cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Quality of the Quality Assessment

In this commentary, I use criteria contained in the Ethics Consultation Quality Assessment Tool (ECQAT) to evaluate the arguments for using the tool itself, as presented by Pearlman and colleagues ...
TREM2 variants: new keys to decipher Alzheimer disease pathogenesis

Genome-wide association studies have identified rare variants of the gene that encodes triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) - an immune receptor that is found in brain microglia - as risk factors for non-familial Alzheimer disease (AD). Furthermore, animal studies have indicated that microglia have an important role in the brain response to amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and that TREM2 variants may have an impact on such a function. We discuss how TREM2 may control the microglial response to Aβ and its impact on microglial senescence, as well as the interaction of TREM2 with other molecules that are encoded by gene variants associated with AD and the hypothetical consequences of the cleavage of TREM2 from the cell surface.
High-Quality Boron and BF2+-Implanted P+ Junctions in Si Using Solid Phase Epitaxy and Transient Annealing

We report on a systematic study of the doping profiles resulting from rapid thermal annealing of boron and BF2+-implanted silicon samples that were preamorphized by Si+ implantation. A two-step process consisting of an initial solid phase epitaxial regrowth followed by a brief (~5 sec) high temperature (1050°) anneal produces extremely shallow (<1500A) junctions with low defect concentrations. The quality of the epitaxial regrowth is very sensitive to implant conditions and impurity effects as deduced from time-resolved reflectivity measurements. Using the best conditions for implantation and solid phase crystallization, we have obtained boron-doped regions with sheet resistivities of ≲40 Ω/□ and BF2-doped regions of resistivity ≲60 Ω/□.
Quantifying Uncertainty Across Fidelity Levels in the Design of Aerospace Systems

The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) are currently investigating concepts for the next generation Efficient Supersonic Air Vehicle (ESAV). This paper reports on one major goal of this research, which is to characterize the uncertainty in the relationship between lower level conceptual design tools used early in the design stage and the higher fidelity models used in later design phases. This research is driven by the need for a certain level of confidence that the design tools used in the early design phases are similar enough to their higher fidelity counterparts so that the conceptual design remains relevant and/or feasible in the higher fidelity design space. A methodology for the characterization of the disparity between fidelity levels is presented using a space-mapping approach which linearly relates the variables at the lower fidelity level to the variables at the higher fidelity level.
Populism and the politics of the extraordinary in Latin America

AbstractBuilding on past and current experiences of populism in Latin America, this article makes four arguments. First, whereas populist movements seeking power promise to democratize society by challenging the legitimacy of exclusionary institutions, populist governments often include the excluded at the cost of disfiguring democracy. Second, during populist events the meanings of the ambiguous term ‘the people’ are disputed. When social movements are weak, and when the institutions of liberal democracy are discredited, a populist leader could attempt to become the embodiment of the will of the people. Third, even though the concept of the people is central to populism, it could be constructed differently. It could be imagined as heterogeneous and plural, or as the people-as-one, as an entity that shares one identity and interest that could be embodied in a leader. Fourth, populism shares with fascism an imaginary construction of the people-as-one. Yet differently from fascism, which staged extraordinar...
Evolutionary Psychology:Bringing Nature into Human Nature

Integrating Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection with modern psychological theories and methodologies,evolutionary psychology tries to understand the origin and functioning of cognitive and emotional adaptations that helped us deal with problems in our ancestral environment,and how those mechanisms function now.This paper focuses on: the logic of how natural selection shapes the tools that enable organisms to survive the challenges of their environment;some misconceptions about the theory of evolution;and on how evolutionary theory can help us understand human behavior.Finally,it briefly mentions some of the scientific and political controversies associated with current evolutionary thinking.
Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor signal transduction requires the proximal cytoplasmic domains of the α and β subunits

Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) controls the production, maturation, and function of cells in multiple hematopoietic lineages. These effects are mediated by a cell-surface receptor (GM-R) composed of alpha and beta subunits, each containing 378 and 881 amino acids, respectively. Whereas the alpha subunit exists as several isoforms that bind GM-CSF with low affinity, the beta common subunit (beta c) does not bind GM-CSF itself, but acts as a high- affinity converter for GM-CSF, interleukin-3 (IL-3), and IL-5 receptor alpha subunits. The cytoplasmic region of GM-R alpha consists of a membrane-proximal conserved region shared by the alpha 1 and alpha 2 isoforms and a C-terminal variable region that is divergent between alpha 1 and alpha 2. The cytoplasmic region of beta c contains membrane proximal serine and acidic domains. To investigate the amino acid sequences that influence signal transduction by this receptor complex, we constructed a series of cytoplasmic truncation mutants of the alpha 2 and beta subunits. To study these truncations, we stably transfected the IL-3-dependent murine cell line Ba/F3 with wild-type or mutant cDNAs. We found that the wild-type and mutant alpha subunits conferred similar low-affinity binding sites for human GM-CSF to Ba/F3, and the wild-type or mutant beta subunit converted some of these sites to high- affinity; the cytoplasmic domain of beta was unnecessary for this high- affinity conversion. Proliferation assays showed that the membrane- proximal conserved region of GM-R alpha and the serine-acidic domain of beta c are required for both cell proliferation and ligand-dependent phosphorylation of a 93-kD cytoplasmic protein. We suggest that these regions may represent an important signal transduction motif present in several cytokine receptors.
Scoring systems for chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention: if you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail.

While the benefit of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not yet been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials, several observational studies have shown that, as compared with failed procedures, successful CTO PCI is associated with significant clinical benefit (1).
Editorial Comment: What Influences the Use of Administrative Evidence-Based Practices in Local Health Departments?

In 2012, Frontiers published an article by Allen et al. about identifying administrative and management practices that make up an evidence-based local health department.1 They recommended that local health departments (LHDs) consider using such practices to implement sustained evidence-based policies, programs, and interventions. Strategies that should be given ‘high priority’ for implementation were highlighted. My accompanying editorial2 acknowledged the value of this practical advice to LHDs in optimizing their performance and achieving desired health outcomes.
Growth and Synthesis of Aflatoxin by Aspergillus parasiticus in the Presence of Sorbic Acid.

Two media [basal (M1) and enriched (M2)] containing potassium sorbate (0-300 ppm as sorbic acid) were inoculated with spores (104 - 106/flask) of Aspergillus parasiticus and incubated for 5 days at 28 C. The greater the amount of sorbate added, the higher was the pH of the media after incubation and the smaller was the yield of mold mycelium. Intermediate amounts of sorbate sometimes resulted in greater accumulation of aflatoxin than when media were free of sorbate. Sorbate more effectively inhibited mold growth and aflatoxin production in medium M2 than M1 and when the small rather than the large inoculum was used. A second trial was done with 106 or 105 spores/flask of M2 (ca. 27 ml) and 105 spores/flask of M2 (ca. 27 ml) containing sorbate (200 ppm of sorbic acid). Cumulative data for mold growth. pH and content of aflatoxin in the medium showed that relative effects of different treatments changed during the incubation period. An index to measure the capacity of molds to synthesize aflatoxins was developed. Application of the index indicates that sorbate delayed mold growth but did not inhibit biosynthesis of aflatoxin. The ability to synthesize aflatoxin was greatest in the early stages of mold growth and then decreased linearly as mold growth progressed.
A fully integrated electromagnetic energy harvesting circuit with an on-chip antenna for biomedical implants in 180 nm SOI CMOS

This paper presents an energy harvesting platform for biomedical implantable sensors based on a far-field electromagnetic radiation. The design is composed of an on-chip dipole antenna and a multi stage Dickson voltage rectifier with threshold compensation order of 4. The operating range is up to 15 cm, including 1 cm of biological tissue with high water content. The optimum frequency for power transmission into the implanted chip through multiple biological tissues is studied as well. The system is fabricated in a 180 nm SOI CMOS technology with a total area of 0.42 mm2. The chip can provide 1V DC for a 1ΜΩ resistive load when excited with an 11.2 GHz external transmitter. The maximum efficiency of the wireless link is measured as −51 dB. The voltage rectifier can provide 1V for the 1ΜΩ load with input power as low as 23 μW (−16.3 dBm).
Delayed-Onset Digital Ischemia After Local Anesthetic With Epinephrine Injection Requiring Phentolamine Reversal

The use of low-dose epinephrine in hand surgery has made it possible to perform a wide range of surgical procedures in the office setting. Low-dose epinephrine use is safe, and its vasoconstrictive effects are reversible with phentolamine. In this report, we present late-onset finger ischemia beginning 3 hours after an ipsilateral carpal tunnel and A1 pulley release of the middle finger anesthetized with local anesthetic and low-dose epinephrine (1:100,000). Finger ischemia lasted 14 hours until rescued with phentolamine injection.
Understanding and Improving Knowledge of Cancer Survivorship Care Among College Providers.

This study aimed to assess college providers’ basic knowledge of the health risks of young adult cancer survivors (YAS) and related care guidelines and to determine whether an educational in-service is an effective platform for increasing college health providers’ knowledge about survivorship care at a large university health center. During phase 1, staff from college health centers and office of disabilities in the Philadelphia area (n = 40 staff members from 24 colleges/universities) completed a needs assessment on their experiences with YAS and preferences for education and care coordination. During phase 2, a 1-h educational in-service, informed by results of the survey, was provided to 18 health center medical providers. While most providers indicated that YAS are at risk for chronic health conditions because of cancer treatment, nearly all were unfamiliar with the content of published long-term follow-up guidelines for cancer survivorship. Over half did not have knowledge of cancer survivorship services in their area. All respondents were interested in more education on cancer survivorship care. Attendees of the in-service increased their knowledge of survivorship follow-up guidelines, awareness of local survivorship resources, and comfort with caring for YAS at posttest relative to baseline. The in-service was highly acceptable to providers and feasible to implement. College providers had little baseline knowledge of cancer survivorship guidelines, but were motivated to obtain more information. Through an educational in-service, college health providers may be better equipped to provide acute and longitudinal survivorship care to a vulnerable population who are at risk for inadequate engagement in risk-based follow-up care.
Quantity, Components, and Value of Waste Materials Landfilled in the United States

The current system of production and consumption needs end‐of‐life disposal to function, but the linkage between upstream production‐consumption with the downstream landfill as terminus is, at best, a tenuous, one‐way relationship, suggesting a partial system failure. A starting point to fix this link is to confront, systematically, the messy “black box” that is mixed waste landfilling, interrogate its contents locally, and determine a baseline that can be used to scale up results. Here, we develop a detailed model characterizing landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States across the dimensions of material quantity, quality, location, and time. The model triangulates measurements spanning 1,161 landfills (representing up to 95% of landfilled MSW) and 15,169 solid waste samples collected and analyzed at 222 sites across the United States. We confirm that landfilled quantities of paper (63 million megagrams [Mg]), food waste (35 million Mg), plastic (32 million Mg, textiles (10 million Mg), and electronic waste (3.5 million Mg) are far larger than computed by previous top‐down U.S. government estimates. We estimate the cost of MSW landfill disposal in 2015 (10.7 billion U.S. dollars [USD]) and gross lost commodity value of recyclable material (1.4 billion USD). Further, we estimate landfill methane emissions to be up to 14% greater (mass basis) than the 2015 U.S. inventory. By principally relying on measurements of waste quantity and type that are recorded annually, the model can inform more effective, targeted interventions to divert waste materials from landfill disposal, improve local, regional, and national emission estimates, enhance dissipative loss estimates in material flow analyses, and illuminate the dynamics linking material, energy, and economic dimensions to production, consumption, and disposal cycles.
Memoria histórica en viñetas: representaciones de la Guerra Civil Española a través de la narrativa gráfica y los testimonios familiares.

Este ensayo explora la forma en la que las narrativas graficas estan creando representaciones de la Guerra Civil Espanola a traves de los testimonios familiares. La popularidad de los comics y las novelas graficas en Espana ha crecido en los ultimos anos y muchas de estas publicaciones se centran en diferentes aspectos de la memoria historica y cuestionan los discursos hegemonicos que cuarenta anos de dictadura establecieron como incuestionables. A traves de testimonios y recuerdos familiares, novelas graficas como El arte de volar (2009) de Antonio Altarriba y Kim o Un medico novato (2014) de Sento Llobel proponen testimonios alternativos que resuenan en el lector por su familiaridad y ponen de manifiesto la necesidad de revisar los discursos historicos sobre la memoria y de crear un espacio para el dialogo, con el fin de renegociar un trauma que aun esta presente y que afecta a las generaciones posteriores que, pese a no haber vivido este momento historico, lo toman como propio a traves de estas historias familiares que les ayudan a entender un pasado que se ha silenciado en las instituciones.
A systematic review of non-pharmacological interventions to improve nighttime sleep among residents of long-term care settings

Disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythms are common among residents of long-term care facilities. In this systematic review, we aim to identify and evaluate the literature documenting the outcomes associated with non-pharmacological interventions to improve nighttime sleep among long-term care residents. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews guided searches of five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) for articles reporting results of experimental or quasi-experimental studies conducted in long-term care settings (nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, or group homes) in which nighttime sleep was subjectively or objectively measured as a primary outcome. We categorized each intervention by its intended use and how it was administered. Of the 54 included studies evaluating the effects of 25 different non-pharmacological interventions, more than half employed a randomized controlled trial design (n = 30); the others used a pre-post design with (n = 11) or without (n = 13) a comparison group. The majority of randomized controlled trials were at low risk for most types of bias, and most other studies met the standard quality criteria. The interventions were categorized as environmental interventions (n = 14), complementary health practices (n = 12), social/physical stimulation (n = 11), clinical care practices (n = 3), or mind-body practices (n = 3). Although there was no clear pattern of positive findings, three interventions had the most promising results: increased daytime light exposure, nighttime use of melatonin, and acupressure. Non-pharmacological interventions have the potential to improve sleep for residents of long-term care facilities. Further research is needed to better standardize such interventions and provide clear implementation guidelines using cost-effective practices.
Yolk Sac Tumor

Yolk sac tumor (YST) or endodermal sinus tumor is the most common malignant germ cell tumor of the testis in children, and is the second most frequent malignant germ cell tumor of the ovary, being exceeded in frequency by dysgerminoma (seminoma). The incidence of malignant tumors of the testis was 1.0 cases per million U.S. white children less than 15 years of age per year. The corresponding figure for U.S. black children was 1.7 285. There were no published figures of the incidence rates of specific histologic types of germ cell tumors among U.S. children. The incidence rate of yolk sac tumor of the testis was relatively constant in those populations for which incidence figures have been reported. The incidence rate of yolk sac tumor of the ovary was similar to that for the testis (Table 1) 22,23,252.
Give Me One Portrait Image, I Will Tell You Your Emotion and Personality

Personality and emotion are both central to affective computing. Existing works address them individually. In this demo we investigate if such high-level affect traits and their relationship can be jointly learned from face images in the wild. To this end, we introduce an end-to-end trainable and deep Siamese-like network. At inference time, our system can take one portrait photo as input and predict one's Big-Five apparent personality as well as emotion attributes. With such a system, we also demonstrate the feasibility of inferring the apparent personality directly fro emotion.
Emerging agents of gastroenteritis: Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, and the diarrheagenic pathotypes of Escherichia coli

Knowledge of the pathogenic roles of certain bacterial agents in gastroenteritis has been growing over the past few decades. With the increasing use of multiplex molecular-based syndromic stool pathogen panels, the roles of Plesiomonas shigelloides and some of the diarrheagenic pathotypes of Escherichia coli (enterotoxigenic E. coli [ETEC], enteropathogenic E. coli [EPEC], enteroinvasive E. coli [EIEC], and enteroaggregative E. coli [EAEC]) have been better understood. Although not currently targeted on Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared commercial multiplex stool panels, Aeromonas has also emerged as a possible cause of bacterial gastroenteritis. The clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and diagnostic approaches to these pathogens in stool specimens are reviewed. Variability in inclusion of these pathogens on multiplex molecular panels and difficulties in detection by stool culture techniques utilized by clinical microbiology laboratories have contributed to an unclear understanding of the pathogenic role of several of these pathogens. Nonetheless, most evidence points towards a clear pathogenic role for P. shigelloides and ETEC, and possibly EPEC and EIEC. The contribution of Aeromonas spp. and EAEC to bacterial gastroenteritis has not been fully established. Further studies of pathogenicity of these pathogens are needed.
When financial aid is scarce: The challenge of allocating college aid where it is needed most

Abstract Inequality in college completion by income is a persistent problem, often addressed through financial aid to lower-income students. Prior research has found mixed effects of financial aid, but research designs have not identified effects for the poorest students who may benefit the most. This study exploits an eligibility cutoff induced by first-come first-served allocation of funds in the state of Wisconsin. The analysis focuses on two-year technical colleges, where there was a large funding shortage affecting students at all income levels. I find positive effects of grant aid in reducing dropout and supporting degree completion, with larger positive effects for the poorest students.
GAMA: A Novel Algorithm for Non-Convex Integer Programs.

Inspired by the decomposition in the hybrid quantum-classical optimization algorithm we introduced in arXiv:1902.04215, we propose here a new (fully classical) approach to solving certain non-convex integer programs using Graver bases. This method is well suited when (a) the constraint matrix $A$ has a special structure so that its Graver basis can be computed systematically, (b) several feasible solutions can also be constructed easily and (c) the objective function can be viewed as many convex functions quilted together. Classes of problems that satisfy these conditions include Cardinality Boolean Quadratic Problems (CBQP), Quadratic Semi-Assignment Problems (QSAP) and Quadratic Assignment Problems (QAP). Our Graver Augmented Multi-seed Algorithm (GAMA) utilizes augmentation along Graver basis elements (the improvement direction is obtained by comparing objective function values) from these multiple initial feasible solutions. We compare our approach with a best-in-class commercially available solver (Gurobi). Sensitivity analysis indicates that the rate at which GAMA slows down as the problem size increases is much lower than that of Gurobi. We find that for several instances of practical relevance, GAMA not only vastly outperforms in terms of time to find the optimal solution (by two or three orders of magnitude), but also finds optimal solutions within minutes when the commercial solver is not able to do so in 4 or 10 hours (depending on the problem class) in several cases.
Giant electron-phonon coupling detected under surface plasmon resonance in Au film

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a powerful tool to amplify coherent phonon signals in metal films. In a 40 nm Au film excited with a 400 nm pump, we observed an abnormally large electron–phonon coupling constant of about 8×1017 W/(m3K), almost 40× larger than those reported in noble metals, and even comparable to transition metals. We attribute this phenomenon to quantum confinement and interband excitation. With SPR, we also observed two coherent phonon modes in a GaAs/AlAs quantum well thin film. Our finding provides a new approach to generate high-frequency acoustic phonons in noble metals and to study their nonlinear nature of propagation.
Association between metabolic resistances to atrazine and mesotrione in a multiple-resistant waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) population

Metabolic resistances to atrazine (atz-R) and mesotrione (meso-R) occur in several waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) Sauer] populations in the United States. Interestingly, although metabolic atz-R but mesotrione-sensitive A. tuberculatus populations have been reported, an Amaranthus population has not been confirmed as meso-R but atrazine-sensitive, implying an association between these traits. Experiments were designed to investigate whether the single gene conferring metabolic atz-R plays a role in meso-R. An F2 population was generated from a multiple herbicide–resistant A. tuberculatus population from McLean County, IL (MCR). A cross was made between a known meso-R male clone (MCR-6) and a herbicide-sensitive female clone from Wayne County, IL (WCS-2) to develop an F1 population. Survival of MCR-6 plants following atrazine POST treatment (14.4 kg ha−1) indicated the male parent was homozygous atz-R. F1 plants were intermated to obtain a segregating pseudo-F2 population. Dose–response and metabolic studies conducted with mesotrione using F1 plants indicated intermediate biomass reductions and metabolic rates compared with MCR-6 and WCS. F2 plants were initially treated with either mesotrione (260 g ha−1) or atrazine (2 kg ha−1) POST, and after 21 d of recovery, vegetative clones from surviving resistant plants were subsequently treated with the other herbicide. When mesotrione was applied first, the meso-R frequency was 8.2%, and when atrazine was applied first, the atz-R frequency was 75%. However, the meso-R frequency increased to 16.5% following preselection for atz-R, and 100% of surviving meso-R plants were atz-R. Our findings indicate that the gene conferring metabolic atz-R is also involved with the meso-R trait within the population tested.
RNA-seq: The early response of the snail Physella acuta to the digenetic trematode Echinostoma paraensei

To analyze the response of the snail Physella acuta to Echinostoma paraensei, a compatible digenetic trematode, Illumina RNA-seq data were collected from snails with early infection (5 snails at 2 days post-exposure [DPE]) and established infection (4 snails, 8 DPE), and 7 control (unexposed) snails. A reference transcriptome (325,563 transcripts, including 98% of eukaryotic universal single-copy orthologs; BUSCO) and a draft P. acuta genome (employing available genomic Illumina reads; 799,945 scaffolds, includes 88% BUSCO genes) were assembled to guide RNA-seq analyses. Parasite exposure of P. acuta led to 10,195 differentially expressed (DE) genes at 2 DPE and 8,876 DE genes at 8 DPE with only 18% of up-regulated and 22% of down-regulated sequences shared between these time points. Gene ontology (GO) analysis yielded functional annotation of only 1.2% of DE genes but did not indicate major changes in biological activities of P. acuta between 2 and 8 DPE. Increased insights were achieved by analysis of expression profiles of 460 immune-relevant DE transcripts, identified by BLAST and InterProScan. Physella acuta has expanded gene families that encode immune-relevant domains, including CD109/TEP, GTPase IMAP, Limulus agglutination factor (dermatopontin), FReD (≥82 sequences with fibrinogen-related domains), and transcripts that combine C-type lectin (C-LECT) and C1q domains, novel among metazoa. Notably, P. acuta expressed sequences from these immune gene families at all time points, but the assemblages of unique transcripts from particular immune gene families differed between 2 and 8 DPE. The shift in profiles of DE immune genes, from early exposure to parasite establishment, suggests that compatible P. acuta initially respond to infection but switch to express immune genes that likely are less effective against E. paraensei but counter other types of (opportunistic) pathogens and parasites. We propose that the latter expression profile is part of an extended phenotype of E. paraensei, imposed upon P. acuta through parasite manipulation of the host, following successful parasite establishment in the snail after 2 DPE.
Estimating the COVID-Related Deaths Attributable to President Trump's Early Pronouncements About Masks

The goal of this analysis is to estimate the proportion of COVID-19 deaths attributable to President Donald Trump's early pronouncements about voluntary mask use and his intention not to use masks. Data from available research were used to estimate parameters for the calculation of population attributable risk for COVID-19 deaths reported to date. Assuming Trump's pronouncement to have caused 25%, 50%, and 75% of the non-use of masks, estimates of Trump-attributable COVID-19 deaths to date would be, respectively, 4,244, 8,356, or 12,202. The effects of presidential pronouncements on health-related matters may have large public health consequences. Pronouncements of national leaders should be based on the best available science.
Relationships Between Organic Matter Contents and Bacterial Hydrolytic Enzyme Activities in Soils: Comparisons Between Seasons

Microbial assemblages in terrestrial environments, such as soils, utilize hydrolytic enzymes to function biologically in various environments including for the degradation of organic carbon compounds and cycling of nutrients that eventually contributes to the ecological and agricultural productivity of such environments. In this study, 3 soil types (i.e., sandy, loamy and clayey) with varying characteristics were collected within the premises of Albion College in Michigan, with the goal of comparing the occurrences of indigenous bacterial populations and their respective hydrolytic enzyme activities in the soils. The soils were examined for their organic matter content (% OM), while bacterial abundance was determined by combinations of viable counts and nucleic acid staining, and enzymatic activities measured using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) analysis. Results from the study showed loamy soil to have a significantly higher % OM at 30% on average as compared to 2.5% and 6.6% recorded in the sandy and clayey soils. Comparatively, bacterial numbers (both viable and total counts) were also significantly higher in loamy soils than the other two soils. The same trend was observed for FDA analysis with higher fluorescein released in the loamy soil relative to the two other soils. Overall, clear differences were observed in the relationships between % OM and bacterial numbers and hydrolytic enzyme activities among the three soil types and between the two seasons examined. The results suggest that % OM strongly influences both bacterial abundance and hydrolytic enzyme activities in loamy soil and less so in both sandy and clayey soils examined in the study. This study in conclusion revealed potential strong relationships between soil organic carbon and indigenous bacterial populations as well as their FDA activities in various soil types.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities Across Indicators of Cigarette Smoking in the Era of Increased Tobacco Control, 1992-2019.

Author(s): Sakuma, Kari-Lyn K; Pierce, John P; Fagan, Pebbles; Nguyen-Grozavu, France T; Leas, Eric C; Messer, Karen; White, Martha M; Tieu, Amanda S; Trinidad, Dennis R | Abstract: IntroductionThis study compared tobacco use and cessation for African Americans (AA), Asians/Pacific Islanders (API), Hispanics/Latinos (H/L), American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN), and non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) in the United States to California (CA), the state with the longest continually funded tobacco control program. The purpose of this study was to identify tobacco use disparities across racial/ethnic groups across time.MethodsCigarette use prevalence (uptake and current use), consumption (mean number of cigarettes smoked per day [CPD]), and quit ratios were calculated across survey years, and trends were examined within each race/ethnic group and comparing between CA and the United States, utilizing the 1992-2019 Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Survey.ResultsPrevalence decreased for all race/ethnic groups. Current use among CA NHW showed significant decline compared with US counterparts, whereas US H/L showed greater decline than CA counterparts. CPD decreased by approximately 30% across race/ethnic groups, with CA groups having lower numbers. The greatest decrease occurred among AA in CA (average 10.3 CPD [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.3, 12.6] in 1992/1993 to 3 CPD [95% CI: 2.4, 3.7] in 2018/2019). Quit ratios increased from 1992/1993 to 2018/2019 for CA H/L 52.4% (95% CI: 49.8, 53.0) to 59.3 (95% CI: 55.8, 62.5) and CA NHWs 61.5% (95% CI: 60.7, 61.9) to 63.8% (95% CI: 63.9, 66.9).ConclusionsAlthough overall prevalence decreased over time for each racial/ethnic group, declines in CA outpaced the United States only for NHWs. Reductions in CPD were encouraging but the quit ratio points to the need to increase tobacco control efforts toward cessation.ImplicationsThe successes in reduced cigarette use uptake and prevalence across time for both California and the rest of the United States were observed largely among non-Hispanic White populations. Although reductions in the number of cigarettes smoked per day are a notable success, particularly among the Californian African Americans, efforts to support quitting across racial/ethnic groups, especially marginalized groups, need to be prioritized.
A Tale of Two Reds

The question regarding how to characterize aesthetics has been revived with the publication of Bence Nanay’s Aesthetics as Philosophy of Perception. This paper takes seriously Dustin Stokes’ criticisms of Nanay’s book regarding Nanay’s inability to distinguish between ordinary expert visual tasks (e.g., sorting for sock color or ornithology) and aesthetic experience. Using empirical research on gist perception and its reliance on low-level features in visual experience, I develop a theory that distinguishes expert visual tasks and aesthetic experiences by differentiating two different kinds of distributed attention over properties. I argue that expert visual tasks are instances of property attribution in a mode of conscious attention, while aesthetics is a kind of distributed attention that significantly relies on the reiteration of gist-like lowlevel features. Gist, often referred to in visual science as “preattentive” mode, gives us a model to understand the perceptual processes that are specific to aesthetics. This comports with our common-sense definition of aesthetics as both distinguishable from ordinary expert visual tasks and an experience that makes prominent sensory aspects of visual experience.
Depletion of Cholesteryl Esters Causes Meibomian Gland Dysfunction-Like Symptoms in a Soat1 -Null Mouse Model.

Previous studies on ablation of several key genes of meibogenesis related to fatty acid elongation, omega oxidation, and esterification into wax esters have demonstrated that inactivation of any of them led to predicted changes in the meibum lipid profiles and caused severe abnormalities in the ocular surface and Meibomian gland (MG) physiology and morphology. In this study, we evaluated the effects of Soat1 ablation that were expected to cause depletion of the second largest class of Meibomian lipids (ML)—cholesteryl esters (CE)—in a mouse model. ML of the Soat1-null mice were examined using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry and compared with those of Soat1+/− and wild-type mice. Complete suppression of CE biosynthesis and simultaneous accumulation of free cholesterol (Chl) were observed in Soat1-null mice, while Soat1+/− mutants had normal Chl and CE profiles. The total arrest of the CE biosynthesis in response to Soat1 ablation transformed Chl into the dominant lipid in meibum accounting for at least 30% of all ML. The Soat1-null mice had clear manifestations of dry eye and MG dysfunction. Enrichment of meibum with Chl and depletion of CE caused plugging of MG orifices, increased meibum rigidity and melting temperature, and led to a massive accumulation of lipid deposits around the eyes of Soat1-null mice. These findings illustrate the role of Soat1/SOAT1 in the lipid homeostasis and pathophysiology of MG.
Streamline: a fast, flushless cache covert-channel attack by enabling asynchronous collusion

Covert-channel attacks exploit contention on shared hardware resources such as processor caches to transmit information between colluding processes on the same system. In recent years, covert channels leveraging cacheline-flush instructions, such as Flush+Reload and Flush+Flush, have emerged as the fastest cross-core attacks. However, current attacks are limited in their applicability and bit-rate not due to any fundamental hardware limitations, but due to their protocol design requiring flush instructions and tight synchronization between sender and receiver, where both processes synchronize every bit-period to maintain low error-rates. In this paper, we present Streamline, a flush-less covert-channel attack faster than all prior known attacks. The key insight behind the higher channel bandwidth is asynchronous communication. Streamline communicates over a sequence of shared addresses (larger than the cache size), where the sender can move to the next address after transmitting each bit without waiting for the receiver. Furthermore, it ensures that addresses accessed by the sender are preserved in the cache until the receiver has accessed them. Finally, by the time the sender accesses the entire sequence and wraps around, the cache-thrashing property ensures that the previously transmitted addresses are automatically evicted from the cache without any cacheline flushes, which ensures functional correctness while simultaneously improving channel bandwidth. To orchestrate Streamline on a real system, we overcome multiple challenges, such as circumventing hardware optimizations (prefetching and replacement policy), and ensuring that the sender and receiver have similar execution rates. We demonstrate Streamline on an Intel Skylake CPU and show that it achieves a bit-rate of 1801 KB/s, which is 3x to 3.6x faster than the previous fastest Take-a-Way (588 KB/s) and Flush+Flush (496 KB/s) attacks, at comparable error rates. Unlike prior attacks, Streamline only relies on generic properties of caches and is applicable to processors of all ISAs (x86, ARM, etc.) and micro-architectures (Intel, AMD, etc.).
A Qualitative Study of School Psychologists’ Perceptions of Social Justice

Social justice is a term that has grown in prominence in school psychology over the past several years. This increased emphasis on social justice heightens the need for empirical research that spea...
Effective Social Work Online Education in Response to COVID-19

Online education has shown consistent growth in social work curricula over the past two decades despite some questions about the effectiveness of virtual environments in teaching critical elements of social work practice and professional competency. With the COVID-19 pandemic, programs have been forced to exclusively utilize online teaching formats. This study explores student and field instructors’ perceptions of the most effective teaching practices during the transition to online teaching. Findings indicate that students preferred asynchronous course content, such as recorded class lectures and discussion boards to live discussions and lectures because of its flexibility. Students completing the practicum process observed significant disruption to traditional social work education, although both students and field supervisors adapted by allowing increased use of video conferencing and telephone practice. Findings indicate clear student preferences and could foster ways to improve e-learning in the future.
Synthesis and characterization of Th2N2(NH) isomorphous to Th2N3.

Using a new, low-temperature, fluoride-based process, thorium nitride imide of the chemical formula Th{sub 2}N{sub 2}(NH) was synthesized from thorium dioxide via an ammonium thorium fluoride intermediate. The resulting product phase was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and was found to be crystallographically similar to Th{sub 2}N{sub 3}. Its unit cell was hexagonal with a space group of P3m{bar 1} and lattice parameters of a = b = 3.886(1) and c = 6.185(2) {angstrom}. The presence of -NH in the nitride phase was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Total energy calculations performed using all-electron scalar relativistic density functional theory (DFT) showed that the hydrogen atom in the Th{sub 2}N{sub 2}(NH) prefers to bond with nitrogen atoms occupying 1a Wyckoff positions of the unit cell. Lattice fringe disruptions observed in nanoparticle areas of the nitride species by high-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) images also displayed some evidence for the presence of -NH group. As ThO{sub 2} was identified as an impurity, possible reaction mechanisms involving its formation are discussed.
Bipolar CdSe/CoS semiconductor photoelectrode arrays for unassisted photolytic water splitting

Bipolar CdSe/CoS semiconductor photoelectrode panels, capable of vectorial electron transfer, have been used in series arrays to photodecompose water to yield hydrogen and oxygen in stoichiometric ratio with a maximum equivalent solar efficiency of about 1%. The use of bipolar photoelectrode arrays obviates the problems of the location of the semiconductor band edges relative to the water decomposition potentials and the requirement of semiconductor stability during photohole generation and oxygen production in aqueous solutions.
Changing incentives facing financial-services regulators

This article analyzes incentive conflicts that government officials face in operating a deposit insurance fund. Unresolved principal-agent problems exist between fund managers, the politicians to whom they report, and the taxpayers who constitute the enterprise's ultimate stockholders. Managers' ability to conceal implicit losses creates a conflict between maximizing the present value of the fund's future cash flows and protecting their own reputations and future job prospects. These conflicts move regulators through incentive cross-over points that mark off three behavioral regimes: (1) slow but open adaptation to client innovations; (2) denial of reputation-threatening problem situations; and (3) grudging truth-admittance about long-deferred problems.
On a Class of Two Player Two State Differential Games

Abstract Linear closed-loop no-memory (CLNM) strategies are considered for a class of linear-quadratic (LQ) differential games. The class of games considered has two players (each with a single control), two state variables and an infinite time horizon. Conditions are provided under which Nash equilibrium linear CLNM strategies are shown to exist. The derivation of these conditions turns on solving a particular cubic equation in one of the strategy paramenters. Two applications that fall within this class of games are considered. The first application is an analysis of the capacity investment strategies of two sellers in a duopolistic market. Each seller is subject to convex costs of investment and, as a consequence, will always make any adjustments to capacity gradually over time. Nash equilibrium linear CLNM strategies are shown to embody a form of preemptive investment; each firm's rate of investment is a decreasing function of its rival's capacity. The second application involves an analysis of Richardson's model of arms race between two nations. This model was formulated as a LQ differential game by Simaan and Cruz. This LQ model is shown to fall within the class of games for which the existence and stability results outlined above apply.
7.4 Ceramic Prostheses: Clinical Results Worldwide

This chapter discusses the history of ceramic hip and knee replacements, as well as recent advancements that have been made with alumina and oxidized zirconium (Oxinium). It looks at various in vitro and in vivo test results from around the world, showing both successes and failures. It also examines the use of various types of ceramic replacements used in the United States as well as throughout Europe and Asia, with focuses on biocompatibility, squeaking, and wear properties. This chapter shows very positive, beneficial results from the use of new ceramic replacements.
The autotaxin-LPA2 GPCR axis is modulated by γ-irradiation and facilitates DNA damage repair

Abstract In this study we characterized the effects of radiation injury on the expression and function of the autotaxin (ATX)–LPA2 GPCR axis. In IEC-6 crypt cells and jejunum enteroids quantitative RT-PCR showed a time- and dose-dependent upregulation of lpa2 in response to γ-irradiation that was abolished by mutation of the NF-κB site in the lpa2 promoter or by inhibition of ATM/ATR kinases with CGK-733, suggesting that lpa2 is a DNA damage response gene upregulated by ATM via NF-κB. The resolution kinetics of the DNA damage marker γ-H2AX in LPA-treated IEC-6 cells exposed to γ-irradiation was accelerated compared to vehicle, whereas pharmacological inhibition of LPA2 delayed the resolution of γ-H2AX. In LPA2-reconstituted MEF cells lacking LPA1&3 the levels of γ-H2AX decreased rapidly, whereas in Vector MEF were high and remained sustained. Inhibition of ERK1&2 or PI3K/AKT signaling axis by pertussis toxin or the C311A/C314A/L351A mutation in the C-terminus of LPA2 abrogated the effect of LPA on DNA repair. LPA2 transcripts in Lin−Sca-1+c-Kit+ enriched for bone marrow stem cells were 27- and 5-fold higher than in common myeloid or lymphoid progenitors, respectively. Furthermore, after irradiation higher residual γ-H2AX levels were detected in the bone marrow or jejunum of irradiated LPA2-KO mice compared to WT mice. We found that γ-irradiation increases plasma ATX activity and LPA level that is in part due to the previously established radiation-induced upregulation of TNFα. These findings identify ATX and LPA2 as radiation-regulated genes that appear to play a physiological role in DNA repair.
Impact of Ethanol Mandates on Fuel Prices when Ethanol and Gasoline are Imperfect Substitutes

Past studies that examine the impact of ethanol mandates on fuel prices make the assumption that ethanol and gasoline are perfect substitutes because they are both sources of energy in transportation fuels. These studies, however, have been of limited use in informing current policy debates because the short- to medium-run reality is one of strong regulatory and infrastructure rigidities that restrict how ethanol can be consumed in the United States. Our objective here is to improve understanding of how these rigidities change the findings of existing studies. We accomplish this by estimating the impacts of higher ethanol mandates using a new open-economy, partial equilibrium model of gasoline, ethanol, and blending whereby motorists buy one of two fuels: E10, which is a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline, or E85 which is a high ethanol blend. The model is calibrated to recent data to provide current estimates. We find that the effects of increasing ethanol mandates that are physically feasible to meet on the price of E10 are close to zero. This result is robust to different gasoline supply elasticities and gasoline export demand elasticities. The impact of the size of the corn harvest on E10 prices is much larger than the effects of mandates. Increased mandates can have a large effect on the price of E85 if the mandates are increased to levels that approach consumption capacity. These findings show that concern about the consumer price of fuel do not justify a reduction in feasible ethanol mandates.
Calibration of Hinode/XRT for Coalignment

We present coalignment calibration procedures for the X-ray Telescope (XRT) onboard the Hinode satellite. We performed not only an XRT stand-alone calibration, but also cross calibration using data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Several new methods we describe here may also be useful for the coalignment calibration of other instruments. We have developed a database of coalignment coefficients and software to access it, so that all XRT images can be easily and accurately overlaid onto the images from other instruments, especially AIA and HMI.