cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel Genetic Locus for Generalized Tonic Clonic Epilepsy within the Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy Syndrome

A genome-wide scan of a large family with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), seen at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, was conducted to test an hypothesis that 2 loci, one predisposing to generalized tonic clonic seizures (GTCS) and a second to myoclonic seizures (MS), would be present within the JME syndrome.
Liquid state elasticity and the onset of activated transport in glass formers.

We show that the crossover temperature to activated transport in glass-forming liquids can be predicted using their finite-frequency elastic constants and the fusion entropy. The latter quantities ...
A Survey on Applications of Implicit Surfaces to 3D Plant Modeling

The fundamental ideas and key techniques in 3D plant modeling using implicit surfaces are analyzed in detail,including BlobTree,blending,precise contact modeling,convolution surfaces based on line segment primitive with polynomial density distribution and plant texture generation.In addition,visualization methods for implicit models are summarized.Finally,some discussions to the future work in this field are provided.
Progress and Development Trend on Seismic Measures of Electric Power Equipments in Transformer Substation

The damaged types and reasons of electric power facilities in transformer substation home and abroad under destructive earthquake were summarized.The two kinds of seismic-resistant measures were put forward to deal with the damage of the electric power facilities.The first measure is the traditional seismic-resistant design way that the strength and stiffness of the building and important electric equipments in the building and other facilities are strengthened against the earthquake action,and the measure has already taken a great role against strong earthquake action in the past decades.But the measure can’t ensure the basal function of the building and operating of other important equipments in the building under pre-defined rating strong earthquake.The second measure that adopts isolating technology gets more and more attention.The operating principle of the measure is that the isolating apparatuses between the super-structure and the base or other affiliated apparatuses on the building firstly carries out energy-dissipating action and dissipates a lot of inputting earthquake energy under strong earthquake action,then only less energy was input to super-structure of the building or other electric power facilities so that it can protect the building and equipments in the building or other facilities.Although the isolating technology is widely used in civil building,but it is difficult to be applied in electric power facilities for a lot of puzzles existing in application.It has important and practical significance to carry out isolating application research of electric power facilities in transformer substation.
Peripheral Nerve Disorders

Given the high incidence of orthopedic disorders, joint deformities, osteoporosis, and scoliosis, we should expect more pain syndromes in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but peripheral nerve disorders for example are underdiagnosed. In this short chapter a few syndromes are mentioned.
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Proteomics in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Abstract Relapse within the central nervous system (CNS) remains a major challenge for the treatment and cure of childhood ALL. With current intensive treatment, at least one-third of relapses occur within the CNS. Evaluation of CSF is essential to the management of childhood ALL and relies on morphologic examination of cytospin smears. CSF has been re-discovered in the post genomic era as a source of potential protein biomarkers for various diseases. Such proteins may help establish a diagnosis, provide insight into pathogenesis, or identify therapeutic toxicity. In the present study, acellular CSF supernatants from newly diagnosed children with standard risk ALL treated on CCG-1991 were used for protein profiling. The morphologically negative CSF samples had previously been classified as minimal residual disease (MRD) negative (−) or positive (+) using real-time PCR techniques on centrifuged cell lysates. Three MRD −, 3 MRD +, and 2 morphologically + CSF samples were concentrated and desalted using Microcon filter device. Albumin was removed using a Human Albumin Kit, Albuminomics™. The MRD − and MRD + samples, each containing 15 mcg of protein, were pooled separately and processed for protein identification and quantitation using a multidimensional LC/MS/MS method. Custom software was developed (TandTRAQ) for database searching and peptide quantitation. Protein annotation was primarily derived from ENSEMBL and NCBI sources. Rank order summarization was used to identify putative candidates. In the comparison between MRD + and MRD− samples, we identified 226 unique genome identifiers, with 89 having functional annotation. Of these 89, 49 have high quality protein-level annotation, 35 have mRNA-level annotation, and 5 are predicted (have functional protein evidence). Using a 1.5 fold cut-off, there were 18 up-regulated and 12 down-regulated proteins among the 89 proteins in MRD + compared to MRD − supernatants. Focusing on the 49 with high quality protein-level annotation, 8 proteins show higher-level expression and 2 show lower level expression in MRD + CSF samples (Table). Eight highly expressed proteins are involved in either DNA binding interactions, cell migration, apoptosis, or immune response. Two under-expressed proteins are involved in cell adhesion. The 2 morphologically + CSF samples confirmed 4 over expressed and 1 under-expressed proteins. This research is the first attempt at protein profiling of CSF from patients with ALL. The proteins identified in this study may further our insight into the pathogenesis of CNS leukemia. Furthermore, future research may find that protein profiling of supernatants is a sensitive way to detect leukemia in CSF and to monitor treatment-related CNS toxicities.
Review of A Beginner’s Guide to Structural Equation Modeling (4th ed.), by Randall E. Schumacker & Richard G. Lomax

In A Beginner’s Guide to Structural Equation Modeling (4th ed.), Randall E. Schumacker and Richard G. Lomax provide a basic introduction to structural equation modeling (SEM). They do this by first...
General and Ethnic-Biased Bullying Among Latino Students: Exploring Risks of Depression, Suicidal Ideation, and Substance Use

Using a cross-sectional sample of 534 Latino students from middle and high schools in a large North Carolina school district, we examined the relation of general and ethnic-biased bullying to depression and the indirect pathways through depression to suicidal ideation and substance use outcomes. A structural equation model tested the direct and indirect paths. The final model fit was excellent, χ2(90) = 127.6, p = .0056, RMSEA = 0.028, CFI = 0.974, TLI = 0.961. Ethnic-biased and verbal or relational bullying had a direct effect on depression, but general and physical bullying did not. Indirect effects through depression were found for ethnic-biased and verbal or relational bullying in relation to suicidal ideation, alcohol, and illicit drug use. Child nativity was marginally associated with ethnic-biased bullying, indicating foreign-born students may experience greater ethnic-biased bullying. Implications for future research and bullying prevention are discussed.
Pediatric Head and Neck Pathology

This unique reference provides a comprehensive guide to pediatric head and neck pathology in patients up to the age of 21. Chapters take a clinicopathologic approach, offering insight into the pathobiology, diagnosis and treatment of both common and rare disorders. Imaging studies and immunohistochemical techniques are discussed alongside accepted and emerging molecular tools. The authors' holistic approach ensures coverage of the surgical management principles that pathologists must understand, particularly when called upon to diagnose odontogenic tumors and cysts, as well as benign and malignant salivary gland neoplasms. The book is richly illustrated in color throughout. Each copy of the printed book is packaged with a password, providing online access to the book's text and image library. Written by leaders in head and neck pathology and surgery, this is an essential guide to solving the diagnostic dilemmas that pathologists and clinicians encounter in the assessment of pediatric head and neck disease.
“Beholden to Foreign Countries”: Trade and Clothing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Clothing is a commodity like any other. It is an object that is produced in numerous levels of quality and expense, with associated attributes of style, fashion, and meanings traded and exchanged through local and long-distance networks. Eighteenth-century New Englanders, like people everywhere, communicated ideas about themselves as individuals and as members of various groups through the clothing they wore and the physical appearances they created (White 2005, 2008, n.d.). The objects they used to construct these appearances were imported from England, almost exclusively, through trans-Atlantic trade in the eighteenth century and into the nineteenth century. In the pages that follow I explore the close trading practices between New England and England in the eighteenth century in particular, as it was embedded in the trade in clothing and personal adornment suggested by archaeological evidence from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Triggering Artwork Swaps for Live Animation

Live animation of 2D characters is a new form of storytelling that has started to appear on streaming platforms and broadcast TV. Unlike traditional animation, human performers control characters in real time so that they can respond and improvise to live events. Current live animation systems provide a range of animation controls, such as camera input to drive head movements, audio for lip sync, and keyboard shortcuts to trigger discrete pose changes via artwork swaps. However, managing all of these controls during a live performance is challenging. In this work, we present a new interactive system that specifically addresses the problem of triggering artwork swaps in live settings. Our key contributions are the design of a multi-touch triggering interface that overlays visual triggers around a live preview of the character, and a predictive triggering model that leverages practice performances to suggest pose transitions during live performances. We evaluate our system with quantitative experiments, a user study with novice participants, and interviews with professional animators.
PD-1 inhibits the TCR signaling cascade by sequestering SHP-2 phosphatase, preventing its translocation to lipid rafts and facilitating Csk-mediated inhibitory phosphorylation of Lck.

PD-1 inhibits T cell responses but the biochemical mechanisms are poorly understood. PD-1 cytoplasmic tail contains an ITIM and an ITSM motif. SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase interacts with the ITSM and has a critical role in PD-1-mediated inhibition. Although phosphatases are considered negative regulators of activation, SHP-2 deficient T cells display impaired activation of MAPK in response to TCR/CD3 stimulation. Conversely, SHP-2 mutations leading to gain of function induce activation of Ras-MAPK pathway in AML. Thus, SHP-2 may activate some signaling pathways. We investigated how PD-1: SHP-2 interaction inhibits T cell activation. A key event required for activation of the TCR/CD3 signaling cascade is the downregulation of Csk-mediated inactivating phosphorylation of Lck on Tyr-505. Growth factor stimulation of epithelial cells recruits SHP-2 to the plasma membrane and abrogates Csk-mediated inactivating phosphorylation of Src kinase. We determined that TCR/CD3 stimulation downregulated Lck phosphorylation on Tyr-505 but this was prevented by PD-1 ligation. Because Lck is localized in membrane lipid rafts, we examined whether SHP-2 might be recruited to the rafts. TCR/CD3 stimulation resulted in translocation of SHP-2 to the lipid rafts. In contrast, PD-1 ligation recruited SHP-2 to the PD-1 ITSM abrogating translocation of SHP-2 to the rafts and resulted in enhanced Lck phosphorylation on Tyr-505. Our results unravel a previously unidentified mechanism via which PD-1 inhibits T cell activation by sequestering SHP-2 and preventing its translocation to the site on the plasma membrane where SHP-2 plays a key role in activating the TCR signaling cascade by reversing Csk-mediated inactivating phosphorylation of Lck.
Quantifying optic nerve axons in a cat glaucoma model by a semi-automated targeted counting method.

PURPOSE To describe and validate a semi-automated targeted sampling (SATS) method for quantifying optic nerve axons in a feline glaucoma model. METHODS Optic nerve cross sections were obtained from 15 cats, nine with mild to severe glaucoma and six with normal eyes. Optic nerves were dissected, fixed in paraformaldehyde and glutaraldehyde, and processed for light microscopy by resin embedding, sectioning, and staining of axon myelin sheaths with 1% p-phenylenediamine before axon quantification. Commercially available image analysis software was used as a semi-automated axon counting tool (SCT) and was first validated by comparison with a manual axon count (MAC). This counting tool was then used in a SATS method performed by three masked raters and in a semi-automated full count (SAFC) method performed by a single observer. Correlation was assessed between the SCT and MAC using a linear model and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Correlation between the SATS and SAFC methods was calculated and the bias, systematic errors, and variance component assessed. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was determined to establish inter-rater agreement. In addition, the time required to perform the SATS and SAFC methods was evaluated. RESULTS Correlation between the axon counts obtained by the SCT and MAC was strong (r = 0.9985). There was evidence of an overcounting of axons by the SCT compared to the MAC with a percentage error rate of 13.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 11.0%, 15.1%). Both the correlation of SATS count (average per rater) to SAFC (r = 0.9891) and inter-rater agreement (ICC = 0.986) were high. The SATS method presented an overall positive counting error (p<0.001) when compared to the SAFC, consistent with a fixed percentage overestimation of 11.2% (95% CI 8.3%, 14.2%) of the full count. The average time required to quantify axons by the SATS method was 10.9 min, only 27% of that required to conduct the SAFC. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that the SATS method provides a practical, rapid, and reliable means of estimating axon counts in the optic nerves of cats with glaucoma.
Clark’s “learning from media”: A critique

In the Winter 1983 issue ofReview of Educational Research, Richard Clark published the article “Reconsidering Research on Learning From Media.” This article presented a particular point of view on media research that is of interest to educational technologists and has aroused some debate. In their critique of Clark’s article, Petkovich and Tennyson take issue with some of Clark’s points. Clark’s reply to this critique follows immediately after it.
Beta1-Adrenergic Receptor Regulation Revisited.

The actions and regulation of cardiomyocyte β1ARs differ in several respects from the properties described for the prototypical β2AR subtype; a mechanism to explain the unique properties of the β1AR subtype has never been obvious. This viewpoint summarizes recent studies that identify a novel signaling paradigm for the β1AR, implicating the N-terminus as a molecular determinant of β1AR responsiveness.
Meta-Bias: A Practical Theory of Motivated Thinking

For a host of reasons, training students and teachers to more accurately discern the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of others is more important than ever. One approach to improving social perspective taking entails teaching students to understand when and how bias impedes their efforts to “read” others. To facilitate this educational goal, we propose a theory of meta-biases that unifies and distills those biases that frequently derail perspective taking attempts. Specifically, we argue that, as a default, people strive to accurately read themselves and others. However, two competing motives—meta-biases—often derail this default goal: a desire for cognitive efficiency and a need to protect or enhance one’s sense of self. We hope the proposed theory proves to be practical for educators trying to facilitate interpersonal understanding and relationships, stimulating for researchers interested in testing theory, and generative for anyone developing interventions to mitigate social cognitive biases and improve person perception attempts.
Barriers to Appropriate Inpatient Stroke Code Activation: A Quality Improvement Survey (P3.160)

Objective: To describe knowledge of indications for stroke code activation by nurses at an academic medical center. Background: In-hospital stroke is associated with delayed evaluation/treatment and higher mortality compared to out-of-hospital events. Nurses can activate stroke codes more quickly and with similar accuracy as physicians. Yet, many of these stroke code activations are ultimately associated with a non-stroke diagnosis. We sought to determine nursing understanding of acute stroke presentation and knowledge of stroke code protocols to help develop a focused educational module to decrease the number of negative diagnostic stroke codes. Design/Methods: A convenience sample of nurses at Loyola Medical Center completed a voluntary 15-question survey. All nursing units were asked to participate; 12 (including 2 neuroscience-specialized units) agreed. Information on nursing experience, neuroscience vs. non-neuroscience unit, and frequency of stroke code training were collected. Understanding of general stroke care, indications for stroke code activation, and stroke code protocols were assessed. Data were summarized descriptively with responses compared between neuroscience-and non-neuroscience nurses using Fisher’s exact test when appropriate. Results: 115 nurses (44% floor, 46% ICU, 10% other) completed the survey; 20% were from neuroscience- and 80% from non-neuroscience units. Most had some stroke code education (78%), though neuroscience nurses were more likely to receive regular training (70% vs. 27%, p=0.0004). Most recognized stroke symptoms (97%) and mimics (86%), but neuroscience nurses more accurately identified FAST criteria (91% vs. 49%, p=0.0003) and top-priority testing during a stroke code (52% vs. 8%, p=0.0001). Both groups had difficulty describing indications for stroke code activation, with 45% responding “to just obtain STAT head CT.” Conclusions: Nurses accurately identified clinical stroke signs but were less knowledgeable regarding inpatient stroke codes. Focused educational programs regarding stroke code indications and processes are necessary to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce times to stroke intervention. Study Supported by: NA Disclosure: Dr. Gill has nothing to disclose. Dr Rouse has nothing to disclose. Dr. Colletta has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chaudhry has nothing to disclose. Dr. Yeung has nothing to disclose. Dr. Perilla has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schneck has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ruland has nothing to disclose. Dr. McCoyd has nothing to disclose.
On Mean Field Games for Agents With Langevin Dynamics

Mean field games (MFG) have emerged as a viable tool in the analysis of large-scale self-organizing networked systems. In particular, MFGs provide a game-theoretic optimal control interpretation of the emergent behavior of noncooperative agents. The purpose of this paper is to study MFG models in which individual agents obey multidimensional nonlinear Langevin dynamics, and analyze the closed-loop stability of fixed points of the corresponding coupled forward-backward partial differential equation (PDE) systems. In such MFG models, the detailed balance property of the reversible diffusions underlies the perturbation dynamics of the forward–backward system. We use our approach to analyze closed-loop stability of two specific models. Explicit control design constraints, which guarantee stability, are obtained for a population distribution model and a mean consensus model. We also show that static state feedback using the steady-state controller can be employed to locally stabilize an MFG equilibrium.
Non-negative Matrix Factorization of Gamma-Ray Spectra for Background Modeling, Detection, and Source Identification

Radiological source search is a challenge involving the detection, identification, and localization of weak sources within background environments that vary both spatially and temporally. In this paper, a method for simultaneously detecting and identifying gamma-ray sources using background models formed from spectral data is described. Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is used to generate low-dimensional representations of gamma-ray spectra, allowing for a compact means of capturing variation in gamma-ray backgrounds. Background models formed using NMF are used to perform anomaly detection, and additionally, models are augmented with spectral templates of gamma-ray sources to perform simultaneous detection and identification using a likelihood ratio test. The NMF-based detection and identification algorithm is benchmarked against a standard Region of Interest algorithm and shows significant performance gains. In addition, NMF-based anomaly detection shows improvements over methods based on gross counts or principal component analysis. Algorithm performance is evaluated using unshielded sources with activities between 5 and 400 ${\mu }$ Ci at a standoff distance of 20 m using source injection on background data collected using a 1 m2 NaI array on the Radiological Multisensor Analysis Platform.
A “Never Event” That Could Kill Millions

A “Never Event” That Could Kill Millions Despite all our efforts — the bar-coded wristbands, the time-outs, the hard stops in the computer — everyone in medicine knows it is impossible to eliminate...
Influence of Water Uptake, Charge, Manning Parameter,and Contact Angle on Water and Salt Transport in Commercial Ion ExchangeMembranes

In electrochemical processes such as electrodialysis or redox flow batteries, where ion exchange membranes (IEMs) play a critical role in process performance, energy losses can be reduced by minimi...
Momentary fluctuations in impulsivity domains: Associations with a history of childhood ADHD, heavy alcohol use, and alcohol problems.

Abstract Background The current study examined if fluctuation in in-the-moment impulsivity was more pronounced for adults with, versus without, a childhood history of ADHD and if ADHD group moderated the association between fluctuation in impulsivity and alcohol use behaviors. Methods Two hundred and eleven adult drinkers (52% ADHD) completed a 10-day, 6 times/day, momentary assessment of state impulsivity. Self-reported trait impulsivity, alcohol problems, and frequency of 5+ drinks in the past 12 months were also assessed. Results The ADHD group had more variability in three domains of state impulsivity (negative urgency, positive urgency, sensation seeking) compared to the nonADHD group. After including global trait impulsivity, the ADHD and nonADHD groups only differed on state sensation seeking. Fluctuation in two domains of state impulsivity were related to frequency of 5+ drinks (lack of planning: ADHD RR = 3.60, p Conclusions Findings highlight the importance of assessing fluctuation in several domains of impulsivity and may elucidate important treatment targets for alcohol problems for adults with ADHD histories.
Revisiting independent versus dependent scattering regimes in suspensions or aggregates of spherical particles

Abstract Independent scattering refers to situations when particles are sufficiently distant that some of the radiation characteristics of particle systems can be determined by adding the contributions of each particle. When particles are in close proximity, however, dependent scattering prevails and is affected by near-field interactions and far-field interferences among scattered waves from nearby particles. The dimensionless parameters governing the scattering cross-section and asymmetry factor of non-absorbing bispheres, disordered and ordered suspensions and aggregates with up to 8 spherical particles were found to be the particle size parameter χs, the relative index of refraction m, the interparticle distance-to-wavelength ratio d*, and the number of particles. Here, χs ranged from 0.031 to 8.05, m varied from 0.667 to 2.6, and d* reached up to 30. Dependent effects were observed in aggregates with particles of all sizes and were strongly affected by the relative index of refraction in particle systems with χs ≥ 2 due to large phase shifts across the particles. Moreover, new criteria for the transition between the dependent and independent scattering regimes for the scattering cross-section and the asymmetry factor were derived. For the scattering cross-section of structures with a narrow interparticle distance distribution, the independent scattering regime prevailed when the average interparticle distance-to-wavelength ratio d ¯ * exceeded (i) 2 for particles with χs ≤ 2 and (ii) 5 for particles with χs > 2. For the asymmetry factor, the transition from the dependent to the independent regimes for particles with χs ≤ 2 was achieved for d ¯ * as high as 25. These transition criteria could be extended to particle systems with a broad interparticle distance distribution when based on the minimum interparticle distance-to-wavelength ratio. Finally, the relative index of refraction m did not affect these transition criteria.
Daily cost of consumer food wasted, inedible, and consumed in the United States, 2001-2016.

Consumer food waste in the United States represents substantial amounts of wasted nutrients, as well as needless environmental impact from wasted agricultural inputs, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts to reduce food waste at the consumer level are urgently needed to address the most prominent nutrition and environmental sustainability issues we now face. Importantly, individuals report that saving money is a salient motivator for reducing food waste, yet contemporary evidence on the consumer cost of wasted food is lacking. The objectives of this study are to 1) estimate the daily per capita cost of food wasted, inedible, and consumed 2) at home and away from home, and 3) by food group. This study utilizes cross-sectional, nationally-representative data on food intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001–2016), linked with nationally representative data on food waste from published literature, as well as data on food prices and food price inflation from multiple publicly-available sources. Survey-weighted procedures estimated daily per capita expenditure on food waste for 39,758 adults aged ≥20 y. Total daily per capita food expenditure was $13.27, representing 27% wasted, 14% inedible, and 59% consumed. The greatest daily food waste expenditures were observed for meat and seafood purchased for consumption outside of the home ($0.94, 95% CI: $0.90–0.99), and fruits and vegetables purchased for consumption in the home ($0.68, $0.63–0.73). The most cost-effective ways to reduce food waste at the consumer level are to focus waste reduction efforts on meat and seafood purchased for consumption outside of the home and fruits and vegetables purchased for consumption in the home. A number of strategies are available to help consumers reduce their food waste, which can increase their financial flexibility to purchase more healthy foods while simultaneously reducing environmental impact.
Insurance expansions and adolescent use of substance use disorder treatment.

OBJECTIVE To provide evidence on the effects of expansions to private and public insurance programs on adolescent specialty substance use disorder (SUD) treatment use. DATA SOURCE/STUDY SETTING The Treatment Episodes Data Set (TEDS), 1996 to 2017. STUDY DESIGN A quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design using observational data. DATA COLLECTION The TEDS provides administrative data on admissions to specialty SUD treatment. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Expansions of laws that compel private insurers to cover SUD treatment services at parity with general health care increase adolescent admissions by 26% (P < .05). These increases are driven by nonintensive outpatient admissions, the most common treatment episodes, which rise by 30% (P < .05) postparity law. In contrast, increases in income eligibility for public insurance targeting those 6-18 years old are not statistically associated with SUD treatment. CONCLUSIONS Private insurance expansions allow more adolescents to receive SUD treatment, while public insurance income eligibility expansions do not appear to influence adolescent SUD treatment.
Stellar surface imaging

Long-baseline optical interferometry has provided a method with which stars are not only resolved, but directly imaged. Resolving features on stellar surfaces is becoming routine for observers using the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array or the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), in particular. The CHARA Array presently has six 1-m telescopes at permanent locations with baselines ranging from 34-331 m.1 Currently for imaging, the six CHARA Array telescopes are combined with the Michigan InfraRed Combiner-eXeter (MIRC-X; formerly the Michigan Infrared Combiner, MIRC).2 Working in H- and J -bands, MIRC-X provides an angular resolution of θH ∼ 0.5 mas and θJ ∼ 0.4 mas, respectively. Four telescopes at a time can be combined at VLTI, either the 8.2-m Unit Telescopes (UTs) or the 1.8-m Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). The ATs can be moved to provide multiple configurations to increase the possible baselines (up to 130 m). The Precision Integrated-Optics Near-Infrared Imaging ExpeRiment (PIONIER),3 which operates in H-band (θH ∼ 1.3 mas), is the current beam combiner frequently used for imaging. In the following sections, the types of stars imaged by long-baseline optical interferometry will be discussed with significant astrophysical results highlighted.
Correlation of vaccine-elicited antibody levels and neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants

Both Pfizer-BNT162b2 and Moderna-mRNA-1273 vaccines can elicit an effective immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the elicited serum antibody levels vary substantially and longitudinally decrease after vaccination. We examined the correlation of vaccination-induced IgG levels and neutralization titers against newly emerged variants remains and demonstrate a significant reduction of neutralization activities against the variants (B.1.1.7, B.1.525, and B.1.351) in Pfizer or Moderna vaccined sera. There was a significant and positive correlation between serum IgG levels and ID50 titers for not only SARS-CoV-2 WT but also the variants. These findings indicate that a high level of anti-spike IgG may offer better protection against infection from SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. Therefore, it is necessary to longitudinally monitor specific serum IgG level for evaluating the protective efficacy of the vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and its new variants.
Loving What You Get: The Price Effects of Consumer Self-Persuasion

The paper considers how consumers’ cognitive efforts at preference adjustment at the time of decision affect prices in competitive markets with differentiated products. Greater ease of self-persuasion implies higher prices when self-persuasion reinforces first impressions and lower prices when the best opportunities to persuade oneself exist for consumers with weak initial impressions. Exogenous interventions to ease decision-complementing cognition—e.g., advertising—predictably increase or reduce prices, depending upon how they are targeted. While facilitation of consumers’ adjustment always improves welfare in a covered market, firms’ appropriation of surplus may make consumers worse off even as they learn better to love what they get.
The effect of diabetes mellitus on the shear bond strength of composite resin to dentin and enamel.

Diabetes mellitus might be linked to the deterioration of certain physical properties of dentin and enamel. This study aimed to determine the effect of two types of diabetes on the shear bond strength of enamel and dentin, by using the single bond universal bonding system. Sixty specimens [from 15 teeth; 5 from each group—non-diabetic (ND), Diabetic type I (D1), and Diabetic type II (D2)], were prepared with equal amounts of dentin (n = 5) and enamel (n = 5). Enamel specimens (E20) were etched with 37% phosphoric acid, for 20 s, and dentin specimens (D15) were etched for 15 s. A standard shear bond strength test was performed on all specimens. Their failure modes were also studied under a scanning electron microscope, and the data were analyzed by using ANOVA and Post Hoc Tukey’s test (a = 0.050). For the enamel groups, significant differences were only noticed between the ND and D1 (P < 0.050) groups, and between the ND and D2 (P < 0.050) groups. In the dentin groups, there was a significant difference only between the ND and D1 (P < 0.050) groups. The micrographs showed that the ND group had the highest number of specimens with cohesive failure and D1 had the highest number of specimens with adhesive failure. It can be concluded that both types of diabetes reduce the shear bond strength of composite resin on dentin and enamel. However, it seems that the negative effect of diabetes on shear bond strength of dental composite resin is more drastic in individuals with type I diabetes as compared with type II.
The Effect of Evidence Based Practice on Workplace Empowerment of Rural Registered Nurses

Through evidence based practice implementation, autonomous practice and innovation strategies can stimulate workplace empowerment, providing a framework for retention and recruitment within rural healthcare organizations. This pilot study determined the relationships that exist between evidence based practice use and workplace empowerment among rural Registered Nurses. Forty-two rural Registered Nurses completed an online survey examining their level of evidence based practice use and workplace empowerment. A Spearman’s rho found a strong, positive correlation between overall evidence based practice use and workplace empowerment ( r = 0.648, p < .001). Through regression analysis, educational background was determined to be a confounding variable for overall evidence based practice utilization and perceived level of workplace empowerment. While the resultant small sample size negates generalization of this pilot study to a larger population, the results uphold the premise that organizational support of innovation, as evident within the tenets of evidence based practice, can potentially impact nurses’ sense of empowerment in the workplace. The results are valuable to healthcare administrators, quality and risk professionals, professional development educators, and direct care nurses when determining the needs of RNs for evidence based practice education, mentorship, and advancement of organizational empowerment structures. Future studies should examine rural Registered Nurses’ workplace empowerment levels as a source of innovation, which can be a direct result of evidence based practice utilization. Evidence based practice, in conjunction with similar empowering work structures, can enhance rural nurses’ ability to implement highly reliable, quality healthcare services in an environment conducive to learning, autonomy, productivity, and innovation. Keywords: Evidence-based practice (EBP), Rural, Healthcare, Empowerment, Nursing, Workplace
Lost in Translation: The Strange Journey of an Anti-Semitic Fabrication, from a Late Nineteenth Century Russian Newspaper to an Irish Legal Journal to a Leading Twentieth Century American Criminal Law Textbook

Levine introduces and explores an apocryphal and anti-Semitic story which originally appeared in an 1879 issue of the Russian Courier, a social and political newspaper published in Moscow. It was subsequently published in an 1882 issue of the Irish Law Times and later quoted in several editions of Albert J Harno's Cases and Other Materials on Criminal Law and Procedure. The story allegedly occurred in Littowk on the Russian frontier. It involves a son who hires a peasant to kill his father. The peasant gets cold feet and tells the father of the plot. They go to the local rabbi, Joseph Beer, who suggests that they set up a trial for the son and have the father speak to him from beyond the grave. When the son hears his father's voice, he is seized with terror and falls down dead. The Procurator of the province orders that the rabbi and all others involved be arrested. The rabbi in the story is identified as the prominent European scholar and communal leader, Joseph Baer Soloveitchik. Levine traces the evolution of the story into English through its unusual appearance in the Irish Law Times. Levine then examines the surprising and disconcerting presence of the story in successive editions of Harno's textbook, published in 1933, 1939, 1950, and 1957. Levine concludes that, among other lessons, Harno's publication of the story may serve as a cautionary tale, illustrating the potential perils of the increasing contemporary reliance upon sources, such as foreign materials and internet websites, that are often not readily susceptible to authentication and verification.
Genetic Engineering, Microbes

The techniques involved in isolation and manipulation of genes from several microbes have become routine. Genes are cloned into plasmid or phage-based vectors and introduced into the microbe of choice. The number of vectors that have been engineered to be versatile is on the increase for several systems. Some vectors are commercially available for gene manipulations from several vendors. In addition, construction of gene libraries and screening are also performed by small biotechnology companies. Most of the reagents needed for gene manipulation such as oligonucleotides, peptides, and antibodies are commercially available. In addition, kits are also accessible for some of the routine tasks such as plasmid isolation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing, etc. The methods involved in the production of proteins in microbes are those of gene expression. Genetically engineered microbes are used to produce several commercial products. The number of products is likely to increase. They include therapeutics, bulk enzymes, antibiotics, chemicals, and crop protection products. Keywords: Gene transfer; Gene actuation; Amplification; Gene expression; Microbes; E. coli; Pseudomonas; Yeasts; Rhodoccus; Lactic acid; Commercial products; Therapeutics; Crop protection; Enzyme
On physical adsorption: X. Adsorbed monolayers of argon and nitrogen on boron nitride and on a graded series of partially graphitized carbon blacks

Abstract Low-pressure adsorption isotherms of argon and nitrogen at 77.8° and 90.1°K. were measured on members of a graded series of a carbon black, which had been partially graphitized in an inert atmosphere at temperatures of 1000, 1500, 2000, and 2700°C. An increasing homogeneity of the surface accompanies graphitization and is reflected in a number of adsorption phenomena, all of which gradually become more pronounced with increasing degree of surface homogeneity: ( a ) the two-dimensional van der Waals' equation provides a description of the isotherm over a greater range of surface concentrations; ( b ) the two-dimensional critical temperature of the adsorbate increases regularly toward the theoretical value expected of an ideally uniform substrate; ( c ) the mobilities of the adsorbed monolayers correspond over an increasingly greater range of surface concentration to that of a two-dimensional gas on a uniform substrate. A sample of boron nitride was also used as adsorbent for monolayers of argon and nitrogen at 77.8 and 90.1°K. A comparison of the results for boron nitride with those for the carbon black series shows that the boron nitride surface would correspond to a carbon black of the present series graphitized at 1800°C.
The Astronomy Village: investigating the Universe

The Astronomy Village multimedia program is designed to emphasize the process of science as much as its content (Pompea and Blurton, 1995; Pompea, 1996). It was designed for 14 year-old students, but has been used at slightly younger age levels and for older students, including university students. The investigations are flexible enough to be used at this wide variety of levels. In this CD-ROM-based multimedia program, student teams can pursue one of ten research investigations. In each investigation they are guided by a mentor, receive e-mail, hear a lecture in the Village auditorium, and make observations using ground or space-based telescopes in a virtual observatory. The students also process data using the NIH Image image processing program. They keep a detailed logbook of their research activities and can run simulations on stellar evolution as well as manipulate 3-D astronomy visualization tools.
Banks Matter in Eurozone Debt Crisis

The eurozone sovereign debt crisis, characterized by enormous debt burdens faced by its weakest economies, has also induced a parallel credit crunch and illiquidity concerns for European banks. Bank holdings of sovereign debt issued by peripheral eurozone countries have dropped in value and are being reclassified from their prior riskless weight assigned by Basel III. Banks are also experiencing serious difficulties in raising new funds from their markets. Default risks and systemic-risk capital shortfalls are delineated for individual banks. Ten European banks are currently among the top 14 global banking institutions ranked by probability of default. Italy’s UniCredit displays the largest five-year default probability (39%), based on spreads of credit default swaps. Eight European banks are included among the top 11 global banks ranked by expected capital shortfalls associated with systemic risk in the next major credit and illiquidity crisis, with Deutsche Bank requiring the largest additional capital ($232 billion). Systemic risk measures over the past five years are delineated for Credit Agricole. The European Central Bank has stepped up low-cost, short-term lending with relaxed collateral demands. Banks optimistically might now be able to meet their short-term funding needs, but it is too soon to discern the impact.
Reflections on deliberative coherence

This paper treats two problem cases in decision theory, the Newcomb problem and Reed Richter's Button III. Although I argue that, contrary to Richter, the latter case does not constitute a genuine counterexample to a standard general proposition of (causal) decision theory, I agree with and undertake to amplify his solution to the decision problem in Button III. I then apply the conclusions and distinctions in the foregoing treatment of Button III to the Newcomb problem and argue that a familiar version of the dominance argument for taking both boxes runs afoul of plausible general constraints on rational agency. The underlying theme of the paper is that basic considerations of epistemic coherence play an important role in dealing with problem cases in decision theory.
Errores innatos del metabolismo y anestesia; tan lejos y sin embargo tan cerca

The earlyobservations made on this group of patients by Van Creveld,VonGieke andPompe pavedthewayfortheunderstandingofanew groupofchildhooddiseasescharacterizedby theinherentinability of “complete glycogen combustion”. The body’s lackof access to the energy released by the degradation of glyco-gen led to its accumulation in tissues, in some limited to theliver and kidneys, and in others to the heart and peripheralmuscles. Admirably, it was recognized at the time that thiswas in fact a heterogeneous group of anomalies with complexetiology and no foreseeable treatment. The brilliant conclu-sions made by these investigators in the early days from suchlimited information were later corroborated by the discoveryof the metabolic steps required in the synthesis and degrada-tion of glycogen.
When events change their nature: The neurocognitive mechanisms underlying aspectual coercion

The verb "pounce" describes a single, near-instantaneous event. Yet, we easily understand that, "For several minutes the cat pounced'" describes a situation in which multiple pounces occurred, although this interpretation is not overtly specified by the sentence's syntactic structure or by any of its individual words—a phenomenon known as "aspectual coercion." Previous psycholinguistic studies have reported processing costs in association with aspectual coercion, but the neurocognitive mechanisms giving rise to these costs remain contentious. Additionally, there is some controversy about whether readers commit to a full interpretation of the event when the aspectual information becomes available, or whether they leave it temporarily underspecified until later in the sentence. Using ERPs, we addressed these questions in a design that fully crossed context type (punctive, durative, frequentative) with verb type (punctive, durative). We found a late, sustained negativity to punctive verbs in durative contexts, but not in frequentative (e.g., explicitly iterative) contexts. This effect was distinct from the N400 in both its time course and scalp distribution, suggesting that it reflected a different underlying neurocognitive mechanism. We also found that ERPs to durative verbs were unaffected by context type. Together, our results provide strong evidence that neural activity associated with aspectual coercion is driven by the engagement of a morphosyntactically unrealized semantic operator rather than by violations of real-world knowledge, more general shifts in event representation, or event iterativity itself. More generally, our results add to a growing body of evidence that a set of late-onset sustained negativities reflect elaborative semantic processing that goes beyond simply combining the meaning of individual words with syntactic structure to arrive at a final representation of meaning.
A new system for controlled testing of sensor network applications: architecture, prototype and experimental evaluation

In this paper we first argue the case for a system which can accurately reproduce sensed input or stimuli for fair evaluation of wireless sensor network applications. It is shown, with a simple example, that consistent input is crucial in the evaluation of applications, and that the lack of such rigor may lead to wrong conclusions, and therefore a biased choice of what seems to be the best application. We present an architecture for a system that utilizes sensor nodes to provide the required stimuli and can exercise control over other sensor nodes that are executing the application under test. In our architecture, each sensor node executing the application under test is paired with a modified sensor node called the control node. We showcase a prototype implementation of the architecture using the MICAz hardware platform and TinyOS operating system software. Evaluation results for the prototype in a network setting are then presented. Our architecture, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to provide the benefits of both hardware-based and software-based approaches to enable controlled testing of sensor network applications. We also provide an optimization formulation for finding the least number of nodes through which control packets can be disseminated to every control node in the network.