cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploiting Computational Redundancy for Efficient Recovery from Soft Errors in Sensor Nodes.

Most existing techniques for the design and implementation of fault tolerance use resource redundancy. As such, due to scarcity of resources, it is difficult to directly apply them for adding fault tolerance to sensor nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Thus, it is desirable to develop techniques that implement fault tolerance under the constraints of memory and processing power of sensor nodes. We present a novel method for designing recovery from transient faults that cause nondeterministic bit-flips in the task queue of the scheduler of TinyOS, which is the operating system of choice for sensor nodes. Specifically, our approach exploits computational redundancy for the design of recovery instead of using resource redundancy. The presented fault-tolerant task queue recovers from bit-flips with significantly lower space/time overhead compared with the Error Correction Codes.
Free amino acid supplementation to steers: effects on ruminal fermentation and performance.

Three studies were conducted to evaluate amino acid utilization by cattle. In Exp. 1, five steers (580 kg) were fed 86% rolled corn diets with mixtures of amino acids containing up to 6 g/d DL-Met, 24 g/d L-Lys, 6 g/d L-Thr, and 3 g/d L-Trp. Treatments had little effect on ruminal fermentation, diet digestibility, N flow to the duodenum, or microbial efficiency. Ruminal concentrations of Met and Lys increased linearly (P < .05) with amino acid supplementation, whereas Thr responded quadratically, and Trp was not altered. In Exp. 2, four steers (414 kg) were used to measure effects of dietary monensin or laidlomycin propionate in high-grain diets supplemented with amino acids. Ionophores had no significant effect on ruminal fermentation or outflows of amino acids from the rumen. In Exp. 3, 100 steers (287 kg initial BW) were fed diets containing 1% of a nonprotein N source. Treatments were 1) no supplemental N (UREA), 2) UREA plus soybean meal (SBM), 3) UREA plus 2 g/d DL-Met, 8 g/d L-Lys, 2 g/d L-Thr, and 1 g/d L-Trp, or 4) UREA plus 4 g/d DL-Met, 16 g/d L-Lys, 4 g/d L-Thr, and 2 g/d L-Trp. During the growing period (diets based on whole-plant milo silage), gains were higher for SBM-supplemented steers than for UREA steers and intermediate for steers supplemented with amino acids. Few significant differences in performance were observed among treatments during the finishing phase (diets based on dry-rolled corn) or for the entire experiment, but cattle fed SBM or amino acids tended to be fatter and have better marbling scores and quality grades. Amino acids did not greatly alter ruminal fermentation or cattle performance.
"Let Me Help You Help Me": Church-Based HIV Prevention for Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men.

The goal of this study was to identify strategies that could yield more inclusive church-based HIV prevention efforts. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) living in Baltimore, Maryland. The sample had an equal number of regular and infrequent church attendees. Nearly one-fourth of the sample was HIV-positive. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed inductively using a qualitative content analytic approach. Two main recommendations emerged for churches to offer more inclusive HIV prevention efforts: (1) reduce homosexuality stigma by increasing interpersonal and institutional acceptance, and (2) address the sexual health needs of all congregants by offering universal and targeted sexual health promotion. Thus, results support a tiered approached to providing more inclusive church-based HIV prevention efforts. We conclude that Black churches can be a critical access point for HIV prevention among YBMSM and represent an important setting to inter...
Living and dying with reactive species. Focus on "peroxynitrite induces apoptosis of HL-60 cells by activation of a caspase-3 family protease".

traditionally, perturbation in cellular redox capacity and metabolic status by reactive species-mediated oxidative stress has been associated with necrosis. Recent studies, however, have implicated reactive species as inducers of apoptosis ([2][1], [4][2], [5][3], [8][4], [10][5]). Apoptosis is an
A Bargaining Model of Nuclear Weapons Development and Disarmament

This paper addresses four questions about leaders’ rationales and strategies for developing and confronting nuclear weapons programs. First, why do governments develop nuclear weapons? Second, under what conditions will governments attack nuclear aspirants to prevent or remove their weapons programs? Third, why do aspirants sometimes develop nuclear weapons ambiguously? Fourth, why do counter-proliferators offer inducements to aspirants? We develop a game-theoretic bargaining model to study these issues. Two governments, an aspirant and a counter-proliferator, bargain over the aspirant’s nuclear program. The aspirant has private information about its preferences for developing nuclear weapons. It can be either a “normal” type, which benefits little from having nuclear weapons, or a “motivated” type, which seeks weapons for intrinsic or instrumental value. The counter-proliferator decides whether to pay or force the aspirant to disarm. Inducements can be effective under some circumstances.
Distinct conformers of transmissible misfolded SOD1 distinguish human SOD1-FALS from other forms of familial and sporadic ALS

Evidence of misfolded wild-type superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) has been detected in spinal cords of sporadic ALS (sALS) patients, suggesting an etiological relationship to SOD1-associated familial ALS (fALS). Given that there are currently a number of promising therapies under development that target SOD1, it is of critical importance to better understand the role of misfolded SOD1 in sALS. We previously demonstrated the permissiveness of the G85R-SOD1:YFP mouse model for MND induction following injection with tissue homogenates from paralyzed transgenic mice expressing SOD1 mutations. This prompted us to examine whether WT SOD1 can self-propagate misfolding of the G85R-SOD1:YFP protein akin to what has been observed with mutant SOD1. Using the G85R-SOD1:YFP mice, we demonstrate that misfolded conformers of recombinant WT SOD1, produced in vitro, induce MND with a distinct inclusion pathology. Furthermore, the distinct pathology remains upon successive passages in the G85R-SOD1:YFP mice, strongly supporting the notion for conformation-dependent templated propagation and SOD1 strains. To determine the presence of a similar misfolded WT SOD1 conformer in sALS tissue, we screened homogenates from patients diagnosed with sALS, fALS, and non-ALS disease in an organotypic spinal cord slice culture assay. Slice cultures from G85R-SOD1:YFP mice exposed to spinal homogenates from patients diagnosed with ALS caused by the A4V mutation in SOD1 developed robust inclusion pathology, whereas spinal homogenates from more than 30 sALS cases and various controls failed. These findings suggest that mutant SOD1 has prion-like attributes that do not extend to SOD1 in sALS tissues.
Anatomical Individualized ACL Reconstruction.

Â The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is composed of two bundles, which work together to provide both antero-posterior and rotatory stability of the knee. Understanding the anatomy and function of the ACL plays a key role in management of patients with ACL injury. Anatomic ACL reconstruction aims to restore the function of the native ACL. Femoral and tibial tunnels should be placed in their anatomical location accounting for both the native ACL insertion site and bony landmarks. One main component of anatomical individualized ACL reconstruction is customizing the treatment according to each patientâ��s individual characteristics, considering preoperative and intraoperative evaluation of the native ACL and knee bony anatomy. Anatomical individualized reconstruction surgery should also aim to restore the size of the native ACL insertion as well. Using this concept, while single bundle ACL reconstruction can restore theÂ function of the ACL in some patients, double bundle reconstruction is indicated in others to achieve optimal outcome. Â
Manufacturing profit maximization under time-varying electricity and labor pricing

Manufacturing profit maximization problem is formulated and solved.Two major cost components in manufacturing, electricity and labor costs, are modeled.New electricity tariffs based on time-of-use and critical-peak prices are considered.The effects of various factors on the final solutions are examined. Profit maximization focuses on maximizing the difference between the revenue and the cost. Two of major cost components in manufacturing are the electricity and labor costs. New electricity tariffs charge manufacturing firms based on time-of-use and critical-peak prices. Some recent research activities have been conducted under such a time-varying framework. However, these studies mainly focus on reducing the electricity cost by shifting production from the on-peak to the off-peak period, and it may not always be consistent with the ultimate goal of profit maximization. This is because employees in various manufacturing industries are entitled a shift differential in their wage profiles. Therefore, this paper addresses how to properly arrange production that leads to the best tradeoff under time-varying pricing of both costs. The production function, the electricity cost model, and the labor cost model are established to formulate the manufacturing profit maximization problem. The effects of the seasons, number of workers, buffer capacity, machine reliability, initial condition, and time-varying pricing on the final solutions are examined.
Multifunctional Desferrichrome Analogues as Versatile 89Zr(IV) Chelators for ImmunoPET Probe Development.

New bifunctional hexa- and octadentate analogues of the hydroxamate-containing siderophore desferrichrome (DFC) have been synthesized and evaluated as 89Zr-chelating agents for immunoPET applications. The in vitro and in vivo inertness of these new ligands, Orn3-hx (hexadentate) and Orn-4hx derivatives (octadentate), was compared to the gold standard hexadentate, hydroxamate-containing chelator for 89Zr desferrioxamine (DFO). Density functional theory was employed to model the geometries of the resulting Zr(IV) complexes and to predict their relative stabilities as follows: Zr(Orn4-hx) > Zr(DFC) > Zr(Orn3-hx). Transchelation challenge experiments of the corresponding radiochemical complexes with excess ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) indicated complex stability in accordance with DFT calculations. Radiolabeling of these ligands with 89Zr was quantitative (0.25 μmol of ligand, pH 7.4, room temperature, 20 min). For antibody conjugation, the isothiocyanate (NCS) functional group was introduced to the N t...
The role of health education in medical management of asthma some program applications

Various asthma health education programs have been developed for different settings and populations. Many have been evaluated by an experimental research design. Objective followup evaluation has demonstrated signficant effects of these programs on participating families with enhanced asthma management practices, better social adjustment, improved school adjustment, and decreased need for unscheduled health care. The critical element of these successful programs has been a close association of health education with medical management. These programs have served to complement medical care, not replace it. These programs have been designed to bridge the gap between patient and physician so that an effective partnership can be formed to facilitate excellence in medical care and enhance family management skills. The family and patient can then display confidence in their ability to manage asthma care more effectively. Improved asthma management by the child and family can achieve better control of asthma and lessen the disruptive effects of asthma on the daily lives of these children. Integration of health education and medical treatment can produce a medically appropriate plan of health care for asthma that is acceptable to the child and the family. This balancing of education and medical treatment will also serve as a model for the delivery of health care for other chronic diseases of childhood.
Enhanced stability of magnetoelectric gyrators under high power conditions

In this study, three different coil-based magnetoelectric (ME) gyrators of different geometries, including gyrators with high power output, have been designed and characterized. These included two magnetostrictive/piezoelectric/magnetostrictive (M-P-M) and one piezoelectric/magnetostrictive/piezoelectric (P-M-P) type ME gyrators, which consisted of nickel zinc ferrite (NZFO) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic plates. Compared with M-P-M ME gyrators, the P-M-P ones exhibited a higher power efficiency (η) of 85% when operated at resonance under an optimal magnetic bias field (HBias) of 40 Oe at low power conditions. It retained a relatively high efficiency of η = 79% under a high input power density of 2.87 W/cm3. A low reduction in the magnetomechanical coupling and mechanical quality (k33,m and Qm) factors of the NZFO ferrite layer in the ME gyrator explains the resilience of the P-M-P type structure with increasing power drive. The findings open the possibility of using ME gyrators in high power applications.
Ecological Notes on the Three-Banded Parachute Gecko Ptychozoon trinotaterra in Southern Vietnam

Since the Three-banded Parachute Gecko Ptychozoon trinotaterra was first described in 1999, little information on its natural history has appeared in the literature. Observations of the species in Cat Tien National Park in southern Vietnam are presented, including the use of buildings for foraging, an activity not previously recorded for this species.
Corporate social responsibility and CEO compensation structure

Abstract We examine how firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance affects CEO compensation structure. Traditional agency theory suggests that CEOs engage in CSR for their own interests at the expense of shareholders. A competing argument is that CEOs consider firms' social performance as a business strategy to increase firm value and align their interests with those of shareholders. Our results support the latter prediction. We find that a firm's social performance is negatively associated with the proportion of cash-based compensation, while it is positively associated with the proportion of equity-based compensation. These results are robust to the degree of corporate governance, and they are more pronounced for firms with high levels of inside director ownership and long director tenure. Overall, our findings highlight the positive impact of CSR performance on CEO compensation packages, implying that CEOs' fiduciary behavior of engaging in CSR leads to mitigating agency problems and maximizing firm value.
Relevance and Aesthetic Perception

One of Aron Gurwitsch’s most important philosophical claims is that every moment of conscious life is structured in a theme, thematic field, margin pattern.1 This thesis allows no exceptions. Regardless of who you are or what you are doing, this is how your field of consciousness is organized. That which is presented as the center or focus of attention is the theme. That which is presented as relevant to the theme is the thematic field. That which is presented as irrelevant to the theme is the margin.
Physiology of Two Disynaptic Pathways from the Sensori-Motor Cortex to the Basal Ganglia Output Nuclei

The neuronal connections of the basal ganglia and related nuclei have been studied extensively. The sensorimotor cortex projects to the neostriatum and the subthalamic nucleus. Because extensive anatomical and physiological studies on the cortico-striatal projection has been presented at the International Basal Ganglia Meeting at Giens, France, I will not discuss details on this projection. The subthalamic nucleus is a relatively small nucleus and is located ventrally to the zona incerta and dorsally to the cerebral peduncle. The subthalamic nucleus contains dense medium size neurons having a radiating, sparsely spined dendrites (Kita et al., 1983b; Chang et al., 1983). Both the neostriatum and the subthalamic nucleus project to the basal ganglia output nuclei, the entopeduncular nucleus (homologous to the internal segment of the pallidum in primates) and the substantia nigra pars reticulata. The output of the neostriatum is inhibitory while the subthalamic nucleus is excitatory. Thus, the signals arise in the sensorimotor cortex can be transmitted to the basal ganglia output nuclei via two parallel pathways having opposite output signals (i.e., excitatory vs. inhibitory).
An Uncollimated Compton Profile Method for Determination of Osteoporotic Changes in Vertebral Bone Density and Composition

An approach to determine both the density and composition of the human vertebra based on Uncollimated Compton Scattering is presented. The proposed method uses the photon energy-history and its relationship to the transit path of the photon rather than the current practice of rigorous collimation. The results using a proposed model of the human vertebra indicate that the method can be used to determine the small density changes in the trabecular region. It is the density of this region that will allow the detection at an earlier stage than is currently attainable and allow the possibility of prophylactic treatment.
Effectiveness of a Modified Lifestyle-Integrated Functional Exercise Program in Residential Retirement Communities—A Pilot Study:

Abstract AimsThis study explored the effectiveness of a modified Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise program for increasing community-dwelling older adults’ lower body strength and balance to ...
Biomaterial substrate modifications that influence cell-material interactions to prime cellular responses to nonviral gene delivery.

Gene delivery is the transfer of exogenous genetic material into somatic cells to modify their gene expression, with applications including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, sensors and di...
Report on the 1976 Study Phase of the Investigation of Communication Systems in Free-ranging Wild Ungulates

Due to severe complications following major surgery of the principal investigator in the spring of 1976, the planned research program had to be curtailed.
Comparison of phytosterol intake from FFQ with repeated 24-h dietary recalls of the Adventist Health Study-2 calibration sub-study.

We evaluated the performance of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in estimating phytosterol intake against multiple 24 hr dietary recalls (24HDRs) using data from 1,011 participants of the calibration sub-study of the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) cohort. Dietary assessments of phytosterol intake included a self-administered FFQ and six 24HDRs and plasma sterols. Plasma sterols were determined using the gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) flame ionization method. Validation of energy-adjusted phytosterol intake from the FFQ with 24HDR was conducted by calculating crude, unadjusted, partial, and de-attenuated correlation coefficients (r) and cross-classification by race. On average, total phytosterol intake from the FFQ was 439.6 mg/day in blacks and 417.9 mg/day in whites. From the 24HDRs, these were 295.6 mg/day in blacks, and 351.4 mg/day in whites. Intake estimates of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, other plant sterols and total phytosterol from the FFQ had moderate to strong correlations with estimates from 24HDR (r=0.41 to 0.73). Correlations were slightly higher in whites (r=0.42 to 0.73) than in blacks (r=0.41 to 0.67). FFQ estimates were poorly correlated with plasma sterols as well as 24HDR versus plasma sterols. We conclude that the AHS-2 FFQ provided reasonable estimates of phytosterol intake and may be used in future studies relating phytosterol intake and disease outcomes.
A multi-generation analysis of the stability of transgenic virus resistance in doubled-haploid tobacco lines

Plants can be genetically engineered for virus resistance by transformation with a viral gene. We transformed tobacco with the tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) nucleocapsid gene from the Hawaiian L isolate in order to obtain TSWV resistant breeding lines. Doubled-haploid lines were produced from primary transgenic plants that were selected for resistance to the virus. Several of these lines showed very high levels of resistance and were symptomless after inoculation with the Hawaiian L isolate of TSWV. The accumulation of only low levels of full-length transgene RNA and protein observed in these lines is consistent with an RNA-mediated mechanism of resistance. The lines that were highly resistant to the Hawaiian L isolate of TSWV were also found to be highly resistant to several other isolates of TSWV, while lines that were only moderately resistant to the Hawaiian L isolate were often susceptible to the other isolates. The highly resistant lines were advanced over several generations by self-pollination. Although these lines were fully homozygous, several lines lost resistance in later generations, indicating that the resistance was unstable. Selection for resistance in these unstable lines did not prevent the occurrence of susceptible progeny in subsequent generations. Therefore, testing over several generations is required to determine the stability of resistance when breeding crops with transgenic virus resistance.
TalkTraces: Real-Time Capture and Visualization of Verbal Content in Meetings

Group Support Systems provide ways to review and edit shared content during meetings, but typically require participants to explicitly generate the content. Recent advances in speech-to-text conversion and language processing now make it possible to automatically record and review spoken information. We present the iterative design and evaluation of TalkTraces, a real-time visualization that helps teams identify themes in their discussions and obtain a sense of agenda items covered. We use topic modeling to identify themes within the discussions and word embeddings to compute the discussion "relatedness" to items in the meeting agenda. We evaluate TalkTraces iteratively: we first conduct a comparative between-groups study between two teams using TalkTraces and two teams using traditional notes, over four sessions. We translate the findings into changes in the interface, further evaluated by one team over four sessions. Based on our findings, we discuss design implications for real-time displays of discussion content.
Flexible, multichannel cuff electrode for selective electrical stimulation of the mouse trigeminal nerve.

The trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V), along with other cranial nerves, has in recent years become a popular target for bioelectric medicine due to its direct access to neuromodulatory centers. Trigeminal nerve stimulation is currently being evaluated as an adjunctive treatment for various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases despite the mechanism of action being in question. In this work, we describe the development and validation of a novel neural interface for the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve utilizing a thin film (TF) nerve cuff containing multiple electrode sites allowing for more selective stimulation of the nerve. We characterized the properties of the device using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, voltage excursions, and in vivo testing. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the platinum-based electrodes possess a capacitive charge carrying mechanism suitable for stimulation of biological tissue with a safe charge injection limit of 73.13 μC/cm2. In vivo stimulation experiments show that the TF cuff can reliably stimulate nerve targets eliciting cortical responses similar to a silicone cuff electrode. Furthermore, selecting different pairs of stimulation electrodes on the TF cuff modulated the magnitude and/or spatial pattern of cortical responses suggesting that the device may be able to selectively stimulate different parts of the nerve. These results suggest that the TF cuff is a viable neural interface for stimulation of the infraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve that enables future research examining the therapeutic mechanisms of trigeminal nerve stimulation.
Right Anterior Parasagittal Craniotomy and Interhemispheric Approach for Resection of a Falcontentorial Junction Meningioma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Falcotentorial meningiomas are rare lesions that occur along the midline at the junction of the falx cerebri and tentorium. When large, these lesions pose a surgical challenge because of the risk of neurologic deficits, including cortical blindness. Delicate structures at risk during resection of these lesions include the sagittal sinus, internal cerebral veins, vein of Galen, straight sinus, torcula, and fornix. Although there are a number of very reasonable approaches, including a supracerebellar infratentorial or occipital interhemispheric, we chose an anterior interhemispheric approach to provide the safest route for accessing the largest portion of the tumor while protecting the deep venous system. After identification of the falcine attachment, the tumor is debulked within the tumor capsule. In this case, the tumor was subtotally removed because of the adherence of a small segment of tumor along the vein of Galen. The patient gave informed consent for surgery and video recording. Institutional review board approval was deemed unnecessary. Used with permission from Barrow Neurological Institute.
Erratum: Publisher Correction: Linoleic acid-good or bad for the brain?

Author(s): Taha, Ameer Y | Abstract: [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s41538-019-0061-9.].
Teaching NeuroImages: Epileptiform K-complexes in genetic generalized epilepsy: Common but underappreciated.

We report a 15-year-old boy with a history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and new-onset generalized seizures, referred to our center for further evaluation. Examination was unremarkable, and EEG showed epileptiform K-complexes (figure) along with normal background activity. He was diagnosed with genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE) and managed with medication.
Association between sex hormones and kidney stones: analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Increasing age, male gender, and metabolic syndrome are associated with kidney stone formation. As sex hormones change with age, gender, and metabolic syndrome, we hypothesized that sex hormones may underlie the physiologic changes affecting stone formation. We analyzed the relationships between testosterone, estradiol, and history of kidney stones using data from 10,193 participants in the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 2013–2016. We performed logistic regression analysis to analyze the predictive value of low testosterone and low estradiol on the history of kidney stones in both males and females. Self-reported history of kidney stone diagnosis was the outcome. After adjusting for risk factors known to be associated with nephrolithiasis such as age, race, BMI, and medical comorbidities including: gout, angina, coronary disease, stroke, asthma, hypertension, and diabetes, multiple regression analysis demonstrated that there is no independent association between sex hormones (testosterone and estradiol) and history of kidney stones in either males or females. There appears to be no association between sex hormones and history of kidney stones. Whether there is a more complex interaction of sex hormone levels and the shared association with factors such as metabolic syndrome requires additional investigation. Further studies matching menopausal status for women are necessary to further investigate the potential relationship between estrogen and kidney stones.
O-005 Vascular collateralization may not affect blood gas changes in peri-infarct vasculature in human ischemic stroke

Introduction Ischemic stroke is a prevalent, devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality. Despite extensive research using animal models, there remains significant gaps in understanding processes of stroke in human patients. To address this, we developed a protocol to obtain and to analyze blood immediately proximal in systemic circulation and distal to a thrombus in patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT03153683). Our goal for this project was to evaluate blood gas changes and acid/base balance during stroke and how these changes are affected by patient factors. Methods We analyzed blood samples from the first 62 patients in the BACTRAC registry. Bicarbonate, pO2, and pCO2 values of intracranial (distal) and systemic (proximal) arterial blood relative to the occlusive thrombus were analyzed. Changes were compared in patients according to vascular collateralization as measured by CTA collateral scores. Results Mean age was 68.9 years (25 – 95 years). 29 were male, 33 were female. 15 were current smokers (24%), and 47 were non-smokers (no smoking within the last 6 months; 76%). Overall, intracranial gas values differed significantly from systemic. Compared to systemic, mean intracranial pO2 was decreased (211.39 vs. 246.91, p Discussion and Conclusion A compensated metabolic acidosis is present in arterial blood gas samples immediately proximal and distal to thrombi in large vessel occlusive stroke. Vascular collateralization may not significantly affect the acid-base environment immediately distal to a large vessel occlusion. Disclosures R. Spears: None. C. McLouth: None. K. Pennypacker: None. J. Frank: None. B. Maglinger: None. A. Trout: None. J. Roberts: None. A. Stowe: None. S. Grupke: None. J. Fraser: None.
Floquet prethermalization in dipolar spin chains

Periodically driven Floquet quantum systems could provide a promising platform to investigate novel physics out of equilibrium1, but the drive generically heats the system to a featureless infinite-temperature state2–4. Fortunately, for high driving frequency, the heat absorption rate has been theoretically predicted to be exponentially small, giving rise to a long-lived prethermal regime that exhibits all the intriguing properties of Floquet systems5–8. Here we experimentally observe Floquet prethermalization using NMR techniques and probe the heating rate. We first show the relaxation of a far-from-equilibrium initial state to a long-lived prethermal state, well described by a time-independent ‘prethermal’ Hamiltonian. By measuring the autocorrelation of this prethermal Hamiltonian we can further experimentally confirm the predicted exponentially slow heating rate. More strikingly, we find that, on the timescale at which the prethermal Hamiltonian picture breaks down, the Floquet system still possesses other quasiconservation laws. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to realize robust Floquet engineering, thus enabling the experimental observation of non-trivial Floquet phases of matter. A periodically driven Floquet quantum many-body system initially prepared in a far-from-equilibrium state may exhibit prethermalization: that is, before reaching its thermal equilibrium the system first relaxes to a long-lived quasistationary state.
Student Loan Reform: Rights Under the Law, Incentives Under Contract, and Mission Failure Under ED

The federal student loan program is a disaster. Over five million people are in default even though Congress provides all borrowers with the right to affordable payments and to discharge of borrowers’ debts in specific circumstances. Many student loan borrowers who could benefit from these rights are unaware they exist or are unable to exercise their rights. This Article examines the dynamics and incentives that drive the longstanding problem of high default rates and repayment distress among student loan borrowers. Our core finding is that the Education Department adopts a creditors-rights framework for student loan repayment, which is inapposite for student loans because borrowers have unique, federal rights that are unavailable in market credit transactions. We then demonstrate why the mission and track record of the Education Department, including its failure to manage and oversee servicers, make it unlikely that the Department would ever adopt a borrower-rights focus on student loan repayment. We build the case for the creation of the Student Borrower Protection Agency, modeled in part on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The function of the SBPA would be to serve student loan borrowers. Just as the country needed the CFPB to fill regulatory gaps in consumer financial protection, we need an agency that will deliver to student loan borrowers the rights promised under federal law.
Health surveillance of a potential bridge host: Pathogen exposure risks posed to avian populations augmented with captive-bred pheasants.

Augmentation of wild populations with captive-bred individuals presents an inherent risk of co-introducing novel pathogens to naive species, but it can be an important tool for supplementing small or declining populations. Game species used for human enterprise and recreation such as the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) are commonly raised in captivity and released onto public and private wildlands as a method of augmenting naturalized pheasant populations. This study presents findings on pathogen exposure from three sources of serological data collected in California during 2014-2017 including: (1) 71 pen-reared pheasants sampled across seven game bird breeding farms, (2) six previously released pen-reared pheasants captured at two study sites where wild pheasants occurred, and (3) 79 wild pheasants captured across six study sites. In both pen-reared and wild pheasants, antibodies were detected against hemorrhagic enteritis virus (HEV), infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT), infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), paramyxovirus type 1 (PMV-1), and Pasteurella multocida (PM). Previously released pen-reared pheasants were seropositive for HEV, ILT, and PM. Generalized linear mixed models accounting for intra-class correlation within groups indicated that pen-reared pheasants were more than twice as likely to test positive for HEV antibodies. Necropsy and ancillary diagnostics were performed in addition to serological testing on 40 pen-reared pheasants sampled from five of the seven farms. Pheasants from three of these farms tested positive by PCR for Siadenovirus, the causative agent of both hemorrhagic enteritis in turkeys and marble spleen disease of pheasants, which are serologically indistinguishable. Following necropsy, owners from the five farms were surveyed regarding husbandry and biosecurity practices. Farms ranged in size from 10,000 to more than 100,000 birds, two farms raised other game bird species on premises, and two farms used some form of vaccination. Biosecurity practices varied by farm, but the largest farm implemented the strictest practices.
Intelligent digital beings as children’s imaginary social companions

Being human brings a gift for imaginative thought, an ability that can be used to transform the very world in which we live. That gift has now brought us to a new reality in which we are rapidly ch...
COVID-19 and the academy: opinions and experiences of university-based scientists in the U.S

Much of the available evidence regarding COVID-19 effects on the scientific community in the U.S. is anecdotal and non-representative. We report findings from a based survey of university-based biologists, biochemists, and civil and environmental engineers regarding negative and positive COVID-19 impacts, respondent contributions to addressing the pandemic, and their opinions regarding COVID-19 research policies. The most common negative impact was university closures, cited by 93% of all scientists. Significant subgroup differences emerged, with higher proportions of women, assistant professors, and scientists at institutions located in COVID-19 “hotspot” counties reporting difficulties concentrating on research. Assistant professors additionally reported facing more unanticipated childcare responsibilities. Approximately half of the sample also reported one or more positive COVID-19 impacts, suggesting the importance of developing a better understanding of the complete range of impacts across all fields of science. Regarding COVID-19 relevant public policy, findings suggest divergence of opinion concerning surveillance technologies and the need to alter federal approval processes for new tests and vaccines.
Relativistic fictitious forces from the perspective of the accelerated rotating platform

In the current paper we present the expression of the relativistic fictitious forces as measured in the frame of a non-uniformly rotating platform. The solution is of great interest for real time a...
Firms, Politicians, and Capital Structure

The political environment in which a firm operates affects a firm's optimal capital structure. Politicians frequently derive a political benefit from imposing costs on firms. Nevertheless, politicians do not want firms to become financially distressed or enter bankruptcy as this affects their electoral prospects. Firms are therefore able to use debt to limit the impositions placed on them by politicians. As the marginal benefit that accrues to politicians of imposing costs on firms decreases, firms optimally decrease their debt levels. Using U.S. data, I show that large firms lower their debt levels on the order of 3% when friendly politicians chair senate committees that are relevant to their industry.
NOTE ON POST-WELDED HULL PLATE LOAD-DISPLACEMENT BEHAVIOR

Initial imperfections occur during the ship production process as a result, primarily, of welding and forming. To determine whether this will occur or not requires knowledge of the hull plate load-deflection response for plates with different aspect and slenderness ratios. It is shown that for plates with an aspect ratio less than 2.45, the relationship can be determined. It is recommended that additional field measurements be made to clarify the shape of the post-welded deformation of larger-aspect-ratio plates.
Folate deprivation increases presenilin expression, gamma‐secretase activity, and Abeta levels in murine brain: potentiation by ApoE deficiency and alleviation by dietary S‐adenosyl methionine

Folate deficiency has been associated with age-related neurodegeneration. One direct consequence of folate deficiency is a decline in the major methyl donor, S-adenosyl methionine (SAM). We demonstrate herein that dietary deficiency in folate and vitamin E, coupled pro-oxidant stress induced by dietary iron, increased presenilin-1 expression, gamma-secretase activity, and Abeta levels in normal adult mice. These increases were potentiated by apolipoprotein E deficiency as shown by treatment of transgenic mice homozygously lacking murine apolipoprotein E. Dietary supplementation with SAM in the absence of folate attenuated or alleviated these deleterious consequences. These findings link nutritional and genetic risk factors for age-related neurodegeneration and underscore that dietary supplementation with SAM may be useful to augment therapeutic approaches.
Use of drugs to protect against fetal asphyxia.

Abstract Various drugs were given to pregnant and newborn rabbits to determine whether certain agents will protect fetuses and newborn animals from asphyxia. The drugs tested were antacids, antimuscarinics, antihistamines, dextrose or fructose, narcotics, sedatives, and tranquilizers. At least one drug in each group was shown to increase significantly the incidence of fetal and newborn resuscitation after a specific asphyxial episode. Scopolamine and dimenhydrinate provided the highest survival rates, but the differences among the various drugs were not great. Apparently, at least four mechanisms of drug action were responsible for this increased protection: reduction of acidemia, hibernation or inactivity, glycolysis, and inhibition of vagal reflexes. Except for the addition of dextrose, combinations of various successful drugs did not increase the rate of resuscitation.
An optimal estimation algorithm for multiuser chaotic communications systems

In a multiuser chaotic communications scheme, each user's information is modulated with a different chaotic system and then transmitted independently. However, the receiver sees the superposition of these signals with additional noise. In this paper, a novel optimal estimation algorithm for such multiuser chaotic communications systems is presented. The goal is to estimate the chaotic signal being sent by each individual user so that its message information can be estimated. First, it is shown that it is possible, except in certain pathological cases, to separate chaotic signals. Then the symbolic dynamics representation of chaotic systems is exploited to enable the representation of the multiuser chaotic system with an equivalent trellis diagram. The Viterbi algorithm is then used to estimate each chaotic signal by utilizing the trellis diagram representation. This algorithm yields the minimum mean square error estimate of the chaotic signals. The performance of this algorithm in terms of bit-error rate (BER) is simulated for several different scenarios.
Quantifying colloid retention in partially saturated porous media

[1] The transport of colloid-contaminant complexes and colloid-sized pathogens through soil to groundwater is of concern. Visualization and quantification of pore-scale colloid behavior will enable better description and simulation of retention mechanisms at individual surfaces, in contrast to breakthrough curves which only provide an integrated signal. We tested two procedures for quantifying colloid movement and retention as observed in pore-scale image sequences. After initial testing with static images, three series of images of synthetic microbead suspensions passing through unsaturated sand were examined. The region procedure (implemented in ImageJ) and the Boolean procedure (implemented in KS400) yielded nearly identical results for initial test images and for total colloid-covered areas in three image series. Because of electronic noise resulting in pixel-level brightness fluctuations the Boolean procedure tended to underestimate attached colloid counts and conversely overestimate mobile colloid counts. The region procedure had a smaller overestimation error of attached colloids. Reliable quantification of colloid retention at pore scale can be used to improve current understanding on the transport mechanisms of colloids in unsaturated porous media. For example, attachment counts at individual air/water meniscus/solid interface were well described by Langmuir isotherms.
Contraceptive practice and tuboovarian abscess

The hospital and operative records of 318 women with a discharge diagnosis of tuboovarian abscess (TOA) were reviewed to evaluate the possible relationship between contraceptive usage and the occurrence of TOA. A significantly higher (p < 0.10) proportion of the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) users had acute pelvic inflammatory disease and a significantly lower proportion (p < 0.10) compared to users of other contraceptive methods were surgically treated. The proportions of women with unilateral and bilateral TOAs were similar, regardless of the contraceptive method used. This was true whether diagnosis was based on physical examination alone or confirmed at operation.
The human transcriptional adaptor genes TADA2L and GCN5L2 colocalize to chromosome 17q12-q21 and display a similar tissue expression pattern

The chromosomal locations and the tissue expression patterns of the human transcriptional adaptors TADA2L and GCN5L2 have been determined. Northern blot analysis across a range of human tissues revealed that both the TADA2L and the GCN5L2 mRNAs are expressed to varying degrees in all tissue types. Furthermore, in most tissue types, the genes are expressed at relatively similar levels, suggesting coordinated regulation of TADA2L and GCN5L2 transcription. Chromosomal mapping by fluorescence in situ hybridization indicated that these genes reside near each other on chromosome 17; TADA2L mapped within bands 17q12-q21, while GCN5L2 mapped distally within band 17q21.
Nematic liquid crystal modes for Si wafer-based reflective spatial light modulators

Single-domain nematic liquid crystal (LC) devices based on either the polarization-rotation or the birefringent effect or both are investigated for reflective spatial light modulators (SLMs). We evaluate each LC mode in terms of its contrast ratio, optical efficiency, operating voltage and its tolerance in cell-gap. We study the hybrid-aligned, the 0-, 45- and 63.6°-twisted nematic LC modes which can be operated in either normally white (NW) or normally black (NB) mode. We also include the mixed twisted nematic and self-compensated twist nematic modes for NW and the tilted homeotropic mode for NB. Two-dimensional simulations have been carried out to compare with experimental observation for one of the NB modes implemented in active matrix reflective SLMs to elucidate the effect of fringe-fields. To improve the optical efficiency, we also study polarization-independent LC phase gratings using patterned alignment for reflective SLMs. The basic equations for the diffracted and non-diffracted intensities for both the reverse-twist and orthogonal-twist two-domain LC phase gratings have been derived. The device parameters, the operating voltage and the optical diffraction efficiency are given for various cases with a twist angle equal to or less than 90°.
Multiphase equilibria of the mixture carbon dioxide + toluene + naphthalene

Hong S.-P. and Luks K.D., 1992. Multiphase equilibria of the mixture carbon dioxide + toluene + naphthalene. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 74: 133-144. Solid-liquid-vapor (slg) phase equilibria for the ternary mixture CO2 + toluene + naphthalene are measured at temperatures below the binary slg locus of CO2 + naphthalene using a stoichiometric (visual cell) technique. Conjugate slg runs are performed so that the compositions and molar volumes of both fluid phases in the presence of the solid phase can be determined. These data can be useful for evaluating the equation-of-state parameters for CO2 + naphthalene as a component pair at temperatures below the latter species' melting point. The boundaries of the liquid-liquid-vapor region are also reported for the ternary mixture.
Feeling good vibrations in dialogical relations

I engage phenomenological and empirical perspectives on dialogical relations in infancy in a mutually enlightening and challenging relation. On the one hand, the empirical contributions provide evidence for the primacy of first-to-second person interrelatedness in human sociality, as opposed to the claim of primary syncretism heralded by Merleau-Ponty, and also in distinction from the ego-alter ego model routinely used in phenomenology. On the other hand, phenomenological considerations regarding the lived affective experience of dialogical relatedness enrich and render intelligible the psychological accounts of dialogue in terms of observable behavior. Phenomenological and empirical perspectives on dialogical relatedness thus combine to offer an affectively charged and conversationally patterned notion of primary intersubjectivity in the I-you mode.
Vacuolar hyperpolarizing offsets in Characean cells exposed to mono‐ and bichromatic CW and to squarewave‐modulated electromagnetic radiation in the band 200–1,000 MHz

Single giant cells of the algae Chara braunii and Nitella flexilis were exposed to bursts of electromagnetic radiation (monochromatic CW, bichromatic CW, or squarewave-modulated) in the band 200-1,000 MHz while their vacuolar potentials were monitored using micropipettes. The slow hyperpolarizing response that was observed seemed to be linear in the power deposited in the vicinity of the cell, to be otherwise indifferent to irradiation frequency or modulation, and therefore to be thermal in origin.