cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Finite propagation speed and kernel estimates for Schrödinger operators

We point out finite propagation speed phenomena for discrete and continuous Schrodinger operators and discuss various types of kernel estimates from this point of view.
Closing the dimethyl sulfide budget in the tropical marine boundary layer during the Pacific Atmospheric Sulfur Experiment

Abstract. Fourteen research flights were conducted with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) C-130 near Christmas Island (2° N, 157° W) during the summer of 2007 as part of the Pacific Atmospheric Sulfur Experiment (PASE). In order to tightly constrain the scalar budget of DMS, vertical eddy fluxes were measured at various levels in the marine boundary layer (MBL) from ~30 m to the top of the mixed layer (~500 m) providing improved accuracy of the flux divergence calculation in the DMS budget. The observed mean mole fraction of DMS in the MBL exhibited the well-known diurnal cycle, ranging from 50–95 pptv in the daytime to 90–110 pptv at night. Contributions from horizontal advection are included using a multivariate regression of all DMS flight data within the MBL to estimate the mean gradients and trends. With this technique we can use the residual term in the DMS budget as an estimate of overall photochemical oxidation. Error analysis of the various terms in the DMS budget indicate that chemical losses acting on time scales of up to 110 h can be inferred with this technique. On average, photochemistry accounted for ~7.4 ppt hr −1 loss rate for the seven daytime flights, with an estimated error of 0.6 ppt hr−1. The loss rate due to expected OH oxidation is sufficient to explain the net DMS destruction without invoking the action of additional oxidants (e.g., reactive halogens.) The observed ocean flux of DMS averaged 3.1 (±1.5) μmol m−2 d−1, and generally decreased throughout the sunlit hours. Over the entire mission, the horizontal advection contribution to the overall budget was merely -0.1 ppt hr−1, indicating a mean atmospheric DMS gradient nearly perpendicular to the east-southeasterly trade winds and the chlorophyll gradient in the equatorial upwelling ocean. Nonetheless, horizontal advection was a significant term in the budget of any given flight, ranging from −1.2 to 2.5 ppt hr−1 , indicating a patchy and variable surface seawater DMS distribution, and thus needs to be accounted for in budget studies.
Aim for a Healthy Weight: What Is the Target?

The first guideline statement of the Year 2000 edition of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans is "Aim for a healthy weight." The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution of the weight guideline and discuss some issues related to it. We reviewed current and previous editions of the Dietary Guidelines and the corresponding advisory committee reports. The weight guideline has evolved over the years into one that is complex and touches on a wide range of issues. The 2000 edition emphasizes weight loss more than previous editions. Unlike the other guidelines in the Dietary Guidelines, the weight guideline has a health outcome, a "healthy" weight, rather than a behavioral outcome as its goal. Also unlike the other guidelines, the weight guideline has become more medically oriented over time. The concept of healthy weight in the guidelines includes aspects of body composition, fat distribution and weight-related health conditions. It may be difficult for the public and even for health care providers to interpret some of the concepts included in the weight guideline. Issues related to the appropriate management of weight can be complex and may require a health care provider as a resource for interpretation. Rather than try to incorporate further clinical decision-making and weight loss guidance within the weight guideline, it may be more appropriate to refer the reader to a health care provider for guidance, as was done in previous editions.
Driver Behavior at Freeway-Ramp Merging Areas: Focus Group Findings

Driver behavior is an important factor affecting traffic operations, and it accounts to a large extent for the observed variability in roadway performance. Researchers have developed various driver behavior-related models for operational analysis and simulation applications. These models consider drivers' choices related to gap identification and selection, lane changing, and so on. However, the literature related to drivers' thinking processes and support for the assumptions used in existing models is scarce. This study conducted three focus groups to investigate drivers' intended actions along a freeway-ramp merging segment. Several scenarios were discussed in which participants indicated their thinking process and likely actions while merging or traversing a merging segment. The study considers noncongested and congested traffic conditions. It also correlates the drivers' responses to their individual characteristics.
On‐line data processing techniques for MST radars

The various techniques which are or could be used in the processing of mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere radar scattering data are outlined. The principles of pulse compression, frequency stepping, and coherent integration are reviewed in some detail. Coarse quantization and the calculation of spectral moments are treated very briefly.
Second-Best Tax Policies to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution

Control of nonpoint source pollution often requires regulation of inputs, but first-best solutions are unattainable. Because inputs are monitored by different agencies and regulatory coordination can be costly, it may be more practical to regulate single inputs. A cost-effectiveness approach to determining the best single-input tax policy is developed and applied to the question of reducing nitrate leaching from lettuce production in California. Water is the best single input to regulate, and efficiency losses from this second-best approach appear not to be great. Conditions for the welfare ranking of policies to be invariant to heterogeneity in production or leaching are identified.
Theory and Application of an Estimation Model for Time Series with Nonstationary Means

Time series models of a complex nature, such as consumer brand switching analyses, have required assumptions of parameter stability because statistical models were not available to deal with parameter change. A model is developed here to estimate a stepwise change in the mean process of a Gaussian time series. Estimators which are small-sample efficient in a special sense are presented, along with examples and suggested applications of the method to brand switching problems.
Clarifying Relationships Between Ideology and Ideologically Oriented Cable TV News Use A Case of Suppression

Much recent debate in political communication has centered on the influence of ideologically oriented media outlets. Some argue that the current media environment is creating partisan echo chambers, while others contend that today’s political media afford citizens increased contact with a diverse range of opinion. The current study seeks to clarify relationships between political ideology, conservative cable TV news viewing (i.e., FOX News), and liberal cable TV news viewing (i.e., MSNBC), arguing that ideology serves as a suppressor of the relationship between the two seemingly disparate forms of cable TV news consumption. Analyses of primary 2009-2010 statewide survey data (N = 305) reveal the relationship between FOX News and MSNBC consumption to be positive and this association increases substantially once the role of ideology as suppressor is addressed. A secondary analysis of 2010 PEW data (N = 3,006) reveals a strong replication of the primary analysis results.
Target ablation-induced regulation of macrophage recruitment into the olfactory epithelium of Mip-1α−/− mice and restoration of function by exogenous MIP-1α

The chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α recruits macrophages to sites of epithelial remodeling. We showed previously that mRNA and protein levels of MIP-1α in the olfactory epitheliu...
Tungsten carbides as selective deoxygenation catalysts: experimental and computational studies of converting C3 oxygenates to propene

The deoxygenation activity and selectivity of tungsten monocarbide (WC) have been investigated using a combination of DFT calculations, surface science experiments, and reactor evaluations of catalyst particles. Both WC surfaces and particles are very selective in breaking the C–O/CO bond of propanol and propanal, leading to the production of propene as the main product. The consistency of DFT, surface science and reactor studies in predicting the high selectivity in C–O/CO scission suggests that fundamental studies on model surfaces can be extended to more practical applications. Results from the current paper also identify research opportunities in synthesizing nanoparticle WC and W2C as effective deoxygenation catalysts.
Using a Mixed Methods Content Analysis to Analyze Mission Statements From Colleges of Engineering

A mixed method design was used to conduct a content analysis of the mission statements of colleges of engineering to map inductively derived codes with the EC 2000 outcomes and to test if any of th...
Activation of protein kinase C augments peptide release from rat sensory neurons

To determine whether protein kinase C (PKC) mediates release of peptides from sensory neurons, we examined the effects of altering PKC activity on resting and evoked release of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Exposing rat sensory neurons in culture to 10 or 50 nM phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) significantly increased SP and CGRP release at least 10-fold above resting levels, whereas the inactive 4alpha-PDBu analogue at 100 nM had no effect on release. Furthermore, 100 nM bradykinin increased peptide release approximately fivefold. Down-regulation of PKC significantly attenuated the release of peptides evoked by either PDBu or bradykinin. PDBu at 1 nM or 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol at 50 microM did not alter resting release of peptides, but augmented potassium- and capsaicin-stimulated release of both SP and CGRP approximately twofold. This sensitizing action of PKC activators on peptide release was significantly reduced by PKC down-regulation or by pretreating cultures with 10 nM staurosporine. These results establish that activation of PKC is important in the regulation of peptide release from sensory neurons. The PKC-induced enhancement of peptide release may be a mechanism underlying the neuronal sensitization that produces hyperalgesia.
The evolving understanding of the construct of intellectual disability

AbstractThis article addresses two major areas concerned with the evolving understanding of the construct of intellectual disability. The first part of the article discusses current answers to five critical questions that have revolved around the general question, “What is Intellectual Disability?” These five are what to call the phenomenon, how to explain the phenomenon, how to define the phenomenon and determine who is a member of the class, how to classify persons so defined and identified, and how to establish public policy regarding such persons. The second part of the article discusses four critical issues that will impact both our future understanding of the construct and the approach taken to persons with intellectual disability. These four critical issues relate to the conceptualisation and measurement of intellectual functioning, the constitutive definition of intellectual disability, the alignment of clinical functions related to diagnosis, classification, and planning supports, and how the fie...
A Partitioning Technique of General Combinational Circuit Into a Tree Type Circuit

This paper examines the impacts of different types of circuit partitioning on reducing the computational complexity for test generation problem which usually grows exponentially with the number of input lines in the given circuit. It will be shown that decomposing a general combinational circuit into its modules (supergates) such that these modules constitute the basic elements of a tree circuit (network) considerably reduces the computational complexity of the testing problem. Toward this goal, a partition algorithm is developed. This algorithm partitions a given circuit into maximal supergates whenever this is possible. Its computational complexity depends linearly on the number of lines and gates of the circuit.
Itô’s Excursion Theory, the Hurst Coefficient, and Fractional Excursions in Finance

In this paper, we investigate how Ito’s excursion theory can be usefully applied to economic time series data (Ito 2007). We relate excursion theory to geometric and fractional Brownian motion and the Hurst coefficient. We then calculate the Hurst coefficient for all stocks on the DOW 30, S&P 500 and Russell 2000, showing the distribution of Hurst measures and relating them statistically to excursions. In doing so we provide a nice and intuitive link between Brownian motion and excursions, an application and consequence that we have not seen before.
Redetermination of cis-diaqua-diglycolato-zinc(II).

The title complex, [Zn(C2H3O3)2(H2O)2], was prepared and the crystal structure determined as part of a 67Zn solid state nuclear magnetic resonance study. In the title complex, the Zn atom has a disorted octa­hedral coordination comprising two bidentate glycolate ligands and two water mol­ecules. The water mol­ecules are cis to each other; one is trans to a carboxyl­ate O atom and the other trans to an alcohol O atom. The crystal structure has an extensive O—H⋯O hydrogen-bond network.
A theory for the economic operation of a smart grid with stochastic renewables, demand response and storage

We are motivated by the problems faced by independent system operators in an era where renewables constitute a significant portion of generation and demand response is employed by a significant portion of loads. We address a key issue of designing architectures and algorithms which generate optimal demand response over a time window in a decentralized manner, for a smarter grid consisting of several stochastic renewables and dynamic loads. By optimal demand response, we refer to the demand response which maximizes the sum of the utilities of the agents, i.e., generators, loads, load serving entities, storage services, prosumers, etc., connected to the smart-grid. By decentralized we refer to the desirable case where neither the independent system operator (ISO) needs to know the dynamics/utilities/states of the agents, nor do the agents need to know the dynamics/utilities/states of each other. The communication between the ISO and agents is restricted to the ISO announcing prices, and the agents responding with their energy generation/consumption bids. We begin with the deterministic case for which there is a complete solution. It features a price iteration scheme that results in optimality of social welfare. We also provide an optimal solution for the case where there is a common randomness affecting and observed by all agents. This solution can be computationally complex, though we provide approximations. For the more general partially observed randomness case, we exhibit a relaxation that significantly reduces complexity. We also provide an approximation strategy that leads to a model predictive control (MPC) approach. Simulation results illustrate the increase in social welfare utility compared to some alternative architectures.
Annual variation in habitat selection: patterns concealed by pooled data

I reviewed 43 papers published in The Journal of Wildlife Management (JWM, 1988-91) that examined habitat selection of terrestrial vertebrates by comparing habitat use with availability. My objective was to determine whether annual variation in habitat selection was typically considered in these studies. Most studies (84 %) recognized the potential for variation in habitat selection on a seasonal scale, by either restricting investigations to one season or analyzing data separately for individual seasons. In contrast, 72 % of the 39 studies that spanned > 1 year pooled data on habitat use among years, evidently without testing for annual variation and without presenting use data for individual years. Most studies (56 % of 43) lasted 2 years
HIV Sentinel Surveillance of Pregnant Women in Guilin,2010

Objective To provide scientific evidence for preventing perinatal transmission(PMTCT) of HIV by understanding the AIDS related KAP and the infection rate of HIV,Syphilis and Hepatitis C among pregnant women in Guilin.Methods Totally 400 pregnant women who came to the sentinel unit hospital for the first time from April to June in 2010 were investigated with questionnaire survey and serological test.Results The awareness rate about 8 AIDS questions(at least 6 questions need to be answered correctly) were 57.0 %.The HIV antibody positive rate of them was 0.25%(1/400),the syphilis antibody(RPR) positive rate was 0.25%(1/400) and no HCV antibody positive was identified.Conclusion The awareness rate of AIDS-related knowledge of pregnant women in Guilin is low,thus prenatal detection and health educaton consultation should be enhanced to control the perinatal transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Cooperative Networking and Industrialization Opportunity for TD-SCDMA

Cooperative networking is the basic characteristic and kernel concept of 4G, and it emphasizes the diversity in wireless evolution rather than the network convergence. The goal what the cooperative networking is seeking for is the "emergence effect" addressed by the System Theory,that is to say giving birth to the ability that systems can never have without cooperation among them. The cooperative networking may be of various forms and involve multiple key technologies. TD-SCDMA is one of the three 3G standards accepted by ITU. If it follows the evolution road map of WCDMA or CDMA2000, it will gradually lose its system characteristics and retain an inferior position. A solution to TD-SCDMA evolution is to build a TD-SCDMA _Co system that is compatible with such existing systems as the handset TV system and cable TV system over the cooperative design of the TD-SCDMA system with these existing systems. With the relatively mature technologies and supported by the existing industry chain, the TD-SCDMA _Co system may not only have the low cost of network construction, but also economically offer services. Besides, it may expediently implement indoor and outdoor coverage. The TD-SCDMA _Co system may enter into the mobile communication, terrestrial TV broadcasting, family and mobile IPTV, and other markets.
Origin of Weedy Rice as Revealed by Hybridizations among Cultivated Rice and its Wild Relatives

The objectives of this study are to explore the occurrence and development of weedy rice by investigating the frequency of weedy rice,which occurred in the progenies of crosses amount wild rice species,typical weedy rice,rice subspecies and cultivars.The results of this study indicated that wild and weedy rice showed brown or golden color of glum with or without awns and red pericarp,spreading type of panicles and shattering easily.Analysis for qualitative characteristics in F2 population suggested that the hybrid combinations with one of its parental line,which genetically nearer to its ancestry lines,would be prone to produce more weedy rice like plants.The frequencies of occurrence of weedy rice like plants in F2 population varied depending on the genetic similarities between the two parents.The more different between two parental lines are the more frequent weedy rice like plants produced.The sequence is as: weedy rice or wild rice/Japonica(44.16%)weedy rice or wild rice/Indica(27.84%)Indica/Japonica(3.30%)Indica/Indica(1.41%)Japonica/Japonica(0).By bagging the panicle during flowering,the occurrence of weedy rice in the F2 population would be as high as 10.70%,while 4.90% of without bagging for the same hybrid combinations,indicating that certain degree of out-crossing would be relatively reduce the occurrence of weedy rice in the F2 population.A road map for occurrence and population development of weedy rice was discussed.Method of effective control of weedy rice was also proposed.
Application of Multidimensional Data Technology in Electric Power Company Data Analysis

The establishment of electric power company data center provides basis for operation of unified company information platform,which is able to utilize data and information from the center to provide full decision support for management.The methodology of constructing multidimensional data analysis model based on data center,demonstration of multidimensional data set,multidimensional viewgraph handling,and multidimensional data process strategies and storage,etc.,are discussed in detail,which provide a feasible scheme for electric power company data analysis.
Mechanisms of Selenium Inhibition of Tumorigenesis

Numerous experiments have demonstrated that selenium supplementation to the diet at modest and nontoxic levels is an effective inhibitor of mammary tumorigenesis in mice and rats. In mice, selenium is most effective during the early stages of tumorigenesis, in particular the events surrounding the induction and expression of the preneoplastic transformation. Whereas selenium is an effective chemopreventive agent, there is little data to support its role as an effective therapeutic agent. The mechanisms of selenium-mediated inhibition of tumorigenesis have not been established. However, the available data suggest that selenium does not act by way of the principal selenoprotein in the cell, glutathione peroxidase, nor does selenium inhibit lipid peroxidation. A number of different mechanisms to explain the inhibitory effects of selenium are discussed; however, definitive answers await further experiments.
Recommendations for cardiovascular disease research with lesbian, gay and bisexual adults.

Aims and objectives The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations to strengthen cardiovascular disease research with lesbian, gay and bisexual adults, and highlight implications for practice. Background Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals face significant discrimination that negatively impacts their health. Health disparities research in lesbian, gay and bisexual adults have focused on mental health, sexually transmitted infections and substance use. Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and many lesbian, gay and bisexual adults report increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease, there has been limited research in this area. Design This paper is a critical review. Methods A literature search was conducted that compared cardiovascular disease risk and/or prevalence between lesbian, gay and bisexual and heterosexual adults. Results Measures to assess cardiovascular disease risk factors and diagnoses varied widely across the 31 included studies. There was a lack of standardisation in definitions used for alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, mental health and self-rated physical health. Most studies that reported body mass index relied on participant self-report. Few studies included measures of physical activity and diet and those that did lacked standardisation. Only seven studies used laboratory data to establish diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Conclusions This study is the first comprehensive review on this topic. In cardiovascular disease research with lesbian, gay and bisexual adults, there is a need for: (1) inclusion of stress as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, (2) standardised measures, (3) objective measures for determining the presence of cardiovascular disease, (4) data from electronic health records to strengthen the study of cardiovascular disease in this population. Relevance to clinical practice Strengthening cardiovascular disease research in lesbian, gay and bisexual adults is an important step in addressing health disparities in this population. Nurses and other healthcare professionals should assess sexual orientation in routine health assessments.
18F-Fluoroestradiol PET: Current Status and Potential Future Clinical Applications

Estrogen receptor (ER) expression in breast cancer is associated with a more favorable prognosis and is necessary for a response to endocrine therapies. Traditionally, ER expression is assessed by in vitro assays on biopsied tumor tissue. However, recent advances have allowed in vivo evaluation of ER expression with (18)F-fluoroestradiol ((18)F-FES) PET. Clinical studies have demonstrated the use of (18)F-FES PET as a method for quantifying in vivo ER expression and have explored its potential as a predictive assay and method of assessing in vivo pharmacodynamic response to endocrine therapy. This review outlines the biology and pharmacokinetics of (18)F-FES, highlights the current experience with (18)F-FES in patient studies on breast cancer and other diseases, and discusses potential clinical applications and the possible future clinical use of (18)F-FES PET.
Modulation of oxidative stress as a means of life-prolonging action of dietary restriction

Modulation of various aspects of oxidative stress by dietary restriction was reviewed. Recent evidence strongly supports the notion that dietary restriction is the most effective paradigm that can modulate free radical damage and provides the best test to generate evidence for the involvement of free radicals in the aging process.
Ovarian hemorrhage due to anticoagulants

Six cases of ovarian hemorrhage secondary to anticoagulant therapy are described. Cardiac valvular prostheses required the use of oral anticoagulants in four patients in this series; the other two suffered a pulmonary infarction secondary to thromboembolism and required sustained anticoagulant therapy. Pertinent data from 28 other case reports are reviewed. Awareness of this syndrome during child-bearing years, early recognition, and aggressive management should prevent a fatal outcome.
Synthesis of Nonpolycyclopentanoid Natural Products by Way of Diquinane Intermediates

Di- and triquinanes have increasingly found service as building blocks for construction of natural products lacking formal polycyclopentanoid frameworks [374]. In this segment of the review, the most recent applications of successful strategems of this type are surveyed.
David Oliver: NHS doctors’ licence to challenge

Imagine that you’re a head teacher at a state school. You have a professional obligation to give children the best education you can with the resources you have. They have no second chance. Whatever you may think about workforce gaps, dilapidated buildings, curriculum changes, class sizes, testing, and inspection, you strive to deliver maximum value to the students. You are on the public payroll. If you don’t like it you can leave, and plenty do. None of this is incompatible with a simultaneous right and duty to highlight all of the problems you believe compromise teachers’ jobs and children’s …
Cesium immobilization in (Ba,Cr)-hollandites: Effects on structure

Abstract Hollandites with compositions Ba 1.15−x Cs 2 x Cr 2.3 Ti 5.7 O 16 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.15) intended for the immobilization of cesium (Cs) from nuclear waste have been prepared, characterized, and analyzed for Cs retention properties. Sol-gel synthesized powders were used for structural characterization using a combination of X-ray, neutron, and electron diffraction techniques. Phase-pure hollandites adopting tetragonal (I4/m) or monoclinic symmetry (I2/m) were observed to form in the compositional range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4. Structural models for the compositions, x = 0, 0.15, and 0.25 were developed from Rietveld analysis of powder diffraction data. Refined anisotropic displacement parameters ( β ij ) for the Ba and Cs ions in the hollandite tunnels indicate local disorder of Ba/Cs along the tunnel direction. In addition, weak superlattice reflections were observed in X-ray and electron diffraction patterns that were due to the compositional modulation i.e., ordering of ions and vacancies along tunnel direction. Our overall observations suggest the phase-pure hollandites studied assumed supercell structures with ordered tunnel cations, which in turn have positional disorder in individual supercells.
Patient characteristics and outcomes in adolescents and young adults with classical Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Little is known about the outcomes of Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) in adolescents and young adults (AYA). We reviewed all patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), and myelofibrosis (MF) treated at our institution from 1988 to 2016 who were aged 16 to 39 years (AYA) and described their outcomes in comparison to older MPN population. Of 2206 patients, 185 (8.3%) were identified as AYA: 105 (57%) ET, 43 (23%) PV, and 37 (20%) MF. The median age was 33 years [range, 16–39], and median follow-up time 3 years [range, 0.04–25]. JAK2 allele burdens were significantly lower among AYA JAK2V617F-mutated patients in both PV (p = 0.001) and MF (p = 0.005). Seven percent of MPN AYA patients were diagnosed with a thrombotic event at, or prior to, diagnosis. Over the short median follow-up, 4 thrombotic (PV = 1, MF = 3) and 3 leukemia (ET = 2, MF = 1) events occurred. In multivariate analysis, AYA did not predict for thrombotic or transformational events across three cohorts. In the MF cohort, there was a reduced frequency of negative prognostic variables of anemia (p = 0.011) and leukocytosis (p = 0.048) in AYA when compared with non-AYA. Overall survival was significantly superior in the AYA cohorts in all three MPN groups, namely MF (p < 0.001), PV (p < 0.001), and ET (p = 0.002). Our findings suggest that MPN AYA patients exhibit an indolent clinical phenotype characterized by favorable survival outcomes.
The Internet and Eating Disorders

The cost of medical care continues to be an issue for governmental organizations and companies. As a consequence, there are efforts to reduce costs. The “medicalization” of the eating disorders with the use of pharmaceuticals to displace costs of more intensive counseling is one trend toward reduction of health care expense. The development of Internet resources to substitute for personalized counseling is another..
Core temperature relationships with spontaneous behavior in the rat

Abstract Spontaneous eating, drinking, running, general activity, and core temperature in thirteen rats were continuously monitored for a 14-day period. Temperature was found to vary around bouts of behavior, increasing prior to and decreasing after the behaviors. These changes in temperature were found to result from changes in the levels of other behaviors prior to and after a behavior. It was concluded that under conditions of constant moderate environmental temperature, core temperature is not a significant determining factor in the regulation of simple behaviors. Rather it appears that behavior is the determining factor in core temperature fluctuations.
Behavioral Pharmacology of Amphetamines

Originally sold as a bronchodilator in the early 1930s, amphetamine soon became known for its stimulant effects on behavior (Angrist, 1983). The drug has been used to overcome fatigue and to improve performance on certain types of motor or cognitive tasks (Koelega, 1993; Laties & Weiss, 1981). These stimulant effects often occur in conjunction with feelings of euphoria, a combination that has led to the widespread abuse of amphetamine and its analogs, including a pure form of methamphetamine known as “ice,” which emerged on the recreational drug scene in the late 1980s (Cho, 1990). Invariably, abuse of these drugs induces a psychosis that is clinically similar to paranoid schizophrenia (Akiyama, Hamamura, Ujike, Kanzaki, & Otsuki, 1991; Snyder, 1973).
A Dynamical Systems Approach to Neuromorphic Computation of Conditional Probabilities

Here we describe a spiking neural network model for obtaining the conditional probability between two random variables from the synaptic weight between two corresponding neurons. Our method does not aim to mimic biologically plausible processes in the brain, but instead aims to replace slow Bayesian updating algorithms with highly parallel, simple computations by taking inspiration from Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP), a naturally occurring phenomena of neuronal synapses. The neuronal network we develop can operate in two different modes to both learn the joint distribution of variables, and read out conditional probabilities based on partial input. Furthermore, it relies on integer-valued neurons and synapses, making it amenable to hardware-based implementations. We demonstrate this capability of our novel probabilistic computation unit by encoding synthetically generated input data streams into spike trains and letting the synaptic weight of interest converge to the correct conditional probability.
Overcoming the Special Interests that Have Ruined Our Tax Code

Federal, state and local tax policy is a mess. The 2,600 pages of the federal tax code are maddeningly complex and unnecessarily inefficient, but why? This chapter gives a detailed account of how the tax code got to where it is today, the role that special interests have played in creating a bloated tax code, and how we can make the tax code fair for all. Key takeaways: (1) Our tax code is a mess because it reflects the interests of groups looking for special tax treatment. (2) It’s imperative that we understand the history and origins of special interests’ influence on the tax code in order to clean up the mess.
Oxide Nanowires and Nanolasers

Nanoscale one-dimensional (1D) materials have stimulated great interest due to their importance in basic scientific research and potential technology applications [1, 2, 3]. Other than carbon nanotubes, one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as nanowires or quantum wires are ideal systems for investigating the dependence of electrical transport, optical and mechanical properties on size and dimensionality. They are expected to play important roles as both interconnects and functional components in the fabrication of nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic devices. Many unique and fascinating properties have already been proposed or demonstrated for this class of materials, such as superior mechanic toughness [4], higher luminescence efficiency [5], enhancement of thermoelectric figure of merit [6] and lowered lasing threshold [7]. Previously, nanowires with different compositions have been explored, using various methods including vapor phase transport process [8, 9, 10], chemical vapor deposition [11, 12], arc-discharge [13], laser ablation [12, 14], solution [5, 15] and template-based method [16, 17].
Oxidizable Ketones: Persistent Radical Cations from the Single-Electron Oxidation of 2,3-Diaminocyclopropenones.

Single electron oxidation of 2,3-diaminocyclopropenones is shown to give rise to stable diaminocyclopropenium oxyl (DACO) radical cations. Cyclic voltammetry reveals reversible oxidations in the range of +0.70-1.10 V (vs. SCE). Computational, EPR, and X-ray analysis support the view that the oxidized species is best described as a cyclopropenium ion with spin density located on the heteroatom substituents, including 23.5 % on oxygen. The metal-ligand behavior of the DACO radical is also described.
Good music: what it is & who gets to decide

At a time when scholars are reexamining the classical Western music canon while giving previously marginalized areas of music the attention they deserve, we must challenge the traditional value sys...
Perceived Efficacy of Medical Cannabis in the Treatment of Co-Occurring Health-Related Quality of Life Symptoms

For persons living with chronic conditions, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) symptoms, such as pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, often interact and mutually reinforce one another. Ther...
Achieving Critical Dialogue in Online Doctoral Programs: an Exploration of Student Perceptions and Experiences with Multiple Modalities

Critical pedagogy employs dialogue that is embodied, reflective, and authentic with aims to promote action toward social justice. Although online learning is well suited to support several characteristics of critical dialogue (i.e., participant diversity, student discussions, emphasis on reflection), it can also be impersonal and disembodied. The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences and perceptions of online doctoral students in a course designed to facilitate critical dialogue about education. The course experimented with three discussion formats aimed at achieving critical dialogue: (a) traditional, text-based discussion board; (b) asynchronous video (voice thread), and (c) recorded small-group, synchronous video discussions followed by asynchronous discussion board interactions. In this paper, we share results from student surveys of three semesters of the course (n = 22 of 46 students enrolled). The findings suggest that students preferred synchronous video chats and perceived this format as most supportive of critical dialogue. Students, on average, rated the discussion board format as the least enjoyable, least engaging, and least supportive of critical dialogue. Students’ open-ended comments emphasized that the discussion board and voice thread formats promoted reflection but were less supportive of interactive dialogue. We conclude by discussing implications regarding course design and student support for online instructors who aim to promote critical dialogue in online courses.
Development of cold plasma pretreatment for improving phenolics extractability from tomato pomace

Abstract In this study, high voltage atmospheric cold plasma (HVACP) with different working gases (air, Ar, He and N2) was used to modify the surface of tomato pomace, aiming to facilitate the migration of phenolic compounds during extraction hence increase their extraction efficiency. In addition to rupturing the epidermal cells of tomato pomace, HVACP treatments were found to decrease the water contact angle of tomato peels and accelerate the drying of tomato fruit, indicating that the treated surfaces were more hydrophilic. Tomato pomace treated by He and N2 plasmas showed increased extraction yields of phenolic compounds by nearly 10%, and all HVACP treatments increased the antioxidant capacity of tomato pomace extracts and slightly changed the concentration profile of their phenolic compounds. The developed HVACP pretreatment technology is a promising method for valorizing tomato processing byproducts with high nutritional values. Industrial relevance Tomato pomace is a good source of phenolic compounds, however, the huge amount generated from commercial tomato processing has caused a severe waste problem. Conventional extraction methods for phenolic compounds are generally time-consuming with intensive use of organic solvents that are thus considered not environment-friendly. This new cold plasma pretreatment method can not only help mitigate the environmental burdens associated with agricultural waste management but also convert waste into value-added functional food ingredients and neutraceuticals in a more efficient way.
Bacterial Peptidoglycan Fragments Differentially Regulate Innate Immune Signaling

ABSTRACT The human innate immune system responds to both pathogen and commensal bacteria at the molecular level using bacterial peptidoglycan (PG) recognition elements. Traditionally, synthetic and commercially accessible PG monosaccharide units known as muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and N-glycolyl MDP (ng-MDP) have been used to probe the mechanism of innate immune activation of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as NOD-like receptors (NLRs). However, bacterial PG is a dynamic and complex structure, with various chemical modifications and trimming mechanisms that result in the production of disaccharide containing elements. These molecules pose as attractive targets for immunostimulatory screening; however, studies are limited due to their synthetic accessibility. Inspired by disaccharide containing compounds produced from the gut microbe, Lactobacillus acidophilus, a robust and scalable chemical synthesis of PG-based disaccharide ligands was implemented. Together with a monosaccharide PG library, compounds were screened for their ability to stimulate proinflammatory genes in bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs). The data reveal a diverse gene induction pattern between monosaccharide and disaccharide PG units, suggesting that PG innate immune signaling is more complex than a one-activator-one pathway program, as biologically relevant fragments induce distinct transcriptional programs. These disaccharide molecules will serve as critical immunostimulatory tools to more precisely define specialized innate immune regulatory mechanisms that distinguish between commensal and pathogenic bacteria residing in the microbiome.
preciseTAD: A machine learning framework for precise 3D domain boundary prediction at base-level resolution

Abstract High-throughput chromosome conformation capture technology (Hi-C) revealed extensive DNA looping and folding into discrete 3D domains. These include Topologically Associating Domains (TADs) and chromatin loops, the 3D domains critical for cellular processes like gene regulation and cell differentiation. The relatively low resolution of Hi-C data (regions of several kilobases in size) prevents precise mapping of domain boundaries. However, the high resolution of genomic annotations associated with boundaries, such as CTCF and members of cohesin complex, suggests they can inform the precise location of domain boundaries. Several methods attempted to leverage genome annotation data for predicting domain boundaries; however, they overlooked key characteristics of the data, such as spatial associations between an annotation and a boundary, and a much smaller number of boundaries than the rest of the genome (class imbalance). We developed preciseTAD, an optimized random forest model to improve the location of domain boundaries. Trained on high-resolution genome annotation data and boundaries from low-resolution Hi-C data, the model predicts the location of boundaries at base-level resolution. We investigated several feature engineering and resampling techniques (random over- and undersampling, Synthetic Minority Over-sampling TEchnique (SMOTE)) to select the most optimal data characteristics and address class imbalance. Density-based clustering and scalable partitioning techniques were used to identify the precise location of boundary regions and summit points. We benchmarked our method against the Arrowhead domain caller and a novel chromatin loop prediction algorithm, Peakachu, on the two most annotated cell lines. We found that spatial relationship (distance in the linear genome) between boundaries and annotations has the most predictive power. Transcription factor binding sites outperformed other genome annotation types. Random under-sampling significantly improved model performance. Boundaries predicted by preciseTAD were more enriched for CTCF, RAD21, SMC3, and ZNF143 signal and more conserved across cell lines, highlighting their higher biological significance. The model pre-trained in one cell line performs well in predicting boundaries in another cell line using only genomic annotations, enabling the detection of domain boundaries in cells without Hi-C data. Our study implements the method and the pre-trained models for precise domain boundary prediction using genome annotation data. The precise identification of domain boundaries will improve our understanding of how genomic regulators are shaping the 3D structure of the genome. preciseTAD R package is available on https://dozmorovlab.github.io/preciseTAD/ and Bioconductor (submitted).
A Latent Transition Analysis of Youth Bullying Victimization Patterns over Time and Their Relations to Delinquency

Peer victimization patterns from elementary school transitioning into late middle school have not been assessed in detail. Even less work has considered how these patterns differ across family context and then are linked to delinquency in adolescence. This study used longitudinal data (n = 2,892) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine peer victimization classification and change over six years while distinguishing across sex and family contexts. Latent transition analysis (LTA) shows that youth can be classified into minor victimization, mainly verbal victimization, and all-type victimization subgroups over time with some sex differences, regardless of whether they were in two-parent families. The majority of the youth were in either the mainly verbal victimization (53% for boys; 42% for girls) or all-type victimization (12% for boys; 21% for girls) statuses when they were about 9 years old, but substantial transition positioned most boys (84%) and girls (82%) in the minor victimization status instead when they were about 15 years old. Youth who were Hispanic, in two-parent families, and more open to parents had a reduced risk of peer victimization, but youth who were in a poor family had an increased risk of peer victimization. Peer victimization statuses were significantly associated with youth delinquency, and there were sex and time differences in the association. In year 9, 45% to 94% of boys and 24% to 75% of girls were involved in delinquency based on their victimization statuses, but the difference was 48% to 67% for boys and 39% to 59% for girls in year 15. The findings suggest developing and implementing peer victimization prevention starting from early elementary school, concurrently addressing peer victimization and delinquency, and paying close attention to sex and family context differences.
Biological Control of Citrus Huanglongbing with EB92-1, a Benign Strain of Xylella fastidiosa

Huanglongbing (HLB), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, is currently the most destructive disease of citrus and threatens production in all affected areas. There is no cure. Benign Xylell...
How Science Teachers DiALoG Classrooms: Towards a Practical and Responsive Formative Assessment of Oral Argumentation

We present lessons learned from an ongoing attempt to conceptualize, develop, and refine a way for teachers to gather formative assessment evidence about classroom argumentation as it happens. The system—named DiALoG (Diagnosing Argumentation Levels of Groups)—includes a digital scoring tool that allows teachers to assess oral classroom argumentation across two primary dimensions: one to capture the Intrapersonal, discipline-specific features of scientific arguments, and another to capture the Interpersonal, group regulatory features of argumentation as a dynamic social act. Coupled with the digital assessment are responsive mini-lessons (RMLs), which provide follow-up curriculum for teachers to respond to different levels of classroom argumentation proficiency for each item assessed. We use classroom observations, interviews, and surveys from piloting science teachers in two different states to iteratively refine this multifaceted formative assessment system of oral classroom argumentation. Lessons learned include the realization by pilot teachers that using the DiALoG system fine-tunes their professional vision to notice student practices they had not previously considered, and the accompanying RMLs help fill gaps in their pedagogical content knowledge and repertoire. Furthermore, while the DiALoG system is intended to be a formative assessment, we learned that the mere presence of numerical scores can queue teacher schema for summative assessment. This prompted us to do away with numbers entirely in the latest version of our digital scoring tool. Such lessons learned from teacher experiences with the development of a novel formative assessment system like DiALoG can be instructive to the development of science educational technology more broadly.
The evolution of clinical laboratory regulation--a primer for universal health care.

For the past 300 years science has been providing the discovery necessary to develop a complex system of medical diagnosis, prevention and treatment. However, in the process of applying such a system to a societal need in this nation, something has been lost. This is the concept that freedom implies equal availability for all to the products and services of the medical marketplace in the sense of a “positive right”, rather than the negative protection of the Bill of Rights.