cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dependency preserving probabilistic modeling of switching activity using bayesian networks

We propose a new switching probability model for combinational circuits using a logic-induced-directed-acyclic-graph (LIDBG) and prove that such a graph corresponds to a Bayesian network guaranteed to map all the dependencies inherent in the circuit. This switching activity can be estimated by capturing complex dependencies (spatiotemporal and conditional) among signals efficiently by local message-passing based on the Bayesian networks. Switching activity estimation of ISCAS and MCNC circuits with random input streams yield high accuracy (average mean error=0.002) and low computational time (average time=3.93 seconds).
The Untruth of Truth: A Suggestion for Teaching in the Information Age

Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} The notion of representation has entertained philosophers and thinkers for centuries. How can anything, any idea, any concept or object truly be represented by a language, institution, idea or image? In the information age, the notion of representation is even more pressing. Twenty-four hour news feeds, YouTube, social media, government propaganda, iPhones, the media, the advertising industry and other agencies and devices disseminate a seemingly infinite amount of images that portend to represent something, from consumer products to political intentions. However, more times than not, supposed truths do not correspond to any underlying reality because they no longer need to. Information is now viral; it proliferates and leaves its referents behind. And it is the social studies that deal with many of these emerging avenues of information. Economist’s reports, political pundits, the seemingly endless plethora of historical information on the internet, all of these must be grappled with by teachers and students in the social studies. With the proliferation of information, truth becomes precarious. Nonetheless, it is the job of the social studies to provide some truth, or some notion of truth. This paper devises a methodological tool to better examine misrepresentations that may arise in the course of the teaching and learning of the social studies.
Field Measurements of Duration-Limited Growth of Wind-Generated Ocean Surface Waves at Young Stage of Development

Abstract The issue of duration-limited growth of wind-generated waves is of importance to wave studies. Most analytical solutions for wind waves are given in time rather than fetch domain. Numerical modeling of wave development is also often conducted in temporal evolution mode. Experimental data of duration-limited growth, however, are rare and do not cover a wide range of the wave development stage. As a result, theorists and modelers have to rely on fetch-limited evolution data, converting them into duration-limited conditions on the basis of some assumptions. During one of the field experiments of wind wave measurements, a dataset was obtained that is almost ideal for duration-limited wave growth analysis. The dataset extends the range of coverage in dimensionless time of the existing database by about one order of magnitude. The results of analysis provide strong support for the relation of space–time conversion for rendering the fetch-limited growth functions to duration-limited growth functions. Qu...
Linking Literacies: Exploring Home, Community, and School Early Literacy Practices in Botswana

Connecting home, community, and school contexts is an important component in developing and providing early childhood education as well as in promoting learning and academic performance. Home, community, and school contexts provide exposure to and experience with a variety of literacy activities and opportunities, but these contexts tend to differ in their literacy values, beliefs, and practices (Li, 2011). The differences can be so stark that children can feel left at the mercy of alien ideals and unfamiliar practices when attending school. In this presentation, the importance of connecting literacy learning at home, in the community, and at school will be discussed. This will include research, best practices, and the initial findings from an ethnographic case study examining the literacy participation of young children at home and at school in Botswana. The presentation will focus on how knowledge of the literacy practices found in each context can be used to better link outside-of-school and within-school contexts to promote understanding and literacy learning. It will also include how the literacy practices and/or processes found in both contexts can possibly serve as bridges between home and school settings for teachers, students, and families.
Engraftment of enteric neural progenitor cells into the injured adult brain

A major area of unmet need is the development of strategies to restore neuronal network systems and to recover brain function in patients with neurological disease. The use of cell-based therapies remains an attractive approach, but its application has been challenging due to the lack of suitable cell sources, ethical concerns, and immune-mediated tissue rejection. We propose an innovative approach that utilizes gut-derived neural tissue for cell-based therapies following focal or diffuse central nervous system injury. Enteric neuronal stem and progenitor cells, able to differentiate into neuronal and glial lineages, were isolated from the postnatal enteric nervous system and propagated in vitro. Gut-derived neural progenitors, genetically engineered to express fluorescent proteins, were transplanted into the injured brain of adult mice. Using different models of brain injury in combination with either local or systemic cell delivery, we show that transplanted enteric neuronal progenitor cells survive, proliferate, and differentiate into neuronal and glial lineages in vivo. Moreover, transplanted cells migrate extensively along neuronal pathways and appear to modulate the local microenvironment to stimulate endogenous neurogenesis. Our findings suggest that enteric nervous system derived cells represent a potential source for tissue regeneration in the central nervous system. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and to explore whether autologous gut-derived cell transplantation into the injured brain can result in functional neurologic recovery.
High throughput Danio rerio energy expenditure assay

Zebrafish are an important model organism with inherent advantages that have the potential to make zebrafish a widely applied model for the study of energy homeostasis and obesity. The small size of zebrafish allows for assays on embryos to be conducted in a 96- or 384-well plate format, Morpholino and CRISPR based technologies promote ease of genetic manipulation, and drug treatment by bath application is viable. Moreover, zebrafish are ideal for forward genetic screens allowing for novel gene discovery. Given the relative novelty of zebrafish as a model for obesity, it is necessary to develop tools that fully exploit these benefits. Herein, we describe a method to measure energy expenditure in thousands of embryonic zebrafish simultaneously. We have developed a whole animal microplate platform in which we use 96-well plates to isolate individual fish and we assess cumulative NADH2 production using the commercially available cell culture viability reagent alamarBlue. In poikilotherms the relationship between NADH2 production and energy expenditure is tightly linked. This energy expenditure assay creates the potential to rapidly screen pharmacological or genetic manipulations that directly alter energy expenditure or alter the response to an applied drug (e.g. insulin sensitizers).
Binding of Calcium Oxalate and Apatite Crystals to Renal Papillary Collecting Tubule Cells in Primary Culture

The attachment of microcrystallites within the renal papilla may be an important component of the pathophysiology of urolithiasis (1–3). The current study utilizes rat inner-papillary collecting tubule (RPCT) cells in primary culture to investigate how calcium oxalate monohydrate (CaOx) and apatite (AP) crystals interact with cell surfaces. We previously reported (4, 5) an increased CaOx crystal adherence to aggregated cells as compared to monolayer cells in the RPCT cell cultures. Also, we demonstrated the specificity of CaOx adherence to these cultures and developed a mathematical model to analyze the concentration-dependent binding of microcrystallites to the RPCT cells (5). This study is a continuation of our previous study (5) examining the concentration-dependent binding of CaOx and AP microcrystallites to the RPCT cells, and compares the binding of these two crystalline moieties in greater detail.
Aging as a Global Public Health Challenge: Dimensions of Demographic Divergence in the Global South

Since 2002, ageing populations worldwide have received increasing attention by global policy-makers. However, resources committed by inter-governmental donors and US-based private foundations in support of ageing-related policies and interventions in non-OECD countries have remained minimal during this decade and, where mobilised, have rarely responded to actual country-level demographics and institutional capacities. We argue that this lag between issue recognition and effective resource mobilisation, while mirroring known dynamics in global agenda-setting, has also been caused by a depiction of ageing as a uniform trend across the Global South. We develop and apply a comprehensive analytical framework to assess the state of ageing dynamics at the country level and uncover substantial regional and sub-regional variation. In response, we suggest replacing complexity reduction in the interest of issue recognition with targeted support for a more nuanced research agenda and policy debate on country-specific ageing dynamics in order to inform and catalyse effective international assistance.
Systematic search for recipes to generate induced pluripotent stem cells

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) opens a new avenue in regenerative medicine. One of the major hurdles for therapeutic applications is to improve the efficiency of generating iPSCs and also to avoid the tumorigenicity, which requires searching for new reprogramming recipes. We present a systems biology approach to efficiently evaluate a large number of possible recipes and find those that are most effective at generating iPSCs. We not only recovered several experimentally confirmed recipes but we also suggested new ones that may improve reprogramming efficiency and quality. In addition, our approach allows one to estimate the cell-state landscape, monitor the progress of reprogramming, identify important regulatory transition states, and ultimately understand the mechanisms of iPSC generation.
Understanding solvation in the low global warming hydrofluoroolefin HFO-1234ze propellant.

Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), with zero ozone-depleting effect and very low global warming potential, are considered to be the next-generation high-pressure working fluids. They have industrial relevance in areas including refrigeration and medical aerosols. One major challenge expected in the replacement of existing working fluids with HFOs is the solubility and solvation of additives in such hydrophobic and oleophobic low dielectric semifluorinated solvents. The study of the solvation of chemistries that represent those additives by HFOs is, therefore, of great relevance. In this work, we systematically investigate how the polarity and structure of fragments (the tail, t) that represent those additives affect their binding energy (Eb) with HFO-1234ze (1,1,1,3-tetrafluoropropene) (the solvent, s; Ebst). We also compare and contrast those results with those for the working fluids that are most widely used in the industry, the hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs) HFA-134a and HFA-227. Three main chemistries were investi...
How the ankyrin and SOCS box protein, ASB9, binds to creatine kinase

The ankyrin repeat and SOCS box (ASB) family is composed of 18 proteins and belongs to the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) box protein superfamily. The ASB proteins function as the substrate-recognition subunits of ECS-type (ElonginBC-Cullin-SOCS-box) Cullin RING E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRL) complexes that specifically transfer ubiquitin to cellular proteins targeting them for degradation by the proteasome. ASB9 binds to creatine kinase (CK) and targets it for degradation; however, the way in which ASB9 interacts with CK is not yet known. We present a complete characterization of the binding of ASB9 to CK. One ASB9 molecule binds to a dimer of CK. The binding affinity of ASB9(1-252) was extremely tight, and no dissociation could be observed. Deletion of the 34 N-terminal amino acids forming ASB9(35-252) resulted in weakening of the binding, so that a binding affinity of 2.6 nM could be measured. Amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDXMS) experiments showed that both ASB9(1-252) and ASB9(35-252) protected the same region of CK, residues 182-203, which forms one side of the active site. The HDXMS experiments indicated that the N-terminal disordered region and first ankyrin repeat of ASB9 are protected from exchange in the complex. Molecular docking yielded a structural model consistent with all of the data that suggested the N-terminal residues of ASB9(1-252) may lie in one CK active site. This model was corroborated by enzymatic activity assays and mutational analysis.
SIMULATION OF AN ELE CTROSTATICALLY ACTUA TED MICRO -MACHINED FABRY -PEROT ETALON

The development of a micro -scale tunable Fabry - Perot interferometer with narrow band pass (0.3 ∝m) and application to wide -field spectroscopy is presented. In this design, a silicon wafer is micro -machined using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) to fabricate two etalon plates. The first etalon is a monolithic structure that includes the etalon fram e, its spring suspension, and support frame. The second is a fixed reference etalon plate. A silicon nitride membrane is suspended in tension across a thick support ring on both the moveable and fixed etalon plates as a result of back etching. Due to the processes of thin film deposition, high stresses are transmitted throughout the structure. Because of stringent flatness and parallelism requirements on the etalon plates, simulations are used to aid in the design of a suitable optical coating, which is deposited onto the membrane. Tuning the optical gap is achieved via electrostatic actuation. Simulating force - deflection behavior of the tunable etalon plate is also performed to characterize mechanical stiffness of the spring suspension system, as it det ermines electrostatic stiffness. Theoretical coupled field analysis is compared with an electrostatic simulation to predict voltage required to precisely tune the optical gap (17.5 ∝m maximum) in accordance with well -defined Fabry - Perot figures of merit. Test data gathered from three different experimental setups - nanoindentation, wave front sensing interferometry, and electrostatic actuation - correlate well with predictions based on finite element analysis.
Pollution Control Technology of Residual Fracturing Fluid

Status of residual fracturing fluid pollution and control were described.On the base of analyzing and summarizing former researches,new process flows,techniques,equipments and reagents for treatment of residual fracturing fluid were introduced.Some new ideas were provided for solving the treatment problems of residual fracturing fluid pollution.
Modulation of ANG II receptor and its mRNA in normal rat by low-protein feeding.

Pages F660–F669: J. E. Benabe, S. Wang, J. N. Wilcox, and M. Martinez-Maldonado. “Modulation of ANG II receptor and its mRNA in normal rat by low-protein feeding.” Page F662, Table 1: for the third group (NP), the value for renal vascular resistance is incorrect and should be 9± 1 dyn·s·cmx−5; also for the NP group, the plasma retin activity is incorrectly expressed as a negative value and should be 10.1±1.3 ng·ml−1·h−1.
Low-Head Saltwater Recirculating Aquaculture Systems Utilized for Juvenile Red Drum Production

The USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute - Florida Atlantic University (HBOI-FAU) Center for Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement are collaborating to evaluate low-head recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) designs for inland low salinity aquaculture production of marine finfish. As part of this project, the systems described were utilized to intensively produce red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) juveniles that would be part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Saltwater Hatchery Network Initiative. The design and performance data collected from these systems will be utilized in the engineering and determination of design costs for a statewide public-private saltwater hatchery network. The current low-head RAS design that was evaluated for the Phase I (25 mm to 60 mm standard length, SL) through Phase II (60 mm to > 100 mm SL) production of red drum juveniles included a nine-tank system and a ten-tank system. Tank diameters were 1.5 m with a water depth of approximately 1.0 m. Mechanical and biological filtration mechanisms included polygeyser filters, sand filters, moving bed torrus filters, and filter pads. For the Phase II to Phase III (100 to 180 mm SL) production, the red drum juveniles were cultured in four larger-scale replicated RAS low-head systems. Mechanical and biological filtration mechanisms in these systems included moving bed torrus filters, long-flow pathway moving media bed filters, and rotary micron screen drum filters, along with supplemental liquid oxygen addition. The systems presented indicate that intensive inland culture of marine species for commercial aquaculture production or stock enhancement purposes is possible even under the technical constraints of low-head system operation.
The Alarmin HMGB1 Mediates Age-Induced Neuroinflammatory Priming.

Amplified neuroinflammatory responses following an immune challenge occur with normal aging and can elicit or exacerbate neuropathology. The mechanisms mediating this sensitized or “primed” immune response in the aged brain are not fully understood. The alarmin high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) can be released under chronic pathological conditions and initiate inflammatory cascades. This led us to investigate whether HMGB1 regulates age-related priming of the neuroinflammatory response. Here, we show that HMGB1 protein and mRNA were elevated in the hippocampus of unmanipulated aged rats (24-month-old F344XBN rats). Furthermore, aged rats had increased HMGB1 in the CSF, suggesting increased HMGB1 release. We demonstrate that blocking HMGB1 signaling with an intracisterna magna (ICM) injection of the competitive antagonist to HMGB1, Box-A, downregulates basal expression of several inflammatory pathway genes in the hippocampus of aged rats. This indicates that blocking the actions of HMGB1 might reduce age-associated inflammatory priming. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated whether HMGB1 antagonism blocks the protracted neuroinflammatory and sickness response to peripheral Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) infection in aged rats. ICM pretreatment of aged rats with Box-A 24 h before E. coli infection prevented the extended hippocampal cytokine response and associated cognitive and affective behavioral changes. ICM pretreatment with Box-A also inhibited aging-induced potentiation of the microglial proinflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide ex vivo . Together, these results suggest that HMGB1 mediates neuroinflammatory priming in the aged brain. Blocking the actions of HMGB1 appears to “desensitize” aged microglia to an immune challenge, thereby preventing exaggerated behavioral and neuroinflammatory responses following infection. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The world9s population is aging, highlighting a need to develop treatments that promote quality of life in aged individuals. Normal aging is associated with precipitous drops in cognition, typically following events that induce peripheral inflammation (e.g., infection, surgery, heart attack). Peripheral immune stimuli cause exaggerated immune responses in the aged brain, which likely underlie these behavioral deficits. Here, we investigated whether the alarmin high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) mediates age-associated “priming” of the neuroinflammatory response. HMGB1 is elevated in aged rodent brain and CSF. Blocking HMGB1 signaling downregulated expression of inflammatory pathway genes in aged rat brain. Further, HMGB1 antagonism prevented prolonged infection-induced neuroinflammatory and sickness responses in aged rats. Overall, blocking HMGB1 “desensitized” microglia in the aged brain, thereby preventing pathological infection-elicited neuroinflammatory responses.
Seeking stability for research and applied uses of entomopathogenic fungi as biological control agents

Abstract Future progress in research with entomopathogenic fungi depends on a number of diverse considerations that help to stabilize the state of knowledge while supporting research about the documentation of the biodiversity and systematics of these fungi as well as those studies about their actions as pathogens of major and minor pests, and even as biological curiosities rather than as serious agents for use in biological control. This review considers (1) the role of service culture collections in culturing, preserving, and providing essential germplasm resources of these fungi for any and all research purposes; (2) whether there is too much stability in the current spectrum of entomopathogenic fungi actually being used in a practical sense and of possible alternative strategies to exploit more fungal entomopathogens; and (3) the diverse and far-reaching impacts of new nomenclatural rules that are constricting the pool of names applicable to entomopathogenic fungi while also stripping away their underlying taxonomic concepts that have long guided our interpretation and understanding of these fungi at a time when so many more taxa are being recognized. Some urgent problems underlying the shift from traditional to genomically based taxonomic approaches and about issues about the rapidly growing mass of genomic data are also discussed.
Is it Fair? Perceptions of Fair Investment Behavior Across Countries

Fairness matters to financial advisors, whether fairness in financial markets or fairness in their relations with clients. Yet perceptions of fairness vary greatly and they are hotly debated everywhere, including politics, education, medicine, law, and finance. I explore fairness in finance in the context of insider trading. Do perceptions of the fairness of insider trading correspond to the law? Do they vary by knowledge of the law? Are perceptions of fairness universal, or do they vary across countries? Do they vary across groups, such as the groups of university students and finance professionals? Do they depend on the incomes of traders or whether traders have sure or only probabilistic information? Do they depend on whether an intermediary is involved? I use surveys to uncover the features that underlie perceptions of the fairness of insider trading in the stock and car markets in eight countries: Australia, India, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United States. Perceptions of the fairness of insider trading in the stock and car markets vary greatly across countries and between professionals and students in each country, and while they are affected by the law they are not subsumed by it. Perceptions of the fairness of insider trading in the stock market, but not the car market, are related to the Corruption Perceptions Index and stock market participation.
Believability and Attitudes toward Alcohol Warning Label Information: The Role of Persuasive Communications Theory:

Based on tenets of persuasive communications theory, five recently proposed alcohol warning labels are examined for their differential impact on label believability and attitudes. While all warning...
Poststroke Sonic Hedgehog Agonist Treatment Improves Functional Recovery by Enhancing Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis.

Background and Purpose—Because of the limitation in treatment window of the r-tPA (recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator), the development of delayed treatment for stroke is needed. In this...
Centrando el Reino, Centrando al Rey: Creación y Legitimización Maya en San Bartolo

En el Preclasico Tardio, San Bartolo ya poseia muchas de las caracteristicas que se esperaria encontrar en un centro grande del Periodo Clasico; una jerarquia residencial bien diferenciada y espacios ceremoniales monumentales claramente definidos, asi como sus murales narrativos policromados y textos jeroglificos pintados. Las escenas murales en San Bartolo traen a la mente tanto elementos del Codice Fejervary-Mayer como del Codice Borgia. En todos los casos, el sacrificio divino esta asociado con el establecimiento de un mundo ordenado. De esta manera y por medio del sacrificio, vemos no solo el cosmos ordenado al Este, Oeste, Norte y Sur; pero vemos tambien el paraiso creado, el inframundo, la tierra y el cielo; y tambien el cosmos de flores, acuatico, animal y de aves. Asi mismo, la narrativa artistica mural, como tambien su misma composicion, sirven para establecer paralelos entre la accion divina y la de la realeza, reforzando la conexion entre el centro del mundo, la civilizacion, el maiz y el rey. Todo esto fue utilizado en San Bartolo para legitimar a un rey historico, quien liga su legitimidad no a sus ancestros sino a su asociacion directa con lo divino.
FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) to detect effects of smoking, caffeine, and alcohol on human sperm chromosomes.

Sperm chromosomal damage can serve as a marker of adverse effects on the male reproductive system following exposures during sensitive periods of spermatogenesis. A number of laboratory assays have been developed to directly detect and measure chromosome damage in human sperm cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to detect damage at the level of the chromosome is one example. FISH has been applied in clinical andrology, epidemiology, and reproductive toxicology studies to evaluate effects of workplace, environmental, pharmacologic, and lifestyle exposures on sperm, as well as to assess potential risks for male mediated effects. Laboratory techniques like FISH increase our ability to tease out relationships with increasingly smaller sample sizes, however, are not a panacea for poorly designed or underpowered investigations. Appropriate application and interpretation of laboratory findings within methodologically solid studies is still a basic requirement. The application of sperm-FISH to assess effects of tobacco smoke, caffeine, and alcohol exposures on human sperm chromosomes will be discussed in this chapter.
Introduction to the Digital Humanities Assignments

The six Digital Humanities assignments provided in this book provide support for students to learn all of the basic programming concepts covered in any introductory programming course, while simultaneously acquiring experience in appropriate DH analytical areas. In this chapter, some general tips to address issues, which include determining what level of the assignments is best for a specific set of students, the iterative approach (introducing difficult structures and concepts early and discussing them fully later in the semester), and using scaffolding as a desired pedagogical method, are presented as a focus on managing the assignments throughout the semester. This chapter also discusses the assignment chapter conventions, including the basic assignment descriptions and support materials provided in each assignment chapter.
Plotinus on Light and Vision

Ennead IV 5[29] has been poorly served by translators and commentators, misreporting what Plotinus wrote and, with these mangled results, asserting that this part of his treatise on the “Problems about the Soul” is merely a disjointed series of doxographical fragments with little compelling contribution to make. More careful translation and analysis reveal something strikingly different and original. First, he gives a cogent critique of the theories of Plato and Aristotle concerning the body between and the role of daylight. Second, he substitutes his own account in terms of both sympathy and the principle of two acts, explaining vision both during the day as well as at night, notably deficient in previous accounts. Third, he derives some surprisingly original corollaries about the nature of light and the source of color.
Unraveling the spatiotemporal brain dynamics during a simulated reach-to-eat task

Abstract The reach-to-eat task involves a sequence of action components including looking, reaching, grasping, and feeding. While cortical representations of individual action components have been mapped in human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, little is known about the continuous spatiotemporal dynamics among these representations during the reach-to-eat task. In a periodic event-related fMRI experiment, subjects were scanned while they reached toward a food image, grasped the virtual food, and brought it to their mouth within each 16-s cycle. Fourier-based analysis of fMRI time series revealed periodic signals and noise distributed across the brain. Independent component analysis was used to remove periodic or aperiodic motion artifacts. Time-frequency analysis was used to analyze the temporal characteristics of periodic signals in each voxel. Circular statistics was then used to estimate mean phase angles of periodic signals and select voxels based on the distribution of phase angles. By sorting mean phase angles across regions, we were able to show the real-time spatiotemporal brain dynamics as continuous traveling waves over the cortical surface. The activation sequence consisted of approximately the following stages: (1) stimulus related activations in occipital and temporal cortices; (2) movement planning related activations in dorsal premotor and superior parietal cortices; (3) reaching related activations in primary sensorimotor cortex and supplementary motor area; (4) grasping related activations in postcentral gyrus and sulcus; (5) feeding related activations in orofacial areas. These results suggest that phase-encoded design and analysis can be used to unravel sequential activations among brain regions during a simulated reach-to-eat task.
Does Absolution Promote Sin? A Conservationist’s Dilemma

This paper shows that households signing up for a green program exhibit an intriguing behavioral rebound effect: a promise to fully offset customers’ carbon emissions resulting from electricity usage increases their energy use post-adoption by 1–3%. The response is robust across empirical specifications, and is consistent with an economic model of rational energy consumption. Our results provide a cautionary tale for designing green product strategies in which the adoption of a product may lead to unexpected consequences.
Increased oval cell response and fibrosis in beta-catenin null livers after long-term DDC exposure

An oval cell response, or ductular reaction, occurs in the mouse liver following DDC-induced liver injury. We previously reported a potential role for β-catenin in oval cell induction and expansion...
Anesthesia Maintenance During Endoscopic Airway Surgery

Endoscopic airway surgery has progressed considerably over the past few decades due to advancements in endoscopic instrumentation, techniques, and anesthetic agents and delivery methods available. This chapter will review current methods of delivery and choice of anesthesia for maintenance during endoscopic airway surgery.
Is belief evaluation truth sensitive? A reply to Turri

A key question about the value of truth in epistemology is whether the truthfulness of some proposition is (or should be) a factor in our evaluation of beliefs. The traditional view—evidenced in introductory texts (e.g., Moser et al. in The theory of knowledge. Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 77–79, 1998) and academic journals (e.g., Wedgwood in Philos Phenomenol Res 65(2):349–369, 2002, p. 350)—is that the truth of a belief should not impact our evaluations of it. Recent work has raised empirical objections to this default position of truth-insensitivity by suggesting that our ordinary belief evaluations assign considerable weight to the truth value of the believed proposition. If correct, this work grants truth a larger role in our epistemology—suggesting that it serves both as an element of our ordinary epistemic evaluations and as an intuitive norm for belief evaluation (Turri in Synthese 192(12):4009–4030, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-015-0727-z, Philos Phenomenol Res 93(2):348–367, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12218). However, this position is not convincing. In this paper, I argue that this empirical work, while revelatory of some interesting features of belief evaluation, falls far short of demonstrating that belief evaluation is truth-sensitive, or that truth-sensitivity is intuitive.
The Urethral Microbiota: A Missing Link in the Female Urinary Microbiota.

Purpose:We examined the urethral microbiota, determined if it differs from the bladder urinary microbiota, and assessed if its composition differs based on patient demographic factors and presence ...
Research Synthesis Infrastructures: Shaping Knowledge in Education:

Research syntheses provide one means of managing the proliferation of research knowledge by integrating learnings across primary research studies. What it means to appropriately synthesize research...
Clinical Outcomes Associated with Methylprednisolone in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with COVID-19.

Background The efficacy and safety of methylprednisolone in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome resulting from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are unclear. In this study, we evaluated the association between use of methylprednisolone and key clinical outcomes. Methods Clinical outcomes associated with the use of methylprednisolone were assessed in an unmatched, case-control study; a subset of patients also underwent propensity-score matching. Patients were admitted between 1 March and 12 April, 2020. The primary outcome was ventilator-free days by 28 days after admission. Secondary outcomes included extubation, mortality, discharge, positive cultures, and hyperglycemia. Results A total of 117 patients met inclusion criteria. Propensity matching yielded a cohort of 42 well-matched pairs. Groups were similar except for hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin use, which were more common in patients who did not receive methylprednisolone. Mean ventilator-free days were significantly higher in patients treated with methylprednisolone (6.21 ± 7.45 vs 3.14 ± 6.22; P = .044). The probability of extubation was also increased in patients receiving methylprednisolone (45% vs 21%; P = .021), and there were no significant differences in mortality (19% vs 36%; P = .087). In a multivariable linear regression analysis, only methylprednisolone use was associated with a higher number of ventilator-free days (P = .045). The incidence of positive cultures and hyperglycemia were similar between groups. Conclusions Methylprednisolone was associated with increased ventilator-free days and higher probability of extubation in a propensity-score matched cohort. Randomized, controlled studies are needed to further define methylprednisolone use in patients with COVID-19.
Influence of Thickness Fluctuations on Exchange Coupling in Fe/Cr/Fe Structures

Realizing the ultimate limits in fabrication requires the controlled placement of material at the single atomic layer limit. This precision is required for both semiconductor and magnetic devices, the two largest industries racing towards the Ultimate Limits in fabrication. In this report we summarize results on the effects of thickness fluctuations on the exchange coupling in Fe/Cr/Fe trilayer structures [1]. This work demonstrates the importance of controlling thin film thickness at the single atomic layer level in magnetic systems.
The neurophysiology and seizure outcomes of late onset unexplained epilepsy

Abstract Objective To investigate neurophysiologic and neuroimaging characteristics of patients with late onset unexplained epilepsy (LOUE). Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of elderly patients with ICD9 diagnosis codes consistent with epilepsy/seizures. Inclusion criteria included unprovoked seizures, and absence of cortical lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Electroencephalograms (EEGs) findings were also analyzed. MRI images were scored for degree of white matter hyperintensities (Fazekas Scale) and mesial temporal atrophy (MTA). Vascular risk factors, and Framingham Heart Study general cardiovascular disease (FHS-CVD) risk scores were compared to controls from the Harvard Aging Brain study (HABS). Results We identified 224 LOUE patients and 8% were drug resistant. Epileptiform abnormalities were captured on EEG in 35%. The location was temporal with left sided predominance in 49%. Fazekas scale consisted of 25% beginning of confluent lesions, and 10% large confluent lesions. MTA scores consisted of 21% moderate-severe hippocampal atrophy. LOUE patients had on average a 2.3% (adjusted), 7.4% (unadjusted) increased FHS-CVD score. Conclusions Our findings highlight LOUE as pharmacosensitive and left temporal predominant. Given the higher prevalence of vascular risk factors, investigations are needed to study their role in pathophysiology. Significance Physicians caring for patients with LOUE should evaluate for vascular risk factors and investigate the presence of hippocampal atrophy.
A Review of Integrative Imputation for Multi-Omics Datasets

Multi-omics studies, which explore the interactions between multiple types of biological factors, have significant advantages over single-omics analysis for their ability to provide a more holistic view of biological processes, uncover the causal and functional mechanisms for complex diseases, and facilitate new discoveries in precision medicine. However, omics datasets often contain missing values, and in multi-omics study designs it is common for individuals to be represented for some omics layers but not all. Since most statistical analyses cannot be applied directly to the incomplete datasets, imputation is typically performed to infer the missing values. Integrative imputation techniques which make use of the correlations and shared information among multi-omics datasets are expected to outperform approaches that rely on single-omics information alone, resulting in more accurate results for the subsequent downstream analyses. In this review, we provide an overview of the currently available imputation methods for handling missing values in bioinformatics data with an emphasis on multi-omics imputation. In addition, we also provide a perspective on how deep learning methods might be developed for the integrative imputation of multi-omics datasets.
Recent advances in 3D models of tumor invasion

This review presents recent advances in the design of in vitro cancer models to study tumor cell migration, metastasis, and invasion in three-dimensions (3D). These cancer models are divided into two categories based on the biophysiological processes and structures simulated, namely (i) spheroid invasion models or (ii) vascularization models. Some recent advances to spheroid invasion models include new methods to make them amenable to high-throughput settings. In vascularization models, cancer cell extravasation, intravasation, and angiogenesis have been emulated. Finally, 3D bioprinting and microfluidic technologies are allowing researchers to recapitulate some of the complex architectural and microenvironmental changes that can drive cancer cells migration from the extracellular matrix and basement membrane to blood vessels.
Transformations that minimize the Gini index of a random variable and applications

Let X be a continuous or discrete random variable with values in [0,M] and consider all functions (here called transformations) $q:[0,M]\to [0,\infty )$ that are increasing and have given bounded rates $B \le \frac {q(v)-q(u)}{v-u} \le A$ for u < v. We prove that among such transformations, there is a transformation q that minimizes the Gini index of q(X), and such a q can be chosen as piecewise linear with only two rates, namely A and B. In the motivation for the study, X represents the incomes of a population. Our results imply that among all such tax policies with fixed allowable minimum and maximum tax rates, there is a tax policy that minimizes the Gini index of the disposable incomes of the population and such a tax policy has only two brackets with the given minimum and maximum rates.
A Study on Social Networking in Relation to Hopelessness among Young Adults and Middle Adults

Social network is the interaction with the social environment and maintain interpersonal relationship with family, friends, neighbors and colleagues in a working situation. The conflicts of social interaction may trigger hopelessness. Hopelessness a soulful emotion which affects the positive emotions of a person, the expectations of future perspectives and achieving a goal. On the other hand, the lower level of social network too causes lack of hope and effects cognitive function in an individual. The study aims to evaluate the relation between social network and hopelessness among young and middle adults in and around the districts of Trichy, Madurai and Sivagangai. 250 samples were collected through simple random sampling techniques by using Lubben Social Network Scale developed by Lubben et.al (2006) and Adult Hope Scale developed by Synder, Harris et.al (1991). The result indicates that social network correlates with hopelessness of young and middle adults. From the analysis it is concluded that social network of the person is increasingly effects the hope of an individual. When a social network decreases an individual are prone to lack hope termed as hopelessness. Hence the need of the study is to understand the importance of social network.
Mom, Dad. I'm Gay. How Families Negotiate Coming Out

Drawing from over 150 interviews with teens, psychologist Ritch Savin-Williams seeks to separate fact from fiction in this survey of coming-out experiences. He illustrates the range of family reactions and the factors that determine how parents come to terms with the disclosure over time.
Visualizing Propagating Transverse Mechanical Waves in Tissue-Like Media Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

It is well known that mechanical properties of tissues like elasticity and viscosity depend on factors such as age and pathology. For example, physicians use palpation for assessing the mechanical properties of tissues to detect tumors and other abnormalities. However, palpation provides non-quantitative, subjective information and is limited to accessible regions of the body. Therefore, there has been a consistent interest in developing quantitative, non-invasive techniques that distinguish tissues based on their mechanical properties such as elastic modulus1-11.
Exploring the efficiency and utility of methods to recruit non-English speaking qualitative research participants

Qualitative research participants are conventionally recruited through print or online advertisements, flyers, or “word-of-mouth”. Past research (Forsyth et al., 2007; Saleska et al., 2009; Sha et al., 2010) suggest that when recruiting among a population with limited English proficiency, some of these methods work better than others. However, these findings were largely based on recruiters’ observations rather than systematic analysis of recruitment data. Using 845 recruitment records of Chinese and Korean speakers on a cognitive testing study, this paper examines the efficiency of the common recruitment methods and provides recommendations for recruiting non-English speakers. Efficiency is defined as recruiting potential participants faster (“time efficiency), reaching them in a broader scale (“outreach capacity”), and recruiting a higher percentage of eligible monolingual participants (“eligibility rate”).
Chapter 67 – Treatment for Stable COPD

Publisher Summary Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disorder characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. This chapter highlights the treatment approaches used in various stages of COPD and reviews current therapeutic strategy for the management of COPD patients who are stable. The medications used to treat patients with COPD in many cases are identical to those used to treat patients with asthma. Therefore, effective patient management is necessary so that the clinician can make an appropriate diagnosis, accurately stage the severity of disease in the patient, and clearly define the therapeutic goals. Stable COPD is generally applied to individuals who are in their usual state of deteriorating health but not experiencing an acute exacerbation. The therapeutic goals for a stable COPD patient are varied and include preventing disease progression, relieving symptoms, improving quality of life, preventing exacerbations, and ultimately prolonging life.
The binding of deoxycholate and Triton X-100 to proteins

Deoxycholate and Triton X-100 resemble other anionic and neutral amphiphiles in binding to the high affinity sites of native bovine serum albumin. There are four principal sites for each ligand and about 14 weaker sites for deoxycholate; more than half the strong sites are common to each ligand, or octyl and dodecyl sulfates, or both, on the basis of competitive binding studies. On the other hand, cooperative binding of large amounts of ligand with accompanying denaturation, such as is observed for dodecyl sulfate and many other ionic detergents for serum albumin and most other proteins, does not take place with deoxycholate and Triton X-100. The probable reason is that these substances have a relatively low critical micelle concentration, so that a monomeric concentration sufficient for the cooperative mode of binding cannot be attained. The utility of deoxycholate and Triton X-100 for the solubilization of membrane proteins in native or near-native form is consistent with these results.
Issues Regarding the Supervision of Assessment

Abstract Assessment is a fundamental activity performed by psychologists in a multitude of settings (e.g., clinic, hospital, school). Competence and accountability in the area of assessment are demanded by the public and outlined in the ethics and principles of governing agencies (APA, NASP). This article examines the legal and ethical issues regarding assessment services, as well as the issues related to the proper supervision of assessment procedures. A set of questions related to assessment is provided to aid supervisors in the evaluation of assessment practices.