cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interferon Gamma-1b Does Not Increase Markers of Bone Resorption in Autosomal Dominant Osteopetrosis

In autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type 2 (ADO2) CLCN7 mutations cause impaired osteoclast function. Severe consequences include skeletal fragility despite high bone mass, osteomyelitis, osteonecrosis, bone marrow failure, and severe cranial nerve impingement. There is no effective medical treatment for ADO2. We recruited subjects with ADO2 into a 14-week, open-label, pilot clinical trial of interferon gamma-1b. Doses were titrated based on tolerability and if fasting serum C-telopeptide (CTX) was <25% above baseline at week 8, targeting doses of 100 µg/m2 three times a week. The primary outcomes were change from baseline in CTX and N-telopeptide/creatinine ratio (NTX/Cr) at week 14. Secondary outcomes included changes in urine calcium/creatinine ratio, bone formation markers and tolerability. Nine adults and three children were recruited. Severe manifestations of ADO2 included histories of fractures (100%), osteomyelitis (16.7%), vision loss (50%), and anemia (58.3%). Baseline CTX and NTX/Cr were generally low-normal. Procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide was elevated or in the upper-normal range in 11 of 12 (91.6%) subjects. Elevations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were common. One subject withdrew due to rash. Five subjects achieved doses of 50 µg/m2 3 days a week, while six reached the full dose of 100 µg/m2 3 days a week. Only 3 of 11 (27.3%) completing subjects achieved the primary outcome of increasing CTX ≥25% above baseline at week 14. The mean ± SD change from baseline in CTX at week 14 was +2.2% ± 43.2%, p = 0.86). Likewise, there was no significant change in NTX/Cr (mean change -2.1%, p = 0.81). Interferon gamma-1b was poorly tolerated. Most subjects had adverse events, and the Mental Health and Mental Component Scales of the SF-36v2 health survey declined slightly (p < 0.05). Over 14 weeks, interferon gamma-1b failed to significantly increase bone turnover markers in ADO2 and was poorly tolerated. Consequently, interferon gamma-1b is unlikely to be effective for decreasing bone mass in ADO2. © 2019 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Why Do Takeover Targets Protect Acquirers? Evidence from Force‐the‐vote Provisions

We examine force-the-vote (FTV) provisions in M&A transactions from 2003-2016 and test competing agency and efficient contracting explanations for their usage. Target FTV provisions are observed more frequently when bidding is costly, and are associated with higher target returns, lower likelihood of competing bids and higher likelihood of deal completion. By providing greater deal protection to acquirers, target FTV provisions appear to improve bidding incentives, resulting in higher target returns, consistent with efficient contracting. Our primary results appear robust and economically significant and complement prior literature that evaluates the effects of various M&A clauses and features on deal outcomes.
Robust Dual Sourcing Inventory Management: Optimality of Capped Dual Index Policies and Smoothing

Problem definition: How to dynamically replenish inventory from two supply sources or shipping modes with general lead times. The fast source is more expensive than the slow source. Academic/practi...
Csmd2 Is a Synaptic Transmembrane Protein that Interacts with PSD-95 and Is Required for Neuronal Maturation

Mutations and copy number variants of the CUB and Sushi multiple domains 2 (CSMD2) gene are associated with neuropsychiatric disease. CSMD2 encodes a single-pass transmembrane protein with a large extracellular domain comprising repeats of CUB and Sushi domains. High expression of CSMD2 in the developing and mature brain suggests possible roles in neuron development or function, but the cellular functions of CSMD2 are not known. In this study, we show that mouse Csmd2 is expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the forebrain. Csmd2 protein exhibits a somatodendritic localization in the neocortex and hippocampus, with smaller puncta localizing to the neuropil. Using immunohistochemical and biochemical methods, we demonstrate that Csmd2 localizes to dendritic spines and is enriched in the postsynaptic density (PSD). Accordingly, we show that the cytoplasmic tail domain of Csmd2 interacts with synaptic scaffolding proteins of the membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family. The association between Csmd2 and MAGUK member PSD-95 is dependent on a PDZ-binding domain on the Csmd2 tail, which is also required for synaptic targeting of Csmd2. Finally, we show that knock-down of Csmd2 expression in hippocampal neuron cultures results in reduced complexity of dendritic arbors and deficits in dendritic spine density. Knock-down of Csmd2 in immature developing neurons results in reduced filopodia density, whereas Csmd2 knock-down in mature neurons causes significant reductions in dendritic spine density and dendrite complexity. Together, these results point toward a function for Csmd2 in development and maintenance of dendrites and synapses, which may account for its association with certain psychiatric disorders.
The most abundant cyst wall proteins of Acanthamoeba castellanii are lectins that bind cellulose and localize to distinct structures in developing and mature cyst walls.

Background Acanthamoeba castellanii, which causes keratitis and blindness in under-resourced countries, is an emerging pathogen worldwide, because of its association with contact lens use. The wall makes cysts resistant to sterilizing reagents in lens solutions and to antibiotics applied to the eye. Methodology/Principal findings Transmission electron microscopy and structured illumination microscopy (SIM) showed purified cyst walls of A. castellanii retained an outer ectocyst layer, an inner endocyst layer, and conical ostioles that connect them. Mass spectrometry showed candidate cyst wall proteins were dominated by three families of lectins (named here Jonah, Luke, and Leo), which bound well to cellulose and less well to chitin. An abundant Jonah lectin, which has one choice-of-anchor A (CAA) domain, was made early during encystation and localized to the ectocyst layer of cyst walls. An abundant Luke lectin, which has two carbohydrate-binding modules (CBM49), outlined small, flat ostioles in a single-layered primordial wall and localized to the endocyst layer and ostioles of mature walls. An abundant Leo lectin, which has two unique domains with eight Cys residues each (8-Cys), localized to the endocyst layer and ostioles. The Jonah lectin and glycopolymers, to which it binds, were accessible in the ectocyst layer. In contrast, Luke and Leo lectins and the glycopolymers, to which they bind, were mostly inaccessible in the endocyst layer and ostioles. Conclusions/Significance The most abundant A. castellanii cyst wall proteins are three sets of lectins, which have carbohydrate-binding modules that are conserved (CBM49s of Luke), newly characterized (CAA of Jonah), or unique to Acanthamoebae (8-Cys of Leo). Cyst wall formation is a tightly choreographed event, in which lectins and glycopolymers combine to form a mature wall with a protected endocyst layer. Because of its accessibility in the ectocyst layer, an abundant Jonah lectin is an excellent diagnostic target.
Business-cycle pattern of asset returns: a general equilibrium explanation

I develop an analytical general-equilibrium model to explain economic sources of business-cycle pattern of aggregate stock market returns. With concave production functions and capital accumulation, a technology shock has a pro-cyclical direct effect and a counter-cyclical indirect effect on expected returns. The indirect effect, reflecting the “feedback” effect of consumers’ behavior on asset returns, dominates the direct effect and causes counter-cyclical variations of expected returns. I show that the conditional mean, volatility, and Sharpe ratios of asset returns all vary counter-cyclically and they are persistent and predictable, and that stock market behavior has forecasting power for real economic activity.
The Selective Synthesis of 1-methyl-1H-histamines†:

The selective synthesis of 1-methyl-1H-4-histamine (1) and 1-methyl-1H-5-histamine (2) via 5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[1,5-c]pyrimidine (3) from commercially available histamine hydrochloride s...
Immobilization of Pd Catalysts on Mesoporous Silica for Amine-, and Copper-free Sonogashira Coupling Reactions

Immobilization of catalysts on solid supports is a promising approach to combine the advantages of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. Pd(PPh3)2Cl2, known as an extremely active homogeneous ca...
Sulfinimine-Mediated Asymmetric Synthesis of β-Hydroxy α-Amino Phosphonates

The addition of potassium dialkyl phosphites to enantiopure O-protected α-hydroxy sulfinimine pseudoenantiomers affords β-hydroxy α-amino phosphonates in good yield and de. The reaction exhibits a strong match−mismatch effect.
Microwave Activation of Alumina and its use as a Catalyst in Synthetic Reactions

Microwave irradiation is a simple and efficient method of activating gamma alumina. Alumina activated in this manner is an excellent medium in which to carry out the Diels–Alder reaction and, in co...
Real-time experimental control using network-based parallel processing.

Modern neuroscience research often requires the coordination of multiple processes such as stimulus generation, real-time experimental control, as well as behavioral and neural measurements. The technical demands required to simultaneously manage these processes with high temporal fidelity is a barrier that limits the number of labs performing such work. Here we present an open-source, network-based parallel processing framework that lowers this barrier. The Real-Time Experimental Control with Graphical User Interface (REC-GUI) framework offers multiple advantages: (i) a modular design that is agnostic to coding language(s) and operating system(s) to maximize experimental flexibility and minimize researcher effort, (ii) simple interfacing to connect multiple measurement and recording devices, (iii) high temporal fidelity by dividing task demands across CPUs, and (iv) real-time control using a fully customizable and intuitive GUI. We present applications for human, non-human primate, and rodent studies which collectively demonstrate that the REC-GUI framework facilitates technically demanding, behavior-contingent neuroscience research. Editorial note This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter).
Seeker: Real-Time Interactive Search

This paper introduces Seeker, a system that allows users to adaptively refine search rankings in real time, through a series of feedbacks in the form of likes and dislikes. When searching online, users may not know how to accurately describe their product of choice in words. An alternative approach is to search an embedding space, allowing the user to query using a representation of the item (like a tune for a song, or a picture for an object). However, this approach requires the user to possess an example representation of their desired item. Additionally, most current search systems do not allow the user to dynamically adapt the results with further feedback. On the other hand, users often have a mental picture of the desired item and are able to answer ordinal questions of the form: "Is this item similar to what you have in mind?" With this assumption, our algorithm allows for users to provide sequential feedback on search results to adapt the search feed. We show that our proposed approach works well both qualitatively and quantitatively. Unlike most previous representation-based search systems, we can quantify the quality of our algorithm by evaluating humans-in-the-loop experiments.
DECONVOLUTION OF COMBINATORIAL OLIGONUCLEOTIDE LIBRARIES BY ELECTROSPRAY IONIZATION TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY

Studies were undertaken to explore the application of tandem mass spectrometry for the structure analysis of unfractionated mixtures of oligonucleotides. Limited combinatorial libraries were constructed of mixtures of 8-mers (NGACACNG; nine compounds) and 12-mers (NGACTNAGACNG; 27 compounds), where N is any of the 2‘-deoxyribonucleotides of uracil, thymine, or 5-[N-(aminoethyl)-3-acrylimido]uracil. Molecular mass measurements of the mixture components (single mass analyzer) in the simplest cases or acquisition of collision-induced dissociation mass spectra (tandem mass analyzers) for mixtures of sequence isomers of the same molecular mass were used to establish guidelines for structure assignments. Although the construction of mass sequencing ladders from gas phase backbone cleavage reactions is notably more complex in the case of isomeric mixtures than for the single isomer case, assignment ambiguities are reduced by the presence of nonrandomized sequence positions and by recognition of likely fragment i...
The Ullmann Coupling Reaction: A New Approach to Tetraarylstannanes

Several iodobenzenes form tetraarylstannanes, in addition to other products, under reaction conditions typically employed for the Ullmann reaction, i.e., activated copper bronze (a copper−tin alloy) and 7 days at 230 °C. The isolated yields of the tetraarylstannanes were low to good (8−58%). Significantly higher yields (54−64%) of tetraphenylstannane were obtained by the direct reaction of iodobenzene with an excess of tin powder (iodobenzene:tin = 1:1 w/w) under the same conditions. Crystal structure analysis reveals that tetrakis(4-carbomethoxyphenyl)stannane crystallizes in a tetragonal space group and has 4 symmetry, which is the case for many symmetrical tetraarylstannanes. However, tetrakis(2,4-dichlorophenyl)stannane, tetrakis(3,4-dichlorophenyl)stannane, and tetrakis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)stannane do not crystallize in a tetragonal space group and do not have real 4 symmetry.
Stepwise Assembly of Site Specifically Functionalized Dehydrobenzo[18]annulenes†

Site specifically functionalized dehydrobenzo[18]annulenes (DBAs) with previously inaccessible topologies (C2v and Cs symmetry) were prepared by utilizing an in situ protiodesilylation/alkynylation reaction. By application of a stepwise synthetic route, donor and/or acceptor functional groups were introduced to the annulenic core in a designed manner. The electronic absorption spectra of the DBAs revealed moderate to dramatic changes in the electronic structure of the [18]annulene core when subtle changes were made in substitution patterns and/or functional groups. Macrocycles containing C2v symmetry exhibited progressive and predictable bathochromic shifts ranging from 20 to 80 nm along with increasing intramolecular excited state change transfer (CT) behavior. Asymmetric (Cs) molecules presented more interesting absorption behavior, such as accentuation of bands in the visible region. X-ray crystal structures of [18]DBAs 20, 22, 23, and 25 showed normal bond lengths and bond angles within the planar ann...
Strong non-ultralocality of Ginsparg–Wilson fermionic actions

Abstract It is shown that it is impossible to construct a free theory of fermions on infinite hypercubic Euclidean lattice in even number of dimensions that: (a) is ultralocal, (b) respects the symmetries of hypercubic lattice, (c) chirally nonsymmetric part of its propagator is local, and (d) describes single species of massless Dirac fermions in the continuum limit. This establishes non-ultralocality for arbitrary doubler-free Ginsparg–Wilson fermionic action with hypercubic symmetries (“ strong non-ultralocality ”), and complements the earlier general result on non-ultralocality of infinitesimal Ginsparg–Wilson–Luscher symmetry transformations (“ weak non-ultralocality ”).
A new stereospecific synthesis of unusual (Z)-β-branched Baylis-Hillman adducts

Abstract A new method has been developed for the stereospecific synthesis of unusual ( Z )- β -branched Baylis-Hillman adducts with high Z E selectivity (>99 %) in modest to good yields. The process involves successful formation of anionic β-substituted [α-(alkoxycarbonyl)vinyl]aluminum intermediates and their coupling with aldehydes and ketones catalyzed by n -Bu 2 BOTf at −78 °C.
Synthesis of Both Antipodal Forms of 7,7-Dimethylbicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-en-5-one by Enantiomer Interconversion

An enantioselective synthesis of both enantiomers of the title ketone 5 from a common achiral β-diketone is reported. Bakers' yeast reduction of 6 cleanly differentiates between the two carbonyl groups to deliver (+)-9 in >90% yield, and with an ee exceeding 98%. Direct xanthate elimination leads to (+)-5. To arrive at the levorotatory antipode, the OH group in the β-hydroxy ketone is transformed into the tetrahydropyranyl ether and the carbonyl group is subsequently reduced in advance of formal dehydration. Oxidation of the deprotected alcohol ultimately reestablishes the carbonyl functionality and delivers (−)-5 of equally high optical purity.
Quantification of cancer cell migration with an integrated experimental-computational pipeline

We describe an integrated experimental-computational pipeline for quantifying cell migration in vitro . This pipeline is robust to image noise, open source, and user friendly. The experimental component uses the Oris cell migration assay (Platypus Technologies) to create migration regions. The computational component of the pipeline creates masks in Matlab (MathWorks) to cell-covered regions, uses a genetic algorithm to automatically select the migration region, and outputs a metric to quantify cell migration. In this work we demonstrate the utility of our pipeline by quantifying the effects of a drug (Taxol) and of the extracellular Anterior Gradient 2 (eAGR2) protein on the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells (a breast cancer cell line). In particular, we show that inhibiting eAGR2 reduces migration of MDA-MB-231 cells.
α-Chloro-β,γ-ethylenic Esters: Enantiocontrolled Synthesis and Substitutions

Chiral nonracemic γ-seleno-α,β-ethylenic esters, when treated with sulfuryl chloride and ethyl vinyl ether in hexanes, produced α-chloro-β,γ-ethylenic esters in 65−75% yields, with ee values of 95−97%, and with 1,3-syn transfer of chirality. Reaction of these allylic chloride electrophiles with methylcuprate and with sodium azide nucleophiles afforded exclusively γ-substituted-α,β-ethylenic esters with faithful anti-transfer of chirality on multigram scale.
The genetic basis and fitness consequences of sperm midpiece size in deer mice

An extensive array of reproductive traits varies among species, yet the genetic mechanisms that enable divergence, often over short evolutionary timescales, remain elusive. Here we examine two sister-species of Peromyscus mice with divergent mating systems. We find that the promiscuous species produces sperm with longer midpiece than the monogamous species, and midpiece size correlates positively with competitive ability and swimming performance. Using forward genetics, we identify a gene associated with midpiece length: Prkar1a, which encodes the R1α regulatory subunit of PKA. R1α localizes to midpiece in Peromyscus and is differentially expressed in mature sperm of the two species yet is similarly abundant in the testis. We also show that genetic variation at this locus accurately predicts male reproductive success. Our findings suggest that rapid evolution of reproductive traits can occur through cell type-specific changes to ubiquitously expressed genes and have an important effect on fitness.
A SeCSe−Pd(II) Pincer Complex as a Highly Efficient Catalyst for Allylation of Aldehydes with Allyltributyltin

An air- and moisture-stable SeCSe−Pd(II) pincer complex was synthesized and found to catalyze the nucleophilic allylation of aldehydes with allyltributyltin. The allylation of a variety of aromatic...
Better Character Language Modeling Through Morphology

We incorporate morphological supervision into character language models (CLMs) via multitasking and show that this addition improves bits-per-character (BPC) performance across 24 languages, even when the morphology data and language modeling data are disjoint. Analyzing the CLMs shows that inflected words benefit more from explicitly modeling morphology than uninflected words, and that morphological supervision improves performance even as the amount of language modeling data grows. We then transfer morphological supervision across languages to improve performance in the low-resource setting.
STAR Chimeric Post for rapid detection of circular RNA and fusion transcripts.

Motivation: The biological relevance of chimeric RNA alignments is now well established. Chimera arising as chromosomal fusions are often drivers of cancer and recently discovered circular RNA (circRNA) are only now being characterized. While software already exists for fusion discovery and quantitation, high false positive rates and high run-times hamper scalable fusion discovery on large datasets. Furthermore, software available for circRNA detection and quantification is limited. Results: Here, we present STAR Chimeric Post (STARChip), a novel software package that processes chimeric alignments from the STAR aligner and produces annotated circRNA and high precision fusions in a rapid, efficient and scalable manner that is appropriate for high dimensional medical omics datasets. Availability and implementation: STARChip is available at https://github.com/LosicLab/STARChip. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Chiral Silyl Ketene Acetals from Thioesters: Reaction with Acetals and Peroxyacetals to form 3-Alkoxy- and 3-Peroxyalkanoates

Abstract The Lewis acid-mediated reaction of chiral O- and S-silyl ketene acetals (SKAs) with peroxyacetals and acetals was investigated as an approach to the asymmetric synthesis of 3-peroxy- and 3-alkoxyalkanoates. SKAs derived from chiral O-acetates fail to react with peroxyacetals and provide little diastereoselection in reactions of nonperoxidic acetals. Reaction of thioacetate SKAs with peroxyacetals furnishes 3-peroxyalkanoate thioesters in good yield but with poor diastereoselection. In the case of silyl ketene acetals based upon a camphorsulfonamide chiral auxiliary the diastereomeric peroxyalkanoates are easily separated.
A new synthesis of 2-substituted pyridines via aluminum chloride induced heteroarylation of arenes and heteroarenes.

We herein report a new synthesis of 2-(hetero)aryl-substituted pyridines via heteroarylation of arenes/heteroarenes through AlCl3-induced C−C bond-forming reactions. 2-Halopyridines bearing an electron-withdrawing group were reacted with a number of (hetero)arenes to give 2-aryl/heteroaryl-substituted pyridines in good yields.
A convenient preparation of 1,3-disubstituted dihydro-2,4-(1H,3H)pyrimidinediones†

The ureas 3 which are obtained from 3-(benzylamino)propanenitrile (1) and various isocyanates (2) cyclize readily upon heating in ethanol, in the presence of hydrochloric acid, to form 3-substituted 1-benzyldihydro-2,4-(1H,3H)pyrimidinediones (11) in good yield.
One-pot asymmetric synthesis of 2- and 2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives.

A novel and convenient one-pot asymmetric synthesis of 2- and 2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans has been achieved in 56–81% yields and 86–99% ee from aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes via an allyl/crotyl/alkoxyallylboration–hydroboration–iodination–cyclization reaction sequence.
Electronic Spectrum of the NpO22+ and NpO2+ Ions

The ground and excited states of the linear NpO22+ and NpO2+ ions have been calculated using relativistic spin−orbit configuration interaction methods based on effective core potentials. The f → f transitions and some charge-transfer transitions have been calculated for both ions and compared with experiment wherever possible. Various types of analysis are used to gain a better understanding of the types and patterns of electronic states.
A complementary route to diaminopyrimidines through regioselective SNAr amination reactions

Abstract A novel approach towards the production of diverse sets of diaminopyrimidines through sequential S N Ar reactions is reported. The readily prepared 2-chloro-4-tetrafluorophenoxypyrymidine reacts regioselectively with amines at the C-2 position. The tetrafluorophenoxy at C-4 can then be replaced with amines in a second S N Ar to afford easy access to a different and complementary set of diaminopyrimidines. The broad utility of this ‘C-2 then C-4’ two-step sequence has been demonstrated with a range of aromatic and aliphatic amines.
Highly Regiocontrolled Pd-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reaction of Terminal Alkynes and Allenylphosphine Oxides

The cross-coupling of a variety of terminal alkynes 1 with allenylphosphine oxides 2 catalyzed by a Pd(OAc)(2)-TDMPP system provided conjugated endo-enynes 3 solely, while the TCPC-catalyzed reaction of the same regents led to the exclusive formation of exo-isomers 4. The mechanistic rationale for these selective transformations was proposed. Synthetic usefulness of the prepared exo-enyne 4 was demonstrated in the synthesis of multisubstituted diarylbenzylphosphine oxides 5 via the Pd-catalyzed [4+2]-benzannulation reaction.
Consensus Development of a Modern Ontology of Emergency Department Presenting Problems-The Hierarchical Presenting Problem Ontology (HaPPy).

Objective Numerous attempts have been made to create a standardized “presenting problem” or “chief complaint” list to characterize the nature of an emergency department visit. Previous attempts have failed to gain widespread adoption as they were not freely shareable or did not contain the right level of specificity, structure, and clinical relevance to gain acceptance by the larger emergency medicine community. Using real-world data, we constructed a presenting problem list that addresses these challenges. Materials and Methods We prospectively captured the presenting problems for 180,424 consecutive emergency department patient visits at an urban, academic, Level I trauma center in the Boston metro area. No patients were excluded. We used a consensus process to iteratively derive our system using real-world data. We used the first 70% of consecutive visits to derive our ontology, followed by a 6-month washout period, and the remaining 30% for validation. All concepts were mapped to Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine–Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT). Results Our system consists of a polyhierarchical ontology containing 692 unique concepts, 2,118 synonyms, and 30,613 nonvisible descriptions to correct misspellings and nonstandard terminology. Our ontology successfully captured structured data for 95.9% of visits in our validation data set. Discussion and Conclusion We present the HierArchical Presenting Problem ontologY (HaPPy). This ontology was empirically derived and then iteratively validated by an expert consensus panel. HaPPy contains 692 presenting problem concepts, each concept being mapped to SNOMED CT. This freely sharable ontology can help to facilitate presenting problem-based quality metrics, research, and patient care.
Attention to a threat-related feature does not interfere with concurrent attentive feature selection.

Visual features associated with a task and those that predict noxious events both prompt selectively heightened visuocortical responses. Conflicting views exist regarding how the competition between a task-related and a threat-related feature is resolved when they co-occur in time and space. Utilizing aversive classical Pavlovian conditioning, we investigated the visuocortical representation of two simultaneously presented, fully overlapping visual stimuli. Isoluminant red and green random dot kinematogram (RDK) stimuli were flickered at distinct tagging frequencies (8.57 Hz, 12 Hz) to elicit distinguishable steady-state visual evoked potentials (ssVEPs). Occasional coherent motion events prompted a motor response (task) or predicted a noxious noise (threat). These events occurred either in the green (task cue), the red (threat cue), or in both RDKs simultaneously. In the initial habituation phase, participants responded to coherent motion of the green RDK with a key press, but no loud noise was presented at any time. Here, selective amplification was seen for the task-relevant (green) RDK, and interference was observed when both RDKs simultaneously showed coherent motion. Upon pairing the threat cue with the noxious noise in the subsequent acquisition phase, the threat cue-evoked ssVEP (red RDK) was also amplified, but this amplification did not interact with amplification of the task cue or alter the behavioral or visuocortical interference effect observed during simultaneous coherent motion. Although competing feature conjunctions resulted in interference in the visual cortex, the acquisition of a bias toward an individual threat-related feature did not result in additional cost effects.
Estimating the distance to an epidemic threshold.

The epidemic threshold of the susceptible–infected–recovered model is a boundary separating parameters that permit epidemics from those that do not. This threshold corresponds to parameters where t...
Tissue-Dependent Expression of Bitter Receptor TAS2R38 mRNA

TAS2R38 is a human bitter receptor gene with a common but inactive allele; people homozygous for the inactive form cannot perceive low concentrations of certain bitter compounds. The frequency of the inactive and active forms of this receptor is nearly equal in many human populations, and heterozygotes with 1 copy of the active form and 1 copy of the inactive form have the most common diplotype. However, even though they have the same genotype, heterozygotes differ markedly in their perception of bitterness, perhaps in part because of differences in TAS2R38 mRNA expression. Other tissues express this receptor too, including the nasal sinuses, where it contributes to pathogen defense. We, therefore, wondered whether heterozygous people had a similar wide range of TAS2R38 mRNA in sinonasal tissue and whether those with higher TAS2R38 mRNA expression in taste tissue were similarly high expressers in nasal tissue. To that end, we measured gene expression by quantitative PCR in taste and sinonasal tissue and found that expression abundance in one tissue was not related to the other. We confirmed the independence of expression in other tissue pairs expressing TAS2R38 mRNA, such as pancreas and small intestine, using autopsy data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project (although people with high expression of TAS2R38 mRNA in colon also tended to have higher expression in the small intestine). Thus, taste tissue TAS2R38 mRNA expression among heterozygotes is unlikely to predict expression in other tissues, perhaps reflecting tissue-dependent function, and hence regulation, of this protein.
Electrophysiological Signature Reveals Laminar Structure of the Porcine Hippocampus

The hippocampus is integral to working and episodic memory and is a central region of interest in diseases affecting these processes. Pig models are widely used in translational research and may provide an excellent bridge between rodents and nonhuman primates for CNS disease models because of their gyrencephalic neuroanatomy and significant white matter composition. However, the laminar structure of the pig hippocampus has not been well characterized. Therefore, we histologically characterized the dorsal hippocampus of Yucatan miniature pigs and quantified the cytoarchitecture of the hippocampal layers. We then utilized stereotaxis combined with single-unit electrophysiological mapping to precisely place multichannel laminar silicon probes into the dorsal hippocampus without the need for image guidance. We used in vivo electrophysiological recordings of simultaneous laminar field potentials and single-unit activity in multiple layers of the dorsal hippocampus to physiologically identify and quantify these layers under anesthesia. Consistent with previous reports, we found the porcine hippocampus to have the expected archicortical laminar structure, with some anatomical and histological features comparable to the rodent and others to the primate hippocampus. Importantly, we found these distinct features to be reflected in the laminar electrophysiology. This characterization, as well as our electrophysiology-based methodology targeting the porcine hippocampal lamina combined with high-channel-count silicon probes, will allow for analysis of spike-field interactions during normal and disease states in both anesthetized and future awake behaving neurophysiology in this large animal.
Increase in measles cases — United States, January 1–April 26, 2019

As of April 26, 2019, CDC had reported 704 cases of measles in the United States since the beginning of 2019, representing the largest number of cases reported in the country in a single year since 1994, when 963 cases occurred, and since measles was declared eliminated* in 2000 (1,2). Measles is a highly contagious, acute viral illness characterized by fever and a maculopapular rash; complications include pneumonia, encephalitis, and death. Among the 704 cases, 503 (71%) were in unvaccinated persons and 689 (98%) occurred in U.S. residents. Overall, 66 (9%) patients were hospitalized. Thirteen outbreaks have been reported in 2019, accounting for 663 cases, 94% of all reported cases. Six of the 13 outbreaks were associated with underimmunized close-knit communities and accounted for 88% of all cases. High 2-dose measles vaccination coverage in the United States has been critical to limiting transmission (3). However, increased global measles activity poses a risk to U.S. elimination, particularly when unvaccinated travelers acquire measles abroad and return to communities with low vaccination rates (4). Health care providers should ensure persons are up to date with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, including before international travel, and rapidly report all suspected cases of measles to public health authorities.
Can Contingent Convertibles Help Private Asset Managers Fund Their Acquisition of Non-Performing Loans from Portuguese Banks?

This paper analyzes the capital structure of private asset managers in which the acquisition of nonperforming loans (NPLs) is funded with Contingent Convertibles (CoCos) placed with investors. The paper develops a model based on NPL transfer prices and residual recovery rates to assess capital structures consisting of CoCos and equity. The CoCos would contain put and call options to write down losses and write up profits, respectively, arising from liquidation and restructuring procedures. The paper concludes that the protection mechanism provided by debt write-downs embedded in CoCos and the incentives to investors provided by debt write-ups could help bridge the gap between Portuguese banks’ NPL bid prices and private equity firms’ ask prices.
Reconstruction of singularities on orbifold del Pezzo surfaces from their Hilbert series

AbstractThe Hilbert series of a polarized algebraic variety (X, D) is a powerful invariant that, while it captures some features of the geometry of (X, D) precisely, often cannot recover much infor...
Multi-Object Portion Tracking in 4D Fluorescence Microscopy Imagery With Deep Feature Maps

3D fluorescence microscopy of living organisms has increasingly become an essential and powerful tool in biomedical research and diagnosis. Exploding amount of imaging data has been collected whereas efficient and effective computational tools to extract information from them are still lagged behind. This largely is due to the challenges in analyzing biological data. Interesting biological structures are not only small but often are morphologically irregular and highly dynamic. Tracking cells in live organisms has been studied for years as a sophisticated mission in bioinformatics. However, existing tracking methods for cells are not effective in tracking subcellular structures, such as protein complexes, which feature in continuous morphological changes, such as split and merge, in addition to fast migration and complex motion. In this paper, we first define the problem of multi-object portion tracking to model protein object tracking process. A multi-object tracking method with portion matching is proposed based on 3D segmentation results. The proposed method distills deep feature maps from deep networks, then recognizes and matches objects' portions using extended search. Experimental results confirm that the proposed method achieves 2.98% higher on consistent tracking accuracy and 35.48% higher on event identification accuracy.
ERROR TERM IMPROVEMENTS FOR VAN DER CORPUT TRANSFORMS

We improve the error term in the van der Corput transform for exponential sums \sum_{a \le n \le b} g(n) exp(2\pi i f(n)). For many functions g and f, we can extract the next term in the asymptotic, showing that previous results, such as those of Karatsuba and Korolev, are sharp. Of particular note, the methods of this paper avoid the use of the truncated Poisson formula, and thus can be applied to much longer intervals [a,b] with far better results. We provide a detailed analysis of the error term in the case g(x)=1 and f(x)=(x/3)^{3/2}.
Eigencurves for linear elliptic equations

This paper provides results for variational eigencurves associated with self-adjoint linear elliptic boundary value problems. The elliptic problems are treated as a general two-parameter eigenproblem for a triple (a , b , m ) of continuous symmetric bilinear forms on a real separable Hilbert space V . Geometric characterizations of eigencurves associated with (a , b , m ) are obtained and are based on their variational characterizations described here. Continuity, differentiability, as well as asymptotic, results for these eigencurves are proved. Finally, two-parameter Robin–Steklov eigenproblems are treated to illustrate the theory.
An Improved Gap-Dependency Analysis of the Noisy Power Method

We consider the noisy power method algorithm, which has wide applications in machine learning and statistics, especially those related to principal component analysis (PCA) under resource (communication, memory or privacy) constraints. Existing analysis of the noisy power method (Hardt and Price, 2014; Li et al., 2016) shows an unsatisfactory dependency over the “consecutive” spectral gap (σk − σk+1) of an input data matrix, which could be very small and hence limits the algorithm’s applicability. In this paper, we present a new analysis of the noisy power method that achieves improved gap dependency for both sample complexity and noise tolerance bounds. More specifically, we improve the dependency over (σk−σk+1) to dependency over (σk−σq+1), where q is an intermediate algorithm parameter and could be much larger than the target rank k. Our proofs are built upon a novel characterization of proximity between two subspaces that differ from canonical angle characterizations analyzed in previous works (Hardt and Price, 2014; Li et al., 2016). Finally, we apply our improved bounds to distributed private PCA and memory-efficient streaming PCA and obtain bounds that are superior to existing results in the literature.
Convergence in topological groups and the Cohen reals

Abstract We show that adding ω 2 Cohen reals to a model of ⋄ results in an extension that has no countable sequential groups of intermediate sequential order. On the other hand there exists an uncountable sequential group of sequential order 2 in the same extension.
Traversally generic & versal vector flows: semi-algebraic models of tangency to the boundary

Let $X$ be a compact smooth manifold with boundary. In this article, we study the spaces $\mathcal V^\dagger(X)$ and $\mathcal V^\ddagger(X)$ of so called boundary generic and traversally generic vector fields on $X$ and the place they occupy in the space $\mathcal V(X)$ of all fields (see Theorems \ref{th3.4} and Theorem \ref{th3.5}). The definitions of boundary generic and traversally generic vector fields $v$ are inspired by some classical notions from the singularity theory of smooth Bordman maps \cite{Bo}. Like in that theory (cf. \cite{Morin}), we establish local versal algebraic models for the way a sheaf of $v$-trajectories interacts with the boundary $\d X$. For fields from the space $\mathcal V^\ddagger(X)$, the finite list of such models depends only on $\dim(X)$; as a result, it is universal for all equidimensional manifolds. In specially adjusted coordinates, the boundary and the $v$-flow acquire descriptions in terms of universal deformations of real polynomials whose degrees do not exceed $2\cdot \dim(X)$.
Orbifold branes in string/M-Theory and their cosmological applications

In this brief report, we summarize our recent studies in brane cosmology in both string theory and M-Theory on S/Z2. In such setups, we find that the radion is stable and its mass, with a very conservative estimation, can be of the order of 0.1 ∼ 0.01 GeV. The hierarchy problem can be addressed by combining the large extra dimension, warped factor, and tension coupling mechanisms. Gravity is localized on the visible brane, and the spectrum of the gravitational Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes is discrete and can have a mass gap of TeV. The corrections to the 4D Newtonian potential from the higher order gravitational KK modes are exponentially suppressed. Applying such setups to cosmology, we find that a late transient acceleration of the universe seems to be the generic feature of the theory, due to the interaction between branes and bulk. A bouncing early universe is also rather easily realized.
The fundamental group of random 2-complexes

We study Linial-Meshulam random 2-complexes Y (n,p), which are two-dimensional analogues of Erdýos-Renyi random graphs. We find the threshold for simple connectivity to be p = n 1/2. This is in contrast to the threshold for vanishing of the first homology group, which was shown earlier by Linial and Meshulam to be p = 2logn/n. We use a variant of Gromov's local-to-global theorem for linear isoperimet- ric inequalities to show that when p = O(n 1/2 ǫ ) the fundamental group is word hyperbolic. Along the way we classify the homotopy types of sparse 2-dimensional simplicial complexes and establish isoperimetric inequalities for such complexes. These intermediate results do not involve randomness and may be of independent interest.
Harnack inequality for degenerate and singular elliptic equations with unbounded drift

Abstract We prove a Harnack inequality for functions which, at points of large gradient, are solutions of elliptic equations with unbounded drift.
The diffeomorphism type of manifolds with almost maximal volume

The smallest $r$ so that a metric $r$-ball covers a metric space $M$ is called the radius of $M$. The volume of a metric $r$-ball in the space form of constant curvature $k$ is an upper bound for the volume of any Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature $\geq k$ and radius $\leq r$. We show that when such a manifold has volume almost equal to this upper bound, it is diffeomorphic to a sphere or a real projective space.
A PAC RL Algorithm for Episodic POMDPs

Many interesting real world domains involve reinforcement learning (RL) in partially observable environments. Efficient learning in such domains is important, but existing sample complexity bounds for partially observable RL are at least exponential in the episode length. We give, to our knowledge, the first partially observable RL algorithm with a polynomial bound on the number of episodes on which the algorithm may not achieve near-optimal performance. Our algorithm is suitable for an important class of episodic POMDPs. Our approach builds on recent advances in method of moments for latent variable model estimation.
Relative errors for deterministic low-rank matrix approximations

We consider processing an n x d matrix A in a stream with row-wise updates according to a recent algorithm called Frequent Directions (Liberty, KDD 2013). This algorithm maintains an e x d matrix Q deterministically, processing each row in O(de2) time; the processing time can be decreased to O(de) with a slight modification in the algorithm and a constant increase in space. Then for any unit vector x, the matrix Q satisfies[EQUATION]We show that if one sets e = ⌈k + k/e⌉ and returns Qk, a k x d matrix that is simply the top k rows of Q, then we achieve the following properties:[EQUATION]and where πQk (A) is the projection of A onto the rowspace of Qk then[EQUATION]We also show that Frequent Directions cannot be adapted to a sparse version in an obvious way that retains e original rows of the matrix, as opposed to a linear combination or sketch of the rows.
Sharp Area Bounds for Free Boundary Minimal Surfaces in Conformally Euclidean Balls

We prove that the area of a free boundary minimal surface $\Sigma^2 \subset B^n$, where $B^n$ is a geodesic ball contained in a round hemisphere $\mathbb{S}^n_+$, is at least as big as that of a geodesic disk with the same radius as $B^n$; equality is attained only if $\Sigma$ coincides with such a disk. More generally, we prove analogous results for a class of conformally euclidean ambient spaces. This follows work of Brendle and Fraser-Schoen in the euclidean setting.
Settling the complexity of computing approximate two-player Nash equilibria

In our recent paper [Rubinstein 2016] we rule out a PTAS for the 2-Player Nash Equilibrium Problem. More precisely, we prove that there exists a constant ϵ > 0 such that, assuming the Exponential Time Hypothesis for PPAD, computing an ϵ-approximate Nash equilibrium in a two-player n × n game requires time nlog1−o(1)n. This matches (up to the o (1) term) the algorithm of Lipton, Markakis, and Mehta [Lipton et al. 2003].
A Unified Model for Near and Remote Sensing

We propose a novel convolutional neural network architecture for estimating geospatial functions such as population density, land cover, or land use. In our approach, we combine overhead and ground-level images in an end-toend trainable neural network, which uses kernel regression and density estimation to convert features extracted from the ground-level images into a dense feature map. The output of this network is a dense estimate of the geospatial function in the form of a pixel-level labeling of the overhead image. To evaluate our approach, we created a large dataset of overhead and ground-level images from a major urban area with three sets of labels: land use, building function, and building age. We find that our approach is more accurate for all tasks, in some cases dramatically so.
Superradiant instabilities for short-range non-negative potentials on Kerr spacetimes and applications

Abstract The wave equation □ g M , a ψ = 0 on subextremal Kerr spacetimes ( M M , a , g M , a ) , 0 | a | M , does not admit real mode solutions, as was established by Shlapentokh-Rothman. In this paper, we show that the absence of real modes does not persist under the addition of an arbitrary short-range non-negative potential V to the wave equation or under changes of the metric g M , a in the far away region of M M , a (retaining the causality of the stationary Killing field T there). In particular, we first establish, for any 0 | a | M , the existence of real mode solutions ψ to equation □ g M , a ψ − V ψ = 0 , for a suitably chosen time-independent real potential V with compact support in space, satisfying V ≥ 0 . Exponentially growing modes are also obtained after perturbing the potential V. Then, as an application of the above result, we construct a family of spacetimes ( M M , a , g M , a ( d e f ) ) which are compact in space perturbations of ( M M , a , g M , a ) , have the same symmetries as ( M M , a , g M , a ) and moreover admit real and exponentially growing modes. These spacetimes contain stably trapped null geodesics, but we also construct a more complicated family of spacetimes with normally hyperbolic trapped set, admitting real and exponentially growing modes, at the expense of having conic asymptotics. The aforementioned results are in contrast with the case of stationary asymptotically flat (or conic) spacetimes ( M , g ) with a globally timelike Killing field T, where real modes for equation □ g ψ − V ψ = 0 are always absent, giving a useful zero-frequency continuity criterion for showing stability for a smooth family of equations □ g ψ − V λ ψ = 0 , with λ ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] and V 0 = 0 . We show explicitly that this criterion fails on Kerr spacetime.