cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
4 – Memory and the Hippocampus in Food-storing Birds

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the relation between memory and the hippocampus of food-storing birds. The hippocampus is involved with a number of types of learning, showing that this brain region is especially important for the formation of memories about the spatial aspects of the environment. Much of this research has focused on the mammalian hippocampus. Because most of the animal experiments have used laboratory rodents or primates as models, it is unclear whether theories of hippocampal function derived from these experiments can be generalized for animals that have been tested in more naturalistic settings. Experiments performed under naturalistic or seminaturalistic conditions are important in establishing the role hippocampus plays in memory, in the appropriate behavioral, evolutionary, and ecological context. According to the observations in behavioral neuroscience, interdisciplinary studies of the brain and natural behavior of animals with highly specialized capacities, such as those of food-storing birds, may add to the general understanding of memory and its neural substrates. Birds are particularly suited for such studies, because they show the most sophisticated and complex forms of memory-based spatial behavior.
The Functional Pluralism of Fibroblasts in the Infarcted Myocardium.

The mammalian heart contains a large population of interstitial fibroblast–like cells; in the adult mouse myocardium, 10% to 30% of myocardial cells were identified as fibroblasts.1,2 These cells expand following injury and play an important role in cardiac repair3 but may also participate in the pathogenesis of adverse postinfarction remodeling.4 Traditional views consider cardiac fibroblasts as matrix-producing cells that simply serve to preserve the structural integrity of the ventricle after acute myocardial infarction by replacing dead cardiomyocytes with scar tissue and contribute to cardiac fibrosis in pathophysiologic conditions associated with chronic pressure overload or metabolic dysfunction.5,6 However, this unidimensional view is not an accurate reflection of fibroblast function. A growing body of in vitro findings and in vivo observations suggests that fibroblasts exhibit a remarkable functional pluralism. In addition to their established role in matrix synthesis and metabolism, fibroblasts are also capable of secreting a wide range of immunoregulatory, cytoprotective, and angiogenic mediators in response to microenvironmental changes. Article, see p 1116 In adult mammals, sudden death of myocardial cells overwhelms the negligible regenerative reserve of the myocardium; as a result, the infarcted heart heals through the formation of a collagen-based scar. Repair of the infarcted myocardium is dependent on timely activation and repression of an inflammatory reaction that serves to clear the infarct from dead cells and matrix debris. Inflammation after myocardial infarction is activated through the release of danger-associated molecular patterns from dying cells and degraded matrix.7 These danger signals have been reported to activate all cell types involved in cardiac injury and repair. Cardiac fibroblasts respond to danger-associated molecular patterns and can produce large amounts of chemokines and cytokines that may play an important role in the activation of the postinfarction inflammatory response.8 Moreover, it has been …
Extracting spatial information from social media in support of agricultural management decisions

Farmers face pressure to respond to unpredictable weather, the spread of pests, and other variable events on their farms. This paper proposes a framework for data aggregation from diverse sources that extracts named places impacted by events relevant to agricultural practices. Our vision is to couple natural language processing, geocoding, and existing geographic information retrieval techniques to increase the value of already-available data through aggregation, filtering, validation, and notifications, helping farmers make timely and informed decisions with greater ease.
Expression of Core-Binding Factor (CBF) Fusion Genes in Clonal Evolution of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML).

A “2-hit” model of leukemogenesis has been proposed in which one class of mutations confers a proliferative or survival advantage to the cells and the second class serves primarily to interfere with hematopoietic cell differentiation. In support of this, FLT3 receptor mutations have been frequently reported in patients with t(8;21) and inv(16) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), otherwise known as core-binding factor (CBF) leukemias, whose fusion gene products (AML1-ETO and CBFB-MYH11) contribute to impaired differentiation of leukemic cells. In CML, enhanced kinase activity of BCR-ABL confers a proliferative and survival advantage to the leukemic cells and clonal evolution is a common event at the time of disease acceleration. However, the acquisition of CBF fusion genes has not been commonly reported during the clonal evolution of CML. We report 4 patients with CML who developed CBF type rearrangements [inv(16)(n=2) and t(8;21)(n=2)] at the time of disease progression. Patient #1, a 61 year old female, presented with myeloid blast phase disease with 46,XX,t(9;22)(q34;q11.2),inv(16)(p13q22) and was treated with imatinib achieving a hematological but not cytogenetic response. Patient #2, a 48 year old male, presented with chronic phase disease and received imatinib for 2 years, achieved a complete cytogenetic remission (CG CR) but progressed to blast phase with development of 46,XY,t(9;22)(q34;q11.2),inv(16)(p13q22). Both patients had elevated and abnormal marrow eosinophils at the time of clonal evolution. Patient #3, a 54 year old female, presented in chronic phase, received imatinib and achieved CG CR after 3 months. Blast transformation occurred after one year with 48, XX,+8,t(8;21)(q22;q22),t(9;22;19;10)(q34;q11;p13.1;q22),+der(22)t(9;22;19;10). Patient #4, a 47 year old male, presented with an extramedullary myeloid mass on his arm and features of chronic phase in the marrow examination. He was treated with troxacitabine with resolution of the mass. He was then treated with imatinib. Ten months later he developed a recurrent mass with cytogenetic studies of both the mass and marrow showing 47,XY,+8,t(8;21)(q22;q22),del(9)(q13q32),t(9;22)(q34;q11.2). To our knowledge, eleven other patients with CML with inv(16)(n=10) or with t(8;21)(n=1) have been previously reported in the literature, none treated with imatinib. Patients with inv(16) had features of AML with eosinophilia (FAB M4Eo) demonstrating dysplastic eosinophils in the bone marrow examination. Development of the CBF rearrangement was invariably associated with disease progression into the myeloid blast phase with the exception of one patient, reported to develop lymphoid blast phase, based on surface markers. CBF rearrngements occur rarely at the time of disease progression in CML and may contribute to disease transformation based on the “2-hit” hypothesis for leukemogenesis.
A Rapid Multiplexed Genotyping of Hereditary Thrombophilia by SELDI-TOF Mass Spectrometer

It is known that approximately 50% of patients presenting with venous thromboembolism are associated with polymorphic SNPs in the genes for coagulation factor V (factor V Leiden), prothrombin (prothrombin G20210A), and MTHFR (C677T). Genotyping these thrombophiliac SNPs helps clinicians to properly manage patients with thrombotic disorders. In this study, we reported a novel method to rapidly genotype all three thrombophiliac SNPs in a multiplexed fashion. First, patient DNA samples were subjected to PCR reactions to amplify and extend the DNA products with masses corresponding to genotypes for each of the three targeted thrombophiliac SNPs. PCR products were then applied to Q10 anionic Protein Chips, undergoing on-chip sample enrichment and clean-up. Finally, genetic variants were genotyped by Surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectrometry based on their masses. This method offers a rapid turnaround time of less than five hours. The analytical accuracy of each SNP genotyping result has been confirmed by DNA sequencing. Additionally, the genotype results produced by this method were validated by comparing them to the results obtained by the approved method in the clinical reference laboratory. In summary, we have developed a novel approach of multiplex genotyping for known thrombophilic SNPs by SELDI-TOF mass spectrometer. This method is fast, accurate, reproducible, and is ready for immediate application in the clinical laboratory.
THE WAGE IMPACT OF TEACHERS UNIONS: A META-ANALYSIS

The literature examining the impact of teachers unions on education is very large and diverse. We meta-analyze the literature on the wage impacts of teachers unions to try to draw out general findings, the importance of empirical model specification, and samples. A key finding of this study is that the average wage impact estimated by the included papers is modest, around 2%–4.5%. Our findings also suggest that the quality of an empirical strategy significantly affects the size of the estimated impact. We find that teachers union wage impacts have varied over time. The largest impacts appear to be following the rapid expansion of teacher unionism in the 1970s. Finally, we gain new insight into the goals of teachers unions by using the increased statistical power of meta-analytic techniques to show that unions increase the wages of new teachers and not just senior teachers. (JEL J51, I21, I30)
Position Paper: Challenges Towards Securing Hardware-assisted Execution Environments

A Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) provides an isolated environment for sensitive workloads. However, the code running in the TEE may contain vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers and further leveraged to corrupt the TEE. The increasing buggy code inside the TEE concerns the security of the entire TEE. In this position paper, we present the challenges towards securing trusted execution environments and potential mitigation.
iOS Appstore-Based Phone Apps for Diabetes Management: Potential for Use in Medication Adherence

Background: Currently, various phone apps have been developed to assist patients. Many of these apps are developed to assist patients in the self-management of chronic diseases such as diabetes. It is essential to analyze these various apps to understand the key features that would potentially be instrumental in helping patients successfully achieve goals in disease self-management. Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct a review of all the available diabetes-related apps in the iOS App Store to evaluate which diabetic app is more interactive and offers a wide variety of operations such as monitoring glucose, water, carbohydrate intake, weight, body mass index (BMI), medication, blood pressure (BP) levels, reminders or push notifications, food database, charts, exercise management, email, sync between devices, syncing data directly to the prescribers, and other miscellaneous functions such as (Twitter integration, password protection, retina display, barcode scanner, apple watch functionality, and cloud syncing). Methods: Data was gathered using the iOS App Store on an iPad. The search term “diabetes” resulted in 1209 results. Many of the results obtained were remotely related to diabetes and focused mainly on diet, exercise, emergency services, refill reminders, providing general diabetes information, and other nontherapeutic options. We reviewed each app description and only included apps that were meant for tracking blood glucose levels. All data were obtained in one sitting by one person on the same device, as we found that carrying out the search at different times or on different devices (iPhones) resulted in varying results. Apps that did not have a feature for tracking glucose levels were excluded from the study. Results: The search resulted in 1209 results; 85 apps were retained based on the inclusion criteria mentioned above. All the apps were reviewed for average customer ratings, number of reviews, price, and functions. Of all the apps surveyed, 18 apps with the highest number of user ratings were used for in-depth analysis. Of these 18 apps, 50% (9/18) also had a medication adherence function. Our analysis revealed that the Diabetes logbook used by the mySugr app was one of the best; it differentiated itself by introducing fun as a method of increasing adherence. Conclusions: A large variation was seen in patient ratings of app features. Many patient reviewers desired simplicity of app functions. Glucose level tracking and email features potentially helped patients and health care providers manage the disease more efficiently. However, none of the apps could sync data directly to the prescribers. Additional features such as graph customization, availability of data backup, and recording previous entries were also requested by many users. Thus, the use of apps in disease management and patient and health-care provider involvement in future app refinement and development should be encouraged. [JMIR Diabetes 2017;2(2):e12]
Amphiphilic icephobic coatings

Abstract A series of amphiphilic siloxane polyurethane (AmSiPU) coatings were investigated for their icephobic properties. The use of coatings having amphiphilic surfaces for anti-icing applications has not been studied to a large extent although these types of coatings have more recently been studied for anti-fouling (AF)/foul release (FR) applications. Several polyurethane based amphiphilic coatings were prepared having variations in the composition as well as molecular weight of hydrophobic polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), and hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG). Surface characterizations of the coatings revealed the presence of both PDMS and PEG moieties, implying amphiphilic surface characteristics. The icephobic properties of these coatings were evaluated to investigate if amphiphilic formulations can deter ice adhesion. Water absorption and barrier behaviors of these coatings and their correlation to anti-icing properties were also studied.
Regulation of Marginal Zone B Cell Differentiation By microRNA-146a Via the Numb-Notch Pathway

Author(s): King, Jennifer K; Ung, Nolan; Paing, May; Contreras, Jorge R; Alberti, Michael O; Fernando, Thilini; Zhang, Kelvin; Pellegrini, Matteo; Rao, Dinesh S | Abstract: Abstract B cell development in bone marrow is followed by specification into spleen subsets, including marginal zone (MZ) cells. MZ require elaboration of distinct gene expression programs for development. Given their role in gene regulation, its not surprising that microRNAs (miRNAs) influence cell development. Recent work demonstrated that deficiency of NF-κB feedback regulator, Mir146 (miR-146a), led to a range of hematopoietic phenotypes, but B cells have not been extensively characterized. Here, we found miR-146a deficient mice demonstrate a reduction in MZ B cells, likely from a T cell independent developmental block. Utilizing comparative analysis of developmental stage-specific transcriptomes, we show MZ cell differentiation was impaired due to decreases in Notch2 signaling. Further, we discovered that the cell-fate regulatory protein, Numb, is a direct target of miR-146a, and its derepression in miR-146a deficient B cells underlies the decreases in Notch2. Our studies reveal miR-146a-dependent B cell phenotypes regulated by the Numb-Notch2 pathway. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Two-Dimensional Controlled Syntheses of Polypeptide Molecular Brushes via N-Carboxyanhydride Ring-Opening Polymerization and Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization

Well-defined molecular brushes bearing polypeptides as side chains were prepared by a “grafting through” synthetic strategy with two-dimensional control over the brush molecular architectures. By integrating N-carboxyanhydride ring-opening polymerizations (NCA ROPs) and ring-opening metathesis polymerizations (ROMPs), desirable segment lengths of polypeptide side chains and polynorbornene brush backbones were independently constructed in controlled manners. The N2 flow accelerated NCA ROP was utilized to prepare polypeptide macromonomers with different lengths initiated from a norbornene-based primary amine, and those macromonomers were then polymerized via ROMP. It was found that a mixture of dichloromethane and an ionic liquid were required as the solvent system to allow for construction of molecular brush polymers having densely-grafted peptide chains emanating from a polynorbornene backbone, poly(norbornene-graft-poly(β-benzyl-l-aspartate)) (P(NB-g-PBLA)). Highly efficient postpolymerization modificat...
The LGBT specter in Russia: refusing queerness, claiming ‘Whiteness’

In Europe ‘homoemancipation’ has played a significant role in legitimating anti-multiculturalism and broader Islamophobia. Similarly, political homophobia in Russia plays a significant role in (re...
Norms, Values, and Education: How Different Are Immigrant Youth from Native Youth? Insights from the Third International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3)

This chapter uses the preliminary results of the third International-Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3). ISRD3 is an ongoing international collaborative survey that currently includes about 62,500 seventh, eighth, and ninth graders between 12 and 16 years of age from 27 countries. The youth were asked to answer questions related to their evaluations of the wrongness of eight items (prosocial values), levels of sense of shame associated with selected antisocial behaviors, school experiences, and migration status (native, first, and second generations). The data suggest that the differences between countries with respect to youth’s morality are significantly larger than the differences between migrant and native youth within individual countries. The same is true for youth’s educational experiences. The chapter concludes with a policy suggestion regarding the role of the school in forming civil and social norms.
Spatial relationship of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance diffusion imaging metrics in cervical cancer.

This study investigated the spatial relationship of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG-PET) standardized uptake values (SUVs) and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) derived from magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion imaging on a voxel level using simultaneously acquired PET/MR data. We performed an institutional retrospective analysis of patients with newly diagnosed cervical cancer who received a pre-treatment simultaneously acquired [18F]FDG-PET/MR. Voxel SUV and ADC values, and global tumor metrics including maximum SUV (SUVmax), mean ADC (ADCmean), and mean tumor-to-muscle ADC ratio (ADCT/M) were compared. The impacts of histology, grade, and tumor volume on the voxel SUV to ADC relationship were also evaluated. The potential prognostic value of the voxel SUV/ADC relationship was evaluated in an exploratory analysis using Kaplan-Meier/log-rank and univariate Cox analysis. Seventeen patients with PET/MR scans were identified. There was a significant inverse correlation between SUVmax and ADCmean, and SUVmax and ADCT/M. In the voxelwise analysis, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCAs) and poorly differentiated tumors showed a consistent significant inverse correlation between voxel SUV and ADC values; adenocarcinomas (AdenoCAs) and well/moderately differentiated tumors did not. The strength of the voxel SUV/ADC correlation varied with metabolic tumor volume (MTV). On log-rank analysis, the correlation between voxel SUV/ADC values was prognostic of disease-free survival (DFS). In this hypothesis-generating study, a consistent inverse correlation between voxel SUV and ADC values was seen in SCCAs and poorly differentiated tumors. On univariate statistical analysis, correlation between voxel SUV and ADC values was prognostic for DFS.
Speech Errors as Evidence in Phonology

Errors made during speech production, known as slips of the tongue or speech errors, provide evidence for the use of phonological constituents as units in language processing. Speech error data support the psychological reality of many of the abstract structures proposed in phonological theory (e.g., feature, segment, onset, rime) and phonotactic constraints on their combination. However, the validity of the experimental methods used in speech errors has been recently questioned, based on phonetic evidence.
Energy Balance and Other Modifiable Host Factors on Colorectal Cancer Prognosis

Epidemiologic and scientific research indicates that host factors that influence energy balance have a significant influence on the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Obesity and certain diets increase one’s risk of developing colorectal cancer, while physical activity decreases this risk. Until recently, it was largely unknown if any of these modifiable factors influence the outcomes of patients already diagnosed with colorectal cancer. However, data are emerging of factors that may influence disease recurrences and mortality for colorectal cancer survivors. Prospective observational studies have shown that increased exercise after diagnosis and avoidance of a Western pattern diet are associated with reduced risk of cancer recurrence and improved overall survival in early stage colorectal cancer after standard therapy. Patients with class II and III obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2) have a modestly increased risk of recurrence. In contrast, change of weight after diagnosis is not associated with outcomes after diagnosis. The data supporting these observations will be reviewed and potential mechanisms of actions will be discussed.
Development of the Optic Tectum in Brown Trout

The complexity of cellular characteristics and their interrelationships in the teleostean optic tectum is quite apparent from Dr. Venegas’review (this volume). In order to accomplish the early events of neurogenesis, certain morphological and cellular changes occur in the presumptive optic tectum and these changes probably cause the transformation of the “matrix zone” (proliferative ventricular cells) into post-mitotic neurons.
Does Difference in Physical Activity Between Blacks and Whites Vary by Sex, Income, Education, and Region of Residence? Results from 2008 to 2017 National Health Interview Surveys

To examine how the effect of race (Black versus White) on meeting physical activity (PA) guidelines varies by sex, income, education, and region of residence. We pooled data from 10 consecutive years (2008 to 2017) of the National Health Interview Survey. We used logistic regression to assess the extent to which the effect of race on meeting the U.S. federal guidelines for PA varies by sex, income, education, and region, after controlling for several health-related variables. The analysis sample size was 225,600 (102,348 men and 123,252 women). Race and most of the other covariates interacted with sex in their effect on meeting PA guidelines; therefore, separate models for men and women were estimated. In each model, race interacted with income and region, but not with education. Among men, Blacks were more likely to meet PA guidelines than Whites in nearly all income categories and regions. The race effect was weakest among the poor and in the Northeast region. Among women, Blacks were generally less likely than Whites to meet the guidelines and the race effect was largest among the poor and in the Northeast region. This study showed that the difference between Blacks and Whites in the extent to which they adhere to federal PA guidelines varies by sex, income, and region of residence. Black women whole live below the poverty threshold are less likely than other demographic groups to meet the PA guidelines. Targeted interventions to promote PA among this population group are warranted.
Polar Lipid Profiling of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae -Infected Human Lung Epithelial Cells

Some mycoplasma are known to contain novel glycolipids which have no counterparts in eukaryotic cells. Profiling of polar lipids is thus a potential strategy for the detection of mycoplasmal contamination of cell lines. Polar lipids were isolated by Bligh-Dyer extraction, and were analysed by positive and negative ion fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). Individual phospholipid molecular species were identified by helium collisional activation and linked scanning techniques. Polar lipid profiles were determined from A549 lung cells, Mycoplasma pneumoniae-infected A549 cells and pure cultures of M. pneumoniae. Uninfected A549 cell extracts contained hexadecanoate- and octadecenoate substituted phosphatidylcholines, whereas the major phospholipids of M. pneumoniae were sphingomyelin, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholines, the latter apparently derived from the culture medium.
Wirkungsmechanismen chemischer Karzinogene am Beispiel des Leberkrebses

Fur die Krebsentstehung beim Menschen werden in letzter Zeit ausere Faktoren fur sehr bedeutsam gehalten; deswegen hat sich das Interesse in Richtung auf Umweltfaktoren, besonders chemische, industrielle und auch arzneimittelbedingte, verlagert. Daher soll die Entstehung des Leberkrebses als Modell diskutiert und zu den atiologischen Faktoren in Beziehung gestzt werden. Es besteht eine karzinogene Kette aus einer verhaltnismasig schnellen Anfangs-Veranderung (Bildung und Abbau des engultigen Karzinogens und seine Bindung an DNA) und einem jahrelangen Fortschreiten, wahrenddessen einige Hepatocyten durch zahlreiche Teilungen zu Krebszellen werden. Umweltfaktoren konnen sowohl die Biotransformation des Karzinogens beeinflussen als auch seine Bindung an DNA und so die Krebsentwicklung entscheidend mitbestimmen. Gestutzt auf diese Beobachtung am Tiermodell soll die Pathogenese von Lebertumoren diskutiert werden, die entweder mit haufigen, aber schwer kontrollierbaren Faktoren (Virus-Hepatitis B, Alkoholmisbrauch, Mykotoxine) oder mit seltenen, aber leicht kontrollierbaren Stoffen (z.B. Vinylchlorid oder Geschlechtshormone), verbunden ist.
McGurk doesn’t work: Individual differences and task demands explain the McGurk illusion

Visual speech cues play an important role in speech recognition, and the McGurk effect is a classic demonstration of this. In the original McGurk and MacDonald (1976) experiment, 98% of participants reported an illusory “fusion” percept of /d/ when listening to the spoken syllable /b/ and watching the visual speech movements for /g/. However, recent work (e.g., Mallick et al., 2015) shows that subject and task differences influence the proportion of fusion responses. In the current study, we varied task (forced-choice versus open-ended), stimuli (synthetic versus naturally produced), design (mixed versus blocked audio-visual and single-modality trials), and data collection environment (lab versus Mechanical Turk) to investigate the robustness of the McGurk effect. Across all conditions, we found a low number of fusion responses. Rather than a robust perceptual illusion, we therefore argue that the McGurk effect is a product of individual differences and task demands.
The trade-off between membrane permselectivity and conductivity: A percolation simulation of mass transport

Abstract Ion exchange membranes (IEMs) have been widely applied in water desalination, separation and sustainable energy generation. In these applications, ionic conductivity and permselectivity draw the most attention from researchers. However, theoretical guidance is still lacking on where to find the optimized membrane properties in applications that are sensitive to both conductance and permselectivity. In this study, we have proposed a novel model by combining the simplified three-phases of an IEM and the percolation theory. Using open and closed sites to represent the polymeric and interstitial electrolyte phases of the membrane matrix on a 3D lattice, membrane permselectivity and conductivity can be successfully modeled and simulated on a set of sulfonated poly(2,6,-dimethyl-1, 4-phenylene oxide) (SPPO) membranes prepared using different organic solvents (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide), and commercial Fumatech FKS membranes. The resulting simulation provides good agreement with experimental observations. Notably, the decrease in permselectivity upon decreasing membrane thickness is well explained by the model considering the membrane void ratio and the percolative states of the lattice structure. When the membrane void ratio is larger than the critical threshold of 0.31, it renders the membrane low permselectivity while high conductance. This work potentially provides fundamental guidance in developing high-performance IEMs.
Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis of Human Hair: Predicting Behaviors and Biometrics beyond Dietary Factors

This study describes the use of amino acid quantitation and amino-acid-specific isotope ratio analysis of scalp hair of American individuals to predict soft biometric traits about the donors. The scalp hair of each donor was washed, dried, homogenized and acid hydrolyzed before analysis using liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC-IRMS). A variety of statistical tests examined the relationships between the amino acid variables and biometric questionnaire responses, the latter of which could be assessed as continuous variables—in the case of age or body mass index (BMI)—or as categorical variables in the case of sex and alcohol consumption. Correlations between biometric factors and amino acid δ13C values were more significant after controlling for the extent of 13C in the subjects’ diets. Multivariate analysis revealed that the sex of a donor could be correctly predicted with cross-validated accuracies of 80% using the isotope ratios and 89% using amino acid quantities. Using amino acid...
Context, Community, and the Individual: Modeling Identity in a Game Affinity Space

Video games, and the affinity spaces that develop around them, have been lauded as valuable sites for promoting learning as a transformational and intentional process of identity exploration. This ...
Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: A Survey of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Educators' Classroom Strategies and Experiences in Colleges and Universities

Higher education has made great progress in creating open classroom and organizational environments for diverse populations. However, little research has been published on the experiences of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGB) in college and university classrooms. The primary purpose of this study is to identify the strategies used by LGB educators to incorporate LGB issues, concerns, and experiences into college and university classrooms. To provide a context for these efforts, the secondary purpose of this study is to examine educators' experiences as LGBs in the classroom and within higher education in general. Toward these ends, the study presents the results of a survey that examined specific classroom strategies used by LGB educators and administrators and their experiences in the classroom and within departments in college and university settings. The survey revealed that LGBs are actively working to enhance classroom environments through a variety of empowerment strategies; they also encounter positive experiences within the classroom and within academic organizations as a whole.
MatRaptor: A Sparse-Sparse Matrix Multiplication Accelerator Based on Row-Wise Product

Sparse-sparse matrix multiplication (SpGEMM) is a computation kernel widely used in numerous application domains such as data analytics, graph processing, and scientific computing. In this work we propose MatRaptor, a novel SpGEMM accelerator that is high performance and highly resource efficient. Unlike conventional methods using inner or outer product as the meta operation for matrix multiplication, our approach is based on row-wise product, which offers a better tradeoff in terms of data reuse and on-chip memory requirements, and achieves higher performance for large sparse matrices. We further propose a new hardware-friendly sparse storage format, which allows parallel compute engines to access the sparse data in a vectorized and streaming fashion, leading to high utilization of memory bandwidth. We prototype and simulate our accelerator architecture using gem5 on a diverse set of matrices. Our experiments show that MatRaptor achieves 129.2× speedup over single-threaded CPU, 8.8× speedup over GPU and 1.8× speedup over the state-of-the-art SpGEMM accelerator (OuterSPACE). MatRaptor also has 7.2× lower power consumption and 31.3× smaller area compared to OuterSPACE.
From NiSi2 experiments to density functional theory calculations: How the Schottky barrier mystery was solved

A cloud of mystery hung over the formation mechanism of the Schottky barrier height (SBH) for many decades. The experimental discovery of an insensitivity of the SBH of polycrystalline metal-semiconductor (MS) interfaces to the metal work function (WF), known as “Fermi-level pinning (FLP),” prompted the proposal of many empirical interface state models, which dominated the theoretical scenes of SBH research for decades. The reliance on empiricism in this field is curious because being a direct consequence of charge distribution at MS interfaces, the magnitude of the SBH should be predictable from principles that govern charge distribution in general, i.e., chemistry. With experimental work on epitaxial NiSi2/Si interfaces more than three decades ago that showed a sharp dependence of the SBH on atomic structure, the shroud covering the FLP mystery began to lift. Subsequently, SBHs of polycrystalline MS interfaces were widely recognized to be inhomogeneous, meaning that the FL was never “pinned” after all. The insensitivity of the SBH to metal WF was also shown to be in agreement with bond polarization that can be expected at the MS interface. Even though theoretical calculation was able to numerically reproduce SBHs for specific interfaces, it has not been possible to quantitatively predict/explain the SBH from chemical principles. That has remained the state of the affairs for SBH for the last two decades, until very recently, when density functional theory calculations demonstrated that SBH could be quantitatively predicted from basic chemical principles, provided the traditional analysis method, based on the Schottky–Mott model, was abandoned and a newly proposed neutral polyhedra theory was adopted. Through the same study, the cause for the FLP effect and the apparent experimental “pinning level” were also identified. It appears that the SBH mystery is finally over. This article chronicles important advances in the last four decades on different fronts of research that finally brought in a scientifically based understanding of the formation of the SBH.
'A Motive, Not A Judgment': Reflections on Kieslowski’s Invitation to Think About Morality

Krysztof Kieslowski’s classic “Decalogue: The Ten Commandments – Ten Short Films About Morality” invites viewers to reflect upon what morality is: Propositions about what worthy actions or decisions are? Unintelligible without support from a deity? The choices – all the choices – one makes while going through everyday life? One of Kieslowski’s characters suggests that motives explain but don’t justify actions, and that all we can do is understand why people act as they do. A character in another Kieslowski film concludes that judging others’ actions lacks humility. The ten films, originally made for Polish television in the late 1980s, present morality through complex narratives that deny us the choice of reducing morality to propositions. In the end, though, the films might better support the thought that narrative is morality. In the course of leading up to this conclusion, this Article examines Kieslowski’s presentation of female characters and the intimations the films contain about his views about religion and its relation to the idea of narrative as morality.
A Roadmap to Revising Ethiopia’s Gender Discriminatory Laws: A Comparative Analysis

Ethiopia is Africa's oldest independent country, the second-most populous nation in Africa, and one of the founding members of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was established on 25 May 1963 and replaced by the African Union (AU) in 2002. The headquarters of the AU is based in Addis Ababa. Today, Ethiopia has the largest GDP in East Africa and its economy is also one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Ethiopia is one of the few countries in the world which had achieved gender parity in the cabinet, and where women hold the positions of both President and Chief Justice. Ethiopia now ranks 18th in terms of women’s representation in Parliament according to the International Parliamentary Union. Ethiopia's new cabinet in 2018 made history for women in government with a 50 percent female cabinet. Ethiopia is only the second state, after Rwanda, on the continent to have equal gender representation in the cabinet. Ethiopia’s revitalized democratic process has opened up new possibilities for gender equality lawmaking and economic renewal. And yet, persistent gender inequality is undermining its full potential and poses serious threats to peace and economic stability. If gender gaps in the laws are closed, Ethiopia can ensure greater gender equality and secure a substantial growth dividend in the process. This paper provides a roadmap for gender equality law reform across the legal landscape in Ethiopia.
Testing for Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Adults Aged ≥18 in the United States, 2013-2017.

OBJECTIVE Approximately 2.4 million people in the United States are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The objective of our study was to describe demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, liver disease-related risk factors, and modifiable health behaviors associated with self-reported testing for HCV infection among adults. METHODS Using data on adult respondents aged ≥18 from the 2013-2017 National Health Interview Survey, we summarized descriptive data on sociodemographic characteristics and liver disease-related risk factors and stratified data by educational attainment. We used weighted logistic regression to examine predictors of HCV testing. RESULTS During the study period, 11.7% (95% CI, 11.5%-12.0%) of adults reported ever being tested for HCV infection. Testing was higher in 2017 than in 2013 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.27; 95% CI, 1.18-1.36). Adults with ≥some college were significantly more likely to report being tested (aOR = 1.60; 95% CI, 1.52-1.69) than adults with ≤high school education. Among adults with ≤high school education (but not adults with ≥some college), those who did not have health insurance were less likely than those with private health insurance (aOR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68-0.89) to get tested, and non-US-born adults were less likely than US-born adults to get tested (aOR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.68-0.87). CONCLUSIONS Rates of self-reported HCV testing increased from 2013 to 2017, but testing rates remained low. Demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and liver disease-related risk factors may affect HCV testing rates among adults. HCV testing must increase to achieve hepatitis C elimination targets.
Compensatory and Punitive Damages for a Personal Injury: To Tax or Not to Tax

Since the adoption in 1919 of the Revenue Act of 1918, damages received on account of personal injuries or sickness have been excluded by statute from gross income. This exclusion, which does not apply to reimbursements for medical expenses for which the taxpayer was previously allowed a tax deduction, is presently set forth in section 104(a)(2). One might expect that a provision having recently attained the ripe age of 75 years without change in its basic language would have a settled meaning. However, recent litigation under section 104(a)(2) bristles with unsettled issues. Does the exclusion apply to punitive damages? To prejudgment interest included in a personal injury recovery? To recoveries under various antidiscrimination statutes? The Supreme Court entered the fray in 1992 with its decision in United States v. Burke, dealing with the application of section 104(a)(2) to recoveries in employment discrimination cases. The Court followed a regulation stating that the exclusion applies only to amounts received, through suit or settlement, based upon tort or tort-type rights, and held that a claim is tort or tort-type only if it can be redressed by a broad range of damages, such as those traditionally allowed in tort cases. Specifically, the Court found that a recovery under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1984 was not within the section 104(a)(2) exclusion because Title VII, as it existed when the facts of the case arose, allowed only equitable relief and recoveries of backpay. If the Court believed that the Burke decision would bring order to this corner of the law, it was sadly mistaken. Many questions remain. A principal purpose of this article is to suggest that these questions should be resolved with a close eye on the history of section 104(a)(2) and the policies supporting it.
Elimination of Corona and Related Problems with Astronomical Image Tubes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the elimination of corona and related problems with astronomical image tubes. It summarizes a variety of techniques utilized that, taken together, eliminate corona and voltage leakage problems. It is found that nearly every intensifier system that exhibits corona emission or other high voltage leakage problems does so because, outside of an obvious component failure, it has one or both of the following characteristics: There exists a dielectric material that insulates a component maintained at high voltage from its surroundings, but the outer surface of the dielectric is at an ill-defined or totally “floating” Potential; therefore, a charge builds up on the outer surface of the dielectric until a general corona discharge, or arc, is created. There exists a direct leakage path along the boundary of dissimilar dielectric materials that provides electrical conduction between the component and its surroundings.
Severe paraneoplastic hypoglycemia in a patient with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor with an exon 9 mutation: a case report

Non-islet cell tumor induced hypoglycemia (NICTH) is a very rare phenomenon, but even more so in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. It tends to present in large or metastatic tumors, and can appear at any time in the progression of the disease. We present herein a case of NICTH in a GIST tumor and report an exon 9 mutation associated to it. A thirty nine year-old man with a recurrent, metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor presented to the hospital with nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and profound hypoglycemia (20 mg/dL). There was no evidence of factitious hypoglycemia. He was stabilized with a continuous glucose infusion and following selective vascular embolization, the patient underwent debulking of a multicentric 40 cm × 25 cm × 10 cm gastrointestinal stromal tumor. After resection, the patient became euglycemic and returned to his normal activities. Tumor analysis confirmed excessive production of insulin-like growth factor II m-RNA and the precursor protein, "big" insulin-like growth factor II. Mutational analysis also identified a rare, 6 bp tandem repeat insert (gcctat) at position 1530 in exon 9 of KIT. Optimal management of gastrointestinal stromal tumor-induced hypoglycemia requires a multidisciplinary approach, and surgical debulking is the treatment of choice to obtain immediate symptom relief. Imatinib or combinations of glucocorticoids and growth hormone are alternative palliative strategies for symptomatic hypoglycemia. In addition, mutations in exon 9 of the tyrosine kinase receptor KIT occur in 11–20% of GIST and are often associated with poor patient outcomes. The association of this KIT mutation with non-islet cell tumor induced hypoglycemia has yet to be established.
The All-or-None Mode of the Reconstitution and the Reactions of α,α'-Bipyridyl and Mercurials with Clostridial Ferredoxin

The reconstitution of ferredoxin from apoferredoxinred was carried out in the presence of limiting amounts of iron or sulfide. No "iron-poor" or "sulfide-poor" ferredoxins containing less than 8 eq of both iron and sulfide could be recovered. Thus the reconstitution appears to be an "all-or-none" phenomenon. Treatment of chemically reduced ferredoxin from Clostridium acidi-urici with a slight excess of α,α'-bipyridyl resulted in the removal of 25% of both iron and sulfide. The loss of iron was accompanied by a comparable reduction in both the specific biological activity and absorbance at 390 mµ. After fractionation of the reaction products with ammonium sulfate, 54% of the material contained a full complement of iron and sulfide. Similarly, oxidized ferredoxin, when treated with a limiting amount of α,α'-bipyridyl for 22 hours at room temperature, lost 47% of both its iron and activity in an enzymic assay. Of the starting material, 46% contained a full complement of iron and sulfide. No ferredoxin containing less than a full complement of iron and sulfide could be isolated. These results demonstrate that α,α'-bipyridyl also reacts with ferredoxin in an all-or-none manner. In the reaction with limiting amounts of sodium mersalyl, ferredoxin lost 56% of its sulfide and 50% of its biological activity in an enzymic assay. Of the starting material, 38% was recovered with a full complement of iron and sulfide. The reaction with mersalyl is also an all-or-none phenomenon. Conditions optimal for reconstitution of ferredoxin from apoferredoxin are described.
Conditions for the Existence of a Positive Definite Solution to the Linear Modified Lyapunov Equation

A new sufficient condition for the existence of a positive definite solution to the linear modified Lyapunov equation is derived. With an additional mild assumption this condition is also proven necessary. Based on this result, the largest size of uncertainty for which a given feedback leads to robust stabilization based on the linear modified Lyapunov equation is expressed in closed form. This radius is proven equal to the reciprocal of the largest positive real eigenvalue of a specific "guarding matrix".
Shot noise of spin-polarized charge currents as a probe of spin coherence in spin-orbit coupled nanostructures

We generalize the scattering theory of quantum shot noise to include the full spin-density matrix of electrons injected from a spin filtering or ferromagnetic electrode into a quantum-coherent nanostructure governed by arbitrary spin-dependent interactions. This formalism yields the spin-resolved shot noise power for different experimental measurement setups---with ferromagnetic source and ferromagnetic or normal drain electrodes---whose evaluation for the diffusive multichannel quantum wires with the Rashba spin-orbit (SO) coupling shows how spin decoherence and dephasing lead to substantial enhancement of charge current fluctuations (characterized by Fano factors $g1∕3$). However, these processes and the corresponding shot-noise increase are suppressed in narrow wires, so that charge transport experiments measuring the Fano factor ${F}_{\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\downarrow}}$ in a ferromagnet/SO-coupled-wire/paramagnet setup also quantify the degree of phase coherence of transported spin---we predict a one-to-one correspondence between the magnitude of the spin-polarization vector and ${F}_{\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\downarrow}}$.