cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intricate and Cell Type-Specific Populations of Endogenous Circular DNA (eccDNA) in Caenorhabditis elegans and Homo sapiens .

Investigations aimed at defining the 3D configuration of eukaryotic chromosomes have consistently encountered an endogenous population of chromosome-derived circular genomic DNA, referred to as extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA). While the production, distribution, and activities of eccDNAs remain understudied, eccDNA formation from specific regions of the linear genome has profound consequences on the regulatory and coding capabilities for these regions. Here, we define eccDNA distributions in Caenorhabditis elegans and in three human cell types, utilizing a set of DNA topology-dependent approaches for enrichment and characterization. The use of parallel biophysical, enzymatic, and informatic approaches provides a comprehensive profiling of eccDNA robust to isolation and analysis methodology. Results in human and nematode systems provide quantitative analysis of the eccDNA loci at both unique and repetitive regions. Our studies converge on and support a consistent picture, in which endogenous genomic DNA circles are present in normal physiological states, and in which the circles come from both coding and noncoding genomic regions. Prominent among the coding regions generating DNA circles are several genes known to produce a diversity of protein isoforms, with mucin proteins and titin as specific examples.
Importance of high magnetic field for HAMR SNR

In this work we develop a recording time window based model to estimate the writeability of granular media in heat-assisted magnetic recording.
The Enhancement of Interfacial Exciton Dissociation by Energetic Disorder Is a Nonequilibrium Effect.

The dissociation of excited electron–hole pairs is a microscopic process that is fundamental to the performance of photovoltaic systems. For this process to be successful, the oppositely charged electron and hole must overcome an electrostatic binding energy before they undergo ground state recombination. It has been observed previously that the presence of energetic disorder can lead to a reduction in recombination losses. Here we investigate this effect using a simple model of charge dynamics at a donor–acceptor interface. We consider the effect of spatial variations in electronic energy levels, such as those that arise in disordered molecular systems, on dissociation yield and demonstrate that it is maximized with a finite amount of disorder. We demonstrate that this is a nonequilibrium effect that is mediated by the dissipation driven formation of partially dissociated intermediate states that are long-lived because they cannot easily recombine. We present a kinetic model that incorporates these state...
Optical indices of lithiated electrochromic oxides

Abstract Optical indices have been determined for thin films of several electrochromic oxide materials. One of the most important materials in electrochromic devices, WO 3 , was thoroughly characterized for a range of electrochromic states by sequential injection of Li ions. Another promising material, Li 0.5 Ni 0.5 O, was also studied in detail. Less detailed results are presented for three other common lithium-intercalating electrochromic electrode materials: V 2 O 5 , LiCoO 2 , and CeO 2 –TiO 2 . The films were grown by sputtering, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and sol–gel techniques. Measurements were made using a combination of variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectroradiometry. The optical constants were then extracted using physical and spectral models appropriate to each material. Optical indices of the underlying transparent conductors, determined in separate studies, were fixed in the models of this work. The optical models frequently agree well with independent physical measurements of film structure, particularly surface roughness by atomic force microscopy. Inhomogeneity due to surface roughness, gradient composition, and phase separation are common in both the transparent conductors and electrochromics, resulting sometimes in particularly complex models for these materials. Complete sets of data are presented over the entire solar spectrum for a range of colored states. These data are suitable for prediction of additional optical properties such as oblique transmittance and design of complete electrochromic devices.
The fracture toughness of small animal cortical bone measured using arc-shaped tension specimens: Effects of bisphosphonate and deproteinization treatments.

Abstract Small animal models, and especially transgenic models, have become widespread in the study of bone mechanobiology and metabolic bone disease, but test methods for measuring fracture toughness on multiple replicates or at multiple locations within a single small animal bone are lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a method to measure cortical bone fracture toughness in multiple specimens and locations along the diaphysis of small animal bones. Arc-shaped tension specimens were prepared from the mid-diaphysis of rabbit ulnae and loaded to failure to measure the radial fracture toughness in multiple replicates per bone. The test specimen dimensions, crack length, and maximum load met requirements for measuring the plane strain fracture toughness. Experimental groups included a control group, bisphosphonate treatment group, and an ex vivo deproteinization treatment following bisphosphonate treatment (5 rabbits/group and 15 specimens/group). The fracture toughness of ulnar cortical bone from rabbits treated with zoledronic acid for six months exhibited no difference compared with the control group. Partially deproteinized specimens exhibited significantly lower fracture toughness compared with both the control and bisphosphonate treatment groups. The deproteinization treatment increased tissue mineral density (TMD) and resulted in a negative linear correlation between the measured fracture toughness and TMD. Fracture toughness measurements were repeatable with a coefficient of variation of 12–16% within experimental groups. Retrospective power analysis of the control and deproteinization treatment groups indicated a minimum detectable difference of 0.1 MPa·m1/2. Therefore, the overall results of this study suggest that arc-shaped tension specimens offer an advantageous new method for measuring the fracture toughness in small animal bones.
Long-term efficacy of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation in the management of glaucoma following cataract surgery in children

Purpose To report the long-term efficacy of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP) in pediatric glaucoma following cataract surgery (GFCS). Methods ECP was performed on 35 eyes of 25 patients 24 mm Hg, alternative glaucoma procedure following ECP, or occurrence of visually significant complications. Analysis was performed to estimate risk factors for failure. Results A total of 27 aphakic and 8 pseudophakic eyes were included. Pretreatment IOP averaged 33.9 ± 7.9 mm Hg. Final IOP after a mean follow-up period of 7.2 years was 18.9 ± 8.8 mm Hg (P Conclusions In this patient cohort, with average follow-up period of 7.2 years, ECP was useful in the treatment of pediatric GFCS.
Informing the Market: The Effect of Modern Information Technologies on Information Production

Modern information technologies have fundamentally changed how information is disseminated in financial markets. Using the staggered implementation of the EDGAR system from 1993 to 1996 as a shock to information dissemination technologies, we find evidence that internet dissemination of corporate disclosures increases information production by corporate outsiders. Trades by individual investors, especially those with access to the internet, become more informative about future stock returns following the EDGAR implementation. The amount and accuracy of information produced by sell-side analysts increase after the implementation. These results suggest that greater and broader information dissemination facilitated by modern information technologies improves information production.
PRICE EFFECTS OF A MERGER: EVIDENCE FROM A PHYSICIANS' MARKET

Physicians’ practices vary widely, as do their effectiveness and reimbursement. Using a merger of six orthopaedic groups in southeastern Pennsylvania, we find that such groups can generate large, anti-competitive price increases without any demonstrated increases in quality (indirectly measured by way of revealed preference) or efficiency. Further, we find that these price increases were targeted at certain beneficiaries, payors and codes, so any research design that omits care and billing along any of these dimensions is likely to be biased.
El Juan Moreira de Eduardo Gutierrez: Entre el Discurso Hegemonico y lo Performativo y la Construccion del imaginario Popular Argentino

Eduardo Gutierrez es recordado y celebrado por los estudiosos de la literatura, en mayor medida, debido a su primer folletin gauchesco el Juan Moreira de 1879. El Moreira es publicado en el matutino La Patria Argentina , y con esta novela abre su ciclo gauchesco. Ademas, es importante recordar que la obra narrativa de Gutierrez cuenta con un total de treinta y siete obras, de las cuales, nueve pertenecen aI ciclo gauchesco, nueve completan su serie historica y diecisiete son clasificadas como folletines policiales; sin olvidar que dos de ellas no pertenecen al genero del folletin (Rivera, 33). Por consiguiente, su produccion escrituraria es prolifica, especialmente si se considera que toda ella es producida entre los anos 1879 y 1888 -ano de su muerte. Sus obras -dice Navarro Viola en el Anuario bibliografico de 1883- “son narraciones novelescas, horripilantes, para lectores de campana; factura especial para estragar el gusto y desnaturalizar la historia” (302). Es de notar que la opinion peyorativa de la critica literaria no influyo en absoluto en la popularidad de los folletines de Gutierrez, que Ilego a ser un fenomeno literario, como testimonia Leon Benaros.
Does School Lunch Fill the “SNAP Gap” at the End of the Month?

This article investigates the relationship between the timing of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit payments and participation in school lunch and breakfast using the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey. An event study approach examines participation over the five‐day window before and after the SNAP payment. We find that school lunch participation decreases by 17–23 percentage points immediately after the SNAP payment among 11–18 year olds while breakfast drops by 19–36 percentage points. The decline begins the day prior to payment. We find no effects for 5–10 year olds. Models examining participation over the full SNAP month using individual fixed effects yield similar findings. Among teenagers, participation in school lunch and breakfast decline in the first two weeks of the SNAP month, increasing afterward. Non‐school meals show the opposite pattern. Overall, results indicate SNAP households rely more on school lunch and breakfast toward the end of the SNAP month.
Automatic segmentation, tissue characterization, and rapid diagnosis enhancements to the computed tomographic colonography analysis workstation.

An image processing system developed to support examination of computed tomographic colonoscopy (CTC) was developed in 1995. The clinical viability of CTC is enhanced by the solution of several technical problems. These problems include the limited detectability of sessible polyps and difficulties in discrimination between polypoid masses and retained stool. CTC is also made more feasible by simplifying the required colon preparation and reducing the time required to analyze scan results. Each of these challenges have been addressed by enhancements to the CTC analysis workstation software. Endoluminal volume rendering has been enhanced by the addition of automatic segmentation to facilitate analysis of colon segments, which contain tagged liquid stool. By automating this function, the system is able to process scans that are acquired following a wide variety of colon preparation protocols. Similar approaches have been used to identify retained stool. Automatic tissue characterization has also been incorporated into the volume rendering routines to help identify and diagnose polypoid masses. These enhancements have improved the quality of CTC interpretation, while reducing the time required to perform the analysis. This time reduction was necessary to reduce the cost of CTC enough to make it viable for asymptotic population screening. To date, over 150 patient examinations have been performed using this new technique. A recent blinded, prospective study reporting the results from two independent observers has been presented. The technique is feasible, reliable, and has been implemented clinically with results reported within 1 hour of the examination.
Social and Instrumental Interaction Between Parents and Their Toddlers With Autism: A Qualitative Analysis:

A qualitative study of three parents and their toddlers with autism was conducted to investigate the communicative functions underlying parent–toddler interactions and how the instrumental or socia...
The Myth of Corporate Tax Residence

The issue of corporate residence has recently attracted a great deal of attention in both the popular press and in academic discourse, primarily because of the phenomenon of corporate inversions. The consensus among commentators is that the root of the problem is a flawed definition of corporate residence, and they have therefore proposed replacing the current definition, which relies upon place of incorporation, with another that relies upon control and management, home office, customer base, source of income, or the residence of shareholders. The thesis of this article is that the concept of tax residence is inapplicable to corporations. Residence in tax law delineates the boundaries of distributive justice, and whereas corporations cannot be parties to a scheme of distributive justice, corporate residence is a misnomer. The incongruity of corporate residence along with the fact that residence is a fundamental concept in international taxation is one reason that the current international tax regime has proven unviable. The article then goes on to describe in broad outline an international corporate tax regime that avoids the problem of corporate residence by focusing on shareholders instead of on corporations.
Institutions: Key variable for economic development in Latin America

Abstract This article examines economic development from 1996 to 2015 for 192 countries and specifically Latin America. Evidence shows that each 0.1-point increase in institutions impacts a 3.9% improvement in Latin American per capita output versus a 2.6% effect on world development. This new evidence from Latin America shows a missing opportunity to develop at higher annual pace than the 2.14% average, mainly due to the deterioration in rule of law. We conjecture the efficiency of monetary/fiscal policies will improve if policymakers emphasize projects that foster improvements to institutional quality, such as transparency, public spending quality and fiscal responsibility.
Enhanced GaN Decomposition at MOVPE Pressures

GaN decomposition was studied above 800 °C in flowing H2 and N2 for pressures ranging from 10 to 700 torr. From careful weighings of the GaN film on sapphire before and after annealing, the rates for GaN decomposition, Ga surface accumulation, and Ga desorption were obtained. An enhancement in the GaN decomposition rate was observed in H2 pressures greater than 100 torr. Even with this enhanced GaN decomposition, the Ga desorption rate is nearly constant at higher pressures. As a result, Ga droplets accumulate on the surface. For N2 pressures ranging from 76 to 400 torr no net enhancement in the GaN decomposition rate is observed and the GaN decomposition rate is reduced compared to identical annealing conditions in H2. This suggests that H2 is acting chemically to reduce the barrier for GaN decomposition. This may occur through a surface mediated dissociation of H2 followed by the formation of more mobile and volatile hydrogenated N and Ga species. The significance of this study for GaN growth is that by increasing the GaN decomposition, the Ga atoms diffuse farther and subsequently re-incorporate into the growing lattice, increasing the GaN crystal quality. Connections between the enhanced GaN decomposition rate and the coalescing of nucleation layer during the ramp to high temperature and the consequences for the high temperature growth are discussed.
Non-adiabatic quantum reactive scattering in hyperspherical coordinates.

A new electronically non-adiabatic quantum reactive scattering methodology is presented based on a time-independent coupled channel formalism and the adiabatically adjusting principal axis hyperspherical coordinates of Pack and Parker [J. Chem. Phys. 87, 3888 (1987)]. The methodology computes the full state-to-state scattering matrix for A + B2(v, j) ↔ AB(v′, j′) + B and A + AB(v, j) → A + AB(v′, j′) reactions that involve two coupled electronic states which exhibit a conical intersection. The methodology accurately treats all six degrees of freedom relative to the center-of-mass which includes non-zero total angular momentum J and identical particle exchange symmetry. The new methodology is applied to the ultracold hydrogen exchange reaction for which large geometric phase effects have been recently reported [B. K. Kendrick et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 153201 (2015)]. Rate coefficients for the H/D + HD(v = 4, j = 0) → H/D + HD(v′, j′) reactions are reported for collision energies between 1 μK and 100 K (total energy ≈1.9 eV). A new diabatic potential energy matrix is developed based on the Boothroyd, Keogh, Martin, and Peterson (BKMP2) and double many body expansion plus single-polynomial (DSP) adiabatic potential energy surfaces for the ground and first excited electronic states of H3, respectively. The rate coefficients computed using the new non-adiabatic methodology and diabatic potential matrix reproduce the recently reported rates that include the geometric phase and are computed using a single adiabatic ground electronic state potential energy surface (BKMP2). The dramatic enhancement and suppression of the ultracold rates due to the geometric phase are confirmed as well as its effects on several shape resonances near 1 K. The results reported here represent the first fully non-adiabatic quantum reactive scattering calculation for an ultracold reaction and validate the importance of the geometric phase on the Wigner threshold behavior.
Impacts of simultaneous multislice acquisition on sensitivity and specificity in fMRI

Abstract Simultaneous multislice (SMS) imaging can be used to decrease the time between acquisition of fMRI volumes, which can increase sensitivity by facilitating the removal of higher-frequency artifacts and boosting effective sample size. The technique requires an additional processing step in which the slices are separated, or unaliased, to recover the whole brain volume. However, this may result in signal “leakage” between aliased locations, i.e., slice “leakage,” and lead to spurious activation (decreased specificity). SMS can also lead to noise amplification, which can reduce the benefits of decreased repetition time. In this study, we evaluate the original slice-GRAPPA (no leak block) reconstruction algorithm and acceleration factor (AF = 8) used in the fMRI data in the young adult Human Connectome Project (HCP). We also evaluate split slice-GRAPPA (leak block), which can reduce slice leakage. We use simulations to disentangle higher test statistics into true positives (sensitivity) and false positives (decreased specificity). Slice leakage was greatly decreased by split slice-GRAPPA. Noise amplification was decreased by using moderate acceleration factors (AF = 4). We examined slice leakage in unprocessed fMRI motor task data from the HCP. When data were smoothed, we found evidence of slice leakage in some, but not all, subjects. We also found evidence of SMS noise amplification in unprocessed task and processed resting-state HCP data.
Accounting information quality and systematic risk

Whether and how accounting information quality affects the cost of capital has been a matter of much debate. We contribute to this debate by linking accounting information quality to systematic risk, inspired by recent theoretical discussions. Using the universe of firms jointly listed in the CRSP and Compustat databases from 1962 to 2012, we find that accounting information quality is significantly and negatively related to systematic risk. This relation is robust to alternative proxies for the two constructs, including a model-free measure of risk. Further analysis indicates that improving accounting information quality causes systematic risk to decrease. These findings have important implications for disclosure decisions, portfolio management, and asset pricing.
Kidney Imaging: – Intravital Microscopy

Intravital two-photon microscopy is a powerful imaging tool for investigating various biological processes in live animals. This chapter describes an overview of intravital imaging of the rodent kidney including animal surgery, characteristics of renal tubular autofluorescence, in vivo use of fluorescent probes, and renal immune-cell tracking.
Can ‘loss and damage’ carry the load?

Even assuming a heroic rush towards carbon reduction and adaptation, some regions of the world will be hammered hard by climate impacts. Thus, a global consensus now sees the need for a supplemental plan to deal with the kind of harms that cannot be avoided-what Parties call 'loss and damage'. For a loss-and-damage plan to work, it must be capable of carrying the load, the load being whatever minimal standards that morality and political consensus require. But if residual risk climbs too high, it will fall short of even the most basic expectations. The Paris Agreement calls for holding the rise in global average temperature to 'well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels', while working to limit the increase to 1.5°C. How much difference is in that half-degree? From the point of view of residual risk, quite a lot. According to a 2016 study published by the European Geosciences Union, a jump from 1.5°C to 2°C could produce outsize impacts, particularly in tropical latitudes. That difference could mark the line between a plan that is politically and morally defensible and one that is not. At the very least, the difference is enough to inform the design and expectations of any future plan.This article is part of the theme issue 'The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'.
An initial exploration of vicarious and in-scene calibration techniques for small unmanned aircraft systems

The use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for applications in the field of precision agriculture has demonstrated the need to produce temporally consistent imagery to allow for quantitative comparisons. In order for these aerial images to be used to identify actual changes on the ground, conversion of raw digital count to reflectance, or to an atmospherically normalized space, needs to be carried out. This paper will describe an experiment that compares the use of reflectance calibration panels, for use with the empirical line method (ELM), against a newly proposed ratio of the target radiance and the downwelling radiance, to predict the reflectance of known targets in the scene. We propose that the use of an on-board downwelling light sensor (DLS) may provide the sUAS remote sensing practitioner with an approach that does not require the expensive and time consuming task of placing known reflectance standards in the scene. Three calibration methods were tested in this study: 2-Point ELM, 1-Point ELM, and At-altitude Radiance Ratio (AARR). Our study indicates that the traditional 2-Point ELM produces the lowest mean error in band effective reflectance factor, 0.0165. The 1-Point ELM and AARR produce mean errors of 0.0343 and 0.0287 respectively. A modeling of the proposed AARR approach indicates that the technique has the potential to perform better than the 2-Point ELM method, with a 0.0026 mean error in band effective reflectance factor, indicating that this newly proposed technique may prove to be a viable alternative with suitable on-board sensors.
Oblique seafloor spreading across intermediate and superfast spreading centers

Abstract We show that oblique seafloor spreading occurs in several regions where obliquity, α, was not recognized before. These include the slow spreading centers of the Red Sea ( α ≈ 20 ° ), intermediate spreading centers of the Cocos–Nazca plate boundary between 91°W and 94°W ( α ≈ 9 ° ), and superfast spreading centers of the East Pacific Rise at the Nazca–Pacific plate boundary between 29°S and 32°S ( α ≈ 10 ° ) and perhaps between ≈16°S and ≈22°S ( α ≈ 4 ° ). Thus, oblique spreading occurs across slow, intermediate, and superfast spreading centers, but not across fast spreading centers. Across intermediate and superfast spreading centers, oblique spreading does not occur in staircase-mode plate geometries, but does occur in oblique-mode plate geometries. Across slow and intermediate spreading centers, obliquity tends to decrease with increasing spreading rate, while across fast and superfast spreading centers it tends to increase with increasing spreading rate. Oblique spreading at intermediate and superfast spreading centers may be related to magma overpressure or to unusual directions of remote tectonic stress or to ongoing plate boundary reorganizations or to some combination of these. Using prior methods, we estimate the ratio of overpressure to remote tectonic stress for several spreading centers. In particular we show along a segment of the Cocos–Pacific plate boundary that magma overpressure is only one-fourth as large as remote tectonic stress, consistent with a prior inference from other observations. The highest obliquity occurs along ridge segments lying 200 km to 1500 km from a mantle plume, but not all ridge segments near plumes spread obliquely. For one set of estimates of plume fluxes, the rate of plume flux delivered to ridges correlates positively and significantly with spreading rate.
Status Goods and Vertical Line Extensions

Conspicuous consumption of status goods signals consumers’ status and grants status value to them. In this article, we examine how firms selling status goods make vertical line extension decisions when they take consumers’ status preferences into account. Analyzing an incumbent's vertical line extensions when it faces a threat of entry, we find that status preferences can make unprofitable extensions profitable. Moreover, without status preferences, an incumbent can introduce line extensions to crowd out the competitor's profit and deter entry. However, with status preferences, introducing line extensions can increase the competitor's profit and attract entry. We also find that incumbents should introduce downward extensions when they are monopolists and upward extensions when they face competition from lower‐quality entrants. As the cost of entry increases, incumbents should change from introducing upward extensions to introducing downward extensions. As consumers’ status preferences increase, incumbents introduce downward extensions under a wider range of situations.
Cognitive Adaptive Array Processing (CAAP) — its time has come

Cognitive Adaptive Array Processing (CAAP) is adaptive array jammer cancellation which makes use of information gathered about the jammer. With CAAP the jammer cancellation can be done with dramatically less processing, with orders of magnitude fewer training samples and with less degradation of the antenna sidelobes. With digital beam forming (DBF) now being more widely used CAAP becomes more feasible to implement. Its time has come. It should be looked at. The results are presented in tutorial form without heavy math. Instead physical explanations are given for these results. The CAAP technique makes use of the information available as to where the jammers are rather than assuming there location is not known as done for the classical sample matrix inversion (SMI) method. This is reminiscent of the Knowledge Aided-STAP (KA-STAP) technique used by DARPA. In many cases no interference covariance matrix inversion is needed and when needed the matrix size is reduced by orders of magnitude and in turn the computation of its matrix inverse. This method reduces the 10 to 30 dB antenna sidelobe degradation usually resulting from using the SMI method. The advantages re the use of diagonal loading (DL) and the principal component (PC) techniques are also addressed. The CAAP technique lends itself well to conventional and MIMO array systems when digital beam forming is used which is the future trend.
An Evaluation of Alternatives for Providing Care to Veterans

In 2014, a whistleblower reported that many U.S. veterans died while waiting for care at the Phoenix VHA. Problems with veteran’s care through 2018 reveal ongoing and systematic problem. In March 2018, the VA Inspector General identified critical deficiencies at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center including failures to track patient safety events accurately, ineffective sterile processing and more than 10 thousand open or pending prosthetic/sensory aid consults. The VHA clearly has problems with access and quality in a budget-constrained environment. In this policy analysis, four separate interventions that address the gap between the magnitude as well as the use of the VHA’s fixed budget versus access and cost expectations are explored. These policy interventions include maintaining the status quo, returning to a “VHA-only” option, transitioning to a CMS central payer system and consolidating care under the DoD TRICARE insurance plans. An objective evaluation suggests that extending TRICARE to veterans during the phasing out the VHA’s care responsibilities, while politically unpalatable, would likely provide the best of four possible solutions under various criterion weighting schemes. A central payer solution under the CMS would also be a viable consideration. Results suggest that TRICARE patient perceptions of quality are superior to VHA and non-VHA/non-DoD, that access provided by the TRICARE program is ranked second in terms of venue acceptance only to the CMS solution set based on primary provider acceptance and that the cost per beneficiary of a TRICARE solution ($6.5 K/beneficiary) is far better than a VHA-only solution ($14.0 K/beneficiary), the CMS central payer solution ($12.2 K/beneficiary), or the status quo (between $12.2 K and $14.0 K/beneficiary). The intent of this paper is to provoke thoughtful consideration of solutions for providing access to high-quality healthcare for veterans within or outside of the VHA.
Cyber-attack Mitigation and Impact Analysis for Low-power IoT Devices

Recent years have seen exponential development in wireless sensor devices and their rebirth as IoT, as well as increased popularity in wireless home devices such as bulbs, fans, and microwave. As they can be used in various fields such as medical devices, environmental studies, fire department or military application, etc., security of these low powered devices will always be a concern for all the user and security experts. Users nowadays want to control all these “smart” wireless home devices through their smartphones using an internet connection. Attacks such as distributed attacks on these devices will render the whole system vulnerable as these attacks can record and extract confidential information as well as increase resource (energy) consumption of the entire network. In this paper, we propose a cyber-attack detection algorithm and present an impact analysis of easy-to-Iaunch cyber-attacks on a low-power mote (Z1 Zolertia) as a model IoT device. We also present detailed results of power consumption analysis with and without attack along with when the mitigation algorithm for intrusion detection is implemented.
Protein Motion and Configurations in a Form-Fitting Nanopore: Avidin in ClyA.

Abstract We probe the molecular dynamics and states of an avidin protein as it is captured and trapped in a voltage-biased cytolysin A nanopore using time-resolved single-molecule electrical conductance signals. The data for very large numbers of single-molecule events are analyzed and presented by a new method that provides clear visual insight into the molecular scale processes. Avidin in cytolysin A has surprisingly rich conductance spectra that reveal transient and more permanently trapped protein configurations in the pore and how they evolve into one another. We identify a long-lasting, stable, and low-noise configuration of avidin in the nanopore into which avidin can be reliably trapped and released. This may prove useful for single-molecule studies of other proteins that can be biotinylated and then transported by avidin to the pore via their coupling to avidin with biotin-avidin linking. We demonstrate the sensitivity of this system with detection of biotin attached to avidin captured by the pore.
The effects of sensory and parasympathetic denervation on the kinases and initiation factors controlling protein synthesis in the lacrimal gland.

Translation is regulated predominantly at the initiation level, mediated by the eukaryotic initiation factor-4 and -2 complexes (eIF-4 and eIF-2).1, 2 The eIF-4 complex is essential for recruiting mRNA to a ribosome. The two most important components of this complex are the eIF-4E and eIF-4G. Phosphorylation of eIF-4E and eIF-4G increases protein synthesis as well as selective translation of specific messages.2
Is there adaptation to predictable climate change along the temperature-conflict nexus? Evidence from the El Niño Southern Oscillation

A growing body of research connects short-run deviations in weather with violence. Less well understood is the scope for agents to adapt to medium and longer-run climate fluctuations. We follow exi...
Covalent bond formation via a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction as a tool to alter thermal expansion parameters of organic co-crystals

The thermal expansion properties of a co-crystal containing the photodimerization product rctt-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)cyclobutane and resorcinol is reported. The photocycloaddition reaction generates new carbon–carbon bonds in the solid, resulting in a significant decrease in the ability of the co-crystal to expand along the direction of the newly formed bonds.
Diverse and Coherent Paragraph Generation from Images

Paragraph generation from images, which has gained popularity recently, is an important task for video summarization, editing, and support of the disabled. Traditional image captioning methods fall short on this front, since they aren’t designed to generate long informative descriptions. Moreover, the vanilla approach of simply concatenating multiple short sentences, possibly synthesized from a classical image captioning system, doesn’t embrace the intricacies of paragraphs: coherent sentences, globally consistent structure, and diversity. To address those challenges, we propose to augment paragraph generation techniques with “coherence vectors,” “global topic vectors,” and modeling of the inherent ambiguity of associating paragraphs with images, via a variational auto-encoder formulation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed approach on two datasets, outperforming existing state-of-the-art techniques on both.
But How Does It Work in Theory? Linear SVM with Random Features

We prove that, under low noise assumptions, the support vector machine with $N\ll m$ random features (RFSVM) can achieve the learning rate faster than $O(1/\sqrt{m})$ on a training set with $m$ samples when an optimized feature map is used. Our work extends the previous fast rate analysis of random features method from least square loss to 0-1 loss. We also show that the reweighted feature selection method, which approximates the optimized feature map, helps improve the performance of RFSVM in experiments on a synthetic data set.
General equitable decompositions for graphs with symmetries

Abstract Using the theory of equitable decompositions it is possible to decompose a matrix M appropriately associated with a given graph. The result is a collection of smaller matrices whose collective eigenvalues are the same as the eigenvalues of the original matrix M. This is done by decomposing the matrix over a graph symmetry. Previously it was shown that a matrix can be equitably decomposed over any uniform, basic, or separable automorphism. Here we extend this theory to show that it is possible to equitably decompose a matrix over any automorphism of a graph, without restriction. Moreover, we give a step-by-step procedure which can be used to generate such a decomposition. We also prove under mild conditions that if a matrix M is equitably decomposed the resulting divisor matrix, which is the divisor matrix of the associated equitable partition, will have the same spectral radius as the original matrix M.
Of Trolls, Orphans, and Abandoned Marks: What’s Wrong With Not Using Intellectual Property?

The question whether intellectual property (“IP”) rights should require use is a pressing one today. Neither patent nor copyright law formally requires that the IP owner actually use the patented invention or copyrighted work. Yet use would seem necessary for a work to reap the social benefits that justify granting exclusive rights. Trademark law does require use, but it sometimes protects marks even when mark owners have ceased using them. This messy state of affairs has come under considerable pressure in recent years. Critics condemn patent assertion entities, commonly known as patent trolls, for asserting patents that they do not commercialize or use themselves, and some of these critics advocate a general use requirement to handle the problem. In copyright, the problem of orphan works has become particularly salient with the rise of digital technology and user-generated content, and the optimal solution involves tricky questions bearing on use. Trademark law also exhibits confusion about use and nonuse in the area of trademark abandonment. In particular, courts have been unable to develop a coherent approach to abandonment by nonuse when the abandoned mark retains substantial residual goodwill. This Article breaks new ground by focusing on use from the perspective of the utilitarian and nonutilitarian theories that justify IP rights and by using this perspective to develop a general framework for analyzing questions of use and nonuse across patent, copyright, and trademark law. When the issues are examined at the normative level, it becomes clear that a general rule conditioning IP rights on use across-the-board is not desirable. Any use requirement should be tailored to the nature of the specific problems that nonuse creates. In keeping with this insight, the Article examines the patent troll, orphan work, and residual goodwill problems and proposes sensible solutions tailored to each.
The Fairest of Them All: Analyzing Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Compliance

ABSTRACTThe Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule requires municipalities to formulate new plans to address obstacles to fair housing and dis...
Using a Probabilistic Model to Assist Merging of Large-Scale Administrative Records

Since most social science research relies on multiple data sources, merging data sets is an essential part of researchers’ workflow. Unfortunately, a unique identifier that unambiguously links records is often unavailable, and data may contain missing and inaccurate information. These problems are severe especially when merging large-scale administrative records. We develop a fast and scalable algorithm to implement a canonical model of probabilistic record linkage that has many advantages over deterministic methods frequently used by social scientists. The proposed methodology efficiently handles millions of observations while accounting for missing data and measurement error, incorporating auxiliary information, and adjusting for uncertainty about merging in post-merge analyses. We conduct comprehensive simulation studies to evaluate the performance of our algorithm in realistic scenarios. We also apply our methodology to merging campaign contribution records, survey data, and nationwide voter files. An open-source software package is available for implementing the proposed methodology.
Do Strict Regulators Increase the Transparency of Banks

We investigate the role that regulatory strictness plays on the enforcement of financial reporting transparency in the U.S. banking industry. Using a novel measure of regulatory strictness in the enforcement of capital adequacy, we show that strict regulators are more likely to enforce restatements of banks' call reports. Further, we find that the effect of regulatory strictness on accounting enforcement is strongest in periods leading up to economic downturns and for banks with riskier asset portfolios. Overall, the results from our study indicate that regulatory oversight plays an important role in enforcing financial reporting transparency, particularly in periods leading up to economic crises. We interpret this evidence as inconsistent with the idea that strict bank regulators put significant weight on concerns about the potential destabilizing effects of accounting transparency.
Assessing Innovation Patterns and Constraints in Developing East Asia : An Introductory Analysis

This paper sheds light on key innovation patterns and constraints within a selected set of developing East Asian countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). It follows a comprehensive approach about national innovation systems while highlighting the supply and demand dimensions of innovation as well as the markets where firms make accumulation decisions for different forms of capital (knowledge capital, human capital. and physical capital). The paper presents a set of empirical exercises drawing from various data sets. The results corroborate the idea of the importance of adopting a broad view of innovation policy and investing in missing complementary factors. Although investment in research and development is key to boost innovation, it is also crucial to have business and regulatory environments that are conducive to overall firm performance and capital accumulation (not only knowledge capital), as they are expected to improve innovation returns. In addition, the results suggest that other innovation inputs aside from research and development matter for innovation activities, such as training for innovative activities, acquisition/licensing of technology, and managerial practices.
Community Intervention Studies

Community intervention trials randomize whole communities to conditions and observe residents of those communities to assess the effects of an intervention. Community intervention trials face special problems of design and analysis that must be considered to ensure adequate power and valid results. This article provides a brief review of these issues. Keywords: group-randomized trial; intraclass correlation; mixed-model regression
What do the US West Coast public libraries post on Twitter

Twitter has provided a great opportunity for public libraries to disseminate information for a variety of purposes. Twitter data have been applied in different domains such as health, politics, and history. There are thousands of public libraries in the US, but no study has yet investigated the content of their social media posts like tweets to find their interests. Moreover, traditional content analysis of Twitter content is not an efficient task for exploring thousands of tweets. Therefore, there is a need for automatic methods to overcome the limitations of manual methods. This paper proposes a computational approach to collecting and analyzing using Twitter Application Programming Interfaces (API) and investigates more than 138,000 tweets from 48 US west coast libraries using topic modeling. We found 20 topics and assigned them to five categories including public relations, book, event, training, and social good. Our results show that the US west coast libraries are more interested in using Twitter for public relations and book-related events. This research has both practical and theoretical applications for libraries as well as other organizations to explore social media actives of their customer and themselves.
Software for Clinical Trials

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of software that is relevant to the design, management, and analysis of clinical trials. Guidance is provided on selecting programs appropriate to the needs of the researcher. There are useful suggestions on keeping software up to date. An extensive table is included referencing most of the available software packages with brief descriptions of the features most relevant to clinical trials, vendor names, contact information, and web URLs. Keywords: software; statistical computing; data entry; data capture; data management; data analysis; graphics; meta analysis; sequential analysis; cluster analysis; randomization; report generation; exact statistics; power and sample size
Genotypic and phenotypic diversity of herpes simplex virus 2 within the infected neonatal population

More than 14,000 neonates are infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV) annually. Approximately half display manifestations limited to the skin, eyes, or mouth (SEM disease). The rest develop invasive infections that spread to the central nervous system (CNS disease or encephalitis) or throughout the infected neonate (disseminated disease). Invasive HSV disease is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but the viral and host factors that predispose neonates to these forms are unknown. To define viral diversity within the infected neonatal population, we evaluated 10 HSV-2 isolates from newborns with a range of clinical presentations. To assess viral fitness independently of host immune factors, we measured viral growth characteristics in cultured cells and found diverse in vitro phenotypes. Isolates from neonates with CNS disease were associated with larger plaque size and enhanced spread, with the isolates from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exhibiting the most robust growth. We sequenced complete viral genomes of all 10 neonatal viruses, providing new insights into HSV-2 genomic diversity in this clinical setting. We found extensive interhost and intrahost genomic diversity throughout the viral genome, including amino acid differences in more than 90% of the viral proteome. The genes encoding glycoprotein G (gG; US4), glycoprotein I (gI; US7), and glycoprotein K (gK; UL53) and viral proteins UL8, UL20, UL24, and US2 contained variants that were found in association with CNS isolates. Many of these viral proteins are known to contribute to cell spread and neurovirulence in mouse models of CNS disease. This report represents the first application of comparative pathogen genomics to neonatal HSV disease.IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes invasive disease in half of infected neonates, resulting in significant mortality and permanent cognitive morbidity. The factors that contribute to invasive disease are not understood. This study revealed diversity among HSV isolates from infected neonates and detected the first associations between viral genetic variations and clinical disease manifestations. We found that viruses isolated from newborns with encephalitis showed enhanced spread in culture. These viruses contained protein-coding variations not found in viruses causing noninvasive disease. Many of these variations were found in proteins known to impact neurovirulence and viral spread between cells. This work advances our understanding of HSV diversity in the neonatal population and how it may impact disease outcome.