorder and nicotine dependence (ND). We analyzed data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans...
Association between immunosuppressive cytokines and PSA progression in biochemically recurrent prostate cancer treated with intermittent hormonal therapy

BACKGROUND Immunosuppressive cytokines have the potential to promote prostate cancer progression. Assessing their longitudinal changes may implicate mechanisms of progression, treatment resistance, and suggest new therapeutic targets. METHODS Thirty-seven men with biochemically recurrent (BCR) prostate cancer who received 6 months of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and were monitored until the time to prostate-specific antigen progression (TTPP) were identified from a completed phase III trial (NCT00020085). Serum samples were archived at baseline, 3 months after ADT, and at TTPP. Cytokine concentrations were quantified using a 36-parameter electrochemiluminescence assay. The Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test was used to compare observations between time points. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate TTPP dichotomized by cytokine values above or below the median. Pearson's rank correlation coefficient was used to compare continuous variables. RESULTS Median TTPP was 399 days (range, 114-1641). Median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at baseline and progression were 8.5 and 5.3 ng/mL, respectively. Twenty-three patients (62%) achieved undetectable PSA with ADT. Castrate levels of testosterone (<50 ng/dL) after 3 months of ADT occurred in 35 patients (95%). TNF-α (P = .002), IL-23 (P = .002), and CXCL10 (P = .001) significantly increased from baseline to post ADT. Certain cytokines correlated longitudinally: TNF-α correlated with IL-23 (r = .72; P < .001) and IL-8 (r = .59; P < .001) from baseline to post ADT and to PSA progression. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio correlated with IL-27 (r = .57; P < .001) and MIP-3α (r = .56; P < .001). Patients with a detectable PSA after ADT had elevated levels of IL-6 (P = .049) and IL-8 (P = .013) at PSA progression as compared with those with an undetectable PSA. There was a trend toward shorter TTPP in patients with TNF-α levels above the median (P = .042). CONCLUSIONS Several innate cytokines were associated with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.
Modeling the Covid-19 Pandemic Response of the US States

Abstract Background The United States of America (USA) has been the country worst affected, in absolute terms, by the Covid-19 pandemic. The country comprises 50 states under a federal system. The impact of the pandemic has resulted in different responses at the state level, which are driven by differing intervention policies, demographics, connectedness and other factors. Understanding the dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic at the state level is essential in predicting its future evolution. Objective Our objective is to identify and characterize multiple waves of the pandemic by analyzing the reported infected population curve in each of the 50 US states. Based on the intensity of the waves, characterized by declining, stationary, or increasing strengths, each state’s response can be inferred and quantified. Methods We apply a recently proposed multiple-wave model to fit the infected population data for each state in USA, and use the proposed Pandemic Response Index to quantify their response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Results We have analyzed reported infected cases from each one of the 50 USA states and the District of Columbia, based on the multiple-wave model, and present the relevant parameters. Multiple waves have been identified and this model is found to describe the data better. Each of the states can be classified into one of three distinct classes characterized by declining, increasing, or stationary strength of the waves following the initial one. The effectiveness of intervention measures can be inferred by the peak intensities of the waves, and states with similar population characteristics can be directly compared. We estimate how much lower the number of infections might have been, if early and strict intervention measures had been imposed to stop the disease spread at the first wave, as was the case for certain states. Based on our model’s results, we compute the value of the Pandemic Response Index, a recently introduced metric for quantifying in an objective manner the response to the pandemic. Conclusions Our results reveal a series of epidemic waves, characterizing USA’s pandemic response at the state level, and also infer to what extent the imposition of early intervention measures could have had on the spread and impact of the disease. As of June 11, 2020, only 19 states and the District of Columbia (40% of the total) clearly exhibit declining trends in the numbers of reported infected cases, while 13 states exhibit stationary and 18 states increasing trends in the numbers of reported cases.
Evaluating economic potential of food waste valorization: Onward to a diverse feedstock biorefinery

Food waste valorization is a hot topic due to the cornucopia of waste generated and the ensuing detrimental environmental effects. Food is lost or wasted in a variety of means on its way from field to mouth. Once deemed inedible, it is considered a waste, but it still contains first-rate organic material that can be processed and used to create a host of new products, chemicals, or energy. Upgrading food wastes can be performed in a variety of processes. A look into the economics shows that while most of the processes show promise for profitability, it is also clear that facility size and product portfolio play a major role in downstream success. A biorefinery concept operating on both agro-industrial and commercial/residential wastes would likely provide the most profit.
Early childhood adversity in adult patients with metastatic lung cancer: Cross-sectional analysis of symptom burden and inflammation.

Abstract Objective Psychological and physical symptoms commonly occur in patients with metastatic lung cancer and are associated with reduced quality of life and decreased survival. Previous work has associated these symptoms with inflammation. The experience of Early Childhood Adversity (ECA) is linked to chronic inflammation and may identify adult cancer patients who are at-risk for psychological and physical symptoms. We thus hypothesized that ECA in lung cancer patients would be associated with increased psychological symptoms (distress, anxiety, and depression) and physical symptoms and that this relationship would be explained by inflammation. Methods Patients with metastatic lung cancer (n=92) were evaluated for ECA using the Risky Families Questionnaire. Concomitant assessments were made of distress (Distress Thermometer and Problem List [DT&PL]), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Patient Hospital Questionniare-9), physical symptoms (DT&PL), and inflammation (C-reactive protein [CRP]). Multivariate models were created to explain associations of ECA with depression, anxiety, distress, number of physical problems, and inflammation. Results ECA was associated with distress (r=.24, p=.03), anxiety (r=.30, p=.004), depression (r=.35, p=.001), greater physical problems (r=.25, p=.03), younger age (r=-.29, p=.006), and elevated CRP (r=.22, p=.04). Multivariate analyses of outcomes found that depression severity was independently explained by both ECA and inflammation (β=.37, p=.001) but not distress or anxiety, while controlling for age and sex. Number of physical problems were also associated with ECA (β=.35, p=.004) but not inflammation. The association between ECA and physical problems was not significant after controlling for depression. Conclusion ECA is associated with increased depression and physical symptoms independent of inflammation. Moreover, depression appears to mediate the impact of ECA on physical symptoms. ECA may identify patients at risk for psychological and physical symptoms.
Prospective Analysis of the Mechanisms Underlying Ineffective Deep Vein Thrombosis Prophylaxis in Necrotizing Pancreatitis

Background Patients with necrotizing pancreatitis (NP) have the highest rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) of any hospitalized patient (57%). We hypothesized that VTE prophylaxis might be inadequate in the setting of this profound inflammatory disease and that early detection of deep vein thrombosis would limit pulmonary embolism. Study Design All patients with NP treated at a single center between August 2018 and December 2019 were enrolled in prospective, weekly VTE screening, including 4-extremity duplex ultrasound. Routine chemoprophylaxis included low-molecular-weight or unfractionated heparin. Peak serum anti-factor Xa concentration was measured during weekly screening (goal prophylaxis 0.2 to 0.4 IU/mL). Results Eighty-five patients with NP underwent a total of 201 screening events (mean 2.4 per patient). VTE developed in 55 patients (65%), including splanchnic vein thrombosis in 41 patients (48%) and extremity deep vein thrombosis (eDVT) in 32 patients (38%). Extremity DVT was diagnosed a mean ± SD of 44 ± 30 days after NP onset. Symptomatic pulmonary embolism was prevented in all patients diagnosed with eDVT and no contraindication to anticoagulation (0 of 29). Prophylactic anti-factor Xa concentration was only achieved in 21% (12 of 57 screening events); no eDVTs developed in patients achieving prophylactic anti-factor Xa concentration. Conclusions In patients with NP, identification of eDVT by screening ultrasound permits early treatment and prevents symptomatic pulmonary embolism. Fixed dosing of chemical prophylaxis is inadequate in most patients with NP and likely contributes to the mechanism of increased VTE in NP.