cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular recognition of pyr mRNA by the Bacillus subtilis attenuation regulatory protein PyrR.

The pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis (pyr) operon in Bacillus subtilis is regulated by transcriptional attenuation. The PyrR protein binds in a uridine nucleotide-dependent manner to three attenuation sites at the 5′-end of pyr mRNA. PyrR binds an RNA-binding loop, allowing a terminator hairpin to form and repressing the downstream genes. The binding of PyrR to defined RNA molecules was characterized by a gel mobility shift assay. Titration indicated that PyrR binds RNA in an equimolar ratio. PyrR bound more tightly to the binding loops from the second (BL2 RNA) and third (BL3 RNA) attenuation sites than to the binding loop from the first (BL1 RNA) attenuation site. PyrR bound BL2 RNA 4–5-fold tighter in the presence of saturating UMP or UDP and 150- fold tighter with saturating UTP, suggesting that UTP is the more important co-regulator. The minimal RNA that bound tightly to PyrR was 28 nt long. Thirty-one structural variants of BL2 RNA were tested for PyrR binding affinity. Two highly conserved regions of the RNA, the terminal loop and top of the upper stem and a purine-rich internal bulge and the base pairs below it, were crucial for tight binding. Conserved elements of RNA secondary structure were also required for tight binding. PyrR protected conserved areas of the binding loop in hydroxyl radical footprinting experiments. PyrR likely recognizes conserved RNA sequences, but only if they are properly positioned in the correct secondary structure.
ESP: an expert system for pre-session group decision support systems planning

The authors present a prototype expert system, the Expert Session Planner (ESP), which is designed to support GDSS (group decision support systems) session facilitators during critical pre-session planning. Its major components are a group selection module, a calendar scheduling module, and a tool selection module. ESP's advantages are that it allows scarce human facilitator knowledge to be distributed and provides consistency across sessions, provides training for novice session facilitators in the selection of GDSS software, and offers a foundation upon which to build further intelligent support software for group meeting processes. A case study illustrates the use of the expert system for planning a typical group meeting. >
Suppression of tumorigenicity in the human prostate cancer cell line M12 via microcell-mediated restoration of chromosome 19.

Previously we immortalized human, nontransformed prostate epithelial cells with SV40 large T-antigen (SV40TAg) and derived increasingly aggressive sublines from the immortalized line. The progression of the tumorigenic sublines to metastatic capacity was accompanied by the formation of an unbalanced translocation between chromosomes 16 and 19, resulting in loss of 19p and proximal 19q. To test whether the tumorigenic and/or metastatic phenotype was causally related to this genetic alteration, we restored a neo-tagged human chromosome 19 to M12 cells by microcell-mediated transfer and assessed their growth. In vitro, the resultant hybrids grew more slowly in monolayer culture and showed a significant reduction in anchorage-independent growth as compared to M12neo controls. In vivo, all mice (13/13) injected subcutaneously (SC) with control M12neo cells developed tumors after 9–15 days. In contrast, 9/15 mice injected SC with microcell-transferred chromosome 19 hybrid cells failed to form tumors, with 6/15 producing very small tumors after 120 days. Analysis of three of these six tumors showed consistent, new chromosomal changes. Furthermore, in one of the tumors, loss of a chromosome 19 was noted in 40% of the cells. After intraprostatic injections of the hybrid cells, only 2/7 mice developed microscopic tumors, with no metastases. These data suggest the presence of a gene or genes on chromosome 19 that function to suppress growth. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sperm cryopreservation of a live-bearing fish, the platyfish Xiphophorus couchianus

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of cryoprotectant, osmotic pressure, cooling rate, equilibration time, and sperm-to-extender ratio, as well as somatic relationships of body length, body weight, and testis weight to sperm density in the platyfish Xiphophorus couchianus. Sperm motility and survival duration after thawing were significantly different between cryopreservation with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and glycerol, with the highest motility at 10 min after thawing obtained with 14% glycerol. With subsequent use of 14% glycerol as cryoprotectant, the highest motility after thawing was observed with Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS) across a range of 240-300 mOsm/kg. Samples cooled from 5 to -80 degrees C at 25 degrees C/min yielded the highest post-thaw motility, although no significant difference was found for cooling rates across the range of 20-30 degrees C/min. In addition, the highest motility after thawing was found in samples equilibrated from 10 to 30 min with 14% glycerol and cooled at 25 degrees C/min. The post-thaw motility declined rapidly with use of 10% glycerol and cooling at 5 degrees C/min across the equilibration range of 10 min to 2h. Sperm motility with a dilution ratio of sperm to extender of 1:10 was not different at 10 min after thawing with those samples at greater dilutions, but declined significantly from Day 1 after thawing and showed lower survival duration when stored at 4 degrees C. However, the additional dilution of sperm solutions with HBSS (300 mOsm/kg) immediately after thawing significantly slowed the decline of motility and prolonged the duration of survival. Based on the above findings, the highest average sperm motility (78+/-3 %) at 10 min after thawing was obtained when sperm were suspended in HBSS at 300 mOsm/kg with 14% glycerol as cryoprotectant, diluted at a ratio of sperm to HBSS-glycerol of 1:20, equilibrated for 10 min, cooled at 25 degrees C/min from 5 to -80 degrees C before plunging into liquid nitrogen, and thawed at 40 degrees C in a water bath for 7 s. If diluted within 5 h after thawing, sperm frozen by the above protocol retained continuous motility for 15 days when stored at 4 degrees C.
Direct evidence of mast cell involvement in Clostridium difficile toxin a—induced enteritis in mice

Abstract Background & Aims: The pathogenesis of Clostridium difficile toxin A–induced intestinal inflammation is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to define the contribution of mast cells to the fluid secretion and neutrophil infiltration associated with toxin A–induced enteritis. Methods: Fluid secretion and neutrophil infiltration in toxin A– or buffer–challenged ileal loops were assessed in normal, mast cell–deficient, and mast cell–deficient KitW/KitW-v mice that had undergone selective repair of their mast cell deficiency. The effect of a specific substance P–receptor antagonist was also studied. Results: Intestinal fluid secretion and neutrophil recruitment were significantly diminished in mast cell–deficient KitW/KitW-v and mast cell–deficient MgfSl/MgfSl-d mice compared with the respective normal mice. Mast cell–reconstituted KitW/KitW-v mice showed responses similar to the normal congenic mice. Administration of a specific substance P–receptor antagonist (CP-96,345) reduced toxin A–induced intestinal fluid secretion and inhibited neutrophil infiltration in normal, mast cell–deficient KitW/KitW-v, and mast cell–reconstituted KitW/KitW-v mice. Conclusions: C. difficile toxin A elicits intestinal fluid secretion and neutrophil infiltration by both mast cell–dependent and –independent pathways, and substance P participates in both pathways. GASTROENTEROLOGY 1998;114:956-964
The "Pictures in Our Heads" and Individual-Targeted Tolerance

This article develops a distinction between group-targeted tolerance (the focus of previous research) and individual-targeted tolerance, and proposes that individual-targeted tolerance deserves attention because, inter alia, of its important implications for group-targeted tolerance. Borrowing from recent psychological theories concerning the perception of people and groups, an argument is made and tested experimentally that the extent to which individuals of negatively stereotyped political groups will be tolerated depends not only on their group membership but also on the extent to which they fit their group's stereotype or, in Lippmann's words, the "pictures in our heads" (Lippmann 1922). The influence of group membership and fit to the group stereotype on individual-targeted tolerance are predicted to vary as a function of the activity in question and respondents' prior attitudes toward the group. Substantial support for all these hypotheses is found and discussed.
Optimal control of distributed arrays with spatial invariance

We consider distributed parameter systems where the underlying dynamics are spatially invariant, and where the controls and measurements are spatially distributed. These systems arise in many applications such as the control of platoons, smart structures, or distributed flow control through the fluid boundary. For optimal control problems involving quadratic criteria such as LQR, H 2 and H ∞, it is shown how to reduce the optimization to a family of problems over spatial frequency. We also show that optimal controllers have an inherent degree of decentralization, which leads to a practical distributed architecture. Under a more general class of performance criteria, a general result is given showing that optimal controllers inherit the spatial invariance structure of the plant.
Learning regular languages via alternating automata

Nearly all algorithms for learning an unknown regular language, in particular the popular L* algorithm, yield deterministic finite automata. It was recently shown that the ideas of L* can be extended to yield non-deterministic automata, and that the respective learning algorithm, NL*, outperforms L* on randomly generated regular expressions. We conjectured that this is due to the existential nature of regular expressions, and NL* might not outperform L* on languages with a universal nature. In this paper we introduce UL* -- a learning algorithm for universal automata (the dual of non-deterministic automata); and AL* -- a learning algorithm for alternating automata (which generalize both universal and non-deterministic automata). Our empirical results illustrate the advantages and trade-offs among L*, NL*, UL* and AL*.
Relationship between Grip Strength and Achievement in Physical Education among College Women

Abstract The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to investigate the relationship between strength and achievement in physical education among 200 college women by comparing grip strength with grades in the instructional physical education courses and (2) to compare the results obtained on college women with those of college men in the study by Tinkle and Montoye reported in this issue of the Research Quarterly. A table of random numbers was used to secure the sample. The results indicated that grip strength among college women was significantly related to achievement in physical education instructional courses as measured by grades. Also, grip strength was found to be directly related to and probably dependent upon body weight and only indirectly related to height in college women. The relationship between grades in physical education and grip strength among college women substantiates the results of the college men's study.
Predictive value of N-terminal atrial natriuretic peptide and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide for left ventricular systolic dysfunction

Objective To compare the performance of N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide (NT-proANP) and N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in identifying left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in patients at high risk for heart failure,and to determine their optimal ranges and cut-off values.Methods A total of 380 patients with cardiovascular disease were enrolled (case group).Based on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF),they were divided into LVSD group (LVEF≤40%,n=90) and non-LVSD group (LVEF40%,n=290).Another 136 healthy people were taken as controls.LVEF was measured by echocardiography.Plasma concentrations of NT-proANP and NT-proBNP were measured by ELISA.Patients were further grouped according to LVEF,age,gender and primary cardiovascular diseases.The ability of NT-proANP and NT-proBNP to predict LVSD was examined from the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.And the cut-off values were determined.Results The plasma concentrations of NT-proANP and NT-proBNP were much higher in case group than in healthy controls log(NT-proANP): (3.30±0.41) vs (2.98±0.16),P0.01;log(NT-proBNP): (2.71±0.30) vs (2.49±0.13),P0.01.In case group,the area under ROC curve (AUC) for NT-proANP and NT-proBNP was at least 0.73(P0.01).The AUC was larger for NT-proANP than NT-proBNP in patients with LVEF ≤ 40% (0.820 vs 0.738),and was smaller for NT-proANP than NT-proBNP in patients with LVEF ≤ 30% (0.853 vs 0.877).Using a cut-off value of 1676.92pmol/L,NT-proANP had a sensitivity of 88.9%-100.0%,specificity of 14.0%-58.7%,positive predictive value (PPV) of 9.04%-30.04%,and negative predictive value(NPV) of 96.96%-98.77%.Using a cut-off value of 417.37pmol/L,NT-proBNP had the sensitivity of 77.8%-94.4%,specificity of 10.0%-55.8%,PPV of 7.07%-48.88%,and NPV of 94.46%-98.87%.Conclusions Both NT-proANP and NT-proBNP have good performance in reflecting heart function of patients at high risk for heart failure,and both can be used to diagnose LVSD.For patients with LVEF≤40%,NT-proANP seems to have a better predictive value than NT-proBNP.
Focus on "Essential role for IL-6 in postresuscitation inflammation in hemorrhagic shock".

a variety of both pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators can be detected in plasma taken from otherwise healthy individuals suffering any one of a variety of acute conditions, including major injury with hemorrhagic shock ([3][1]). Recent attention has focused on interleukin (IL)-6 because of the
Segmental localization of urea transporter mRNAs in rat kidney

Renal epithelia express at least two distinct urea transporter mRNAs, termed UT1 and UT2, that are derived from a single UT gene by alternative splicing. Previous immunolocalization studies using a polyclonal antibody that does not distinguish between the protein products of these two transcripts revealed that expression of urea transporter protein is restricted to inner medullary collecting ducts and descending thin limbs of Henle's loop. To identify which transcripts account for protein expression in these two structures, we carried out reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction studies in microdissected structures using UT1- and UT2-specific primers. UT1 mRNA was detected only in the inner medullary collecting duct, consistent with its identification as the vasopressin-regulated urea transporter. In contrast, UT2-mRNA was detected in the late part of descending thin limbs of short loops of Henle and in the inner medullary part of descending thin limbs of long loops of Henle. This localization is consistent with the predicted role of UT2 in medullary urea recycling. Thus, in conjunction with foregoing physiological studies, our data indicate that these transporters play central roles in the urinary concentrating mechanism.
Psychopathic traits predict harsh attitudes toward rape victims among undergraduates

Abstract Sexual aggression is pervasive in American society and affects deleteriously the lives of men and women. Two potential predictors sexual assault are psychopathic personality (psychopathy) traits and rape myth acceptance (RMA), although there is a paucity of research on the relation between RMA and psychopathic traits. We adopted a multi-measure approach to the associations among all three variables in two racially diverse college undergraduate samples (overall N = 608). Consistent with our predictions, most psychopathy features significantly predicted RMA, and relations were most pronounced for subdimensions reflecting callousness, antagonism, and lack of empathy ( r s ranged from 0.34 to 0.46). In contrast, boldness features were not significant predictors of RMA ( r s ranged from 0.01 to 0.12). Gender moderated the relations between coldheartedness and RMA, such that effects were significantly stronger for females. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the traditional, maladaptive aspects of psychopathy were moderate predictors of RMA, with effects being strongest for cold and guiltless psychopathy features, followed by disinhibition. These findings raise the possibility that RMA may be one mechanism by which psychopathy influences sexual aggression given that RMA is regarded as an attitudinal precursor to these outcomes.
Martial Arts Cinema as Post-Capitalist Cinema: Akira Kurosawa, Johnnie To, and Critical Intertextuality

Slavoj Ž i ž ek argues that ‘Western Buddhisms’, or East-meets-West cultural formations such as martial arts, are ideological in that they do nothing to fundamentally disrupt capitalist ideology. With an understanding that, yes, martial arts can anesthetize us to capitalism as Ž i ž ek claims, it does not follow that this is their inherent function. This paper explores the critical intertexual link between Akira Kurosawa’s martial arts saga Sanshiro Sugata (1943) and its spiritual successor, Johnnie To’s Throw down (2004), and suggests to the contrary that martial arts as humanism can allow individuals to internalize resistance. More specifically, it explains how To applies Kurosawa’s poetics of humanist cinema to contemporary Hong Kong in order to foreground dehumanization in capitalism and propose a meaningful alternative to our current global capitalist routine.
Evaluation of a live attenuated human metapneumovirus vaccine in adults and children

We conducted a phase I clinical trial of an experimental live attenuated recombinant human metapneumovirus (HMPV) vaccine (rHMPV-Pa) sequentially in adults, HMPV-seropositive children, and HMPV-seronegative children, the target population for vaccination. rHMPV-Pa was appropriately restricted in replication in adults and HMPV-seropositive children but was overattenuated for HMPV-seronegative children.
Why Do Black Women Experience Higher Rates of Preterm Birth

The goal of this review is to describe how a woman’s exposures and experiences lead to Black-white disparities in preterm. Studies in the last 10 years have increased knowledge in areas that may explain disparities, in particular social factors such as racism and stress, as well as how social factors at the neighborhood level may intersect with those at the individual level. The biologic pathways linking the social environment to disparities in preterm birth is also becoming better understood. Study designs and measures may need to adapt to effectively study disparities. While there is much greater appreciation for the potential importance of the social environment across the life course, more research is needed on methods to best study these factors, particularly in measurement, as well as pathways linking these factors to preterm birth in Black women.
Shoestring Social Media: Building a Social Media Presence for UNCG’s Special Collections and University Archives

Social media is now a part of everyday life for the majority of adults. With such high adoption rates, archives and special collections cannot afford to ignore this important venue for advocacy and awareness building. In this case study, the author will explore how staff of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) established and built a social media presence that stretches across multiple platforms and audiences to spread the word about our collections and our work. The author will also examine the issue of sustainability planning and growth through assessment.
Timeout Period Analysis to Detect Black Hole Attack in Multihop Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

A novel approach is proposed to estimate the timeout period used in wireless ad hoc networks in order to detect misbehaving nodes that make black hole attacks. Timeout period is an acceptable time frame for a node to forward a packet and is used to judge if the node is behaving properly. To avoid misjudgment and false alarms, the accuracy of the estimate of the timeout period is very important. Our method is based on the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol and Dynamic Source Routing protocol. The main contribution of this paper is proposing a queuing analysis to calculate the mean and maximum delay per hop implementing the 95-percentile of medium access waiting time. In addition, a new technique is introduced that can be applied to determine the mean number of hops in flooding-based ad hoc networks, taking into account edge effects. For each proposed model, analytical results are compared with results obtained from simulations and the validity of the models is confirmed by observing the close relationship between the results.
Abstract 16880: Identifying Non-invasive Tools to Distinguish Acute Myocarditis From Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Children

Introduction: Children with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) often require orthotopic heart transplantation. In contrast, children with acute myocarditis may present with similar clinical features to D...
Trends: Physician Earnings In A Changing Managed Care Environment

The first evidence is in that managed care has affected physicians' incomes. Who are the biggest winners and losers?
Erythropoietin's Beta Common Receptor Mediates Neuroprotection in Spinal Cord Neurons.

Background Paraplegia from spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion (SCIR) remains an elusive and devastating complication of complex aortic operations. Erythropoietin (EPO) attenuates this injury in models of SCIR. Upregulation of the EPO beta common receptor (βcR) is associated with reduced damage in models of neural injury. The purpose of this study was to examine whether EPO-mediated neuroprotection was dependent on βcR expression. We hypothesized that spinal cord neurons subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation would mimic SCIR injury in aortic surgery and EPO treatment attenuates this injury in a βcR-dependent fashion. Methods Lentiviral vectors with βcR knockdown sequences were tested on neuron cell cultures. The virus with greatest βcR knockdown was selected. Spinal cord neurons from perinatal wild-type mice were harvested and cultured to maturity. They were treated with knockdown or nonsense virus and transduced cells were selected. Three groups (βcR knockdown virus, nonsense control virus, no virus control; n = 8 each) were subjected to 1 hour of oxygen-glucose deprivation. Viability was assessed. βcR expression was quantified by immunoblot. Results EPO preserved neuronal viability after oxygen-glucose deprivation (0.82 ± 0.04 versus 0.61 ± 0.01; p p = 0.77). EPO neuron preservation was lost in βcR knockdown mice compared with nonsense control mice (0.46 ± 0.03 versus 0.80 ± 0.05; p Conclusions EPO attenuates neuronal loss after oxygen-glucose deprivation in a βcR-dependent fashion. This receptor holds immense clinical promise as a target for pharmacotherapies treating spinal cord ischemic injury.
Generating and Sustaining Attention

A few years ago I would announce in my motivation classes that the study of curiosity had been neglected in the educational and psychological literature. But, that seems to have changed! Maybe it’s because of the re-emergence of interest in multimedia, increased concerns about decreases in invention and patent applications in our society, or just because researchers have regained interest in this topic. Whatever the reason, this chapter tries to capture essential information about the concept of curiosity and the related concepts of boredom and sensation seeking. Following this review, the latter part of the chapter contains guidance for applying this knowledge. It describes three major subcategories of curiosity, or the broader concept of attention, and lists a selection of principles and strategies for generating and sustaining learners’ attention and curiosity.
Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Discharge Among People Living With HIV.

Background People living with HIV (PHIV) are at an increased risk for sudden cardiac death, and implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators (ICDs) prevent SCD. There are no data on the incidence, predi...
An update on the diagnosis and management of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)-associated pulmonary hypertension

The past decade of neonatal care has been highlighted by increased survival rates in smaller and more premature infants. Despite reduction in mortality associated with extreme prematurity, long term pulmonary morbidities remain a concern, with growing recognition of the clinical burden attributable to infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)-associated pulmonary hypertension (PH). Recent publications shed light on the critical contributions of maternal placental pathology and compromised intrauterine growth to fetal pulmonary vascular development. A body of literature has further clarified postnatal risk factors for PH, most notably the severity of BPD but surprisingly the additional presence of non-pulmonary morbidities including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Limitations of current diagnostics persist with growing consideration of novel echocardiographic approaches as well as complementary non-invasive biomarkers to better identify infants at risk. In 2015, a joint report published by the American Heart Association and American Thoracic Society provided the first guidelines for the care of children with PH with limited content to address BPD-associated PH. These guidelines were expanded upon in an expert consensus report produced by the Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Network (PPHNet). These recommendations encouraged the use of standardized screening protocols and emphasized the importance of evaluation and treatment of comorbidities when PH is identified. Cardiac catheterization was recommended prior to initiation of therapy for more accurate quantification of pulmonary pressures, clarification of anatomy and guidance in the use of pharmacotherapy. Despite these guidelines, significant practice variation persists and gaps remain with respect to optimal evaluation and management of BPD-associated PH.
Chapter 14 – Factor B

Factor B is a component of the alternative pathway of complement. It contains a serine protease (SP) domain, and when activated it provides the catalytic activity of the alternative pathway C3 and C5 convertases. Factor B circulates as an inactive proenzyme (i.e., a zymogen), and only becomes activated after cleavage by the protein factor D. However, factor D can only cleave factor B when it is bound to the active forms of C3: C3(H2O) and C3b. Factor B is generated as a single-chain protein, and cleavage by factor D generates two peptide fragments (Ba and Bb). The Bb region (which contains the SP domain) remains bound to C3(H2O) and C3b, forming the alternative pathway convertases [C3(H2O)Bb and C3bBb]. As part of the C3 convertases, the SP domain of Bb has specific catalytic activity for cleavage of C3 molecules. The addition of another C3b molecule to the alternative pathway C3 convertase generates the C5 convertase (C3bBbC3b). As part of the alternative pathway C5 convertase, the SP domain of Bb cleaves C5 molecules, enabling the assembly of C5–C9 and the resultant formation of the membrane attack complex.
Reconsidering Sex-Based Occupational Segregation and Agency Missions: An Analysis of U.S. State Bureaucracies (1987-2015) Using Two Different Thresholds:

We examine Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data (1987-2015) to determine whether sex-based occupational segregation among administrative and professional workforces is related to state agen...
US–Brazilian cotton policies

Brazil filed a lawsuit with the WTO against the United States for providing cotton production and export subsidies, and the WTO ruled in favour of Brazil. Brazil threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs if the United States does not comply with the WTO rulings. After a prolonged litigation stretching from 2002 to 2010, both countries agreed to a negotiated settlement wherein the United States paid Brazilian cotton producers to compensate for any adverse effects. This study develops a political economic model to theoretically analyse US cotton policies, Brazil's threat of retaliatory tariffs and the negotiated settlement between the two countries. The theoretical results show that the volume of cotton output, supply price response, politicians' apathy for the public welfare, elasticities of excess supply/demand and the magnitude of US transfers play a crucial role in determining US policies. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to model political economic aspects of the complex system of trade and domestic policies in the cotton industry using a three‐country framework, tariff retaliation and transfers between the countries.
Accurate RFI prediction of 3D non-planar connector with half magnetic dipole pattern

In this paper, a dipole-moment based reciprocity method is applied to a consumer electronic device. The dipole moment is then used to predict radio-frequency interference (RFI) from a high-speed connector to two nearby RF antennas. The connector has a 3D structure with data pins verticallyoriented, for which the near H field pattern around the connector shows a half magnetic dipole pattern. This is different from typical complete dipole patterns over planar printed PCB (printed circuit board) structures. To tackle this problem, a magnetic dipole is placed in full-wave simulation with a similar connector structure. Using the reference near field data from simulation an equivalent magnetic dipole moment for the measured field is obtained. Further reciprocity theorem is applied to predict RFI based on the equivalent dipole magnitude and the antenna reverse H field. The predicted RFI shows a fairly good match with the measured RFI for both victim antennas.
Catalyst-controlled doubly enantioconvergent coupling of racemic alkyl nucleophiles and electrophiles

Stereochemical control in the construction of carbon-carbon bonds between an alkyl electrophile and an alkyl nucleophile is a persistent challenge in organic synthesis. Classical substitution reactions via SN1 and SN2 pathways are limited in their ability to generate carbon-carbon bonds (inadequate scope, due to side reactions such as rearrangements and eliminations) and to control stereochemistry when beginning with readily available racemic starting materials (racemic products). Here, we report a chiral nickel catalyst that couples racemic electrophiles (propargylic halides) with racemic nucleophiles (β-zincated amides) to form carbon-carbon bonds in doubly stereoconvergent processes, affording a single stereoisomer of the product from two stereochemical mixtures of reactants.
Measuring environment color reflection for integrated CGI in live-action footage

In 3D animation and visual effects productions, a typical method of reproducing realistic real-world lighting and ambient color reflections onto 3D elements is to use HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging) maps captured on-set and rendered expensively by physical-based 3D rendering engines. HDR images can preserve dynamic range light sources, and 3D artists have widely used this lighting approach for relighting 3D scenes in the VFX industry. However, the process of capturing HDR images should be done under the same lighting conditions for the same live-action background scenes. In some cases, HDR images may not be available to low-budget productions in small studios. In such a scenario, 3D artists have to use multiple virtual lights to mimic realistic scene lighting and color reflections, especially subtle ambient colors reflected on the surface of 3D components, which are integrated with live-action background plates. This process brings challenges to 3D artists and heavily relies on artists' professional experience and artistic sense, and therefore, the effects might be overly done and look unrealistic. This study explored a series of color measurements and color extractions from a couple of live-action background plates. In addition, the paper also introduced an equation based on inverse-square law and therefore 3D artists can quickly create a baseline color as a reference to mimic background color reflections more accurately without entirely relying on HDRI maps and some other alternatives.
Compensation of Mutual Coupling Effects for Co-located MIMO Radar Applications via Waveform Design

A methodology is presented to reduce the amount of coupled power for co-located multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) radar waveforms via convex optimization. Specifically, a set of predefined waveforms is desired to be implemented on a given uniform linear array (ULA) structure, where the coupling behavior for the array is given via the array scattering matrix. The predefined waveforms are assumed to have coupled power greater than the desired −10 dB power return loss threshold on all or some of the antenna elements throughout the MIMO transmission. This assumption is typically true for MIMO emissions that place a significant amount of energy near endfire when the array is impedance matched at bore-sight. Here, we consider two instantiations of Doppler-division multiple access (DDMA) MIMO waveforms: a monotonically increasing Doppler frequency assignment across the ULA, and a random frequency assignment. The DDMA waveforms are altered to limit the energy coupling between the antenna elements while minimizing the change (or maximizing the similarity) to the original set of waveforms. The altered set of waveforms is generated via minimization of a Quadratically-Constrained Quadratic Programming (QCQP) convex optimization problem formulation. The resulting emissions follow intuition where the emission near boresight is largely unchanged from the original while the maximum change happens near endfire.
Cosmic variance of the 21-cm global signal

Cosmological measurements of the 21-cm line of neutral hydrogen are poised to dramatically enhance our understanding of the early universe. In particular, both the epochs of reionization and cosmic dawn remain largely uncharted, and the 21-cm signal is one of the few probes to reach them. Conceptually, the simplest 21-cm measurement is the global signal (GS), which corresponds to the averaged absorption or emission of 21-cm photons across the entire sky. While bright radio foregrounds swamp the cosmic signal over the entire frequency range observable, presenting a formidable hurdle, they can in principle be subtracted, given enough sensitivity. Here, however, we point out an additional---and irreducible---source of uncertainty for the 21-cm GS: cosmic variance. The cosmic-variance noise arises from the finite volume of the universe accessible to 21-cm experiments. Due to the cosmological redshifting of 21-cm photons, each observed frequency probes our universe during a particular cosmic age, corresponding to a narrow redshift slice. The presence of large 21-cm fluctuations makes the GS within each slice different than the GS averaged over the entire universe. We estimate the size of this cosmic-variance noise, and find that for a standard scenario it has a size of $\ensuremath{\sim}0.1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mK}$, which is $\ensuremath{\sim}10%$ of the size of the expected instrumental noise of a year-long experiment. Interestingly, cosmic variance can overtake instrumental noise for scenarios with extreme 21-cm fluctuations, such as those suggested to explain the sharpness of the claimed EDGES detection. Moreover, as large-scale 21-cm fluctuations are coherent over long distances, cosmic variance correlates the measurements of the GS at nearby redshifts, leading to off-diagonal uncertainties that have so far been neglected.
Mice Preferentially Use Increases in Cerebral Cortex Spiking to Detect Changes in Visual Stimuli.

Whenever the retinal image changes, some neurons in visual cortex increase their rate of firing whereas others decrease their rate of firing. Linking specific sets of neuronal responses with perception and behavior is essential for understanding mechanisms of neural circuit computation. We trained mice of both sexes to perform visual detection tasks and used optogenetic perturbations to increase or decrease neuronal spiking primary visual cortex (V1). Perceptual reports were always enhanced by increments in V1 spike counts and impaired by decrements, even when increments and decrements in spiking were generated in the same neuronal populations. Moreover, detecting changes in cortical activity depended on spike count integration rather than instantaneous changes in spiking. Recurrent neural networks trained in the task similarly relied on increments in neuronal activity when activity has costs. This work clarifies neuronal decoding strategies used by cerebral cortex to translate cortical spiking into percepts that can be used to guide behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Visual responses in the primary visual cortex (V1) are diverse, in that neurons can be either excited or inhibited by the onset of a visual stimulus. We selectively potentiated or suppressed V1 spiking in mice while they performed contrast change detection tasks. In other experiments, excitation or inhibition was delivered to V1 independent of visual stimuli. Mice readily detected increases in V1 spiking while equivalent reductions in V1 spiking suppressed the probability of detection, even when increases and decreases in V1 spiking were generated in the same neuronal populations. Our data raise the striking possibility that only increments in spiking are used to render information to structures downstream of V1.
FACTORING POLYNOMIALS IN THE RING OF FORMAL POWER SERIES OVER ℤ

We consider polynomials with integer coefficients and discuss their factorization properties in ℤ[[x]], the ring of formal power series over ℤ. We treat polynomials of arbitrary degree and give sufficient conditions for their reducibility as power series. Moreover, if a polynomial is reducible over ℤ[[x]], we provide an explicit factorization algorithm. For polynomials whose constant term is a prime power, our study leads to the discussion of p-adic integers.
SLAKES and 3D Scans characterize management effects on soil structure in farm fields

Abstract Adoption of no-till (NT) is low in the Lower and Middle Brazos River Watershed of Texas, leaving soil vulnerable to erosion, exacerbating flooding, and contributing to high nutrient and sediment levels in surface waters. To investigate the impact of NT on soil structure and hydraulic function in the region, we measured saturated hydraulic conductivity, organic carbon, bulk density, slaking index of soil aggregates (inversely related to aggregate stability), and soil structure in farm fields under three management systems: conventional tillage (CT), NT, and perennial grass (PG). Soil structure was measured using a novel method for 3D scanning of soil surface horizons – multistripe laser triangulation. Slaking index was measured using a recently developed smartphone application. Exploratory factor analysis combined with a semi-supervised cluster analysis showed that, in general, CT and PG fields were classified into different clusters from one another. Three fields managed with NT for 21, 21, and 7 years were classified in the same cluster as PG fields, while the remaining fields (managed with NT for 21, 21, 18, and 3 years) were classified with CT fields. Organic carbon was significantly higher in NT compared to CT fields. Conventional fields had significantly lower hydraulic conductivity than PG fields and hydraulic conductivity was 1.3 cm h−1 higher in NT than CT fields. Soil structure measured from 10–30 cm depth was significantly improved in NT compared to CT. Improvements in organic carbon and soil hydraulic function are meaningful indicators of improved physical soil health that can be used to promote NT adoption. Improvements in organic carbon and soil hydraulic function also provide ecosystem services to off-site stakeholders who are impacted by erosion and sedimentation resulting from soil tillage. The two novel measurements (a metric derived from scanning of soil structure and slaking index from a smartphone application) were particularly sensitive to management system.
T-Duality in Lattice Regularized Sigma Models

It is shown that when the underlying sigma model of bosonic string theory is written in terms of single-valued fields, which live in the covering space of the target space, Abelian T-duality survives lattice regularization of the world-sheet. The projection onto the target-space is implemented through a sum over cohomology, which bears resemblance to summing over topological sectors in Yang-Mills theories. In particular, the case of string theory on a circle is shown to be explicitly self-dual in the lattice regulated model and automatically forbids vortex excitations which would otherwise destroy the duality. For other target spaces a generalized notion of T-duality is observed in which the target space and the cohomology coefficient group are interchanged under duality. Specific examples show that the fundamental group of the target space may not be preserved in the T-dual theory. Generalized models which exhibit T-duality behaviour, with dynamical variables that live on the k-dimensional cells of (p+1)-dimensional world-volumes, are also constructed. These models correspond to gauge theories, and higher-dimensional analogues, in which one sums over various topological sectors of the theory.
Evidence for cascade overlap and grain boundary enhanced amorphization in silicon carbide irradiated with Kr ions

Abstract Evolution of amorphous domains in silicon carbide with 1 MeV Kr2+ irradiation is investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and simulations. An unusual morphology of highly curved crystalline/amorphous boundaries is observed in the images, which is identified as a result of cascade overlap and reproduced by a coarse-grained model informed by atomistic simulations. Comparison of local amorphization fractions near grain boundaries and within grain interiors provides experimental evidence for the interstitial starvation mechanism in SiC for the first time. As a competing effect to defect sinks, interstitial starvation increases the rate of local amorphization near grain boundaries and reduces the radiation resistance of nanocrystalline silicon carbide.
Maximum asymmetry phenomena in and reactions

Abstract We present an illustrative analysis to show that a simple relation between the helicity-flip and helicity-nonflip partial-wave amplitudes can account for the strikingly large asymmetries observed in the p p → π − π + and p p → K − K + reactions. Our study supports the argument that the final K − K + state originates from a more central reaction than the π − π + final state. The rather general nature of our approach leads to the expectation that the large asymmetries are likely to persist at higher energies until the perturbative QCD regime sets in.
Automatic parallelization using the value evolution graph

We introduce a framework for the analysis of memory reference sets addressed by induction variables without closed forms. This framework relies on a new data structure, the Value Evolution Graph (VEG), which models the global flow of scalar and array values within a program. We describe the application of our framework to array data-flow analysis, privatization, and dependence analysis. This results in the automatic parallelization of loops that contain arrays indexed by induction variables without closed forms. We implemented this framework in the Polaris research compiler. We present experimental results on a set of codes from the PERFECT, SPEC, and NCSA benchmark suites.
A rocket-borne He-3 refrigerator

We have developed a self-contained, recyclable 3He refrigerator suitable for use in space. The refrigerator is compact, has no moving parts, and requires only electrical connections and thermal contact in order to operate from a 2 K cold stage. A charcoal adsorption pump is used to efficiently condense and cool the 3He. Sintered copper confines the 3He to the evaporator in zero-gravity and, in fact, allows the refrigerator to operate upside-down in the laboratory. Mounted on a 2 K cold stage, the refrigerator provides 100 microwatts of cooling power at 346 mK, with a 7 hour hold time. On a 1.5 K cold stage, the lowest temperature achieved is 277 mK. The refrigerator has been vibration tested at 7.5 G amplitude from 30 to 400 Hz and 15 G amplitude from 400 to 2000 Hz. It will be flown in August, 1989, as part of a sounding rocket payload designed to measure the spectrum of the cosmic submillimeter background. A similar refrigerator suitable for orbital applications, which is able to condense 3He in zero-gravity and which has a 2 week hold time, is currently under development.
Computer modeling of a regenerative solar-assisted Rankine power cycle

A detailed interpretation of the computer program that describes the performance of one of these cycles; namely, a regenerative Rankine power cycle is presented. Water is used as the working medium throughout the cycle. The solar energy collected at relatively low temperature level presents 75 to 80% of the total heat demand and provides mainly the latent heat of vaporization. Another energy source at high temperature level superheats the steam and supplements the solar energy share. A program summary and a numerical example showing the sequency of computations are included. The outcome from the model comprises line temperatures, component heat rates, specific steam consumption, percentage of solar energy contribution, and the overall thermal efficiency.
Simple Method of Evaluating Scrapie in Mice

Mice in advanced scrapie characteristically clasp their hindlegs together. As the disease progresses into the clasping stage, mice exhibit a sequence of identifiable hindleg reactions which have categorized and assigned relative scores permitting objective, quantitative evaluation of disease.
Bimetallic ruthenium(II) bridged by a dypyrromethene chromophore: DNA binding and light driven reactions within the photodynamic therapy window

Abstract A new bimetallic Ru(II) complex bridged by (Z)-1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-3-((4-fluorophenyl)(3H-pyrrolo[3,4-f]isoquinolin-3-ylidene)methyl)-2H-pyrrolo[3,4-f]isoquinoline has been synthesized and characterized by electronic spectroscopy, 1HNMR, HRMS, and elemental analysis. Binding studies with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) show binding constants as high as 105 M− 1 indicating a strong interaction of the complex with DNA. When aqueous solutions of the complex and plasmid DNA are irradiated with low energy light for brief periods of time, complete photocleavage of the DNA is observed.