cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social dominance and reproductive patterns in brown hyaenas,Hyaena brunnea, of the central Kalahari desert

A 7-year study of brown hyaenas of the Central Kalahari, Botswana, showed a separate, linear dominance hierarchy within each sex. The highest-ranking female shared equal rank with the alpha male, and she had the highest feeding time of all clan members. The immigrant alpha male was dominant over all other clan females and all natal males. The advantages of high rank for clan females were (1) increased feeding time at carcasses, (2) the opportunity to remain in the clan and rear cubs in the communal den, where non-parental provisioning was highly developed and (3) more offspring surviving to maturity. The advantages of high rank for males were (1) increased feeding time at carcasses and (2) more observed copulations than nomadic males had with females. The primary mating system observed was uni-male polygyny. Other behaviour patterns that indirectly and directly augment reproductive success were also observed for both sexes. Intense competition between females may have led to reduced sexual dimorphism in brown hyaenas. The differences between the social behaviour of brown hyaenas of the Central Kalahari and those of the Southern Kalahari may be based on environmental factors and diet.
Mapping the environmental fitness landscape of a synthetic gene circuit

Gene expression actualizes the organismal phenotypes encoded within the genome in an environment-dependent manner. Among all encoded phenotypes, cell population growth rate (fitness) is perhaps the most important, since it determines how well-adapted a genotype is in various environments. Traditional biological measurement techniques have revealed the connection between the environment and fitness based on the gene expression mean. Yet, recently it became clear that cells with identical genomes exposed to the same environment can differ dramatically from the population average in their gene expression and division rate (individual fitness). For cell populations with bimodal gene expression, this difference is particularly pronounced, and may involve stochastic transitions between two cellular states that form distinct sub-populations. Currently it remains unclear how a cell population's growth rate and its subpopulation fractions emerge from the molecular-level kinetics of gene networks and the division rates of single cells. To address this question we developed and quantitatively characterized an inducible, bistable synthetic gene circuit controlling the expression of a bifunctional antibiotic resistance gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Following fitness and fluorescence measurements in two distinct environments (inducer alone and antibiotic alone), we applied a computational approach to predict cell population fitness and subpopulation fractions in the combination of these environments based on stochastic cellular movement in gene expression space and fitness space. We found that knowing the fitness and nongenetic (cellular) memory associated with specific gene expression states were necessary for predicting the overall fitness of cell populations in combined environments. We validated these predictions experimentally and identified environmental conditions that defined a “sweet spot” of drug resistance. These findings may provide a roadmap for connecting the molecular-level kinetics of gene networks to cell population fitness in well-defined environments, and may have important implications for phenotypic variability of drug resistance in natural settings.
Late Pleistocene equilibrium-line reconstructions in the northern Peruvian Andes

Equilibrium-line-altitude (ELA) reconstructions using the toe-to-headwall-altitude ratio method for paleoglaciers in the Cordilleras Blanca and Oriental, northern Peruvian Andes (7–10°S; 77°20′–77°35'W), indicate that ELAs during the last glacial maximum (LGM; marine isotope stage 2) were c. 4300 m in the Cordillera Blanca, c. 3900–3600 m on the west side of the Cordillera Oriental, and c. 3200 m on the east (Amazon Basin) side of the Cordillera Oriental. Comparison with estimated modern ELAs and glaciation thresholds indicate that ELA depression ranged from c. 700 m in the Cordillera Blanca to c. 1200 m on the east side of the Cordillera Oriental. This augments data from many mountain ranges in middle- and low-latitude regions that indicate that ELAs during the LGM were depressed by c. 1000 m. Published palynological evidence for drier conditions during the LGM in the tropical Andes suggests that ELA depression of this amount involved a temperature reduction (> 5–6°C) that greatly exceeded the tropical sea-surface temperature depression estimates of CLIMAP (< 2°C). The west to east increase in ELA depression during the LGM indicates that the steep modern precipitation gradients may have been even steeper during the LGM.
QR Codes and library bibliographic records

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore methods of producing Quick Response (QR) Code, its customization, artistic look and applications and elaborate the technique of generating QR Code for library bibliographic records. Design/methodology/approach – Through literature review, the study explored methods of generating QR Code and its applications in academic libraries. Based on research work and implementation experience, an efficient procedure for generating QR Code for bibliographic records was developed. Findings – The study identified methods of generating QR Code, its customization and applications, and established the technique of generating QR Code for library bibliographic records. Originality/value – The study is expected to facilitate the growth of QR Code’s visibility and success, and its mainstream adoption. The technique of generating QR Code for library bibliographic records in the study should be instructive for similar projects.
Amidoglycosylation of Polymer-Bound Glycals: A Complete Solid-Phase Synthesis of the Oligosaccharide Domain of the Lewisb Blood Group Determinant.

A new general method for the preparation of N-acetylglucosamine glycosidic linkages has been developed for solid-phase synthesis. The complete pentasaccharide domain of the Lewisb blood group antigen, which is a mediator in the formation of ulcers and gastric cancer, has now been synthesized on solid support (see 1; the shaded circle is the polystyrene support; TIPS=triisopropylsilyl).
Die sterisch gehinderte Rotation um die C–C–Bindung eines acyclischen α,β-ungesättigten Ketons: 2,2,5-Trimethyl-4-isopropylhex-4-en-3-on

An activation barrier of 45 kJ mol −1 follows from the 1 H-NMR spectra in the case of the first detected hindered rotation about the sp 2 -sp 2 single bond of an acylic α,β-unsaturated ketone. The intensities of the UV bands of the π→π* and n→π* transitions are consistent with a skewed conformation
The Stream of Consciousness: IV. Adolf Grünbaum's Atomicity:

I devote most of the present article, which is the fourth in a series concerning the nature and characteristics of William James's stream of consciousness, to an examination of Adolf Grunbaum's case for the stream's atomicity. For this purpose, I use the lens provided by the objection that auditory perceptual experience of a continuous sound of unchanging pitch does not exhibit a discrete, pulsational temporal structure. Also, I discuss Izchak Miller's two criticisms of Grunbaum's claim that temporal awareness of present physical or mental events depends on a certain kind of conceptualized awareness of the stream. Miller argues that such conceptualized awareness, being a matter of judgment, requires rather than explains temporal awareness; and also that perceptual experience necessarily involves individuating the object perceived, which in turn already involves temporal awareness. I give cogent replies to these two criticisms, but I cast some doubt as well on Grunbaum's general account.
Shifting Weights: Adapting Object Detectors from Image to Video

Typical object detectors trained on images perform poorly on video, as there is a clear distinction in domain between the two types of data. In this paper, we tackle the problem of adapting object detectors learned from images to work well on videos. We treat the problem as one of unsupervised domain adaptation, in which we are given labeled data from the source domain (image), but only unlabeled data from the target domain (video). Our approach, self-paced domain adaptation, seeks to iteratively adapt the detector by re-training the detector with automatically discovered target domain examples, starting with the easiest first. At each iteration, the algorithm adapts by considering an increased number of target domain examples, and a decreased number of source domain examples. To discover target domain examples from the vast amount of video data, we introduce a simple, robust approach that scores trajectory tracks instead of bounding boxes. We also show how rich and expressive features specific to the target domain can be incorporated under the same framework. We show promising results on the 2011 TRECVID Multimedia Event Detection [1] and LabelMe Video [2] datasets that illustrate the benefit of our approach to adapt object detectors to video.
Children of injection drug users: Impact of parental HIV status, AIDS, and depression

We investigated the association between parental factors (including infection with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS] diagnosis, parental medical illness, and depression) and children's behavioral and emotional problems among children of injection drug users (IDUs). IDUs were recruited through community outreach. The sample included 73 parents of 73 children, aged 4 to 12 years. Parental depression (odds ratio [OR]=4.61) and medical illness (OR=4.70) were found to be significantly associated with internalizing (depressive and anxiety-related symptoms), but not with externalizing (aggressive and disruptive behaviors) symptoms in the children of IDUs. The clinical implications are that children of IDUs are known to be at high risk for psychiatric symptoms and disorders; these data suggest that children of depressed and/or medically ill IDU parents may be at even higher risk of internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety symptoms) than children of IDUs who do not suffer from these conditions.
PHOTOSYNTHATE PARTITIONING INTO Digitaria decumbens LEAF STARCH VARIES RHYTHMICALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE DURATION OF PRIOR INCUBATION IN CONTINUOUS DIM LIGHT

— In bright light the proportion of photosynthate stored as starch in leaves of Digitaria decumbens Stent, (pangolagrass) depends in a cyclic fashion on the duration of prior incubation in dim light. We suggest that a circadian rhythm, which runs during dim light conditions, controls the partitioning of photosynthate during subsequent bright light conditions. Varying the interval of dim light prior to transfer to bright light reveals this rhythm. The results emphasize the importance of endogenous timing mechanisms in relation to day and night length and the control of photoassimilate distribution and plant growth.
A System-On-Chip Bus Architecture for Thwarting Integrated Circuit Trojan Horses

While the issue of Trojan ICs has been receiving increasing amounts of attention, the overwhelming majority of anti-Trojan measures aim to address the problem during verification. While such methods are an important part of an overall anti-Trojan strategy, it is statistically inevitable that some Trojans will escape verification-stage detection, in particular in light of the increasing size and complexity of system-on-chip (SoC) solutions and the increasing use of third-party designs. In contrast with much of the previous work in this area, we specifically focus on run-time methods to identify the attacks of a Trojan and to adapt the system and respond accordingly. We describe a solution including a bus architecture in which the arbitration, address decoding, multiplexing, wrapping, and other components protect against malicious use of the bus.
Circulating Metabolites of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Protease Inhibitor Nelfinavir in Humans: Structural Identification, Levels in Plasma, and Antiviral Activities

Nelfinavir mesylate (Viracept, formally AG1343) is a potent and orally bioavailable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitor (K(i) = 2 nM) and is being widely prescribed in combination with HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors for the treatment of HIV infection. The current studies evaluated the presence of metabolites circulating in plasma following the oral administration of nelfinavir to healthy volunteers and HIV-infected patients, as well as the levels in plasma and antiviral activities of these metabolites. The results showed that the parent drug was the major circulating chemical species, followed in decreasing abundance by its hydroxy-t-butylamide metabolite (M8) and 3'-methoxy-4'-hydroxynelfinavir (M1). Antiviral assays with HIV-1 strain RF-infected CEM-SS cells showed that the 50% effective concentrations (EC50) of nelfinavir, M8, and M1 were 30, 34, and 151 nM, respectively, and that the corresponding EC50 against another HIV-1 strain, IIIB, in MT-2 cells were 60, 86, and 653 nM. Therefore, apparently similar in vitro antiviral activities were demonstrated for nelfinavir and M8, whereas an approximately 5- to 11-fold-lower level of antiviral activity was observed for M1. The active metabolite, M8, showed a degree of binding to human plasma proteins similar to that of nelfinavir (ca. 98%). Concentrations in plasma of nelfinavir and its metabolites in 10 HIV-positive patients receiving nelfinavir therapy (750 mg three times per day) were determined by a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay. At steady state (day 28), the mean plasma nelfinavir concentrations ranged from 1.73 to 4.96 microM and the M8 concentrations ranged from 0.55 to 1.96 microM, whereas the M1 concentrations were low and ranged from 0.09 to 0.19 microM. In conclusion, the findings from the current studies suggest that, in humans, nelfinavir forms an active metabolite circulating at appreciable levels in plasma. The active metabolite M8 may account for some of the antiviral activity associated with nelfinavir in the treatment of HIV disease.
Confocal microscopy of a femtosecond laser LASIK flap before separation.

Purpose To describe stromal changes after a femtosecond laser laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) flap was created but not separated. Design Case report. Methods As part of a randomized paired-eye study comparing LASIK flap creation by a femtosecond laser to a mechanical microkeratome, a femtosecond laser flap was successfully created on one eye of one patient, but the flap was not separated because of a flap-related complication in the fellow eye. Confocal microscopy of the femtosecond laser flap was performed before and at intervals after it was created. Results Activated keratocytes and interface haze were visible at one day after femtosecond laser treatment, with gradual resolution toward normal over two months. The femtosecond laser flap was easily separated four months after it was created. Conclusions Corneal photodisruption by the femtosecond laser is associated with transient keratocyte activation and corneal haze, but marked wound healing does not occur to hinder flap separation several months later.
Cd5 Maintains Tolerance in Anergic B Cells

Clonal anergy of autoreactive B cells is a key mechanism regulating tolerance. Here, we show that anergic B cells express significant surface levels of CD5, a molecule normally found on T cells and a subset of B-1 cells. Breeding of the hen egg lysozyme (HEL) transgenic model for B cell anergy onto the CD5 null background resulted in a spontaneous loss of B cell tolerance in vivo. Evidence for this included elevated levels of anti-HEL immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in the serum of CD5−/− mice transgenic for both an HEL-specific B cell receptor (BCR) and soluble lysozyme. “Anergic” B cells lacking CD5 also showed enhanced proliferative responses in vitro and elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels at rest and after IgM cross-linking. These data support the hypothesis that CD5 negatively regulates Ig receptor signaling in anergic B cells and functions to inhibit autoimmune B cell responses.
Influence of the thymus on the capacity of female mice to reject male skin grafts

The ability of female mice to reject H-Y-incompatible, but otherwise histocompatible, male skin grafts differs greatly from strain to strain, as is illustrated particularly by the C57BL strain (B6 and other sublines), termed "H-Y rejector," because females invariably and promptly reject C57BL male skin, in comparison with the C3H strain, termed "H-Y nonrejector," because females characteristically accept male C3H skin. To assess the extent to which the thymus governs this rejector vs. nonrejector status, two studies were made. In the first, lethally irradiated B6 (C57BL) and C3H females were restored with (B6 X C3H)F1 female cells, providing a graft-vs.-host-free milieu for differentiation of the same immunopoietic cell population in B6 vs. C3H hosts. With respect to (B6 X C3H)F1 male skin grafts, B6 hosts responded as rejectors and C3H hosts as nonrejectors, signifying that rejector vs. nonrejector status was determined by the host during immunopoiesis. That the main organ responsible for rejector vs. nonrejector determination is the thymus was shown in a second study. Previously thymectomized (B6 X C3H)F1 females received a histocompatible graft of thymus from either B6 or C3H neonatal females and were restored with donor-marked (B6-Ly-5a X C3H)F1 female cells after lethal irradiation. With respect to (B6 X C3H)F1 male skin grafts, the recipients of B6 thymus grafts responded generally as rejectors and the recipients of C3H thymus grafts responded uniformly as nonrejectors.
Building Community Partnerships in a Common Reading Program

Bridgewater, Massachusetts began its One Book One Community Reading program in 2005 with a steering committee comprised of members from a number of local organizations and the public library. When funding cuts drastically reduced the Bridgewater Public Libraryâs hours and staffing levels in 2008, it had to withdraw from the program. The program is still in existence due to the dedication of the members of the steering committee.
An Aptameric Microfluidic System for Specific Purification, Enrichment, and Mass Spectrometric Detection of Biomolecules

We present an innovative microfluidic system that accomplishes specific capture, enrichment, and isocratic elution of biomolecular analytes with coupling to label-free mass spectrometric detection. Analytes in a liquid phase are specifically captured and enriched via their affinity binding to aptamers, which are immobilized on microbeads packed inside a microchamber. Exploiting thermally induced reversible disruption of aptamer-analyte binding via on-chip temperature control with an integrated heater and temperature sensor, the captured analytes are released into the liquid phase and then isocratically eluted and transferred via a microfluidic flow gate for detection by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The utility of the device is demonstrated using adenosine monophosphate (AMP) as a model analyte. Experimental results indicate that the device is capable of purifying and enriching the analyte from a sample mixed with nonspecific analytes and contaminated with salts. In addition, thermally induced analyte release is performed at modest temperatures (45degC), and mass spectra obtained from MALDI-MS demonstrate successful detection of AMP at concentrations as low as 10 nM following enrichment by consecutive infusion of a diluted sample.
A personal journey from the joint to the heart

Predicting complications of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well as the efficacy and toxicity of drugs used to treat the disease based on an understanding of genetic differences is leading to the development of highly individualized, personal medicine. The prevention of cardiovascular complications of RA has assumed greater importance as our ability to treat the underlying joint disease has improved and it may be possible to predict which patients with RA are at greatest risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
iSlerp: An Incremental Approach to Slerp

In this paper, an incremental quaternion-interpolation algorithm is introduced. With the assumption of a constant interval between a pair of quaternions, the cost of the interpolation algorithm is ...
Influence on Sn whiskering of controlled bismuth additions to sputtered Sn films

In 2006, the European Union restricted lead (Pb) to > 0.1% (by weight) in electronics. This caused a renewal of interest in Sn whiskers, as the absence of Pb in Sn films had been known for years to promote Sn whisker growth. The early work on Sn whiskers had suggested that elements other than Pb may suppress whiskers. Bi was chosen as an attractive candidate, as it has similar phase formation behavior to Pb, i.e., low solubility, eutectic formation, and no intermetallic compounds with Sn. In this work, the influence of Bi on Sn whiskering is investigated. Three custom Sn-Bi sputter targets with 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% Bi (by weight) were used to generate ∼2000A sputtered Sn films on Si substrates. The samples were incubated for 77 days. Subsequently, three of the samples were placed in a thermal cycling chamber to accelerate whisker growth, while the others continued to incubate under lab conditions. An expected reduction in Sn whisker density was observed on all samples prior to thermal cycling, with the 0.5% Bi samples generating the highest whisker densities (980 cm−2). A dramatic explosion of whiskering occurred, however, in all the specimens after thermal cycling. The results clearly show that small amounts of Bi dramatically lowers the amount of Sn whiskering, but only under isothermal, room temperature conditions.
Electroweak naturalness and deflected mirage mediation

We investigate the question of electroweak naturalness within the deflected mirage mediation (DMM) framework for supersymmetry breaking in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). The class of DMM models considered are nine-parameter theories that fall within the general classification of the 19-parameter phenomenological MSSM (pMSSM). Our results show that these DMM models have regions of parameter space with very low electroweak fine-tuning, at levels comparable to the pMSSM. These parameter regions should be probed extensively in the current LHC run.
Unilateral microelectrode mapping to guide bilateral deep brain stimulation electrode implantation: a retrospective study of DBS programming outcomes (P6.073)

Objective: To assess DBS programming outcomes after bilateral electrode implantation with unilateral microelectrode mapping. Background: The practice of intraoperative microelectrode mapping during DBS electrode placement varies with some centers advocating extensive, bilateral microelectrode mapping and other centers omitting it altogether. Microelectrode mapping confirms the borders of the target nucleus and helps identify sensorimotor subterritories, but requires longer, awake surgeries and an increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage. Our practice is to perform careful imaging-based stereotactic planning followed by unilateral microelectrode recording to confirm the targeting accuracy. The second side is implanted without further microelectrode recording, and effective placement confirmed intraoperatively with macrostimulation testing. Design/Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all cases of deep brain stimulator placement for Parkinson’s disease performed at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2007 and 2014. Inclusion criteria were bilateral electrode implantation and unilateral microelectrode recording; 103 case (53 STN, 50 GPi) qualified. We reviewed the DBS programming outcomes of the 73 cases (37 STN, 36 GPi) followed at our center. Results: Comparing the microelectrode mapped vs. unmapped hemisphere, we observed no difference in DBS voltage, pulse width, likelihood of non-monopolar stimulation, or distribution of active contacts and no difference in the number of programming adjustments required to reach an acceptable outcome. Intraoperatively, there was no difference in the rate of electrode repositioning after macrostimulation testing, although there was a trend towards repositioning more frequently for the unmapped hemisphere for GPi only (4/50 mapped, 9/50 unmapped, p = 0.14, chi-square test). We observed 2 asymptomatic and 1 symptomatic intraparenchymal hemorrhages in 103 cases, 2/3 in the mapped hemisphere. Conclusions: These results suggest that careful imaging-based targeting paired with unilateral microelectrode mapping can achieve safe and effective DBS electrode implantation. Limitations include the retrospective design and absence of DBS-specific motor outcomes which were not available in our database. Disclosure: Dr. Herrington has nothing to disclose. Dr. Simon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Eskandar has nothing to disclose.
Tobacco Use in Peripheral Artery Disease: An Economic Drag.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a significant public health concern with more than 200 million adults diagnosed with PAD globally [(1)][1]. In the United States, the annual prevalence of PAD is estimated at 12.3% (on the basis of national insurance claims) or 8.5 million individuals age ≥40
Self-Conscious or Self-Confident? A Diary Study Conceptualizing the Social Accessibility of Assistive Technology

With the recent influx of smartphones, tablets, and wearables such as watches and glasses, personal interactive device use is increasingly visible and commonplace in public and social spaces. Assistive Technologies (ATs) used by people with disabilities are observable to others and, as a result, can affect how AT users are perceived. This raises the possibility that what we call “social accessibility” may be as important as “functional accessibility” when considering ATs. But, to date, ATs have almost exclusively been regarded as functional aids. For example, ATs are defined by the Technical Assistance to the States Act as technologies that are “used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.” To investigate perceptions and self-perceptions of AT users, we conducted a diary study of two groups of participants: people with disabilities and people without disabilities. Our goal was to explore the types of interactions and perceptions that arise around AT use in social and public spaces. During our 4-week study, participants with sensory disabilities wrote about feeling either self-conscious or self-confident when using an assistive device in a social or public situation. Meanwhile, participants without disabilities were prompted to record their reactions and feelings whenever they saw ATs used in social or public situations. We found that AT form and function does influence social interactions by impacting self-efficacy and self-confidence. When the design of form or function is poor, or when inequality between technological accessibility exists, social inclusion is negatively affected, as are perceptions of ability. We contribute a definition for the “social accessibility” of ATs and subsequently offer Design for Social Accessibility (DSA) as a holistic design stance focused on balancing an AT user's sociotechnical identity with functional requirements.
Targeted approach towards inhibition of telomere-hnRNP A1 interaction

A207 The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoparticule (hnRNP) A1 and A2 proteins associate with telomere ends (the cap structure), stimulate telomerase activity and are required for the viability of transformed human cells, irrespective of the status of telomerase expression or the length of the double-stranded telomeric repeat. We describe here our screening strategy for identifying small molecules capable of interfering with telomere capping by A1 and A2. Such small molecules are potentially promising novel anti-cancer agents predicted to be acutely cytotoxic to cancer cells, but innocuous to untransformed cells. In our first attempt, libraries were screened directly in a protein/DNA dissociation assay using a truncated version of the A1 protein: UP1 and a short telomeric DNA oligo. After examining 60,000 preselected compounds, no validated hits were identified. Only promiscuous inhibitors with the tendency to form aggregates in solution showed activity in vitro. A more selective screening approach was then undertaken. A large collection of compounds from different libraries was filtered to remove compound with undesired physicochemical properties and functional groups. This resulted in a database containing approximately 2 million compounds. Based on published X-ray crystallography structures, we chose to target the binding pocket that contacts the nucleotides TAG within the telomeric sequence TTAGGG. We resolved by X-ray diffraction the structure of isolated TAG oligonucleotide bound to UP1 and found this ligand exhibited the same network of interactions within the pocket as the full length telomeric repeat. We then designed a series of 2D and 3D pharmacophores based both on the protein binding site and the TAG ligand. The collection and sub-sets thereof were screened against these pharmacophores and several compounds were identified. The selected compounds were then docked in silico into the binding site and ranked using docking scores. The best compounds from each of these screens were obtained and screened. The present screening workflow consists of an initial disruption assay (to determine which compounds inhibit the targeted interaction), solubility assessment by nephelometry (to exclude insoluble compounds), binding studies to DNA and unrelated protein targets (to eliminate undesired binding activities), UP1 binding assessment using Surface Plasmon Resonance, cytotoxicity testing followed by in vivo target modulation. SAR studies were initiated on five compound classes that showed activity. A correlation between in vitro and in vivo activity was revealed for two closely related compound classes. Synthesis of analogues from these two classes is presently underway to increase potency. The virtual-HTS hybrid approach described here was critical for obtaining active and optimizable scaffolds, with the potential to develop potent inhibitors of telomere capping proteins.
Scholar Adventurers in Exile: Nabokov’s Dr. Kinbote and Professor Pnin

Ethical criticism presupposes that works of art necessarily implore us, through their depictions of so many morally disparate heroes and villains, to render value judgments based upon our experiences as readers and members of the larger human community. Yet in his published essays, interviews, and correspondence, Vladimir Nabokov consistently reminds us of the dangers inherent in the application of unexamined moral philosophies to works of literature. In a letter of 24 October 1945 to Professor George R. Noyes, for example, Nabokov notes that only an “uninhibited art” offers the possibility of registering a moral impact upon the reader. “Deliberate moralizing,” he cautions, “does violence to the very notion of art” (56–7).1 Although he maintains that writers must distance themselves from the influence of socially constructed moral imperatives during the production of their texts, he ultimately manufactures characters in novels such as Lolita (1955), Pnin (1957), and Pale Fire (1962) who often suffer tangible consequences for their morally reprehensible actions. In the latter two volumes, Nabokov employs the novel as a forum for illustrating the capacity of academic characters to act with cruelty and emotional negligence in their dealings with their peers, and, in some instances, with their students.
Parallel Document Inversion using GPU

Recent advances in the technology of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has led to a surge of interest in using the GPU for general purpose applications. We can utilize the GPU in computation as a massive parallel co-processor because the GPU consists of multiple cores. The GPU is also an affordable, attractive, and user-programmable commodity. Although the inverted index is a useful data structure that can be used for full text search or document retrieval, the large number of documents will require tremendous time to create the index. The performance of document inversion can be improved by multicore GPU. Our approach is to implement a linear-time, hash-based, single program multiple data (SPMD), document inversion algorithm on the NVIDIA GPU/CUDA programming platform utilizing the huge computational power of the GPU, to develop high performance solutions for document indexing.
Nostalgia as an Existential Intervention: Using the Past to Secure Meaning in the Present and the Future

Historically nostalgia was treated as a psychological disease. To be nostalgic was to be ill. Recent research has, however, demonstrated that nostalgia is not a psychological vulnerability but instead an important resource that helps people find meaning in life and regulate meaning-related distress. Specifically, nostalgia bolsters perceptions of meaning in life. In addition, experiences that threaten meaning trigger nostalgia and nostalgia mitigates the negative effects of meaning-related psychological threats. Nostalgia also serves as an intervention for those at risk of mental health problems associated with deficits in meaning: a nostalgia intervention disrupts the association between low meaning in life and psychological maladjustment. In all, nostalgia serves a critical existential function by offering people a way to derive meaning from personally cherished autobiographical experiences. Nostalgia also has implications for autobiographical-related clinical therapies.
Optical focusing in scattering media with photoacoustic wavefront shaping (PAWS)

Controllable light delivery to the region of interest is essential to biomedical optical imaging methods like photoacoustic microscopy. It is, however, challenging beyond superficial depths in biological tissue (~1 mm beneath human skin) due to the strong scattering of light that scrambles the photon propagation paths. Recently, optical wavefront shaping has been proposed to modulate the incident light wavefront to compensate for the scattering-induced phase distortions, and consequentially, convey light optimally to a desired location behind or inside turbid media. To reach an optimum wavefront, a searching algorithm is usually required to optimize a feedback signal. In this work, we present our latest explorations, which use photoacoustic signals as the feedback to remotely and non-invasively guide the wavefront shaping process. Our method does not require direct optical access to the target region or the invasive embedding of fluorescence probes inside turbid media. Experimentally, we have demonstrated that diffuse light can be converged to the ultrasound focus by maximizing the amplitude of photoacoustic emissions from the intended absorbing site. Moreover, we show that wavefront-shaped light focusing can enhance existing optical imaging modalities like photoacoustic microscopy, in regard to signal-to-noise ratio, imaging depth, and potentially, resolution.
Competition, Inalienability, and the Economic Analysis of Patent Law

Most influential economic theories about private disputes, including the Coase theorem, assume that there are no legal restraints on alienability. However, the parties to a patent dispute are often competing firms, and their private dealings may thus be constrained by the antitrust laws. Antitrust prohibits private transactions that allocate commercial rights in ways that unreasonably subvert competition between the parties. This creates an asymmetry between (1) the allocations of rights that the parties can effect through contract; and (2) those a court can effect through its judgment. For example, antitrust may condemn a “reverse payment” settlement in which a monopolist-patentee pays an accused infringer to stay off the market for several years. But if the dispute were litigated to judgment, a court could produce the same exclusionary outcome by issuing an injunction. The result is ultimately that, in contrast to familiar Coasean logic, a court’s delimitation of patent rights can influence the final allocation of such rights, even if the parties can bargain. Further, the parties may (rationally) litigate to judgment even if they have common expectations about litigation, and even if they are perfectly capable of entering into a lawful settlement ex ante.Antitrust limits on alienability may thus critically alter the nature of a private dispute, distinguishing it from the more conventional property conflicts studied in classical law and economics. Aside from altering the parties’ incentives and behavior, it changes the appropriate normative policies toward settlement and litigation. The parties may be settling not simply to avoid litigation costs, but rather to avoid a procompetitive judgment they cannot lawfully bargain around (e.g. patent invalidation), or to obtain a judicial stamp on what would otherwise be an unenforceable contract. As such, when a proposed settlement concerns rights that are not entirely alienable, the court should carefully review its terms to ensure they do not defy the relevant inalienability rule. Unfortunately, the patent courts have missed this important point (although it has been recognized implicitly in some other areas of law). They continue to treat patent suits as ordinary private conflicts over fully-alienable rights, approving virtually all settlement proposals as a matter of course. I explain the benefits of reviewing patent settlements in certain cases, and I offer a detailed account of how such review ought to operate in practice.
Signatures of Herzberg-Teller coupling in three-dimensional electronic spectroscopy.

The coupling between electronic and nuclear variables is a key consideration in molecular dynamics and spectroscopy. However, simulations that include detailed vibronic coupling terms are challenging to perform, and thus a variety of approximations can be used to model and interpret experimental results. Recent work shows that these simplified models can be inadequate. It is therefore important to understand spectroscopic signals that can identify failures of those approximations. Here we use an extended response-function method to simulate coherent three-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (3D ES) and study the sensitivity of this method to the breakdown of the Franck–Condon approximation. The simulations include a coordinate-dependent transition dipole operator that produces nodes, phase shifts, and peak patterns in 3D ES that can be used to identify Herzberg–Teller coupling. Guided by the simulation results, we interpret measurements on a molecular aggregate.
Enterprise-Level Cyber Situation Awareness

This chapter begins with a literature review of situation awareness (SA) concepts, and a study on how to apply SA to the cyber field for enterprise-level network security diagnosis. With the finding that an isolation problem exists between the individual perspectives of different technologies, this chapter introduces a cyber SA model named SKRM, which is proposed to integrate the isolated perspectives into a framework. Based on one of the SKRM layers, called Operating System Layer, this chapter presents a runtime system named Patrol, that reveals zero-day attack paths in the enterprise-level networks. To overcome the limitation of Patrol and achieve better accuracy and efficiency, this chapter further illustrates the usage of Bayesian Networks at the low level of Operating System to reveal zero-day attack paths in a probabilistic way.
Residents' surgical performance during the laboratory years: an analysis of rule-based errors.

Abstract Background Nearly one-third of surgical residents will enter into academic development during their surgical residency by dedicating time to a research fellowship for 1-3 y. Major interest lies in understanding how laboratory residents' surgical skills are affected by minimal clinical exposure during academic development. A widely held concern is that the time away from clinical exposure results in surgical skills decay. This study examines the impact of the academic development years on residents' operative performance. We hypothesize that the use of repeated, annual assessments may result in learning even without individual feedback on participants simulated performance. Methods Surgical performance data were collected from laboratory residents (postgraduate years 2-5) during the summers of 2014, 2015, and 2016. Residents had 15 min to complete a shortened, simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia repair procedure. Final hernia repair skins from all participants were scored using a previously validated checklist. An analysis of variance test compared the mean performance scores of repeat participants to those of first time participants. Results Twenty-seven (37% female) laboratory residents provided 2-year assessment data over the 3-year span of the study. Second time performance revealed improvement from a mean score of 14 (standard error = 1.0) in the first year to 17.2 (SD = 0.9) in the second year, (F[1, 52] = 5.6, P = 0.022). Detailed analysis demonstrated improvement in performance for 3 grading criteria that were considered to be rule-based errors. There was no improvement in operative strategy errors. Conclusions Analysis of longitudinal performance of laboratory residents shows higher scores for repeat participants in the category of rule-based errors. These findings suggest that laboratory residents can learn from rule-based mistakes when provided with annual performance-based assessments. This benefit was not seen with operative strategy errors and has important implications for using assessments not only for performance analysis but also as a learning experience.
Cooperation and cheating as innovation: insights from cellular societies

The capacity to innovate is often considered a defining feature of human societies, but it is not a capacity that is unique to human societies: innovation occurs in cellular societies as well. Cellular societies such as multicellular bodies and microbial communities, including the human microbiome, are capable of innovation in response to novel opportunities and threats. Multicellularity represents a suite of innovations for cellular cooperation, but multicellularity also opened up novel opportunities for cells to cheat, exploiting the infrastructure and resources of the body. Multicellular bodies evolve less quickly than the cells within them, leaving them vulnerable to cellular innovations that can lead to cancer and infections. In order to counter these threats, multicellular bodies deploy additional innovations including the adaptive immune system and the development of partnerships with preferred microbial partners. What can we learn from examining these innovations in cooperation and cheating in cellular societies? First, innovation in social systems involves a constant tension between novel mechanisms that enable greater size and complexity of cooperative entities and novel ways of cheating. Second, cultivating cooperation with partners who can rapidly and effectively innovate (such as microbes) is important for large entities including multicellular bodies. And third, multicellularity enabled cells to manage risk socially, allowing organisms to survive in challenging environments where life would otherwise be impossible. Throughout, we ask how insights from cellular societies might be translated into new innovations in human health and medicine, promoting and protecting the cellular cooperation that makes us viable multicellular organisms. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Process and pattern in innovations from cells to societies’.
REFLECTIONS OF YOUNG ADULTS ON THE LOSS OF A PARENT IN ADOLESCENCE

This study explores the reflections of young adults on the experience of parental loss in adolescence. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling and personal connections from Montreal and New Jersey. Personal interviews based on in-depth, open-ended questions were used to examine how parentally bereaved children and their families were affected in the short term and into early adulthood. The use of resources, coping strategies helpful to the participants, and adaptation to the death were also explored. The findings of the study are discussed through the lens of the Double ABC-X model of family stress and adaptation. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) pile-up of stressors aggravates grieving; (b) benefits of social support; (c) coping strategies used by the participants; (d) adaptation to the loss of a parent — personal growth and maturation. Implications for future research and practitioners working with this population are discussed.
Nursing Informatics Year in Review 2017.

NOTE from the Editor: Nursing Administration Quarterly does not normally publish literature searches. However, for our Informatics Column this quarter, we are sharing an overview of the sixth annual American Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics Working Group's (AMIA-NIWG) review o
Influence of Seaweed Extract, Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer on Growth and Yield Broccoli

Use of synthetic fertilizers may affect soil health and limit sustainable production of some vegetables. Developing a suitable strategy for agricultural application of alternative types of fertiliz...
Tests of Basic Molecular Physics Using Laser Spectroscopy of H2

Publisher Summary This chapter presents tests of basic molecular physics using laser spectroscopy of hydrogen. It describes a classical experiment and a more recent laser experiment in which the ionization potential was determined by extrapolating the singlet Rydberg np series. The experiment was conducted in two parts. For the first part, cw laser radiation near 420 nm was amplified into 3 mili Joules, 10 nano seconds pulses in an excimer laser-pumped amplifier chain. The second part of the experiment involved a pulsed dye laser that was used to populate the E, F state and a pulse-amplified, frequency-doubled cw laser that was operated near 397 nm to excite the Rydberg states. The observed energy levels were not in good agreement with the predicted spectra in the region within 10 cm-1 of threshold. The chpater also illustrates a double resonance scheme used to study the region near the second dissociation limit of H2.
Massively parallel simulations of motions in a Gaussian velocity field

The purpose of the present note is to describe the details of a set of simulation tools which we developed in order to study the statistical properties of the solutions of the equation: $$ d{{X}_{t}} = \vec{v}(t,{{X}_{t}})dt $$ when \( \{ \vec{v}(t,x);t0,x \in {{\mathbb{R}}^{2}}\} \) is a stationary and homogeneous Gaussian field with a spectrum of Kolmogorov type. The study is motivated by problems of transport of passive tracer particles at the surface of a two dimensional medium. We are mostly concerned with mathematical modeling of problems from oceanography and we think of the surface of the ocean as a physical medium to which our modeling efforts could apply. For this reason we shall sometimes use the terminology drifters for the passive tracers. The programs have been written for the MASPAR II. We describe the different forms of the simulations and we give numerical results which illustrate the transport properties of such a random medium. These results lead to the formulation of several precise mathematical conjectures which we discuss in the last section.