cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Identification of Causal Mechanisms

Experimentation is a powerful methodology that enables scientists to empirically establish causal claims. Even in social sciences where traditionally observational studies were dominant, experiments are becoming increasingly common. However, one general criticism of experimental methodology is that experiments merely provide a black-box view of causality - although experiments can identify an average causal effect, they cannot explain how such an effect comes about. If true, this represents a serious limitation of experimentation, especially for social science research whose main goal is to identify causal mechanisms. In this paper, we first establish that two existing approaches commonly employed by social scientists to address this critique suffer from serious methodological problems. To overcome this limitation, we consider alternative experimental designs that can be used to help identify causal mechanisms. Finally, we discuss the situations in which these experimental designs are applicable and illustrate their use by applying them to a behavioral neuroscience experiment.
High Methane Storage Capacity in Aluminum Metal–Organic Frameworks

The use of porous materials to store natural gas in vehicles requires large amounts of methane per unit of volume. Here we report the synthesis, crystal structure and methane adsorption properties of two new aluminum metal–organic frameworks, MOF-519 and MOF-520. Both materials exhibit permanent porosity and high methane volumetric storage capacity: MOF-519 has a volumetric capacity of 200 and 279 cm3 cm–3 at 298 K and 35 and 80 bar, respectively, and MOF-520 has a volumetric capacity of 162 and 231 cm3 cm–3 under the same conditions. Furthermore, MOF-519 exhibits an exceptional working capacity, being able to deliver a large amount of methane at pressures between 5 and 35 bar, 151 cm3 cm–3, and between 5 and 80 bar, 230 cm3 cm–3.
Using e-Coaching to Support an Early Intervention Provider's Implementation of a Functional Assessment-Based Intervention.

This study examined the effects of e-coaching on the implementation of a functional assessment-based intervention delivered by an early intervention provider in reducing challenging behaviors during home visits. A multiple baseline design across behavior support plan components was used with a provider-child dyad. The e-coaching intervention consisted of weekly training and support delivered via video conferencing software. Results demonstrated a functional relation between e-coaching and early intervention provider implementation of targeted behavior support plan strategies. Further, the child's challenging behaviors decreased over the course of the study. Contributions to the literature, implications for practice, and future directions are discussed.
Cardiac and renal hormones: anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo.

Background Four cardiovascular hormones, ie, vessel dilator, long-acting natriuretic peptide, kaliuretic peptide, and atrial natriuretic peptide each at 1 mmol/L, decrease up to 97% of human breast, ovarian, pancreatic, colon, kidney, and prostate adenocarcinoma cells, as well as small cell and squamous cell lung cancer cells within 24 hours. Methods Vessel dilator, long-acting natriuretic peptide, and kaliuretic peptide were investigated in vivo. Results These cardiac hormones completely stop the growth of human pancreatic adenocarcinomas in athymic mice and decrease their tumor volume by 49%, 28%, and 11%, respectively, in 1 week. When these cardiac hormones are given subcutaneously for 1 month via osmotic pumps with the pumps changed weekly, up to 80% of the human pancreatic adenocarcinomas growing in athymic mice can be completely eliminated. Similarly, two thirds of human breast cancers in athymic mice can be eliminated without surgery with these cardiac hormones. Natriuretic peptide receptors A-, B-, and C- are present on the cancer cells to mediate atrial natriuretic peptide9s effects. Conclusions The cardiac hormones9 anticancer mechanism of action(s) include a strong inhibition of mitogen (epidermal growth factor and insulin) activated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 and as well as inhibition of basal extracellular-signal regulated kinase 1/2 and upstream MEK 1/2 phosphorylation. They cause 80% to 90% inhibition of DNA synthesis in the nucleus where these cardiac hormones have been demonstrated to localize by immunocytochemical techniques.
Energy Costs and Benefits During Fetal Development and Infancy

During fetal development and infancy, energy is primarily allocated toward somatic (particularly brain) growth and development, accumulating fat, and maintaining tissue. This stage is important to consider because several lines of research, summarized here, suggest that experiencing energetic stress and poor nutrition in utero and early in life, indexed by low birth weight and growth early in life, is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In more recent studies in humans and animals, it is also directly related to physical activity. It is hypothesized that energetic stress during development may lead to a thrifty phenotype, or an energy allocation system that is better suited for environments where resources are scarce or unpredictable. A thrifty phenotype that favors energy conservation and fat storage is predicted to influence physical fitness and activity, with mechanisms to reduce activity and favor a more sedentary lifestyle.
Information Access Devices

Handheld computers comprise the largest group of Internet connectable pervasive devices. They are small, lightweight, and fit into pockets. A stylus is used to tap on a touch screen to activate applications or enter data. Currently two major operating systems are applied on handheld devices: Palm OS and Windows CE.
Characterization of Single Platelet Mass, Volume, and Density in Response to Agonist Stimulation

Abstract Abstract 5261 An increase in mean platelet volume (MPV) is correlated with platelet activation and subsequent shape change. Pathologic processes marked by increased platelet activity such as myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular accidents, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension are associated with an increased MPV. Elevated MPV in these conditions reflect both a higher level of platelet activation as well as increased platelet turnover secondary to platelet consumption within thrombus formation. Assessment of MPV can be used to risk stratify patients as well as assign them to prognostic categories. However, MPV does not assess platelet heterogeneity or the specific change in single platelet mass, volume, or density. Current methods provide little insight into changes in physical parameters at the single platelet level. In order to overcome this limitation, we developed a quantitative tomographic differential interference contrast (QTDIC) microscopy technique to measure dry mass, volume, and density of platelets at the single-cell level. This technique is based on determining the axially resolved refractive index from a series of through-focus DIC images. Single cell platelet mass was observed to reduce from 1.84 ± 0.14 pg to 1.60 ± 0.13 pg in response to stimulation with thrombin-receptor agonist peptide (TRAP), while single cell platelet volume reduced from 7.28 ± 0.56 fL to 6.03 ± 0.48 fL (mean ± SEM). Single cell platelet density increased from 0.25 ± 0.001 pg/fL to 0.26 ± 0.002 pg/fL (mean ± SEM). Taken together, we have characterized the physical parameters of platelets in response to agonist stimulation. Our data suggest that platelet activation may correlate with decreased mass and volume, perhaps as a consequence of platelet degranulation. Further elucidation of the morphological changes of activated platelets at the single platelet level may allow for better understanding of platelet function and dysfunction in patients affected by platelet granule deficiencies, giant platelet syndromes, and disorders associated with membrane receptors Download : Download high-res image (46KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1 . Characterization of physical parameters of platelets. (a) DIC image of human platelets, (b) refractive index map, (c) dry mass density map determined from refractive index using the Barer calibration, (d) Histogram of platelet dry mass, (e) Histogram of platelet volume, (f) Histogram of platelet density. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The role of incident light intensity, wavelength, and exposure time in the modification of conjugated polymer structure in solution

Abstract Our recent investigations indicate that simple white light exposure holds intriguing potential to alter the structure of conjugated polymer chains. To provide further insight into how to rationally control this process, we have employed small angle neutron scattering to investigate structural changes occurring in solutions of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) upon exposure to white light. Our previous results indicate significant change in the structure of the polymer upon illumination, an effect we attribute to an alteration in the thermodynamic interactions of the polymer with the surrounding solvent. This work provides additional information to further refine our understanding of this phenomenon by studying the relationship between the magnitude of exciton creation and subsequent structural changes through a series of exposure time, light intensity, and wavelength sensitive experiments. The results demonstrate a clear and consistent relationship between the number of absorbable photons available to the conjugated polymer chain and more powerful alterations in polymer structural parameters, indicating that net exciton generation provides the fundamental driving force for this phenomenon. This points towards the feasibility of employing light exposure protocols as a powerful unobtrusive in-situ method for precise tailoring of optoelectronic active layers over a wide range of organic electronic device fabrication procedures.
The SUMO Pathway in Mitosis

Mitosis is the stage of the cell cycle during which replicated chromosomes must be precisely divided to allow the formation of two daughter cells possessing equal genetic material. Much of the careful spatial and temporal organization of mitosis is maintained through post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and ubiquitination, of key cellular proteins. Here, we will review evidence that sumoylation, conjugation to the SUMO family of small ubiquitin-like modifiers, also serves essential regulatory roles during mitosis. We will discuss the basic biology of sumoylation, how the SUMO pathway has been implicated in particular mitotic functions, including chromosome condensation, centromere/kinetochore organization and cytokinesis, and what cellular proteins may be the targets underlying these phenomena.
Screening for tuberculosis in an urban shelter for homeless in Switzerland: a prospective study

Whereas high risk groups such as asylum seekers are systematically screened for active tuberculosis (TB) upon entry in Switzerland, this strategy does not apply to homeless persons despite a reported high risk. Geneva health and social authorities implemented an intersectoral project to screen for active TB in homeless persons. We aimed to assess acceptability of this program and prevalence of active TB in this group. This prospective study targeted all homeless adults registering for shelter accommodation in Geneva during winter 2015. Applicants were proposed a questionnaire-based screening ( www.tb-screen.ch ) exploring epidemiological and clinical risk factors for active TB. Participants with a positive score underwent diagnostic procedures at Geneva University Hospital. Enhanced TB surveillance targeting homeless persons in the community was continued 3 months after the study termination. Overall, 726/832 (87.3%) homeless persons accepted the screening procedure. Most were young male migrants without access to care in Switzerland. Male gender (adjusted OR: 2.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.27–3.62), age below 25 years (aOR: 4.16; 95% CI: 1.27–13.64) and short duration of homelessness (aOR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.06–2.87) were predictors of acceptance. Thirty (4.1%) had positive screening scores but none of the 24 who underwent further testing had active TB. Post-study surveillance did not identify any incident case in Geneva. Active TB screening targeting highly mobile homeless persons in shelters was well accepted and feasible. The participants’ sociodemographic profile highlighted the heterogeneity of homeless groups in Europe and the null TB prevalence the variability of their active TB risks. These findings underline the feasibility of health programs targeting this hard to reach group and the need for close monitoring of this social group considering the rapid changes in international mobility patterns to tailor preventive and screening strategies to the local context.
Spatial variability in factors that control the sinking flux of organic and inorganic particles in the Cariaco Basin: a vision from space

ABSTRACTThe Cariaco Basin, located on the continental margin of the south-eastern Caribbean Sea, has been a site of extensive oceanographic research since the early 1950s. Here we examined the seasonal and spatial variability in satellite wind, sea surface temperature (SST), surface chlorophyll (CHL), and primary production (PP) within the Cariaco Basin (1994–2009). This variability has implications in modulating the vertical flux of particulate material to the bottom of the basin. While cross-shore Ekman Transport was positive (upwelling inducing) year-round, it showed 20–60% higher values (stronger upwelling) in the eastern sub-basin, compared to the western sub-basin 1.35–2.77 m2 s−1 and 1.06–1.73 m2 s−1, respectively; p < 0.01). This translated into differences in CHL concentration and PP rates between the eastern and western Cariaco sub-basins. Long-term seasonal means of SST, CHL, and PP showed significant inter-basin differences (p < 0.01) between December and July; during that period the eastern b...
A 0.65mW 20MHz 5 th -order low-pass filter with +28.8dBm IIP3 using source follower coupling

A highly linear continuous-time low-pass filter (LPF) topology using source follower coupling is presented with excellent power efficiency. It synthesizes a 3rd-order low-pass transfer function in a single stage using coupled source followers and three capacitors, and can be configured to 2nd-order by disconnecting a capacitor. A 5th-order Butterworth prototype is designed with a cascade of two stages in 0.18μm CMOS, and occupies a core area of 0.12mm2. Operating with a 1.3V supply, the filter consumes 0.5mA current, and achieves a bandwidth of 20MHz with 82dB stop-band rejection. The measured in-band nP3 is +28.8dBm. The dynamic range is 74dB, with 15.3nV/VHz averaged in-band input-referred noise.
Race, Ethnicity, and Criminal Justice Contact: Reflections for Future Research

Since the 1980s, the number of individuals in the U.S. criminal justice system has more than quadrupled and, as a result, incarcerates more people per capita than any other industrialized nation. T...
The Peripheral Neuropathies of POEMS Syndrome and Castleman Disease

Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal plasma cell disorder, skin changes (POEMS) syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic disorder. The polyneuropathy can be the presenting symptom and is typically a painful, motor-predominant polyradiculoneuropathy often mimicking chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. The presence of a lambda monoclonal protein, elevated vascular endothelial growth factor, systemic features, and treatment resistance are clues to the diagnosis. Castleman disease (CD) is seen in a subset of these patients, and when present the neuropathy is similar but less severe. In contrast, in those patients with purely CD, the neuropathy is often a mild, painless distal sensory neuropathy.
Cbl: Complex Formation and Functional Implications

Abstract Cbl, a 120-kDa proto-oncogene product, whose gene was first identified as part of a transforming gene of a murine retrovirus and whose expression is predominant in haematopoietic cells, consists of an amino-terminal transforming region, a zinc Ring finger, multiple proline-rich stretches, and several potential phosphotyrosine-containing motifs. Cbl is rapidly tyrosine-phosphorylated in response to stimulation of a variety of cell-surface receptors and becomes associated with a number of intracellular signalling molecules such as protein tyrosine kinases, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Crk, and 14-3-3 proteins through different protein-interacting modules, leading to the formation of multimolecular signalling complexes. Cbl and its transforming mutants have been shown to display both negative and positive regulatory activities in protein tyrosine kinase– and Ras-mediated signalling pathways. Nevertheless, the exact biological function of this adaptor protein remains largely unknown. The present review summarizes recent progress in our understanding of the structure, regulation and biological function of Cbl and defines open questions for future research.
IPM: overcoming conflicts in adoption

The diversity of competing interests in North America provides a remarkable series of divergent messages to growers. Depending on what crop they produce or how they farm, they may be heroes or villains, loyal or unpatriotic, or stewards or ravagers of the environment. Even relatively minor changes in farming practices can result in significant public or political response. Considering that growers may risk 100% of their crop yield on a potential savings of 10% (or less) for investment in pesticides, it is not surprising that growers are slow to adopt IPM programs. Well-intentioned appeals to eliminate pesticides, or save the environment at all costs, are usually not effective. Likewise, a high failure rate can be expected from attempts to legislate IPM, implement programs that focus on only part of a pest complex, or adoption strategies that do not include on-farm testing and extensive educational efforts. However, some strategies have proven effective. Growers who have experienced loss of pesticides due to resistance are receptive to management programs which avoid or delay resistance. Many programs have been adopted piecemeal, starting with sampling programs followed by treatment thresholds and modified pesticide use. One of the most successful approaches has been an economic comparison of grower standard and IPM programs using partial budgets. Increased net profits provide powerful incentives for program adoption.
Exploring the Coach’s Role in Youth Life Skills Development in Southern Africa

A strong body of research supports the meaningful role of coaches in helping youth athletes develop personally and emotionally through the learning of life skills. However, limited exploration of this topic has taken place in non-Western regions where youth face very different developmental challenges. To explore this topic further, nine coaches in Swaziland participated in semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that although most coaches found it difficult to articulate a coaching philosophy, they valued developing both the athlete and the person. Coaches focused on teaching a range of life skills and values that were relevant to overcoming the most salient local youth challenges. The main strategies coaches employed to develop life skills were discussion, providing opportunities to build skills, and modelling appropriate behaviours through caring coach-athlete relationships. Results of this study provide further support for the role of coaches as facilitators of life skills lea...
Crop tree growth response and quality after silvicultural rehabilitation of cutover stands

Rehabilitation of cutover stands is often a management objective of landowners who desire improved stand conditions and increased value from future harvest revenues. We evaluated crop tree growth r...
Schrödinger Correspondence Applied to Crystals

In 1926, E. Schrodinger showed that the mean position and mean momentum of the displaced ground state in a harmonic oscillator obey the equations of motion of the classical oscillator. This Schrodinger Correspondence Principle, extended to an N-dimensional harmonic oscillator, is an intuitive and powerful way to approach many aspects of harmonic solids by converting the quantum-mechanical problems to the classical ones. For the application of the correspondence principle, the concepts of the phonon and its pseudomomentum are clarified, and the importance of taking into account the center-of-mass momentum is explained. Also, the concept of the antiphonon is introduced through the examples of physical processes in a line and a ring of atoms. With the correspondence principle, the quantum behavior of harmonic solids under a Mossbauer-like kick is analyzed classically, and the simulation verified the formation of an antiphonon.
Compartive network analyses for Nigerian coastal waters using two ecopath models developed for the years 1985 and 2000

Abstract In the late 1990s, depletion of Pink Shrimp (Penaeus notialis) in Nigerian coastal waters (NCW) resulted in increased exploitation of Brown Shrimp (Penaeus monodon), and in spatial redistribution of fishing effort for coastal shrimp fisheries in Nigeria. We investigate the hypothesis that ecosystem impacts of fishing increased as industrial trawler fleets encroached into shallower areas of the Nigerian coast in search of Brown Shrimp to augment their shrimp catch. To this purpose, we describe the ecosystem structure in NCW using a mass-balanced ecosystem modeling approach in Ecopath with Ecosim for two years –1985 and 2000. We then quantify impacts of increasing fishing intensity by comparing these two models using network analysis. We also compare the NCW EwE models with models developed for the Catalan Sea, Carribean Seas, and the USA continental shelf. Our analyses reveal that over the course of 15 years, the NCW ecosystem became less structurally complex, and less productive. The EwE Mixed Trophic Impact (MTI) index showed increasing negative impacts of coastal fishing activities in the 2000 model compared to the 1985 model. This is the first attempt to provide fisheries ecosystem models for Nigeria, and this research contributes to fisheries ecology by furthering our understanding of coastal food webs and ecological responses, especially in perturbed ecosystems such as in NCW.
The trimeric autotransporter adhesin BadA is required for in vitro biofilm formation by Bartonella henselae.

Bartonella henselae (Bh) is a Gram-negative rod transmitted to humans by a scratch from the common house cat. Infection of humans with Bh can result in a range of clinical diseases including lymphadenopathy observed in cat-scratch disease and more serious disease from persistent bacteremia. It is a common cause of blood-culture negative endocarditis as the bacterium is capable of growing as aggregates, and forming biofilms on infected native and prosthetic heart valves. The aggregative growth requires a trimeric autotransporter adhesin (TAA) called Bartonella adhesin A (BadA). TAAs are found in all Bartonella species and many other Gram-negative bacteria. Using Bh Houston-1, Bh Houston-1 ∆badA and Bh Houston-1 ∆badA/pNS2PTrcbadA (a partial complement of badA coding for a truncated protein of 741 amino acid residues), we analyze the role of BadA in adhesion and biofilm formation. We also investigate the role of environmental factors such as temperature on badA expression and biofilm formation. Real-time cell adhesion monitoring and electron microscopy show that Bh Houston-1 adheres and forms biofilm more efficiently than the Bh Houston-1 ∆badA. Deletion of the badA gene significantly decreases adhesion, the first step in biofilm formation in vitro, which is partially restored in Bh Houston-1 ∆badA/pNS2PTrcbadA. The biofilm formed by Bh Houston-1 includes polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA components and is susceptible to enzymatic degradation of these components. Furthermore, both pH and temperature influence both badA expression and biofilm formation. We conclude that BadA is required for optimal adhesion, agglutination and biofilm formation.
Mouse models of gastrointestinal cancers in drug development and research

Abstract Despite advancement in screening and early diagnosis, gastrointestinal cancers continue to be a leading cause of death worldwide. The advances in molecular biology approaches have led us to identify new potential drug targets. However, the overall success rate of drugs during clinical development remains lower than expected. Since mouse models play a pivotal role in preclinical research, efficient use of various animal models can accelerate the drug development pipeline with more predictive in vivo results. In this chapter we will describe the role of various mouse models in understanding the pathogenesis of various malignancies specifically colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancers, and stomach cancer. Further, we will describe orthotopic transplant models, organoid xenografts, patient-derived tumor xenografts, and their potential role in drug discovery.
Sex-specific mortality trends in adolescents and young adults with cancer from 2007 to 2016.

1570Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) aged 15-39 years make up approximately 70,000 new oncology cases in the USA. Historically, mortality from cancer has smaller incremental improveme...
Improved Syntheses of One-Dimensional Cyanide-Bridged Lanthanide−Transition-Metal Arrays

The complexes {(DMF)10Ho2[Ni(CN)4]3}∞ and {(DMF)10Gd2[Ni(CN)4]3}∞ were prepared through an improved synthetic route. This method reduces the reaction time from 1−2 weeks to within 15−30 min.
Arthropod entrapment increases specialist predators on a sticky crop and reduces damage

Abstract Maximizing plant defensive strategies is integral to effective integrated pest management. Direct defenses, in the form of chemical and morphological components that inhibit pest damage, underlie host plant resistance, while indirect defenses including food provisioning and semiochemical production, improve biological control. Interactions between the two defensive strategies may be disruptive, complementary, or synergistic and are an important consideration for effective pest management programs. Glandular trichomes are plant structures that inhibit or entrap arthropods, protecting plants against herbivores, potentially at the cost of reducing natural enemy efficacy. Glandular trichomes may also contribute to indirect defense, as predatory arthropods adapted to “sticky” surfaces scavenge on entrapped arthropods. Scavenging increases predator abundance and reduces plant damage; this protective mutualism has been demonstrated with multiple sticky wild flowers but has not been assessed in an economically important plant, such as tobacco. We augmented dead arthropods (carrion) on tobacco plants grown under conditions similar to commercial production and assessed tri-trophic interactions. Carrion augmentation increased predator abundance, reduced damage to reproductive structures, and increased leaf yield, but did not reduce pest densities. We determined that systemic insecticide use did not affect carrion entrapment on tobacco plants. Review of the literature revealed that a variety of economically important plants entrap arthropods on their surfaces, indicating this mutualism has potential for development into a conservation biological control tactic.
Objective Quantification of Opioid Usage After Thyroid Surgery

Introduction It is well established that America is in the midst of an opioid crisis with 46 people dying every day from overdoses involving prescription opioids. In the last 2 years, multiple articles have been published indicating that the amount of opioid pain medication needed after discharge from thyroid and parathyroid surgery is low. Objective To objectively examine the amount of opioid pain medication required by patients in our practice after thyroid surgery. Methods Patients were given a standardized discharge prescription of 30 pills with a combination of 7.5 mg of hydrocodone and 325 mg of acetaminophen after thyroid surgery. They were asked to log the number of pills consumed per day and the level of pain per day using the Wong-Baker faces pain scale. We used in-office pill counts to ensure accuracy of the logs. Results While reaching a similar conclusion, the present study is the first to objectively examine the quantity of opioid pain medication consumed between postoperative discharge and office follow-up. Our study objectively demonstrates that 85% of patients consumed less than 75.0 morphine milligram equivalent (MME) after thyroid surgery using in-office pill counts. Conclusion Recent multimodality anesthesia research appears promising to dramatically reduce or even eliminate the need for opioid prescriptions upon postoperative discharge.
Interactions between Zinc, Vitamins A and D and Hormones in the Regulation of Growth

The essentiality of zinc for normal growth of young mammals was one of the first deficiency characteristics to be recorded. The decline in growth is severe and rapid and is accompanied by a simultaneous reduction in appetite. Although a portion of the decline in growth can be attributed to diminished voluntary food intake, pair-feeding and force-feeding experiments have shown a decline in food efficiency independent of the appetite phenomenon (Chesters and Quarterman, 1970). Moreover, comprehensive studies by Lucille Hurley and colleagues (1980) have shown that zinc deprivation during gestation results in a large number of teratogenic outcomes. Thus, the clinical manifestations of zinc deficiency reflect a wide range of metabolic roles for this ion.
Chapter 44 – Degu

Publisher Summary This chapter studies the degu, its attributes, and uses as a laboratory animal species. Degus are mostly associated with the study of circadian rhythms due to their diurnal activities in the wild and they have also been established as valuable animal models in the study of a wide range of scientific areas including developmental biology, diabetes mellitus, cataracts, and Alzheimer's disease. The organ systems and physiological processes that have made the degu a useful animal model in various areas of research have been described in detail such as external features, circulatory system, and the nervous system. Due to less established laboratory colonies, much remains to be discovered regarding optimal housing, disease control, and veterinary care of the species. The chapter describes the management, husbandry, nutrition, diseases, and behavioral patterns of the degu. The degu is chosen as an animal for experimental model due to its characteristics such as complex familial and social structure and highly developed vocal repertoire. Also degus are relatively long-lived when compared to many other laboratory rodents. The research models that have been explained are thymic research, Alzheimer's disease, production of antisera, and atherosclerosis.
Chapter 5 – Related Research

This chapter compares and contrasts Protos with the work of others. Given the broad range of issues addressed by the Protos project, many topics could be included. For example, this chapter could survey human and artificial knowledge representation, heuristic classification, as well as machine learning for concept acquisition. Such a broad survey would, of necessity, be superficial. Instead, this chapter presents detailed discussions of casebased reasoning and automated knowledge acquisition. Work in these areas is most closely related to Protos' approach and application and is therefore most relevant to assessing the contributions made by the Protos project. A chapter on related research is often simply a catalog of other projects. Rather than following this approach, Chapter 5 identifies relevant characteristics for comparing systems and focuses subsequent discussion on them. Every system surveyed is not discussed with respect to each of the issues; instead, systems are discussed only when the researchers addressed the issue being considered.
Faces with foreign accents: An event-related potential study of accented sentence comprehension

Mounting Event-Related Potential (ERP) research testing the neurocognitive processes of foreign- and native-accented speech comprehension shows that listeners process foreign-accented speech in qualitatively and quantitatively different ways from native-accented speech. Previous ERP research has presented listeners with foreign- and native-accented sentences only, devoid of any cues to the speaker's identity. Additional cues about the foreign-accented speaker identity, such as faces, may be useful in aiding listeners' processing, potentially reducing differences between neurocognitive processes associated with foreign-accented and native-accented speech comprehension. This study tested whether providing listeners with extra-linguistic face cues to the speakers' identity affects the ERP correlates of grammatical and semantic processing of foreign-accented and native-accented sentences. Specifically, we presented listeners with face cues to speaker identity followed by native- and foreign-accented sentences that were identical to Grey and Van Hell (2017), who did not provide face cues. To elucidate the effects of face cues, we compared the present study's Face Cue data with the Grey and Van Hell (2017) No Face Cue data. For grammar processing, the results showed a biphasic Nref-P600 for native-accented speech and a P600 for foreign-accented speech in the Face Cue group. In the No Face Cue group, results for grammar processing showed an Nref for native-accented speech and no significant ERP effects for foreign-accented speech. This result indicates that face cues were effective in aiding processing of foreign-accented sentences. For semantic processing, there were robust N400 effects for native-accented speech and delayed N400s for foreign-accented speech in the Face Cue and No Face Cue groups. This pattern indicates that the extra-linguistic face cue to foreign-accented speaker identity did not affect semantic processing. Overall, the results provide neurocognitive evidence that the integration of speaker and face information aids listeners during the processing of foreign-accented speech, particularly for grammatical processing.
GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION OF PYTHAGOREAN TRIANGLES

< is a Pythagorean triple. If x, y and z are all relatively prime, (gcd is 1), then we call the triangle a primitive Pythagorean triangle (PPT) and the triple a primitive Pythagorean triple. We assume it known [1], that for any two positive integers m and n, with n m , the three numbers 2 x mn = , , and 2 y m n = − 2 2 2 z m n = + form a Pythagorean triple. We say that the Pythagorean triple [ ] , , x y z
3-D Scene Reconstruction Using Depth from Defocus and Deep Learning

Depth estimation is becoming increasingly important in computer vision applications. As the commercial industry moves forward with autonomous vehicle research and development, there is a demand for these systems to be able to gauge their 3D surroundings in order to avoid obstacles, and react to threats. This need requires depth estimation systems, and current research in self-driving vehicles now use LIDAR for 3D awareness. However, as LIDAR becomes more prevalent there is the potential for an increased risk of interference between this type of active measurement system on multiple vehicles. Passive methods, on the other hand, do not require the transmission of a signal in order to measure depth. Instead, they estimate the depth by using specific cues in the scene. Previous research, using a Depth from Defocus (DfD) single passive camera system, has shown that an in-focus image and an out-of-focus image can be used to produce a depth measure. This research introduces a new Deep Learning (DL) architecture that is capable of ingesting these image pairs to produce a depth map of the given scene improving both speed and performance over a range of lighting conditions. Compared to the previous state-of-the-art multi-label graph cut algorithms; the new DfD-Net produces a 63.7% and 33.6% improvement in the Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) for the darkest and brightest images respectively. In addition to the NRMSE, an image quality metric (Structural Similarity Index (SSIM)) was also used to assess the DfD-Net performance. The DfD-Net produced a 3.6% increase (improvement) and a 2.3% reduction (slight decrease) in the SSIM metric for the darkest and brightest images respectively.
Neuromorphic computing: From devices to integrated circuits

A variety of nonvolatile memory (NVM) devices including the resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) are currently being investigated for implementing energy-efficient hardware for deep learning and artificial intelligence at the edge. RRAM devices are employed in the form of dense crosspoint or crossbar arrays. In order to exploit the high-density and low-power operation of these devices, circuit designers need to accommodate their nonideal behavior and consider their impact on circuit design and algorithm performance. Hybrid integration of RRAMs with standard CMOS technology is spurring the development of large-scale neuromorphic system-on-a-chip. This review article provides an overview of neuromorphic integrated circuits (ICs) using hybrid CMOS-RRAM integration with an emphasis on spiking neural networks (SNNs), device nonidealities, their associated circuit design challenges, and potential strategies for their mitigation. An overview of various SNN learning algorithms and their codevelopment with devices and circuits is discussed. Finally, a comparison of NVM-based fully integrated neuromorphic ICs is presented along with a discussion on their future evolution.
Aerobic fitness relates to superior exact and approximate arithmetic processing in college-aged adults.

Abstract Background Aerobic fitness relates to superior math achievement, but the underlying reasons remain unclear. This study tested how more efficient processing (efficiency hypothesis) or enhanced allocation of cognitive resources (resources hypothesis) underly fitness-related differences in arithmetic cognition in a sample of 138 college-aged adults. Method Participants completed an arithmetic task while pupillary measures were recorded prior to an aerobic fitness test. Results Higher aerobic fitness was associated with shorter reaction time for all problems and greater pupillary reactivity for problems requiring approximate and exact arithmetic. Conclusions Superior aerobic fitness relates to greater cognitive resources available to execute exact and approximate arithmetic faster. Fitness-related differences in math achievement may be driven by the cognitive resources underlying arithmetic strategy. These differences may extend beyond educational achievement and affect the motivation to engage in health behaviors based on quantitative information. Thus, improving cardiovascular fitness has the potential to also ameliorate health numeracy.
What is the societal economic cost of poor oral health among older adults in the United States? A scoping review.

Objective To assess the state of the literature in the United States quantifying the societal economic cost of poor oral health among older adults. Background Proponents of a Medicare dental benefit have argued that addressing the growing need for dental care among the US older adult population will decrease costs from systemic disease and other economic costs due to oral disease. However, it is unclear what the current economic burden of poor oral health among older adults is in the United States. Methods We conducted a scoping review examining the cost of poor oral health among older adults and identified cost components that were included in relevant studies. Results Other than oral cancer, no studies were found examining the economic costs of poor oral health among older adults (untreated tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss and chronic disease/s). Only two studies examining the costs of oral cancer were found, but these studies did not assess the full economic cost of oral cancer from patient, insurer and societal perspectives. Conclusions Future work is needed to assess the full economic burden of poor oral health among older adults in the United States, and should leverage novel linkages between medical claims data, dental claims data and oral health outcomes data.
Chronic temperature stress effects on the liver proteome of two threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations using a novel DIA assay library

A data-independent acquisition (DIA) assay library was generated for the liver of threespine sticklebacks to evaluate alterations in protein abundance and functional enrichment of molecular pathways following either chronic warm (25{degrees}C) or cold (7{degrees}C) three-week temperature challenge in two estuarine populations. The DIA assay library was created from a data-dependent acquisition (DDA) based raw spectral library that was filtered to remove low quality or ambiguous peptides. Functional enrichment analyses using STRING identified larger networks that were significantly enriched by examining both the entire liver proteome and only significantly elevated or depleted proteins from the various comparisons. These systems level analyses revealed the unique liver proteomic signatures of two populations of threespine sticklebacks acclimated to chronic temperature stress. The Big lagoon population (BL) had a stronger response than the Klamath river population (KL). At 7{degrees}C, BL showed alterations in protein homeostasis that likely fueled a higher demand for energy, but both populations successfully acclimated to this temperature. The warm acclimation induced major increases in proteins involved in chromatin structure and transcription, while there were decreases in proteins related to translation and fatty acid metabolism. Functional enrichment analyses of the entire liver proteome uncovered differences in glycolysis and carbohydrate metabolism between the two populations and between the cold acclimated and control groups. We conclude that the synchronous regulatory patterns of many proteins observed in the liver of threespine sticklebacks provide more comprehensive insight into population-specific responses to thermal stress than the use of less specific pre-determined biomarkers.
Catholic Universities as Missionary Spaces: Wilhelm Schmidt, Chen Yuan, and the Catholic University in Beijing

This article examines the ‘missionary space’ of the Catholic University of Beijing (Furen University), particularly studying how the Catholic visions of the Western missionary society in charge of the university, the Society of the Divine Word, negotiated with, cooperated, and ultimately came in conflict with the ideas of the Chinese faculty, embodied in the Chinese President of the university, Chen Yuan. It focuses on the moral and intellectual claims by both sides. I argue that moral claims mattered, and ultimately the Western missionary society lost its legitimacy due to actions that it took during and after the Second World War.
Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and trauma-related symptoms following COVID-19 infection at long-term follow-up.

Abstract A developing finding from the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the burden of neuropsychiatric symptoms seen in COVID-19 survivors. While studies have shown clinically significant rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and trauma-related symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after COVID-19, little is known about how these symptoms evolve over time. Here, we report findings from a cohort study of 52 participants recruited from the greater New York City area following acute COVID-19 infection. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety-related symptoms, the Insomnia Severity Scale (ISS) for sleep-related symptoms, and the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C) for trauma-related symptoms both at baseline and at long-term (24–60 weeks post-infection) follow-up. We found a high degree of correlation between psychiatric symptom scales within participants. More participants met established cutoffs for clinically significant insomnia and post-traumatic stress at follow-up compared to baseline. Symptom scales for depression, insomnia, and PTSD were increased at long-term follow-up, with only increased PCL-C scores surviving correction for multiple comparisons (Z ​= ​2.92, W ​= ​434, p ​= ​0.004). Our results present evidence from a small cohort that neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly those related to PTSD, may worsen over time in COVID-19 survivors. Future studies should continue to investigate these questions in broader populations, while additionally exploring the potential biological and sociological mechanisms that may contribute to neuropsychiatric pathology after COVID-19 infection.
Audit Partners in Leadership Roles: Implications for Audit Quality in the U.S.

Despite the commonality of being both owners and agents, partners’ roles and responsibilities in accounting firms can vary significantly. We first conduct 21 semi-structured interviews of U.S. audit partners who have held office, regional, or national leadership roles to understand how leaders are selected and evaluated, as well as the responsibilities for each type of leadership role. The interviews suggest that leadership roles entail significant responsibility for business growth and development and other administrative tasks, often in addition to client service responsibilities. Grounded in the insights from these interviews, we then empirically examine how audit partners’ leadership roles influence the quality of their audits in the U.S. We find that clients of audit partners in leadership roles are more likely to subsequently restate their financial statements. Further analyses suggest that partner capacity constraints, rather than impaired independence, influence this association.
In situ studies on superior thermal stability of bulk FeZr nanocomposites

Abstract Nanostructured metals received significant attention due to their high mechanical strength. However, their poor thermal stability hinders their applications at high temperature. Here we show extraordinary thermal stability of FeZr nanocomposites with micron-sized Fe grains well distributed in the nanostructured Fe/Fe2Zr eutectic laminates. The hardness of annealed FeZr nanocomposites remained unchanged up to 700 °C. Grain growth at higher annealing temperatures leads to hardness drop. Moreover, in situ annealing inside a transmission electron microscope revealed an unexpected coarsening mechanism of α-Fe grain: thermal stress arising from thermal expansion mismatch between Fe and Fe2Zr led to plastic yielding of large α-Fe grains. Debonding between α-Fe grain and Fe2Zr along phase boundary introduced nanometer thick gaps, which were subsequently filled by Fe from eutectic laminates, manifested as grain coarsening of α-Fe grains.
DNA synthesis and the cell cycle in cultures of normal and mutant (mdg/mdg) embryonic mouse muscle cells.

Abstract The relationship between cell fusion, DNA synthesis and the cell cycle in cultured embryonic normal and dysgenic ( mdg mdg ) mouse muscle cells has been determined by autoradiography. The experimental evidence shows that the homozygous mutant myotubes form by a process of cell fusion and that nuclei within the myotubes do not synthesize DNA or undergo mitotic or amitotic division. The duration of the total cell cycle and its component phases was statistically the same in 2-day normal and mutant ( mdg mdg ) myogenic cultures with the approximate values: T, 21.5 hr; G1, 10.5 hr; S, 7.5 hr; and G2, 2.5 hr. In both kinds of cultures, labeled nuclei appeared in myotubes 15–16 hr after mononucleated cells were exposed to [3H]thymidine, and the rate of incorporation of labeled nuclei into multinucleated muscle cells was comparable in control and dysgenic cultures. Thus, homozygous mdg mdg muscle cells in culture are similar to control cells with respect to their mechanism of myotube formation and the coordinate regulation of DNA synthesis and the cell cycle during myogenesis.