cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of sub-grid rainfall variability on the water balance and flux exchange processes resolved at climate scale: the European region contrasted to Central Africa and Amazon rainforests

Abstract. This paper investigates the effect of sub-grid rainfall variability on the simulation of land surface hydrologic processes of three regions (Europe, Africa and Amazon) with contrasting precipitation and vegetation characteristics. The sub-grid rainfall variability is defined in terms of the rainfall coverage fraction at the model's grid cells, and the statistical distribution of rain rates within the rain-covered areas. A statistical-dynamic approach is devised to incorporate the above variability properties into the canopy interception process of a land surface model. Our results reveal that incorporation of sub-grid rainfall variability significantly impacts the land-atmosphere water vapor exchanges. Specifically, it alters the partitioning between runoff and total evapotranspiration as well as the partitioning among the three components of evapotranspiration (canopy interception loss, ground evaporation and plant transpiration). This further influences the soil water, and to a lesser effect surface/vegetation temperatures and surface heat fluxes. It is shown that, overall, rainfall variability exerts less of an impact on the land-atmosphere flux exchanges over Europe compared to Africa and Amazon.
Computational micromechanics modeling of inherent piezoresistivity in carbon nanotube–polymer nanocomposites

It has been observed that carbon nanotubes have a measurable inherent piezoresistive effect, that is to say that changes in carbon nanotube strain can induce changes in carbon nanotube resistivity,...
THE K-CHAINS OF THE IMMUNOGLOBULIN FROM A CONTINUOUS CULTURE OF HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES (DAUDI) HAVE AN UNUSUAL MOLECULAR SIZE

Membrane-associated immunoglobulin (M-Ig) was isolated from Daudi cells which had been radioiodinated using lactoperoxidase. This M-Ig was found to have a molecular size on SDS-PAGE of 330,000 daltons. The component protein chains (µ and K) have molecular sizes of 75,000 and 33,000 daltons, respectively. Further studies showed that [3H]galactose can be incorporated into K-chains, but that extra protein and not carbohydrate was responsible for the increased molecular size of this molecule.
Application of a Nonhydrostatic Model to Flow in a Free Surface Fish Passage Facility

The free surface flow of two conceptual fish passage designs are investigated numerically by a level-set finite-element method. One design has a right-angled entrance from the reservoir to the fish passage chute, and the other has a curved-shaped entrance. The numerical results are validated with hydraulic experiments through comparison of the free surface location and the pressure distribution in the spillway. It is found that the right-angled design yields a curved free surface and pressure distribution in the vicinity of the entrance due to large strains, whereas the curved-shaped design yields a smooth flow transition with small strains. The negative pressure distributions near the ogee crest for both designs exhibit similar characteristics. Further downstream the free surface is elevated near the wall and is associated with counterrotating vortices. It is concluded that the curved-shaped design is favorable for fish passage because of the feature of a smooth flow transition with small strains.
An extension of global fuzzy c-means using kernel methods

Fuzzy c-means (FCM) is a simple but powerful clustering method using the concept of fuzzy sets that has been proved to be useful in many areas. There are, however, several well known problems with FCM, such as sensitivity to initialization, sensitivity to outliers, and limitation to convex clusters. In this paper, global fuzzy c-means (G-FCM) and kernel fuzzy c-means (K-FCM) are combined and extended to form a non-linear variant of G-FCM, called kernelized global fuzzy c-means (KG-FCM). G-FCM is a variant of FCM that uses an incremental seed selection method and is effective in alleviating sensitivity to initialization. There are several approaches to reduce the influence of noise and properly partition non-convex clusters, and K-FCM is one. K-FCM is used in this paper because it can easily be extended with different kernels, which provide sufficient flexibility to allow for resolution of the shortcomings of FCM. By combining G-FCM and K-FCM, KG-FCM can resolve the shortcomings mentioned above. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated by experiments using artificial and real world data sets.
Mechanical behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene around the room‐temperature first‐order transition

Abstract : The effect of the room temperature first order transition on the plastic yield behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been investigated. Stress-strain curves were measured at different strain rates and temperatures. Tensile creep under constant dead load was also measured as a function of temperature and stress level. The effect of degree of crystallinity was investigated by using both a rapidly quenched and slow cooled polymer. The curve of yield stress vs temperature in the temperature range from -50 to +68C was found to be almost identical with the curve of elastic modulus vs temperature: the yield stress shows a marked local decrease at the first order transition. The experimental observations suggest a model of the solid-state structure of PTFE which could be described as an 'elastic-plastic network', in which crystalline domains are connected by elastic amorphous regions, and in which the crystalline domains can flow plastically at sufficiently high stress or temperature. (Author)
Can Something You Know Be Saved

"Something you know," in the form of passwords, has been the cornerstone of authentication for some time; however the inability to survive replay attack threatens this state of affairs. While "something you know" may always be used in addition to "something you have" we examine whether it can be salvaged as the solo factor for authentication. A recent surge of interest in Challenge Response authentication schemes raises the question whether a secret shared between the user and the server can allow secure access even in the presence of spyware. Our conclusion is negative. Assuming only a limit on the amount that a user can remember and calculate we find that any scheme likely to be usable is too easily brute forced if the attacker observes several logins. This is true irrespective of the details of the scheme. The vital parameter is the number of bits of the secret involved in each bit of the response. When this number is too low the scheme is easily brute-forced, but making it high makes the scheme unworkable for the user. Our conclusion is that single factor "something you know" schemes have a fundamental weakness unless the number of logins the attacker observes can be restricted.
Adsorption and Photoactivity of Tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) on Nanoparticulate TiO2

Tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) adsorbs strongly onto nanoparticulate TiO2 and serves as an efficient photosensitizer for solar-energy conversion by TCPP-sensitized TiO2 electrodes. Nanoparticulate TiO2 electrodes were prepared from Degussa P25 TiO2 powder in the standard manner for a Gratzel cell. Adsorption studies of TCPP onto these sintered TiO2 electrodes gave a saturation surface coverage of 47 μmol/g. Adsorption studies of TCPP onto colloidal dispersions of Degussa P25 in ethanol gave a saturation surface coverage of 77 μmol/g. The difference between the saturation coverages is attributed to the reduction of the available surface area in the TiO2 films after sintering, from 55 m2/g as a free colloid to about 34 m2/g as a sintered electrode. The nature of the binding of TCPP onto the TiO2 electrodes was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Resonance Raman Spectroscopy (RRS). In the XPS spectra of TiO2 with adsorbed TCPP, the O (1s) and Ti (2p3/2) peaks of TiO2 were sh...
Provincial migration in China in the 1990s

Abstract Estimates of migration among the provinces of China were made by comparison of the provincial populations from the 1990 and 2000 censuses. The estimates were made by comparing the 2000 population of each province with what it would have been if population had increased solely due to natural growth—the excess of births over deaths. Unfortunately, the estimate of the increase in provincial populations due to migration was much greater than the estimate of the loss of population by migration. The estimate of the increase in population by inmigration was 39.7 million while the estimated outmigration was only 16.3 million. Possible reasons for the difference in the estimates are presented. Comparison was made between the 1999 population estimate and the 2000 estimate. Migration rates in the United States and China are compared.
The effect of depression symptoms and social support on black-white differences in health-related quality of life in early pregnancy: the health status in pregnancy (HIP) study

Background Lower physical and social functioning in pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight infants, butt few studies have examined racial differences in pregnant women’s perception of their functioning. Even fewer studies have elucidated the demographic and clinical factors contributing to racial differences in functioning. Our objective was to determine whether there are racial differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in early pregnancy; and if so, to identify the contributions of socio-demographic characteristics, depression symptoms, social support and clinical factors to these differences.
Area-Level Poverty Is Associated with Greater Risk of Ambulatory-Care-Sensitive Hospitalizations in Older Breast Cancer Survivors

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the frequency of ambulatory care–sensitive hospitalizations (ACSHs) and to compare the risk of ACSH in breast cancer survivors living in high-poverty with that of those in low-poverty areas. DESIGN: Prospective, multilevel study. SETTING: National, population-based 1991 to 1999 National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program data linked with Medicare claims data throughout the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Breast cancer survivors aged 66 and older. MEASUREMENTS: ACSH was classified according to diagnosis at hospitalization. The percentage of the population living below the U.S. federal poverty line was calculated at the census-tract level. Potential confounders included demographic characteristics, comorbidity, tumor and treatment factors, and availability of medical care. RESULTS: Of 47,643 women, 13.3% had at least one ACSH. Women who lived in high-poverty census tracts (≥30% poverty rate) were 1.5 times (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.34–1.72) as likely to have at least one ACSH after diagnosis as women who lived in low-poverty census tracts (<10% poverty rate). After adjusting for most confounders, results remained unchanged. After adjustment for comorbidity, the hazard ratio (HR) was reduced to 1.34 (95% CI=1.18–1.52), but adjusting for all variables did not further reduce the risk of ACSH associated with poverty rate beyond adjustment for comorbidity (HR=1.37, 95% CI=1.19–1.58). CONCLUSION: Elderly breast cancer survivors who lived in high-poverty census tracts may be at increased risk of reduced posttreatment follow-up care, preventive care, or symptom management as a result of not having adequate, timely, and high-quality ambulatory primary care as suggested by ACSH.
Effect of miracidial dose on adoptively transferred resistance to Schistosoma mansoni in the snail intermediate host, Biomphalaria glabrata.

Adoptively transferred resistance to Schistosoma mansoni in the snail intermediate host Biomphalaria glabrata was measured as a function of miracidial challenge dose. Schistosome-susceptible snails implanted with the amebocyte-producing organ (APO) from resistant donors showed 29 and 39% prevalences of infection after challenge with 5 and 10 miracidia, respectively, but 68–83% prevalences when exposed to 25–200 miracidia. Prevalences in control (untampered) susceptible snails ranged from 97 to 100% at the different miracidial doses. Higher infection prevalences at elevated doses suggest that a range of transferred resistance occurs and possibly that low levels of APO-derived plasma factors or hemocytes in some recipients can be overwhelmed by larger numbers of parasites.
Modafinil and sleep architecture in an inpatient–outpatient treatment study of cocaine dependence

Abstract Objective To determine whether the increase in slow-wave sleep associated with modafinil treatment in chronic cocaine users mediates improved clinical outcomes. Method 57 cocaine dependent participants were randomized to receive modafinil 400 mg or placebo daily during a period of inpatient treatment followed by six weeks of outpatient treatment. Participants underwent polysomnographic sleep recording during inpatient treatment prior to and after starting modafinil. Outpatient treatment consisted of weekly cognitive behavioral therapy. Contingency management was used to promote participation in treatment and research demands, including thrice weekly visits during the outpatient phase for urine toxicology screens and other assessments. The primary clinical outcome was the percent of urine toxicology screens that were negative for cocaine. Results Modafinil treatment was associated with a higher mean percentage (52% vs. 26%) of cocaine-free urine screens (p = 0.02) and an increase in N3 sleep time (p = 0.002). The change in N3 sleep time mediated the higher rate of cocaine-free urine screens. Modafinil treatment was also associated with more consecutive days abstinent during outpatient treatment, greater survival of abstinence, higher daily rates of abstinence, and less sleep degradation typically associated with abstinence from chronic cocaine use. Conclusions Morning-dosed modafinil improves slow-wave sleep in abstinent cocaine users in the inpatient setting, and this effect is a statistical mediator of improved clinical outcomes associated with continued modafinil treatment. The high rates of abstinence achieved in this trial suggest that promoting healthy sleep physiology in an inpatient setting may be important in the effective treatment of cocaine dependence.
Public Access Television: A Radical Critique

Perhaps America’s most radical telecommunication policy ever has been public access television (PA-TV). PA-TV gives ordinary citizens direct access to society’s most powerful mass medium, television, and provides financial support to make that access effective (about $2 billion since its inception.). These resources have supported the creation of what democratic theorists call a free speech forum and what radical social theorists call a public sphere. Yet public access TV presents a puzzle: why have its social impacts been so modest? This article explains PA-TV’s impacts in terms of its institutional structures of technology, regulatory framework, organizational form, and professional culture. The conclusion offers recommendations for structural reforms.
Message Brokering Evaluation for Live Spacecraft Telemetry Monitoring, Recorded Playback, and Analysis

Live monitoring and post-flight analysis of telemetry data play a vital role in the development, diagnosis, and deployment of components of a space flight mission. Requirements for such a system include low end-to-end latency between data producers and visualizers, preserved ordering of messages, data stream archiving with random access playback, and real-time creation of derived data streams. We evaluate the RabbitMQ and Kafka message brokering systems, on how well they can enable a real-time, scalable, and robust telemetry framework that delivers telemetry data to multiple clients across heterogeneous platforms and flight projects. In our experiments using an actively developed robotic arm testbed, Kafka yielded a much higher message throughput rate and a consistent publishing rate across the number of topics and consumers. Consumer message rates were consistent across the number of topics but can exhibit bursty behavior with an increase in the contention for a single topic partition with increasing number of consumers.
Fusarium Oxysporum F. Sp. Nicotianae Enzyme Production on Cell Walls Isolated from Meloidogyne Incognita-Infected and Healthy Tobacco Roots

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. nicotianae was grown on cell walls from the roots of the flue-cured tobacco cultivars ‘Coker 298’ (resistant to Fusarium) and ‘Virginia Gold’ (susceptible to Fusarium). Al...
A Wearable Social Interaction Aid for Children with Autism

Over 1 million children under the age of 17 in the US have been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These children struggle to recognize facial expressions, make eye contact, and engage in social interactions. Gaining these skills requires intensive behavioral interventions that are often expensive, difficult to access, and inconsistently administered.nWe have developed a system to automate facial expression recognition that runs on wearable glasses and delivers real time social cues, with the goal of creating a behavioral aid for children with ASD that maximizes behavioral feedback while minimizing the distractions to the child. This paper describes the design of our system and interface decisions resulting from initial observations gathered during multiple preliminary trials.
Comparation of the requirements of the content and format of Investigational New Drug Applications on pharmacology,toxicology and pharmacokinetics in different countries

Based on information from multisources,we compared the requirements on pharmacology,toxicology and pharmacokinetics by FDA,EMEA,MHLW and SFDA,in IND application,including international multicenter clinical trial application.Essentially,the core requirements of our country are similar to those of other countries.
Research on Frequency Characteristics of Common High-voltage Resistance-capacitance Dividers

Since there are different frequency characteristics of high-voltage resistance-capacitance dividers which can affect measurement results,the frequency characteristics of common typical high-voltage resistance-capacitance dividers are measured within the range from 40 Hz to 300 Hz,and several resistance-capacitance dividers with excellent frequency characteristics are confirmed.
SU-F-T-40: Can CBCT Images Be Used for Volume Studies of Prostate Seed Implants for Boost Treatment?

Purpose: In our clinic, the planning CT is used for definitive and boost low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy treatments to determine the ultrasound volume in the operating room (OR) at the time of the implant. While the CT overestimation of OR volume is known, a larger estimation discrepancy has been observed for boost treatments. A possible reason is the prostate size reduction during EBRT for boost patients. Since cone-beam CT (CBCT) is often used as routine imaging guidance of EBRT, this prostate volume change may be captured. This study investigates if CBCT taken during EBRT includes the volume change information and therefore beats CT in estimating the prostate OR volumes. Methods: 9 prostate patients treated with EBRT (45Gy in 1.8Gy per fractions to the whole pelvis) and I-125 seed implants (108Gy) were involved in this study. During EBRT, CBCT image guidance was performed on a weekly basis. For each patient, the prostate volumes on the first and the last available CBCT images were manually contoured by a physician. These volumes were then compared to each other and with the contoured volumes from the planning CT and from the ultrasound images in the OR. Results: The first and the last CBCT images did not show significant prostate volume change. Their average +/− standard deviation of prostate volumes were 24.4cc+/−14.6cc and 29.9cc+/−16.1cc, respectively (T-test p=0.68). The ratio of the OR volume to the last CBCT (0.71+/−0.21) was not significantly different from the ratio of OR volumes to the planning CT (0.61+/−0.13) (p=0.25). Conclusion: In this study, CBCT does not show significant prostate volume changes during EBRT. CBCT and CT volumes are quite consistent and no improvement of volume estimation using CBCT is observed. The advantage of CBCT as a replacement of CT for volume study of boost LDR brachytherapy is limited.
The effect of HIV-1 Vif polymorphisms on A3G anti-viral activity in an in vivo mouse model.

Humans encode seven APOBEC3 proteins (A–H), with A3G, 3F and 3H as the major factors restricting HIV-1 replication. HIV-1, however, encodes Vif, which counteracts A3 proteins by chaperoning them to the proteasome where they are degraded. Vif polymorphisms found in HIV-1s isolated from infected patients have varying anti-A3G potency when assayed in vitro, but there are few studies demonstrating this in in vivo models. Here, we created Friend murine leukemia viruses encoding vif alleles that were previously shown to differentially neutralize A3G in cell culture or that were originally found in primary HIV-1 isolates. Infection of transgenic mice expressing different levels of human A3G showed that these naturally occurring Vif variants differed in their ability to counteract A3G during in vivo infection, although the effects on viral replication were not identical to those seen in cultured cells. We also found that the polymorphic Vifs that attenuated viral replication reverted to wild type only in A3G transgenic mice. Finally, we found that the level of A3G-mediated deamination was inversely correlated with the level of viral replication. This animal model should be useful for studying the functional significance of naturally occurring vif polymorphisms, as well as viral evolution in the presence of A3G.
Neurovirulence of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Accessory Gene Mutants

A striking feature of the genome of herpes simplex virus (HSV) is that approximately half of the genes are not essential for replication of the virus in cell culture. It might be predicted that many of these accessory gene products are important for viral growth and spread in neurons and thus contribute to neurovirulence. Mutants altered in both essential and nonessential functions were studied for their ability to infect, replicate, spread, and establish latency in the central nervous system of rats. Some accessory gene mutants had little effect on viral pathogenesis, others showed reduced neurovirulence, but still caused neuropathogenesis, while a third class was attenuated and replicated in the rat brain to a limited degree, but failed to spread, and caused little or no neuropathology.
Myosin phosphorylation on stress fibers predicts contact guidance behavior across diverse breast cancer cells

During cancer progression the extracellular matrix is remodeled, forming aligned collagen fibers that proceed radially from the tumor, resulting in invasion. We have recently shown that different invasive breast cancer cells respond to epitaxially grown, aligned collagen fibrils differently. This article develops insight into why these cells differ in their contact guidance fidelity. Small changes in contractility or adhesion dramatically alter directional persistence on aligned collagen fibrils, while migration speed remains constant. The directionality of highly contractile and adhesive MDA-MB-231 cells can be diminished by inhibiting Rho kinase or β1 integrin binding. Inversely, the directionality of less contractile and adhesive MTLn3 cells can be enhanced by activating contractility or integrins. Subtle, but quantifiable alterations in myosin II regulatory light chain phosphorylation on stress fibers explain the tuning of contact guidance fidelity, separate from migration per se indicating that the contractile and adhesive state of the cell in combination with collagen organization in the tumor microenvironment determine the efficiency of migration. Understanding how distinct cells respond to contact guidance cues will not only illuminate mechanisms for cancer invasion, but will also allow for the design of environments to separate specific subpopulations of cells from patient-derived tissues by leveraging differences in responses to directional migration cues.
Non-overlapping Neural Networks in Hydra vulgaris

To understand the emergent properties of neural circuits, it would be ideal to record the activity of every neuron in a behaving animal and decode how it relates to behavior. We have achieved this with the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris, using calcium imaging of genetically engineered animals to measure the activity of essentially all of its neurons. Although the nervous system of Hydra is traditionally described as a simple nerve net, we surprisingly find instead a series of functional networks that are anatomically non-overlapping and are associated with specific behaviors. Three major functional networks extend through the entire animal and are activated selectively during longitudinal contractions, elongations in response to light, and radial contractions, whereas an additional network is located near the hypostome and is active during nodding. These results demonstrate the functional sophistication of apparently simple nerve nets, and the potential of Hydra and other basal metazoans as a model system for neural circuit studies.
Polymer-capped nanoparticle transport in granular media filtration: deviation from the colloidal filtration model.

AbstractThe single-collector removal efficiency based on the colloidal filtration model is widely used to quantify deposition of nanoparticles in porous media filtration. The validity of this theor...
MULTIPLE SECURITY DOMAIN MODEL OF A VEHICLE IN AN AUTOMATED PLATOON

This chapter focuses on the security of automated vehicle platoons. Specifically, it examines the vulnerabilities that occur via disruptions of the information flows among the different types of sensors, the communications network and the control unit in each vehicle of a platoon. Multiple security domain nondeducibility is employed to determine whether or not the system can detect attacks. The information flows among the various domains provide insights into the vulnerabilities that exist in the system and whether the model is nondeducible. If nondeducibility is found to be true, then an attacker can create an undetectable attack. Defeating nondeducibility requires additional information sources, including invariants pertaining to vehicle platoon operation. A platoon is examined from the control unit perspective to determine if the vulnerabilities are associated with preventing situational awareness, which could lead to vehicle crashes.
Prescription tranquilizer/sedative misuse prevalence and correlates across age cohorts in the US.

Abstract Background Prescription tranquilizer/sedative (e.g., alprazolam, zolpidem) misuse (i.e., use in ways not intended by the prescriber or without a prescription) is understudied, with little research identifying misuse correlates. Identification of key correlates could identify subgroups more likely to engage in misuse, allowing for targeted treatment. This work examines tranquilizer/sedative use and misuse prevalence rates and misuse correlates across U.S. age cohorts, using nationally representative data. Methods Data were from the 2015–16 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 114,043). Analyses used design-based logistic regression for past-year tranquilizer/sedative misuse correlates across participants or those engaged in past-year use; past-month misuse correlates were also examined in those with past-year misuse. Results Young adults (18–25 years) had the highest prevalence of past-year and past-month tranquilizer/sedative misuse, with 42.8% of those with past-year use also engaged in misuse. Mental health correlates were associated with past-year misuse, while substance use, particularly opioid misuse, was associated with both past-year and past-month misuse. Substance use correlate strength was most likely to vary by age group, with older adults (65 years and older) having fewer significant correlates overall. Conclusions This work highlighted young adults and those with other substance use as most likely to engage in tranquilizer/sedative misuse. In particular, those endorsing suicidality and reporting opioid misuse are a subgroup of concern, given their especially elevated rates of misuse and the increased risk for overdose imparted by tranquilizer/sedative medication. Workplace-based interventions for young adults and school-based universal prevention may be warranted to limit tranquilizer/sedative misuse in these groups.
Language in a global world: A case study of foreign languages in U.S. K–8 education

Over the past decade, there have been numerous calls to update U.S. education to reflect an increasingly global world (Hull & Hellmich, 2018). Foreign languages (FLs) are often perceived as central to these efforts (American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 2017). Despite this centrality, less is known about how FLs are understood in U.S. K–12 education today, particularly at the individual and school levels. Using an ecological theoretical frame and a case study research design, this article focused on one K–8 immersion school and examined (1) the discourses that teachers, administrators, parents, and students used to understand FLs in education; (2) how their understandings impacted the learning environment; and (3) how local beliefs and behaviors aligned with larger societal philosophies and practices. Findings revealed areas of both alignment and divergence from previous literature and highlight the complex understandings that are used to position and guide FL education
Oligomerization of MrgC11 and μ-opioid receptors in sensory neurons enhances morphine analgesia

The μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist morphine is commonly used for pain management, but it has severe adverse effects and produces analgesic tolerance. Thus, alternative ways of stimulating MOR activity are needed. We found that MrgC11, a sensory neuron-specific G protein-coupled receptor, may form heteromeric complexes with MOR. Peptide-mediated activation of MrgC11 enhanced MOR recycling by inducing coendocytosis and sorting of MOR for membrane reinsertion. MrgC11 activation also inhibited the coupling of MOR to β-arrestin-2 and enhanced the morphine-dependent inhibition of cAMP production. Intrathecal coadministration of a low dose of an MrgC agonist potentiated acute morphine analgesia and reduced chronic morphine tolerance in wild-type mice but not in Mrg-cluster knockout (Mrg KO) mice. BAM22, a bivalent agonist of MrgC and opioid receptors, enhanced the interaction between MrgC11 and MOR and produced stronger analgesia than did the individual monovalent agonists. Morphine-induced neuronal and pain inhibition was reduced in Mrg KO mice compared to that in wild-type mice. Our results uncover MrgC11-MOR interactions that lead to positive functional modulation of MOR. MrgC shares genetic homogeneity and functional similarity with human MrgX1. Thus, harnessing this positive modulation of MOR function by Mrg signaling may enhance morphine analgesia in a sensory neuron-specific fashion to limit central side effects.
The Nitrogen System

Although both nitrogen and sulfur are components of protein, and, thus, are essential elements for plant nutrition, there are some fundamental differences in the cycles of these two elements in terrestrial ecosystems that must be considered in our analysis of soil acidification. In contrast to the sulfur system in which SO 4 2− adsorption can be an important factor in the accumulation of sulfur in the ecosystem, there is little tendency for inorganic nitrogen to accumulate in most forest soils. The most oxidized form of nitrogen, the nitrate (NO 3 − ) anion, is only weakly adsorbed on soil surfaces and is, thus, readily leached. The ammonium ion (NH 4 − ) can be retained on cation exchange sites. However, the quantities of exchangeable NH 4 + on exchange sites in forest soils is usually small because (1) high biological demand by plants and microorganisms in nitrogen-limited ecosystems (which are very common in forests of North America and Scandinavia) causes NH 4 + to be rapidly taken up and (2) any NH 4 + that is not incorporated into biological tissue is likely to be oxidized by microorganisms to nitrate. Although this oxidation is commonly thought to be inhibited under acid conditions, recent reports of high nitrification rates in very acid forest soils under heavy loadings of acid deposition (van Breemen et al. 1982; van Breemen and Jordens 1983) testify to the capacity of the system to oxidize NH 4 + . Because large pools of inorganic nitrogen are seldom, if ever, found in forest ecosystems, we can safely generalize that, for nitrogen, biological rather than chemical mechanisms account for ecosystem accumulation.
In Pursuit of Liberty: The Levellers and the American Bill of Rights

The Levellers were grass roots movement that emerged during the English Civil War of the 1640s. Though soon suppressed and often reviled, they espoused a remarkably innovative program of radical democratic reform. They proposed a written constitution for the nation that bound Parliament. It contained substantial limits on governmental power - a sort of bill of rights that limited all aspects of government. These limits included broad criminal procedure rights, many well before they were generally guaranteed by English law - such as the right to counsel in all cases, a right against self-incrimination, the right to a copy of the indictment, a right against ex post facto laws, and other common law rights such the right to summon witnesses for the defense and to a jury of twelve. The Agreement also provided for broad freedom of religion, an end to tithes, an end to imprisonment for debt and to conscription (which applied in fact only to those of lesser status). The Levellers wanted to substantially democratize the English Parliament (and eliminate the House of Lords) and their Agreement took steps in that direction as well. Many Levellers' ideas reappeared in the United States. Levellers insisted that legitimate governmental power depended on the consent of the governed, a consent linked to very broad male franchise. They insisted that government officials were agents of the people who had a fiduciary duty to govern in accordance with the interests of their principal (the people). They invoked popular sovereignty, which they understood to mean that the people were the highest political power in the nation. As a result, the Levellers developed the idea of a constitution coming directly from the people, one that was therefore superior to laws passed by parliament.
Iron-Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reactions between Alkyl Halides and Unactivated Arylboronic Esters

An iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between alkyl halides and arylboronic esters was developed that does not involve activation of the boronic ester with alkyllithium reagents nor requires magnesium additives. A combination of experimental and theoretical investigations revealed that lithium amide bases coupled with iron complexes containing deprotonated cyanobis(oxazoline) ligands were best to obtain high yields (up to 89%) in catalytic cross-coupling reactions. Mechanistic investigations implicate carbon-centered radical intermediates and highlight the critical importance of avoiding conditions that lead to iron aggregates. The new iron-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura reaction was applied toward the shortest reported synthesis of the pharmaceutical Cinacalcet.
Performance Evaluation of a Differentially-private Neural Network for Cloud Computing

Due to the large computational cost of data classification using deep learning, resource-limited devices, e.g., smart phones, PCs, etc., offload their classification tasks to a cloud server, which offers extensive hardware resources. Unfortunately, since the cloud is an untrusted third-party, users may be reluctant to share their private data with the cloud for data classification. Differential privacy has been proposed as a way of securely classifying data at the cloud using deep learning. In this approach, users conceal their data before uploading it to the cloud using a local obfuscation deep learning model, which is based on a data classification model hosted by the cloud. However, as the obfuscation model assumes that the pre-trained model at the cloud is static, it leads to significant performance degradation under realistic classification models that are constantly being updated. In this paper, we investigate the performance of differentially-private data classification under a dynamic pre-trained model, and a constant obfuscation model. We find that the classification performance decreases as the pre-trained model evolves. We then investigate the classification performance under an obfuscation model that is updated alongside the pre-trained model. We find that with a modest computational effort the obfuscation model can be updated to significantly improve the classification performance. under a dynamic pre-trained model.
Acceptance of HCV-Positive Donor Hearts Improves Organ Acceptance Selectivity: Single Center Experience

Purpose Due to the shortage of donor hearts in the United States, it is essential we continuously evaluate strategies aimed at increasing donor organ availability. Our institution sought to expand the cardiac donor pool by utilizing hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive donor hearts. In a single center retrospective study, we examined the quality of HCV-positive donor hearts as compared to HCV-negative donor hearts. Methods Between October 2015 and October 2018, 111 cardiac transplants occurred at our center. 23 of these organs came from HCV-positive donors. Baseline donor characteristics were examined for all cardiac transplants and donor quality between HCV-positive and HCV-negative donors compared. Results Twenty-three (20%) of patients received HCV-positive hearts. On average the HCV-positive donors were accepted by our program at lower match sequence numbers than HCV-negative donors (sequence 12±17 versus 64±103, p 0.05 for all comparisons) was seen between HCV-positive and HCV-negative donor hearts. Acceptance of HCV-positive donor hearts facilitated dual-organ transplantation with 3 (13%) patients receiving dual organs as compared to only 4 (4%) in the HCV-negative recipient group. All patients who received HCV-positive donor hearts were alive at the time of this analysis compared to 89% in the HCV-negative group. Conclusion In this single-center study, patients who underwent HCV-positive donor heart transplantation received hearts at lower sequence numbers with a trend toward lower donor age. Short-term outcomes with HCV-positive donor hearts are favorable. Acceptance of HCV-positive donor hearts represents a potential approach to safely expand the available donor pool.
Copula Representations and Error Surface Projections for the Exclusive Or Problem.

The exclusive or (xor) function is one of the simplest examples that illustrate why nonlinear feedforward networks are superior to linear regression for machine learning applications. We review the xor representation and approximation problems and discuss their solutions in terms of probabilistic logic and associative copula functions. After briefly reviewing the specification of feedforward networks, we compare the dynamics of learned error surfaces with different activation functions such as RELU and tanh through a set of colorful three-dimensional charts. The copula representations extend xor from Boolean to real values, thereby providing a convenient way to demonstrate the concept of cross-validation on in-sample and out-sample data sets. Our approach is pedagogical and is meant to be a machine learning prolegomenon.
Clubs and Allied Activities

(1942). Clubs and Allied Activities. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 49, No. 8, pp. 543-545.
Currency Crash and Speculative Currency Investment under Flexible Exchange Rates

This study documents substantial disparity in currency volatility and crash incidents between emerging markets and industrialized countries. Under the same flexible exchange rate regime, currencies in emerging markets are more volatile and experience more crashes. The paper investigates whether international financial investments attracted to higher interest rate in emerging markets contribute to the disparity. Using Vector Autoregression (VAR) models and data from 23 countries, the study confirms that the relative higher interest rate accounts for a large part of the more volatilities and crashes in currencies of emerging countries. The results imply that emerging economies may not necessarily benefit from a flexible exchange rate regime, which was thought to be a shock absorber that could avert large crashes in currency.
Analysis of telomere length variation and Shelterin complex subunit gene expression changes in ethanol-exposed human embryonic stem cells.

Abstract Telomeres protect chromosome ends from degradation. Telomere length (TL) can be altered by aging and environmental stress. Shortened TL has been observed in peripheral blood leukocytes of alcohol dependent subjects and ethanol-exposed somatic cells. To understand the impact of ethanol on telomeres in pluripotent stem cells, we investigated the influence of ethanol on TL and the expression of six Shelterin complex subunit or telomere-regulating genes (POT1, RAP1, TIN2, TPP1, TRF1, and TRF2) in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), which were exposed to 0, 25, 50, or 100 mM of ethanol for 3, 7, or 14 days. Ethanol-induced TL and Shelterin complex subunit gene expression changes were examined by quantitative polymerase chain reactions. Two-way ANOVA tests indicated that TL variation and expression changes of four associated Shelterin complex subunit genes (POT1, TPP1, TIN2, and TRF2) were mainly dependent on the length of ethanol exposure, while TRF1 and RAP1expression was influenced by ethanol concentration, exposure time, and the interaction of ethanol concentration and exposure time. Tukey's multiple comparison tests showed that TL and the expression of POT1, RAP1, TIN2, TPP1, and TRF1 were decreased after a 7-day (versus a 3-day) ethanol exposure. However, the decreased expression of all six Shelterin complex subunit genes was recovered and TL was not further shortened after a 14-day (versus a 7-day) ethanol exposure, likely due to the adaptation of hESCs to ethanol-induced stress. Our study provided further evidence that TL is regulated and maintained by telomere-regulating genes in stem cells under ethanol stress.
Pest pressure relates to similarity of crops and native plants.

Since the Green Revolution, scientists have documented countless unanticipated consequences of widespread pesticide use in agriculture. These consequences are balanced by the growing necessity to manage agricultural pests. The trade-offs have motivated research to produce inexpensive and accessible food while simultaneously improving the sustainability of agriculture from field to fork. Although decades of research inform our understanding of relationships between pests, crops, and pesticides, the general systemic drivers and patterns of crop-specific pesticide use remain unclear. Understanding fundamental ecological factors that motivate pesticide use on crops is a key knowledge gap that perpetuates this ongoing dependence on pesticides. Pearse and Rosenheim (1) study several general drivers of pest pressure and associated pesticide use in California, one of the most intensive agricultural production regions worldwide. Because of the immense crop diversity and accessible data about the pesticide inputs used on those crops, the authors are able use this complex agricultural system as a test bed to ask whether pest pressure and pesticide use on agricultural crops are related to the evolutionary distance between important crop plants and their native relatives growing in noncrop areas of California (1). This study (1) builds on a growing body of evidence that the phylogenetic structure of plant communities can have predictable impacts on pests and diseases of plants in managed and natural systems (2⇓⇓–5). Pearse and Rosenheim examine economic crop value and evolutionary history to describe the numbers of arthropod pest and crop pathogen species affecting each crop in the study region. To do this, they investigate 93 major annual and perennial Californian crops (>600-ha average area) and link economic crop value, plant community ecology, and phylogenetic relationships to describe … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: gkennedy{at}ncsu.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Dispersion Bound for the Wyner-Ahlswede-Körner Network via a Semigroup Method on Types

We revisit the Wyner-Ahlswede-Korner network, focusing especially on the converse part of the dispersion analysis, which is known to be challenging. Using the functional-entropic duality and the reverse hypercontractivity of the transposition semigroup, we lower bound the error probability for each joint type. Then by averaging the error probability over types, we lower bound the c-dispersion (which characterizes the second-order behavior of the weighted sum of the rates of the two compressors when a nonvanishing error probability is small) as the variance of the gradient of $\inf _{ {P}_{ {U}| {X}}}\{{ { cH}}( {Y}| {U})+ {I}( {U}; {X})\}$ with respect to $ {Q}_{{{ XY}}}$ , the per-letter side information and source distribution. In comparison, using standard achievability arguments based on the method of types, we upper-bound the c-dispersion as the variance of $ {c}\imath _{ {Y}| {U}}( {Y}| {U})+\imath _{ {U}; {X}}( {U}; {X})$ , which improves the existing upper bounds but has a gap to the aforementioned lower bound. Our converse analysis should be immediately extendable to other distributed source-type problems, such as distributed source coding, common randomness generation, and hypothesis testing with communication constraints. We further present improved bounds for the general image-size problem via our semigroup technique.
The Association between Racial Discrimination, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Cardiovascular-Related Conditions Among Non-Hispanic Blacks: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III)

To test the association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular-related conditions and whether PTSD mediates this relationship in a nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic Blacks. We used data from the 2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions to conduct logistic regression analyses to examine the association between racial discrimination, PTSD, and cardiovascular-related conditions. We also performed mediation analyses to assess whether the association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular conditions was partly explained by PTSD. Racial discrimination was positively associated with both PTSD and cardiovascular-related conditions. Additionally, PTSD was positively associated with cardiovascular conditions. Results from the fully adjusted mediation models suggest that PTSD significantly mediated the association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular conditions. Our results demonstrate an association between racial discrimination and cardiovascular-related conditions that is significantly mediated by PTSD. To improve cardiovascular functioning among non-Hispanic Blacks, health care professionals in conjunction with Black communities must adopt culturally competent screening for and treatment for PTSD. To address racial differences in cardiovascular conditions, public health efforts must address institutional policies that negatively alter health opportunities among the Black population.
Crafting the Conditions for Professional Membership: Women of Color Navigating Inclusion into Academia

Previous scholarship has documented women of color’s experiences in professions such as law and medicine, but less research has explored how women of color experience the process of becoming member...