cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A trans-Hyponitrite Intermediate in the Reductive Coupling and Deoxygenation of Nitric Oxide by a Tricopper–Lewis Acid Complex

The reduction of nitric oxide (NO) to nitrous oxide (N2O) is a process relevant to biological chemistry as well as to the abatement of certain environmental pollutants. One of the proposed key intermediates in NO reduction is hyponitrite (N2O22–), the product of reductive coupling of two NO molecules. We report the reductive coupling of NO by an yttrium–tricopper complex generating a trans-hyponitrite moiety supported by two μ-O-bimetallic (Y,Cu) cores, a previously unreported coordination mode. Reaction of the hyponitrite species with Bronsted acids leads to the generation of N2O, demonstrating the viability of the hyponitrite complex as an intermediate in NO reduction to N2O. The additional reducing equivalents stored in each tricopper unit are employed in a subsequent step for N2O reduction to N2, for an overall (partial) conversion of NO to N2. The combination of Lewis acid and multiple redox active metals facilitates this four electron conversion via an isolable hyponitrite intermediate.
Measuring Pointing Times of a Non-visual Haptic Interface

An experiment was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of using haptics (force feedback of a manual joystick) in a non-visual computing environment. Sight impaired people could use haptic interfaces to facilitate the navigation of human computer interfaces which are, by their nature, graphically intensive. Subjects manipulated a force feedback joystick a random distance until over a vibrating target of random width. An inwards/outwards and right/left directional test was administrated. Movement times were found to be a linear function of the level of task difficulty as defined by Shannon's formation of Fitts law, log2 (D/W + 1). Two linear relationships were found. The first when the joystick traveled the smallest distance and the other with all other distances. Results indicate that haptics could be used to navigate graphical interfaces.
Implementing a Modular Research-Supported Treatment in Child Welfare: Effects and Obstacles.

Objective: Increasing rates of mental health needs in child welfare clients highlight the importance of training child welfare workers in effective mental health interventions. This pilot study eva...
Sustained inflation during neonatal resuscitation.

Purpose of review Sustained inflation performed shortly after birth to help clear lung fluid and establish functional residual capacity in preterm infants is gaining popularity, but definitive evidence for its effectiveness is lacking. Although there is a sound physiologic basis for this approach, and much preclinical experimental evidence of effectiveness, the results of recent animal studies and clinical trials have been inconsistent. Recent findings The most recent data from a multicenter randomized trial suggest a modest benefit of sustained inflation in reducing the need for mechanical ventilation in extremely-low-birth-weight infants. However, the impact may be more modest than earlier retrospective cohort comparisons suggested. The trend toward more airleak and a higher rate of intraventricular hemorrhage is worrisome. Sustained inflation may be ineffective unless some spontaneous respiratory effort is present. Several on-going trials should further clarify the putative benefits of sustained inflation. Summary Delivery room sustained inflation is an attractive concept that holds much promise, but widespread clinical application should await definitive evidence from on-going clinical trials.
The Dynamics Affecting an Earth Remote Sensor on a Lunar Platform

This paper describes the dynamics of Earth science observations from the lunar surface. The lunar surface offers a unique observation perspective for observations of Earth. With an orbital period of 27.3 days, this platform offers long exposure times for temporal measurements of the Earth. The semi -major axis of the orbit is 384,400 km, which is 9 times the distance from g eosynchronous orbit and about one quarter of the distance from L1 and L2. Conditions considered by this paper include lighting, Sun -Earth -Moon angle, Earth ground track, Earth polar views, and lunar libration effects.
Iodine Numbers of Serum Lipids in Rats Fed on Fat-Free Diets.

Summary(1) The cholesterol and total fatty acids of the serum in rats fed on a fat-free diet were found to be lower than in control animals. (2) The iodine number of the serum fatty acids from rats fed on fat-free diets indicates that the fatty acids are less unsaturated than those of controls.
EFFECT OF INCREASING SIGNAL LOAD ON DETECTION PERFORMANCE IN A VIGILANCE TASK.

Four independent groups of 20 Ss each monitored under four conditions of signal load, 1 light, 4 lights, 16 lights, and 1 light in a 16-light matrix. Significant differences in signal detection performance were found between the single-load conditions and multiple-load conditions, but not between multiple-load conditions. A significant performance decrement, however, was noted in all conditions.
When A-Priori Information Cannot Resolve Tomogram Ambiguities

The goal of scanning tomographic acoustic microscopy (STAM) is to image unambiguously at least a portion of a 3-dimensional object. In STAM, a source is always on one side of the object at different locations for different projections and a scanning sensor on the other. STAM is a limited angle tomographic system and the scanning does not necessarily pass over an edge of the object. The authors show that under these conditions it is mathematically impossible to compute an unambiguous map of the absolute transmissivity of the layers of interest in the object and that a priori information can often be used to resolve the ambiguities. However in actual practice the variations in the transmissivity may be too small to be discerned.
Polar Lipids of Phytophthora Parasitica Var. Nicotianae, in Comparison with those of Selected other Fungi

Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae differed significantly from Phycomyces blakesleeanus, Neurospora crassa, Saccharomyces pastorianus, S. fragilis, Schizophyllum commune, and Polyporus versicolor in its polar lipid composition. While phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine were the major phospholipids in all these fungi, unidentified compounds constituted 25%o of Phytophthora phospholipids but, in all cases except one, less than 10% of the phospholipids of the other fungi. Phytophthora contained little or no phosphatidyl serine, and the other fungi contained one to three compounds of intermediate polarity which were absent from Phytophthora. Cholesterol present or absent in the medium did not influence appreciably the phospholipid content of Phytophthora.
Developmental and Functional Evaluation and Assessment

Development generally follows four domains, namely, motor, speech and language, social-emotional, and cognitive. Development is considered typical when it is progressing as expected. The predominant signs and symptoms of atypical development vary depending upon the age of the infant or the child. For example, a delay in achieving motor milestones as expected is generally recognized early in infancy, atypical language development is more often recognized in early childhood, and academic difficulties are recognized in late childhood and adolescence. This chapter reviews the basic concepts and definitions applied in the study of developmental problems, the main features of common conditions considered in the differential diagnoses of developmental disorders, describe signs that should prompt further developmental evaluation, and reviews formal functional developmental and functional assessments.
Productivity Convergence: Long-Term Record among the Advanced Industrial Countries

Introduction Explanations of the productivity catch-up almost all involve so-called advantages of backwardness, a term first coined by Gerschenkron (1952). The basic idea is that much of the catch-up can be explained by the diffusion of technical knowledge from the leading economies to the more backward ones (also, see Kuznets, 1973). Through the constant transfer of new technology, leader countries and those most closely in their van learn the latest productive techniques from one another, but virtually by definition the follower countries have more to learn from the leaders than the leaders have to learn from them (hence the advantages of backwardness). This mechanism has two implications: First, it means that those countries that lag somewhat behind the leaders can be expected systematically to move toward the level of achievement of the leaders. Second, the mechanism undermines itself automatically as follower countries gradually eliminate the difference between their own performance and that of the countries that were ahead of them – that is, the very fact of convergence means that the differential learning opportunities that are the source of these advantages of (slight) backwardness will exhaust themselves. On an analytical level, this hypothesis would imply faster productivity growth for the (initially) more backward economies relative to the more advanced ones, but the gap in productivity performance would gradually diminish over time as convergence was achieved.
Abstract 1669: Inhibition of the Rac1/PAK pathway sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to gamma-irradiation

Radiation therapy is a staple treatment for pancreatic cancers. However, owing to the intrinsic radioresistance of pancreatic cancer cells, radiation therapy often fails to increase survival of pancreatic cancer patients. Radiation impedes cancer cells by inducing DNA damage, which can activate cell cycle checkpoints. Normal cells possess both G1/S and G2/M checkpoints. However, cancer cells are often defective in G1/S checkpoint due to mutations/alterations in the key regulators of this checkpoint. Accordingly, our results show that normal pancreatic ductal cells respond to ionizing radiation (IR) with activation of both checkpoints whereas pancreatic cancer cells respond to IR with G2/M arrest only. Overexpression/hyperactivation of Rac1 GTPase is detected in the majority of pancreatic cancers. Rac1 plays important roles in survival and Ras mediated transformation. Here, we show that Rac1 and its downstream effector, the PAK kinases, also plays a critical role in the response of pancreatic cancer cells to IR. Inhibition of Rac1/PAK pathway with pharmacological inhibitors (Ehop-016, AZA1, NSC23766, and FRAX597) or a dominant negative mutant of Rac1 (Rac1T17N) blocks activation of the ATM/Chk2 and ATR/Chk1 pathways, abrogates activation of the IR-induced G2/M checkpoint, delays the repair of IR-induced double-stranded DNA breaks, and increases the radiosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells through induction of apoptosis. These results implicate Rac1 signaling in the survival of pancreatic cancer cells following IR, raising the possibility that this pathway contributes to the intrinsic radioresistance of pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Michel M. Ouellette, Surinder K. Batra, Ying Yan. Inhibition of the Rac1/PAK pathway sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to gamma-irradiation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1669.
Microstrip line based sub-THz interconnect for high energy-efficiency chip-to-chip communications

This paper presents sub-THz interconnect for high energy-efficiency chip-to-chip communications, including a microstrip line based low-loss wideband sub-THz channel and a high energy-efficiency transceiver. The channel loss is as low as 0.06 dB/mm. The transmitter output power is 0.66 dBm with 8.8 mW of DC power consumption, and the receiver consumes 60.8 mW DC power. The interconnect achieves 9-Gb/s on-off keying data transmission with a bit-error rate of less than 10−12 and an energy efficiency of 7.7 pJ/bit.
Risk of Hypersensitivity to Biologic Agents Among Medicare Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) can occur with any of the available biologic agents used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We compared drug-specific risks for HSRs among RA patients enrolled in the US Medicare program. Methods Using Medicare data, we identified new users of infused infliximab, abatacept, rituximab, tocilizumab, golimumab, and injected biologic agents. After identifying HSRs using validated algorithms, for each biologic agent, we calculated the cumulative incidence over 6 months and the incidence rates (IRs) in 0–1, 2–14, and 15–30 days of administration. For each biologic agent administration, followup started on the infusion/injection date and ended at HSR, subsequent biologic agent administration, death, coverage loss, 30-day followup, or December 31, 2013, whichever occurred first. Adjusted robust Poisson regression was used to compare the HSR risks across biologic agents. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using a nested case-crossover design. Results We identified 725,591 biologic agent administrations and 248 HSRs among 80,587 new users of biologic agents. Of these, 26.9% occurred in users of intravenous abatacept, 4.6% in rituximab, 5.8% in intravenous tocilizumab, 22.9% in infliximab, and 39.7% in injectable anti–tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNFi). The cumulative incidence of HSRs over 6 months for all biologic agents was low (<1%).The IRs for HSRs ranged from 2.4 (abatacept) to 239.5 (rituximab) per 106 person-days. After adjustment, and using injectable anti-TNFi over 0–30 days as the referent, rituximab, infliximab, abatacept, and tocilizumab infusions were associated with a statistically significant higher risk of HSR. The sensitivity analysis yielded similar results. Conclusion Among RA patients taking biologic agents, rituximab and infliximab were most strongly associated with HSRs. The absolute IRs of HSR events for all biologic agent exposures were low.
Density Functional Theory Studies of the Extent of Hole Delocalization in One-Electron Oxidized Adenine and Guanine Base Stacks

This study investigates the extent of hole delocalization in one-electron oxidized adenine (A) and guanine (G) stacks and shows that new IR vibrational bands are predicted that are characteristic of hole delocalization within A-stacks. The geometries of A-stacks (Ai; i = 2−8) and G-stacks (GG and GGG) in their neutral and one-electron oxidized states were optimized with the bases in a B-DNA conformation using the M06-2X/6-31G* method. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) is localized on a single adenine in A-stacks and on a single guanine in GG and GGG stacks located at the 5′-site of the stack. On one-electron oxidation (removal of an electron from the HOMO of the neutral A- and G-stacks) a “hole” is created. Mulliken charge analysis shows that these “holes” are delocalized over two to three adenine bases in the A-stack. The calculated spin density distribution of Ai•+ (i = 2−8) also showed delocalization of the hole predominantly on two adenine bases, with some delocalization on a neighboring b...
Small RNA and mRNA Profiling of Arabidopsis in Response to Phytophthora Infection and PAMP Treatment

Small non-coding RNAs (smRNAs) regulate gene expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Well known for their roles in development, smRNAs have emerged as important regulators of plant immunity. Upon pathogen perception, accumulation of specific smRNAs are found to be altered, presumably as a host defense response. Therefore, identification of differentially accumulated smRNAs and their target genes would provide important insight into the regulation mechanism of immune responses. Here, we describe the detailed experimental procedure using Illumina sequencing to analyze the expression profiles of smRNAs and mRNAs in Arabidopsis. We focus on a newly developed pathosystem using Phytophthora capsici as the pathogen and include the treatment of Arabidopsis leaves with pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) of Phytophthora.
XML Clustering by Structure-Constrained Phrases: A Fully-Automatic Approach Using Contextualized N-Grams

Using the bag-of-word model to represent the textual data of XML documents may not be beneficial in XML clustering by content and structure. Indeed, the occurrence of similar structure-constrained ...
SEGMENTATION OF SURFACE CURVATURE USING A PHOTOMETRIC INVARIANT

Gaussian curvature is an intrinsic local shape characteristic of a smooth object surface that is invariant to orientation of the object in 3D space and viewpoint. Accurate determination of the sign of Gaussian curvature at each point on a smooth object surface (i.e., the identification of hyperbolic, elliptical and parabolic points) can provide very important information for both recognition of objects in automated vision tasks and manipulation of objects by a robot. We present a multiple illumination technique that directly identifies elliptical, hyperbolic, and parabolic points from diffuse reflection from a smooth object surface. This technique is based upon a photometric invariant involving the behavior of the image intensity gradient under varying illumination under the assumption of the image irradiance equation. The nature of this photometric invariant allowed direct segmentation of a smooth object surface according to the sign of Gaussian curvature independent of knowledge of local surface orientation, independent of diffuse surface albedo, and with only approximate knowledge of the geometry of multiple incident illumination. In comparison with photometric stereo, this new technique determines the sign of Gaussian curvature directly from image features without having to derive local surface orientation, and, does not require calibration of the reflectance map from an object of known shape of similar material or precise knowledge of all incident illuminations. We demonstrate how this segmentation technique works under conditions of simulated image noise, and actual experimental imaging results.
Overcoming Catalyst Residue Inhibition of the Functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes via the Billups–Birch Reduction

The Billups–Birch Reduction chemistry has been shown to functionalize single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) without damaging the sidewalls, but has challenges in scalability. Currently published work uses a large mole ratio of Li to carbon atoms in the SWCNT (Li:C) to account for lithium amide formation, however this increases the cost and hazard of the reaction. We report here the systematic understanding of the effect of various parameters on the extent of functionalization using resonant Raman spectroscopy. Addition of 1-iodododecane yielded alkyl-functionalized SWCNTs, which were isolated by solvent extraction and evaporation, and purified by a hydrocarbon wash. The presence of SWCNT growth catalyst residue (Fe) was shown to have a strong adverse effect on SWCNT functionalization. Chlorination-based SWCNT purification reduced the amount of residual Fe, and achieve a maximum ID/IG ratio using a Li:C ratio of 6:1 in a reaction time of 30 min. This result is consistent with published literature requiri...
Digital footprints: Incorporating crowdsourced geographic information for protected area management

Abstract Biodiversity loss driven by anthropogenic pressures highlights the importance of conservation efforts in protected areas globally. Protected areas are also locations providing myriad ecosystem services, including recreation and tourism. Advancements in mobile and web technologies have expanded the capabilities and accessibility of crowdsourced spatial content increasingly leveraged for research. This study explores the use of crowdsourced geographic information to model, at varying temporal scales, spatial patterns of visitor use and identify factors contributing to distribution patterns in a dynamic landscape, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii, USA). Specifically, this study integrated geotagged photo metadata publicly shared on Flickr with raster data about infrastructure and natural environmental using MaxEnt modelling. Infrastructure designated for visitor use (i.e., roads, trails) contributed most to models of visitor distribution for all years and seasons. During the spring months, elevation was also a top contributing variable to the model. Crowdsourced data provided empirical assessments of covariates associated with visitor distributions, highlighting how changes in infrastructure and environmental factors may influence visitor use, and therefore resource pressures, to help researchers, managers, and planners with efforts to mitigate negative impacts.
Plato's Theory of Punishment and Penal Code in the Laws

I argue that the degree to which a criminal should be punished is determined by three elements: a baseline amount that proportionally compensates the victim and an additional penalty that, first, r...
Linking theory to television: Public administration in Parks and Recreation

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) classroom is ripe for teaching opportunities that link theory to practice. Film and television clips are one way to show “practice.” This article explores ...
Rate of Unverifiable Publications Among Ophthalmology Residency Applicants Invited to Interview

Importance Unverifiable publications in applications for ophthalmology residencies could be a serious concern if they represent publication dishonesty. Objective To determine the rate of unverifiable publications among applicants offered an interview. Design Retrospective review of 322 ophthalmology residency applications for entering classes 2012 to 2017 at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. Interventions Full-length publications reported in the applications were searched in PubMed, Google, Google Scholar, and directly on the journal’s website. Applications were deemed unverifiable if there was no record of the publication by any of these means or if substantial discrepancies existed, such as incorrect authorship, incorrect journal, or a meaningful discrepancy in title or length (full-length article vs abstract). Main Outcomes and Measures Inability to locate publication with search, incorrect author position, applicant not listed as an author, article being an abstract and not a published paper, substantial title discrepancy suggesting an alternative project, and incorrect journal. Results Of the 322 applicants offered interviews during the 6-year study period, 22 (6.8%) had 24 unverifiable publications. Two hundred thirty-nine of these applicants (74.2%) reported at least 1 qualifying publication; of this group, 22 (9.2%) had an unverifiable publication. The applications with unverifiable publications were evenly distributed across the years of the study (range, 2-6 per cycle; Pearson χ25 = 3.65;P = .60). Two applicants had 2 unverifiable publications each. Two of the 22 applicants (9.1%) with unverifiable publications were graduates of medical schools outside the United States. Among the unverifiable publications, the most common reason was inability to locate the publication (13 [54%]). Additional issues included abstract rather than full-length publication (5 [20.8%]), incorrect author position (4 [16.7%]), applicant not listed as an author on the publication (1 [4.2%]), and substantial title discrepancy (1 [4.2%]). One listed publication had an incorrect author position and incorrect journal (1 [4.2%]). Conclusions and Relevance Unverifiable publications among ophthalmology residency applicants is a persistent problem. Possible strategies to modify the review process include asking applicants to provide copies of their full-length works or the relevant PMCID (PubMed Central reference number) or DOI (digital object identifier) for their publications.
Tryptophan Synthetase α Chain of Escherichia coli and Its Structural Gene

The tryptophan synthetase of Escherichia coli is a tetrameric protein consisting of two pairs of nonidentical polypeptide chains (Yanofsky and Crawford, 1972). These polypeptide chains, designated α and β, are specified by structural genes trpA and trpB, respectively, which lie adjacent to one another at the operator-distal end of the tryptophan operon. Mutants deficient in the terminal reaction in tryptophan biosynthesis are generally altered in trpA, trpB, or both. Extensive genetic studies have been performed with these mutants and fine-structure genetic maps have been prepared for each of the genes (Yanofsky and Crawford, 1972; Yanofsky and Horn, 1972; Yanofsky et al., 1964, 1967). Many trpA mutants have also been analyzed biochemically to determine the positions in the tryptophan synthetase α chain affected by mutation. Comparison of the linear correspondence between the genetic map of trpA and the positions in the α chain altered by mutation has demonstrated that the map and polypeptide are colinear (Figure 1) (Yanofsky and Horn, 1972; Yanofsky et al., 1964, 1967). Furthermore, relative distance on the genetic map was found to approximate distance between amino acid residues in the polypeptide chain. These findings suggest that the nucleotide sequence of a gene corresponds to the linear sequence of amino acids in its specified polypeptide chain.
Evaluation of Animal Models for the Study of the Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis

Our current understanding of the pathogenesis of the atherosclerotic plaque in human subjects, incomplete as it is, is the result of a galaxy of studies by many scientists from many disciplines. The investigations have extended over many years and have utilized painstaking clinical studies as well as clinical-pathological correlations in individual patients and groups of patients, a wide variety of epidemiological studies of populations and cohorts of populations, extensive experimental work with animal models of atherosclerosis and, more recently, intensive basic investigations utilizing the approaches of the biochemist, biophysicist, physicist, cell biologist, molecular biologist and their pathological counterparts.
Transient Performance Analysis and Optimization of Crossbar Memory Arrays Using NbO 2 -Based Threshold Switching Selectors

Performance of the crossbar memory array highly depends on the selector characteristics. In this paper, rigorous transient analyses are performed for a large-size crossbar memory array using novel NbO2-based selectors with a threshold switching behavior. To enable accurate and efficient array-level simulation, an electrostatic discharge-based compact model is employed to effectively describe the ${I}$ – ${V}$ characteristics of the selector. Multiple key design parameters of the selector are investigated, such as the threshold voltage, leakage current, and intrinsic switching speed. A sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the impact of hypothetical improvements in various selector parameters. In addition, the impacts of resistances of interconnect and memory element on the array-level access delay and energy dissipation are quantified. The results show that reducing the threshold voltage of selectors provides the most significant performance improvement, where up to 80% of the energy-delay product saving is observed if the threshold voltage is reduced by 50%.
Strings of ultracold molecules in a synthetic dimension

We consider ultracold polar molecules trapped in a unit-filled one-dimensional chain in real space created with an optical lattice or a tweezer array and illuminated by microwaves that resonantly drive transitions within a chain of rotational states. We describe the system by a two-dimensional lattice model, with the first dimension being a lattice in real space and the second dimension being a lattice in a synthetic direction composed of rotational states. We calculate this system's ground-state phase diagram. We show that as the dipole interaction strength is increased, the molecules undergo a phase transition from a two-dimensional gas to a phase in which the molecules bind together and form a string that resembles a one-dimensional object living in the two-dimensional (i.e., one real and one synthetic dimensional) space. We demonstrate this with two complementary techniques: numerical calculations using matrix product state techniques and an analytic solution in the limit of infinitely strong dipole interaction. Our calculations reveal that the string phase at infinite interaction is effectively described by emergent particles living on the string and that this leads to a rich spectrum with excitations missed in earlier mean-field treatments.
Biomimetic 3D-printed scaffolds for spinal cord injury repair

Current methods for bioprinting functional tissue lack appropriate biofabrication techniques to build complex 3D microarchitectures essential for guiding cell growth and promoting tissue maturation1. 3D printing of central nervous system (CNS) structures has not been accomplished, possibly owing to the complexity of CNS architecture. Here, we report the use of a microscale continuous projection printing method (μCPP) to create a complex CNS structure for regenerative medicine applications in the spinal cord. μCPP can print 3D biomimetic hydrogel scaffolds tailored to the dimensions of the rodent spinal cord in 1.6 s and is scalable to human spinal cord sizes and lesion geometries. We tested the ability of µCPP 3D-printed scaffolds loaded with neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to support axon regeneration and form new ‘neural relays’ across sites of complete spinal cord injury in vivo in rodents1,2. We find that injured host axons regenerate into 3D biomimetic scaffolds and synapse onto NPCs implanted into the device and that implanted NPCs in turn extend axons out of the scaffold and into the host spinal cord below the injury to restore synaptic transmission and significantly improve functional outcomes. Thus, 3D biomimetic scaffolds offer a means of enhancing CNS regeneration through precision medicine. Fast scalable 3D bioprinting generates biocompatible and biomimetic scaffolds to precisely fit the geometries of spinal cord lesions, promote axonal regeneration, and support stem cell grafts to promote recovery from spinal cord injury in rodents.
Harmonicity: Behavioral and Neural Evidence for Functionality in Auditory Scene Analysis

This study examines sound perception and tests the functionality of harmonicity as a metric of auditory preference and regional brain activity. Most salient sounds contain harmonic overtones, a rel...
An Ethical Climate Might Not Work: A Moderated Mediation Study of Ethical Climate

The relationships among dark personality traits and deviant work behaviors have received a great deal of attention in the last decade. However, this literature is limited in its investigation of wh...
Exploring the Complexities of Experimental Design: Using an On-line Reaction Time Program as a Teaching Tool for Diverse Student Populations.

Students are rarely given an opportunity to think deeply about experimental design or asked to develop experimental protocols on their own. Without participating in these endeavors, they are often unaware of the many decisions necessary to construct a precise methodology. This article describes an on-line reaction time program, and how I have used this program as a teaching tool for students to explore experimental design. This approach can be tailored to meet the level of any undergraduate student – from non-science majors to upper-level biology/psychology/neuroscience majors, affording all students the opportunity to think like a scientist. Described is how I use the reaction time program for a whole class demonstration and discussion, as well as, how it can be used for a written assignment in which each student designs and conducts his/her own experiment outside of the classroom. Comments from several students, who did the written assignment, are included to provide a sense of their thoughts and considerations. When students are given a simple method, such as the measurement of reaction time, it allows them to focus exclusively on developing precise methodology, which taps into types of thinking that they are not often asked to exhibit in other science classes.
Untampered Electronic Voting in Entertainment Industry: A Blockchain-based Implementation

Digital services are gaining new meaning with the invention of blockchain technology. While blockchain still has a long way to go, it has achieved great expertise in the technical and legal aspect of the digital services. Digital services work well in terms of functionality without the involvement of blockchain, but there is always a risk of privacy and security, which mostly remains unanswered. Technologies leveraged through the blockchain system are efficient as well as maintain the secure and the anonymity of all the members involved. The chance of having a fair and transparent voting system increases with the involvement of blockchain-based electronic voting services. In this paper, we are leveraging the power of blockchain to implement a new electronic voting system to cast, transport, and count votes for singing competitions held on national televisions.
Putin as Gay Icon? Memes as a Tactic in Russian LGBT+ Activism

In 2016, images of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s face wearing make-up and superimposed on a gay pride flag were banned in Russia on the grounds of giving “the impression of a non-standard sexual orientation” of Putin. This intervention by the government into the image politics of Putin put Russian nationalism and sexuality into contestation with each other. In this paper, we map four “realms” or possible discourses of sexual citizenship and the Russian state. Through a semiological analysis of the “gay clown” meme, we unpack its contested meaning as a visual artifact of “queer globalization.” In light of the co-opting and criminalization of the meme and attempts by the Russian state to regulate the sexuality of its “first citizen,” we conclude that the “gay clown” meme demands a reassessment of how LGBT+ social movements use queer iconographies in virtual and public spaces.
Testing the LCAPM vs. Generalized Liquidity-Adjusted Asset Pricing: New Evidence and New Perspectives

The Liquidity-adjusted Capital Asset Pricing Model (LCAPM) includes two specific testable predictions: (1) the coefficient on expected liquidity cost equals average turnover and (2) the coefficient on market beta equals the coefficient on net liquidity risk beta. By contrast, generalized liquidity-adjusted asset pricing models allow liquidity characteristics and/or liquidity risk factors without such parameter restrictions. We empirically test these alternative theories. In doing so, we expand the range of evidence in multiple ways. First, we extend forward and backwards in time to cover 80 years. Second, we analyze NASDAQ-listed stocks as well as NYSE/AMEX-listed stocks. Third, we analyze four alternative liquidity measures: (1) the Corwin and Schultz proxy, (2) closing percent quoted spread, (3) the Amihud proxy, and (4) zeros. Fourth, we analyze the impact of adding Fama and French/Carhart risk factors to the model. Our main finding is that both of these specific predictions of LCAPM are robustly rejected. This outcome supports generalized liquidity-adjusted asset pricing. Finally, we ask can the original LCAPM results be replicated? We qualitatively replicate most tables, but obtain mixed results for two tables. We make publicly available our SAS code and the resulting data files for both our new empirical tests and our replication.
The Power of Leibniz-Like Functions as Oracles

A Leibniz-like function \(\chi \) is an arithmetic function (i.e., \(\chi : \mathbb {N}\rightarrow \mathbb {N}\)) satisfying the product rule (which is also known as “Leibniz’s rule”): \(\chi (MN) = \chi (M) \cdot N + M \cdot \chi (N)\). In this paper we study the computational power of efficient algorithms that are given oracle access to such functions. Among the results, we show that certain families of Leibniz-like functions can be use to factor integers, while many other families can used to compute the radicals of integers and other number-theoretic functions which are believed to be as hard as integer factorization [1, 2].
Brain gamma-aminobutyric acid, but not glutamine and glutamate levels are lower in older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain: considerations by sex and brain location.

Introduction and Objectives GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems are central to the pathophysiology of chronic pain and are equally affected by aging processes. We measured levels of frontal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the combined resonance of glutamate and glutamine (Glx) in vivo using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to elucidate age-specific and pain-specific associations with clinical and experimental pain in older adults. Methods Younger (18-24, n = 24) and older (60-94, n = 41) individuals part of a larger study (Neuromodulatory Examination of Pain and Mobility Across the Lifespan [NEPAL]) underwent questionnaires, quantitative sensory testing, and 1H-MRS Mescher-Garwood point-resolved spectroscopy to measure GABA and Glx levels in prefrontal and sensorimotor brain regions. Results Older participants had significantly lower sensorimotor, but not prefrontal, GABA and Glx levels, compared with younger controls (P's < 0.05). Younger controls had significantly higher prefrontal and sensorimotor GABA, but not Glx, levels compared with older controls and older adults with chronic pain (P's < 0.05). Older males with chronic pain had significantly lower prefrontal GABA compared with older and younger male controls (P's < 0.05). Prefrontal GABA, but not Glx, was significantly associated with self-reported and experimental pain measures (P's < 0.05). Our results are the first to focus exclusively on age and pain differences in GABA and Glx including younger and older controls to elucidate aging and pain contributions to brain GABAergic and glutamatergic processes. Conclusion Evaluation of both the neuroinhibitory and neuroexcitatory mechanisms provide promising potential for improving both our understanding of the mechanisms of chronic pain in aging and opportunities for effective, individualized treatments.
Deinstitutionalization of people with mental illness: causes and consequences.

Movements to deinstitutionalize people with mental illness and to make institutionalization more legally difficult have resulted in a lack of space and resources for the care of those with severe mental illness, and many have ended up in jails and prisons.
Evaluation of four general-relativity tests for a nearly flat space with spherical symmetry

The phenomenological-metric method is applied to four tests of general relativity. The difficulty in attaching meaning to anr co-ordinate obstructs the process of determining deviations from flatness by this method. An attempt to alleviate this difficulty by using idealized models of flat and curved space-time does simplify the partial evaluation of the metric of the curved space-time for first-order effects, but the flaw in the definition of ther co-ordinate persists unless the curved space-time is actually flat in the region of interest.
New instrumentation development at the National Institute of Standards and Technology for spectral diffuse reflectance and transmittance measurement

Abstract The Radiometric Physics Division at NIST has developed new instrumentation for directional hemispherical reflectance and transmittance measurement in the infrared spectral region from 2 μm to 20 μm. For extended sample handling and wavelength range capabilities, for measurement inter-comparison and for obtaining accurate uncertainty estimates, both an integrating sphere apparatus as well as a hemi-ellipsoidal mirror apparatus have been designed and built. Each instrument has been designed for both absolute measurement capability and high accuracy relative measurements. Both the integrating sphere apparatus and the hemi-ellipsoidal mirror apparatus employ non-imaging concentrators for optimization of a wide array of design parameters. The design philosophy and preliminary test results are discussed.
Real-time power quality waveform recognition with a programmable digital signal processor

Power quality (PQ) monitoring is an important issue to electric utilities and many industrial power customers. This paper presents a DSP-based hardware monitoring system based on a recently proposed PQ classification algorithm. The algorithm is implemented with a Texas Instruments (TI) TMS320VC5416 digital signal processor (DSP) with the TI THS1206 12-bit 6 MSPS analog to digital converter. A TI TMS320VC5416 DSP starter kit (DSK) is used as the host board with the THS1206 mounted on a daughter card. The implemented PQ classification algorithm is composed of two processes: feature extraction and classification. The feature extraction projects a PQ signal onto a time-frequency representation (TFR), which is designed for maximizing the separability between classes. The classifiers include a Heaviside-function linear classifier and neural networks with feedforward structures. The algorithm is optimized according to the architecture of the DSP to meet the hard realtime constraints of classifying a 5-cycle segment of the 60 Hz sinusoidal voltage/current signals in power systems. The classification output can be transmitted serially to an operator interface or control mechanism for logging and issue resolution.
Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice: Reflections on a Community of Practice for Urban High School Mathematics Teachers

In this article, the author reports on a study that explored, in part, the developing identities of seven New York City public high school mathematics teachers as teachers of mathematics and agents of change. Meeting regularly as a community of practice, the teachers and author/researcher discussed issues of teaching mathematics for social justice; explored activities and lessons around social justice; and created a unit of study that attempted to meet high school level mathematics standards, while addressing a social justice issue affecting the lives of urban students. The author reports on the mathematics teachers’ growing awareness of and concerns about infusing issues of social justice into their teaching as well as the teachers’ evolving conceptions of what it might mean to teach mathematics in an urban school, of the nature of mathematics itself, and of what their roles as educators might include.
Theoretical frameworks for working with harder to reach families: lines, curlicues, and spirals: comment on Donovan and Pocock

This article comments on the Donovan and Pocock articles appearing in this issue, both of which address the evolution of theory and practice in family therapy. An emphasis is placed on the importance of integration and a shared philosophy of theory and practice in our current political and economic managed care climate, in which it is critically important to embrace the integrated and chaotic whole of what is happening in theory and in practice.
Some Observations on the Effects of Microcomputers on the Productivity of University Scientists

To date, no systematic empirical research has been conducted to assess the effects of microcomputer usage on the productivity of university scientists. Based on a series of interviews with scientis...
Delle Phosphatic Member: An anomalous phosphatic interval in the Mississippian (Osagean-Meramecian) shelf sequence of central Utah

Phosphatic rocks are a distinctive part of the Lower and lower Upper Mississippian Delle Phosphatic Member of the Woodman Formation at the type locality of the member in the Lakeside Mountains, northwestern Utah. There, as elsewhere in central and western Utah, the Delle is composed of a relatively thin, anomalous depositional interval characterized by phosphorite, siliceous microfossils, secondary chert, distinctive dense lime mudstone, and argillaceous rocks stratigraphically sandwiched within a thick sequence of subtidal and peritidal Mississippian shelf carbonate and craton-derived siliciclastic rocks. Strongly reducing in-sediment conditions evidently prevailed at the onset of Delle deposition, yet sedimentologic features in the Delle such as endolithic-algal borings in pisolitic phosphorite and features in the rocks above and below the Delle such as tidally laminated fecal-pellet limestones and exclusively tractional sedimentary structures indicate shallow, shelf depositional environments. These rocks do not support the concept of a deep, sediment-starved depositional basin, the Deseret deep starved basin of previous authors. Rather, the nature of the Delle suggest incursion far onto the broad Early Mississippian shelf of nutrient-rich, organically productive waters possibly produced by upwelling in the coeval Antler foreland trough in central Nevada. This interpretation places the Early Mississippian shelf margin to the west ofmore » the Lakeside Mountains-probably west of Utah-rather than in central Utah, as required by the Deseret deep starved basin model.« less
Dobutamine Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Detect Myocardial Ischemia in Women

This study sought to evaluate dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (DCMRI) in women with abnormal stress nuclear testing results. Women with findings on stress nuclear exams, including electrocardiography and/or perfusion, thought to require further evaluation with invasive coronary angiography were prospectively enrolled. Multiplane cine imaging was obtained at rest and at each stage of inotropic stress with atropine as needed to achieve target heart rate. DCMRI results were compared with stress nuclear and invasive cardiac catheterization results. Of 23 patients enrolled successfully, 22 completed DCMRI examination without complications. In all cases, DCMRI imaging demonstrated appropriate stress response with no ischemia despite abnormalities on stress nuclear testing. In the 18 patients who also underwent invasive coronary angiography, no significant obstructive disease was identified. DCMRI may be a useful alternative to stress nuclear examination in women; larger studies are warranted to determine its potential to more accurately predict obstructive coronary artery disease.
Dissecting the Roles of a Strictly Conserved Tyrosine in Substrate Recognition and Catalysis by Pseudouridine 55 Synthase

Sequence alignment of the TruA, TruB, RsuA, and RluA families of pseudouridine synthases (PsiS) identifies a strictly conserved aspartic acid, which has been shown to be the critical nucleophile for the PsiS-catalyzed formation of pseudouridine (Psi). However, superposition of the representative structures from these four families of enzymes identifies two additional amino acids, a lysine or an arginine (K/R) and a tyrosine (Y), from a K/RxY motif that are structurally conserved in the active site. We have created a series of Thermotoga maritima and Escherichia coli pseudouridine 55 synthase (Psi55S) mutants in which the conserved Y is mutated to other amino acids. A new crystal structure of the T. maritima Psi55S Y67F mutant in complex with a 5FU-RNA at 2.4 A resolution revealed formation of 5-fluoro-6-hydroxypseudouridine (5FhPsi), the same product previously seen in wild-type Psi55S-5FU-RNA complex structures. HPLC analysis confirmed efficient formation of 5FhPsi by both Psi55S Y67F and Y67L mutants but to a much lesser extent by the Y67A mutant when 5FU-RNA substrate was used. However, both HPLC analysis and a tritium release assay indicated that these mutants had no detectable enzymatic activity when the natural RNA substrate was used. The combined structural and mutational studies lead us to propose that the side chain of the conserved tyrosine in these four families of PsiS plays a dual role within the active site, maintaining the structural integrity of the active site through its hydrophobic phenyl ring and acting as a general base through its OH group for the proton abstraction required in the last step of PsiS-catalyzed formation of Psi.