cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extended Abstract: Provable-Security Analysis of Authenticated Encryption in Kerberos

Kerberos is a widely-deployed network authentication protocol that is being considered for standardization. Many works have analyzed its security, identifying flaws and often suggesting fixes, thus helping the protocol's evolution. Several recent results present successful formal-methods-based verification of a significant portion of the current version 5, and some even imply security in the computational setting. For these results to hold, encryption in Kerberos should satisfy strong cryptographic security notions. However, neither currently deployed as part of Kerberos encryption schemes nor their proposed revisions are known to provably satisfy such notions. We take a close look at Kerberos' encryption and confirm that most of the options in the current version provably provide privacy and authenticity, some with slight modification that we suggest. Our results complement the formal-methods-based analysis of Kerberos that justifies its current design.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Appearance: Discrepancies Among Self‐Ideal Percepts of Multiple Physical Attributes 1

Testing self-discrepancy theories of body image, this investigation examined self-perceived and idealized physical attributes among 66 men and 69 women, who were white, heterosexual college students. Physical attributes included body size, weight, height, muscularity, hair color and length, eye color, and female breast size. Physical ideals included personal ideals, assumptions about the other sex's ideals for one's own sex, and actual other-sex ideals. Both sexes expressed significant self-ideal discrepancies on most attributes, whether ideals were assessed from personal or perceived other-sex standpoints. The sexes' discrepancies were often comparable in magnitude if the direction of discrepancy was ignored. Both sexes frequently exaggerated their assumptions of what the other sex idealized in the subjects' own sex. Particular self-ideal discrepancies predicted subjects' global body image. The applied and empirical implications of these findings were considered for both social and clinical contexts.
Reverse Sagittal Split of the Mandibular Ramus for an Unusual Deformity

A reverse sagittal split osteotomy of the mandible for advancement or retraction of the mandible is described to be used in selected instances when the transoral modified sagittal ramus osteotomy would probably result in a pathologic fracture or an inadequate proximal segment. This procedure provides the same benefits as does the modified sagittal split osteotomy. A disadvantage of the procedure is that it requires both intraoral and extraoral incisions.
Combination of Imatinib Mesylate with Autologous Leukocyte-Derived Heat Shock Protein and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Purpose: To test the feasibility, safety, immunogenicity, and clinical efficacy of an autologous vaccine of leukocyte-derived heat shock protein 70-peptide complexes (Hsp70PC), in conjunction with imatinib mesylate, in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase. Experimental Design: Patients had cytogenetic or molecular evidence of disease, despite treatment with imatinib mesylate for all except one patient, at the beginning of study. Hsp70PCs were purified from the leukopheresed peripheral blood mononuclear cells and were administered in eight weekly intradermal injections at 50 μg/dose without adjuvant. Clinical responses were assessed by bone marrow analysis before and after vaccinations. An IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay was used to estimate the effect of treatment on natural killer cells and T cells against CML. Results: Twenty patients were treated. The manufacturing of Hsp70PCs was successful and the administration was safe for all patients. Minimal or no side effects were reported. Clinical responses were seen in 13 of 20 patients as measured by cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow Philadelphia chromosome–positive cells in metaphases and/or, when possible, the level of Bcr/Abl transcript by PCR. Immunologic responses were observed in 9 of 16 patients analyzed, characterized by an increase in the frequency of CML-specific IFN-γ-producing cells and IFN-γ-secreting natural killer cells in the blood. A significant correlation between clinical responses and immunologic responses was observed. Conclusions: Autologous Hsp70PC vaccination is feasible and safe. When combined with imatinib mesylate, it is associated with immunologic and possible clinical responses against CML in chronic phase.
A unique type B inclusion from Allende with evidence for multiple stages of melting

A large (7 mm in diameter) Allende type B inclusion has a typical bulk composition and a unique structure: a fassaite-rich mantle enclosing a melilite-rich core. The core and mantle have sharply contrasting textures. In the mantle, coarse (~1 mm across), subhedral fassaite crystals enclose radially oriented melilite laths about 500 m long that occur at the inclusion rim. The core consists of blocky melilite grains 20-50 μm across and poikilitically enclosed in anhedral fassaite grains that are optically continuous over ~1 mm. Another unique feature of this inclusion is that melilite laths also extend from the core into the mantle. Fassaite in both the core and mantle is very rich in fine-grained (1-10 μm) spinel. The rim laths are normally zoned (Ak 30-70) inward from the rim of the inclusion with reverse zoning over the last ~200 m to crystallize. A very wide range of melilite compositions is found in the core of the inclusion, where gehlenitic grains (Ak 5-12) occur. These grains are enclosed in strongly zoned (Ak 15-70) overgrowths. The gehlenitic cores and innermost parts of the overgrowths are Na2O-free, but the outer parts of the overgrowths are not. In the laths at the rim, Na2O decreases inward from the rim, then increases. Fassaite in the core has the same range of Ti contents as that in the mantle: 29 wt% TiO2 + Ti2O3. Two melting events are required to account for the features of this inclusion. In the first event, the precursor assemblage is heated to ~1400 °C and melts except for gehlenitic (Ak 5-12) melilite and some spinel. These grains become concentrated in the core. During cooling, Na2O-free melilite nucleates at the rim of the inclusion and on the relict grains in the core. After open system secondary alteration, the inclusion is heated again, but only to ~1260 °C. Melilite more gehlenitic than k40 does not melt. During cooling, Na2O-bearing melilite crystallizes as small, blocky grains and laths in the core and as overgrowths on relict grains in the core and at the rim. Eventually melilite co-crystallizes with fassaite, leading to the reverse zoning observed in the laths. The coexistence in this inclusion of Na-free and Na-bearing melilite, plus a positive correlation between Na2O and kermanite contents in melilite in an inclusion with a bulk Mg isotopic composition that is mass-fractionated in favor of the heavy isotopes, are both consistent with at least two melting events. Several other recently described coarse-grained inclusions also have features consistent with a sequence of early, high-temperature melting, secondary alteration, and remelting at a lower temperature, suggesting that remelting of refractory inclusions was a common occurrence in the solar nebula.
ClusterSim: a Java-based parallel discrete-event simulation tool for cluster computing

We present the proposal and implementation of a Java-based parallel discrete-event simulation tool for cluster computing called ClusterSim (cluster simulation tool). The ClusterSim supports visual modeling and simulation of clusters and their workloads for performance analysis. A cluster is composed of single or multiprocessed nodes, parallel job schedulers, network topologies and technologies. A workload is represented by users that submit jobs composed of tasks described by probability' distributions and their internal structure (CPU, I/O and MPI instructions). Our main objectives in This work: to present the proposal and implementations of the software architecture and simulation model of ClusterSim; to verify and validate ClusterSim; to analyze ClusterSim by means of a case study. Our main contributions are: the proposal and implementation of ClusterSim with an hybrid workload model, a graphical environment, the modeling of heterogeneous clusters and a statistical and performance module.
Expansion Dating: Calibrating Molecular Clocks in Marine Species from Expansions onto the Sunda Shelf Following the Last Glacial Maximum

The rate of change in DNA is an important parameter for understanding molecular evolution and hence for inferences drawn from studies of phylogeography and phylogenetics. Most rate calibrations for mitochondrial coding regions in marine species have been made from divergence dating for fossils and vicariant events older than 1–2 My and are typically 0.5–2% per lineage per million years. Recently, calibrations made with ancient DNA (aDNA) from younger dates have yielded faster rates, suggesting that estimates of the molecular rate of change depend on the time of calibration, decaying from the instantaneous mutation rate to the phylogenetic substitution rate. aDNA methods for recent calibrations are not available for most marine taxa so instead we use radiometric dates for sea-level rise onto the Sunda Shelf following the Last Glacial Maximum (starting ;18,000 years ago), which led to massive population expansions for marine species. Instead of divergence dating, we use a two-epoch coalescent model of logistic population growth preceded by a constant population size to infer a time in mutational units for the beginning of these expansion events. This model compares favorably to simpler coalescent models of constant population size, and exponential or logistic growth, and is far more precise than estimates from the mismatch distribution. Mean rates estimated with this method for mitochondrial coding genes in three invertebrate species are elevated in comparison to older calibration points (2.3–6.6% per lineage per million years), lending additional support to the hypothesis of calibration time dependency for molecular rates.
Healthcare Systems in Comparative Perspective: Classification, Convergence, Institutions, Inequalities, and Five Missed Turns

This article reviews and evaluates recent comparative social science scholarship on healthcare systems. We focus on four of the strongest themes in current research: (a) the development of typologies of healthcare systems, (b) assessment of convergence among healthcare systems, (c) problematization of the shifting boundaries of healthcare systems, and (d) the relationship between healthcare systems and social inequalities. Our discussion seeks to highlight the central debates that animate current scholarship and identify unresolved questions and new opportunities for research. We also identify five currents in contemporary sociology that have not been incorporated as deeply as they might into research on healthcare systems. These five missed turns include emphases on social relations, culture, postnational theory, institutions, and causal mechanisms. We conclude by highlighting some key challenges for comparative research on healthcare systems.
Acetazolamide affects breathing differently in ICR and C57 mice

Abstract Acetazolamide (ACZ) administration was compared on ventilation in outbred male ICR Swiss Webster (ICR) and inbred C57BL/6J (C57) mice, used in development of transgenic strains. We hypothesized that in both strains ACZ would affect breathing similarly. Mice received intraperitoneally vehicle and the next week ACZ (40 mg/kg), and were exposed to air for 90 min, followed by 5-min exposure to10% O2, air for 15 min, and to 5 min of 5% CO2 in O2. Ventilation was evaluated using plethysmography. ACZ stimulated ventilation in both stains exposed to air. C57 mice minimally increased frequency and tidal volume, whereas ICR mice markedly increased frequency. Strain differences in the ventilatory pattern in response to hypoxia and hypercapnia occurred. ACZ-treated ICR mice decreased hypoxic responsiveness to 50% of vehicle values, whereas ACZ had no effect in C57 mice. ACZ decreased hypercapnic ventilatory responsiveness in both strains. Differential effects of ACZ breathing in these two strains suggest that genetic factors modulate its effect on breathing.
Variation in apparent component digestibility of barley in the rat from the core collection of the USDA National Small Grains Collection

More information on the range in available genetic variation of barley component digestion in vivo would benefit barley breeders developing feed quality cultivars for non-ruminants. The purpose of this study was to measure variation in component digestibility of barley genotypes from the core collection of the USDA National Small Grains Collection using the rat as a model animal. Two rat growth and digestion studies were conducted with diets based on a total of 11 barley genotypes grown in the same year at the same location. The mean coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of components ranged from 0.796 to 0.908 for DM, from 0.992 to 0.999 for starch, from 0.832 to 0.852 for crude protein, and from −0.002 to 0.269 for ADF. Rats fed diets based on two-row head types had greater (P<0.05) CTTAD of DM and lesser CTTAD of ADF than rats fed six-row head types. Rats consuming hulless barleys had higher (P<0.05) protein efficiency ratio, feed efficiency, CTTAD of DM and CTTAD of starch compared with rats fed covered barleys. Digestibility of ADF was higher for diets based on two-row hulless and six-row covered barleys than for diets based on two-row covered and six-row hulless barleys. Substantial variation in barley component digestibility existed in the rat from the USDA National Small Grains Collection barley genotypes evaluated, and this variation in feed quality could be exploited to improve barley cultivars for feed quality.
Growth Kinetics Problems and the Renormalization Group

We discuss the structure of the renormalization group and the determination of universality classes for growth kinetics problems. Our analysis is based on a differential renormalization group equation of the Callen-Symanzik type. We find that many growth kinetics problems can be classified into four basic groups characterized by different low temperature behavior.
Preparing High School Students for Careers in Public Health, Health Education and Physical Education Fields

College students choose their major or desired field based on their knowledge of the career, aptitude in that area, and career advancement opportunities. This article discusses how physical and health educators could attract high school students, future college graduates, to aspire to professions in the health-related fields.
Improving Dependency Parsing with Interlinear Glossed Text and Syntactic Projection

Producing annotated corpora for resource-poor languages can be prohibitively expensive, while obtaining parallel, unannotated corpora may be more easily achieved. We propose a method of augmenting a discriminative dependency parser using syntactic projection information. This modification will allow the parser to take advantage of unannotated parallel corpora where high-quality automatic annotation tools exist for one of the languages. We use corpora of interlinear glossed text—short bitexts commonly found in linguistic papers on resource-poor languages with an additional gloss line that supports word alignment—and demonstrate this technique on eight different languages, including resource-poor languages such as Welsh, Yaqui, and Hausa. We find that incorporating syntactic projection information in a discriminative parser generally outperforms deterministic syntactic projection. While this paper uses small IGT corpora for word alignment, our method can be adapted to larger parallel corpora by using statistical word alignment instead.
Chromosomal and nonchromosomal DNA: a summary and perspective.

Mutagenesis and DNA repair are probably modulated by the intrinsic characteristics of the DNA such as its sequence, its secondary structure (i.e., B-DNA, Z-DNA, hairpin loops, etc.), and its ploidy in the cell. Of equal importance is the DNA environment: histones forming nucleosomes, nonhistone proteins altering the nucleosomal configuration, and proteins which determine the higher-order packing of nucleosomes.
An Elementary Analogue to the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem

(1954). An Elementary Analogue to the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 61, No. 9, pp. 601-603.
Mammary Morphogenesis and Oncogenes

The effects of specific oncogenes on the differentiation of the mammary epithelium can now be studied using transgenic animals and glands (1). Many studies have now appeared describing the use of different transgenes and several different promotor systems to produce mammary tumors (1,2). The use of binary systems for tissue-specific promotion of oncogenes and the production of bigenic and trigenic animals through hybrid crosses promise to expand the analysis of different oncogenes in mammary epithelium (3). Some investigators have recognized the presence of various types of mammary hyperplasia and mammary dysplasia in these animals (4,5). However, there has been very little discussion of the growth and development of the mammary gland in these animals and there have been no comparative studies of the effects of different oncogenes on the morphogenesis of the mammary gland. In the following review, we will summarize our collective experience with mammary growth and development and with mammary tumorigenesis in one set of transgenic animals.
C-Thru: The intelligent device for autonomous visually impaired individuals

A thorough survey of the literature and existing work together with in-depth real world investigations revealed the current major requirements sought by visually impaired individuals. This manuscript revolves around the design and the implementation of C-Thru; an electronic intelligent device that has the objective of facilitating the daily activities of visually impaired individuals; hence, allowing them to become more autonomous and independent. In particular, as a first step, the current design targets the mobility of people with such disabilities. This manuscript encloses a detailed engineering design approach that will allow for the realization of a preliminary prototype of C-Thru that will constitute the basis for further future developments and evolution through augmenting the device with additional intelligence and functionalities.
Strategies for Evaluation of Rys Roots and Weights.

The Rys quadrature method for evaluating molecular integrals requires accurate numerical values of the nodes of a Rys polynomial and associated weight factors. The numerical value of a Rys polynomial for a specified value of its argument can be evaluated by three-term recursion using α and β coefficients. We review existing integration schemes for computing these recurrence parameters, discuss issues related to computational efficiency and numerical precision, and propose a slightly new integration method using Gauss–Rys quadrature. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using Golub’s matrix method for the computation of roots and weights.
Consolidation and efficiency in the US life insurance industry

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between mergers and acquisitions, efficiency, and scale economies in the US life insurance industry. We estimate cost and revenue efficiency over the period 1988–1995 using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The Malmquist methodology is used to measure changes in efficiency over time. We find that acquired firms achieve greater efficiency gains than firms that have not been involved in mergers or acquisitions. Firms operating with non-decreasing returns to scale (NDRS) and financially vulnerable firms are more likely to be acquisition targets. Overall, mergers and acquisitions in the life insurance industry have had a beneficial effect on efficiency.
A parasite's modification of host behavior reduces predation on its host

Parasite modification of host behavior is common, and the literature is dominated by demonstrations of enhanced predation on parasitized prey resulting in transmission of parasites to their next host. We present a case in which predation on parasitized prey is reduced. Despite theoretical modeling suggesting that this phenomenon should be common, it has been reported in only a few host–parasite–predator systems. Using a system of gregarine endosymbionts in host mosquitoes, we designed experiments to compare the vulnerability of parasitized and unparasitized mosquito larvae to predation by obligate predatory mosquito larvae and then compared behavioral features known to change in the presence of predatory cues. We exposed Aedes triseriatus larvae to the parasite Ascogregarina barretti and the predator Toxohrynchites rutilus and assessed larval mortality rate under each treatment condition. Further, we assessed behavioral differences in larvae due to infection and predation stimuli by recording larvae and scoring behaviors and positions within microcosms. Infection with gregarines reduced cohort mortality in the presence of the predator, but the parasite did not affect mortality alone. Further, infection by parasites altered behavior such that infected hosts thrashed less frequently than uninfected hosts and were found more frequently on or in a refuge within the microcosm. By reducing predation on their host, gregarines may be acting as mutualists in the presence of predation on their hosts. These results illustrate a higher-order interaction, in which a relationship between a species pair (host–endosymbiont or predator–prey) is altered by the presence of a third species.
Survival and risk factors for progression after resection of the dominant tumor in multifocal, lepidic-type pulmonary adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background It remains unclear whether a dominant lung adenocarcinoma that presents with multifocal ground glass opacities (GGOs) should be treated by local therapy. We sought to address survival in this setting and to identify risk factors for progression of unresected GGOs. Methods Retrospective review of 70 patients who underwent resection of a pN0, lepidic adenocarcinoma, who harbored at least 1 additional GGO. Features associated with GGO progression were determined using logistic regression and survival was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Subjects harbored 1 to 7 GGOs beyond their dominant tumor (DT). Mean follow-up was 4.1 ± 2.8 years. At least 1 GGO progressed after DT resection in 21 patients (30%). In 11 patients (15.7%), this progression prompted resection (n = 5) or stereotactic radiotherapy (n = 6) at mean 2.8 ± 2.3 years. Several measures of the overall tumor burden were associated with GGO progression (all P values P values 1 cm (odds ratio, 4.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-21.28) were the only factors independently associated with GGO progression. Survival was not negatively influenced by GGO progression (100% with vs 80.7% without; P = .1) or by progression-prompting intervention ( P = .4). Conclusions At 4.1-year mean follow-up, 15.7% of patients with unresected GGOs after resection of a pN0 DT underwent subsequent intervention for a progressing GGO. Some features correlated with GGO growth, but neither growth, nor need for an intervention, negatively influenced survival. Thus, even those at highest risk for GGO progression should not be denied resection of a DT.
Understanding dodd-frankʼs reach into the financing of main street

In response to the financial crisis that began in 2007, United States President Barack Obama signed H.R. 4173, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, into law on July 21, 2010. “Dodd-Frank” is intended to correct certain problems in financial markets by federally regulating the activities of independent municipal financial advisors and comprehensively expanding regulatory oversight over credit rating agencies. This article reviews the legislation and its financial management rationale, and discusses its actual and potential impact on the future operations of the municipal securities market and its participants.
Exploration of Academic Risk Taking Among College Students

This article presents and experimentally tests a new method for measuring student risk preferences where monetary outcomes are not directly involved. The authors call this new method the Lazy Professor Risk Task (LPRT). This article compares the LPRT's results to popular conventional methods where monetary outcomes are involved. The results show that the new method is capable of producing consistent responses at approximately the same rate as comparable conventional methods. In addition, the method produced responses that were no noisier than conventional methods. It is hoped that future research can perfect this new method and use it to compare classroom risk taking to risk taking in other domains.
Constructive Gauge Theory II

These lecture notes are continuations of the lectures [1] from the previous Erice summer school. We assume that the reader is familiar with those, and we refer to them. In [1] we have described the lattice regularizations of gauge field theories, and their basic general properties. The renormalization group approach has been applied to the lattice theories, and explained in detail for the small field approximation. Within this approximation the renormalization group flow is determined by a mapping in the space of effective actions. The basic part of this mapping is the mapping of the coupling constant, obtained by solving the renormalization group equation. In these notes we discuss the complete model, including large field regions, and we use the above results in the small field regions. In fact even in the complete model the above described features of the renormalization transformations are preserved, with some modifications.
Generation and Importance of Linked and Irreducible Moment Diagrams in the Recursive Residue Generation Method

Molecular multiphoton processes are treated in the Recursive Residue Generation Method [A. Nauts and R. E. Wyatt, Phys. Rev. Lett 51, 2238 (1983)] by converting the molecular-field Hamiltonian matrix into tridiagonal form, using the Lanczos equations. In this study, the self-energies (diagonal) and linking (off-diagaonal) terms in the tridiagonal matrix are obtained by comparing linked moment diagrams in both representations. The dynamics of the source state is introduced and computed in terms of the linked and the irreducible moments.
Stereoselective Disposition of Suspensions of Conventional and Wax-matrix Sustained Release Ibuprofen Microspheres in Rats

Purpose. The aim of the study is to evaluate stereoselective in vivo disposition of suspensions of conventional and wax-matrix sustained release ibuprofen microspheres in rats.
Palliative Pain Issues

Pain often presents with a very complex mixture of medical, psychological, and social factors. Physicians frequently approach persistent pain with apprehension and biases. Patients and families often believe pain can be cured, while clinical medicine is still far from cure or even consistent success. This chapter outlines an approach that allows physicians to be dispassionate about the process of pain management, yet compassionate for their patients in pain. It presents a strategy and framework for understanding and approaching patients with advanced medical illness who have complex pain issues. Through a discussion of the overall goals of therapy relative to pain relief goals, this approach helps physicians and their patients determine the actual or inferred pathophysiology of pain, the contributing factors that impact the pain experience, and the numerous barriers that complicate pain assessments and treatment. Utilization of opioid analgesics, adjuvants, and nonpharmacologic are also incorporated into this model.
Weighted residuals and finite elements

The methods of weighted residuals are general techniques for developing approximate solutions of operator equations. In these, the unknown solution is approximated by a set of local basis functions containing adjustable constants or functions. These constants or functions are chosen by various criteria to give the best approximation for the selected family. There are several variations of any of the assorted weighted residual methods—the interior, boundary, and mixed procedures. If trial solutions that satisfy the differential equation but not the boundary conditions are selected, the variant is called the boundary method. An intermediate situation exists in the mixed methods, where the trial solution does not satisfy either the equations or boundary conditions. The application of differential and integral inequalities has much in common with maximum and minimum principles, although it is of a greater generality.
Topical application of a cyclic GMP analog lowers IOP in normal and ocular hypertensive rabbits.

PURPOSE To determine whether a new cyclic GMP analog, 2'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoylguanosine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate (BB-cGMP), significantly reduces intraocular pressure in either normotensive or hypertensive eyes of rabbits. METHODS Intraocular pressure of normal adult rabbits and/or rabbits with alpha-chymotrypsin-induced ocular hypertension was measured after topical application of BB-cGMP for up to 72 hours after treatment. RESULTS Data indicate that topical application of solutions containing BB-cGMP can significantly reduce intraocular pressure in normotensive eyes and, to a greater extent, hypertensive eyes for periods up to 12 hours for a single dose. CONCLUSIONS BB-cGMP holds interest both as a clinical agent in the management of intraocular pressure and for in vitro biochemical studies on the regulation of intraocular pressure.
Summary of the 2018 Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Guideline on hepatitis C in chronic kidney disease

KDIGO recently updated its clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The management of HCV in patients with CKD has dramatically shifted over the past 10 years with the development of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents and subsequent demonstration of their efficacy in CKD populations. The opportunity to cure HCV with DAA treatment has impacted all aspects of the KDIGO guideline on HCV in CKD including: (a) HCV diagnosis in CKD populations; (b) HCV treatment in CKD populations; (c) preventing HCV transmission in HD units; (d) management of HCV before and after kidney transplantation; and (e) management of HCV-associated glomerular disease. This review summarizes and discusses the major recommendations, along with the implication of the guideline on clinical practice.
Ultrafast Exciton Dissociation at the 2D-WS2 Monolayer/Perovskite Interface

For an excitonic photovoltaic (PV) device to perform efficiently, photogenerated excitons in the charge donor need to be dissociated through charge transfer (CT) to the acceptor rapidly after their...
Ventral Pallidum is Essential for Cocaine Reinstatement After Voluntary Abstinence

Abstract Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder, and during recovery many people experience several relapse events as they attempt to voluntarily abstain from drug. New preclinical relapse models have emerged which capture this common human experience of relapse after voluntary abstinence, and mounting evidence indicates that reinstatement of drug seeking after voluntary abstinence recruits neural circuits distinct from reinstatement following experimenter-imposed abstinence, or abstinence due to extinction training. Ventral pallidum (VP), a key limbic node involved in drug seeking, has well-established roles in conventional reinstatement models tested following extinction training, but it is unclear whether this region also participates in more translationally-relevant models of relapse. Here we show that chemogenetic inhibition of VP neurons strongly attenuates cocaine-, context-, and cue-induced reinstatement tested after voluntary, punishment-induced abstinence. This effect was strongest in the most compulsive, punishment-resistant rats, and reinstatement was associated with neural activity in anatomically-defined VP subregions. VP inhibition also attenuated the propensity of rats to display ‘hesitations,’ a risk assessment behavior seen during punished drug taking that is likely due to concurrent approach and avoidance motivations. These results indicate that VP, unlike other connected limbic brain regions, is essential for reinstatement of drug seeking after voluntary abstinence. Since VP inhibition effects were strongest in the most compulsively cocaine-seeking individuals, this could indicate that VP plays a particularly important role in the most pathological, addiction-like behavior, making it an attractive target for future therapeutic interventions.
Media and digital management

In business, individuals commonly get promoted to management positions because they were good in their former positions. Thus, within a business, management level positions usually require a differ...
Special Considerations for Colorectal Surgery in the Elderly IBD Patient.

We sought to understand the key aspects to optimize in the perioperative period when treating an elderly surgical patient with inflammatory bowel disease. Addressing preoperative polypharmacy, frailty, and nutrition is important in the elderly population. Understanding intraoperative principles of oncologic risk and pouch formation and the advantages of laparoscopy are key. Postoperative-enhanced recovery pathways and VTE prophylaxis are essential for high-quality care. Preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative factors can greatly impact elderly patients’ surgical outcomes.
Diffusion and spillover effects of an evidence-based mental health intervention among peers and caregivers of high risk youth in Sierra Leone: study protocol

Evidence-based mental health interventions have helped address health services gaps, but their reach and societal benefit can be limited in low resource settings. The current study extends an ongoing scale-up study of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based intervention, the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI), among high risk youth in post-conflict Sierra Leone to investigate mechanisms of diffusion and spillover effects of the YRI among peers and caregivers of youth who receive the intervention. We will recruit and enroll YRI index participants and control index participants (ages 18–30). Index participants will complete a standardized ego-network survey to nominate three peers in their social networks and identify their primary cohabitating caregiver. Identified peers and caregivers who consent to participate will complete a quantitative assessment battery on mental health outcomes, emotion regulation, and daily functioning at baseline and 8-month follow-up. Study outcomes also incorporate common indicators for implementation science, including measures of project context, evaluation, and scaleup. Social network analysis will investigate diffusion of YRI components across peer networks. Linear growth modeling will examine mental health spillover effects among caregivers. Incremental health costs and benefits among YRI participants’ caregivers and peers will be assessed through cost-effectiveness and return on investment analysis. Assessing implementation research outcomes, including penetration of YRI effects across social networks and cost-effectiveness of the YRI as distinct outcomes, will provide key information about the success of YRI implementation. Lessons learned could inform decisions to increase scale up efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa and other low resource settings.
Ballooning for Biologists: Mission Essentials for Flying Life Science Experiments to Near Space on NASA Large Scientific Balloons

Despite centuries of scientific balloon flights, only a handful of experiments have produced biologically-relevant results. Yet unlike orbital spaceflight, it is much faster and cheaper to conduct biology research with balloons, sending specimens to the near space environment of Earth's stratosphere. Samples can be loaded the morning of a launch and sometimes returned to the laboratory within one day after flying. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) flies large, unmanned scientific balloons from all over the globe, with missions ranging from hours to weeks in duration. A payload in the middle portion of the stratosphere (~35 km above sea level) will be exposed to an environment similar to the surface of Mars: temperatures generally around -36 °C, atmospheric pressure at a thin 1 kPa, relative humidity levels < 1%, and a harsh illumination of ultraviolet (UV) and cosmic radiation levels (about 100 W/m2 and 0.1 mGy/d, respectively) that can be obtained nowhere else on the surface of the Earth, including environmental chambers and particle accelerator facilities attempting to simulate space radiation effects. Considering the operational advantages of ballooning and the fidelity of space-like stressors in the stratosphere, researchers in aerobiology, astrobiology, and space biology can benefit from balloon flight experiments as an intermediary step on the extraterrestrial continuum (ground, low Earth orbit, and deep space studies). Our review targets biologists with no background or experience in scientific ballooning. We will provide an overview of large balloon operations, biology topics that can be uniquely addressed in the stratosphere, and a roadmap for developing payloads to fly with NASA.
Interplay between Energy and Charge Transfers in a Polyaromatic Triplet Donor–Acceptor Dyad

We report the synthesis and photophysical characterization of a triplet donor–acceptor dyad (3), which was constructed from a quinoidal naphthalene thioamide triplet sensitizer 1 and a perylene der...
Raman Spectroscopy Enables Non-invasive and Confirmatory Diagnostics of Salinity Stresses, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Deficiencies in Rice

Proper management of nutrients in agricultural systems is critically important for maximizing crop yields while simultaneously minimizing the health and environmental impacts of pollution from fertilizers. These goals can be achieved by timely confirmatory diagnostics of nutrient deficiencies in plants, which enable precise administration of fertilizers and other supplementation in fields. Traditionally, nutrient diagnostics are performed by wet-laboratory analyses, which are both time- and labor-consuming. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite imaging have offered a non-invasive alternative. However, these imaging approaches do not have sufficient specificity, and they are only capable of detecting symptomatic stages of nutrient deficiencies. Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a non-invasive and non-destructive technique that can be used for confirmatory detection and identification of both biotic and abiotic stresses on plants. Herein, we show the use of a hand-held Raman spectrometer for highly accurate pre-symptomatic diagnostics of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium deficiencies in rice (Oryza sativa). Moreover, we demonstrate that RS can also be used for pre symptomatic diagnostics of medium and high salinity stresses. A Raman-based analysis is fast (1 s required for spectral acquisition), portable (measurements can be taken directly in the field), and label-free (no chemicals are needed). These advantages will allow RS to transform agricultural practices, enabling precision agriculture in the near future.
Spitzer/IRAC and JHKs Observations of h & chi Persei: Constraints on Protoplanetary Disk and Massive Cluster Evolution at ~ 10^{7} yr

We describe IRAC 3.6-8 mu_m observations and ground-based near-IR JHKs photometry from Mimir and 2MASS of the massive double cluster h & chi Persei complete to J=15.5 (M ~ 1.3 Msun. Within 25' of the cluster centers we detect \~11,000 sources with J < 15.5, ~7,000 sources with [4.5] < 15, and ~ 5000 sources with [8] < 14.5. In both clusters, the surface density profiles derived from the 2MASS data decline with distance from the cluster centers as expected for a bound cluster. Within 15' of the cluster centers, ~ 50% of the stars lie on a reddened ~ 13 Myr isochrone; at 15'-25' from the cluster centers, ~ 40% lie on this isochrone. Thus, the optical/2MASS color-magnitude diagrams indicate that h & chi Per are accompanied by a halo population with roughly the same age and distance as the two dense clusters. The double cluster lacks any clear IR excess sources for J < 13.5 (~ 2.7 Msun). Therefore, disks around high-mass stars disperse prior to ~ 10^{7} yr. At least 2-3% of the fainter cluster stars have strong IR excess at both [5.8] and [8]. About 4-8% of sources slightly more massive than the Sun (~ 1.4 Msun) have IR excesses at [8]. Combined with the lack of detectable excesses for brighter stars, this result suggests that disks around lower-mass stars have longer lifetimes. The IR excess population also appears to be larger at longer IRAC bands ([5.8], [8]) than at shorter IRAC/2MASS bands ($K_{s}$, [4.5]), a result consistent with an inside-out clearing of disks.
Computational Modeling of NLRP3 Identifies Enhanced ATP Binding and Multimerization in Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes.

Cyropyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) are clinically distinct syndromes that encompass a phenotypic spectrum yet are caused by alterations in the same gene, NLRP3. Many CAPS cases and other NLRP3-autoinflammatory diseases (NLRP3-AIDs) are directly attributed to protein-coding alterations in NLRP3 and the subsequent dysregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome leading to IL-1β-mediated inflammatory states. Here, we used bioinformatics tools, computational modeling, and computational assessments to explore the proteomic consequences of NLRP3 mutations, which potentially drive NLRP3 inflammasome dysregulation. We analyzed 177 mutations derived from familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS), Muckle-Wells Syndrome (MWS), and the non-hereditary chronic infantile neurologic cutaneous and articular syndrome, also known as neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (CINCA/NOMID), as well as other NLRP3-AIDs. We found an inverse relationship between clinical severity and the severity of predicted structure changes resulting from mutations in NLRP3. Bioinformatics tools and computational modeling revealed that NLRP3 mutations that are predicted to be structurally severely-disruptive localize around the ATP binding pocket and that specific proteo-structural changes to the ATP binding pocket lead to enhanced ATP binding affinity by altering hydrogen-bond and charge interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that NLRP3 mutations that are predicted to be structurally mildly- or moderately-disruptive affect protein-protein interactions, such as NLRP3-ASC binding and NLRP3-NLRP3 multimerization, enhancing inflammasome formation and complex stability. Taken together, we provide evidence that proteo-structural mechanisms can explain multiple mechanisms of inflammasome activation in NLRP3-AID.
Deciphering Solar Convection

Numerical modeling of solar and stellar convection, and by extension modeling of solar and stellar dynamos faces a surprising challenge. No hydrodynamic, magnetohydrodynamic, or radiative magnetohydrodynamic model of solar convection, if conducted in a sufficiently deep domain, achieves the velocity power spectrum implied by observations of the Sun. The horizontal velocity at low wavenumbers in the upper layers of the simulation domains is much too high, monotonically increasing to low wavenumber rather than rolling over at supergranular scales, as on the Sun. This reflects convective amplitudes at depth that are similarly too large, and results in equatorial differential rotation profiles in simulations of rotating spherical shells of opposite sign to those observed. The problem worsens in models with decreasing diffusivities, as the amplitudes of the convective motions increase. This has come to be known as the convective conundrum. Solving it is critical to understanding dynamo behavior on stars, which in turn is central to the assessment of the structure of the asterospheres in which their planetary companions are embedded. This paper examines what is known about solar convection in light of one possible underlying cause of the convective conundrum, that the deep interior of the Sun is even more nearly adiabatically stratified than our models suggest or can achieve. Correcting this in models will likely be difficult, but we point in some potentially fruitful directions.
The Effects of Housing Market Disequilibrium on the Supply of Labor: Evidence from Poland, 1989-1990

This paper examines the effect of housing market disequilibrium on the supply of labor. Earlier studies suggested that housing market disequilibria affected other markets through altered consumption patterns (Podkaminer 1982, 1988) or because housing shortages restricted labor mobility (Mayo and Stein 1988). This paper examines the disincentive to supply labor which arises from housing market disequilibrium. The disequilibrium is measured by four variables. One is a measure of density, and the others are based upon the number of persons in official housing queue. Each of the variables is negative and significant in the two-stage least squares estimates of labor supply. Estimates disaggregated by skill-class are also presented. Housing market disequilibrium has the greatest impact on the labor supply of the least skilled.
Laboratory-induced stress and craving predict opioid use during follow-up among individuals with prescription opioid use disorder.

BACKGROUND Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a public health crisis in the USA. Although stress and craving are common precipitants of substance use, no research to date has investigated the impact of laboratory-induced stress and craving on subsequent opioid use. METHOD Participants (N = 31) were individuals with prescription OUD who completed a human laboratory study followed by a one-month follow-up visit. Participants were randomly assigned to either a stress task (i.e., Trier Social Tress Task; TSST) or a no-stress condition, and then all participants completed an opioid cue paradigm. Measures of subjective (e.g., stress, craving), and neuroendocrine (e.g., cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone) reactivity were assessed before and after each task. Survival and regression models tested the association between reactivity to the laboratory tasks and a) time to first opioid use and b) amount of opioid use during follow-up. RESULTS On average, participants first used opioids 3.65 (SD = 2.08) days following the study. Craving after the opioid cue paradigm (B = 0.44, Exp(B) = 1.55, 95 % CI [1.06, 2.28], p = .02) and after the TSST/no-stress condition plus opioid cue paradigm (B = 1.06, Exp(B) = 2.88, 95 % CI [1.70, 4.85], p < .001) predicted time to first use. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between randomization to the TSST, stress reactivity, and amount of opioids used. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate that elevated cue-induced craving, either in the context of a stressor or not, is associated with shortened time to opioid use, whereas stress reactivity impacts the amount of opioids consumed. Preliminary findings add to the literature on stress, craving and opioid use and implicate treatment.
Elastocaloric cooling potential of NiTi, Ni2FeGa, and CoNiAl

Abstract Solid state elastocaloric cooling, the endothermic reversible martensitic phase transformation in shape memory alloys, has the potential to replace vapor compression refrigeration. NiTi, Ni2FeGa, and CoNiAl shape memory alloys were experimentally investigated to measure the magnitude of temperature change using thermography during uniaxial tensile experiments. Consecutive tensile cycles were also performed, and they revealed a symmetric temperature profile between the two cycles. The unique, dual camera technique of digital image correlation and thermography was utilized to track the transformation bands and temperature gradients to gain insight about the unloading, endothermic process. Fatigue implications, elevated temperature environments, and the theoretical maximum temperature based on entropy change were discussed.