cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A 130- $\mu$ W, 64-Channel Neural Spike-Sorting DSP Chip

Spike sorting is an important processing step in various neuroscientific and clinical studies. Energy-efficient spike-sorting ASICs are necessary to allow real-time processing of multi-channel, wireless neural recordings. Spike-sorting ASICs have to meet stringent power-density constraints and must provide significant data-rate reduction for wireless transmission. Most existing designs either provide only spike detection for multi-channel processing, or they provide detection and feature extraction only for a single channel. In this paper, we demonstrate the design of a spike-sorting DSP chip that can perform detection, alignment, and feature extraction simultaneously for 64 channels. Spike-sorting algorithms chosen based on a complexity-performance analysis were implemented on ASIC using a MATLAB/Simulink-based architecture design framework. Energy-delay tradeoffs of the design were analyzed to identify the optimal degree of interleaving. The chip was implemented with a modular architecture, and can be configured to process 16, 32, 48, or 64 channels. Inactive cores are power-gated when the chip is operated to process a reduced number of channels. The chip, implemented in a 90-nm CMOS process, has a power dissipation of 130 μW (power density of 30 μW/mm2) when processing all 64 channels and provides a data-rate reduction of 91.25% (11.71 Mb/s to 1.02 Mb/s).
Network and innovation: the impact of initial innovation conditions on interfirm network formation

This study investigates a firm's use of interfirm network building strategy when it acquires external knowledge to develop novel new products. Drawing on the literature of product innovation network building activities, this research aims to provide a theoretical explanation of the relationship between initial innovation conditions and network building activities and the impact of network building behaviors on the success of product innovations. The resulting model provides managers with guidelines to effectively manage innovation networks.
The potential impact of smoking control policies on future global smoking trends

Background The authors develop projections for global smoking prevalence for the years 2020 and 2030 with and without the implementation, starting in 2010, of the WHO’s recommended multipronged approach to tobacco control known as the MPOWER policy package. Methods Using data from the WHO’s Global InfoBase Database and the WHO’s Global Adult Tobacco Survey, the authors construct adult cigarette smoking prevalence time series for 60 countries that account for 90% of the world’s smokers and 85% of the world’s population. The authors then use a stock/flow model to project those countries’ smoking prevalence for the years 2020 and 2030, with and without the implementation of MPOWER. The authors aggregate the results and report regional and global figures. Results The authors estimate global adult cigarette smoking prevalence in 2010 to be 23.7%. If no additional policies are set in place and the initiation and cessation rates existing in 2010 persist, the authors estimate that global prevalence will be 22.7% by 2020 and 22.0% by 2030 (872 million smokers). If MPOWER had been implemented globally starting in 2010 with a 100% price increase for cigarettes, the authors estimate that global cigarette smoking prevalence would be 15.4% in 2020 and 13.2% in 2030 (523 million smokers). Conclusions The estimates indicate the magnitude and trajectory of the global tobacco pandemic and of the impact the authors could expect if evidence-based tobacco control policies were applied immediately and universally throughout the world. As half of lifetime smokers die of tobacco-related diseases, if MPOWER were applied globally, within a few decades, many millions of premature tobacco-related deaths would be avoided.
Assessing Module Reusability

We propose a conceptual framework for assessing the reusability of modules. To do so, we define reusability of a module as the product of its functionality and its applicability. We then generalize the framework to the assessment of modularization techniques.
Three essays in development economics

This thesis aims to provide information on youth employment struggles in a small developing country, Sri Lanka. Youth unemployment rates have consistently exceeded adult unemployment rates for many decades, but the root causes of the poor youth transition from school to work have not been explored. As a result, many important labor market policies that are being adopted to ameliorate this situation are being adopted without a firm purchase of the realities on the ground. This study aims to provide detailed systematic evidence on the school-to-work transition for Sri Lankan youth, which would, in turn, help to improve policy responses that the Government of Sri Lanka has adopted to try to tackle this problem.The contributions of this thesis are as follows:1. It lays out the difficulties that Sri Lankan youth face in making the transition from school-to-work. It addresses the issue of whether school leavers have the appropriate skills to thrive in the labor market. It highlights the need to target early school dropouts with various learning opportunities that can help improve their employment prospects. Key interventions here are work-skills training through job training programs and stand-along vocational training programs provided by both the private sector and NGOs.2. It provides evidence that early out-of-work experiences tend to be damaging to future job prospects. Our study constitutes the first attempt ever to provide rigorous statistical estimates on this issue for Sri Lanka.It provides a strong evidence based framework to evaluate training programs aimed at improving the labor market prospects of Sri Lankan youth by undertaking rigorous evaluation of these programs. By doing so, we improve knowledge about youth employment in a country that has traditionally underemphasized the collection of labor market outcomes data.
Protecting Military Perimeters from Approaching Human and Vehicle Using Biologically Realistic Dynamic Synapse Neural Network

The goal of this study is to detect and classify approaching human threats or vehicles, e.g. suicide bombers nearing a secured zone such as military bases. More specifically, this research is focused on (i) developing a vibration recognition system that can detect systematic vibration events; the entity might be a medium, human, animal, or a passenger vehicle, and (ii) discriminating between such a series of events vs. background and a single vibration event, e.g., falling of a tree limb. We have employed a seismic sensor to detect vibrations generated by footsteps and vehicles. A geophone is an inexpensive sensor which provides easy and instant deployment as well as long range detection capability. We have also designed a low power, low noise, and low cost hardware solution to process seismic waves locally where the sensor is located and wireless capability of the system makes it to communicate with a remote command center. Temporal features of the vibration signals were modeled by the dynamic synapse neural network (DSNN) using data recorded in the deserts of Joshua Tree, CA. The system showed 1.7% false recognition rate for the recognition of human footsteps, 6.7% for vehicle, and 0.0% for background. The models were able to reject quadrupedal animal's footsteps (in this study a trained dog). The system rejected dog's footsteps with 0.02% false recognition rate.
Activity rhythms in the Wood Mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus and the Bank Vole, Clethrionomys glareolus.

Summary. 1 Simultaneous recordings were made of the feeding activities of the Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and the Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in response to day-lengths of sixteen, twelve, and eight hours respectively. 2 The results are compared for amount of activity spent in feeding, pattern of distribution of activity during the daily cycle, nocturnal preference, and feeding behaviour. 3 The rhythms of both species are readily modifiable according to day-lengths and seem to vary in pattern as a function of their specific nocturnal preferenda and food habits. 4 The amount of activity outside the nest decreased considerably when food storing became a part of the species behaviour but was otherwise more or less constant. 5 Wood mice began storing food when the day-length was decreased from sixteen to twelve hours and bank voles when it was decreased from twelve to eight hours. The corresponding reductions in amount of activity (mean number of active periods per diel cycle) were of the same relative proportion for each species. 6 Progressive decreases in day-length produced parallel changes in nocturnal preference between the two species. 7 The results of other studies of activity rhythms in closely related species are compared with the data from the present investigation and certain theoretical discrepancies noted. 8 It is suggested that the role of activity rhythms in the community relations of the wood mouse and bank vole is an extremely critical one and that it is an important feature of any competition between them.
Brain grafts and Parkinson's disease

In animal models, grafts derived from several different tissues, principally fetal substantia nigra and adrenal medulla from young adults, have been found to be effective in alleviating some of the manifestations of lesions of the substantia nigra. It has been suggested that these grafts function by diffusely secreting dopamine, by exerting trophic effects on the host brain, or by producing a new innervation of the host corpus striatum. Evidence for each of these modes of action is briefly reviewed. Several brain tissue transplantation techniques have been described. Each of these techniques has significant limitations in animal models. The significance of these limitations for human application is described, and possibilities for improving the efficacy of brain tissue transplantation in animal models and for human application are discussed.
A comparison of PSP-based array processors using structured and unstructured stochastic gradient estimators

We describe two algorithms for performing data detection and tracking of a multipath fading channel based on array measurements. Both of these algorithms are based on array measurements. Both of these algorithms are based on the concept of per-survivor processing and integrate the array combining and channel parameter estimation tasks into the trellis-based data detection process. One algorithm is based on explicitly estimating the angles of arrival and the multipath coefficients, while the other algorithm estimates only the overall array impulse response. Simulation results are presented that suggest that significant gains in the ability to track channel dynamics are realized using arrays-in addition to a significant SNR gain. An approximate analysis is developed to evaluate the performance of these algorithms. The robustness of both algorithms to variation in the modeled and actual channel conditions is also investigated.
Characterization and Application of Nanoscale Artifacts in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

We describe various experiments in which nanostructures fabricated with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope are utilized as tools. These artifacts serve as geometric and electronic reference structures and as model systems for photon emission experiments to probe local electromagnetic fields and inelastic tunneling processes. We apply bias-dependent imaging and photon emission from the STM to deduce chemical information on nanostructures and the STM tip.
Applying concepts of linked data to local digital collections to enhance access and searchability

Plans are currently underway at the Kent State University Library to migrate digital objects into a different content management system to address the needs of growing collections. The plan will involve shifting to a framework to enhance all current digital collections, as well as anticipating the growth of future projects and formats. The poster will touch in particular on the topic of enhancing search capabilities in this new framework, through use of a single, cross-collection searchable index and also discuss the benefits of applying Linked Data concepts. Two current digital collections that will be highlighted and discussed in the poster are the May 4 Digital Archive and the KSU Shootings Oral Histories.
Spatio-temporal diffusion-based dynamic cell segmentation

Cell segmentation is a critical step for quantification and monitoring of cell behavior in image sequences. In this study, we propose to use a non-linear heat diffusion equation model in the joint spatio-temporal domain for cell segmentation of time-lapse image sequences. Moving regions are initially detected in each set of three consecutive sequence images by numerically solving a system of coupled spatio-temporal partial differential equations and determining the optimal values for the temporal and spatial diffusion parameters. After the spatio-temporal diffusion stage is completed, we compute the edge map by non-parametric density estimation using Parzen kernels. This process is followed by watershed-based segmentation to detect the moving cells. We applied this method on several datasets of fluorescence microscopy images with varying levels of difficulty with respect to cell density, resolution, contrast, and signal-to-noise ratio. We compared the results with those produced by Chan and Vese level-set based segmentation and a temporally linked level set technique. We validated all segmentation techniques against reference masks provided by the international Cell Tracking Challenge consortium. Our proposed method produced encouraging segmentation accuracy, especially when applied to images containing cells undergoing mitosis and low SNR. The performance evaluation clearly indicates the efficiency and robustness of this method in detecting and segmenting the cells with an average Dice similarity coefficient of 85% over a variety of simulated and real fluorescent image sequences. The proposed technique yielded average improvements of 7% in segmentation accuracy compared to both strictly spatial and temporally linked Chan-Vese techniques.
Structural Dynamics Model Calibration and Validation of a Rectangular Steel Plate Structure

To characterize the dynamics of a structure accurately and to minimize uncertainties, it is important to perform modal testing in various configurations. However, performing such rigorous testing of structures can be a resource intensive process. In addition, simulating certain conditions may not be possible in the lab. Developing a calibrated and a validated model that can predict the dynamic response of a structure accurately can be a key to address this issue. In this paper, a model calibration and validation case study performed on a rectangular steel plate structure is presented. The geometric and material properties used in the model were updated to calibrate the model. The accuracy of the calibrated model was confirmed by performing a validation process involving perturbed mass and constrained boundary condition FE modal analysis and modal testing. The validation criteria were achieved using the calibrated model and thus proved that the model could reliably predict the dynamic response of the structure.
Retroviral insertional mutagenesis identifies the del(5q) genes, CXXC5, TIFAB and ETF1, as well as the Wnt pathway, as potential targets in del(5q) myeloid neoplasms

An interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5, del(5q), is a recurring abnormality in myeloid disorders, including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MN) comprising therapy-related MDS and AML (t-MDS/t-AML).[1][1
Anti-Inflammatory Small Molecules To Treat Seizures and Epilepsy: From Bench to Bedside

As a crucial component of brain innate immunity, neuroinflammation initially contributes to neuronal tissue repair and maintenance. However, chronic inflammatory processes within the brain and associated blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment often cause neurotoxicity and hyperexcitability. Mounting evidence points to a mutual facilitation between inflammation and epilepsy, suggesting that blocking the undesired inflammatory signaling within the brain might provide novel strategies to treat seizures and epilepsy. Neuroinflammation is primarily characterized by the upregulation of proinflammatory mediators in epileptogenic foci, among which cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)/prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) have been extensively studied. Small molecules that specifically target these key proinflammatory perpetrators have been evaluated for antiepileptic and antiepileptogenic effects in animal models. These important preclinical studies provide new insights into the regulation of inflammation in epileptic brains and guide drug discovery efforts aimed at developing novel anti-inflammatory therapies for seizures and epilepsy.
Model Generation and Performance with CIFER

This paper describes the generation of a mathematical model for the Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 V2 remote control helicopter using a Comprehensive Identification method based on FrEquency Response (CIFER). The scope of this paper is to point out the advantages and the problems of creating a canonical helicopter model for the purpose of flight simulation and robust algorithm design with a method based on the frequency response of the system. This is compared with a more traditional approach using a linear parameter varying model (LPV). With CIFER, it was possible to develop accurate and simple models of the helicopter which sufficiently predicts the actual helicopter response. Three different models were obtained. One is a singleinput single-output transfer function hover model, either simulating the pitch rate, roll rate, or yaw rate response. The second model is a six degree of freedom multiple-input single-output state space model of the Raptor 50 V2 in hover. The third model is a six degree of freedom multiple-input single-output state space model of the helicopter in forward flight. The responses from the models are compared with actual flight data. The similarity of the simulation with responses implies a great capability of the model to predict the helicopter response.
A Configurable Architecture for Sparse LU Decomposition on Matrices with Arbitrary Patterns

Sparse LU decomposition has been widely used to solve sparse linear systems of equations found in many scientific and engineering applications, such as circuit simulation, power system modeling and computer vision. However, it is considered a computationally expensive factorization tool. While parallel implementations have been explored to accelerate sparse LU decomposition, irregular sparsity patterns often limit their performance gains. Prior FPGA-based accelerators have been customized to domain-specific sparsity patterns of pre-ordered symmetric matrices. In this paper, we present an efficient architecture for sparse LU decomposition that supports both symmetric and asymmetric sparse matrices with arbitrary sparsity patterns. The control structure of our architecture parallelizes computation and pivoting operations. Also, on-chip resource utilization is configured based on properties of the matrices being processed. Our experimental results show a 1:6 to 14x speedup over an optimized software implementation for benchmarks containing a wide range of sparsity patterns.
Fazit der Auswertung und weitere Perspektiven einer politischen Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Aus den theoretischen und empirischen Analysen der vorangehenden Kapitel werden weitreichende Schlussfolgerungen gezogen, die ebenso mit weiterfuhrenden Perspektiven einer politischen Bildung fur nachhaltige Entwicklung verbunden sind.
Conditioning and Disintegration

Conditional expectation, conditional variance and covariance, local property, uniform integrability, conditional probabilities, conditional distributions and disintegration, conditional independence, chain rule, projection and orthogonality, commutation criteria, iterated conditioning, extension and transfer, stochastic equations, coupling and randomization, existence of sequences and processes, extension by conditioning, infinite product measures.
Examples of Mesozoic and Cenozoic Bathysiphon (Foraminiferida) from the Pacific Rim and the taxonomic status of Terebellina Ulrich, 1904

The generic name Terebellina was proposed by E. O. Ulrich for large (> 100 mm long, several millimeters wide), siliceous, tubular fossils from Cretaceous rocks of southern Alaska. Originally interpreted as annelid tubes, these unusual agglutinated fossils are locally abundant in Triassic to Neogene flysch and other basinal deposits of the Pacific borderlands. Other generic names employed for the same fossils include Torlessia (used in New Zealand) and Yokoia (in Japan). Although most authors have regarded the tubes as body fossils of worms, some workers have speculated recently that Pacific Terebellina are really large bathysiphonid foraminiferids. At the same time, the name has been co-opted by trace fossil workers for thick-walled, grain-lined burrows usually occurring in outer-shelf to slope facies. Based on comparisons with modern and fossil bathysiphonids, including a new species (Bathysiphon harperi) from the Cretaceous of southwestern Oregon, the body fossils called Terebellina are here reinterpreted as large species of Bathysiphon, and the name Terebellina is therefore a junior synonym of this foraminiferid genus. Except for the compression and recrystallization of tubes, Pacific Terebellina resemble very closely the tests of larger species of modern Bathysiphon. Terebellina should not be salvaged for use as an ichnogenus. Most of the trace fossils identified with this name in the recent literature could be accommodated in other established ichnogenera, primarily Palaeophycus (where grain-lined burrows occur individually and are dominantly horizontal) and Schaubcylindrichnus (where they occur in curved bundles).
Microwave Propagation Over Periodic Rough Surfaces

The use of periodic rough surfaces as a tool for research in rough earth scattering problems has been investigated. All of the surfaces studied were periodic in the direction of propagation, uniform in the transverse direction and conducting. Their amplitudes and wavelengths were on the order of the wavelength in the region of interest (X-band). This paper summarizes a set of experimental measurements that were made employing such surfaces, illuminated with a beam of radiation. The surfaces were in the far-field of the antennas used.
Parameter estimation for single-phase induction motors using test measurement data

This paper presents a methodology to estimate the parameters of a single-phase induction motor (SPIM) equivalent circuit using a dc test, a locked-rotor test, and a no-load test. By neglecting the core-loss resistance, the SPIM parameters can be first directly calculated using a simplified equivalent circuit. However, an equivalent circuit using the resultant parameter values fail to match the power input measured at the motor terminals, especially for the active power under the no-load test. We include the core-loss resistance into the parameter estimation framework and use the Newton-Raphson (N-R) algorithm to improve the estimates obtained by the direct calculation method. Experimental results on a laboratory SPIM demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed N-R based parameter estimation scheme, in terms of excellent match with the active and reactive power measurement data from the aforementioned tests, and mismatch reduction at other operating conditions.
Improving on effective antiretroviral therapy: how good will a cure have to be?

Over the past two decades we have seen dramatic improvements in the efficacy, safety and availibity of antiretroviral therapy (ART). In the USA and Europe, life expectancy in people living with HIV disease approaches that of the HIV-uninfected.1 Even in regions hardest hit by the HIV epidemic, effective HIV therapy has reversed more than a decade of HIV-related decreased survival. Despite these advances in ART, motivations to pursue HIV cure remain strong due to the toxicity, adherence challenges, cost and access to care issues associated with HIV therapy, as well as the persistant stigma associated with having HIV infection. Further and renewed motivation comes from a single case of HIV cure after stem cell transplantation for acute leukaemia. Given the tremendous improvements in ART, it is important to assess how effective and safe an HIV cure would need to be in order to be a viable option compared to ART. We argue that this should be done prior to the availability of a cure to provide realistic goals for researchers and policy makers. One methodology that has been increasingly popular over the past decade is the use of mathematical simulation modelling to assess the clinical impact, cost-effectiveness and clinical role of different treatment strategies in HIV disease, as well as in medicine broadly.2 Such models provide a framework and approach for using the best available data at any point in time, and assessing the potential impact of emerging innovations. Further, unlike individual trials focused on a single endpoint, these models can integrate multiple data sources to project beyond the timeline or outcomes of individual studies and project long-term outcomes in many domains, including virologic, immunologic, clinical and cost.3 Mathematical models have particular value in their ability to assess uncertainty in clinical care. Examples include parameters determined in …
Infection of cells by alphaviruses.

It is widely accepted that alphaviruses enter cells by a process involving endocytosis and low-pH-mediated virus membrane–cell membrane fusion. This model and the data supporting it have received extensive and numerous reviews. The major points presented in support of this model are summarized briefly herein. It is the primary objective of this review to present an alternative mechanism describing the penetration of cells by alphaviruses which does not involve endocytosis or exposure to acid environment. The data supporting this model are summarized in detail.
Event Attribution and the Precipitation Record for England and Wales

A month by month analysis of the precipitation record for England and Wales at an annual time scale for the 251-year study period 1766-2016 does not show the patterns in the data implied by the proposition that global warming has increased the amount and variance of precipitation such that the autumn floods of 2000 in England and Wales can be explained in terms of these effects. These results are inconsistent with the finding of event attribution analysis that the autumn 2000 floods in England and Wales are attributable to fossil fuel emissions and they imply that these floods can be explained as probabilistic outcomes of random natural variability.
Rates of Common Classroom Behavior Management Strategies and Their Associations With Challenging Student Behavior in Elementary School

In this study, we (a) describe patterns of challenging student behaviors (classwide and for a target student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) and teacher behaviors (i.e., praise, commands, and responses to challenging behavior) in kindergarten through Grade 5 classrooms, (b) examine the relations between these behaviors, and (c) describe a threshold of teacher behaviors most associated with low levels of challenging student behavior. Participants were 55 teachers observed using a modified version of the Student Behavior Teacher Response (SBTR) system. Across grades, there was variability in rates of classwide challenging behavior per hour (M = 35.81 to 102.62) and rates of praise per hour (M = 10.90 to 37.70). The percentage of challenging behaviors to which teachers responded appropriately was generally low (M = 27% to 47%) and stable across grades. For classwide challenging behavior, higher percentages of appropriate teacher response were significantly associated with lower rates of...
Method for preparation and readout of polyatomic molecules in single quantum states

Polyatomic molecular ions contain many desirable attributes of a useful quantum system, including rich internal degrees of freedom and highly controllable coupling to the environment. To date, the vast majority of state-specific experimental work on molecular ions has concentrated on diatomic species. The ability to prepare and read out polyatomic molecules in single quantum states would enable diverse experimental avenues not available with diatomics, including new applications in precision measurement, sensitive chemical and chiral analysis at the single-molecule level, and precise studies of Hz-level molecular tunneling dynamics. While cooling the motional state of a polyatomic ion via sympathetic cooling with a laser-cooled atomic ion is straightforward, coupling this motional state to the internal state of the molecule has proven challenging. Here we propose a method for readout and projective measurement of the internal state of a trapped polyatomic ion. The method exploits the rich manifold of technically accessible rotational states in the molecule to realize robust state preparation and readout with far less stringent engineering than quantum logic methods recently demonstrated on diatomic molecules. The method can be applied to any reasonably small $(\ensuremath{\lesssim}10$ atoms) polyatomic ion with an anisotropic polarizability.
Conquering Student Printing

After many years of operating informal free student printing services, Law ITS identified the needs for a higher level of service, reduced waste, and lower cost to the department. Over the course of several years, Law ITS collaborated with the university IT group and the student government to implement new systems and improved service. These efforts resulted in significantly reduced waste, more convenient and centralized printing services, the addition of color printing, improved service response time and reliability, and a dramatic decrease in cost, all without any elimination or reduction of service and without the introduction of a printing charge.
Assessment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders

Feeding problems can occur in 25% to 45% of typically developing children and in up to 80% of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Manikam & Perman, 2000). The etiology of feeding disorders often involve interactions between physiological, medical, oral-motor, and environmental factors (Rommel, DeMeyer, Feenstra, & Veereman-Wauters, 2003). Therefore, an interdisciplinary approach to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment is necessary. An interdisciplinary team is able to identify when feeding difficulties are severe enough to warrant diagnosis and treatment. Given the complex etiology of feeding disorders, practitioners should work closely with the interdisciplinary team throughout treatment to ensure the child’s safety. . This chapter summarizes the prevalence and etiology of pediatric feeding disorders, strategies to identify the events or conditions that cause or lead to feeding difficulties, and empirically supported assessment tools to indicate which treatment will be most effective and necessary to treat feeding disorders.
How early aging and environment interact in everyday listening: From brainstem to behavior through modeling

We recently showed that listeners with normal hearing thresholds vary in their ability to direct spatial attention and that ability is related to the fidelity of temporal coding in the brainstem. Here, we recruited additional middle-aged listeners and extended our analysis of the brainstem response, measured using the frequency-following response (FFR). We found that even though age does not predict overall selective attention ability, middle-aged listeners are more susceptible to the detrimental effects of reverberant energy than young adults. We separated the overall FFR into orthogonal envelope and carrier components and used an existing model to predict which auditory channels drive each component. We find that responses in mid- to high-frequency auditory channels dominate envelope FFR, while lower-frequency channels dominate the carrier FFR. Importantly, we find that which component of the FFR predicts selective attention performance changes with age. We suggest that early aging degrades peripheral temporal coding in mid-to-high frequencies, interfering with the coding of envelope interaural time differences. We argue that, compared to young adults, middle-aged listeners, who do not have strong temporal envelope coding, have more trouble following a conversation in a reverberant room because they are forced to rely on fragile carrier ITDs that are susceptible to the degrading effects of reverberation.
A combined all-digital PLL-buck slack regulation system with autonomous CCM/DCM transition control and 82% average voltage-margin reduction in a 0.6-to-1.0V cortex-M0 processor

Integrated Voltage Regulation (IVR) using buck converters enables efficient, fine-grained supply-voltage control in modern SoC domains [1]. However, existing IVR implementations face several challenges. As voltage domains continue to shrink, reduced per-domain decoupling capacitance requires rapid IVR transient response, leading to unfavorable efficiency and supply droop margin trade-offs. Additionally, digital domains exhibit a wide load current (I load ) range, requiring capabilities for autonomous transition between Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) and Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM). All-digital IVR solutions are particularly desirable for ease of integration in SoCs.
Procedures, Pitfalls, and Product: Delphi Methodology in Counseling Research

ABSTRACTThis instructional article includes recommendations for designing and implementing Delphi studies in counseling research, as well as precautions to strengthen the credibility of such studies. To illustrate the versatility of this methodology in the field, we examined three recent Delphi studies in counseling research.
Hope, Happiness, Teaching, and Learning

The intention of this chapter is to explore hope, as a virtue—one of three Christian martyrs, daughters of Sophia (Wisdom)—and as an emotion, and happiness, an especially complex emotion, in relationship to teaching, learning, and school improvement. My desire is to broaden the conversation about teaching and learning to include greater attention to the central but underappreciated place of hope and happiness in all things educational. Being taken for granted, hope and happiness have been dismissed to the sidelines in debates of school of improvement with the result that a great deal of harm has been caused to teachers and to children. Up front it is important to mention that neither hope nor happiness can be made sense of without their opposites, hopelessness, despair, and sadness. In addition, I should mention here the perspective that underlies this chapter is a view consistent with positive psychology, of humans as self-directed and adaptive beings that, when they can, “choose behaviors that make them feel fully alive, competent, and creative” (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2000, p. 9).
Nitride, Silicide and Oxide Evaporated Films for the Electronic Industry

Nitride, silicide, and oxide evaporated films exhibit properties that promise to further the recent development achieved in the electronics industry with metal and metal-alloy evaporated films. The nitride, silicide and oxide film materials are generally harder and more refractory than metal alloys, and selected combinations offer an even greater range of properties than available from alloying of metals alone. These differences lead to improvements in device properties, for example, higher operating temperature, or longer life, and also can provide unique combinations of properties, such as transparency and low resistance. The properties of each of these film materials can be controlled in part by various vacuum-metallizing techniques and procedures. By such means, superior films and film devices are prepared.
Spectral symmetry breaking of electro-acoustic noise in ferroelectric materials

We present a novel analytical formulation on generation of electro-acoustic noise in ferroelectric materials where the thermal fluctuation induced polarization and acoustic modes distinctly contribute to noise. The conservative force fields associated with ferroelectric materials drive feedback of the spectral modes in the system. It results in symmetry breaking of the frequency spectrum of broadband noise, leading to enhancement of specific modes which generate high amplitude narrowband noise. We describe the process under the theoretical framework of fluctuation-dissipation theorem in the context of ferroelectric materials. We further note that such spectral feedback is absent in Johnson-Nyquist noise generation in conductors which have spectral symmetry.We present a novel analytical formulation on generation of electro-acoustic noise in ferroelectric materials where the thermal fluctuation induced polarization and acoustic modes distinctly contribute to noise. The conservative force fields associated with ferroelectric materials drive feedback of the spectral modes in the system. It results in symmetry breaking of the frequency spectrum of broadband noise, leading to enhancement of specific modes which generate high amplitude narrowband noise. We describe the process under the theoretical framework of fluctuation-dissipation theorem in the context of ferroelectric materials. We further note that such spectral feedback is absent in Johnson-Nyquist noise generation in conductors which have spectral symmetry.
Structures and Reactivities of Sodiated Evans Enolates: Role of Solvation and Mixed Aggregation on the Stereochemistry and Mechanism of Alkylations.

Oxazolidinone-based sodiated enolates (Evans enolates) were generated using sodium diisopropylamide (NaDA) or sodium hexamethyldisilazide (NaHMDS) in the presence of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), (R,R)-trans-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylcyclohexanediamine [(R,R)-TMCDA], or (S,S)-TMCDA. 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis in conjunction with the method of continuous variations (MCV), x-ray crystallography, and density functional theory (DFT) computations revealed the enolates to be octahedral bis-diamine-chelated monomers. Rate and computational studies of an alkylation with allyl bromide implicate a bis-diamine-chelated-monomer-based transition structure. The sodiated Evans enolates form mixed dimers with NaHMDS, NaDA, or sodium 2,6-di-tert-butylphenolate, the reactivities of which are examined. Stereoselective quaternizations, aldol additions, and azaaldol additions are described.
The demise of catalysis, but new functions arise: pseudoenzymes as the phoenixes of the protein world.

Pseudoenzymes are noncatalytic homologues of enzymes and are found in most enzyme families. Although lacking catalytic activity and sometimes referred to as ‘dead9 enzymes, they instead resemble phoenixes because the loss of a catalytic function during evolution was associated with the development of vital new functions. They are important in regulating the activity and location of catalytically active homologues, scaffolding the assembly of signaling complexes, and regulating transcription or translation. They are key actors in cell proliferation and differentiation, proteostasis, and many other biochemical pathways and processes. They perform their functions in diverse ways, but many retain some aspects of the function of their catalytically active homologues. In some pseudoenzymes, their functions are very different from other members of their protein families, suggesting some arose from ancient moonlighting proteins during evolution. Much less is known about pseudoenzymes than their catalytically active counterparts, but a growing appreciation of their key roles in many important biochemical processes and signaling pathways has led to increased investigation in recent years. It is clear that there is still much more to learn about the structures, functions, and cellular roles of these phoenix-like proteins.
PHANOTATE: A novel approach to gene identification in phage genomes

Motivation Currently there are no tools specifically designed for annotating genes in phages. Several tools are available that have been adapted to run on phage genomes, but due to their underlying design, they are unable to capture the full complexity of phage genomes. Phages have adapted their genomes to be extremely compact, having adjacent genes that overlap and genes completely inside of other longer genes. This non-delineated genome structure makes it difficult for gene prediction using the currently available gene annotators. Here we present PHANOTATE, a novel method for gene calling specifically designed for phage genomes. Although the compact nature of genes in phages is a problem for current gene annotators, we exploit this property by treating a phage genome as a network of paths: where open reading frames are favorable, and overlaps and gaps are less favorable, but still possible. We represent this network of connections as a weighted graph, and use dynamic programing to find the optimal path. Results We compare PHANOTATE to other gene callers by annotating a set of 2133 complete phage genomes from GenBank, using PHANOTATE and the three most popular gene callers. We found that the four programs agree on 82% of the total predicted genes, with PHANOTATE predicting more genes than the other three. We searched for these extra genes in both GenBank's non-redundant protein database and all of the metagenomes in the sequence read archive, and found that they are present at levels that suggest that these are functional protein-coding genes. Availability and implementation https://github.com/deprekate/PHANOTATE. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Comparing Retail Clinics With Other Sites of Care: A Systematic Review of Cost, Quality, and Patient Satisfaction.

Background:Retail clinics, also referred to as walk-in or convenient care clinics, share common features such as a limited menu of primary care services, on-demand patient appointments, greater use of nonphysician providers such as nurse practitioners, and more convenient hours and access points for
Estimated Potential Financial Impact of Pharmacist-Delivered Disease Management Services Across a Network of Pharmacies in Rural Colorado.

BACKGROUND: This study summarizes the potential financial impact of a 3-year collaboration focused on delivering disease management services through pharmacies in 12 rural Colorado communities. OBJ...
A model of interpersonal trust, credibility, and relationship maintenance

> I wasn’t upset by my child’s bad reaction to the treatment. I was upset because no one told me it was a possibility beforehand. > I don’t think our doctor looked at us during the entire visit. She just kept typing away. > I couldn’t get in touch with my child’s medical team for three days after the scans. I just had to sit around and worry until the nurse finally returned my calls. Trust is essential to the clinician-family relationship in pediatrics, and it is affected by the actions or inactions of clinicians. High levels of trust can support confidence, peace of mind, and a sense of security. Broken trust can lead to anxiety, second-guessing, and frustration. In these opening statements, parents describe lapses in clinicians’ honesty, fidelity, and caring that impaired their trust. Mounting evidence suggests that the US health care system is entering into a crisis of trust, with Americans reporting decreased trust in physicians and the health care system over the last half century.1 In 2014, a report found that only 58% of American patients agreed that doctors could be trusted, ranking 24th among all countries surveyed.1 Lee et al2 argued that this erosion of trust has resulted from the deprioritization of relationships in modern US health care, and they recommended a framework for increasing trust between patients and health care organizations or health care teams. Although this organizational trust is important, we argue that interpersonal trust in pediatrics between each family and clinician is paramount. Every clinician has an opportunity … Address correspondence to Bryan Sisk, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Ave, Campus Box 8005, St Louis, MO 63110. E-mail: siskb{at}wustl.edu
A plant-derived cocaine hydrolase prevents cocaine overdose lethality and attenuates cocaine-induced drug seeking behavior

Cocaine use disorders include short-term and acute pathologies (e.g. overdose) and long-term and chronic disorders (e.g. intractable addiction and post-abstinence relapse). There is currently no available treatment that can effectively reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cocaine overdose or that can effectively prevent relapse in recovering addicts. One recently developed approach to treat these problems is the use of enzymes that rapidly break down the active cocaine molecule into inactive metabolites. In particular, rational design and site-directed mutagenesis transformed human serum recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) into a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase with drastically improved catalytic efficiency toward (-)-cocaine. A current drawback preventing the clinical application of this promising enzyme-based therapy is the lack of a cost-effective production strategy that is also flexible enough to rapidly scale-up in response to continuous improvements in enzyme design. Plant-based expression systems provide a unique solution as this platform is designed for fast scalability, low cost and the advantage of performing eukaryotic protein modifications such as glycosylation. A Plant-derived form of the Cocaine Super Hydrolase (A199S/F227A/S287G/A328W/Y332G) we designate PCocSH protects mice from cocaine overdose, counters the lethal effects of acute cocaine overdose, and prevents reinstatement of extinguished drug-seeking behavior in mice that underwent place conditioning with cocaine. These results demonstrate that the novel PCocSH enzyme may well serve as an effective therapeutic for cocaine use disorders in a clinical setting.