cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
User Error in Blood Glucose Monitoring: The National Steering Committee for Quality Assurance Report

Since the invention of patient-operated blood glucose testing devices, professionals have expressed concern about the accuracy of the results (1). In part, their concern relates to the impact of patient results on diabetes management decisions. Numerous authors and investigators have examined potential sources of error ranging from the devices themselves to deterioration in operator technique (2–5).
Radiation therapy and the abscopal effect: a concept comes of age

The concept of utilizing localized radiation therapy to elicit out-of-target tumor responses—the abscopal effect—was proposed over 50 years ago (1,2). Over the past decades, the abscopal mechanism has been elucidated by the work of many investigators, including Formenti and Demaria, who showed that this process was likely mediated by the immune system leading to immunogenic tumor cell death, a process which involves dendritic cells, T regulatory cells, and suppressor cells as critical mediators (3-5). This research was inspired by the hypothesis that targeted radiotherapy in the proper setting can produce a consistent and robust abscopal effect, thus delivering clinically meaningful anti-tumor responses and disease control, if not eradicating distal disease in patients with metastatic cancer. The recent successes of several immune check point inhibitor clinical trials in various malignancies have demonstrated wide applicability and enormous therapeutic potential of immunomodulation and have galvanized keen interest in this field (6-10). An ambitious goal of combining radiotherapy and immunotherapy in the clinic would be long term remission for cancer patients with metastatic disease, perhaps through an approach analogous to delivering an in-situ anti-tumor vaccine (11-13).
Hexagonal TSV Bundle Topology for 3-D ICs

Through-substrate vias (TSVs) are key for enabling 3-D integrated circuits (ICs). A hexagonal topology for TSV bundles in 3-D ICs is introduced in this brief. The topology exhibits superior symmetry as compared to the standard mesh topology. A comparison between the hexagonal and mesh topologies in terms of area per TSV, capacitive coupling, effective inductance, and shielding characteristics is offered. The hexagonal topology exhibits a reduction of 13% and 7% in, respectively, area per TSV and capacitive coupling. In addition, a two- to three-orders-of-magnitude decrease in effective inductance within the hexagonal topology is observed.
Memory and control organizations of stream processors

The increasing importance of numerical applications and the properties of modern VLSI processes have led to a resurgence in the development of architectures with a large number of ALUs, multiple memory channels, and extensive support for parallelism. In particular, stream processors achieve area- and energy-efficient high performance by relying on the abundant parallelism, multiple levels of locality, and predictability of data accesses common to media, signal processing, and scientific application domains. This thesis explores the memory and control organizations of stream processors and extends them in search of memory system structures and ALU control combinations leading to better performance and wider applicable area while using the similar amount of hardware resources. We first study the design space of streaming memory systems in light of the trends of modern DRAMS---increasing concurrency, latency, and sensitivity to access patterns. From a detailed performance analysis using benchmarks with various DRAM parameters and memory-system configurations, we identify read/write turnaround penalties and internal bank conflicts in memory-access threads as the most critical factors affecting performance. Then we present hardware techniques developed to maximize the sustained memory system throughput. Since stream processors heavily rely on parallelism for high performance, certain operations requiring serialization can significantly hurt performance. This can be observed in superposition type updates and histogram computation, which suffer from the memory collision problem. We introduce and detail scatter-add, the data-parallel form of the scalar fetch-and-op, which solves this problem by guaranteeing the atomicity of data accumulation with a memory system. Then we explore the scalability of the stream processor architecture along the instruction, data, and thread level parallelism dimensions. We develop VLSI cost and performance models for a multi-threaded processor in order to study the tradeoffs in functionality and cost of mechanisms that exploit the different types of parallelism. We evaluate the specific effects on performance of scaling along the different parallelism dimensions and explain the limitations of the ILP, DLP, and TLP hardware mechanisms.
Organic Field-Effect Transistors, Inverters, and Logic Circuits on Gate Electrets

By incorporating dielectrics with stored electric fields and organic semiconductors, new organic electronic components such as circuits with controlling voltages “restored” for transistor tuning can be developed. We have successfully used excellent electret materials including charged and surface-treated silicon dioxide (SiO2) and silsesquioxane (SSQ) polymers as the dielectric layer in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Charge injection and quasipermanent charge storage induce threshold voltage shifts and current modulation, which results from the built-in electric fields in the conduction channels. Static and dynamic characteristics of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) such as charging conditions and voltage/current retention were evaluated. In addition, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of dipolar molecules have been utilized in the dielectric layer, with different mechanisms but similar effects compared to charged dielectrics. We also present new OFET unipolar inverters, comprised of only two simple OTFTs with enhancement-mode driver and depletion-mode load to implement full-swing organic logic circuits for process simplification of electronic components in organic electronics.
The Liability of Credit Rating Agencies to Investors: A Review of the Current Liability Regime and Recent SEC Proposals

The article attempts to provide a comprehensive review of the current common law and statutory liability of credit rating agencies to investors. In the course of this analysis the authors discuss potential causes of action against credit rating agencies by investors, considering contract law (third-party beneficiary claims), tort law (negligent misrepresentation, product liability. and tortious interference), as well as securities law claims for fraud (Rule 10b-5 under the Securities Exchange Act) and negligence (including potential claims against rating agencies as underwriters and experts engaged in the public offering process of securities). While credit rating agencies before the global financial crisis of 2008 regularly avoided being held liable for their ratings—seeking protection from negligence claims under the First Amendment—growing criticism over the consistency and reliability of their ratings and the independence of credit rating agencies has led to a shift in evaluation of their role as gatekeepers in the securities markets. As a result, in 2009 the SEC proposed to abolish Rule 436(g) under the Securities Act and thereby reclassified credit rating agencies as experts under Section 11 of the Securities Act. Congress, in an attempt to overhaul major parts of the financial system, in 2010 passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which repealed Rule 436(g) as well as lowered the pleading requirements in securities law actions for fraud under Rule 10b-5 against credit rating agencies. This article reviews these changes while rethinking the current liability scheme. Due to the inherent complexity of a review of credit ratings under the different negligence standards of tort law or the liability instruments of the securities laws, finding an answer to the question of what standard of due care should apply will be decisive for the rating agencies’ daily business practices. Even though, in the authors’ view, the creation of a consistent liability system for rating agencies could be an achievable goal in the near future, the debate on this controversial subject is likely to continue.
Proton and Deuteron Double Resonance Studies of Structural Differences Between Amorphous Si and Ge Films

Proton and deuteron double resonance methods have been used to study the structure of high quality plasma-deposited a–Si:H,D and a–Ge:H,D films. The micro-structure of the a–Si is dominated by nanovoids with dimension <3A while the aA–Ge shows many larger microvoids. We have observed new proton HD multiple echoes in the films by using a three pulse sequence double resonance method. The new echoes imply that HD molecules in a–Ge principally are located in large microvoids, which is not the case in high quality a–Si.
Evolving French Memory Laws in Light of Greece's 2014 Anti-Racism Law

Greece enacted a law in September of 2014 to criminalize and impose stiff fines for the denial of genocides that an international tribunal or Greece’s Parliament recognizes as such. France’s experience over the years with its “memory laws” or “lois memorielles” may be germane to Greece’s future as an illustration of the role that a country’s cultural and historical contexts play in why such laws originate, and how they evolve. French experience also bears examining in light of the European Court of Human Right’s (“ECtHR”) perspective, which has condemned France in some cases for its national courts’ applications of anti-denial laws, while supporting it in others. ECtHR case law suggests that Greece’s new law may well undergo difficulties if challenged in that court, despite the European Union’s 2008 Framework Decision on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law, which indeed exhorts Member States to punish genocide denial.
The Nature of Advocacy

The interventions reviewed in Chapter 4 have in common the provision of direct clinical services aimed at enhancing a child’s development. Furthermore, most of these interventions involve an attempt to meet this broad goal through direct alteration of the child’s ecology, the fit between the child and his or her environment. That is, key adults in the environment are given skills in relating to the child on a supportive basis or, more commonly, attempts are made to increase the child’s own adaptive skills. Advocacy, as conceptualized here, differs from these programs by the lack of emphasis on provision of direct services. Rather, advocacy involves active attempts to make institutions affecting children responsive to their needs. The primary function is one of enabling children to make use of societal resources. For example, public schools often systematically have excluded children from their services because of handicap or language barrier. One model advocacy program, the Massachusetts Advocacy Center, grew from an effort to make the schools responsive to and inclusive of all children regardless of handicap or primary language (Task Force on Children Out of School, 1970). Thus, the emphasis was not on provision of direct educational services to children but rather on advocacy on behalf of excluded children for changes in the policies and practices of those charged with providing services.
MHealth pilot study: Text messaging intervention to promote HPV vaccination

Objectives To test the feasibility and efficacy of a culturally-tailored mobile health intervention designed to increase knowledge about, intent to obtain, and receipt of the HPV vaccine. Methods A 7-day text message HPV intervention was developed using a quasi-experimental research design for 30 Korean-American women. Results Participants demonstrated significant increases in knowledge of HPV with an intent to get vaccinated within one year, and 30% of participants received the first dose of the HPV vaccine. Conclusions Mobile health technology could be a promising tool in reducing the cancer burden for underserved populations.
Supply chain organizational infrastructure for promoting entrepreneurial emphasis and innovativeness: The role of trust and learning

Abstract Research has argued that inter-organizational trust and learning are critical factors associated with successful supply chain innovation and long-term competitiveness. In this paper, we develop and test a proposed model of supply chain organizational design using survey data collected from 128 decision-makers across diverse sample of supply chain decision-makers across many industries. Our analysis provides evidence that both trust and supply chain learning play important, but distinctive roles in developing an entrepreneurial and innovative supply chains. Moreover, our research findings add critical insight into existing resource-based perspectives of supply chain innovation by illuminating the roles and progression of the different resource elements – trust, supply chain learning, entrepreneurial emphasis, innovativeness – in developing and building a competitive supply chain infrastructure.
Avoiding Errors in Electrochemical Measurements: Effect of Frit Material on the Performance of Reference Electrodes with Porous Frit Junctions

In many commercially available and in-house-prepared reference electrodes, nanoporous glass frits (often of the brand named Vycor) contain the electrolyte solution that forms a salt bridge between the sample and the reference solution. Recently, we showed that in samples with low ionic strength, the half-cell potentials of reference electrodes comprising nanoporous Vycor frits are affected by the sample and can shift in response to the sample composition by more than 50 mV (which can cause up to 900% error in potentiometric measurements). It was confirmed that the large potential variations result from electrostatic screening of ion transfer through the frit due to the negatively charged surfaces of the glass nanopores. Since the commercial production of porous Vycor glass was recently discontinued, new materials have been used lately as porous frits in commercially available reference electrodes, namely frits made of Teflon, polyethylene, or one of two porous glasses sold under the brand names CoralPor a...
CdZnTe gamma-ray spectroscopy in high flux environments using digital pulse processing techniques

CdZnTe imaging gamma-ray spectrometers using digital pulse processing techniques have shown great promise in recent years. The energy resolution of 15 mm thick CdZnTe spectrometers has improved to around 0.4 % FWHM at 662 keV for single pixel events and near 0.6 % FWHM at 662 keV using all events, regardless of the number of pixels triggered. Additionally, the position resolution through subpixel position sensing has improved to less than 300 μm FWHM for 662 keV gamma-rays. This technical progress has encouraged the use of CdZnTe in challenging environments with high gamma ray fluxes such as nuclear power plants. CdZnTe is also being studied for use in medical imaging applications as well as nuclear safeguards and treaty verification where high count rate environments may be encountered. Signal pulse waveforms generated from charge motion in CdZnTe were studied at high count rates to learn how the material responds in high gamma-ray fluxes. The relationship between average preamplifier decay slope and dose rate is shown to be monotonic. This relationship could be used in a real system to estimate the dose rate on the detector surface. Minimal energy resolution degradation was observed up to 50 mR/hr. Beyond 50 mR/hr, the energy resolution degrades more substantially for multiple pixel events due to chance coincidence Compton scattering events. Changes in the electric field due to positive space charge accumulation were observed which likely contributes to the energy resolution degradation. Preamplifier instability is the other major contributor to energy resolution degradation.
Responding to Charlie Hebdo

This paper utilizes survey methodology to explore the ethical perspectives of political cartoonists following the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Ethics positions theory is considered. Participants tended to be either situationists, absolutists, or exceptionists. Political ideology was associated with relativism scores. Findings showed that most of the participants (74 percent) reported that they drew a cartoon in response to the shootings. Participants expressed feelings of anger and sadness following the shootings. They reported that they drew cartoons illustrating free speech, cartoonists, pencils and pens, or violence following the shootings.
Audit committee requirements in six major capital markets: How far have we come?

This research discusses the key events that led to the establishment of the current regulations pertaining to the functioning of audit committees in six major capital markets of the world, namely, the U.S., U.K. Australia, India, South Africa, and Argentina, and also presents the findings based on a comparison of these regulations. Specifically, the authors review the changes that happened either proactively or sometimes as a reaction to certain events in each of these securities markets, leading to the current audit committee regulations. Also, the relevant local laws and requirements of the regulatory bodies along with the listing rules of the stock exchanges in the above six nations are examined to study how the requirements are both similar as well as different across the six continents. Given the increase in the number of multinational corporations selling shares in different capital markets where such entities have to conform to the regulations of each such market, a study of the audit committee regulations is expected to give some insight into how much rigor the different capital markets of the world have with respect to their expectations of the composition of the audit committee, what the committee’s role should be, how it should conduct its business, and to whom it should report. The study shows that each of these six nations has had its share of corporate scandals and/or abuses of power by senior business executives that first caused losses for investors, and eventually led to the current regulations. In some of these markets, audit committee regulations advanced from being recommendatory and “principles-based” to being mandatory mainly because of the pressure from external stakeholders. The newer regulations in each securities market generally, though not always, represented improvement over the previous versions. The study also shows that today the audit committees of companies listed on the different stock exchanges being examined in this study are subject to similar or sometimes identical requirements in some respects. At the same time, there are other requirements where the authors see minor as well as noticeable differences. All in all, NYSE emerges as the stock exchange with the most rigorous expectations from the audit committee on various matters and especially with respect to the monitoring of the independent auditor. While the audit committee regulations in the developed world of the U.S., U.K., and Australia have set good examples of governance practices before the rest of the world, the securities markets in the emerging economies of India, South Africa, and Argentina are not far behind. There are areas where the regulations in India and South Africa actually demand more from their audit committees compared to those in the developed markets.
Uplink Antenna Nulling for High Data Rate EHF Satellite Communications

This paper presents and discusses different approaches available to provide uplink protection to high data rate Users of an EHF satellite communication system, by combining temporal spreading gain with the spatial filtering of a spacecraft adaptive nulling antenna. The generalized performance of different nulling approaches is analyzed, as well as the limitations for simultaneously achieving high resolution over large field of view and wide bandwidth, when multiple Users access the satellite.
Business without employees? Leveraging Solopreneurs for Startups.

The latest trend in employment shows us that more and more workers are self-employed as freelancers and contractors rather than as part of an organization. They are external workers or "Solopreneur...
Investigating a Raspberry Pi cluster for detecting anomalies in the smart grid

Smart Grid Technology is an integral part of ensuring the security of the power grid. To provide situational awareness to grid operators, a smart grid system must be able to detect alarm events (such as sudden voltage fluctuations or drops in current) in close to real-time. In this paper, we propose the use of a low energy Raspberry Pi cluster to detect anomalies in the Smart Grid. We build a prototype cluster and test our approach on a real data set of approximately 1 million measurements derived from 8 PMUS from a 1000:1 scale emulation of a working power grid. Our results show that a cluster of 12 Raspberry Pis is capable of achieving better performance than a more power-hungry multicore server at lower cost and a significant reduction in power consumption.
miRNA profiling of primate cervicovaginal lavage and extracellular vesicles reveals miR-186-5p as a potential retroviral restriction factor in macrophages

Introduction: The goal of this study was to characterize extracellular vesicles (EVs) and miRNA profiles of primate cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) during the menstrual cycle and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection, and to determine if CVL-associated miRNAs might influence replication of retroviruses. Methods: CVL and peripheral blood were collected for five weeks from two uninfected and four SIV-infected macaques. EVs were enriched by stepped ultracentrifugation and characterized by population-level and single vesicle analyses. miRNA profiles were assessed with a medium-throughput stem-loop/hydrolysis probe qPCR platform and validated by targeted qPCR assays. Influence of miR-186-5p (miR-186) on HIV protein and RNA production was monitored in monocyte-derived macrophages. Results: Although menstrual hormone cycling was abnormal in infected subjects, EV concentration increased with progesterone in uninfected subjects. miRNAs were present predominantly in the EV-depleted supernatant fraction of CVL. Few changes in miRNA levels correlated with the menstrual cycle or SIV infection. miR-186, depleted in retroviral infection, was investigated for a possible role in controlling retroviral infection. miR-186 inhibited HIV production when transfected into monocyte-derived macrophages. Conclusions: We report profiles of a targeted set of miRNAs in CVL fractions. The menstrual cycle may affect quantity of EVs recovered from CVL, but has only minor effects on abundance of the miRNAs we examined. miR-186 decline appears to be associated with SIV infection, and miR-186 inhibits HIV replication in macrophages in vitro. Further studies are required to characterize the role of EVs and small RNAs as biomarkers of disease in the reproductive tract.
Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate: Fundamentals to full-scale water treatment applications

Abstract Nitrate contamination in surface and ground waters is one of this century’s major engineering challenges due to negative environmental impacts and the risk to human health in drinking water. Electrochemical reduction is a promising water treatment technology to manage nitrate in drinking water. This critical review describes the fundamental principles necessary to understand electrochemical reduction technologies and how to apply them. The focus is on electrochemical nitrate reduction mechanisms and pathways that form undesirable products (nitrite, ammonium) or the more desirable product (dinitrogen). Factors influencing the conversion rates and selectivity of electrochemical nitrate reduction, such as electrode material and operating parameters, are also described. Finally, the applicability for treating drinking water matrices using electrochemical processes is analyzed, including existing implementation of commercial treatment systems. Overall, this critical review contributes to the understanding of the potential applications and constraints of electrochemical reduction to manage nitrate in drinking waters and highlights directions for future research required for implementation.
Exposure to the Tobacco Power Wall Increases Adolescents' Willingness to Use E-cigarettes in the Future

Introduction Adolescents' e-cigarette use is now more prevalent than their combustible cigarette use. Youth are exposed to e-cigarette advertising at retail point-of-sale (POS) locations via the tobacco power wall (TPW), but no studies have assessed whether exposure to the TPW influences susceptibility to future e-cigarette use. Methods The study was conducted in the RAND Store Lab (RSL), a life-sized replica of a convenience store developed to experimentally evaluate how POS advertising influences tobacco use risk under simulated shopping conditions. In a between-subjects experiment, 160 adolescents (M age = 13.82; 53% female, 56% white) were randomized to shop in the RSL under one of two conditions: (1) TPW located behind the cashier (n = 80); or (2) TPW hidden behind an opaque wall (n = 80). Youths rated willingness to use e-cigarettes ("If one of your best friends were to offer you an e-cigarette, would you try it?"; 1 = definitely not, 10 = definitely yes) before and after exposure. Linear regression assessed differences in pre-post changes in willingness to use across conditions. Results Ever-use of e-cigarettes was 5%; use of cigarettes was 8%; use of both e-cigarettes and cigarettes was 4%. There were no differences between TPW conditions on these or other baseline variables (eg, age, gender). Compared to the hidden condition, TPW exposure was associated with greater increases in willingness to use e-cigarettes in the future (B = 1.15, standard error [SE] = 0.50, p = .02). Conclusions Efforts to regulate visibility of the TPW at POS may help to reduce youths' susceptibility to initiating e-cigarettes as well as conventional tobacco products like cigarettes. Implications Past work suggests that exposure to the TPW in common retail settings, like convenience stores, may increase adolescents' susceptibility to smoking cigarettes. This experimental study builds upon prior research to show that exposure to the TPW at retail POS similarly increases adolescents' willingness to use e-cigarettes in the future. Efforts to regulate the visibility of the TPW in retail settings may help to reduce youths' susceptibility to initiating nicotine and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
DD26: Keine Richter, nur Henker (Oktober 2006)

Ethik fragt nach dem, was wir als Individuum oder Gemeinschaftsmensch tun sollen. Die Vorschrift oder der Code of Conduct befiehlt, was wir tun mussen. Wir fuhlen in letzter Zeit oft, dass wir mussen, was wir nicht sollten. Wir haben nicht verstanden, dass wir nicht mehr nur uns selbst, Gott und der Gemeinschaft verpflichtet sind, sondern auch …ja, wem? Der Effizienz.
The Role of Phenomenology in Psychophysics

Psychophysics is a branch of experimental psychology often described as being concerned with “the measurement of sensation”. Some of the field’s most important figures, like Gustav Fechner and S.S. Stevens, have viewed phenomenology - in the sense of the examination of the first-person experience of sensations and percepts - as playing a crucial role in psychophysics. But other practitioners and philosophers have been critical of this assumption. Some have held that what psychophysics really measures are functionally-characterized discriminative capacities. Others have taken the even more radical view that psychophysics does not really measure any inner variables, whether phenomenological or neural.
Dendrimer-Encapsulated Metals and Semiconductors: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

This chapter describes composite materials composed of dendrimers and metals or semiconductors. Three types of dendrimer/metal-ion composites are discussed: dendrimers containing structural metal ions, nonstructural exterior metal ions, and nonstructural interior metal ions. Nonstructural interior metal ions can be reduced to yield dendrimer-encapsulated metal and semiconductor nanoparticles. These materials are the principal focus of this chapter. Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) and poly(propylene imine) dendrimers, which are the two commercially available families of dendrimers, are in many cases monodisperse in size. Accordingly, they have a generation-dependent number of interior tertiary amines. These are able to complex a range of metal ions including Cu2+, Pd2+, and Pt2+. The maximum number of metal ions that can be sorbed within the dendrimer interior depends on the metal ion, the dendrimer type, and the dendrimer generation. For example, a generation six PAMAM dendrimer can contain up to 64 Cu2+ ions. Nonstructural interior ions can be chemically reduced to yield dendrimer-encapsulated metal nanoparticles. Because each dendrimer contains a specific number of ions, the resulting metal nanoparticles are in many cases of nearly monodisperse size. Nanoparticles within dendrimers are stabilized by the dendrimer framework; that is, the dendrimer first acts as a molecular template to prepare the metal nanoparticles and then as a stabilizer to prevent agglomeration. These composites are useful for a range of catalytic applications including hydrogenations and Heck chemistry. The unique properties of the interior dendrimer microenvironment can result in formation of products not observed in the absence of the dendrimer. Moreover the exterior dendrimer branches act as a selective gate that controls access to the interior nanoparticle, which results in selective catalysis. In addition to single-metal nanoparticles, it is also possible to prepare bimetallic nanoclusters and dendrimer-encapsulated semiconductor nanoparticles, such as CdS, using this same general approach.
Uri Nara , Our Country: Korean American Adoptees in the Global Age

This chapter is an analysis of ethnographic materials, including personal stories and immigration experiences of Korean adoptees who were child migrants to the USA and return migrants to South Korea. Park Nelson makes connections between transnational adoptee immigration policy, American race relations, and Asian American experiences. Korean American adoptees who have returned to live and work in the nation of their birth are in a sense “global citizens” who possess both the American economic and cultural capital to live as expatriates and the Korean ethnic connections to gain a foothold in South Korea. But despite these apparent advantages, adoptees face exclusion as foreigners in both countries—through racial discrimination in the USA and because of their lack of linguistic and cultural fluency in South Korea.
Minimal number of gradient directions for robust measurement of spherical mean diffusion weighted signal

Abstract Purpose Determination of the minimum number of gradient directions (Nmin) for robust measurement of spherical mean diffusion weighted signal ( S ¯ ). Methods Computer simulations were employed to characterize the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the measured spherical mean signal as a function of the number of gradient directions (N). The effects of diffusion weighting b-value and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were investigated. Multi-shell high angular resolution Human Connectome Project diffusion data were analyzed to support the simulation results. Results RSD decreases with increasing N, and the minimum number of N needed for RSD ≤ 5% is referred to as Nmin. At high SNRs, Nmin increases with increasing b-value to achieve sufficient sampling. Simulations showed that Nmin is linearly dependent on the b-value. At low SNRs, Nmin increases with increasing b-value to reduce the noise. RSD can be estimated as σ S ¯ N , where σ = 1/SNR is the noise level. The experimental results were in good agreement with the simulation results. The spherical mean signal can be measured accurately with a subset of gradient directions. Conclusion As Nmin is affected by b-value and SNR, we recommend using 10 × b / b1 (b1 = 1 ms/μm2) uniformly distributed gradient directions for typical human diffusion studies with SNR ~ 20 for robust spherical mean signal measurement.
Federally Funded Slaving

This Article presents a new frame of reference for thinking about the federal government’s complicity in supporting the domestic slave trade in the antebellum United States. While scholars have accounted for several methods of such support, they have failed to consider how federal bankruptcy legislation during the 1840s functionally created a system of direct financial grants to slave traders in the form of debt discharges. Relying on a variety of primary sources, including manuscript court records that have not been systematically analyzed by any published scholarship, this Article shows how the Bankruptcy Act of 1841 enabled severely indebted slave traders to reconstruct their financial lives and thus return to the business of enslaving black men, women, and children. Knowing this legal history gives us a richer understanding of the federalization of American slavery and its role in the development of the nation’s economy.
A cross-cultural perspective on leadership development programmes

Calls for improving educator preparation programmes by professional associations, policymakers, researchers, and educators worldwide are not new (Huber 2001; D’Arbon, Duigan, and Duncan 2002; Cardn...
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: a Multidisciplinary Approach to Management

We aim to present the challenges in defining bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and summarize optimized management of established BPD in a multidisciplinary fashion. In the last few years, several meta-analyses assessing the treatment of BPD have been updated to assist in guiding clinical management. In addition, a new severity grading system was proposed at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) BPD workshop with more objective criteria including commonly used modes of non-invasive respiratory support. Although survival of infants born prematurely has improved over the last several decades, the incidence of BPD has remained unchanged. Defining BPD and stratifying its severity continue to be challenging for clinicians. Successful BPD management requires a multidisciplinary approach to optimize ventilator strategies, provide adequate nutrition, utilize pharmacotherapeutics in an evidence-based fashion, and screen for comorbidities.
The Underlying Underwriter: An Analysis of the Spotify Direct Listing

In April 2018, music streaming giant Spotify disrupted the traditional initial public offering model and became a publicly traded company through a novel process known as a direct listing. Eschewing standard Wall Street practice, Spotify did not raise new money through the offering and instead simply made its existing shares available for purchase by the public. Spotify worked throughout 2017 and 2018 alongside legal counsel and investment banks and in communication with the Securities and Exchange Commission to facilitate the unorthodox approach. Major technology companies are now adopting a similar approach. In recognition of these developments, this Comment has two aims: to shed light on the statutory contours of a direct listing and to contribute to the legal understanding of underwriter liability. As this financial innovation unfolds, an important question remains: Who is liable as an “underwriter” in a direct listing for purposes of liability under Section 11 of the Securities Act? This Comment argues that the investment banks Spotify retained as financial advisors qualify as statutory underwriters notwithstanding language in the registration statement to the contrary. By walking through the precise statutory elements of a direct listing and by calling attention to latent liabilities in the process, this Comment seeks to set forth a path for future technology unicorns to follow the Spotify playlist.
Toxoplasma induces stripping of perisomatic inhibitory synapses

ABSTRACT Infection and inflammation within the brain induces changes in neuronal connectivity and function. The intracellular protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, is one pathogen that infects the brain and can cause encephalitis and seizures. Persistent infection by this parasite is also associated with behavioral alterations and an increased risk for developing psychiatric illness, including schizophrenia. Current evidence from studies in humans and mouse models suggest that both seizures and schizophrenia result from a loss or dysfunction of inhibitory synapses. In line with this, we recently reported that persistent Toxoplasma gondii infection alters the distribution of glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67), an enzyme that catalyzes GABA synthesis in inhibitory synapses. These changes could reflect a redistribution of presynaptic machinery in inhibitory neurons or a loss of inhibitory nerve terminals. To directly assess the latter possibility, we employed serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) and quantified inhibitory perisomatic synapses in neocortex and hippocampus following parasitic infection. Not only did persistent infection lead to a significant loss of perisomatic synapses, it induced the ensheathment of neuronal somata by phagocytic cells. Immunohistochemical, genetic, and ultrastructural analyses revealed that these phagocytic cells included reactive microglia. Finally, ultrastructural analysis identified phagocytic cells enveloping perisomatic nerve terminals, suggesting they may participate in synaptic stripping. Thus, these results suggest that microglia contribute to perisomatic inhibitory synapse loss following parasitic infection and offer a novel mechanism as to how persistent Toxoplasma gondii infection may contribute to both seizures and psychiatric illness. MAIN POINTS Toxoplasma-infection leads the loss of perisomatic inhibitory synapses Phagocytic microglia ensheath neuronal somata following Toxoplasma-infection Microglia contact and envelop perisomatic nerve terminals, suggesting that Toxoplasma induces synaptic stripping
Measurement and Modeling of Light Yield Nonproportionality in Neutron Detectors

AbstractA methodology for simulating a neutron detector’s pulse-height spectra (PHS) utilizing semiempirical equations for the light yield nonproportionality of organic scintillators is described. Using these simulations, suitable material synthesis techniques are established for optimizing the performance of neutron scintillators. A MATLAB program suite was developed to automate the process of generating the PHS by pairing these semiempirical equations with results generated using Monte Carlo radiation transport code (MCNPX) particle track (PTRAC) output files. This is accomplished by first calculating the energy deposited in a detector from each charged-particle reaction product generated from a neutron absorption event by postprocessing the MCNPX PTRAC output files. The energy deposited from each charged particle is then used in semiempirical light yield equations to determine the fluorescent light energy output by each charged particle. Finally, the individual contributions from each charged particle ...
Temporal interference stimulation targets deep brain regions by modulating neural oscillations

Abstract Temporal interference (TI) stimulation of the brain generates amplitude-modulated electric fields oscillating in the kHz range. A validated current-flow model of the human head estimates that amplitude-modulated electric fields are stronger in deep brain regions, while unmodulated electric fields are maximal at the cortical regions. The electric field threshold to modulate carbachol-induced gamma oscillations in rat hippocampal slices was determined for unmodulated 0.05-2 kHz sine waveforms, and 5 Hz amplitude-modulated waveforms with 0.1-2 kHz carrier frequencies. The neuronal effects are replicated with a computational network model to explore the underlying mechanisms. Experiment and model confirm the hypothesis that spatial selectivity of temporal interference stimulation depends on the phasic modulation of neural oscillations only in deep brain regions. This selectivity is governed by network adaption (e.g. GABAb) that is faster than the amplitude-modulation frequency. The applied current required depends on the neuronal membrane time-constant (e.g. axons) approaching the kHz carrier frequency of temporal interference stimulation.
Nuclear Receptors as Regulators of Pituitary Corticotroph Pro-Opiomelanocortin Transcription.

The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis plays a critical role in adaptive stress responses and maintaining organism homeostasis. The pituitary corticotroph is the central player in the HPA axis and is regulated by a plethora of hormonal and stress related factors that synergistically interact to activate and temper pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) transcription, to either increase or decrease adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production and secretion as needed. Nuclear receptors are a family of highly conserved transcription factors that can also be induced by various physiologic signals, and they mediate their responses via multiple targets to regulate metabolism and homeostasis. In this review, we summarize the modulatory roles of nuclear receptors on pituitary corticotroph cell POMC transcription, describe the unique and complex role these factors play in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) regulation and discuss potential therapeutic targets in disease states.
A perceptual scaling approach to eyewitness identification.

Eyewitness misidentification accounts for 70% of verified erroneous convictions. To address this alarming phenomenon, research has focused on factors that influence likelihood of correct identification, such as the manner in which a lineup is conducted. Traditional lineups rely on overt eyewitness responses that confound two covert factors: strength of recognition memory and the criterion for deciding what memory strength is sufficient for identification. Here we describe a lineup that permits estimation of memory strength independent of decision criterion. Our procedure employs powerful techniques developed in studies of perception and memory: perceptual scaling and signal detection analysis. Using these tools, we scale memory strengths elicited by lineup faces, and quantify performance of a binary classifier tasked with distinguishing perpetrator from innocent suspect. This approach reveals structure of memory inaccessible using traditional lineups and renders accurate identifications uninfluenced by decision bias. The approach furthermore yields a quantitative index of individual eyewitness performance. Eyewitness errors contribute to wrongful convictions. Here, the authors present a lineup procedure that reveals the structure of eyewitness memory, reduces decision bias, and measures performance of individual witnesses.
Ensuring intervention success: Assessing fit as an overlooked step of the implementation process

Ensuring fit between a service and the implementing context is a critical but often overlooked precursor of implementation success. This commentary proposes five key considerations that should be evaluated when exploring fit: alignment with needs and metrics; alignment with organizational resources and capabilities; alignment with organizational priorities and culture; alignment with reimbursement mechanisms for long-term sustainability; and alignment with the regulatory environment. Successful uptake and implementation hinges on careful planning and, most importantly, appropriate fit between the service and the implementing environment.
Assessment of the orientation and conformation of pigments in protein binding sites from infrared difference spectra.

Abstract Time resolved FTIR difference spectroscopy (DS) has been used to study photosystem I (PSI) with the disubstituted 1,4-naphthoquinones acequinocyl (AcQ) and lapachol (Lpc) incorporated into the A1 binding site. AcQ is a 2-acetoxy-3-dodecyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, Lpc is a 2-hydroxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone. To assess whether the experimental spectra are specific to different orientations of the quinone and their substitutions ONIOM-type QM/MM vibrational frequency calculations were undertaken for various orientations of the pigments and side-chain conformations in the A1 binding site. Comparison of calculated and experimental spectra for the reduced species (semiquinone anion) suggests that the orientation for the naphthoquinone ring in the binding site and specific side-chain conformations can be identified based on the spectra. In native PSI phylloquinone (PhQ) in the A1 binding site binds with its phytyl chain ortho to the hydrogen bonded carbonyl group. This is not found to be the case for the hydrocarbon tail of AcQ, which is meta to the H-bonded carbonyl group. In contrast, Lpc in PSI binds with its hydrocarbon tail also ortho to the H-bonded carbonyl group. Furthermore, comparison of calculated and experimental spectra indicates which conformations the acetoxy group of AcQ and the hydroxy group of Lpc adopt in the A1 binding site.
Redefining High-Volume Gastric Cancer Centers: The Impact of Operative Volume on Surgical Outcomes.

Performance of technically complex surgery at high-volume (HV) centers is associated with improved outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess whether hospital gastrectomy volume is associated with surgical outcomes, and what threshold of case volume meaningfully impacts surgical outcomes. We conducted a retrospective review of adult NCDB patients with gastric adenocarcinoma undergoing gastrectomy between 2004 and 2015. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model with restricted cubic splines was used to examine the association of annual hospital gastrectomy volume and overall survival. Bootstrap simulation was used to estimate the cut-point corresponding to maximum change in log hazard ratio. Hospitals were divided into HV (≥ 17 cases/year) and low-volume (LV; < 17 cases/year) groups. We examined the relationship between volume groups and adequate nodal examination, R0 resection, unplanned readmission, and 30- and 90-day mortality. Our cohort consisted of 29,559 patients (7.8% treated at an HV center). Treatment at an HV center was associated with an increased likelihood of adequate nodal examination [odds ratio (OR) 2.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.94–2.32] and R0 resection among patients with cardia tumors (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07–1.88). Patients treated at HV centers had decreased 30- and 90-day postoperative mortality, which was more pronounced in those undergoing total gastrectomy. Treatment at an HV gastrectomy center is associated with improved surgical outcomes. Our study identified 17 cases/year as a clinically meaningful distinction between HV and LV centers. This definition of an HV center should be considered when evaluating regionalization of gastric cancer care to improve patient outcomes.
Sanctuary City Attitudes as Racialized Politics: The Relevance of Ethno-Racial Stereotypes

Sanctuary cities, those who limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal authorities enforcing immigration laws, are drawing greater attention in political and media discourse. Researchers have yet to determine whether public opinion about sanctuary city status is tied to traditional racial attitudes such as ethno-racial stereotypes. We utilize the 2017 Los Angeles Public Opinion Survey (N=1,083) to examine whether sanctuary city attitudes can be considered racial attitudes. Ordinal logistic regression models reveal that among white, black, and some Latino respondents, opposition to Los Angeles as a sanctuary city is linked to perceptions of Latinos as discriminatory. Among Asians, support for Los Angeles as a sanctuary city is linked to perceptions of whites as discriminatory. The latter finding suggests ethno-racial stereotypes might serve as an indicator of the perceived context of reception that an immigrant may encounter. Future studies should examine these results in greater detail.