cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Convexity results for a predictive video coder

The problem of bit allocation among frames in a predictively encoded video sequence is fundamental to video compression. This paper examines the convexity of multivariate distortion-rate data generated by predictive encoding of video. The underlying convex structure of the distortion-rate data is used to motivate an efficient near-optimal steepest-descent (SD) algorithm for the bit allocation problem. Faster variations on the SD method are also constructed and evaluated. Both the convex data model and the SD algorithm are experimentally validated using an MPEG-2 encoder.
A linguagem e o significado de um lugar na América Latina

Estuda a importância cultural do conceito de lugar e sua diversificacao ao longo da historia. Desde o periodo pre-conquista, entre aztecas e incas, entre os quais lugar era indicativo de parentesco, de um conjunto de relacoes sociais cora uma conotacao geografica. Nas sociedades andinas as duas partes inferior e superior do espaco social indicavam atividades complementares. Os cais designados como capellas eram santuarios, correspondendo a rituais de fertilidade e colheita. A representacao cartografica dos Maias evidenciava a imagem quadripartida do universo andino (p. 79). A conquista espanhola modificaria sensivelmente os criterios de espaco; missoes, pueblos, reduciones passariam a designar uma hierarquia de poderes. O autor chama atencao para a diversidade dos criterios de designacao de lugar no correr da historia (p. 84) da construcao do Estado nacional, com as conotacoes locais, regionais, federalistas, centralizadoras (p. 88-93). Na epoca pos-moderna, por sua vez, a emergencia de novos localismos de resistencia contra o planejamento burocratico, com novas escalas de valores (o periferico e o metropolitano), e, finalmente, uma nova geografia do insolito a partir do turismo contemporâneo (p. 99).
Calibration of sampling clock skew in SHA-less pipeline ADCs

A gradient-based algorithm to adaptively calibrate sampling clock skew in sample-and-hold amplifier (SHA)-less pipeline analogue-to-digital converters (ADCs) is presented. It follows that the power consumption of pipeline ADCs can be substantially reduced at the architecture level by employing the SHA-less multi-bit-per-stage architecture and remedying the resulting sampling clock skew problem with calibration.
Should the DOQI adequacy guidelines be used to standardize peritoneal dialysis in children

The complete set of PD adequacy guidelines generated by NKF-DOQI is a valuable asset to the care of pediatric and adult patients receiving PD. Use of the recommendations generated by an evidence-based review of the literature (in addition to the expert opinion of the workgroup members who served as authors) has undoubtedly resulted in greater attention to detail in patient care and a more uniform approach to therapy. Whether the target clearances advocated for adults should serve as the standard for children is an issue where evidence is scant. Pertinent data needs to be generated by the pediatric nephrology community. Large pediatric study groups such as the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS), the Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Study Consortium (PPDSC), and the Mid-European Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Study Group (MEPPS) need to collect information on dialysis clearance and a host of outcome variables such as hospitalization rate, technique survival, nutrition status, statural growth, neurodevelopment, quality of life, and patient mortality. The same groups should also encourage the development of prospective studies designed to further improve the dialysis care of children. Finally, it should be evident to all clinicians and emphasized in the DOQI guidelines that PD adequacy in children is defined by more than just solute and fluid control. Only when anemia, nutrition, infection, growth, and quality of life are optimally managed in combination with effective dialysis can a clinician feel confident that the child on PD has been provided with needed and deserved care.
Endothelial independence of myogenic response in isolated skeletal muscle arterioles.

The goal of this study was to determine whether the endothelium played a role in the myogenic response of skeletal muscle arterioles. First-order arterioles (n = 15) were isolated from the rat crem...
Return on investment for open source scientific hardware development

The availability of free and open source hardware designs that can be replicated with low-cost 3-D printers provide large values to scientists that need highly-customized low-volume production scientific equipment. Digital manufacturing technologies have only recently become widespread and the return on investment (ROI) was not clear, so funding for open hardware development was historically sparse. This paper clarifies a method for determining an ROI for FOSH scientific hardware development. By using open source hardware design that can be manufactured digitally the relatively minor development costs result in enormous ROIs for the scientific community. A case study is presented of an syringe pump released under open-licenses, which results in ROIs for funders ranging from 100s to 1,000s of percent after only a few months. It is clear that policies encouraging free and open source scientific hardware development should be made by organizations interested in maximizing return on public investments for science.
Citrus: India's Answer to Paypal?

It is widely acknowledged that online payments in India is broken — on average, only 6 or 7 out of every 10 transactions succeed (Khan 2013). Citrus is a startup payments company based in Mumbai that is trying to change all of this. A senior executive at Sun Direct a prominent satellite television (DTH) operator in South India, credits Citrus with reducing failure rates for online payments to Sun Direct from 30 to 40 percent to less than 25. In revenue terms, this can be huge for companies that depend on online payments. According to Kunal Bahl, CEO of Snapdeal, an ecommerce ‘daily deal’ portal, even a one percent increase in transaction success rate adds about $3 million (19 crores) to Snapdeal’s revenues. Online retail payments have yet to capture the consumer market in India. This is primarily because Indians are uncomfortable with shopping online — they like to see what they are buying, know who they are dealing with and, whenever possible, pay in cash. A study by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) reveals that 33% of Indians internet users just do not trust the internet for their shopping needs, while 32% of those users who do shop online prefer Cash on Delivery (CoD) for online purchases (IAMAI 2013).
Electrophysiological Screening of Queen Substance and Analogues for Attraction to Drone, Queen, and Worker Honey Bees

Electrophysiological responses were determined on the antennae of the 3 castes of Apis mellifera L. to trans -9-oxo-2-decenoic acid (“queen substance”) and its cis isomer. In addition, electroantennograms (EAG’s) were obtained with 3 structural analogues of queen substance on the drones. The EGA’s correlated with the results of stronger responses than the cis isomer or the other test compounds. Marked differences were noted between the response of drone, worker, and queen honey bee antennae to the trans isomer.
Microearthquakes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Abstract We operated a microearthquake array in the neighborhood of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The array consists of four high-gain (up to 34 million), narrow band (25 Hz) telemetered stations. Based on approximate magnitude calibration of the array we expect during quiet periods, for distances less than 15 km, complete recording of events at Yucca Mt. for M ≧ −1. We have operated the four stations for 12-hour periods overnight between August and October 1990 and intermittently afterward, until April 1991, when we began more or less continuous operation. The pattern of microearthquake activity confirms the existence of a zone of seismic quiescence in the vicinity of proposed repository. We recorded only about 10 events with S-P times of less than 3 sec (D S-P times between 3 and 6.5 sec, consistent with the higher seismic activity at distances between 24 and 52 km observed by Rogers et al. (1987) and Gomberg (1991). Oliver et al. (1966) found, contrary to what has been observed by us for Yucca Mountain, that in seismically active areas most of the events had S-P times of less than 3 sec. We confirmed this expectation for four microearthquake stations near Mammoth Lakes, where we observed microearthquake rates of over 100 per day, most with S-P times of less than 3 sec. Extrapolation of seismicity data from the Southern Great Basin Seismic Network confirms the low microearthquake activity in the immediate vicinity of Yucca Mountain.
Neutral point clamped three-level half-bridge inverter

The scheme of realizing the inverter functions with the single-phase half bridge of the neutral-point clamped three-level inverter is put forward. The working principles of the neutral point clamped three-level halfbridge inverter are studied. The scheme is proved to be feasible by the practical simulation experiments.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. When is it warranted

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring allows repetitive and non-invasive measurements to be taken over a 24-hour period or longer in the patient's usual environment. A technically successful recording yields valuable information about circadian blood pressure patterns and the mean, peak, nadir, standard deviation, and variability of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Although ambulatory monitoring should not be used in all hypertensive patients, it can aid in the evaluation of specific problems, such as borderline, resistant, and episodic hypertension; transient hypotension; and blood pressure-related target-organ damage. It also helps in assessing the efficacy of anti-hypertensive medications and in conducting longitudinal epidemiologic studies of target-organ damage and cardiovascular events.
Fiduciary contours: perspectives on mutual funds and private funds

The thesis of this essay, written as a chapter in a forthcoming book, is that in the mutual fund context, the specifics of fiduciary duty reflect the distinctive qualities of this form of investment in securities. The particular contours that shape fiduciary duty reflect many factors, including the highly prescriptive regulatory context distinctively applicable to mutual funds. To sharpen its depiction of the fiduciary distinctiveness of mutual funds, I draw contrasts with two other avenues through which an investor may delegate investment choice: (1) "private" funds, that is, vehicles for pooled investments that are not subject to the full regulatory regime applicable to mutual (or "public") funds; and (2) non-fund investment relationships through which an investment adviser undertakes to manage an investor's individual securities account. The essay also argues that mutual funds represent a distinctively hybrid form of investment. Interposing the fund between investors and the fund's assets implicates questions of entity governance, however the fund is organized; the fact that regulation requires mutual fund shares to be redeemable causes them to resemble products that may be sold into secondary markets. And the ongoing tri-partite relationship between a mutual fund's manager, its assets, and its investors at least by analogy constitutes an agency relationship, in which managers owe fiduciary duties on an ongoing basis. Contrasts between mutual funds and private funds are timely, in part because the population of investment advisers now registered with the SEC includes many who advise at least one private fund. Newly-available information about private funds' practices calls into question whether they are always consistent with fund managers' duties to investors, as do data concerning practices of hedge fund managers during the financial crisis. Investments in private funds are not (unlike mutual funds) subject to a redeemability requirement. Even when investors in private funds met criteria for investor sophistication, they made investment decisions in an environment of informational opacity, including how fund managers might use the discretion they retained. Crisis-era data suggest that discretion was not always used in a manner consistent with the fiduciary duties that private fund managers owed to investors.
Critical assessment of reverse-MISO techniques for system identification of coupled roll motion of ships

Of the six degrees of freedom of a vessel at sea, roll motion is the most poorly understood. While the other modes such as heave and pitch motions behave fairly linearly, the roll motion exhibits a nonlinear behavior due to the effect of softening stiffness and viscous damping. This makes predicting the roll motion parameters from experimental time series fairly difficult. The identification of system parameters from the input and output time histories is termed as system identification and is the usual approach to predict parameters from experimental data. This paper investigates the application of a reverse Multiple Input Single Output (R-MISO) method to analyze the nonlinear roll motion of a ship. The paper provides a detailed theoretical description of the method followed by an example demonstrating its application to coupled roll and sway motions of a ship at sea. While the method’s validity is demonstrated by application to simulated data, a discussion on the limitations of the method is also provided which we believe has not received adequate emphasis in the existing literature on the subject.
Correcting for Multiple Testing During Diagnostic Accuracy Studies

ABSTRACTDuring diagnostic accuracy studies, hypotheses are often tested on more than one accuracy measure. One common example is to make inferences both on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and on the sensitivity and specificity at a particular operating point. This represents a unique multiple testing situation as the AUC is a function of the sensitivity and specificity. Through a large simulation study, we showed that a naive approach of testing all three accuracy measures at a 0.05-level greatly elevates the family-wise Type I error rate (i.e., up to 10%). When a gatekeeping approach to controlling the FWER was appropriate (family 1: AUC, family 2: sensitivity and specificity), adjustment in the second family was necessary to control the FWER across all scenarios. When a nonhierarchical approach was appropriate, the methods of Xie (2012) offered increased power over Holm's step-down procedure, but required assumptions about the correlation among the test statistics. In ou...
Ring‐Opening Copolymerization of Styrene Oxide and Cyclic Anhydrides by using Highly Effective Zinc Amido–Oxazolinate Catalysts

Polyesters have been widely applied owing to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. Recently, catalytic ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic anhydrides and epoxides has emerged as an effective approach for the synthesis of polyesters. Herein, we report a series of amido–oxazolinate zinc complexes as highly active catalysts for the ring-opening copolymerization of styrene oxide and cyclic anhydrides. Turnover frequencies up to 4000 h−1 were achieved in the reaction of styrene oxide and maleic anhydride. Analysis of the end groups provides a useful probe for the preference at the electron-poor methine site of styrene oxide for the ring-opening process.
Analyzing the Reciprocal Relationship Between the Catholic Church and Industrial-Era Milwaukee

This study is based on the premise that a reciprocal relationship existed between the Catholic Church and capitalist entrepreneurs in the industrial era Midwest. In nineteenth-century Europe, the Catholic Church was a long established entity. The European Church benefited from the goodwill of powerful monarchs and wealthy nobility. Yet, the republican values of the United States of the nineteenth century had no place for such old world institutions, and the American Catholic Church had no such titled philanthropists to rely on in its search for stability. What America did have were entrepreneurs, eager to increase their fortunes and establish themselves in a rapidly expanding nation. For these men, religion had a very secular effect. When properly cultivated and supported, religion was good for business. A flourishing local parish was just as important as a well-managed local bank for the stability and growth of the urban community. In Milwaukee's period of heavy industrialization, lasting roughly from 1870-1929, this link between church and industry became especially pronounced. The Cream City during the industrial era provides an excellent case study of this distinctly American way of "doing" religion. Milwaukee industrialists, both Catholic and non-Catholic alike and spanning the entire spectrum of commerce and industry, became the local church's greatest benefactors. The financial assistance that Milwaukee industrialists offered Milwaukee churches was small and large, and came from a wide assortment of individual agendas. Some of these motivating factors were purely philanthropic; others masked self-serving interests, while most fell somewhere in between.
پرۆژهى بهجينۆسايد ناساندنى تاوانى ئهنفال: ڕێكارى ياسايى پێويست لهبهردهم دادگاى تاوانه نێودهوڵهتييهكان ,ڕۆڵى نهتهوه يهكگرتووهكان , ئهنجومهنى ئاسايشى نێودهوڵهتى و داواكارى گشتى نێودهوڵهتى چييه...؟

جینۆساید, له‌به‌ر ئه‌وه‌ى تاوانیکى نێونه‌ته‌وه‌ییه‌و ئه‌جنامێکى ترسناکى هه‌یه‌,بۆیه‌ له‌ یاسایینێوده‌وڵه‌تاندا به‌ په‌میانێکى تایبه‌ت وگه‌لی به‌ڵگه‌نامه‌ى تر له‌ جیهاندا قه‌ده‌غه‌ کراوه‌. ئه‌م تاوانه‌ تاوانێکىسه‌ربه‌خۆیه‌ و لێپرسینه‌وه‌ى نێوده‌وڵه‌تى ده‌که‌وێته‌ ئه‌ستووى تاوانکارانى له‌ هه‌موو جیهاندا. ده‌بێتچه‌مک و ماناى جینۆساید به‌ ته‌واووى روونبکرێته‌وه‌ کارێکى زۆرو لێکۆڵینه‌وه‌ییه‌کى به‌رفراوانى ده‌وێتتاکو له‌به‌ر رۆشنایی یاسایی نێوده‌وڵه‌تى ئه‌رکان و خه‌سڵه‌تى ئه‌و تاوانه‌ روونبکه‌ینه‌وه‌ بگه‌ینه‌ ئه‌وده‌رئه‌جنامه‌ى که‌ تاوانى جینۆساید له‌ دژى گه‌لی کورد ئه‌جنامدراوه‌ تاکو بتوانێن پاڵپشتێکى نێوده‌وڵه‌تىبۆ بڕه‌خسێننی.ئه‌وه‌ش ئه‌و مافه‌ به‌ گه‌لی کورد ڕه‌وا ده‌بیننی که‌ داوا بکات له‌ کۆمه‌ڵگاى نێوده‌وڵه‌تىله‌به‌رپرسیارێتى تاوانى نێونه‌ته‌وه‌یی گه‌لی کورد خۆشنه‌بن, بۆ ئه‌وه‌ى گه‌لی کورد وه‌ک هه‌ر گه‌لێکى ترداکۆکی له‌ مایف ڕه‌وایی خۆی بکات و به‌ئاشتى هێمنى له‌سه‌ر خاکى خۆیی بچیت تاکو په‌ره‌ به‌ ژیانىسیاسی و ئابوورى و کۆمه‌ڵه‌یتى و کلتوورى بدات. ده‌بێته‌ فاکته‌رێکى به‌هێز له‌ سه‌ر ئاستى نێونه‌ته‌وه‌ییکه‌ گه‌لی کورد به‌ درێژایی مێژوو که‌وتووه‌ته‌ به‌ر شااڵوى جینۆساید و ئه‌نفال و تاوانى کوشنت و ماڵوێرانکردن.زۆر مه‌به‌ست بوو له‌م باسه‌دا بکۆڵینه‌وه‌ له‌ رووى یاسایی نێوده‌وڵه‌تى و UN و دادگاى تاوانه‌نێوده‌وڵه‌تییه‌کان و ئه‌جنومه‌نى ئاسایشی نێوده‌وڵه‌تى و ڕۆڵی داواکارى گشتى نێوده‌وڵه‌تى و جارنامه‌ىمافه‌کانى مرۆڤ چۆن ده‌بێت سه‌باره‌ت به‌ ناساندنى تاوانى کۆمه‌ڵکوژ گه‌لی کورد وه‌ک جینۆساید له‌سه‌رئاستى نێونه‌توه‌یی. پێویسته‌ سزایی تووندى ئه‌و ده‌سه‌اڵت و الیانه‌ بدرێت که‌ به‌رنامه‌ ڕێژى یانپشتگریى یان به‌شدارى یان پاڵپشتیکه‌رده‌بن بۆ ئه‌جنامدانى تاوانى جینۆساید, چونکه‌ تاوانیکى زۆرگه‌وره‌و ترسناکه‌ له‌سه‌ر ئاستى نێونه‌ته‌وه‌یی, له‌الیه‌کى تره‌وه‌ کۆمه‌ڵگه‌ى نێوده‌وڵه‌تى ده‌بێت هه‌مشه‌ هه‌وڵبدات بۆ به‌ربه‌ندکردنى ئه‌و جۆره‌ تاوانه‌ چونکه‌ مایف بوونى ژیان و گوزه‌ران و ماناى بوونىمرۆڤایه‌تى ده‌خاته‌ ژێرپرسیاره‌وه‌. پاش پرۆسه‌ى ئازاى عیراق له‌ ساڵی 2003 چه‌ند گۆرانکاریه‌کروویاند.1-تاوانى جێنۆساید گه‌لی کورد له‌سه‌رده‌مى سه‌رۆکى پێشووى عریاق صدام حسێن روویدا, له‌سه‌ردادگایکردنى کۆمه‌ڵکوژى دوجه‌یل, له‌الیه‌ن دادگاى بااڵى تاوانه‌کانى عریاقه‌وه‌ حوکمى ئیعدامى بۆده‌رچوو, له‌گه‌ل ته‌ها یاسنی ڕه‌مه‌زان و عه‌واد به‌نده‌ر و به‌رزان تکریتى ئیعدام کران.2-ڕۆژی 24/6/2007 هه‌مان دادگاى بااڵى تاوانه‌کانى عێراق حوکمى ئیعدامى بۆ علی حسێن جمیدناسراوه‌ به‌ )علی کیمیاوى( و )سوڵتان هاشم( وه‌زیرى به‌رگرى ڕژێمى پێشووى عێراق )صدام( ده‌رکرد.
Library space assessment: a professional education case study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of library space assessment, and to investigate how new professionals, represented by a cohort of graduate students taking a course on academic libraries, approached the task of designing and conducting a one-shot space evaluation project. Design/methodology/approach A review of literature on academic library space was used to introduce the project to student participants and to put the results of their work in context. Seven student groups were required to define their evaluation criteria, conduct quality assessments at individual sites and perform a cross-case analysis to inform recommendations for improvements. Findings The literature confirmed growing interest in learning space assessment, with a trend toward the use of mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods, particularly ethnographic techniques using multimedia, and the development of comprehensive toolkits and frameworks. The students used a range of approaches: three groups developed their own evaluation criteria or categories (informed by their reading), and four groups used existing tools (with modifications). All used observations to collect data. Variations across the cohort pointed to different priorities in professional and/or personal values. Research limitations/implications The research was based on a small sample of 20 students in one cohort. Replication of the study with future cohorts tasked with the same assignment would strengthen the validity of the findings. Originality/value The study offers a novel perspective on the desirable qualities of learning spaces by exploring how graduate librarianship students as both student library users and next-generation professionals specify evaluation criteria and conduct space assessments.
Biomembrane-Compatible Sol–Gel-Derived Photocatalytic Titanium Dioxide

Titanium dioxide gel monoliths were synthesized using an organic precursor and 0-30 vol % ethanol in water. The visible-light-activated proton pump, bacteriorhodopsin, in its native purple membrane form, was successfully encapsulated within the titanium dioxide gels. Absorption spectra showed that the folded functional state of the protein remained intact within gels made with 0 and 15 vol % ethanol and retained the ability to make reversible conformational changes associated with the photocycle within the gel made with 0 vol % ethanol. The photocatalytic activity of gels made with no ethanol was significantly detectable and gels made with 0-30 vol % ethanol were comparable to commercial crystalline nanoparticles in similar solution conditions when irradiated with UV light. Our results show that sol-gel-derived photocatalytic titanium dioxide can be made biocompatible for a membrane-associated protein by minimizing the amount of ethanol and maximizing the amount of water in the synthesis procedure. The entrapment of the membrane protein, bacteriorhodopsin, in sol-gel-derived titanium dioxide provides the first step in future explorations of this bionanocomposite for visible light photocatalysis, including hydrogen production.
Neural integrity of the anterior insula is related to autonomic function in postmenopausal women with and without HIV

Chronic exposure to HIV leads to cognitive derangement via neuro-inflammatory insult. It is hypothesized that HIV-infection and markers of neural and glial integrity of an important hub within the central autonomic network (i.e., anterior insula), will predict respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in post- menopausal women. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) analysis was directed at a 15 mm3 region of the left anterior insula. MRS metabolite concentrations measured included N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and myo-Inositol (mI), biomarkers for glial and neuronal integrity. These levels were compared with expiratory- inspiratory (E/I) ratio in 13 post-menopausal women with and without HIV (mean age 55.62 years, SD = 5.04) during a slow-breathing test. A regression analysis indicated that HIV + status and increased levels of NAA within the insula explained 45% of the variance in the E/I ratio (R2 = 0.450, SE = 0.64 F(2,10) = 4.09, p = 0.05); in a second model HIV+ and mI explained 49% of the variance of lower E/I ratio (R2 = 0.494, SE = 0.60 F(2,11) = 4.385, p = 0.047). Higher levels of mI predicted a lower E/I ratios, beta = 0.019, SE = 0.008, p = 0.039, 95% CI [0.001,0.036]. Results indicate neural and glial integrity of the left anterior insula may predict vagal function in postmenopausal women, independent of HIV status.
Oxidative Stress-induced miR-27a Targets the Redox gene Nrf2 in Diabetic Embryopathy

Background Maternal diabetes induces neural tube defects (NTDs), and oxidative stress is a causal factor for maternal diabetes-induces NTDs. The redox gene Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2) is the master regulator of the cellular antioxidant system. Objective In the present study, we aimed to determine whether maternal diabetes inhibits Nrf2 expression and Nrf2-controlled antioxidant genes through the redox-sensitive miR-27a. Study design We used a well-established type 1 diabetic embryopathy mouse model induced by streptozotocin for our in vivo studies. Embryos at E8.5 were harvested for analysis of Nrf2, Nrf2-controlled antioxidant genes and miR-27a expression. To determine if mitigating oxidative stress inhibits the increase of miR-27a and the decrease of Nrf2 expression, we induced diabetic embryopathy in SOD2 (mitochondrial-associated antioxidant gene)-overexpressing mice. This model exhibits reduced mitochondria reactive oxygen species even in the presence of hyperglycemia. To investigate the causal relationship between miR-27a and Nrf2 in vitro, we examined C17.2 neural stem cells under normal and high glucose conditions. Results We observed that the mRNA and protein levels of Nrf2 were significantly decreased in E8.5 embryos from diabetic dams compared to those from nondiabetic dams. High glucose also significantly decreased Nrf2 expression in a dose- and time- dependent manner in cultured neural stem cells. Our data revealed that miR-27a was up-regulated in E8.5 embryos exposed to diabetes, and that high glucose increased miR-27a levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner in cultured neural stem cells. In addition, we found that a miR-27a inhibitor abrogated the inhibitory effect of high glucose on Nrf2 expression, and a miR-27a mimic suppressed Nrf2 expression in cultured neural stem cells. Furthermore, our data indicated that the Nrf2-controlled antioxidant enzymes glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), glutamate-cyteine ligase modifier subunit (GLCM), and glutathione S-transferase A1 (GSTA1) were downregulated by maternal diabetes in E8.5 embryos and high glucose in cultured neural stem cells. Inhibiting miR-27a restored expression of GCLC, GLCM and GSTA1. Overexpressing SOD2 reversed the maternal diabetes-induced increase of miR-27a and suppression of Nrf2 and Nrf2-controlled antioxidant enzymes. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that maternal diabetes-induced oxidative stress increases miR-27a, which, in turn, suppresses Nrf2 and its responsive antioxidant enzymes, resulting in diabetic embryopathy.
Electro-thermal characterization of GaN HEMT on Si through selfconsistent energy balance-cellular Monte Carlo device simulations

In order to assess the mechanisms of self-heating observed in GaN HEMTs on Si substrates, we have performed the electro-thermal characterization of an experimental device in terms of the simulation of its DC characteristics through an expanded full band Monte Carlo particle-based simulator self-consistently coupled to an energy balance heat equation for phonons. The accurate temperature profiles obtained for the acoustic and optical phonon modes, showed that the location of the hot spot in the channel is not at the peak of the electric field, but it is shifted towards the drain up to 34nm. Also, the modeled I d V ds V gs space is improved as a result of including the self-heating effects, which modify the charge transport in the active layer of the device through the temperature dependence of the scattering mechanisms considered in the simulations.
Perceptions and practices addressing diversion among US buprenorphine prescribers.

Abstract Background While there has been a dramatic increase in prescribing of buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder in the US, little is known about prescribers’ attitudes and practices regarding buprenorphine diversion and how they relate to prescriber characteristics. Methods A national random sample of buprenorphine prescribers (N = 1174) completed surveys from July 2014 to January 2017. Analyses examined relationships between prescriber and practice characteristics and prescriber perceptions and approaches regarding diversion. Results Among this sample of buprenorphine prescribers, 79.0% (N = 898) reported assessing all patients for risk of buprenorphine diversion and misuse. A third of prescribers described diversion as a significant or very significant concern in their community. The majority of prescribers reported seeing patients on average at least every other week during the first 60 days of treatment, and the majority reported testing urine for buprenorphine to assess for diversion. Perceptions of diversion being a greater problem in their community (AOR 1.212, 95% CI 1.073–1.369) and use of medication counts (AOR 1.006, 95% CI 1.003–1.009) were associated with increased likelihood of terminating patients when diversion was suspected, while having expertise in addiction (AOR 0.526, 95% CI 0.406–0.682) or psychiatry (AOR 0.714, 95% CI 0.558–0.914) were associated with decreased odds of terminating treatment for suspected diversion. Conclusions Buprenorphine prescribers report diversion is an important issue, and most prescribers report that they assess patients for diversion, though specific practices differ based on prescriber and practice characteristics.
Online Mapping with APIs

Bringing maps to users has been made much easier with the World Wide Web. Millions of maps now make their way through a world-wide network of computers. A major change occurred in 2005 in how those maps were delivered when Google Maps implemented a tile-based mapping system based on AJAX that facilitated interactive zooming and panning. The following year, an Application Programmer Interface (API) was released that gave programmers access to the underlying mapping functions. It was now possible to place data on top of the Google base map and make this map available to anyone. This system was created at tremendous expense. It is calculated that the number of tiles required at 20 zoom levels is nearly 1.5 trillion. At 15 KB per tile, this equates to 20 Petabytes or 20,480 TB and a data storage cost of between US $2 million and US $2 billion per data center. This expenditure indicates the level of importance that online companies place on maps. It also represents a shift in how maps of all kinds are delivered to users. Mobile devices are a further indication of this change in map delivery.
Presentation Slides for 'Investor Psychology and Asset Pricing'

The basic paradigm of asset pricing is in vibrant flux. The purely rational approach is being subsumed by a broader approach based upon the psychology of investors. In this approach, security expected returns are determined by both risk and misvaluation. This survey sketches a framework for understanding decision biases, evaluates the a priori arguments and the capital market evidence bearing on the importance of investor psychology for security prices, and reviews recent models. Prepublication version of paper: https://ssrn.com/abstract=265132.
A Construction of Berezin–Toeplitz Operators via Schrödinger Operators and the Probabilistic Representation of Berezin–Toeplitz Semigroups Based on Planar Brownian Motion

First we discuss the construction of self-adjoint Berezin–Toeplitz operators on weighted Bergman spaces via semibounded quadratic forms. To ensure semiboundedness, regularity conditions on the real-valued functions serving as symbols of these Berezin–Toeplitz operators are imposed. Then a probabilistic expression of the sesqui-analytic integral kernel for the associated semigroups is derived. All results are the consequence of a relation of Berezin–Toeplitz operators to Schrodinger operators defined via certain quadratic forms. The probabilistic expression is derived in conjunction with the Feynman–Kac–Ito formula.
An improved method for isolation of mitochondria from cell lines that enables reconstitution of calcium-dependent processes

Abstract Optimum cytosolic calcium concentrations support balanced mitochondrial respiration. However, cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations vary among cell types and excess Ca2+ can cause mitochondrial dysfunction. We optimized an isolation protocol to eliminate excess Ca2+ and thereby minimizing structural damage. Ca2+ uptake was monitored by measuring mitochondrial Ca2+-dependent PKA activity using cAMP ELISAs, and O2 consumption levels during mitochondrial respiration using high-resolution respirometry. 3 nM Ca2+ was found to increase cAMP levels and produce optimal state III respiration. Hence, optimized isolation of mitochondria from cell lines using calcium denudation provides the best platform for the study of Ca2+-dependent regulation of mitochondrial signaling.
Social Cleavages and Preferences for Government Redistribution in Contemporary China

Public preferences for redistribution are important for policymaking in authoritarian countries such as China, where political legitimacy has relied heavily on improving the population’s well-being and is likely to be impaired by growing levels of social inequality. What are ordinary Chinese preferences for government redistribution? Do they differ from the public preferences observed in advanced industrialized economies, or are they similar to those found in other developing or post-communist countries? Drawing on the World Values Survey of China for 1990 to 2012 and a multilevel data analysis, I find that Chinese preferences for government redistribution vary significantly with income, occupation, and place of residence as existing studies of advanced industrialized democracies and other developing countries predict. Moreover, Chinese preferences notably fall along state–private sectoral and labor-market insider–outsider cleavages generated by the country’s state socialist legacy and its newly developed market economy. These findings suggest that in contemporary China, multiple social cleavages coexist and interweave in such a way as to fragment society without fracturing it along a single and deep class line. This study helps advance understanding of the societal foundations of redistributive policies and politics in China and in transitional societies with newly developed market economies in general.
Metal nanomaterials: Immune effects and implications of physicochemical properties on sensitization, elicitation, and exacerbation of allergic disease

The recent surge in incorporation of metallic and metal oxide nanomaterials into consumer products and their corresponding use in occupational settings have raised concerns over the potential for metals to induce size-specific adverse toxicological effects. Although nano-metals have been shown to induce greater lung injury and inflammation than their larger metal counterparts, their size-related effects on the immune system and allergic disease remain largely unknown. This knowledge gap is particularly concerning since metals are historically recognized as common inducers of allergic contact dermatitis, occupational asthma, and allergic adjuvancy. The investigation into the potential for adverse immune effects following exposure to metal nanomaterials is becoming an area of scientific interest since these characteristically lightweight materials are easily aerosolized and inhaled, and their small size may allow for penetration of the skin, which may promote unique size-specific immune effects with implications for allergic disease. Additionally, alterations in physicochemical properties of metals in the nano-scale greatly influence their interactions with components of biological systems, potentially leading to implications for inducing or exacerbating allergic disease. Although some research has been directed toward addressing these concerns, many aspects of metal nanomaterial-induced immune effects remain unclear. Overall, more scientific knowledge exists in regards to the potential for metal nanomaterials to exacerbate allergic disease than to their potential to induce allergic disease. Furthermore, effects of metal nanomaterial exposure on respiratory allergy have been more thoroughly-characterized than their potential influence on dermal allergy. Current knowledge regarding metal nanomaterials and their potential to induce/exacerbate dermal and respiratory allergy are summarized in this review. In addition, an examination of several remaining knowledge gaps and considerations for future studies is provided.
A modular approach to marine macrolide construction. 1. An enantiocontrolled route to the C1–C12 (AB) spiroacetal sector

Abstract A practical approach to a desymmetrized, enantiomerically pure AB spiroacetal ring component of altohyrtin A and its congeners is detailed.
Imaging spinal cord activity in behaving animals

The spinal cord is the primary neurological link between the brain and peripheral organs. How important it is in everyday life is apparent in patients with spinal cord injury or motoneuron disease, who have dramatically reduced musculoskeletal control or capacity to sense their environment. Despite its crucial role in sensory and motor processing little is known about the cellular and molecular signaling events that underlie spinal cord function under naturalistic conditions. While genetic, electrophysiological, pharmacological, and circuit tracing studies have revealed important roles for different molecularly defined neurons, these approaches insufficiently describe the moment-to-moment neuronal and non-neuronal activity patterns that underlie sensory-guided motor behaviors in health and disease. The recent development of imaging methods for real-time interrogation of cellular activity in the spinal cord of behaving mice has removed longstanding technical obstacles to spinal cord research and allowed new insight into how different cell types encode sensory information from mechanoreceptors and nociceptors in the skin. Here, we review the current state-of-the-art in interrogating cellular and microcircuit function in the spinal cord of behaving mammals and discuss current opportunities and technological challenges.
Pain control for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome patients undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery:

Introduction:Scant research exists on pain control for interstitial cystitis patients undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery. Our aim was to compare the perioperative courses in patients with and...
The role of metacognition in explaining the relationship between early adversity and reading comprehension

Abstract The present study investigated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and reading comprehension as well as the relationship between current trauma symptoms and reading comprehension. Each of these relationships were investigated as being mediated by academic metacognition (i.e., knowledge and regulation of cognition while completing learning tasks) and maladaptive metacognition (i.e., a lack of confidence in cognitions, positive beliefs about worry, cognitive self-consciousness, negative beliefs about the uncontrollability of thoughts, and beliefs about the need to control thoughts). A self-report survey asked undergraduate students (N = 179) about their adverse experiences prior to age 18, current trauma symptoms, academic metacognition, and maladaptive metacognition. In addition, students completed a reading comprehension task. Results from a path analysis indicated adverse childhood experiences were not directly or indirectly related to reading comprehension. However, trauma symptomology was indirectly related to reading comprehension. Specifically, this relationship was mediated by maladaptive metacognition, but not academic metacognition. Taken together, these results suggest that students’ trauma symptoms may be an important factor in predicting academic achievement, rather than simply students’ exposure to adversity. In particular, students who demonstrate trauma symptoms may be more likely to engage in maladaptive metacognition, leading to lower performance on reading comprehension tasks. This study suggests that practitioners working with students demonstrating trauma symptoms should be aware of students’ use of maladaptive metacognition, which may impede their academic achievement.
Optimal restoration of multiple signals in quaternion algebra

This paper offers a new multiple signal restoration tool to solve the inverse problem, when signals are convoluted with a multiple impulse response and then degraded by an additive noise signal with multiple components. Inverse problems arise practically in all areas of science and engineering and refers to as methods of estimating data/parameters, in our case of multiple signals that cannot directly be observed. The presented tool is based on the mapping multiple signals into the quaternion domain, and then solving the inverse problem. Due to the non-commutativity of quaternion arithmetic, it is difficult to find the optimal filter in the frequency domain for degraded quaternion signals. As an alternative, we introduce an optimal filter by using special 4×4 matrices on the discrete Fourier transforms of signal components, at each frequency point. The optimality of the solution is with respect to the mean-square-root error, as in the classical theory of the signal restoration by the Wiener filter. The Illustrative example of optimal filtration of multiple degraded signals in the quaternion domain is given. The computer simulations validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Two Non-gadolinium-based, Innovative Approaches to Preoperative Lymphangiography.

Most magnetic resonance lymphangiography techniques employ intravenous gadolinium-based contrast agents, which carry a US Food and Drug Administration warning about gadolinium retention in the body when used intravenously. Because of this, there may be reluctance to perform intradermal injections of gadolinium-based contrast agents in patients with obstructed lymphatic drainage due to concerns about gadolinium retention in the skin and soft tissues and potential-related toxicity. The aim of this study was to show proof of concept of 2 preoperative lymphangiographic techniques that do not use gadolinium-based contrast agents. One technique used contrast-enhanced ultrasound with intradermal injections of microbubbles (Lumason) in a patient with stage 3, nonpitting left upper extremity edema. Another technique used magnetic resonance imaging with intradermal injections of 0.03 mg/mL or 0.003% ferumoxytol (Feraheme) in a patient with stage 3, nonpitting right lower extremity edema. Both contrast-enhanced ultrasound with microbubbles and magnetic resonance lymphangiogram with ferumoxytol were able to identify candidates for lymphovenous bypass surgery. These candidates were not identified by conventional indocyanine green injections. The authors conclude that (1) low-dose ferumoxytol is a potentially effective non-gadolinium-based contrast alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agent in magnetic resonance lymphangiography and (2) contrast-enhanced ultrasound can identify candidate lymphatic vessels for anastomosis.
Nick Martin as a Mentor - A Perspective.

Nick Martin has had an outsized influence on the field of behavioral genetics. Much of this influence stems from his mentorship of young scientists. I describe Nick’s mentorship, and what makes it special, from a personal perspective.
Chapter 3.2 – Neuroendocrine aspects of PTSD

This chapter discusses how neuroendocrine findings in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) potentially inform us about hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) alterations in PTSD and highlight alterations relevant to the identification of targets for drug development. The majority of studies demonstrate alterations consistent with an enhanced negative feedback inhibition of cortisol on the pituitary, and/or an overall hyperreactivity of other target tissues (adrenal gland, hypothalamus) in PTSD. However, findings of low cortisol and increased reactivity of the pituitary in PTSD are also consistent with reduced adrenal output. The observations in PTSD are part of a growing body of neuroendocrine data providing evidence of insufficient glucocorticoid signaling in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.
Counseling leadership and professional counselor identity: a phenomenological study

This phenomenological study explored the perspectives and experiences of 12 counseling leaders grounding their leadership within professional counselor identity. The results of this study yielded f...
A Novel miRNA-Mediated Mechanism to Retain Latent HCMV Genomes in Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

Herpesvirus infection of the host results in latency in unique cell-types for each sub-family of viruses. Since herpesviruses are maintained as an episome, the viruses need to devise mechanisms to retain the latent genome during cell division. α-herpesviruses overcome this obstacle by infecting nondividing neurons while γ-herpesviruses tether their genome to the host chromosome in dividing B-cells. The β-herpesvirus Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) establishes latency in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) but the mechanism to maintain the viral genome during cellular proliferation is unknown. In this report we demonstrate that HCMV miR-US25-1 down-regulates expression of RhoA that results in the inhibition CD34+ HPC proliferation by blocking mitosis. Mutation of miR-US25-1 in the virus results in the loss of the HCMV genome in latently infected cells. These results reveal a novel mechanism through which HCMV is able to regulate cell division to prevent the loss of the viral genome in proliferating cells.
Left atrial mural endocarditis in the absence of significant structural heart disease

Abstract Primary mural endocarditis without valvular involvement is rare and most often involves the ventricular endocardium. Left atrial mural endocarditis is an extremely rare subset of infective endocarditis. We describe a case of a young woman with left atrial mural endocarditis without significant structural or valvular heart disease.
Imaging Hallmarks of the Tumor Microenvironment in Glioblastoma Progression

Glioblastoma progression involves multifaceted changes in vascularity, cellularity, and metabolism. Capturing such complexities of the tumor niche, from the tumor core to the periphery, by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) methods has translational impact. In human-derived glioblastoma models (U87, U251) we made simultaneous and longitudinal measurements of tumor perfusion (Fp), permeability (Ktrans), and volume fractions of extracellular (ve) and blood (vp) spaces from dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI, cellularity from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) MRI, and extracellular pH (pHe) from an MRSI method called Biosensor Imaging of Redundant Deviation in Shifts (BIRDS). Spatiotemporal patterns of these parameters during tumorigenesis were unique for each tumor. While U87 tumors grew faster, Fp, Ktrans, and vp increased with tumor growth in both tumors but these trends were more pronounced for U251 tumors. Perfused regions between tumor periphery and core with U87 tumors exhibited higher Fp, but Ktrans of U251 tumors remained lowest at the tumor margin, suggesting primitive vascularization. Tumor growth was uncorrelated with ve, ADC, and pHe. U87 tumors showed correlated regions of reduced ve and lower ADC (higher cellularity), suggesting ongoing proliferation. U251 tumors revealed that the tumor core had higher ve and elevated ADC (lower cellularity), suggesting necrosis development. The entire tumor was uniformly acidic (pHe 6.1-6.8) early and throughout progression, but U251 tumors were more acidic, suggesting lower aerobic glycolysis in U87 tumors. Characterizing these cancer hallmarks with DCE-MRI, ADC-MRI, and BIRDS-MRSI will be useful for exploring tumorigenesis as well as timely therapies targeted to specific vascular and metabolic aspects of the tumor microenvironment.