cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies of alternative isoforms provide insight into TDP-43 autoregulation and pathogenesis.

ABSTRACTTDP-43 is a soluble, nuclear protein that undergoes cytoplasmic redistribution and aggregation in the majority of cases ofamyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. TDP-43 autoregulates the abundance of its owntranscript TARDBP by binding to an intron in the 3 ′ untranslated region, although the mechanisms underlying this activityhave been debated. Herein, we provide the most extensive analysis of TARDBP transcript yet undertaken. We detail theexistence of a plethora of complex splicing events and alternative poly(A) use and provide data that explain the discrepanciesreported to date regarding the autoregulatory capacity of TDP-43. Additionally, although many splice isoforms emanating fromthe TARDBP locus contain the regulated intron in the 3 ′ UTR, we find only evidence for autoregulation of the transcriptencoding full-length TDP-43. Finally, we use a novel cytoplasmic isoform of TDP to induce disease-like loss of soluble, nuclearTDP-43, which results in aberrant splicing and up-regulation of endogenous TARDBP. These results reveal a previouslyunderappreciated complexity to TDP-43 regulated splicing and suggest that loss of TDP-43 autoregulatory capacity maycontribute to the pathogenesis of ALS.Keywords: TDP-43; ALS; FTLD; autoregulation; splicing
Combined physiological and behavioral observations to assess the influence of vessel encounters on harbor seals in glacial fjords of southeast Alaska

Abstract Most studies examining disturbance of seals define disturbance as entry into the water. However, behavior alone may not be an accurate indicator of the timing, magnitude, or physiological cost of disturbances. This study examines changes in harbor seal heart rates in response to two levels of vessel disturbances; 1) ‘incidental traffic’ defined as presence of vessels in the area while seals were hauled out; and 2) ‘experimental disturbance’ defined as direct vessel approaches to seals until the seal entered the water. Incidental traffic resulted in a 4 bpm vessel − 1 increase in heart rate while seals were hauled out. Mean incidental traffic during haulouts was 0.26 (range 0 to 8.95) vessels, and small vessels caused the largest increase in heart rate. Experimental disturbances resulted in a 5 bpm increase in heart rate upon initiation of vigilance, defined as the head-lift behavior. In-water heart rate was significantly lower after an experimental disturbance compared to other water entries, suggesting that seals shift to an energetically conservative mode in response to disturbances. During the haulout following an experimental disturbance, seal heart rate was significantly higher than other haulouts, suggesting that there is an added energetic cost of disturbance. Also, sex, mass, current and previous haul-out duration, in-water duration, day of year, hour of day, ambient temperature, and light level were found to have significant influence on harbor seal heart rates; demonstrating that a complex assortment of factors affect heart rate and careful consideration of these factors must be included in disturbance studies. Whereas previous findings have shown that vessel encounters alter seal behavior, this study presents evidence that encounters have energetic and physiological consequences while the seals are hauled out and these consequences persist for some time after the water entry behavior. Accordingly, exposure of harbor seals to increased vessel traffic may result in altered behavior, increased energetic expenditures, and increased exposure to stress, negatively affecting the health, condition, and reproductive success of harbor seal populations that reside in glacial fjords.
Data management - a step forward in cable protection

Marine construction activity near existing submarine cables can damage them, leading to interruptions in service and costly repairs. Last minute discovery of submarine cables during marine project planning increases costs and delays projects. Builders of new projects can be unaware of existing cables, unaware of the damage they can cause, or unaware of the impact. While not all marine spatial data can be made available to all project planners, there are ways to improve upon the current practices. A lack of coordination regarding federally planned and authorized projects and cables contributes to risks to existing cables and costs of new construction projects. Better use of curated, discoverable data by agencies could lead to decreased costs and more predictable schedules for new cable projects, and reduce the potential for damage to existing systems.
Assembly of the Caenorhabditis elegans gut microbiota from diverse soil microbial environments

It is now well accepted that the gut microbiota contributes to our health. However, what determines the microbiota composition is still unclear. Whereas it might be expected that the intestinal niche would be dominant in shaping the microbiota, studies in vertebrates have repeatedly demonstrated dominant effects of external factors such as host diet and environmental microbial diversity. Hypothesizing that genetic variation may interfere with discerning contributions of host factors, we turned to Caenorhabditis elegans as a new model, offering the ability to work with genetically homogenous populations. Deep sequencing of 16S rDNA was used to characterize the (previously unknown) worm gut microbiota as assembled from diverse produce-enriched soil environments under laboratory conditions. Comparisons of worm microbiotas with those in their soil environment revealed that worm microbiotas resembled each other even when assembled from different microbial environments, and enabled defining a shared core gut microbiota. Community analyses indicated that species assortment in the worm gut was non-random and that assembly rules differed from those in their soil habitat, pointing at the importance of competitive interactions between gut-residing taxa. The data presented fills a gap in C. elegans biology. Furthermore, our results demonstrate a dominant contribution of the host niche in shaping the gut microbiota.
Net Neutrality vs. Net Neutering

Regarding the recent FCC ruling upholding Net neutrality, Yogi Berra said it best: "It ain't over 'til it's over."
Ergotamine-induced complex rectovaginal fistula. Report of a case.

PURPOSE: This report stresses the importance of local complications caused by ergotamine abuse for the treatment of migraine headaches. METHODS: We present an unusual case of a complex rectovaginal fistula (RVF) caused by long-term ergotamine suppository abuse. RESULTS: A 39-year-old female was referred after she had undergone a transverse colostomy for temporary fecal diversion. Evaluation, including proctoscopy, gastrograffin enema, vaginogram, and pelvic computerized tomography revealed a RVF 6 cm proximal to the dentate line with distal rectal stricture. Surgical intervention included take down of the transverse colostomy with reanastomosis, proctectomy with excision of the fistula, creation of a colonic “J-pouch” with a coloanal anastomosis, and construction of a temporary loop ileostomy. The patient had an uneventful recovery, and her ileostomy was closed three months later. Pathologic examination of the surgical specimen failed to reveal any specific etiology of the RVF. However, her ten-year use of up to five ergotamine suppositories per day for migraine treatment is associated with a local ischemic effect. Pathophysiology of this rare cause of RVF and the surgical procedure are discussed. CONCLUSION: If evidence of any side effects of ergotamine suppositories is seen, early discontinuation of the drug should be considered to avoid complications such as RVF and/or strictures.
Burden of Neurological Disease

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease. In epidemiology, the unit of study is a person affected with a defined condition. Therefore, diagnosis is the essential prerequisite. After diagnosis, the most important question is the frequency of a disorder. This chapter is intended to provide a brief overview of the neurological burden of disease with a focus on disease morbidity. A review of epidemiological concepts is provided to assist the reader in interpreting epidemiological studies. Subsequently, the following conditions are reviewed: cerebrovascular disease, brain tumors, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson disease, and multiple sclerosis. A final section provides an overview of the incidence and prevalence of commonly encountered neurological disorders.
Vacuity, Time and Happiness in Johnson’s Moral Psychology

Johnson attacks Jenyns’s Inquiry, observes Joseph Wood Krutch in Samuel Johnson, ‘not with weapons drawn from the armoury of Christian orthodoxy but logic of the sort Jenyns himself wished to use’.1 And indeed, Johnson’s procedure is to show, with exemplary precision, the extent to which Jenyns’s arguments founder on conceptual difficulties of their own making. These arguments not only fail to preserve the metaphysical opposition between plenitude and vacuity but point to the conclusion that the principles of continuity and hierarchy can only be conceived in terms of the chasms they sought to exclude. Yet Johnson proves unwilling to use the contradictions inherent in Jenyns’s reasoning as a pretext for constructing a new speculative synthesis capable of explaining the nature of evil more adequately. On the contrary, his strategy is to employ these contradictions in a way that by its nature is opposed to conceptual systematic thought. To register the force of Johnson’s critique would thus involve much more than simply confronting Jenyns’s ramshackle edifice with yet another instance of post-Newtonian system-building. Indeed, there is good reason to suppose that Johnson would have regarded such an exercise in system-building as merely the restoration of the same hierarchical antitheses of good and evil, truth and falsehood, pleasure and pain, on a new footing.
The future of reference service: Discussion summary

Compte rendu de la discussion entre les participants a la reunion qui a eu lieu a l'Universite de Texas a Austin au printemps 1988 sur les problemes poses par les systemes informatiques et les problemes que connaissent les services de reference
A prospective clinical assessment of anatomic variability of the submental vascularized lymph node flap.

INTRODUCTION The vascularized submental lymph node (VSLN) flap has become a popular choice for the treatment of lymphedema. Despite its favorable characteristics, anatomic variability exists, making the harvest of this flap challenging. Knowledge and characterization of anatomic variability can aid the surgeon in safe and effective flap harvest. METHODS A prospective analysis of all patients who underwent VSLN flap transfer for lymphedema was performed. Demographics, operative details, and post-operative recovery were analyzed for included patients. Intraoperative videography and detailed anatomic drawings of each case were reviewed to accurately account for anatomic variability and details. RESULTS Forty-two patients were identified during the study period. Arteriovenous anatomic variability (A1-A2 and V1-V4) existed, with most patients having the artery and vein present superior to the submandibular gland (A1V1; 31%), with other combinations occurring less frequently. Flap harvest time was found to be significantly increased with an intraglandular arterial course (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The VSLN flap can be safely and effectively harvested with knowledge of arteriovenous anatomic variability. Most commonly, the artery and vein travel together superior to the submandibular gland, but other variations exist, which may add time to surgical flap harvest and increased need for dissection. J. Surg. Oncol. 2017;115:43-47. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Clinical experience with exemestane in postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer.

1565 Background: Exemestane has recently been identified as an effective breast cancer chemoprevention agent. This drug may be more appealing to patients than tamoxifen or raloxifene, since it does...
Citywide effects of high-occupancy vehicle restrictions: Evidence from "three-in-one" in Jakarta.

Widespread use of single-occupancy cars often leads to traffic congestion. Using anonymized traffic speed data from Android phones collected through Google Maps, we investigated whether high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) policies can combat congestion. We studied Jakarta’s “three-in-one” policy, which required all private cars on two major roads to carry at least three passengers during peak hours. After the policy was abruptly abandoned in April 2016, delays rose from 2.1 to 3.1 minutes per kilometer (min/km) in the morning peak and from 2.8 to 5.3 min/km in the evening peak. The lifting of the policy led to worse traffic throughout the city, even on roads that had never been restricted or at times when restrictions had never been in place. In short, we find that HOV policies can greatly improve traffic conditions.
Results for the Measured Field of View for an Omnidirectional Free Space Optical Receiver Architecture

Free space optical communication provides fiber optic bandwidths in a wireless environment. A fiber bundle employed as an omni-directional O-FSO receiver will be experimentally studied and normalized received optical power patterns will be presented.
Asthma and Mood Disorders

The high rate of comorbidity of asthma and mood disorders would imply the possibility of potential shared pathophysiologic factors. Proposed links between asthma and mood disorders include a vulnerability (trait) and state connection. Vulnerability for both asthma and mood disorders may involve genetic and early developmental factors. State-related connections may include obstructive factors, inflammatory factors, sleep impairment, psychological reactions to chronic medical illness, as well as exacerbation of asthma in individuals with chronic stress. Treatment for asthma may also exacerbate mood disorders. New research suggests involvement of the central nervous system in asthma and allergy. Further characterization of clinical, psychological, cellular and molecular interconnections between asthma and mood disorders is needed to better evaluate and treat these patients. A close collaboration between mental health professionals and allergists could result in improved symptom control, quality of life, overall functioning and ultimately, decreased mortality.
Crystal structures of the PH domains from Lbc family of RhoGEFs bound to activated RhoA GTPase.

Abstract The Pleckstrin homology (PH) domains from the Lbc family of Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors (Lbc RhoGEFs) interact with activated Rho family GTPases. All 7 Lbc RhoGEFs associate directly with activated Rho GTPases via their PH domains. However, the binding affinities between the PH domains and the GTPases vary greatly. Here we present two crystal structures at resolutions of 1.4 A and 2.0 A of RhoA complexed with the PH domain from p114RhoGEF (PDB access code 6BCB) and AKAP-LbcRhoGEF (PDB access code 6BCA), respectively. These high resolution structures, together with the earlier structures of PDZRhoGEF-PH·RhoA and p190RhoGEF-PH·RhoA complexes, identify a highly conserved interface between the PH domains from Lbc-RhoGEFs and activated Rho GTPases. This manuscript is related to the manuscript titled “Direct Regulation of p190RhoGEF by Activated Rho and Rac GTPases” published in the Journal of Structural Biology.
Who Pays for the 'Boomerang Generation'?: A Legal Perspective on Financial Support for Young Adults

Because of a variety of economic and social factors, the transition from adolescence to self-sufficient adulthood takes much longer today than in the past. Therefore, the expectation that children will become financially independent upon reaching the age of majority is increasingly unrealistic. Parental support is often crucial to enable young adults to achieve long-term financial security. Among parents who are divorced, separated or never married, mothers pay a disproportionate share of support for young adult children. This trend threatens to exacerbate single mothers’ financial disadvantages. Unlike the law in many other countries, family law in the United States generally does not permit a child support order for a child who is past the age of majority. Some states allow exceptions to this rule, but only if the adult child is disabled or enrolled in higher education. This article argues that child support orders should be more broadly available for young adults who are past the age of majority but not yet financially independent.
The Millennials Challenge: Equalizing the Values Triad in Professional Identity Formation

The 2014 Harvard Graduate School of Education project Making Caring Common (Harvard Study), queried the ranking of the following personal values among millennials: “achievement,” “happiness,” and “concern for others,” and found that almost 80% of respondents prioritized “high achievement” or “happiness,” while only 20% prioritized “caring for others.” The authors concluded that millennial youth do not prioritize caring and concern for others over personal success and achievements because parents are more concerned about achievement or happiness than caring for others, and parents model these priorities to their children. As law educators teaching professional identity to law students, our role is to model the caring behavior that our students’ parents may not have modeled, and equalize the values triad of achievement, happiness, and care and concern for others. My article includes exercises to teach students to listen closely to others to ascertain their needs and to consider the larger issues of justice in the community and society.
Drug Discovery and Development via Synthetic Biology

With its expanding toolkit of sophisticated computational and experimental techniques, synthetic biology is currently poised to be a significant contributor to the discovery and development of the next generation of drugs derived from natural products. In this chapter, a number of tools are highlighted which enable the identification, analysis, assembly, and optimization of diverse classes of secondary metabolite gene clusters. Next, the applications of these tools are surveyed, including not only the discovery of new compounds from diverse environments, but also the biosynthesis of new ‘unnatural’ natural products and the activation of otherwise silent gene clusters. Finally, the applications of synthetic biology tools toward the production of valuable drug compounds are illustrated in detail through the examples of erythromycin A, artemisinin, and taxol.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Arcobacter bivalviorum Type Strain LMG 26154

ABSTRACT Arcobacters are routinely recovered from marine environments, and multiple Arcobacter species have been isolated from shellfish. Arcobacter bivalviorum was recovered from mussels collected in the Ebro Delta in northeastern Spain. This report describes the complete whole-genome sequence of the A. bivalviorum type strain LMG 26154 (= F4T = CECT 7835T).
Exact inference for the Youden index to discriminate individuals using two-parameter exponentially distributed pooled samples

It has become increasingly common in epidemiological studies to pool specimens across subjects as a useful cot-cutting technique to achieve accurate quantification of biomarkers and certain environ...
Microheterogeneity of Topoisomerase IA/IB and Their DNA-Bound States.

Topoisomerases are important complex enzymes that modulate DNA topology to maintain chromosome superstructure and integrity. These enzymes are involved in many cellular processes that resolve specific DNA superstructures and intermediates. The low abundance combined with the biological heterogeneity of relevant intermediates of topoisomerases makes their structural information not readily accessible using traditional structural biology tools (e.g., NMR and X-ray crystallography). In the present work, a second-generation trapped ion mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry (TIMS–MS) was used to study Escherichia coli topoisomerase IA (EcTopIA) and variola virus topoisomerase IB (vTopIB) as well as their complexes with a single-stranded DNA and a stem-loop DNA under native conditions. The higher trapping efficiency and extended mass range of the new, convex TIMS geometry allowed for the separation and identification of multiple conformational states for the two topoisomerases and their DNA complexes. Inspect...
Effects of Communication Restriction on Online Multi-robot Exploration in Bounded Environments

In multi-robot exploration for real-world applications, the amount of communication available in a given environment can vary greatly, and has significant effects on the performance of the robot team. We compare algorithms which use three communication models, from unlimited global communication to unplanned, semi-random encounters between robots; and we evaluate each algorithms’ performance with different sized robot teams in three environments. We provide simulation results showing how the algorithms perform under optimal conditions, and discuss how real-world situations impact performance.
SpCas9-expression by tumor cells can cause T cell-dependent tumor rejection in immunocompetent mice

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has recently emerged as a highly efficient modality in genetic engineering and has been widely considered for various therapeutic applications. However, since the effector protein, SpCas9, has a bacterial origin, its immunogenicity must be explored in further depth. Here, we found that the intact immune system, in wild-type C57BL/6J and BALB/cL mice, stimulates specific immune response against SpCas9, resulting in the rejection of SpCas9-expressing tumors. However, these tumors effectively grew in syngeneic C57BL/6J immunodeficient, T cell-depleted and Cas9-KI mice. Therefore, these observations suggest that this tumor rejection phenotype is T cell-dependent. The immunological clearance of SpCas9-expressing tumors in the immunocompetent group illustrates the possibility of misinterpreting the impact of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing on in vivo tumor biology and survival. Thus, these findings have important implications for the use of this exciting approach in in vivo studies, as well as to manipulate cancer cell biology for therapeutic applications.
Writing the Translingual Life: Recent Memoirs and Auto-Fiction by Russian-American and Russian-German Novelists

One of the more remarkable developments in translingual literature over the past decade has been the rise of a new wave of Soviet-born authors writing in languages other than their native Russian. Autobiographical elements have always figured prominently in their fiction, and some of these authors have recently crossed the boundary into non-fiction by writing memoirs. The process of writing in a second language about becoming a writer in a second language gives these books a particular self-referential quality. This essay surveys the latest memoirs and auto-fiction (published 2012-14) of five Soviet-born immigrant novelists in the U.S. and Germany—Gary Shteyngart, Lena Gorelik, Lara Vapnyar, Olga Grjasnowa, and Maxim Shrayer. It argues that constructing a narrative of the self for a foreign audience serves as a crucial step in the gestation of a translingual novelist. This narrative urge often predates the actual mastery of the new language. Rather than as the result of an already-achieved acquisition of a new linguistic medium, telling one’s story in a non-native language emerges as a means toward language learning and integration.
Design optimization of three styles of acoustic black hole vibration absorbers

Structures whose thickness is tapered according to a power law exhibit the acoustic black hole (ABH) effect and can provide effective vibration absorption with a net reduction in mass. However, it remains unclear what constitutes the best design of ABH vibration absorbers, including how the power-law taper is implemented in practice. This talk will present a formal optimization study of three styles of one-dimensional ABH vibration absorbers. Each ABH is embedded in a simply supported beam, which is excited by a harmonic force at one end. A multi-objective approach is used to identify the set of ABH designs that optimally minimize the structure’s vibration response and its overall mass. Results show that each style has a similar tradeoff between the two objectives but that the choice of how the power-law taper is implemented can be significant. Finally, the optimal designs will be evaluated on other criteria that may be of importance in the practical implementation of such ABH vibration absorbers, including buckling load and sound radiation.
Research on common aperture optical device for high energy laser system

The main working mode of high energy laser system is to focus the transmitting laser beam on target under the condition that the target is tracked in closed loop by fine tracking module, so that it can be damaged or invalidated. Therefore, in order to achieve this effect, an optical device of common aperture is designed for high energy laser system. The emitting system of this device consists of an off-axis two-trans primary telescope module, a Galileo transmission telescope module used in focusing and a beam feeding module composed of dichroic mirror, fast mirror and other optical elements; at the same time, the receiving system of this device consists of the same off-axis two-trans primary telescope module, an imaging module used in fine tracking and the same beam feeding module. Taking incoherent combination laser in space as incident ray, we use optical design software in both sequential mode and non-sequential mode to design and simulate this device. The simulation results show that the distribution of spot at 0.5km~5km is obtained after the laser is modulated by different focusing quantities in the focusing telescope module, and the RMS value of laser wave front is better than λ/20 for emitting system. In addition, the performance of an imaging optical system composed of the primary telescope module and the fine tracking imaging module approach the diffraction limit after optimizing, and the system transfer function is greater than 0.6 at 70lp/mm. Such results in this paper confirm that the structure of this optical transceiver possesses reasonable structure and reliable performance, which meets the requirements of engineering application for high energy laser system.
The Impact of Extrinsic Incentives on Students' Willingness to Volunteer as Peer Mentors: Implications for Advertising Education

Using motivation crowding theory, the study examined the possibility that low monetary incentives may reduce (rather than increase) students’ motivation to volunteer as mentors, compared to situati...
CLARITE Facilitates the Quality Control and Analysis Process for EWAS of Metabolic-Related Traits.

While genome-wide association studies are an established method of identifying genetic variants associated with disease, environment-wide association studies (EWAS) highlight the contribution of non-genetic components to complex phenotypes. However, the lack of high-throughput quality control (QC) pipelines for EWAS data lends itself to analysis plans where the data are cleaned after a first-pass analysis, which can lead to bias, or are cleaned manually, which is arduous and susceptible to user error. We offer a novel R package, CLeaning to Analysis: Reproducibility-based Interface for Traits and Exposures (CLARITE), as a tool to efficiently clean environmental data, perform regression analysis, and visualize results on a single platform through user-guided automation. Though CLARITE focuses on EWAS, it is intended to also improve the QC process for phenotypes and clinical lab measures for a variety of downstream analyses, including phenome-wide association studies and gene-environment interaction studies. Using CLARITE, we performed and sought replication of an EWAS in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (N overall discovery=9063, N overall replication=9874) for body mass index (BMI) and over 300 environment variables, adjusting for sex, age, race, socioeconomic status, and survey year. Seventeen BMI results replicated at a Bonferroni corrected p < 0.05. The top replicating results were g-tocopherol (vitamin E) and serum iron levels. Results of this EWAS are important to consider for metabolic trait analysis, as BMI is tightly associated with these phenotypes, and as such, exposures predictive of BMI may be useful for covariate and/or interaction assessment of metabolic-related traits. CLARITE allows improved data quality for EWAS, gene-environment interactions, and phenome-wide association studies, by establishing a standardized and high-throughput quality control pipeline. Thus, CLARITE is recommended for studying the environmental factors underlying metabolic disease.
Corrections in alpha angle following two different operative approaches for CAM-type femoral acetabular impingement - Ganz surgical hip dislocation vs anterior mini-open.

Corrections in alpha angle following two different operative approaches for CAM-type femoral acetabular impingement - Ganz surgical hip dislocation vs anterior mini-open
A passive model for the evolution of subgrid-scale instabilities in turbulent flow regimes

Abstract A zero-dimensional model for the development of turbulent mixing layers driven by Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) or Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instabilities is presented, for application in Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations. The model approximates the behavior of the turbulent mixing layer at a passively advected tracer particle that sits on the material interface of interest in the simulation, and is used to provide initial conditions for the RANS model once the mixing layer width has developed to a size that may be resolved on the computational mesh. The model relies on approximations to the Besnard–Harlow–Rauenzahn (BHR) RANS closure equations and is thus consistent the turbulent development of the mixing layer, unlike previous models of this type which have focused on the early-time laminar development of RT or RM instabilities. These instabilities will often grow through an initially laminar state before developing into turbulence, and criteria for switching from an existing laminar model to the proposed turbulent model are considered. The proposed model reproduces the mixing layer development of RT and RM instabilities seen in mixed width resolving BHR RANS simulations to a reasonable degree of accuracy, and relaxes the need for the RANS simulation to resolve the mixed width as soon as the mixing layer becomes turbulent, which may be impractical in cases where the mixing layer grows through a wide range of scales.
Electroluminescence Characterization of Recombination in Back Junction Silicon Heterojunction Test Structures: Role of the Inversion Layer

Electroluminescence (EL) characterization technique is used to quantify recombination properties in back junction silicon (Si) heterojunction (HJ) solar cell test structures with interdigitated back contact (IBC) emitters and metal contacts. These test structures are three terminal devices that allow the selective biasing and injection of minority carriers into spatially isolated emitter strips having different widths. This allows the study of minority carriers’ current transport, flow, and recombination in these regions, which can, then, be applied to full IBC cells. EL is used to verify that emission is proportional to the minority carriers’ concentration in the corresponding regions of the device, thus providing information relevant to minority carriers’ collection when compared with laser beam induced current technique in considerably less time and with a higher spatial resolution. Current transport through the inversion layer that occurs due to the band bending at the n crystalline Si and p amorphous Si interface is discussed relying on the distance that minority carriers travel in different configurations and on their diffusion length. Laser defect spots (LDS) were, then, introduced in the emitter regions to analyze the spatial profile of minority carriers as they recombine at the LDS due to their high surface recombination velocity. Ideality factors in different configurations are spatially mapped from EL before and after introducing LDS and are used to show the effect of the inversion layer on the different recombination mechanisms. Current transport through the inversion layer is studied at different biasing conditions and correlated with current transport after LDS.
Precision diagnostic system enhancements and recommissioning for advanced laser beam characterization at the National Ignition Facility

The Precision Diagnostic System (PDS) is an advanced set of laser diagnostic tools installed within the National Ignition Facility (NIF). It is capable of picking off a single, full aperture, 1053nm (1ω) beamline before the beam propagates to the target chamber and directing it to a suite of precision laser diagnostics. It was instrumental in validating the performance of the final optics 3Ω frequency conversion system design when NIF was built. The PDS has recently been recommissioned after more than a decade of non-use and enhanced to better understand laser performance limitations1 and to characterize underperforming beams. In addition to recommissioning existing diagnostics for calorimetry, power, wavefront, near-field and far-field imaging, new diagnostics have been added: two types of time-resolved near field imaging systems; higher resolution wavefront imaging; and a 1ω spectrometer. Additionally, the beam transport system was upgraded to allow PDS to select among four different 1ω beamlines to enable improved understanding of beam-to-beam variations. Two of these four beams are top-hemisphere beams, while two are bottom-hemisphere, with known performance variations. The results from NIF Shots with the new and recommissioned PDS diagnostic (spatial resolution, dynamic range, time gating, etc..) will be reviewed and data up to 14 kJ, 3.2 TW will be presented.
Simulating and Evaluating Rebalancing Strategies for Dockless Bike-Sharing Systems.

Following the growth of dock-based bike sharing systems as an eco-friendly solution for transportation in urban areas, Dockless systems are revolutionizing the market for the increased flexibility they offer to users. Bike redistribution is a common approach to improve service, and there exists extensive research considering static and dynamic rebalancing strategies for dock-based systems. We approach the dockless problem by defining abstract stations from trip start and end location frequency. This paper offers an optimizing Mixed Integer Program framework to model the effects of various bike repositioning strategies for dockless systems. We process 30 days worth of Singapore-based dockless bike data from September 2017 to extract trips. Pairing our mixed integer program with a demand model built from the processed data, we unveil trends between fleet size, lost demand, and magnitude of repositioning proper to the repositioning strategy employed. We also show that increasing repositioning potential does not always improve service performance.
Retrospective Assessment of the Use of Liposomal Bupivacaine in Lumbar Fusions in Immediate Postoperative Hospital Care.

Background Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for administration into surgical sites for postsurgical analgesia. The liposomal formulation allows for sustained effects up to 72 hours. Methods A retrospective study assessed patients undergoing lumbar interbody surgery. Visual analog scale pain scores and amount of opioids consumed were recorded at 12-hour intervals for 72 hours postoperatively, as were patterns of discharge and hospital length of stay (LOS). Results A total of 122 patients (97 LB vs. 25 control group) were reviewed. Median LOS was shorter in the LB cohort compared with controls (1.94 vs. 3.08 days, respectively; P = 0.0043). When assessing the percentage of discharges between groups at 12-hour intervals, there were significantly more discharges in the LB cohort at 36–48 hours (P = 0.0226), and no differences elsewhere. There was a decrease in intravenous opioids consumed at 48–60 hours in the LB cohort compared with controls (P = 0.0494), a difference not detected at other time points or with oral or total opioids. Mean visual analog scale scores were significantly higher in the LB cohort compared with controls at 0–12 hours (5.2 vs. 3.9, respectively; P = 0.0079), but insignificantly different subsequently up to 72 hours. The LB cohort and controls were not significantly different in total amount of opioids consumed, overall pain scores, or regarding how the opioid amount consumed or pain scores changed over time. Conclusions The use of LB in lumbar interbody fusion decreases patients' LOS but has little effect on reducing overall pain scores or opioid use in the 72-hour postoperative hospital period.
High tech, high touch: The impact of an online course intervention on academic performance and persistence in higher education

Abstract Online courses are a growing part of the community college experience, but many students, particularly minority students or students who are more at-risk, face challenges in passing those courses. This paper presents results from an experimental study of an effort to redesign a set of core introductory online courses to include a set of technology tools and instructional practices designed to improve students' experiences in the online environment. Results from the study showed that treatment students were less likely to withdraw, and minority students, specifically, were more likely to pass the class and to persist to the next year of college.
Firm Managers’ Fair Value Estimates in Anticipation of an Audit

Accounting estimates, including those related to fair value, are pervasive in financial reports and susceptible to managerial manipulation. Financial statement audits are conventionally viewed as a deterrent to such manipulation. In an experiment with 127 accounting professionals averaging over 18 years of experience, we test whether the opposite is true in settings, like fair value, where auditing implies that reported amounts are likely arrived at through negotiation between managers and auditors. Results reveal that participants in the role of a CFO “start high” with their fair value estimates when anticipating having to interact with auditors. This tendency to “start high” is more pronounced when past auditor-manager negotiation outcomes have favored the auditor’s, versus the manager’s, preferred reporting position. Finally, although CFO’s do not proactively respond to auditor expertise in their initial estimates, they expect expert auditors to prompt lower final reported fair value estimates.
Pourquoi ne peut-on pas faire confiance à la plupart des résultats issus de la recherche ?

Resume Objectif.- On constate une preoccupation croissante concernant la veracite des publications scientifiques. La probabilite qu’un resultat publie soit vrai peut dependre de la puissance de l’etude et d’eventuels biais ; du nombre d’autres etudes sur le meme sujet ; et, de maniere cruciale, du taux de resultats positifs par rapport a celui de resultats nuls parmi les rapports etudies par chaque domaine scientifique. Methode Des simulations sont effectuees pour evaluer la probabilite qu’un resultat publie soit faux. Resultats Dans ce contexte, un resultat a une moindre probabilite de veracite quand le nombre d’etudes similaires effectuees dans un domaine donne est petit ; quand les tailles d’effet sont plus petites ; quand le nombre de relations etudiees est plus important et leur preselection plus petite ; quand il y a une plus grande flexibilite dans le protocole, les definitions, les mesures et la modalite d’analyse ; quand il y a un plus grand interet financier (avec le biais qui peut l’accompagner) ; et quand plusieurs equipes dans un domaine sont engagees dans une course aux resultats qui soient statistiquement significatifs. Discussion Pour de nombreux champs de recherche actuels, des resultats publies ne sont ni plus ni moins qu’un reflet fidele des biais regnants. Conclusion Dans cet essai, j’explore les implications de ces problemes par rapport a la conduite et l’interpretation de la recherche.
Evidence of a New Brand’s Success: Five Measures of Buyer Acceptance

Despite intensive launch campaigns, many new brands fail to achieve consumer acceptance; however, occasionally a new brand will enjoy success. This paper describes five measures of buyer acceptance for Shield, the extremely successful Unilever brand of toilet soap introduced in Great Britain in 1976. Shield’s early performance was dramatic as it gained leadership by grasping just over 20% of the market within four weeks. Several explanations for Shield’s impressive market leadership are included.
Biosensors for neurotransmitters

The recent introduction of several techniques provides a means to examine the release of neurotransmitter from living cells. These techniques exploit the use of small slices of neural tissue, and also enzymatically isolated neurons, in conjunction with an enzymatic assay to demonstrate release of specific endogenous neurotransmitters from the cells. In particular, release of the most common neurotransmitters in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) have been observed. These transmitters are glutamate and /spl gamma/-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The techniques thus provide a valuable approach to examine the release of specific neurotransmitters from visually identified, living tissue and cells.
Recovering Shakespeare's Theatrical Vocabulary

Preface Note on texts and old spelling 1. The problem, the evidence, and the language barrier 2. Lost in translation 3. Interpreting without a dictionary 4. Juxtapositions 5. Theatrical italics 6. Sick chairs and sick thrones 7. Much virtue in as 8. The vocabulary of 'place' 9. 'Romeo opens the tomb' 10. Vanish and vanishing Conclusion: so what? Notes Plays and editions cited Index.
Role of thermosphere‐ionosphere coupling in a global ionospheric specification

[1] In this paper we present our recent research development in the area of ionospheric specification by means of data assimilation of ground-based observations. NOAA's Total Electron Content specification methodology (namely, a Gauss-Markov Kalmanfilter with an empirical model of the ionosphere as a background model) over the continental United States has lately been expanded to the multiregional domains and to the entire globe. Analyses of the global TEC maps reveal clear signatures of thermosphere-ionosphere coupling, in both dynamical and compositional nature, even though the underlying specification methodology does not take thermospheric effects into account. This suggests that ground-based observations of electron density contain some information about the state of the thermosphere. By using a thermosphere ionosphere general circulation model in a prototype Ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), we examine the role of thermosphere-ionosphere coupling in a global ionospheric specification. Observing system simulation experiments, designed for a global network of ionosondes, suggest that ionospheric data assimilation considerably benefits from self-consistent treatment of thermosphere-ionosphere coupling in a forecast model as well as in assimilation schemes, both of which can be achieved inherently by using the EnKF.
Effect of Interferon Upon the Primary and Secondary Transcription of Vesicular Stomatitis and Influenza Viruses

The synthesis of viral complementary RNA by vesicular stomatitis virus in permissive cells can be distinguished operationally into two phases, primary transcription, which can be observed in cycloheximide treated cells, and secondary transcription, which represents the further synthesis of viral complementary RNA obtained in untreated cells. Pretreatment of mouse L cells or chicken embryo fibroblasts with the homologous interferon and, for chicken embryo fibroblast cells, poly(rI):poly(rC), inhibits the production of infectious virus and reduces the synthesis of viral complementary RNA to levels comparable to that obtained during primary transcription. Treatment of mouse L cells with interferon plus cycloheximide also gives levels of vesicular stomatitis viral complementary RNA synthesis comparable to that observed with the cycloheximide treatment alone. Similar results have been obtained for interferontreated cells subsequently infected with influenza virus (strain WSN). The results are interpreted as indicating that inhibition of virus development by interferon does not act at the level of primary transcription but rather at an intermediate step between primary and secondary transcription, such as viral protein synthesis.
PRNS approach to fast FIR filtering

A system for the implementation of fast finite impulse response (FIR) filtering in digital signal processing (DSP) operations is outlined. The system uses only real arithmetic and possesses many of the good numerical characteristics of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT)-based implementations. The basic concept underlying the implementation is that of polynomial residue number systems (PRNS). PRNS is used as an efficient way for computing polynomial products. This concept allows the computation of cyclic convolutions in a completely concurrent form. Some aspects of the hardware implementation in the scheme of butterfly modules and in systolic architectures are analyzed. >
Foot Patrol in Violent Crime Hot Spots: The Longitudinal Impact of Deterrence and Posttreatment Effects of Displacement†

This study revisited the Philadelphia Foot Patrol Experiment and explored the longitudinal deterrent effects of foot patrol in violent crime hot spots using Sherman's (1990) concepts of initial and residual deterrence decay as a theoretical framework. It also explored whether the displacement uncovered during the initial evaluation decayed after the experiment ended. Multilevel growth curve models revealed that beats staffed for 22 weeks had a decaying deterrent effect during the course of the experiment, whereas those staffed for 12 weeks did not. None of the beats had residual deterrence effects relative to the control areas. The displacement uncovered had decayed during the 3 months after the experiment, and it is theoretically plausible that previously displaced offenders returned to the original target areas causing inverse displacement. These results are discussed in the context of Durlauf and Nagin's (2011) recent proposal that prison sentences should be shortened, mandatory minimum statutes repealed, and the cost savings generated by these policy changes shifted into policing budgets to convey more effectively the certainty of detection. It is concluded that if Durlauf and Nagin's proposal is to succeed, then more holistic policing strategies would likely be necessary. Foot patrol as a specific policing tactic seems to fit nicely into a variety of policing paradigms, and suggestions for incorporating them to move beyond strictly enforcement-based responses are presented.