cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Learning Term-weighting Functions for Similarity Measures

Measuring the similarity between two texts is a fundamental problem in many NLP and IR applications. Among the existing approaches, the cosine measure of the term vectors representing the original texts has been widely used, where the score of each term is often determined by a TFIDF formula. Despite its simplicity, the quality of such cosine similarity measure is usually domain dependent and decided by the choice of the term-weighting function. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that learns the term-weighting function. Given the labeled pairs of texts as training data, the learning procedure tunes the model parameters by minimizing the specified loss function of the similarity score. Compared to traditional TFIDF term-weighting schemes, our approach shows a significant improvement on tasks such as judging the quality of query suggestions and filtering irrelevant ads for online advertising.
Meta‐analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies accounting for disease prevalence: Alternative parameterizations and model selection

In a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies, the sensitivities and specificities of a diagnostic test may depend on the disease prevalence since the severity and definition of disease may differ from study to study due to the design and the population considered. In this paper, we extend the bivariate nonlinear random effects model on sensitivities and specificities to jointly model the disease prevalence, sensitivities and specificities using trivariate nonlinear random-effects models. Furthermore, as an alternative parameterization, we also propose jointly modeling the test prevalence and the predictive values, which reflect the clinical utility of a diagnostic test. These models allow investigators to study the complex relationship among the disease prevalence, sensitivities and specificities; or among test prevalence and the predictive values, which can reveal hidden information about test performance. We illustrate the proposed two approaches by reanalyzing the data from a meta-analysis of radiological evaluation of lymph node metastases in patients with cervical cancer and a simulation study. The latter illustrates the importance of carefully choosing an appropriate normality assumption for the disease prevalence, sensitivities and specificities, or the test prevalence and the predictive values. In practice, it is recommended to use model selection techniques to identify a best-fitting model for making statistical inference. In summary, the proposed trivariate random effects models are novel and can be very useful in practice for meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies.
Bases para comprender la Economía del Riesgo: Modernidad, tabú y representaciones

Los ultimos estudios en Ciencias Sociales vinculados al riesgo han enfatizado en la presencia de una situacion paradojal. Mientras el avance tecnologico garantiza la seguridad de las personas, ciertos aspectos no contemplados por la racionalidad abren la puerta a nuevos riesgos. Esta postura ha llevado a algunos academicos a priorizar erroneamente el papel de la razon instrumental o a declararla nula. Ni en un extremo ni en el otro, el presente trabajo intenta adaptar la tesis de la solidaridad en los padres fundadores de la antropologia para construir un modelo que explique la paradoja del riesgo
Strains and Relaxations Near metal Alumlnide/Semiconductor Interfaces

Mechanisms and phenomena of strain relaxation at bi-material interfaces have been studied for over half a century. The details, however, and limiting kinetics, thermodynamics and mechanics are still being sorted out - particularly for large misfit systems. Three techniques are required to accurately portray strain distributions during and after epitaxial growth: RHEED, TEM and SACP. Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is used to measure the lattice parameter during growth. Both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron channeling pattern (SACP) analysis are necessary to identify the defects and the strain distribution. These techniques have been applied to NiAl and FeAl grown by MBE on GaAs with a thin AlAs buffer layer. It is shown that both island and layer by layer growth can occur with the corresponding defects being remarkably similar in character. From a combined Moire, HREM and computer simulation, the dislocation character is assessed. Both dislocations from half-loops or island edges may occur providing only partial relaxation of the film-substrate systems. The impact of the remaining elastic strain distribution on kinetic measurements of dislocation velocities is discussed.
Some Related Orderings

In this chapter we consider certain partial orders defined on L (the class of non-negative random variables with positive finite expections) that are closely related to the Lorenz ordering (Chapter 3). The first, *-ordering, is often easier to deal with than Lorenz ordering, and can sometimes be used to verify Lorenz ordering which it implies. The other group of partial orderings to be discussed are those known as stochastic dominance of degree k, k=l,2,.... Degree 1 is just stochastic ordering. Degree 2 is intimately related to the Lorenz order, but distinct. Higher degree stochastic orders are most frequently encountered in economic contexts. The treatment provided here is brief.
Transitioning from military medics to registered nurses

The nursing shortage in the USA is expected to reach 260,000 registered nurses (RNs) by 2025. The most profound shortages are expected in California and Florida, translating into 109,779 and 128,364 RN jobs, respectively. Despite a foreseen growth in nursing career opportunities nationwide, the supply of nurses will be insufficient to meet the corresponding demand. Capitalizing on prior education, experience, and skills of military clinical personnel to fill these jobs could significantly reduce the projected nursing shortage. Florida International University's Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences is circumventing barriers to recruit, retain, and graduate transitioning veteran medics and corpsmen as Bachelor of Science in Nursing prepared RNs who reintegrate into the civilian workforce. The Veteran Bachelor of Science in Nursing (VBSN) program is in the form of a cooperative agreement between Florida International University and the US Health Resources and Services Administration. The VBSN program's main objective is to build upon the unique leadership skills, clinical education, and training of military medics and corpsmen to ensure successful completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum. VBSN students, as veterans themselves, have unique knowledge and exposure to the specific health issues and needs of the veteran population overall. They are poised and best prepared to effectively care for the US population, particularly the current 22 million US veterans and 1.6 million Florida veterans. Additionally, the VBSN program will alleviate the challenges, such as the lack of recognition of military skills, unemployment, the substandard income, and homelessness that many former service members face after separation from the military.
Optimizing a stratified sampling design when faced with multiple objectives

Miller, T. J., Skalski, J. R., and Ianelli, J. N. 2007. Optimizing a stratifield sampling design when faced with multiple objectives - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64, 97-109.For many stratified sampling designs, the data collected are used by multiple parties with different estimation objectives. Quantitative methods to determine allocation of sampling effort to different strata to satisfy the often disparate estimation objectives are lacking. Analytical results for the sampling fractions and sample sizes for primary units within each stratum of a stratified (multi-stage) sampling design that are optimal with respect to a weighted sum of relative variances for the estimation objectives are presented. Further, an approach for assessing gains or losses for each estimation objective by changing allocation of sample sizes to each stratum is provided. As an illustration, the analytical results are applied to determine optimal observer sampling fractions (coverage rates) for the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Programme (NPGOP), for which the multiple objectives are assumed to be bycatch (seabird, marine mammal, and non-targeted fish species) and total catch, and catch-at-length and -age of targeted fish species. Simultaneously optimizing a criterion that defines the strata of the NPGOP sampling design is also considered. When observer coverage rates are allowed to be gear-specific for the NPGOP design, the optimized objective function is between 10% and 28% less than the value corresponding to current sampling for annual data (2000-2003) and 12% less when optimized over all years combined.
Lagrangean relaxation of the hull-reformulation of linear generalized disjunctive programs and its use in disjunctive branch and bound

Abstract In this work, we present a Lagrangean relaxation of the hull-reformulation of discrete-continuous optimization problems formulated as linear generalized disjunctive programs (GDP). The proposed Lagrangean relaxation has three important properties. The first property is that it can be applied to any linear GDP. The second property is that the solution to its continuous relaxation always yields 0–1 values for the binary variables of the hull-reformulation. Finally, it is simpler to solve than the continuous relaxation of the hull-reformulation. The proposed Lagrangean relaxation can be used in different GDP solution methods. In this work, we explore its use as primal heuristic to find feasible solutions in a disjunctive branch and bound algorithm. The modified disjunctive branch and bound is tested with several instances with up to 300 variables. The results show that the proposed disjunctive branch and bound performs faster than other versions of the algorithm that do not include this primal heuristic.
Understanding the Role of Atmospheric Rivers in Heavy Precipitation in the Southeast United States

AbstractAn analysis of atmospheric rivers (ARs) as defined by an automated AR detection tool based on integrated water vapor transport (IVT) and the connection to heavy precipitation in the southeast United States (SEUS) is performed. Climatological water vapor and water vapor transport fields are compared between the U.S. West Coast (WCUS) and the SEUS, highlighting stronger seasonal variation in integrated water vapor in the SEUS and stronger seasonal variation in IVT in the WCUS. The climatological analysis suggests that IVT values above ~500 kg m−1 s−1 (as incorporated into an objective identification tool such as the AR detection tool used here) may serve as a sensible threshold for defining ARs in the SEUS.Atmospheric river impacts on heavy precipitation in the SEUS are shown to vary on an annual cycle, and a connection between ARs and heavy precipitation during the nonsummer months is demonstrated. When identified ARs are matched to heavy precipitation days (>100 mm day−1), an average match rate of...
Preliminary Assessment of Zolpidem Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Burn Patients

PURPOSE Severely burned patients frequently experience sleep fragmentation and insomnia. This study evaluated the population pharmacokinetics of the sleep-enhancing agent zolpidem among burned children. METHODS Zolpidem was administered according to the following age-based dosing schedule: 2.5 mg per dose for 2-4 year olds, 5.0 mg per dose for 5-10 year olds, and 10 mg per dose for older than 10 years. Serum samples were collected before and 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8 hours after dosing. The population pharmacokinetic analysis modeled zolpidem concentrations using nonlinear mixed effects models. RESULTS Eleven patients with a mean (±SD) age of 8.3 ± 4.0 years and a mean total burn surface area of 56% ± 22% were recruited. Seventy-three zolpidem concentrations were measured with a mean Cmax of 291 ± 140 ng/mL. A 2-compartment model with first-order absorption best described the data. Zolpidem clearance was estimated at 0.03 L·h(-1)·kg(-1) (relative standard error, 55%) and increased with body weight (P < 0.05). The central compartment volume of distribution was estimated at 0.05 L/kg (relative standard error, 25%), which was inversely related to the proportion of the body surface with third-degree burns (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS A population pharmacokinetic model has been developed that reliably characterized the pharmacokinetic parameters of zolpidem when used as a sleep-enhancing agent among pediatric burn patients. Additional studies are needed to link this pharmacokinetic model with pharmacodynamic data, which may include an assessment of the effects of higher zolpidem doses and/or more frequent administration upon sleep architecture.
Mitotic activity of mast cells.

Summary1) Mitotic activity occurs in adult mast cells of the mesentery of rats after moderate intraperitoneal doses of the histamine liberator, compound 48/80. After larger doses, which cause disintegration of mesenteric mast cells, mitoses are found in mast cells of the subcutaneous tissue. 2) Replacement of cells after disintegration appears to be by heteroplastic differentiation of lymphocytes or undifferentiated mesenchymal cells or both.
The current landscape of international blended learning

Each blended learning BL context is unique, but also shares attributes and concerns with others. As people in each context strive to improve their own research and practice, they have developed various approaches to common BL issues that can be applied and adapted by others, regardless of location. Our findings suggest that BL researchers and practitioners across the world have more common experiences than particular ones and that, as each strives to improve his or her own teaching and context, new discoveries can be widely applicable. The current research describes a snapshot of the present state of blended learning. Conclusions are drawn from interviews with current blended learning researchers and practitioners n = 12 focussed on BL around the world.
A reexamination of absorption and enhancement effects in X-ray fluorescence trace element analysis

In this paper, sample mass-absorption corrections for X-ray fluorescence trace element analysis are reexamined and a new approach is presented that is more accurate and more versatile than current methods. A method based on Compton scattering of a tube line is widely used because it is simple and does not require knowledge of the complete sample composition. The equivalent-wavelength method is sometimes used instead, especially if there is a major element absorption edge between the wavelengths of the Compton peak and the characteristic analyte radiation. Both methods suffer from difficulties in correcting for absorption edges and for enhancement by secondary fluorescence. In addition, the necessary assumption that the ratio of mass-absorption coefficients of any two elements is approximately independent of wavelength is surprisingly inaccurate. A series of examples demonstrates that in some cases large analytical errors may result. Methods based on the new approach completely and automatically correct for absorption edges and secondary fluorescence, without introducing such errors. In contrast to current methods, a complete major element analysis is not necessary. Thus, rapid determination of concentration ratios, such as Cr/Fe and V/Fe in oxide ores, BalFe in Fe-rich hydrothermal deposits, and Sr/Ca in carbonates, is possible. In an experimental test, accuracy of better than 1% was demonstrated for analysis of V in Fe-rich samples. A proposed coefficient approximation was shown to give accuracy of 2% or better (excluding experimental errors) for Rb, Ni, Ba, and Cr over an extremely wide range of sample compositions.
Investigation of bacterial species in water of the upper and middle reaches of Yalu River

Objective To understand the bacterial species in water of the upper and middle reaches of Yalu River.Methods Water samples were collected,cultured and isolated by the enrichment method from different water areas in the upper and middle reaches of Yalu River,finally bacteriological determination was performed.Results 387 strains of bacteria were isolated from water samples,149 strains were enterobacteriaceae,133 strains were vibrionaceae,23 strains were non-fermentative bacteria,6 strains were gram-positive bacilli,76 strains were gram-positive cocci.Conclusion There are many bacterial species in water of the upper and middle reaches of Yalu River.This study provides references for prevention of bacteria infection and control of infectious disease outbreaks.
Comparing preferences for outcomes of psoriasis treatments among patients and dermatologists in the U.K.: results from a discrete‐choice experiment

Background Plaque psoriasis can have a significant negative effect on patient quality of life, and treatments can result in serious toxicities. Although there have been several studies of patients’ and physicians’ relative preferences for the benefits and risks of psoriasis treatments, it is unclear how and whether patients’ and physicians’ preferences for the outcomes of psoriasis treatments differ. Objectives The objective of this study is to quantify patient and dermatologist preferences for improvements in psoriasis symptoms as well as for increases in the risk of treatment-related serious adverse events. Methods Members of the United Kingdom (UK) Psoriasis Association and UK dermatologists with experience prescribing biologics completed a web-enabled discrete-choice experiment survey in which they evaluated efficacy and safety features of biological treatments for psoriasis. Choices between hypothetical treatment options were used to estimate preference weights indicating respondents’ relative trade-off preferences among treatment outcomes. These outcomes included improvements in the severity and coverage of psoriatic plaques and treatment-related risks of tuberculosis, serious infections, and lymphoma. Preference estimates were used to derive the maximum level of side-effect risks that respondents would accept for improvements in psoriasis symptoms. Results Results showed that respondents’ tolerance for side-effect risks varied with side-effect severity and location of plaques, and that risk tolerance for serious side effects was greater for patients than for dermatologists. Conclusions Estimates of patients’ risk tolerance for serious side effects indicate that patients valued psoriasis-symptom control highly and suggest that psoriasis symptoms have a significant effect on patients’ quality of life. In light of research showing increased treatment satisfaction and improved treatment adherence among patients who receive therapies that are consistent with their preferences, our findings suggest that greater communication between dermatologists and patients about risk tolerance could help improve patient care. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Dissecting Proton Delocalization and the Electrostatic Contribution to Catalysis in an Enzyme's Hydrogen Bond Network with Unnatural Amino Acids

Extended hydrogen bond networks are a common structural motif of enzymes. To understand the functional relevance of the H-bond network in catalysis, this study focuses on a model protein, ketosteroid isomerase (KSI), whose H-bond network in the active site has been shown to promote both proton delocalization across the enzyme-intermediate complex and a strong electric field between the enzyme and the substrate/inhibitor bond involved in catalysis. By utilizing amber suppression, we constructed a series of KSI mutants where the active site H-bond network is preserved while the proton affinity and electrostatic character of individual key residues are selectively perturbed. This allowed us to approach the question from three aspects: how each active site residue contributes to the proton delocalization equilibrium; how changes in the proton delocalization are reflected in the electrostatic interaction between the enzyme and the ligand; and how the degree of proton delocalization and the strength of the electric field affect the catalytic properties of the enzyme. X-ray crystal structures of the variants alone and bound with an intermediate analog demonstrate that the active site geometry is preserved. We quantified the changes in proton delocalization equilibrium with UV-vis spectroscopy, 13C-NMR, and 1H-NMR. In parallel, we also measured the electrostatic interaction between the enzyme and a carbonyl group on an inhibitor where charge separation occurs during catalysis with vibrational Stark effect spectroscopy. The correlations between the extent of proton delocalization, the strength of electric field, and the catalytic efficiency will be discussed to address the contributions of proton delocalization and electrostatic stabilization in this enzyme's catalytic mechanism.
Preclinical Pharmacokinetics and Biodistribution Studies of 89Zr-Labeled Pembrolizumab.

Pembrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) found on T and pro-B cells. Pembrolizumab prevents PD-1 ligation by both PD-L1 and PD-L2, preventing the immune dysregulation that otherwise occurs when T-cells encounter cells expressing these ligands. Clinically, PD-1 blockade elicits potent antitumor immune responses, and antibodies blocking PD-1 ligation, including pembrolizumab, have recently received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of advanced melanoma, renal cell cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer. Methods In this study, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and dosimetry of pembrolizumab in vivo, accomplished through radiolabeling with the positron emitter 89Zr. PET imaging was used to evaluate the whole-body distribution of 89Zr-deferoxamine (Df)-pembrolizumab in two rodent models (mice and rats). Data obtained from PET scans and biodistribution studies were extrapolated to humans to estimate the dosimetry of the tracer. As a proof of concept, the biodistribution of 89Zr-Df-pembrolizumab was further investigated in a humanized murine model. Results The tracer remained stable in blood circulation throughout the study and accumulated the greatest in liver and spleen tissues. Both mice and rats showed similar biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of 89Zr-Df-pembrolizumab. In the humanized mouse model, T-cell infiltration into the salivary and lacrimal glands could be successfully visualized. Conclusion These data will augment our understanding of the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of radiolabeled pembrolizumab in vivo, while providing detailed dosimetry data that may lead to better dosing strategies in the future. These findings further demonstrate the utility of noninvasive in vivo PET imaging to dynamically track T-cell checkpoint receptor expression and localization in a humanized mouse model.
Circulating Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin is not associated with cardiovascular calcification or stiffness: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Abstract Background and aims Vitamin K-dependent protein (VKDP) activity may have a role in preventing cardiovascular calcification, but has not previously been studied in large, generally healthy populations. Methods Using an elevated ankle-brachial index (ABI) as a measure of medial vascular calcification, we performed a case-cohort analysis within the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, measuring Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) to estimate VKDP activity. In secondary analyses of the weighted subcohort, we examined the cross-sectional associations between DCP and prevalent vascular calcification of the coronary vessels, aortic and mitral valves, and aortic wall, and with vascular stiffness. Results In adjusted analysis, cases (n = 104) had 0.21 ng/ml (−0.94–0.52) lower DCP concentrations than the subcohort (n = 613). Furthermore, amongst the 717 participants in the weighted cohort, VKDP activity was not associated with coronary artery, mitral valve, aortic valve or aortic wall calcification, nor was it associated with vascular stiffness. Conclusions Our negative results do not support a role of circulating VKDP activity in cardiovascular calcification in community-dwelling adults.
Property and Person (or the Birth of the Juridical Subject)

To resume our findings from the previous chapter, the categories of social relation whose historical conditions of validity remain obscured in the analyses of the political economists are of the nature of , practical concepts, of economic activity. That these , practical concepts, are peculiarly susceptible to dehistoricization issues from the fact that they are not explicit but rather covert categories of social relation, since for the purposes of the economic agents who apply them, it is in fact sufficient that they serve to pick out specific sorts of physical thing. Paradoxically, however, these specific sorts are not essentially distinguished by any physical feature or features which the items belonging to them share in common, but rather by , social properties, which, as we have seen, these items acquire by virtue of the role they play within the exchange system.
Economic Responses to Scarcity

Chapters 2 and 3 have focused largely on drivers of global change which are exogenous to the economic framework developed in this book, including population, income and total factor productivity. In this chapter we focus exclusively on the endogenous responses to the scarcity which emerges when demand growth outpaces productivity growth. These include three margins of economic response: the demand margin, or consumers’ response to higher prices, the extensive margin of supply, which captures the potential responsiveness of total cropland area to higher returns in agriculture, and the intensive margin of supply, which captures producers’ scope for substituting nonland inputs for land in response to increased scarcity. Each of these margins is explored in detail, and this is followed by a series of simulations with the SIMPLE model showing how they interact with one another in order to determine total cropland conversion. This analysis demonstrates that purely biophysical analyses of global change significantly overstate the amount of cropland conversion required in the face of growing demand.
Mechanisms of l-Arginine-Auxotrophic Response and Their Cancer Therapeutic Implications

l-arginine (Arg) is a semi-essential amino acid. Because there is no specific storage system for the cellular l-Arg pool, Arg needs to be de novo synthesized or directly acquired from an extracellular source to meet physiological need. Different organs have different requirements of Arg. For example, sufficient Arg is synthesized in the liver and kidney of an adult but not sufficient to the growing child (Chaveroux et al. Biochimie 92:736–745, 2010). Arg is essential for fetuses and neonates.
Teaching Paraprofessionals to Implement Function-Based Interventions:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of workshops and coaching on paraprofessional implementation of function-based interventions. The results of indirect and direct functional behavior assessment guided the development of intervention strategies for three students with autism and intellectual disability. Following intervention, students’ appropriate behavior increased and challenging behavior decreased. In general, paraprofessionals implemented strategies with high levels of fidelity and judged both the coaching and workshop training procedures and student intervention strategies as socially valid. Implications for practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Latest developments in virtual casting of lightweight metals

The increasing use of lightweight metal castings in critical automotive and aerospace structures has required improved quality, with more reliable and quantifiable performance. Metal casting processing is very complex and often involves many competing mechanisms, multi-physics phenomena, and potentially large uncertainties. The most effective way to optimise the processes and achieve the desirable mechanical properties is through the development and exploitation of robust and accurate computational models. This paper reviews the latest advances in computational tools for lightweight shape casting processing and discusses the opportunities and challenges for future development of virtual casting.
If You’re so Smart: The Narrative of Economic Expertise

(1992). If You’re so Smart: The Narrative of Economic Expertise. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 1310-1313.
Lower Incidence of Esophagitis in the Elderly Undergoing Definitive Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer

Abstract Introduction Most patients with lung cancer are elderly and poorly represented in randomized clinical trials. They are often undertreated because of concerns about their ability to tolerate aggressive treatment. We tested the hypothesis that elderly patients undergoing definitive lung radiation might tolerate treatment differently than younger patients. Methods A total of 125 patients who underwent definitive lung radiotherapy were identified from a prospective institutional database (University of Michigan cohort). Logistic regression modeling was performed to assess the impact of age on esophagitis grade 2 or higher or grade 2 or higher and pneumonitis grade 3 or higher or grade 2 or higher, with adjustment for esophageal and lung dose, respectively, as well as for chemotherapy utilization, smoking status, and performance status. The analysis was validated in a large cohort of 691 patients from the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium registry, an independent statewide prospective database. Results In the University of Michigan cohort, multivariable regression models revealed a significant inverse correlation between age and rate of esophagitis for both toxicity levels, (adjusted OR = 0.93 for both models and 95% confidence intervals of 0.88–0.98 and 0.87–0.99), with areas under the curve of 0.747 and 0.721, respectively, demonstrating good fit. This same association was noted in the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium cohort. There was no significant association between age and pneumonitis. Conclusions There is a lower incidence of esophagitis with increasing age even after adjustment for use of chemotherapy. This is a novel finding in thoracic oncology. No age dependence was noted for pulmonary toxicity. The elderly are able to tolerate definitive thoracic radiation well and should be offered this option when clinically warranted.
Nicotine Increases Alcohol Intake in Adolescent Male Rats.

Background: Use of alcohol and tobacco, the two most concurrently abused drugs, typically first occurs during adolescence. Yet, there have been no systematic analyses of ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine (Nic) interactions during adolescence. Recent animal studies report that kappa-opioid (KOR) receptor activation mediates age differences in drug reinforcement. Our hypothesis is that concurrent self-administration of EtOH and Nic will be greater in adolescent rats because of age differences in KOR function. Furthermore, exposure to alcohol and nicotine during adolescence has been reported to increase EtOH intake in adulthood. We performed a longitudinal animal study and hypothesized adolescent rats allowed to self-administer nicotine would drink more alcohol as adults. Methods: • Adolescent, postnatal day (P)32, and adult (P90) male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were allowed to self-administer EtOH, Nic, or a combination of both, EtOH+Nic, in an intravenous self-administration paradigm. • The role of KOR was pharmacologically evaluated with the KOR antagonist, norbinaltorphamine (norBNI) and with the KOR agonist, U50,488H. • Alcohol drinking was subsequently evaluated with male rats in a drinking in the dark (DID), 2-bottle choice test. Results: • Concurrent Nic increased EtOH intake in adolescent males, but not in adults or females. • Pharmacological blockade of KOR with norBNI robustly increased EtOH+Nic self-administration in adult male rats, but had no effect with female rats. • Lastly, in our longitudinal study with male rats, we found prior self-administration of Nic or EtOH+Nic during adolescence increased subsequent oral EtOH intake, whereas prior self-administration of EtOH alone in adults increased subsequent EtOH drinking. Conclusions: There are major age- and sex-differences in the reinforcing effects of EtOH+Nic. Adolescent males are sensitive to the reinforcing interactions of the two drugs, whereas this effect is inhibited by KOR activation in male adults. Nicotine self-administration in adolescent males also increased subsequent oral EtOH intake. These findings suggest that brain mechanisms underlying the reinforcing effects of EtOH and nicotine are both age- and sex-dependent, and that tobacco or e-cigarette use may increase the vulnerability of teenage boys to alcohol abuse.
Mandatory Processing of the Background in the Detection of Objects in Scenes

Would the relationships between an object and its real-world setting affect the detectibility of that object even when the observer knew what the object was and where it would appear? Mandatory processing of scene backgrounds was investigated using a pre-cue design in which the target object's name and location was supplied to the subject prior to a single 100 msec. presentation of a line drawing of a real-world scene. The deleterious effect of violating relationships between the target and background indicated that the processing of the scene background was mandatory and affected the perceptability of the target rather than the memory of the scene.
How are Patterns of Public Governance Changing in the US and the EU? It’s Complicated

Governments are coming to rely on a variety of new tools and mechanisms to enable collective action on behalf of societal goals and community interests. Many scholars have claimed that the boundaries between the state and civil society in economically advanced democracies are shifting unmistakably away from the state toward enlarged roles for both the non-profit and for-profit sectors in societal governance. Empirical evidence to support such claims is unconvincing, however. Based on an analysis of changes in patterns of governance of immigration, migrant education, and bilingual education over the past three decades in the United States and the European Union, a far more complex reality is found: patterns of change in governance in these three policy domains reflect multi-directional and path-dependent political dynamics. Moreover, patterns of change in the relative influence of the three sectors of society are, more often than not, driven by each sector’s pursuit of its own interests, resulting ...
Optically pumped semiconductor CW laser with 307nm output

We investigated cw intra-cavity third-harmonic generation (THG), where both the second- and third-harmonic NLO processes are type-I. The concept and results from a prototype with output of 28mW at 307nm are presented here.
Time Domain Sequential Locking for Increased Security

In this paper, the state space of an integrated circuit (IC) is used to increase the security of an IC against a variety of threats including intellectual property theft, IC counterfeiting, and IC overproduction. Hidden state transitions, state dependent keys, and temporal based transitions are implemented as a means to combat probing style attacks, such as the SAT attack. SPICE simulations are performed on modified state machines to characterize the overhead of implementing the three techniques in a circuit. Implementing temporal based transitions increases the area of the circuit by 68.42%, the power by 43.17%, and did not impact circuit delay. However, increasing the circuit size significantly reduces the overhead of state space encryption. For example, encrypting two registers in the s15850 ISCAS89 benchmark circuit resulted in an area overhead of 0.026%, presenting a low overhead means of securing sequential logic.
The Contemporary Debate Over Physician-Assisted Suicide

The debate over physician-assisted suicide is momentous, complex, and contentious. Since ancient times reasonable and informed people of good will have disagreed about the permissibility of suicide, assisted suicide, and physician-assisted suicide and discussed the proper legal, ethical or professional response to people prepared to assist others with suicide or euthanasia. Some Hippocratic writings instructed early physicians about how to help patients who might wish to commit suicide or relieve their suffering through euthanasia. Yet the influential Hippocratic Oath from the same period forbids doctors from participating in such activities. Some philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle, offered principled objections to suicide or killing even for merciful reasons, while other early philosophers, most notably the Stoics, defended the rationality of such policies in some cases.
Cohesive Energy Rule for Vacuum Arcs

The Cohesive Energy Rule for vacuum arcs describes an empirical relationship between the cathode material and the arc burning voltage, namely, that the burning voltage depends approximately linearly on the cohesive energy. For-Berkeley’s vacuum arc ion source system it was quantified as V = V 0 +AE CE , with V 0 ≈ 14.3V and A = 1.69 V/(eV/atom). Two arguments are brought forward to identify physical justifications for the empirical rule. First, the self-adjusting burning voltage determines the power input for a given arc current, and therefore the Cohesive Energy Rule connects a material property with the energy conservation law. In order to accomplish the phase transition from the solid to the plasma, energy must be invested, and the cohesive energy represents the energy needed to reach the vapor phase. Only a small fraction of power is directly dissipated in the cathode, and the much larger fraction dissipated in the plasma moves away with the expanding plasma. A possible response of the discharge is to self-adjust the total burning voltage. Through this path, the cohesive energy would affect plasma parameters via the causal chain: cohesive energy — burning voltage — power dissipation — electron temperature — ion charge state and ion kinetic energy. The second reason to justify the rule is that many physical parameters show periodicity as expressed in the Periodic Table of the Elements. Therefore, the periodicity shown by the cohesive energy acts-as a proxy for the periodicity exhibited by other quantities, for example, melting and boiling temperatures or ionization energies.
Recovery of recombinant proteins from transgenic plants: strategies in implementation and optimization

v CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Motivation and Objectives 1 Dissertation Format 3 Literature Review 4 References 29 CHAPTER 2. HOST SELECTION AS A DOWNSTREAM STRATEGY: POLYELECTROLYTE PRECIPITATION OF ^-GLUCURONIDASE FROM PLANT EXTRACTS 41 Abstract 4
Impact of Foreign Objects on the Performance of Capacitive Wireless Charging Systems for Electric Vehicles

This paper presents the impact of foreign objects on the performance of capacitive wireless power transfer (WPT) systems for electric vehicle (EV) charging. For this study, a prototype 6.78-MHz 12-cm air-gap capacitive WPT system utilizing 12.25-cm × 12.25-cm coupling plates is designed, built and tested. With no foreign objects in its vicinity, the prototype system transfers 507 W with a peak efficiency of nearly 90%. In the presence of foreign objects (including metal, wood, plastic and water), the system’s performance is found to be significantly impacted only when the object is in very close proximity (<3 cm) to the coupling plates. It is found that this performance degradation is mostly due to detuning, that is, a drift between the system’s operating and resonant frequency. This digest evaluates two approaches to re-tune the system and recover its performance. The first approach, which involves changing the system’s operating frequency, is shown to partially restore system performance. However, this approach is not suited to multi-MHz capacitive WPT systems, which need to operate within a narrow ISM frequency band. The second approach involves utilizing an active variable reactance (AVR) rectifier, which operates at a fixed frequency and can efficiently provide the incremental reactance required to re-tune the system in the presence of foreign objects.
II-05 B cells from SLE patients have increased endogenous production of IFNβ which is stimulated by BCR signaling and is required for survival of autoreactive B cells

Background Increased type I interferon (IFN) has been shown to affect survival and activation of B cells in SLE. This study investigated novel mechanisms of endogenous production and autocrine activity of IFNβ in SLE B cells at the single-cell level. Methods IFNβ in B cells from SLE patients was analyzed using t-SNE platform based high dimensional flow cytometry. Intracellular IFNβ expression was visualized and analyzed by super-resolution confocal imaging and ImageStream analysis. Single cell gene expression analysis was carried out using the Fluidigm/BioMark system for targeted expression of low abundance genes, and the 10x Chromium platform for unbiased transcriptome analysis of up to 4,000 B cells per subject. Functional production of type I IFNs by B cells was analyzed using a human type I IFNs SEAP reporter HEK293 cell line. Results High dimension flow cytometry analysis identified intracellular IFNβ expression in pDCs, B cells, and CD4 T cells. B-cell endogenous IFNβ was required for optimal in vitro BCR and TLR7-induced activation and survival of B cells. Using a Fluidigm targeted-gene approach, B cells could be divided into type I IFN expressing (IFN+) or type I IFN stimulated gene (ISG+) subpopulations, suggesting B cells not only respond to type I IFNs but also express type I IFNs including IFNB and different IFNA genes. TLR7 and TLR3 were mainly expressed by IFN +cells whereas TLR9 was mainly expressed by ISG +B cells. The production of functional IFNβ and IFNα protein by single B cells from SLE subjects and was verified using a novel alkaline phosphatase live staining of HEK-blue reporter cells. There was enhanced IFNAR signaling by reporter cells in direct contact with SLE B cells which was blocked by anti-IFNβ and anti-IFNα. Interesting, anti-Ig crosslinking was required for optimal B-cell endogenous type I IFNs to stimulate responder cells. Unbiased single cells transcriptome analysis of SLE B cells using the 5’ 10X Chromium platform and Loupe V(D)J Browser indicated that gene clusters in type I IFN expressing or responding SLE B cells exhibited unique heavy- and light-chain gene expression repertoires. Conclusion (i) B cells are an important source of type I IFNs in modulating TLR and BCR responses in SLE; (ii) well-orchestrated and distinct programs in type I expression and responses genes in subsets of B cells, and (iii) distinct pathways of B cell survival and activation based on combined signaling through BCR, TLR, and IFNAR with a distinct BCR heavy- and light-chain repertoire. Acknowledgements This work was supported by grants from R01-AI-071110, R01 AI134023, Lupus Research Alliance Distinguished Innovator Award, I01B × 004049, and 1I01B × 000600 to J.D.M, 2T32AI007051–39 Immunology T32 Training Grant and the LFA Finzi Summer Fellowship to J.A.H, and the LRA Novel Research Award to H.-C.H.
Go Means Green: Diasporas’ Affinity for Ecological Groups

Recent expansions of diaspora rights have given overseas residents increasing political voice. This is particularly significant for environmental politics, because expatriates’ distinctive values, ...
Managing the dispersal of ladybird beetles ( Col.: Coccinellidae ): Use of artificial honeydew to manipulate spatial distributions

We tested whether large-scale distributions of aphidophagous ladybirds could be manipulated by localized application of artificial honeydew. In addition to enhancing local build-up of ladybird numbers (e.g., in areas of incipient aphid outbreak), such an approach may prove useful for drawing ladybirds out of a crop scheduled for insecticide treatment. In six experiments, we sprayed sucrose dissolved in water to small plots in the center of large alfalfa fields in Utah. Within 48 hours, ladybird densities in the plots increased 2–13x, whereas ladybird densities at distances of 40–150 m from the plots decreased to a mean of less than two-thirds their former density. We then applied sucrose in a narrow band along the entire perimeter of an alfalfa field; densities of ladybirds increased following treatment both along the treated field edge and in untreated alfalfa throughout the field. Finally, we compared the numerical responses of two ladybird species to sucrose application; both species responded positively, butCoccinella transversoguttata did so consistently more strongly than didC. septempunctata. Our results suggest that both promise and challenges lie in the use of artificial honeydew to direct the dispersal and spatial patterns of ladybirds.
Trust and Transparency in Contact Tracing Applications

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has led to focus on efforts to manage and mitigate the continued spread of the disease. One of these efforts include the use of contact tracing to identify people who are at-risk of developing the disease through exposure to an infected person. Historically, contact tracing has been primarily manual but given the exponential spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, there has been significant interest in the development and use of digital contact tracing solutions to supplement the work of human contact tracers. The collection and use of sensitive personal details by these applications has led to a number of concerns by the stakeholder groups with a vested interest in these solutions. We explore digital contact tracing solutions in detail and propose the use of a transparent reporting mechanism, FactSheets, to provide transparency of and support trust in these applications. We also provide an example FactSheet template with questions that are specific to the contact tracing application domain.
How AI Can Help Build Resiliency for Small Businesses in a Global Economic Crisis

In the midst of COVID-19, a global economic crisis is threatening the livelihoods of small business owners everywhere. In ordinary times, 50 percent of small businesses go out of business in the first 5 years. In today's extraordinary times, nearly 7.5 million (~25 percent) of small businesses in the U.S. alone have been at risk of closing permanently in a matter of months (Source: Main Street America's Small Business Survey 2020). Among the all-time top contributing factors to survival? Cash flow management and access to capital. Whether in the midst of a pandemic or a devastating life event, business owners are more likely to survive if they can 1) efficiently manage the inflow and outflow of cash, 2) understand their cash position to qualify for government aid and/or loans with flexible borrowing terms, and 3) use financial insights to map out revenue and spending scenarios. In this talk, Nhung Ho, Director of Data Science for Intuit's Small Business and Self-Employed Group, will describe how Intuit AI has applied artificial intelligence and large-scale machine learning to help small businesses around the world to overcome the challenges of cash flow forecasting and capital access to build financial resilience in turbulent times.