cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence for differential effects of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and other munitions compounds on specific subpopulations of soil microbial communities

The effects of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and other munitions compounds on indigenous microbial communities in several soils were examined. Culturable heterotrophs, concentrations of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), and basal respiration rates exhibited slight negative correlations with high TNT and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB) levels. Heat-shock-resistant culturable heterotrophs, percentage of gram-positive soil isolates, mole percent of branched PLFA, and 10Me18:0 (tuberculostearic acid) were observed to be significantly lower in highly contaminated soils. Total soil nitrogen levels were positively correlated with high TNT and TNB concentrations, whereas total soil carbon exhibited no significant correlation with either compound. Multivariate analysis of PLFA data resulted in distinct separation of soils with respect to their degree of contamination, with specific signature PLFAs for gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and protozoa being negatively associated with high contaminant levels. Apparent concentrations of TNT resulting in 50% reductions in indicators of gram-positive populations were much higher than values from pure culture experiments, possibly as a result of low bioavailability due to sorption onto clay and soil organic matter. Few effects of other munitions compounds were observed. Closer examination of a highly contaminated soil revealed that the number of culturable heterotrophs growing on 0.3% molasses plates decreased by 50% when 67 {micro}g TNT/ml wasmore » added to the medium; a 99% decrease was observed for soil contaminated with less than 20 {micro}g TNT/g. Highly contaminated soil harbored a greater number of organisms that were able to grow on plates amended with greater than 10 {micro}g TNT/ml. Gram-positive isolates from both soils demonstrated marked growth inhibition when greater than 8--16 {micro}g TNT/ml was present in the culture medium. These results indicate that chronic exposure to munitions compounds can dramatically alter soil microbial communities.« less
Can Precious Metals Make Your Portfolio Shine

We extend earlier studies and present new evidence on the benefits of adding precious metals to U.S. equity portfolios. We report five major findings related to the potential benefits of investing in precious metals either directly via the commodity or indirectly via equities. First, we find that adding a 25% allocation to the equities of precious metals firms improves portfolio performance substantially. Second, our evidence indicates that an indirect investment dominates a direct investment in precious metals. Third, relative to platinum and silver, gold has better stand-alone performance and appears to provide a better hedge against the negative effects of inflationary pressures. Fourth, the benefits of precious metals are strongly tied to monetary conditions. Finally, while the benefits of adding precious metals to an investment portfolio varied somewhat over time, they prevailed throughout much of the 34-year period. Overall, our evidence suggests that investors could improve portfolio performance considerably by adding a significant exposure to the equities of precious metals firms.
Epidemiological Studies Relating to the Control of Marek's Disease *

(1970). Epidemiological Studies Relating to the Control of Marek's Disease. World's Poultry Science Journal: Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 755-762.
Modified GLRT signal detection algorithm

The problem of signal detection in unknown Gaussian interference utilizing an adaptive array is considered here. Two modified generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) detectors are suggested that improve on the performance of Kelly's GLRT when the interference has low-rank property and the sample support for estimating the array covariance matrix is limited. Under these adverse conditions, the sample covariance matrix might be ill conditioned. This problem may be overcome either by diagonal loading of the covariance matrix or rank reduction of the data. The two modified GLRT detectors are referred to as loaded GLRT (L-GLRT) and reduced-rank GLRT (RR-GLRT), respectively. Expressions are developed for the probabilities of false alarm and detection. The advantage of the proposed detectors is illustrated by numerical examples.
Larry Fisher: our Sherpa into the mountains of data

Lawrence Fisher’s vita lists 18 ‘‘Refereed Journal Articles’’ over the period from 1959 to 1992. It also lists five books, eight chapters in books, and, in a rather dramatic understatement, three ‘‘Large Data Bases.’’ But what data bases there are. The CRSP Treasury Securities files and the CRSP monthly Master and Returns files are far more than simple compilations of some security prices. They are the foundation upon which almost 50 years of empirical research in financial economics has been built. Simply put, without Larry Fisher, there may well be no modern finance. This survey discusses the early CRSP papers published in the period from, roughly, 1964–1970. I then turn look at three other papers Larry oeuvre. This is not, and is not meant to be, a comprehensive overview of Larry’s lifetime of work. Rather, it focuses on one, fairly short though important, time in his life as an academic researcher. The dialog at the start of this paper is how Compton told Conant, who was in Washington, the news of Fermi’s success in running a controlled nuclear chain reaction at
3D tomographic reconstruction using geometrical models

We address the issue of reconstructing an object of constant interior density in the context of 3D tomography where there is prior knowledge about the unknown shape. We explore the direct estimation of the parameters of a chosen geometrical model from a set of radiographic measurements, rather than performing operations (segmentation for example) on a reconstructed volume. The inverse problem is posed in the Bayesian framework. A triangulated surface describes the unknown shape and the reconstruction is computed with a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimate. The adjoint differentiation technique computes the derivatives needed for the optimization of the model parameters. We demonstrate the usefulness of the approach and emphasize the techniques of designing forward and adjoint codes. We use the system response of the University of Arizona Fast SPECT imager to illustrate this method by reconstructing the shape of a heart phantom.
Decoherence in quantum systems

We discuss various definitions of decoherence and how it can be measured. We compare and contrast decoherence in quantum systems with an infinite number of eigenstates (such as the free particle and the oscillator) and spin systems. In the former case, we point out the essential difference between assuming "entanglement at all times" and entanglement with the reservoir occuring at some initial time. We also discuss optimum calculational techniques in both arenas.
Behavioural and hormonal responses to capture stress in the male red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis

We measured the behavioural and hormonal responses to capture stress in male red-sided garter snakes. Four hours of capture stress resulted in no suppression of mating behaviour relative to control individuals. In contrast, the same stress resulted in a significant increase in plasma levels of corticosterone and a significant decrease in plasma levels of testosterone. There was a significant negative correlation between plasma levels of corticosterone and testosterone in both control and capture-stress groups, suggesting that the increase in corticosterone directly drives the decrease in testosterone. While there was no relation between body size and initial plasma levels of the two steroids, longer individuals had a significantly greater increase in corticosterone following capture stress than did shorter individuals. Snakes display indeterminate growth, suggesting that older individuals have decreased sensitivity to negative feedback in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and thus hypersecrete glucocorticoids. These results suggest that male red-sided garter snakes have uncoupled their behavioural stress response from their hormonal stress response to maximize reproductive opportunities. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Preachers and Prophets: Using Film to Teach American Religious History

. Can students learn religious history from movies? While using film as text is likely to attract students’ interest, will such a course be able to negotiate the complex intertwining of film with religion and history to provide students with more than mere entertainment? Will students respond to a challenge to move beyond a movie's surface visual experience to address the core lessons history posits: it's not always been this way, we are the product of what has come before us, I/we are being called to change? This article discusses one attempt to answer these questions and examines both the opportunities and difficulties of using movies to teach religious history.
The Persuasive Press Inference Effects of Mass Media on Perceived Public Opinion

Recent theoretical models propose that mass media, apart from any influence they may have on personal opinions, can also influence an individual's perceptions of what other people are thinking. But how this influence on perceived public opinion might take place remains a question. One answer proposed here—the persuasive press inference—suggests that people infer public opinion from their perceptions of the content of media coverage and their assumptions of the persuasive impact of that coverage on others. Data were gathered in an experiment measuring participant responses to news stories on two current issues, each presented with either a favorable or unfavorable slant. The slant of both news articles had a significant effect on participants' judgments of public opinion on those issues, even when adjusted for the effect of projected personal opinion. Findings supported the hypothesis that people appear to estimate public opinion based on their own reading of press coverage—an indirect effect of mass media...
Heart rate response to a caudal block in children anesthetized with sevoflurane after ultrasound confirmation of placement

Summary Introduction Previous studies identified decreasing heart rate (HR) as a predictor of successful caudal placement in children using halothane and isoflurane. No changes were found in HR in the one study using sevoflurane. We documented HR changes in children following a caudal block during sevoflurane anesthesia utilizing ultrasound to confirm successful caudal placement. Methods Seventy-one children (1–82 months) were anesthetized with sevoflurane. A caudal block was placed with confirmation by ultrasound. Four aliquots of bupivacaine 0.2% with epinephrine 5 μg·cc−1 were administered for a total volume of 1 cc·kg−1 with HR recorded for 4 min. The outcomes measured were HR changes from the initial baseline and during each 1-min interval. The age-related differences in HR were also analyzed. Results Heart rate change from the initial baseline after placing the caudal needle and allowing for equilibration ranged from −10.2% to +8.9% and the HR change from the baseline at the start of each aliquot injection ranged from −9.5% to +8.9%. Most participants (n = 60, 84.5%) experienced at least one HR reduction over the observation period. For patients <36 months, the HR change ranged from −11 to +12 b·min−1 (mean −0.3); for patients aged ≥36 months, the HR change ranged from −10 to +6 b·min−1 (mean −1.1). Conclusions Heart rate changes following a caudal block in children ≤82 months of age anesthetized with sevoflurane is not a reliable indicator of a successful block. Despite 100% caudal success, many children had no decrease in HR, and in those that did, the decline was of a magnitude indeterminate from beat-to-beat variability.
Register Allocation and Binding for Low Power

This paper describes a technique for calculating the switching activity of a set of registers shared by different data values. Based on the assumption that the joint pdf (probability density function) of the primary input random variables is known or that a suffficiently large number of input vectors has been given, the register assignment problem for minimum power consumption is formulated as a minimum cost clique covering of an appropriately defined compatibility graph (which is shown to be transitively orientable). The problem is then solved optimally (in polynomial time) using a max-cost ow algorithm. Experimental results confirm the viability and usefulness of the approach in minimizing power consumption during the register assignment phase of the behavioral synthesis process.
Biological Determinants and Influences Affecting Adolescent Pregnancy

This chapter examines the biological determinants that influence adolescent sexuality and pregnancy. While there is little disagreement among scientists that our genes influence individual sexual development and behavior, the disagreement is related to how much influence our genes actually have on our sexual behavior. These integrated models (biopsychosocial models) are more accurate and give a richer picture of the determinants of adolescent sexuality. Research, since the 1990s, has clearly demonstrated that there are both evolutionary and genetic influences that affect a girl’s early fertility and resultant sexual behaviors. Maturation, for instance, is the process of developing biological imperatives needed by living organisms to perpetuate their existence. From this perspective, some sociological relationships are shown to be spurious. In other cases, sociological predictors are shown to be endogenous to biological predictors. Studies using behavior genetic designs (i.e., identical twin studies and studies of the children of identical twins) in order to control for genetic influences have been unable to rule out genetic influences. Researchers have found considerable evidence that while the environment affects and influences a girl’s sexual behavior, a girl’s genes also affect and influence her sexual behavior. One major determinate of early sexual debut and adolescent pregnancy is the age of menarche. Globally, the major differences in age of onset of menarche are not by country but by the distribution of wealth, most notably between urban and rural areas of the world. While the average age of onset is between 12 and 13 years of age, in rural areas, the age of onset is 14 years of age or slightly older. Starting menarche at age 17 is not unusual in many rural areas of poor countries. Finally, a reconceptualized view of adolescent sexuality informed by our understanding of genetics will allow us to focus scarce resources on sexual and reproductive health services that will improve outcomes and trajectory for the adolescent and the children of adolescent mothers.
Accurate measurement of multi-tone power ratio (MTPR) of ADSL devices using low cost testers

Measurement of multi-tone power ratio (MTPR) on the transmitter output of a central office ADSL analog front-end device (AFE) poses stringent requirements on the linearity of the ATE digitizer. Cost of the ATE digitizer that can perform this test in a specification compliant manner is prohibitively high. In this paper, a test technique to perform TX MTPR test on a central office ADSL device using low-cost automatic test equipment (ATE) is proposed. The proposed technique is based on adding optimum dither noise to the output of the DUT, to improve the performance of the low cost ATE digitizer. The dither reduces the distortion caused by the static errors in the ATE digitizer by randomizing these nonlinear errors. Results obtained using the proposed method on ASDL AFE devices show an improvement of /spl sim/7dB in MTPR measurement with very good repeatability.
T1r3 and α-Gustducin in Gut Regulate Secretion of Glucagon-like Peptide-1

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone that underlies the augmented insulin release from the pancreas in response to glucose in the gut lumen more than to intravenous injected glucose (the "incretin effect"). GLP-1, found in enteroendocrine L cells of the gut, regulates appetite and gut motility and is released from L cells in response to glucose. GLP-1-expressing duodenal L cells also express T1r taste receptors, alpha-gustducin, and many other taste transduction elements. Knockout mice lacking alpha-gustducin or T1r3 have deficiencies in secretion of GLP-1 and in the regulation of plasma levels of insulin and glucose. Gut-expressed taste-signaling elements underlie multiple chemosensory functions of the gut including the incretin effect. Modulating hormone secretion from gut "taste cells" may provide novel treatments for obesity, diabetes, and malabsorption.
The Mediterranean diet revisited

Sir, Despite a high level of risk factors such as elevated serum cholesterol level, diabetes, hypertension and a high intake of saturated fat, French males display the lowest mortality rate from coronary heart disease and cardiovascular diseases in Western industrialized nations (36% lower than the USA and 39% lower than the UK).1 It has been suggested that regular consumption of red wine may explain this phenomenon, which has been dubbed the ‘French paradox’,2 i.e. the coexistence of a high‐fat diet and a low incidence of coronary artery disease. Of course, as was pointed out by Yarnell and Evans in their …
New Horizons Successful Completes the Historic First Flyby of Pluto and Its Moons

On July 14, 2015, after a 9.5 year trek across the solar system, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew by the dwarf planet Pluto and its system of moons, taking imagery, spectra and in-situ particle data. Data from New Horizons will address numerous outstanding questions on the geology and composition of Pluto and Charon, plus measurements of Pluto's atmosphere, and provide revised understanding of the formation and evolution of Pluto and Charon and its smaller moons. This data set is an invaluable glimpse into the outer Third Zone of the solar system. Data from the intense July 14th fly-by sequence will be downlinked to Earth over a period of 16 months, the duration set by the large data set (over 60 GBits) and the limited transmitted bandwidth rates (approx. 1-2 kbps) and sharing the three 70 m DSN assets with our missions. The small fraction (approx. 1%) of data downlinked during the early phase of the flyby has already revealed Pluto and Charon to be very different worlds, with increasing and dynamic complexity.
Tweets on Television News The Nature and Effects of Campaign Coverage of Twitter

Political candidates, media organizations, and citizens increasingly use the social media site Twitter. Given this trend, as well as the tendency of television news programs to present “meta-coverage” of candidates’ publicity efforts, one might expect television news coverage of election campaigns to include coverage of Twitter. Such coverage, in turn, may shape public opinion. The present study draws on two content analyses to show that television news programs covered Twitter in the context of recent election campaign cycles (2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014) and that much of this coverage focused on candidates’ publicity efforts through Twitter. Building on these results, the study then uses data from an experiment to show that exposure to television news coverage of Hillary Clinton’s publicity efforts through Twitter influenced participants’ opinions about how likable and funny she was but not overall opinions about her. The findings carry potential implications for both candidates and news organizations.
Cluster-Seeded Synthesis of Doped CdSe:Cu4 Quantum Dots

We report here a method for synthesizing CdSe quantum dots (QDs) containing copper such that each QD is doped with four copper ions. The synthesis is a derivative of the cluster-seed method, whereby organometallic clusters act as nucleation centers for quantum dots. The method is tolerant of the chemical identity of the seed; as such, we have doped four copper ions into CdSe QDs using [Na(H2O)3]2[Cu4(SPh)6] as a cluster seed. The controlled doping allows us to monitor the photophysical properties of guest ions with X-ray spectroscopy, specifically XANES and EXAFS at the copper K-edge. These data reveal that copper can capture both electrons and holes from photoexcited CdSe QDs. When the dopant is oxidized, photoluminescence is quenched and the copper ions translocate within the CdSe matrix, which slows the return to an emissive state.
Conspecific odors as cues for runway behavior in mice

Fourteen mice served as Ss in a test of the odor hypothesis. All Ss received 104 acquisition trials administered in a double-alternation sequence of reward and nonreward. The results indicated that the mice were able to learn the double-alternation sequence when odor cues were maximized and unable to do so when odor cues were minimized. These results are seen as being comparable to those reported when other species were used as Ss.
Flow reactor autoignition studies of Iso-octane at high pressures and low to intermediate temperatures

A novel methodology for studying autoignition of pre-vaporized hydrocarbons at nondilute conditions in a high-pressure flow reactor has been developed. In this methodology, the minimum equivalence ratio required for ignition at specific conditions of pressure, temperature and residence time was found. Iso-octane was vaporized with a hydrogen/oxygen/argon preburner and rapidly mixed in a high pressure flow reactor. Ignition was studied at pressures of 15, 17.5, 20, and 22.5 atm, for a temperature range of 650-850K. Residence times of approximately 70, 100, 125, 155, and 175 ms were investigated over equivalence ratios ranging from 0.25 to 0.8. The negative temperature coefficient (NTC) region for autoignition was observed over these conditions, where an inverse equivalence ratio dependence at varying pressures and residence times was shown. Results show qualitative agreement with a recent chemical kinetics model from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for the conditions studied in this work.
Global microRNA profiling for diagnostic appraisal of melanocytic Spitz tumors

Abstract Background Melanoma skin cancer remains the leading cause of skin cancer–related deaths. Spitz lesions represent a subset of melanocytic skin lesions characterized by epithelioid or spindled melanocytes organized in nests. These lesions occupy a spectrum ranging from benign Spitz and atypical Spitz lesions all the way to malignant Spitz tumors. Appropriate management is reliant on accurate diagnostic classification, yet this effort remains challenging using current light microscopic techniques. The discovery of novel biomarkers such as microRNAs (miR) may ultimately be a useful diagnostic adjunct for the evaluation of Spitz lesions. miR expression profiles have been suggested for non-Spitz melanomas but have yet to be ascribed to Spitz lesions. We hypothesized that distinct miR expression profiles would be associated with different lesions along the Spitz spectrum. Materials and methods RNAs extracted from paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tissues of 11 resected skin lesions including benign nevi (n = 2), benign Spitz lesions (n = 3), atypical Spitz lesions (n = 3), and malignant Spitz tumors (n = 3) were analyzed by the NanoString platform for simultaneous evaluation of over 800 miRs in each patient sample. Results Benign Spitz lesions had increased expression of miR-21-5p and miR-363-3p compared with those of benign nevi. Malignant Spitz lesions exhibited overexpression of miR-21-5p, miR-155-5p, and miR-1283 relative to both benign nevi and benign Spitz tumors. Notably, atypical Spitz tumors had increased expression of miR-451a and decreased expression of miR-155-5p expression relative to malignant Spitz lesions. Conversely, atypical Spitz lesions had increased expression of miR-21-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-451a, miR-1283, and miR-1260a relative to benign Spitz tumors. Conclusions Overall, distinct miR profiles are suggested among Spitz lesions of varying malignant potential with some similarities to non-Spitz melanoma tumors. This work demonstrates the feasibility of this analytic method and forms the basis for further validation studies.
Increased Wear in Low and High Crosslinked Polyethylene Due to Microseparation of Total Hip Arthroplasty Components

Introduction: Microseparation has resulted in more than ten-fold increase in ceramic-on-ceramic and metal-on-metal bearing wear, and even fracture in a zirconia head [1–4]. However, despite the greater microseparation reported clinically for metal-on-polyethylene wear, less is known about its potential detrimental effects for this bearing couple. This study was therefore designed to simulate the effects of micromotion using finite element analysis and to validate computational predictions with experimental wear testing. Methods: Experimental wear rates for low and highly crosslinked polyethylene hip liners were obtained from a previously reported conventional hip wear simulator study [5]. A finite element model of the wear simulation for this design was constructed to replicate experimental conditions and to compute the wear coefficients that matched the experimental wear rates. We have previous described out this method of validation for knee wear simulation studies [6,7]. This wear coefficient was used to predict wear in a Dual-Mobility hip component (Fig 1). Dual mobility total hip arthroplasty components, Restoration ADM (Fig 1), with highly crosslinked acetabular liners were experimentally tested: the control group was subjected to wear testing using the ISO 14242-1 waveform on a hip wear simulator. The microseparation group was subjected to a nominal 0.8 mm lateral microseparation during the swing phase by engaging lateral force springs and reducing the swing phase vertical force. Results: The wear coefficients that matched experimental wear rates for the low and highly crosslinked polyethylene liners were 4.57×10 −10 and 5.89×10 −11 mm 3 N −1 mm −1 , respectively. Introducing microseparation in the conventional hip increased the wear rate by 15.59 mm 3 /million cycles in the low crosslinked liner and by 1.12 mm 3 /million cycles in the highly crosslinked liner (Fig 2). Discussion: Microseparation did increase predicted wear rates for the low crosslinked polyethylene liner and supports the hypothesis that microseparation can adversely affect the wear of hip arthroplasty. However, the predicted and experimental increase for the dual mobility highly crosslinked liners due to microseparation was low (3.3 mm 3 and 2.9 mm 3 /million cycles, respectively) and below the threshold for clinical relevance. The small increase in wear rate in our study supports the high wear tolerance to wear of a dual-mobility sequentially crosslinked polyethylene liner.
Conformation-specific spectroscopy of capped, gas-phase Aib oligomers: tests of the Aib residue as a 310-helix former.

The conformational preferences of a series of capped peptides containing the helicogenic amino acid aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) (Z-Aib-OH, Z-(Aib)2-OMe, and Z-(Aib)4-OMe) are studied in the gas phase under expansion-cooled conditions. Aib oligomers are known to form 310-helical secondary structures in solution and in the solid phase. However, in the gas phase, accumulation of a macrodipole as the helix grows could inhibit helix stabilization. Implementing single-conformation IR spectroscopy in the NH stretch region, Z-Aib-OH and Z-(Aib)2-OMe are both observed to have minor conformations that exhibit dihedral angles consistent with the 310-helical portion of the Ramachandran map (ϕ, ψ = −57°, −30°), even though they lack sufficient backbone length to form 10-membered rings which are a hallmark of the developed 310-helix. For Z-(Aib)4-OMe three conformers are observed in the gas phase. Single-conformation infrared spectroscopy in both the NH stretch (Amide A) and CO stretch (Amide I) regions identifies the main conformer as an incipient 310-helix, having two free NH groups and two C10 H-bonded NH groups, labeled an F-F-10-10 structure, with a calculated dipole moment of 13.7 D. A second minor conformer has an infrared spectrum characteristic of an F-F-10-7 structure in which the third and fourth Aib residues have ϕ, ψ = 75°, −74° and −52°, 143°, Ramachandran angles which fall outside of the typical range for 310-helices, and a dipole moment that shrinks to 5.4 D. These results show Aib to be a 310-helix former in the gas phase at the earliest stages of oligomer growth.
Structural Mechanisms Underlying PUFA Modulation in Pentameric Ligand Gated Ion Channels

Pentameric ligand gated ion channels (pLGICs) mediate fast neurotransmission in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Modulators such as lipids, alcohols and general anesthetics allosterically modify the conformations of pentameric ligand gated ion channels (pLGICs) via the transmembrane domain. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying modulation are still unclear. GLIC is a prokaryotic homologue that has an overall conserved architecture and high sensitivity to clinically relevant compounds as the eukaryotic members of the family. Our study probed the functional and structural effect of acyl chain length and degree of unsaturation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on GLIC function. A novel binding site for PUFAs on GLIC and the effect of perturbations on this site were investigated. By using a combination of electrophysiology, EPR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography we show a possible mechanism of PUFA modulation of pLGIC function through coupling of the outermost M4 helix with the channel pore.
Implied motion produces real depth

ABSTRACTStatic images taken from an animation of continuous motion, such as a photograph of a figure in a running pose, contain no real motion (RM) information. Interestingly, while imaging studies have shown that passively viewing these implied motion (IM) stimuli activate the same brain regions as RM, the perceptual effects of adding IM to RM are not fully understood. Given that IM appears to recruit the same neural mechanisms as RM, it should be possible to capitalize on this functional overlap and use IM in addition to, or in place of, RM to influence the perception of depth from motion parallax (MP). In the current study, we found that IM influenced depth-sign judgments as expected based on the geometry of MP with RM. These results bolster our understanding of the neural mechanisms of both IM and MP by demonstrating that IM coupled with pursuit eye movements generates unambiguous depth from MP.
Screening in perturbative approaches to LSS

Abstract A specific value for the cosmological constant Λ can account for late-time cosmic acceleration. However, motivated by the so-called cosmological constant problem(s), several alternative mechanisms have been explored. To date, a host of well-studied dynamical dark energy and modified gravity models exists. Going beyond ΛCDM often comes with additional degrees of freedom (dofs). For these to pass existing observational tests, an efficient screening mechanism must be in place. The linear and quasi-linear regimes of structure formation are ideal probes of such dofs and can capture the onset of screening. We propose here a semi-phenomenological “filter” to account for screening dynamics on LSS observables, with special emphasis on Vainshtein-type screening.
Combination of Interleukin-11Rα chimeric antigen receptor T-cells and programmed death-1 blockade as an approach to targeting osteosarcoma cells In vitro

Aim: To test whether combining interleukin (IL)-11Rα chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells with an anti-programmed death (PD-1) antibody (an immune checkpoint inhibitor) is an effective therapeutic approach in osteosarcoma (OS), allowing improved tumor eradication. Methods: IL-11Rα-CAR T-cells were cocultured in vitro with human LM7 OS tumor cells (with and without anti-PD-1 antibody). Coculture of LM7 cells with purified T-cells served as the control. Cytotoxicity and surface PD-1 expression were analyzed in all groups. Results: PD-1 expression increased during expansion of CAR T-cells. Exposure of immune cells to tumor cells in vitro subsequently decreased surface PD-1 expression on the CAR T-cells. Addition of an anti-PD-1 antibody (Clone J110) to further decrease surface PD-1 expression on CAR T-cells before coculture did not enhance cytotoxic effects of the CAR T-cells against LM7 cells. Conclusion: This combination of IL-11Rα-CAR T-cells and an anti-PD-1 antibody did not provide any additional cytotoxic benefit over IL-11Rα-CAR T-cell therapy alone in this setting. Further studies are needed as simple interference with surface PD-1 expression alone may not be sufficient to inhibit this immune checkpoint pathway to then enhance IL-11Rα-CAR T-cell therapeutic effects.
Transport Processes in Membranes: A Consideration of Membrane Potential across Thick and Thin Membranes

Any phase that acts as a barrier preventing mass movement but allowing restricted or regulated passage of one or several species through it may be defined as a membrane. This could be a solid or liquid or even a gas (see Buck, 1976) containing ionized or ionizable groups, or it may be completely unionized. All membranes are active in an operational sense when used as barriers to separate two solutions or phases unless they are too fragile or too porous. Membranes may be broadly classified into natural and artificial or man-made. Natural membranes are thin (<100 A), whereas artificial polymeric membranes that have proved their usefulness in several successful unit processes are thick (more than a few micrometers), even though thin (≥ 50 A) membranes of parlodion have been prepared (Lakshminarayanaiah and Shanes, 1963) and characterized (Lakshminarayanaiah, 1965a; Lakshminarayanaiah and Shanes, 1965). In addition, lipid bilayer membranes that are also thin (∼50 A), since the time they were first generated in 1962 by Mueller et al. (1962a, b; 1963), have assumed great interest and importance. This is probably due to their close resemblance to natural membranes of living systems. Other model membrane systems of interest and significance are the so-called “liposomes,” which are also called “Bangosomes” (DeGier et al., 1968) after their discoverer, Bangham (Bangham et al., 1965). Several properties of phospholipid liposomes or vesicles or both were reviewed by Bangham (1968). A rough classification of several types of membranes according to their physical dimensions and chemical structure is shown in Figure 1.
Boundary Integral and Finite Element Simulation of Electromagnetic NDE Phenomena

Finite element (FE) studies of energy/material interactions associated with the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of materials have not only yielded useful information concerning the physics of new NDE phenomena [1] but also provided “test-beds” for the simulation of NDE situations too difficult to replicate in a laboratory environment [2]. FE code has been developed for the analysis of those NDE processes governed by elliptic [3], parabolic [4] and hyperbolic [5] partial differential equation (PDE) types taking advantage of axisymmetry wherever possible in order to conserve computer capacity. In those situations requiring fine spatial and/or temporal discretization, it has been found that the FE code makes excessive demands on even the best computer resources. Examples of this situation include the finite element modeling of the remote field effect in large diameter pipelines [6] and the simulation of ultrasonic wave propagation through large structures [7].
Kitchen Table Discourse: Negotiating the "Tricky Ground" of Indigenous Research.

This is the publisher's version originally published in the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, volume 32, number 3, by the American Indian Studies Center at UCLA.
Wolf-Rayet stellar populations in the most metal-deficient blue compact dwarf galaxies

We discuss the properties of the Wolf-Rayet (WR) stellar population in the most metal-deficient blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies. It is shown that massive stars with stellar wind are present in several BCDs with oxygen abundance 12 + log O/H < 7.6. In particular, a variety of late nitrogen (WN7 – WN11) and early carbon (WC4) Wolf-Rayet stars are detected. This finding has an impact on the understanding the evolution of the massive stars in low-metallicity environment.
Spin Observables and Annihilation in Antiproton-Proton Reactions

The reaction \(\bar p + p \to \bar \wedge \wedge \) is examined with emphasis on comparing amplitudes extracted from recent LEAR data using effective range ideas to those based on using mesonic or quark degrees of freedom.
Elements to Successful Motherhood and the Professoriate

As a college student pursuing a major in chemistry, I struggled with the idea of whether it would ever be possible to one day be a successful chemist and have a family. I did not have any role models of women who had pursued academic careers in science and had a family. I wrestled that I would have to make a choice and that having a family and a successful academic career would never be possible. I have been fortunate to have both, and through the journey of rising through the ranks of the professoriate I have learned that while the path may not be easy, it is doable and it is a rewarding experience that brings about many learning moments both professionally and personally. I have also been called to leadership in administrative roles at my institution, and through that I have learned how to rebalance my strategies for success in order to maintain an active research lab and continually train students. Importantly, I have also been a wife, mother, daughter, sibling, aunt, and friend. In this chapter, I share my story.
Propagation of Catnip by Terminal and Single-node Cuttings

Abstract Adventitious rooting and subsequent development of rooted cuttings were evaluated for terminal, single-node, and tip cuttings of catnip (Nepeta cataria L.). During an eight-week production period, cuttings were treated with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at 0, 1, 3, and 8 g/kg (0, 1000, 3000, and 8,000 ppm), rooted for one to four weeks, and then grown in the greenhouse for four to seven weeks. At harvest, a first experiment showed that terminal cuttings propagated for four weeks accumulated less shoot dry weight (24 g) than cuttings propagated for two (36 g) or three (31 g) weeks. Terminal cuttings treated with 3 g/kg of IBA and propagated for four weeks had the highest root dry weight, which averaged 12.1 g. In the second experiment, length of the longest shoot and primary root and the number of roots and shoots were greater in single-node cuttings propagated for two or three weeks than those propagated for one week. A third experiment revealed that the development of primary roots in single-node ...
Instrucción en Español? A Pilot Study Examining Student and Teacher Perceptions of Using the Mother Tongue as a Tool.

Many students visit writing centers to become better writers in the English language. One issue of considerable debate is whether students visiting writing centers along the border should be assist...
Descriptors of transition metal promoters on MoS2 nanocatalysts for hydrodesulfurization: binding energy of metal sulfides from first principles

MoS2-based catalysts have been used in the petroleum refinery industry for decades and it is of long-term interest to improve their catalytic efficiency in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process such as via edge promotion using transition metal (TM) atoms. To develop an effective descriptor for selecting appropriate TM promoters, here we report a comprehensive computational study of TM promotion effects on the catalytic activity of MoS2 nanosheets with 26 TM elements, including ten 3d, eight 4d, and eight 5d elements, using sulfur-terminated hexagonal MoS2 nanosheets. The binding energies between TM atoms and MoS2 nanosheets without and with sulfur saturation and the formation energies of sulfur vacancies of the TM-promoted MoS2 were studied to examine the possibility of edge promotion of TM atoms. The HDS activity of sulfur saturated TM-MoS2 nanocatalysts is evaluated by modeling three consequent steps in an HDS process with a dibenzothiophene molecule. We studied the reaction energy for each step with respect to the binding energy (Eb ∼ 2.5–6.5 eV per atom) of binary TM sulfides and found that Eb can be an effective descriptor for selecting TM promoters to enhance the catalytic activity of MoS2 nanocatalysts. That is, the Eb value of an ideal TM promoter should neither be extremely high nor extremely low with an ideal range of about 4–5 eV per atom. On the basis of this descriptor, several candidate TM promoters including 3d elements Mn, Cr, Co, Fe, Ni, and V, 4d element Ru, and 5d element Pt are proposed. This work is expected to provide an informative guide to design high-performance MoS2-based nanocatalysts for HDS.
Converting Solar Energy to Useful Fuel

The conversion of light radiation to heat energy is a matter of common expeience—things placed in the sun get warm. However, different materials absorb different amounts of heat. For example, something which is dark gets warmer than something which is light in color. The reason is simple. Black objects absorb light, so that no light is reflected from black surfaces to our eyes. The light, once absorbed, is converted to energy of motion, causing the atoms and molecules in the object to move faster. This increased movement causes friction within the object, and is observed by us as a rise in the temperature of the object. In other words, the energy of the light is converted to heat energy, and the substance gets hotter (see Figure 10.1).
House, Street, City: Le Corbusier’s Research Towards a New Urban Interior

Le Corbusier’s investigations, conducted between the 1910s and the 1930s, were focused on a new relationship between street and building. This research started from texts about the city, in particular, the writings of Eugene Henard’s. These essays, dating back to 1903-1909, dealt with the necessity of a renewed strategy for the urban street, breaking down the monotony and the problems related to the sequence of buildings and creating a series of places as squares, gardens, and open courtyards: actual urban rooms between streets an buildings. Learning from those texts, Le Corbusier worked on a series of polemical writings about the rue corridor, collected in particular in The City of Tomorrow, Precisions and The Radiant City. A series of projects explored to the extreme consequences the topic: the Dom-ino building principle used for collective housing evolved to the redent, detached from the infrastructure, and the immeuble villa, with its inhabited facades. Finally, the curved redent for the Plan Obus in Algiers transformed the street itself into a "building as city" flowing in the landscape. The essay follows how Le Corbusier transforms the street and its traditional urban components in interior elements inside the buildings.
UTILITY OF CAC VOLUME FOR PREDICTION OF 10-YEAR CVD MORTALITY WITH A MODEL-AGNOSTIC INTERPRETATION OF MACHINE LEARNING: THE CAC CONSORTIUM

We applied a machine learning (ML) approach to determine the relative impact of Agatson Score (AS), coronary artery calcium (CAC) volume, and CAC density on prediction of 10-year cardiovascular (CVD) mortality. We performed a secondary analysis of the CAC Consortium. Asymptomatic patients with
Longitudinal evaluation of pharmacy students' metacognition in interpretation of evidence-based medicine.

Abstract Background and purpose Metacognition is one's ability to “think about thinking” and to understand what knowledge and skills one has. Pharmacy professionals are required to have high metacognitive skills to ensure they are aware of what information they know and when to utilize resources. This longitudinal evaluation of pharmacy students' metacognitive ability was conducted via analysis of students' knowledge and confidence in evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills. Educational activity and setting A survey was administered to the graduating classes of 2017 and 2018 four times, from the beginning of the second-year drug literature evaluation course (baseline) through graduation. The surveys included seven self-confidence questions for which a corresponding knowledge question was asked. Students' metacognition was evaluated on the basis of whether the level of confidence was a “match” or a “mismatch” to their corresponding level of knowledge of each question. The proportion of matches over time was determined. Findings Fifty-eight students (22%) completed all four surveys. The mean proportion of matches at baseline was 40% and increased over time until graduation when the proportion of matches was 74%. The proportion of matches at baseline for all seven questions were ranged from 33% to 57%. An improvement in meta-cognition was seen in 5 out 7 questions. Summary This evaluation provides evidence that as students learned material and revisited concepts, their confidence, knowledge, and potentially metacognition regarding EBM concepts increased. However, as 26% of items measured were not a match at graduation, interventions need to be designed and tested to improve student metacognition.
Custom abutments alone will not eliminate the clinical effects of poor cementation techniques around dental implants.

Abstract With proper planning, placement, prosthetic treatment, and maintenance, dental implants have been shown to be a predictable and reliable treatment option with a high success rate. Clinicians who place cement-retained implant restorations, however, should be aware of the potential and sometimes irreversible biological complications associated with residual excess cement and should be prepared to consider using different practices that may reduce the problem. The present case reports describe the use of custom abutments to restore deeply placed implants with the intent of minimizing residual excess cement.
Coherent collective modes in catalytic RNA

We establish the existence ofФ4-solitons travelling along the backbone of an RNA double stranded helix. Taking advantage of the catalytic activity of RNA in proton transfer events, we device a probe for such coherent solitary-wave excitations: We prove that the density of domain walls is increased by the same phonon excitations which would enhance proton exchange. The rationale behind our conclusion is that the uracil bases contained within the domain wall are tautomerized.
Development of a model to assess coastal ecosystem health using oysters as the indicator species

Abstract This work presents a new model that uses output from a three-dimensional (3-D) hydrodynamic simulation, rather than directly measured water quality variables, to determine zones where oysters can potentially survive, grow, and reproduce. The zones are delineated based on water depth, speed, salinity, temperature and vertical mixing. Vertical mixing, quantified by Richardson number, is used as a surrogate measure of replenishment of dissolved oxygen and food. The model has the benefit that it can be used in a predictive mode because of its reliance on 3-D hydrodynamic simulation results in the absence of water quality data. Therefore, it can be useful as a screening tool for oyster planting and restoration efforts that are occurring worldwide. The spatial extents of the zones can also provide a measure of coastal ecosystem health.