cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metal-insulator transition in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 with various substitutions for Cu.

We have measured the resistance and magnetoresistance of ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.85}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.15}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ with five different impurities (Zn, Ni, Ga, Co and Fe) substituted for Cu, down to 50 mK, and in magnetic fields up to 8 T. The concentration ${\mathit{x}}_{\mathit{c}}$ at which superconductivity disappears is smaller than the concentration ${\mathit{x}}_{\mathrm{MI}}$ at which the metal-insulator (MI) transition occurs, leaving in each case a metallic, nonsuperconducting region of concentration. We show that ${\mathit{x}}_{\mathrm{MI}}$ is determined by a superposition of the impurity-induced disorder and the carrier concentration. ${\mathit{x}}_{\mathit{c}}$, on the other hand, is a function of the effective local magnetic moment induced by the impurity. In the metallic specimens \ensuremath{\sigma} varies with \ensuremath{\surd}T up to a temperature ${\mathit{T}}^{\mathrm{*}}$ which increases with the effective local magnetic moment induced by the impurity, and for Fe reaches 70 K. The magnetoresistance is negative except in the presence of superconducting fluctuations. We conclude that these features are the result of the influence of spin scattering on the electron-electron interactions. In strongly insulating specimens the resistivity varies as \ensuremath{\rho}=${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{0}$exp(${\mathit{T}}_{0}$/T${)}^{1/2}$. We demonstrate that the behavior is consistent with variable-range hopping in the presence of a Coulomb gap, and describe the conditions under which the exponent may change to 1/4 in the vicinity of the MI transition.
Musical Multiplicities in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Among the most notable attributes of music since 1900 is the diversity of simultaneous musical approaches. Performers and composers explore the repertories they champion and provide insights into their distinctive approaches. Max Morath, along with William Bolcom and Joan Morris, address dimensions of ragtime, while Jay McShann and George Shearing each reflect on the essence of jazz. Composers Carlisle Floyd, John Cage, Jennifer Higdon, Chen Yi, and Zhou Long, offer insights into their processes of musical creation and the art of sound.
Six3 and Six6 Are Jointly Required for the Maintenance of Multipotent Retinal Progenitors through Both Positive and Negative Regulation.

Summary Gene regulation of multipotent neuroretinal progenitors is partially understood. Through characterizing Six3 and Six6 double knockout retinas (DKOs), we demonstrate Six3 and Six6 are jointly required for the maintenance of multipotent neuroretinal progenitors. Phenotypes in DKOs were not found in either Six3 nulls or Six6 nulls. At the far periphery, ciliary margin (CM) markers Otx1 and Cdon together with Wnt3a and Fzd1 were ectopically upregulated, whereas neuroretinal progenitor markers Sox2, Notch1, and Otx2 were absent or reduced. At the mid periphery, multi-lineage differentiation was defective. The gene set jointly regulated by Six3 and Six6 significantly overlapped with the gene networks regulated by WNT3A, CTNNB1, POU4F2, or SOX2. Stimulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by either Wnt-3a or a GS3Kβ inhibitor promoted CM progenitors at the cost of neuroretinal identity at the periphery of eyecups. Therefore, Six3 and Six6 together directly or indirectly suppress Wnt/β-catenin signaling but promote retinogenic factors for the maintenance of multipotent neuroretinal progenitors.
Medicolegal and Ethical Considerations in Oral Surgery by the General Dentist

Medicolegal and ethics issues that face the general dentist in their practice of oral surgery frequently overlap with those issues faced throughout the practice of general dentistry. Given that overlap, this chapter discusses medicolegal and ethical issues in two broad ways: first, those issues that are traditional medicolegal or ethical issues across practice areas that have special implications regarding oral surgery in the practice of general dentistry and second, those emerging issues related to technology and to the regulatory environment that, while in some less specific to the oral surgery context, are nonetheless apt because of their changing nature. In the first half of this chapter, we consider those traditional issues with special implications for oral surgery in the general dentistry practice. These include informed consent, standard of care, and scope of practice. The second half of the chapter explores the current regulatory environment, the medicolegal implications of new technologies, and the interplay between technology and compliance. This consists of discussions around opioid analgesic prescribing, HIPAA and HITECH compliance, electronic health records, and other related privacy and security issues involving software, hardware, and the emerging Internet of Things.
School Firearm Violence Prevention Practices and Policies: Functional or Folly?

Abstract Firearm injuries are the third leading cause of death for youth (14% of all deaths of youth 1–19 years of age). In 2016, there were 3155 firearm deaths of youths <19 years of age. Recently...
Damage site location by uracil DNA glycosylase involves short‐range sliding and efficient DNA hopping

The astonishingly efficient location and excision of damaged DNA bases by DNA repair glycosylases is an especially intriguing mechanistic problem. The problem is exemplified by the paradigm enzyme ...
Not Reporting Results of a Clinical Trial Is Academic Misconduct

The editorialists discuss Tatsioni and colleagues' findings and believe that failure to report clinical trial results should be considered academic misconduct at the individual and institutional le...
Hyper dimension shuffle: efficient data repartition at petabyte scale in SCOPE

In distributed query processing, data shuffle is one of the most costly operations. We examined scaling limitations to data shuffle that current systems and the research literature do not solve. As the number of input and output partitions increases, naive shuffling will result in high fan-out and fan-in. There are practical limits to fan-out, as a consequence of limits on memory buffers, network ports and I/O handles. There are practical limits to fan-in because it multiplies the communication errors due to faults in commodity clusters impeding progress. Existing solutions that limit fan-out and fan-in do so at the cost of scaling quadratically in the number of nodes in the data flow graph. This dominates the costs of shuffling large datasets.We propose a novel algorithm called Hyper Dimension Shuffle that we have introduced in production in SCOPE, Microsoft's internal big data analytics system. Hyper Dimension Shuffle is inspired by the divide and conquer concept, and utilizes a recursive partitioner with intermediate aggregations. It yields quasilinear complexity of the shuffling graph with tight guarantees on fan-out and fan-in. We demonstrate how it avoids the shuffling graph blow-up of previous algorithms to shuffle at petabyte-scale efficiently on both synthetic benchmarks and real applications.
An Enactive Approach to Learning Music Theory? Obstacles and Openings

While music theory learning remains at the core of traditional music education, calls for more embodied and enactive approaches to music instruction rarely address theory pedagogy directly. This paper reconsiders theory teaching through a 4E lens, by (1) clarifying the obstacles presented by the legacy of Cartesian thought underlying conventional theory curricula, and (2) offering an original curricular tool that promotes embodied and enactive sense-making in an affordance-rich classroom environment. The tool is an adaptation of Conduction® –– a lexicon of signs and gestures created by jazz artist Butch Morris to be a flexible alternative to notation, allowing Morris to compose in real-time with an ensemble of any type, size, or background. In a theory-learning context, students bring their instruments to class, form an ensemble, and take turns using signs and gestures to conduct their peers, guided through processes aligned with learning objectives (ex. harmonic minor scales, Neapolitan chords, or polytonality), as well as to more freely experiment with musical structure in situ, with minimal or no reliance upon notation. Listening skills, structural knowledge, analytical proficiency, and performance technique are all enacted in the three roles students play: individual performer, ensemble member, and conductor. As students are placed in contact with the embodied metaphors that constitute the sense of musical structure, the cumulative effect is a deeply embodied sense of their musicality, and the identification of musical goals and theoretical strategies.
Evergreen Production System for Southern Highbush Blueberries in Florida

In central and south-central Florida, many southern highbush blueberries (SHB) are grown in an evergreen system, in which the plants do not go dormant, and are managed to retain their leaves from the previous year through harvest the following spring to support early flowering and fruit set. The evergreen system has also been used under tunnels in north-central Florida. This new 3-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, written by Douglas A. Phillips, Jeffrey G. Williamson, and Patricio R. Munoz, provides an overview of the evergreen production system for SHB in Florida.
PALEOCLIMATE | The Younger Dryas Climate Event

The Younger Dryas is the last major abrupt climate change event of the last deglaciation occurring ~12 900–11 700 years ago. Large portions of the Northern Hemisphere cooled and much of the Southern Hemisphere warmed during the event in a bipolar seesaw pattern. While changes in net precipitation were more variable at higher latitudes, Northern Hemisphere subtropics and tropics were generally drier and the Southern Hemisphere subtropics wetter from southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Many of the climate changes related to the Younger Dryas were likely a response to increased freshwater discharge to the North Atlantic and the attendant reduction in Atlantic meridional overturning strength. Although multiple freshwater forcing hypotheses have been proposed, the existing terrestrial and marine records indicate that the northward retreat of the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from the Great Lakes caused a routing of freshwater from the western Canadian Plains from the Mississippi River to the St. Lawrence River, with the increased freshwater discharge to the North Atlantic slowing ocean circulation and ultimately causing the Younger Dryas.
The E3SM version 1 single-column model

Abstract. The single column model (SCM) functionality of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 1 (E3SMv1) is described in this paper. The E3SM SCM was adopted from the SCM used in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), but has evolved significantly since then. We describe changes made to the aerosol specification in the SCM, idealizations, and developments made so that the SCM uses the same dynamical core as the full general circulation model (GCM) component. Based on these changes, we describe and demonstrate the seamless capability to ``replay" a GCM column using the SCM. We give an overview of the E3SM case library and briefly describe which cases may serve as useful proxies for replicating and investigate some long standing biases in the full GCM runs, while demonstrating that the E3SM SCM is an efficient tool for both model development and evaluation.
Gut microbiome diversity as an independent predictor of survival in cervical cancer patients receiving chemoradiation.

6036Background: Diversity of the gut microbiome is associated with response rates for patients receiving immunotherapy. Studies investigating the gut microbiome and outcomes in cancer patients ofte...
Pragmatic Legalism: Revisiting America's Order after World War II

In recent years, persistent questions regarding America’s role in the world have prompted scholars to revisit the history of World War II and its aftermath, when the foundations of our contemporary international order were arguably laid. Scholarly accounts of the period typically assert that the United States led the way for the establishment of a legalized international order at the time, centered around the norms of international human rights and those of the law of war, and urge that the United States remain true to the same principles in the twenty-first century. More recently, scholars mistrustful of calls for a robust, militarized humanitarian agenda have argued that a much more dismissive attitude towards international law prevailed at the time, in large part due to the reigning influence of international relations realism. Their accounts dovetail with a steadily growing skepticism towards international law in today’s foreign policy establishment. This Article argues that postwar foreign policy was defined by neither an unyielding fidelity to a norms-based international order nor an enduring realist dismissal of that project. Rather, what defined the postwar period was an eclectic, variegated and situational approach to law and regulation: a mode of “pragmatic” legalism. Pragmatic legalism consciously developed as a reaction to the legal sensibilities of prewar foreign policy-makers, who promoted the codification of international norms and the judicial resolution of international disputes. It also developed as a result of larger transformations in American legal thought, notably the rise of sociological jurisprudence and legal realism. The history of pragmatic legalism reveals the possibilities for renewal in contemporary foreign policy, which currently oscillates between moralizing internationalism and skeptical disengagement. A broader array of legal possibilities is imaginable, including one that evokes the pragmatic spirit. This history also calls attention to the limits of such efforts at renewal. The pragmatic spirit, once progressive and experimental, eventually became enmeshed with troubling aspects of America’s global presence. As in the past, so too, today, legal renewal alone can hardly resolve the pressing questions surrounding America’s global presence.
Shame broadcasts social norms: An experimental investigation of what people learn from others' shame

Divergent views exist about whether shame facilitates normative behavior in groups. Functional theories of shame theorize that shame is critical for normative self-governance. However, some prominent reviews of shame conclude that shame serves no adaptive function, given the number of problems associated with experiencing shame. We argue that this latter conclusion is problematic because it focuses solely on the consequences of shame for the person who experiences shame, thus overlooking shame's effects on the larger social context. We propose that shame facilitates norm acquisition—people infer the content of group norms from others' shame. We further propose that observing others' shame promotes norm-conforming behavior—upon witnessing someone feel shame about a behavior, observers adjust their own behavior to align with inferred normative standards. We test and find support for these predictions in four experiments. We manipulate whether someone expresses shame, no specific emotion, or other discrete emotions (e.g., sadness, embarrassment, anxiety, or anger) in response to their behavior. We then assess people's inferences about a group's norms regarding the behavior and people's likelihood of engaging in the behavior. We find that shame sends particularly strong signals about social norms. We also find that in response to witnessing others feel shame, observers will adjust their behavior to align with these inferred norms, even when doing so comes with a financial cost. We discuss how these findings advance understanding of shame's role in social conformity and cultural norms transmission.
Heritable differences in synaptic zinc-transporter levels drive variation in learned birdsong

Abstract Complex learned behaviors exhibit striking variation within populations, yet how heritable factors contribute to such inter-individual differences remains largely unknown. Here, we used behavioral-genetic analysis within a Bengalese finch population (Lonchura striata domestica) to investigate molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying heritable differences in the tempo of learned birdsong. We identified a genomic locus encoding the zinc transporter ZIP11 and found that zip11(SLC39A11) transcript was expressed at higher levels in song control circuitry of faster singing birds. Reducing soluble zinc increased synaptic currents in motor circuitry and accelerated song, whereas reducing ZIP11 slowed song. Our results reveal a novel zinc-dependent mechanism that modulates neural activity to drive differences in behavior and suggest that natural variation in learning may preferentially target modulatory processes rather than core neural machinery. One sentence summary Heritable levels of a synaptic zinc transporter drive inter-individual differences in circuit excitability and learned song
MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and 16S rRNA Gene Sequence Analysis for the Identification of Foodborne Clostridium Spp.

BACKGROUND Clostridium is a genus of Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacteria comprising approximately 100 species. Some Clostridium spp. (C. botulinum, C. perfringens, C. tetani, and C. difficile) have been recognized to cause acute food poisoning, botulism, tetanus, and diarrheal illness in humans. Thus, rapid identification of Clostridium spp. is critical for source-tracking of contaminated food and to understand the transmission dynamics of these foodborne pathogens. OBJECTIVE This study was carried out to rapidly identify Clostridium-like isolates by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS and rRNA sequencing methods. METHOD Thirty-three Clostridium-like isolates were recovered from various baby food and surveillance samples. Species identification of these isolates was accomplished using the VITEK MS system. Sequence characterization of the 16S rRNA region was done on an ABI 3500xL Genetic Analyzer. RESULTS The VITEK MS system identified 28 of the 33 Clostridium-like isolates with a high confidence value (99.9%); no identification was observed for the remaining five isolates. Nucleotide sequencing of the 16S rRNA region identified all 33 Clostridium-like isolates. Furthermore, while characterizing the 16S rRNA gene, 11 distinct Clostridium spp. (Clostridium aciditolerans, Clostridium aerotolerans, Clostridium argentinense, Clostridium beijerinckii, Clostridium bifermentans, Clostridium butyricum, Clostridium cochlearium, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium sporogenes, and Clostridium subterminale) were recognized among the 33 Clostridium-like isolates. One of the Clostridium-like isolates was identified as Citrobacter amalonaticus by both diagnostic methods. The generated 16S rRNA sequences matched completely (100%) with sequences available in GenBank for Clostridium and Citrobacter species. Species identification attained using the VITEK MS for the Clostridium-like isolates was comparable to that from the 16S rRNA sequencing-based data. CONCLUSIONS The VITEK MS and 16S rRNA sequence analysis can be implemented in the species identification of Clostridium spp. isolates of public health importance. HIGHLIGHTS MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA sequencing can be used in the species identification of Clostridium species.
Estimation of the Bid-Ask Spread and its Components: A New Approach

We show that time variation in expected returns and/or partial price adjustments lead to a downward bias in previous estimators of both the spread and its components. We introduce a new approach that provides unbiased and efficient estimators of the components of the spread. We find that between 77 and 97 percent of the downward bias in previous spread estimate is caused by time variation in expected returns. More importantly, the adverse-selection component, though significant, accounts for a much smaller proportion (8 to 13 percent) of the quoted spread, at least for small trades, than the proportion (over 40 percent) previously reported in the literature. Order processing costs are the predominant component of quoted spreads.
Etching for GaN laser facets and material characterization

The ability to remove or etch surface materials is a fundamental device processing step, and as an example, this is required to obtain mesa stripes in laser diode fabrication. In addition, etching can be utilized to realize laser facets as an alternative to cleaving. This is particularly important for GaN-based laser diodes. We will describe and present results on the wide range of dry and wet etching techniques that have been developed for GaN-based materials over the last few years.
Computational Treatments of Peroxy Radicals in Combustion and Atmospheric Reactions

Alkylperoxy radicals play critical roles in both combustion and in atmospheric chemistry. This review focuses on what electronic structure calculations, particularly those involving ab initio composite methods and density functional theory, have revealed about the mechanisms of important reactions in combustion and atmospheric systems. The formation of alkylperoxy radicals by addition of O2 to alkyl radicals usually proceeds without an energy barrier, and the barriers that do exist often must be treated by multireference electronic structure methods to be predicted accurately. In contrast, peroxy radical well depths can be predicted accurately by single-reference methods, provided that electron correlation is treated at the CCSD(T) or QCISD(T) level with basis sets containing multiple polarization functions. The composite CBS-QB3 method does particularly well as judged against experimental measurements of carbon-peroxy bond dissociation enthalpies. CBS-QB3 also describes atmospheric reactions of alkylperoxy radicals with HO2 more accurately than the B3LYP method of density functional theory. Finally, the same single-reference methods that proved accurate for peroxy radical well depths can also be employed in accurate statistical rate theory models of the unimolecular reactions involved in low-temperature combustion. Multiple variants of density functional theory have proven considerably less accurate in this regard. Keywords: alkylperoxy radicals; combustion; atmospheric chemistry; electronic structure theory; quantum chemistry; composite methods; CBS-QB3; B3LYP; density functional theory; basis sets; barrier heights; well depths; HO2 ; unimolecular reactions
Measurement of Outcomes in Adults Receiving Pharmaceutical Care in a Comprehensive Asthma Outpatient Clinic

We hypothesized that a pharmacist-provided comprehensive education program in conjunction with care provided by a pulmonologist would lead to improved economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes in adults with asthma, compared with similar patients receiving care from a pulmonologist alone. The experimental group reported receiving more information about asthma self-management (p=0.001), were more likely to monitor peak flow readings (p=0.004), and had increased satisfaction with care, and perceived higher quality of care. Both groups had less lost productivity, fewer emergency department visits, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer physician visits, as well as improvement in symptoms scores within 45 days. Both groups improved in all functional status domains except the mental component score of the SF-12. Our results show a positive impact on outcomes in adults with asthma who received pharmaceutical care.
Foundations or Bridges? A Review of J.E. King's the Microfoundations Delusion: Metaphor and Dogma in the History of Macroeconomics

A review of J.E. King’s The Microfoundations Delusion: Metaphor and Dogma in the History of Macroeconomics.
Resonant Effects in Above Threshold Ionization

We have examined resonances in the high energy (plateau) part of the ATI spectrum of argon attributed to rescattering. As the laser wavelength is changed, the peaks shift in energy by a multiple of the photon energy. We have also observed the characteristics of photons emitted from the focal region perpendicular to the laser propagation direction.
Using the WWW to Guide Science Inquiry Lessons: Barriers and Solutions to Creating WebQuests in Elementary/Middle School

There is questionable educational benefit in elementary/middle school in having learners surfing the Web without a clear task in mind. This is a report on the barriers and solutions encountered by three elementary/middle level teachers during their creation of two science WebQuests during the WebQuest/PDN Project, a joint university/school network venture in Maine. In the development phase, the barriers to creation of the WebQuests included the following examples: a) Scarcity of Reflective Time (absence of time in a teacherOs busy schedule for unhurried, thoughtful computer access); b) Web-Surfing Tendencies of the ORead and Click GenerationO (rapid and often unfocused web-surfing practices of students); and c) Students' Tendencies to Merely "Copy and Paste from the Web" (frequent lack of student reflectiveness and analytic ability while on the web). The teachers' WebQuests will be demonstrated, and their solutions for surmounting the above, and other, barriers will be examined.
The effect of long-term propionate adaptation on the stress resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis.

Aims: Adaptive phenotypes of enteric bacterial pathogens in response to in vivo-mimicking stress conditions are important because of their potentiality to enhance stress resistance and ameliorate measures intended to control transmission and infectivity. Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) encounters a variety of such environments throughout its infection cycle, including high concentrations of the short-chain fatty acid, Propionate (PA), during food processing and within the gut of infected hosts. With this study, we aimed to elucidate the significance of PA adaptation on stress resistance in S. Enteritidis. Methods and Results: We have shown (utilizing in vitro stress assays) that S. Enteritidis grown to stationary phase in the presence of PA has a dramatically enhanced resistance to commonly encountered in vivo stressors, including extreme acidity and oxidative/nitrosative stresses when compared to unadapted salmonellae. However, competitive infection between PA adapted and unadapted cells within a murine model showed that adapted cells were at a distinct disadvantage in vivo, resulting in decreased caecal colonization in infected mice. Conclusions: Our results suggest that, while long-term PA adaptation induces strong resistance to specific stresses in vitro, it also reduces the overall infectivity of the adapted cells by inhibiting the organism’s colonization ability. Significance and Impact of the Study: In S. Enteritidis, PA adaptation is strongly associated with the induction of stress-resistant phenotypes in vitro. Enhanced stress resistance ex vivo may increase environmental persistence and/or the overall transmissibility of this pathogen, while overall the virulence of the pathogen is likely to be hindered as a result of the decreased colonization ability of PA-adapted S. Enteritidis.
Analysis of Composite Structures Using the 3-D Global/3-D Local Method

A global/local (G/L) method is presented for the analysis of composite structures that need to be modeled in 3-D. The method employs a modified version of effective stiffnesses specification at the global level such that both extensional and flexural behavior of symmetric composite structures are replicated. A numerical verification problem of a quasi-isotropic composite cantilever beam with mid-beam cut-outs under edge pressure load is used to determine the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed 3-D Global/3-D Local method. The effect of global stiffness specification on the local solution is explored. Results indicate that the proposed G/L method may be over 20 times more efficient while the error in both in-plane and interlaminar stresses are less than 5% when compared to the predictions of a highly refined finite element model used as a control.
Thrombin Receptors and Protease-Activated Receptor-2 in Human Placentation: Receptor Activation Mediates Extravillous Trophoblast Invasion in Vitro

Proteolysis of the thrombin receptor, protease activated receptor-1 (PAR1), may enhance normal and pathological cellular invasion, and indirect evidence suggests that activation of PAR1 expressed by invasive extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) influences human placentation. Here we describe PAR1, PAR2, and PAR3 protein distribution in the developing human placenta and implicate PAR1 and PAR2 activation in functions central to EVT invasion. PAR1, PAR2, and PAR3 are expressed in cultured 8- to 13-week-old EVTs, and in situ in 18- to 20-week-old placental syncytiotrophoblasts and invasive trophoblasts. Thrombin, but not the PAR2 agonist peptide SLIGKV, inhibited proliferation in cultured EVTs, although both agonists stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and EVT invasion through Matrigel barriers. Thrombin-induced phosphoinositide hydrolysis was completely inhibited and the thrombin effect on proliferation was prevented when PAR1 cleavage was first blocked with specific monoclonal antibodies, indicating that PAR1 is the predominant thrombin receptor on EVTs. Together these results support a role for PAR1, and potentially PAR2 and PAR3 in the invasive phase of human placentation.
What Really Is the Growth of Vehicle Usage

The enormous jump in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per person reported by the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau caused a great deal of concern among planners and policy analysts. Such a jump seemed to portend an era of ever-increasing travel, pollution, and energy consumption. Three alternative VMT estimates are developed using data from other national surveys and a massive odometer-based California study. The three new estimates are nearly identical but differ markedly from the NPTS results. (Reanalysis of the 1990 NPTS shows that it oversampled new vehicles: since new vehicles are driven two to three times as much as old ones, VMT per average vehicle is overestimated.) VMT per vehicle actually grew at only half the rate estimated by the NPTS.
Thy1-GCaMP6 Transgenic Mice for Neuronal Population Imaging In Vivo

Genetically-encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) facilitate imaging activity of genetically defined neuronal populations in vivo. The high intracellular GECI concentrations required for in vivo imaging are usually achieved by viral gene transfer using adeno-associated viruses. Transgenic expression of GECIs promises important advantages, including homogeneous, repeatable, and stable expression without the need for invasive virus injections. Here we present the generation and characterization of transgenic mice expressing the GECIs GCaMP6s or GCaMP6f under the Thy1 promoter. We quantified GCaMP6 expression across brain regions and neurons and compared to other transgenic mice and AAV-mediated expression. We tested three mouse lines for imaging in the visual cortex in vivo and compared their performance to mice injected with AAV expressing GCaMP6. Furthermore, we show that GCaMP6 Thy1 transgenic mice are useful for long-term, high-sensitivity imaging in behaving mice.
The effectiveness of entrepreneurial firm’s knowledge acquisition from a business incubator

This cross-cultural research project, involving the United States and Finland, explored how the entrepreneurial firm’s acquisition of business processes’ knowledge from interaction with incubator management positively impacts on new product development, increased technical competence, enhanced reputation and lower costs of sales to customers. In a sample of 52 firms, the study’s methodology depended on single response, self-reported data. The findings suggest that the sole knowledge benefits gained by the firm, from the incubator relationship, is a perception of enhanced reputation. Also, incubator managers should focus more on assisting new technology based firms with growing the venture in the marketplace.
Inherent instability investigation for low speed laser welding of aluminum using a single-mode fiber laser

Abstract The causes of instability are investigated for low speed welding of aluminum from 10 mm/s down to 1 mm/s using a 300 W single-mode fiber laser. Results show that the welding is stable until the speed drops below a certain threshold (∼1 mm/s) at which there was a significant change in the process mechanism, causing shallow, inefficient welds with many defects. A power distribution model and several tests are used to examine different types of power losses at low speeds. It is then hypothesized that, at low speeds, the CW laser beam mainly irradiates at the molten pool, which absorbs a large portion of the beam energy near the surface. The majority of this absorbed energy subsequently is either lost via evaporation or transferred into the bulk material via convection and conduction without being used for melting the solid at the welding front. A laser pulsing scheme was used to test the above hypothesis. It was found that, through proper control of the duty cycle and frequency to prevent overheating of the molten pool, a high aspect ratio weld shape can be restored at low speeds, thus, confirming the hypothesis. In addition, the 1 mm/s low speed threshold is found to be related to the initial molten pool propagation speed, which is found to be approximately 1.4 mm/s. Although this paper does not propose a solution to restore process stability, the understanding of the instability origin will be helpful in the search of such a solution to overcome the process instability for slow speed welding of aluminum.
Random frames from binary linear block codes

Let C be an [n, k, d] binary linear block code of length n, dimension k and minimum Hamming distance d over GF(2n). Let d⊥ denote the minimum Hamming distance of the dual code of C over GF(2n). Let ɛ : GF(2n) → {−1, 1}n be the component-wise mapping ɛ(v i ) := (−1)vi , for v =(v 1 , v 2 , … , v n ) ∈ GF(2n). Finally, for p ≪ n, let φ C be a p × n random matrix whose rows are obtained by mapping a uniformly drawn set of size p of the codewords of C under e. Recently, the authors have established that [3] for d⊥ large enough and y := p/n ∈ (0, 1) fixed, as n → ∞ the empirical eigen-distribution of the Gram matrix of 1 over √n times φ C resembles that of a random i.i.d. Rademacher matrix (i.e., the Marchenko-Pastur distribution). In this paper, we overview this result and discuss its implications on the design of frames for compressed sensing applications.
Volumetric Reconstruction of Objects and Scenes Using Range Images

Abstract This paper reviews volumetric methods for fusing sets of range images to create 3D models of objects or scenes. It also presents a new reconstruction method, which is a hybrid that combines several desirable aspects of techniques discussed in the literature. The proposed reconstruction method projects each point, or voxel, within a volumetric grid back onto a collection of range images. Each voxel value represents the degree of certainty that the point is inside the sensed object. The certainty value is a function of the distance from the grid point to the range image, as well as the sensor's noise characteristics. The super-Bayesian combination formula is used to fuse the data created from the individual range images into an overall volumetric grid. We obtain the object model by extracting an isosurface from the volumetric data using a version of the marching cubes algorithm. Results are shown from simulations and real range finders.
Choroidal and Retinal Thickening in Severe Preeclampsia

Purpose. To compare choroidal thickness and retinal macular volume (RMV) among three groups of women: severe preeclampsia postpartum, normotensive postpartum, and normotensive nongravid. While visual disturbances often accompany severe preeclampsia, the underlying choroidal and retinal changes responsible for these symptoms have not been described.
Cognitive Risk Factors to the Development of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders in Adolescents

This exploratory study examines cognitive risk factors, anxiety sensitivity, and positive and negative affect, as related to the development of anxiety and depression. In a mailed survey, adolescents completed the Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index and the Positive and Negative Affectivity Scale. Previous research utilized the broad and unified variable of anxiety sensitivity as a predictor of anxiety. In this study, we separate and examine the four specific factors of anxiety sensitivity: mental incapacitation concerns, social concerns, disease concerns, and unsteady concerns, and relate it to specific anxiety disorders and depression. Results indicate good convergent validity and improved divergent validity when utilizing the four factors of anxiety sensitivity as compared to using it as one construct. Results also suggest: (1) OCD and GAD share numerous similarities and (2) the importance of the role of negative affectivity in anxiety and depression. Being aware of the components of anxiety sensitivity and how they relate to specific anxiety disorders can help a social worker when rendering a diagnosis.
Influence of supporting electrolyte activity on formal potentials measured for dissolved internal standards in acetonitrile

Osmotic coefficients are determined for tetra-n-butylammonium perchorate (TBAClO4) in acetonitrile. Pitzer equations are fit to the data, and the resulting fitting parameters are used to calculate activity coefficients for TBAClO4. The activity coefficients are used to control electrolyte activities so that the junction potential across a permselective anion exchanger is near zero. An electrochemical cell containing this junction is used to examine the influence of electrolyte activity on the formal potentials measured for ferrocene/ferrocenium and decamethylferrocene/decamethylferrocenium. It is clear that the oxidized forms of both redox couples are ion-paired with perchlorate anions in the supporting electrolyte and that this ion-pairing has a significant influence on the formal potentials.
Computing confidence intervals for the slope of the biweight midregression and Winsorized regression lines

Robust and resistant regression has taken on new importance in recent years with the realization that psychometric measures often have heavy-tailed distributions with extreme outliers. While many resistant regression methods are available, little is known about how a researcher might compute a confidence interval for the corresponding parameters. The primary goal in this paper is finding a method of computing reasonably accurate confidence intervals for the slope of two resistant regression methods: the biweight midregression and Winsorized regression. Several ‘obvious’ bootstrap methods for computing confidence intervals were found to be highly unsatisfactory. A relatively unobvious method was found to perform reasonably well when using biweight midregression, and fairly well for the other regression method except for one extreme situation described in the paper. In terms of power, no situation was found where ordinary least squares is to be preferred over Winsorized regression, while Winsorized regression can have a substantial advantage over ordinary least squares. There are situations where the biweight midregression has substantially more power than ordinary least squares, but when the predictor has a highly skewed distribution, there are situations where the reverse is true. The relative merits of the two resistant regression methods are discussed.
Using Dominican Oral Literature and Discourse to Support Literacy Learning among Low-achieving Students from the Dominican Republic

This study focuses on ways of organising literacy instruction to raise the skill levels of low-achieving, language minority students. The study involves two teachers and twenty-two students of their students from the Dominican Republic, most of whom had scored well below the 41st percentile in Spanish and English reading and writing tests (the Language Assessment Battery). The literacy activities were organised around culturally relevant literature and patterns of discourse. The students were charged with the tasks of researching, collecting and committing community-generated narratives to memory. In the classroom, they presented, critiqued, edited and revised the narratives. Findings show that communitygenerated oral narratives were useful in helping to engage the students in critical literary discussion. The students addressed a variety of concerns with content, form and language in relation to personal and cultural ways of knowing about literature. Findings also show that the students' writing and disc...
Resonant energy absorption and the CTF hypothesis

Antennas in resonant circuits can present an effective energy absorption cross-section much larger than its physical dimensions to the impinging EM waves. Similarly, atoms can absorb energy from fields with energy densities so low that the atom must have an effective interaction cross-sectional diameter on the order of tens of microns. It appears that resonant energy absorption exhibits a sort of "suction" effect by the absorbing dipole, or a "pushing" effect by the field, or a combination of both. This allows the field energy to converge from a larger volume into a smaller region. We will argue that this effect may actually correspond to the field preferentially directing energy into such resonant systems, and discuss how this provides further evidence for the utility of our proposition of a universal, complex tension field (CTF). We have proposed that CTF can support propagating field gradients, like EM waves, as well as resonant, localized and self-looped oscillations representing various particles. Different gradients in the CTF, generated by different kinds of particle-oscillations, represent the various forces experienced by particles within each others’ physical domain. Even time emerges as a secondary property. Thus, the CTF postulate provides an excellent platform to re-invigorate attempts to build a unified field theory.
Separation of descending spinal pathways to respiratory motoneurons.

Abstract We have investigated in anesthetized and decerebrate cats the descending spinal pathways that respectively mediate spontaneous breathing, the inspiratory response to electrical stimulation of the medulla, and the cough response elicited by tracheolaryngeal stimulation. The effects of histologically defined, discrete cord lesions at the C1–2 level were assessed by measuring spontaneous and CO2-stimulated ventilation and the integrated EMG recorded bilaterally from diaphragm (inspiratory) and external abdominal oblique (expiratory) muscles. Bilateral lesions largely restricted to the ventral part of the lateral columns abolished spontaneous breathing. The pathways mediating the spontaneous drive to inspiratory and expiratory motoneurons appeared to be dissociated, the latter lying more medially in the ventral column. No dissociation could be demonstrated between the pathway mediating spontaneous inspiration and that serving the inspiratory response to stimulation of the medial reticular formation in the medulla. However, the descending projection serving the abdominal muscle component of the cough response was separate from that serving spontaneous inspiration, and lay just ventral to the ventral horn.
Online vs. Face-to-Face Deliberation: Effects on Civic Engagement

Deliberation is considered to produce positive effects on public opinion, in that it exposes participants to alternative perspectives and rational arguments. However, whereas benefits of face-to-face deliberation have been supported by many empirical studies, the effects of online deliberation remain unclear to date. This research compares the effects of online and face-to-face deliberation in experimental settings. A theoretical review of computer-mediated communication and deliberative democracy suggests that online deliberation is not necessarily inferior to face-to-face deliberation. An experiment was conducted to compare the relative outcomes of a deliberation performed in face-to-face and computer-mediated settings. The results suggest that both online and face-to-face deliberation can increase participants’ issue knowledge, political efficacy, and willingness to participate in politics.
Depth-based 2D-3D combined scene images for 3D multiview displays

Due to the limited display capacity of multiview/ automultiscopic 3D displays (and other 3D display methods which recreate lightfields), regions and objects and greater depths from the zero disparity plane appear aliased. One solution to this, namely prefiltering renders the scene visually very blurry. An alternative approach is proposed in this paper, wherein regions are large depths are identified in each view. The 3D scene points corresponding to these regions is rendered as 2D only. The rest of scene still retains parallax (hence the depth perception). The advantages are that both aliasing and blur are removed, and the resolution of such regions is greatly improved. A combination of the 2D and 3D visual cues still make the scene look realistic, and the relative depth information between objects in the scene is still preserved. Our method can prove to be particularly useful for the 3D video conference application, where the people in the conference will be shown as 3D objects, but the background will be displayed as a 2D object with high spatial resolution.
Axon guidance during reinnervation of skeletal muscle

Abstract The formation, maintenance and modification of synapses require the exchange of morphogenetically important information between neurons and their targets. The neuromuscular junction has been a favored subject for studies of this exchange, because it is simple and accessible and because a wealth of data are already available on its structure and function. Furthermore, adult muscle fibers, unlike CNS neurons, are readily reinnervated following nerve damage, allowing synapse formation to be studied in a convenient postembryonic setting. The purposes of this article are to describe some of the choices that regenerating axons make when they reinnervate muscle, and to consider some of the soluble, membrane-bound and extracellular matrix molecules that may guide their behavior.
Explaining legislators’ positions on outside income limits: Voting on honoraria ceilings in the U.S. Senate, 1981–1983

This article examines roll-call voting by members of the U.S. Senate on three proposals to limit members’ outside income in the 1980s. I find that several factors influenced legislators’ votes on outside income limits legislation (OILL). First, financial self-interest was an important constraint on members’ willingness to support OILL. Members who earned more honoraria were less likely to vote yes, but this opposition was neutralized when limits were attached to the compensating mechanism of a pay raise. Senators from poorer states were generally more likely to support honoraria limits alone but less likely to support limits linked to a pay raise, suggesting a responsiveness to constituent interests in both cases. Finally, when OILL was linked to a pay raise, electoral considerations became prominent in legislators’ vote decisions, with electorally vulnerable members less likely to vote yes.
PREDICTION OF FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH UNDER SINGLE OVERLOAD APPLICATION IN Ti-6Al-4V

— This paper is concerned with the use of a Markovian stochastic crack growth model to predict crack growth behavior in zones affected by a single overload application. The model introduces an effective stress intensity factor in the definition of the transition intensity of the stochastic process. This in turn, generates a unified probability growth law that was used to predict scatter in single overload history. An experimental program was carried out on compact tension specimens of Ti-6Al-4V material to generate sample crack growth curves, each of which contains three single overload zones. The sample curves were then manipulated into experimental constant probability growth curves. These curves were compared with those theoretically generated using the proposed model. A good agreement was established between these two data sets.