cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Persistent Gamma Spiking in Non-Sensory Fast-Spiking Cells Predicts Perceptual Success

Persistent gamma oscillations (30-55Hz) are hypothesized to temporally coordinate stimulus encoding, enabling perception. This prediction poses a conundrum: How can gamma serve as a template when the stimulus itself drives its mediators, presumably perturbing its maintenance? Specifically, fast-spiking interneurons (FS), a key gamma generator, can be highly sensory responsive. Further, the gamma-band local field potential (LFP) shows properties inconsistent with temporal coordination. Combining tetrode recording with controlled psychophysics revealed an FS subtype (gamma-nsFS) that was not sensory responsive, whose inter-spike intervals peaked at gamma, and that fired with higher periodicity than other FS. Successful detection was predicted by increased regularity in gamma-nsFS spiking at gamma, persisting from before to after sensory onset. In contrast, gamma LFP power negatively predicted detection, and was negatively related to gamma band spiking by gamma-nsFS. These results suggest that a distinct interneuron subgroup, not distracted by sensory input, mediates perceptually-relevant oscillations independent of LFP.
Time to End the Use of Genetic Test Results in Life Insurance Underwriting.

The decreasing cost of genome and exome sequencing, including direct-to-consumer testing, produces information asymmetry between applicants and life insurance companies, which increases the risk of adverse selection. Rather than requiring applicants for life insurance to undergo genetic testing, life insurers ought to revise their policies and not use the results of genetic tests in the medical records of applicants for underwriting. Prohibitions on access to genetic test results already have been adopted without great upheaval in several other countries. There are two main reasons why this new approach should be used in the United States. First, genetic test results do not provide essential information that is not already available through traditional underwriting measures. Second, because many individuals at genetically increased risk of serious disorders currently decline testing out of fear of the economic consequences, policies prohibiting the use of genetic test results in life insurance will encourage genetic testing and facilitate timely surveillance and necessary medical intervention, thereby saving lives.
Cross-language transfer of reading skills: an empirical investigation of bidirectionality and the influence of instructional environments

The linguistic interdependence hypothesis (Cummins, 1979, 2000) states that children’s second-language (L2) proficiency is, to some extent, a function of their first-language (L1) competence. Previous studies have examined this hypothesis with focus on a unidirectional relation from L1 to L2. In the present study, we examined bidirectional influences of literacy skills in multilingual contexts, and whether the nature of relations varied as a function of literacy instruction environment. To do so, we used longitudinal data from a randomized controlled trial of a literacy intervention for children in Grades 1 and 2, learning to read in Kiswahili and English, two official languages in Kenya. Children in the treatment condition received explicit and systematic instruction on literacy (e.g., phonological awareness, phoneme–grapheme correspondences) in Kiswahili and English, whereas children in the control condition did not. Overall results supported bidirectionality of relations, such that children’s literacy skills in the two languages were reciprocally related over time. However, directionality of relations differed as a function of language and literacy instruction condition, such that the relation from English to Kiswahili was found across intervention conditions, but the relation from Kiswahili to English was found only among children who had received explicit instruction in Kiswahili reading. These results are discussed in light of theory and practice for language and literacy acquisition in multilingual contexts.
Combined CD25, CD64, and CD69 biomarker panel for flow cytometry diagnosis of sepsis.

Abstract Sepsis is a highly prevalent syndrome in the United States. The use of cell surface markers, as an effective tool to diagnosis sepsis, has been widely investigated. However, the study of the combination of multiple biomarkers to achieve higher diagnosis accuracy is rare. This study, the panel combined with CD25, CD64, and CD69 was constructed and better diagnosis ability was observed. Septic patients (n = 40), with the mean age of 61 ± 14, were enrolled in this study, along with healthy volunteers (n = 10), included as a control group. All blood samples were measured by flow cytometry based on different subtypes of leukocytes, including neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. Antigen expression and the antigen positive cell population were reported separately based on cell types. CD64 was the best biomarker in predicting sepsis. The area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was 0.928 and 0.934 for neutrophil CD64 expression and CD64 + neutrophil population, respectively, indicating an excellent diagnosis ability for sepsis. A significant increase was also observed in the populations of CD25 + lymphocytes and CD69 + lymphocytes (p = 0.02 and 0.042, respectively; 95% confidence interval). A panel of combined CD25, CD64, and CD69 was constructed. The parameters of neutrophil CD64 expression, CD64 + neutrophil population, CD25 + lymphocyte population, and CD69 + lymphocyte population were included. The AUC of the ROC curve for this new constructed panel was 0.978. This result indicated that the combination of CD25, CD64, and CD69 outperformed each one of the single parameters in predicting sepsis alone.
Replies to: Commentators

The paper contains the replies to the comments made by Alan Millar, Yuval Avnur, Giorgio Volpe, and Maria Baghramian on my Extended Rationality: A Hinge Epistemology . It addresses, in particular, the nature of perceptual justification, the truth of hinges, my response to Humean skepticism and the issue of epistemic relativism.
Association of Legal Intervention Injuries With Race and Ethnicity Among Patients Treated in Emergency Departments in California

Importance Increased public concern regarding police use of force has coincided with a dearth of available data to uncover the magnitude and trends in injuries, particularly across race or ethnicity. Objective To examine trends in injury rates, severity, and disparities across black individuals, white individuals, Hispanic individuals, and Asian/Pacific Islander individuals. Design, Setting, and Participants In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, data collected on every hospital visit in California from January 1, 2005, to September 30, 2015, were used to model trends in rates of legal intervention injuries (n = 92 386) per capita and per arrest for men aged 14 to 64 years, by race or ethnicity. The study also examined descriptive statistics on injury dispositions to assess changes in severity. Analyses were conducted between December 2017 and June 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures All visits with an external cause of injury code of E970 to E977 were classified as legal intervention injuries. This range of codes includes injuries inflicted by the police or other law-enforcing agents in the course of arresting or attempting to arrest lawbreakers, suppressing disturbances, maintaining order, and other legal action. Results The study identified a total of 92 386 hospital visits that were the result of legal intervention among males aged 14 to 64 years. Black individuals were at the highest risk of legal intervention injury per capita in 2005 (for black vs white individuals, rate ratio, 2.90; 95% CI, 2.74-3.06), and remained so across the study period. Although rates among Asian/Pacific Islander individuals remained stable, rates in all other groups increased from 2005 to 2009 and then declined from 2009 to 2015, nearly returning to 2005 levels. During the period of increasing rates, the black to white disparity widened by 3% annually (rate ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05), then narrowed as rates declined. In contrast, rates of injury per arrest have increased over the past decade, although rates were broadly similar across race or ethnicity. The proportion of injuries involving firearms (ie, shootings by police) declined from 7.0% in 2005 and 2006 to 3.7% in 2014 and 2015. Conclusions and Relevance States with central repositories for hospital visits offer data sources to illuminate the public health problem of legal intervention injuries, and warrant greater attention to ensure consistent coding for complete capture.
Ocean Bottom Sampler for Ships under Way

A simple bottom sampler has been developed which may be used from ships under way at speeds up to 12 knots. The sampler is allowed to fall freely under its own weight, and is recovered by reeling in a wire attached to the front. An open tube at the front will obtain about % pint of surface material from mud, sand, gravel, or coral bottoms. Existing models have been used in depths to 300 fathoms. At a speed o f 8 knots, using a winch a 3/4 h-p. motor, one man can take a sample in 3 minutes in 10 fathoms of water, and in 8 minutes in 100 fathoms. Models have been built with trap doors to close the tube after taking the sample» and to allow the water in the tube to escape when the sample is taken. These have been discarded as the improvement in the samples was negligible. The sampler can be easily combined with free-falling hydrographic instruments, such as the bathythermograph. Operation under way improves the ease and accuracy with which the position of a sample may be fixed as the ship can maintain its speed and course. It greatly increases the area covered and the number of samples taken in a given time.
Parks as crime inhibitors or generators: Examining parks and the role of their nearby context.

Although neighborhood studies often focus on the presence of some particular entity and its consequences for a variety of local processes, a frequent limitation is the failure to account more broadly for the local context. This paper therefore examines the role of parks for community crime, but contributes to the literature by testing whether the context of land uses and demographics nearby parks moderate the parks and crime relationship. A key feature of our approach is that we also test how these characteristics explain crime in the park, nearby the park, and in other neighborhoods in the city with data from nine cities across the United States (N = 109,808 blocks). We use multilevel Poisson and negative binomial regressions to test our ideas for six types of street crime. Our findings show that nearby land uses and socio-demographic characteristics are a key driver of crime being located within the park or nearby the park. Our results also show a clear distance decay pattern for the impact of various land uses and socio-demographics nearby parks. The results emphasize a need for research to consider the broader socio-spatial context in which crime generators/inhibitors are embedded.
Hybrid competitive Lotka–Volterra ecosystems: countable switching states and two-time-scale models

This work is concerned with competitive Lotka–Volterra model with Markov switching. A novelty of the contribution is that the Markov chain has a countable state space. Our main objective of the pap...
Defensive dropout for hardening deep neural networks under adversarial attacks

Deep neural networks (DNNs) are known vulnerable to adversarial attacks. That is, adversarial examples, obtained by adding delicately crafted distortions onto original legal inputs, can mislead a DNN to classify them as any target labels. This work provides a solution to hardening DNNs under adversarial attacks through defensive dropout. Besides using dropout during training for the best test accuracy, we propose to use dropout also at test time to achieve strong defense effects. We consider the problem of building robust DNNs as an attacker-defender two-player game, where the attacker and the defender know each others' strategies and try to optimize their own strategies towards an equilibrium. Based on the observations of the effect of test dropout rate on test accuracy and attack success rate, we propose a defensive dropout algorithm to determine an optimal test dropout rate given the neural network model and the attacker's strategy for generating adversarial examples. We also investigate the mechanism behind the outstanding defense effects achieved by the proposed defensive dropout. Comparing with stochastic activation pruning (SAP), another defense method through introducing randomness into the DNN model, we find that our defensive dropout achieves much larger variances of the gradients, which is the key for the improved defense effects (much lower attack success rate). For example, our defensive dropout can reduce the attack success rate from 100% to 13.89% under the currently strongest attack i.e., C&W attack on MNIST dataset.
Analysis-of-Marginal-Tail-Means (ATM): A Robust Method for Discrete Black-Box Optimization

AbstractWe present a new method, called analysis-of-marginal-tail-means (ATM), for effective robust optimization of discrete black-box problems. ATM has important applications in many real-world en...
Identification of spatially associated subpopulations by combining scRNAseq and sequential fluorescence in situ hybridization data

How intrinsic gene-regulatory networks interact with a cell's spatial environment to define its identity remains poorly understood. We developed an approach to distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic effects on global gene expression by integrating analysis of sequencing-based and imaging-based single-cell transcriptomic profiles, using cross-platform cell type mapping combined with a hidden Markov random field model. We applied this approach to dissect the cell-type- and spatial-domain-associated heterogeneity in the mouse visual cortex region. Our analysis identified distinct spatially associated, cell-type-independent signatures in the glutamatergic and astrocyte cell compartments. Using these signatures to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing data, we identified previously unknown spatially associated subpopulations, which were validated by comparison with anatomical structures and Allen Brain Atlas images.
Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring by Mid-infrared Self-emission Method

In this article we present a non-invasive glucose monitoring technique by measuring human body mid-infrared self-emission. The human body is a black body radiator that provides a stable temperature and infrared radiation; thus the human body is considered a continuous radiation energy source in the mid-infrared range. The fingerprint spectrum of glucose shows strong peaks between 8.5 i­m to 10.4 i­m, therefore, measuring the self-emission form human body in the mid-infrared range allows estimation of glucose concentration. Using a simple and miniaturizable design with a tunable Fabry-Perot filter (FPF) and a thermal detector, glucose concentration can be measured through the human skin.
MESSENGER Gamma Ray Spectrometer and Epithermal Neutron Hydrogen Data Reveal Compositional Differences Between Mercury's Hot and Cold Poles

The presence of hydrogen, most likely in the form of water ice, is well established in Mercury's permanently shaded polar craters. But lower concentrations that may exist away from the poles have not previously been well constrained. In this work we use data from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer to produce the first map of the absolute hydrogen abundance in Mercury's northern hemisphere. We find a mean abundance of 300-150+250 ppm and a latitudinal trend that agrees with earlier results showing enhanced hydrogen contained within Mercury's radar bright craters. Additionally, we observe a middle- and low-latitude variation in hydrogen abundance that is correlated most strongly with temperature 20 cm beneath Mercury's surface.
Stochastic asset price dynamics and volatility using a symmetric supply and demand price equation

Abstract A symmetric supply/demand model of price dynamics is developed and used to understand the relationship between price change and volatility. This differs from the classical approach in which the expected rate of price change and variance are assumed to be independent. The microeconomic and stochastic analysis leads to the conclusion that a particular measure of the marginal volatility has a minimum shortly before the expected log-price has an extremum. The maximum of the volatility occurs when prices are likely to change most rapidly, and the supply/demand imbalance is greatest. The great bubble and collapse of Bitcoin’s price serves as a test of this analysis. The volatility reached a minimum shortly prior to the peak of Bitcoin’s price in December 2018. The model is further developed under the assumption that supply and demand depend on the fundamental value of the asset. Thus the paper is a key step in understanding the issue of whether volatility highs and lows can forecast trading price tops and bottoms. The methodology can be extended beyond log-normal returns and is further compared with an empirical study of 40 sharp market boom/bust events studied by Sornette et. al. (2017).
Applying Phenomenography to Develop a Comprehensive Understanding of Ethics in Engineering Practice

This Work-in-Progress Research paper describes (1) the contemporary research space on ethics education in engineering; (2) our long-term research plan; (3) the theoretical underpinnings of Phase 1 of our research plan (phenomenography); and (4) the design and developmental process of a phenomenographic interview protocol to explore engineers’ experiences with ethics. Ethical behavior is a complex phenomenon that is complicated by the institutional and cultural contexts in which it occurs. Engineers also have varied roles and often work in a myriad of capacities that influence their experiences with and understanding of ethics in practice. We are using phenomenography, a qualitative research approach, to explore and categorize the ways engineers experience and understand ethical engineering practice. Specifically, phenomenography will allow us to systematically investigate the range and complexity of ways that engineers experience ethics in professional practice in the health products industry. Phenomenographic data will be obtained through a specialized type of semi-structured interview. Here we introduce the design of our interview protocol and its four sections: Background, Experience, Conceptual, and Summative. We also describe our iterative process for framing questions throughout each section.
A Longitudinal Analysis of Volunteerism Activities for Individuals Educated in Public and Private Schools

Previous studies offer evidence that U.S. public and private high schools differentially influence volunteerism in adolescence. However, these studies are typically cross-sectional and only conside...
Towards Physical Hybrid Systems

Some hybrid systems models are unsafe for mathematically correct but physically unrealistic reasons. For example, mathematical models can classify a system as being unsafe on a set that is too small to have physical importance. In particular, differences in measure zero sets in models of cyber-physical systems (CPS) have significant mathematical impact on the mathematical safety of these models even though differences on measure zero sets have no tangible physical effect in a real system. We develop the concept of “physical hybrid systems” (PHS) to help reunite mathematical models with physical reality. We modify a hybrid systems logic (differential temporal dynamic logic) by adding a first-class operator to elide distinctions on measure zero sets of time within CPS models. This approach facilitates modeling since it admits the verification of a wider class of models, including some physically realistic models that would otherwise be classified as mathematically unsafe. We also develop a proof calculus to help with the verification of PHS.
Communication Complexity in Locally Private Distribution Estimation and Heavy Hitters.

We consider the problems of distribution estimation and heavy hitter (frequency) estimation under privacy and communication constraints. While these constraints have been studied separately, optimal schemes for one are sub-optimal for the other. We propose a sample-optimal $\varepsilon$-locally differentially private (LDP) scheme for distribution estimation, where each user communicates only one bit, and requires no public randomness. We show that Hadamard Response, a recently proposed scheme for $\varepsilon$-LDP distribution estimation is also utility-optimal for heavy hitter estimation. Finally, we show that unlike distribution estimation, without public randomness where only one bit suffices, any heavy hitter estimation algorithm that communicates $o(\min \{\log n, \log k\})$ bits from each user cannot be optimal.
Group B Streptococcal Infections

Group B streptococcal disease remains a prominent cause of infectious morbidity in pregnant women and their infants. This article highlights recent developments that are relevant for obstetricians, perinatologists, and neonatologists caring for patients with group B streptococcal disease. The morbidity of group B streptococcal infections in pregnancy and the proposed association of colonization with adverse pregnancy outcome is discussed, as is the emergence of serotype V and the impact of late, late-onset disease for infants. Finally, the recently proposed guidelines for intrapartum chemoprophylaxis are summarized. Implementation of the guidelines should have substantial impact on reduction of early-onset group B streptococcal infections in infancy.
Learning in Online Advertising

This paper investigates how incentives to learn ad performance affect the advertisers’ bidding strategies, as well as the publisher’s optimal mechanism.
Working against Time: Rapid Radiotracer Synthesis and Imaging the Human Brain

In this Account, the authors describe some advances in radiotracer chemistry which have made it possible to probe the chemical anatomy of the human brain while working within a very restricted time scale. Though we highlight research from our laboratory, it is important to emphasize that advances in PET brain imaging have come from many laboratories throughout the world. Thus, for a more comprehensive treatment of PET technology the reader is referred to textbooks and review articles cited in this Account. Since many of the milestones in delineating biochemical transformations and the movement of drugs in the human brain have involved radiosynthesis with carbon-11 and fluorine-18, we focus on these two isotopes. 50 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.
Low temperature Kumada–Corriu cross-coupling of polychlorinated acene derivatives and a synthesis of sterically demanding acenes

Conditions for low-temperature Kumada–Corriu cross-coupling of polychlorinated acenes with Grignard reagents are reported. Our work was motivated by a search for cross-coupling reactions effective in the synthesis of functionalized linear acenes for organic materials applications. Treatment of polychlorinated acenes with the PEPPSI-IPr catalyst and MeMgBr undergo 6–8 concurrent coupling reactions to yield products such as octamethylnaphthalene, which is distorted out of planarity due to the steric interaction between the methyl groups. More sterically demanding Grignard reagents such as PhMgBr coupled cleanly with 9,10-dichloroanthracene to provide products such as 9,10-diphenylanthracene, a blue OLED component, in excellent yield.
Synthesis of 5-methylene-1,3-cyclohexadienes (o-isotoluenes) via electrocyclization of (4Z)-1,2,4,6-heptatetraenes

Abstract Treatment of alkenyldicyclohexylborane 5 with 1-lithio-3,4-pentadien-1-ynes derived from 10 followed by trimethyltin chloride and acetic acid furnished o-isotoluenes 13 in a single operation. The reaction proceeded through an initial formation of diene-allenes 11, which underwent facile electrocyclizations to produce 12 leading to o-isotoluenes 13.
Low temperature high-pressure synthesis of LnNiO3 (Ln ¼ Eu, Gd) in molten salts

Abstract We report a new low temperature method for the synthesis of LnNiO 3 (Ln = Eu, Gd) at 400 °C under 180 bar oxygen pressure with the flux method. Utilization of the LiCl/KCl flux allowed for a decrease of the reaction temperature from 1000 °C and resulted in the synthesis of pure phase compounds. These materials have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. LnNiO 3 (Ln = Eu and Gd) compounds crystallize in the orthorhombic GdFeO 3 -type perovskite structure (space group: Pbnm ). Both materials decompose to Ln 2 O 3 and NiO at 775 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere and undergo reduction to Ln 2 O 3 and Ni metal (at 385 °C and 340 °C for Eu and Gd, respectively) under a hydrogen atmosphere (10% H 2 /N 2 ). Attempts to prepare the first T′-type infinite layer compound with Ni 2+ , EuNiO 2 , by low temperature reduction of EuNiO 3 were unsuccessful.
A molecular signature for anastasis, recovery from the brink of apoptotic cell death

During apoptosis, executioner caspase activity has been considered a point of no return. However, recent studies show that cells can survive caspase activation following transient apoptotic stimuli, a process called anastasis. To identify a molecular signature, we performed whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing of untreated, apoptotic, and recovering HeLa cells. We found that anastasis is an active, two-stage program. During the early stage, cells transition from growth-arrested to growing. In the late stage, HeLa cells change from proliferating to migratory. Recovering cells also exhibited prolonged elevation of proangiogenic factors. Strikingly, some early-recovery mRNAs, including Snail, were elevated first during apoptosis, implying that dying cells poise to recover, even while under apoptotic stress. Snail was also required for recovery. This study reveals similarities in the anastasis genes, pathways, and cell behaviors to those activated in wound healing and identifies a repertoire of potential targets for therapeutic manipulation.
High-density extracellular probes reveal dendritic backpropagation and facilitate neuron classification

It is challenging to identify neuron types with extracellular electrophysiology in vivo. We show that spatiotemporal action potentials measured on high-density electrode arrays can capture cell typ...
Rapid tilt-series acquisition for electron cryotomography.

Abstract Using a new Titan Krios stage equipped with a single-axis holder, we developed two methods to accelerate the collection of tilt-series. We demonstrate a continuous-tilting method that can record a tilt-series in seconds, but with loss of details finer than ∼4 nm. We also demonstrate a fast-incremental method that can record a tilt-series several-fold faster than current methods and with similar resolution. We characterize the utility of both methods in real biological electron cryotomography workflows. We identify opportunities for further improvements in hardware and software and speculate on the impact such advances could have on structural biology.
The Genetic Basis of Mutation Rate Variation in Yeast

Mutations are the root source of genetic variation and underlie the process of evolution. Although the rates at which mutations occur vary considerably between species, little is known about differences within species, or the genetic and molecular basis of these differences. Here, we leveraged the power of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system to uncover natural genetic variants that underlie variation in mutation rate. We developed a high-throughput fluctuation assay and used it to quantify mutation rates in seven natural yeast isolates and in 1040 segregant progeny from a cross between BY, a laboratory strain, and RM, a wine strain. We observed that mutation rate varies among yeast strains and is heritable (H2 = 0.49). We performed linkage mapping in the segregants and identified four quantitative trait loci underlying mutation rate variation in the cross. We fine-mapped two quantitative trait loci to the underlying causal genes, RAD5 and MKT1, that contribute to mutation rate variation. These genes also underlie sensitivity to the DNA-damaging agents 4NQO and MMS, suggesting a connection between spontaneous mutation rate and mutagen sensitivity.
A palladium-catalyzed intramolecular arene-triflate coupling for the synthesis of fluoranthenes and benzofluoranthenes

Abstract A method for the preparation of fluoranthenes and benzofluoranthenes from aryl bromides and aryl methoxymethyl ethers is described. The key step in this synthesis is an intramolecular triflate-arene coupling mediated by bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II)chloride. Fluoranthene, benzo[a]fluoranthene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and indeno[1,2]3-cd]pyrene were prepared in yields of 84–91%. The regiospecific synthesis of substituted benzofluoranthenes was demonstrated by the preparation of 6-fluorobenzo[b]fluoranthene (72% yield) and 5- and 6- methoxybenzo[b]fluoranthene in yields of 73% and 62% respectively when the reaction was conducted in the presence of excess triphenylphosphine.
Recent Progress in the Chemistry of Mucohalic Acids: Versatile Building Blocks in Organic Synthesis

This account documents our recent progress in exposing some of the potential of mucohalic acids in synthetic applications. Understanding their stability and reactivity in different reaction media allows the development of mild and regioselective methods to access various substituted butenolides, butenolactams, and 4,5-di­halopyridazin-3(2H)-ones and to create other novel, multifunctionalized building blocks. 1 Introduction 2 The Rationale for the Reinvestigation of Mucohalic Acid Chemistry 3 Understanding the Stability of Mucohalic Acids 4 One-Pot Synthesis of a 4,5-Dihalopyridazin-3(2H)-one and the Process Chemistry of ABT-963 5 Reductive Amination of Mucochloric Acid and Synthesis of Antiseizure Drug Levetiracetam (Keppra) 6 Reduction of Mucohalic Acids and Synthesis of Anti-­inflammatory Agent Rofecoxib (Vioxx) 7 Lewis Acid Catalyzed Knoevenagel Aldol Reaction 8 Lewis and Bronsted Acid Promoted Friedel–Crafts ­Hydroxyalkylation 9 Lewis Acid Facilitated Mukaiyama Aldol Reaction 10 Indium-Mediated Allylation in Water 11 Palladium-Free Regioselective Etherification and Amination 12 Novel Building Blocks Derived from Mucohalic Acids 13 Direct Vinylogous Aldol Addition Using α,β-Dihalo-­Substituted Butenolides and Butenolactams 14 Other Applications 15 Summary and Conclusion
1,4-Addition of aryl boronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by a CCC–NHC pincer rhodium complex

Abstract An air- and water-stable CCC–NHC pincer Rh complex catalyzed the 1,4-addition of aryl boronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones and aldehydes. This bench top method proceeds in eco-friendly solvents including methanol and water. The scope of boronic acids was expanded to include heterocyclic examples.
Synthesis, structural characterization, and topological rearrangement of a novel open framework U-O material: (NH4)3(H2O)2{[(UO2)10O10(OH)][(UO4)(H2O)2]}

A novel open framework U−O material with composition (NH4)3(H2O)2{[(UO2)10O10(OH)][(UO4)(H2O)2]} was synthesized hydrothermally. The structure [monoclinic, a = 11.627(2) A, b = 21.161(3) A, c = 14.706(2) A, β = 103.930(3)°, V = 3511.97 A3] was solved by direct methods and refined on the basis of F2 for all 4230 unique reflections in space group C2/c to an agreement factor (R1) of 7.7%, calculated using 2180 unique observed reflections (|Fo| ≥ 4σF). The structure contains six symmetrically distinct U6+ sites, five of which occur as approximately linear (UO2)2+ uranyl ions that are coordinated by four or five additional ligands, giving square and pentagonal bipyramids. One U6+ cation occurs in distorted octahedral coordination. The structure contains β-U3O8-type sheets parallel to (001) that are cross-linked through U2O12 pentagonal bipyramid dimers, resulting in an open framework structure composed only of uranium polyhedra. The (NH4)+ and H2O groups are located in the interconnected three-dimensional chan...
Poly(A)-ClickSeq Click-Chemistry for Next Generation 3-End Sequencing Without RNA Enrichment or Fragmentation

The recent emergence of alternative polyadenylation (APA) as an engine driving transcriptomic diversity has stimulated the development of sequencing methodologies designed to assess genome-wide polyadenylation events. The goal of these approaches is to enrich, partition, capture and ultimately sequence poly(A) site junctions. However, these methods often require poly(A) enrichment, 3΄ linker ligation steps, and RNA fragmentation, which can necessitate higher levels of starting RNA, increase experimental error and potentially introduce bias. We recently reported a click-chemistry based method for generating RNAseq libraries called 'ClickSeq'. Here, we adapt this method to direct the cDNA synthesis specifically toward the 3΄UTR/poly(A) tail junction of cellular RNA. With this novel approach, we demonstrate sensitive and specific enrichment for poly(A) site junctions without the need for complex sample preparation, fragmentation or purification. Poly(A)-ClickSeq (PAC-seq) is therefore a simple procedure that generates high-quality RNA-seq poly(A) libraries. As a proof-of-principle, we utilized PAC-seq to explore the poly(A) landscape of both human and Drosophila cells in culture and observed outstanding overlap with existing poly(A) databases and also identified previously unannotated poly(A) sites. Moreover, we utilize PAC-seq to quantify and analyze APA events regulated by CFIm25 illustrating how this technology can be harnessed to identify alternatively polyadenylated RNA.
Right for the wrong reasons: Diagnosing syntactic heuristics in natural language inference

A machine learning system can score well on a given test set by relying on heuristics that are effective for frequent example types but break down in more challenging cases. We study this issue within natural language inference (NLI), the task of determining whether one sentence entails another. We hypothesize that statistical NLI models may adopt three fallible syntactic heuristics: the lexical overlap heuristic, the subsequence heuristic, and the constituent heuristic. To determine whether models have adopted these heuristics, we introduce a controlled evaluation set called HANS (Heuristic Analysis for NLI Systems), which contains many examples where the heuristics fail. We find that models trained on MNLI, including BERT, a state-of-the-art model, perform very poorly on HANS, suggesting that they have indeed adopted these heuristics. We conclude that there is substantial room for improvement in NLI systems, and that the HANS dataset can motivate and measure progress in this area.
An efficient method for the preparation of glycosides with a free C-2 hydroxyl group from thioglycosides

A new and efficient method to produce glycosides with a free C-2 hydroxyl group through 1,2-acyl group migration which occurs during the hydrolysis of 4,6-benzylidene protected thioglycosides has been developed. The acyl transfer products allow for further elaboration.
The Drosophila Chromodomain Protein Kismet Activates Steroid Hormone Receptor Transcription to Govern Axon Pruning and Memory In Vivo

Summary Axon pruning is critical for sculpting precise neural circuits. Although axon pruning has been described in the literature for decades, relatively little is known about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern axon pruning in vivo. Here, we show that the epigenetic reader Kismet (Kis) is required for developmental axon pruning in Drosophila mushroom bodies. Kis binds to cis-regulatory elements of the steroid hormone receptor ecdysone receptor (ecr) gene and is necessary for activating expression of EcR-B1. Kis promotes the active H3K36 di- and tri-methylation and H4K16 acetylation histone marks at the ecr locus. We show that transgenic EcR-B1 can rescue axon pruning and memory defects associated with loss of Kis and that the histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA also rescues these phenotypes. EcR protein abundance is the cell-autonomous, rate-limiting step required to initiate axon pruning in Drosophila, and our data suggest this step is under the epigenetic control of Kis.
Reduction of Aqueous Na2WO4 by NaBH4 at Ambient Temperatures To Obtain Lower Valent Tungsten Oxides

A systematic investigation of the reduction of aqueous Na2WO4 with aqueous NaBH4 at ambient temperatures reveals the formation of several lower valent tungsten oxides such as the tetragonal (x < 0....
Ecological change points: The strength of density dependence and the loss of history

Change points in the dynamics of animal abundances have extensively been recorded in historical time series records. Little attention has been paid to the theoretical dynamic consequences of such change-points. Here we propose a change-point model of stochastic population dynamics. This investigation embodies a shift of attention from the problem of detecting when a change will occur, to another non-trivial puzzle: using ecological theory to understand and predict the post-breakpoint behavior of the population dynamics. The proposed model and the explicit expressions derived here predict and quantify how density dependence modulates the influence of the pre-breakpoint parameters into the post-breakpoint dynamics. Time series transitioning from one stationary distribution to another contain information about where the process was before the change-point, where is it heading and how long it will take to transition, and here this information is explicitly stated. Importantly, our results provide a direct connection of the strength of density dependence with theoretical properties of dynamic systems, such as the concept of resilience. Finally, we illustrate how to harness such information through maximum likelihood estimation for state-space models, and test the model robustness to widely different forms of compensatory dynamics. The model can be used to estimate important quantities in the theory and practice of population recovery.
Recyclable cinchona alkaloid catalyzed asymmetric Michael addition reaction

A highly enantioselective and diastereoselective Michael addition reaction of α-fluoro-β-ketoesters with maleimides is catalyzed by fluorous cinchona alkaloid to afford two adjacent chiral centers. The catalyst attached with a perfluroalkyl tag can be recovered by fluorous solid-phase extraction (F-SPE).
SYNTHESIS OF L-DAUNOSAMINE DERIVATIVES ON THE BASIS OF THE ASYMMETRIC DIHYDROXYLATION OF 3-((E)-1-PROPENYL)-4,5-DIHYDROISOXAZOLE

Methyl l-N,O-diacetyldaunosaminide was prepared from 3-nitro-4,5-dihydroisoxazole in 8.5% overall yield. A key step in the synthesis involved the AD reaction of (E)-3-(1-propenyl)-4,5-dihydroisoxazole (2b), affording the corresponding diol in 76% yield (92% ee). A second key step involved reductive cleavage of the dihydroisoxazole 4a and subsequent N-acetylation to afford separable diastereomeric γ-(acetylamino)alcohols 7a and 8a in 62% yield (72:28, 7a/8a). Swern oxidation of 7a and subsequent methanolysis followed by acetylation provided methyl l-N,O-diacetyldaunosaminide as an anomeric mixture. The AD reactions of chiral alkenyl dihydroisoxazole 16 with (DHQ)2−PHAL and (DHQD)2−PHAL afforded diastereomeric diol products, isolated as the acetates 18 and 19 (98:2 and 5:95 ratios, respectively, depending on the chiral auxiliary).
Syntheses and Some Chemistry of 1,2- and 1,1-Bis(2-pyrrolyl)ethenes

trans-1,2-Bis(2-pyrrolyl)ethenes (e.g. 18−20) are prepared by McMurry-type reductive coupling of the corresponding 2-formylpyrroles. The isomeric 1,1-bis(2-pyrrolyl)ethenes (e.g. 24) are prepared as a minor byproduct in the reaction of 2-unsubstituted pyrroles (e.g. 22) with acetic anhydride under Friedel−Crafts conditions; the major product, as expected is the 2-acetylpyrrole 23. However, 5-(chloromethyl)dipyrromethanes (e.g. 35) can be obtained in high yield by reaction of 2-unsubstituted pyrroles 22 with chloroacetaldehyde diethyl acetal. Base-catalyzed elimination of HCl from 35 affords the 1,1-bis(2-pyrrolyl)ethene 24 along with the trans- and cis-1,2-bis(2-pyrrolyl)ethenes 18 and 36, respectively. Conditions are optimized to afford a 66% yield of the 1,1-bis(2-pyrrolyl)ethene 24. In neutral organic solvents, 1,1-bis(2-pyrrolyl)ethenes exist in the ethene tautomeric form 2, rather than as the corresponding 5-methyldipyrromethene isomer 3; however, under acidic conditions, the 5-methyldipyrromethene s...
Structure and Magnetism of Ce5Pb3O

Single crystals of Ce 5 Pb 3 O have been synthesized by flux growth. This compound adopts the tetragonal I4/mcm space group with lattice parameters of a = b = 8.5870(2) A and c = 14.3870(5) A, Z = 4. The crystal structure of Ce 5 Pb 3 O consists of a network of interpenetrating corner-sharing Ce-centered Pb 6 octahedra and O-centered Ce 4 tetrahedra. The tetrahedra are linked to each other by Pb trigonal antiprisms. Magnetization measurements show that Ce 5 Pb 3 O orders ferrimagnetically at T c = 46 K, the second-highest known ordering temperature for any Ce-based intermetallic compound.
Second-chance rearrangement route to novel 5(6)-syn,anti-difunctional 2-azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes.

The first syntheses of 5,6-difunctionalized-2-azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes containing syn-hydroxy and syn-fluoro substituents have been effected in a stereocontrolled manner. The key reactions are regioselective additions to the aziridinium ions formed from 6-exo-iodo(bromo)-5-endo-X-2-azabicyclo[2.2.0]hexanes (X = F, OH) upon silver or mercury salt enhancement of iodide nucleofugacity.
A brief history of photoinduced electron transfer and related reactions

Photoinitiated electron transfer reactions are among the earliest photochemical reactions documented in the chemical literature and (ground state) electron donor-acceptor interactions have been known for over one hundred years. Some aspects of plant photosynthesis were already known to Priestly in the eighteenth century. The photooxidation of oxalic acid by metal ions in aqueous solution was discovered by Seekamp (UVI) in 1805 and by Dobereiner (FeIII) in 1830. The electron donor-acceptor interactions between aromatic hydrocarbons and picric acid were noticed by Fritzsche in the 1850s; the quinhydrones are even older, having been described by both Wohler (1800–1882) and Laurent (1807–1853). One-electron reductions (e.g. of benzil by potassium) were carried out by Laurent in 1835, a one-electron oxidation (of chrysene by sulfuric acid) by Liebermann in 1871. The development of photoinitiated electron transfer from the observation of a few isolated and poorly understood examples to its current status as a highly sophisticated, interdisciplinary branch of science is delineated.
Distinct temporal filters in mitral cells and external tufted cells of the olfactory bulb

Short-term synaptic plasticity is a critical regulator of neural circuits, and largely determines how information is temporally processed. In the olfactory bulb, afferent olfactory receptor neurons respond to increasing concentrations of odorants with barrages of action potentials, and their terminals have an extraordinarily high release probability (Sicard, 1986; Murphy et al. 2004). These features suggest that during naturalistic stimuli, afferent input to the olfactory bulb is subject to strong synaptic depression, presumably truncating the postsynaptic response to afferent stimuli. To examine this issue, we used single glomerular stimulation in mouse olfactory bulb slices to measure the synaptic dynamics of afferent-evoked input at physiological stimulus frequencies. In cell-attached recordings, mitral cells responded to high frequency stimulation with sustained responses, whereas external tufted cells responded transiently. Consistent with previous reports (Murphy et al. 2004), olfactory nerve terminals onto both cell types had a high release probability (0.7), from a single pool of slowly recycling vesicles, indicating that the distinct responses of mitral and external tufted cells to high frequency stimulation did not originate presyaptically. Rather, distinct temporal response profiles in mitral cells and external tufted cells could be attributed to slow dendrodendritic responses in mitral cells, as blocking this slow current in mitral cells converted mitral cell responses to a transient response profile, typical of external tufted cells. Our results suggest that despite strong axodendritic synaptic depression, the balance of axodendritic and dendrodendritic circuitry in external tufted cells and mitral cells, respectively, tunes the postsynaptic responses to high frequency, naturalistic stimulation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Neutrino oscillations from supersymmetry without R-parity: Its implications on the flavor structure of the theory

We discuss here some flavor structure aspects of the complete theory of supersymmetry without R-parity addressed from the perspective of fitting neutrino oscillation data based on the recent Super-Kamiokande result. The single-VEV parameterization of supersymmetry without R-parity is first reviewed, illustrating some important features not generally appreciated. For the flavor structure discussions, a naive, flavor-model-independent, analysis is presented, from which a few interesting things can be learned.
Identification of new transmembrane proteins concentrated at the nuclear envelope using organellar proteomics of mesenchymal cells.

ABSTRACTThe double membrane nuclear envelope (NE), which is contiguous with the ER, contains nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) – the channels for nucleocytoplasmic transport, and the nuclear lamina (NL...
CRISPR-Based Editing Reveals Edge-Specific Effects in Biological Networks.

Abstract Unraveling the properties of biological networks is central to understanding both normal and disease cellular phenotypes. Networks consist of functional elements (nodes) that form a variet...
Preparation of 2,4,5-trisubstituted pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolin-3-ones

Abstract The preparation of pyrazolo[4,3- c ]quinolinones is reported starting from 2-substituted-5-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-oxo-2,4-dihydro-3 H -pyrazol-3-ones. A one-pot protocol, in which condensation with an orthoamide followed by substitution with a primary amine and subsequent S N Ar-cyclization to provide rapid access to 4- and 5-substituted pyrazolo[4,3- c ]quinolinones was developed.
Theoretical study of neutral and ionic states of small clusters of GamOn (m, n = 1, 2)

The structure, bonding, vibrational, and electronic properties of small clusters of gallium oxide, Ga m O n (m, n = 1, 2) are studied here with a focus on the changes induced by the addition or removal of an electron from the neutral species. It is found that the addition of an electron introduces relatively larger structural changes than the removal of an electron from the neutral cluster. The values of ionization potential and electron affinity of these clusters are calculated, for the first time, in this study. Analysis of the atomic charges and electronic properties predicts a kind of instability in Ga 2 O - . In Ga 2 O 2 , the linear Ga-O-Ga-O isomer forms the ground state of the neutral cluster. The cationic structure also prefers the linear configuration, since the ionized electron comes out of an antibonding molecular orbitals of the neutral Ga 2 O 2 . The anionic Ga 2 O 2 , on the other hand, prefers the rhombus structure as a ground state since LUMO of the neutral Ga 2 O 2 consists of a Ga-O bonding orbital.
Density-Matrix Coupled Time-Dependent Exchange-Correlation Functional Approximations

We present a new class of nonadiabatic approximations in time-dependent density functional theory derived from an exact expression for the time-dependent exchange-correlation potential. The approxi...