cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bio-distribution of near infrared imaging agent loaded targeted drug nanoparticle carriers in highly fibrotic pancreatic tumor determined using multiphoton and harmonic generation imaging

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumors are highly fibrotic and poorly vascularized, making systemic delivery of standard chemotherapies ineffective. Targeted nanoparticles that deliver effective doses of chemotherapeutic drugs specifically to PDACs could improve chemotherapy efficacy without the toxicities. Multiphoton microscopy, which uses ultra-short femto-second laser pulses as the excitation source, is efficient in multiphoton excitation fluorescence (MPEF) of endogenous or exogenous fluorescent macromolecular systems and the induction of highly specific second harmonic generation (SHG) signals from non-centrosymmetric macromolecules such as fibrillar collagens. Much of the traditional histological and chemical procedures associated with conventional microscopy methods, which may alter the native structure of tissue samples, can be circumvented to generate spatially and spectrally accurate 3D morphological and fine structural information. Orthotopic PDAC xenografts were established by injecting epithelioid carcinoma cell line derived from human pancreas (PANC-1 cells) into the pancreas of athymic male nude mice and were grown for 4 weeks. Near-infrared imaging agent indocyanine green (ICG) loaded calcium phosphosilicate nanoparticles (CPSNPs) including targeted CPSNPs bioconjugated with DNA Aptamer (AP1153), non-targeted CPSNPs (with no aptamer bioconjugation) and empty non-ICG containing CPSNPs were injected into the tail vein (n=4 mice/group). At 18 hours post-injection, mice were sedated and whole animal imaging was performed. To assess cellular uptake in ex vivo, whole tumor cross-sections were then imaged to spatially and spectrally localize ICG loaded nanoparticles relative to fibrotic regions (fibrillar collagen) of the tumor using MPEF and SHG imaging. Ex vivo imaging of cross-sections of whole tumors showed that cellular uptake of the targeted CPSNPs was clearly enhanced compared to untargeted CPSNPs and the 3D reconstructions showed accumulation of CPSNPs in tumor cells within the surrounding fibrotic stroma. We here conclude that multiphoton based multi-dimensional and minimally invasive imaging modalities provide spatially resolved 3D images with spectral specificities, that are sensitive enough to detect near-infrared imaging agents and to identity the bio-distributions of targeted versus untargeted drug nanoparticles in pancreatic tumor tissues.
Are the U.S. territories lagging behind in diabetes care practices

Abstract Aims Although U.S. territories fall within the mandate outlined by Healthy People 2020, they remain neglected in diabetes care research. We compared the prevalence and secular trends of four recommended diabetes care practices in the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to the 50 United States and D.C. (“U.S. States”) in 2001–2015. Methods Data were from 390,268 adult participants with self-reported physician diagnosed diabetes in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Diabetes care practices included biannual HbA1c tests, attendance of diabetes education classes, daily self-monitoring of blood glucose, and receipt of annual foot examination. Practices were compared by U.S. territory and between territories and U.S. states. Multivariable models accounted for age, sex, education, and year. Results Of adults with diagnosed diabetes, 7% to 11% in the U.S. territories engaged in all four recommended diabetes care practices compared with 25% for those, on average, in U.S. states. Relative to the U.S. states, on average, the proportion achieving biannual HbA1c testing was lower in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (45.6% and 44.9% vs. 62.2%), while annual foot examinations were lower in Puerto Rico (45.9% vs 66.1% in the U.S. states). Diabetes education and daily glucose self-monitoring were lower in all three territories. Conclusions U.S. territories lag behind U.S. states in diabetes care practices. Policies aimed at improving diabetes care practices are needed in the U.S. territories to achieve Healthy People 2020 goals and attain parity with U.S. states.
Behavioral and mechanistic characteristics of the predator-prey interaction between the dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuminata and the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum.

Abstract Predator-prey interactions of planktonic protists are fundamental to plankton dynamics and include prey selection, detection, and capture as well as predator detection and avoidance. Propulsive, morphology-specific behaviors modulate these interactions and therefore bloom dynamics. Here, interactions between the mixotrophic, harmful algal bloom (HAB) dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuminata and its ciliate prey Mesodinium rubrum were investigated through quantitative microvideography using a high-speed microscale imaging system (HSMIS). The dinoflagellate D. acuminata is shown to detect its M. rubrum prey via chemoreception while M. rubrum is alerted to D. acuminata via mechanoreception at much shorter distances (89 ± 39 μm versus 41 ± 32 μm). On detection, D. acuminata approaches M. rubrum with reduced speed. The ciliate M. rubrum responds through escape jumps that are long enough to detach its chemical trail from its surface, thereby disorienting the predator. To prevail, D. acuminata uses capture filaments and/or releases mucus to slow and eventually immobilize M. rubrum cells for easier capture. Mechanistically, results support the notion that the desmokont flagellar arrangement of D. acuminata lends itself to phagotrophy. In particular, the longitudinal flagellum plays a dominant role in generating thrust for the cell to swim forward, while at other times, it beats to supply a tethering or anchoring force to aid the generation of a posteriorly-directed, cone-shaped scanning current by the transverse flagellum. The latter is strategically positioned to generate flow for enhanced chemoreception and hydrodynamic camouflage, such that D. acuminata can detect and stealthily approach resting M. rubrum cells in the water column.
SAR Imaging of Ocean Waves in the Presence of Variable Currents

A review of the hydrodynamic and electromagnetic processes contributing to radar imaging of ocean waves in the presence of variable currents and nonlinear forcing (input from the wind, energy transfer by resonant nonlinear interactions, and dissipation) is given. Since many of the pertinent processes are quite complex and are areas of active research even today, the review is made as comprehensive as possible, but brief enough so as to bring the reader quickly up to date in the literature and still provide enough insight into the processes involved. Some new results on the development of the gravity-capillary wavenumber spectrum are also given.
Responsibility and Conditional Liablility

Preceding chapters addressed those elements of individual responsibility most immediately ascribable to the agent, with particular attention to the agent conditions of voluntariness and mens rea. The purpose of this analytic exercise has been to explore the responsibility principle for criminal liability as well as to examine specific elements of responsibility in a legal setting. The present chapter provides a summary comparison of cognitivist and capacities model interpretations of the principle and takes up selected residual concerns. Some final thoughts on law in liberal societies and on the grounding of liability in individual responsibility are offered in the concluding section.
Faster shellsort sequences: A genetic algorithm application.

The recent popularity of genetic algorithms (GA's) and their application to a wide variety of problems is a result of their ease of implementation and flexibility. Evolutionary techniques are often applied to optimization and related search problems where the fitness of a potential result is easily established. Problems of this type are generally very difficult and often NP-Hard, so the ability to find a reasonable solution to these problems within an acceptable time constraint is clearly desirable. One such problem that has been researched thoroughly is the search for Shellsort sequences. The attributes of this problem make it a prime target for the application of genetic algorithms. Noting this, the authors have designed a GA that efficiently searches for Shellsort sequences that are top performers. This research has resulted in the discovery of several new sequences that are statistically 3% more efficient, from the standpoint of comparison counting, than the best sequences known.
Division of Gynecologic Oncology

The Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Iowa provides comprehensive care for women with gynecologic malignancies. The Gynecologic Oncology Division is part of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center with clinical services located on the third floor of the Pomerantz Family Pavilion within the Women’s Health Clinic in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Our clinicians are highly experienced in robotic, laparoscopic, and open surgical procedures and base their approach on individual considerations for each case. As a long standing full member of the Gynecologic Oncology Group and a Phase I institution we actively participate in clinical trial enrollment, which includes in-depth knowledge of the design and implementation of clinical trials research. Additionally we have a strong basic science and translational research component.
Vascular pressures and passage of gas emboli through the pulmonary circulation.

Anesthetized dogs received venous air infusions at 0.35 ml.kg-1.min-1. In 60% of a group of 15 dogs, venous bubbles spilled over into the arterial circulation and were detected with the ultrasound Doppler technique. The pulmonary vascular pressure gradient (pulmonary artery pressure-pulmonary venous pressure or left atrial pressure) measured at the instant that spillover occurred was 34.7 +/- 4.7 mmHg. In a 2nd group of dogs we raised the pulmonary vascular pressure gradient before the venous air infusions to achieve spillover of bubbles 100% of the time. The resultant pressure gradient at the time of spillover of venous bubbles was 52.0 +/- 2.0 mmHg (P less than 0.05). It is concluded that venous bubbles can cross the lungs of anesthetized dogs when the driving pressures are sufficient to overcome the normal filtering function.
Design, synthesis, and structure of novel cesium receptors

The podand, bis(2-methoxyphenoxy)m-xylene (1), was designed and synthesized as a potential host for the cesium ion. Its structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in P21/c with cell dimensions: a = 8.5723(7) A, b = 8.3931(14) A, c = 25.2879(26) A, β = 96.224(9)○, and V = 1808.7(4) A3. A crown derivative, tribenzo-21-crown-6 (2), was also prepared and structurally characterized. It also crystallizes in P21/c with cell dimensions: a = 15.5825(13) A, b = 15.8648(16) A, c = 8.8266(7) A, β = 95.247(6)○, and V = 2172.9(3) A3. The structures exhibit hydrogen bonding, and are evaluated in terms of complementarity and preorganization for cesium binding.
Le club Déméter environnement logistique

(2009). Le club Demeter environnement logistique. Logistique & Management: Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 77-80.
Determination of the weak phase gamma=arg(V_ub^*)

Various strategies for extracting or constraining the weak phase gamma with controlled theoretical uncertainties are reviewed. Measurements of the rates for the hadronic decays B^+- -> pi K provide largely model-independent information on gamma. Hadronic uncertainties enter only at the level of nonfactorizable contributions to the decay amplitudes that are power-suppressed in Lambda/m_b and, simultaneously, violate SU(3) flavor symmetry or are doubly Cabibbo suppressed. In addition, these decays have a rich potential for probing physics beyond the Standard Model. Alternative proposals for learning gamma are also discussed briefly.
The acoustic world of bat biosonar

Bats and toothed whales (odontocetes) have both independently evolved sophisticated biosonar systems. This raises the question how similar the functional principles of these systems are. Could, for example, insights gained from bats be assumed to hold for odontocetes or vice versa? Could both systems be lumped together as a single source of inspiration for novel engineering approaches to sonar sensing? Similarities and differences between the biosonar systems of bats and odontocetes are likely to depend on the respective acoustic environments in which these systems have evolved as well as on the evolutionary starting points and capabilities for adaptations of these two very different phylogenetic groups. In this presentation, the focus will be on comparing the acoustic environments of bats and odontocetes. The acoustics of biosonar sensing can be organized into three different aspects: (i) the properties of the propagation medium, (ii) the geometry and material of the boundaries that limit the propagation channel (this includes targets of interest and clutter), and (iii) the time-frequency and spatial properties of the sources. In this presentation, these aspects will be reviewed for the in-air biosonar of bats. In the companion talk, the same will be done for the underwater biosonar of the odontocetes.Bats and toothed whales (odontocetes) have both independently evolved sophisticated biosonar systems. This raises the question how similar the functional principles of these systems are. Could, for example, insights gained from bats be assumed to hold for odontocetes or vice versa? Could both systems be lumped together as a single source of inspiration for novel engineering approaches to sonar sensing? Similarities and differences between the biosonar systems of bats and odontocetes are likely to depend on the respective acoustic environments in which these systems have evolved as well as on the evolutionary starting points and capabilities for adaptations of these two very different phylogenetic groups. In this presentation, the focus will be on comparing the acoustic environments of bats and odontocetes. The acoustics of biosonar sensing can be organized into three different aspects: (i) the properties of the propagation medium, (ii) the geometry and material of the boundaries that limit the propagation...
Are posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms pathways to smoking relapse after a natural disaster

Abstract Background Smoking relapse is rarely examined in disaster research. Thus, this study investigated smoking relapse nine and eighteen months after Hurricane Katrina and identified pathways and conditions for this outcome. Methods The data came from a prospective study of adult ever smokers who were living in New Orleans at the time Hurricane Katrina struck (n = 1003), and a comparison sample of Memphis residents (n = 1001) who were not directly impacted by the hurricane. Participants from both cities were recruited using random digit dialing and were surveyed nine and eighteen months after Hurricane Katrina. We assessed whether smoking relapse rates differed by city and evaluated potential mediators and moderators of this association using conditional process analysis. Results Though the probabilities of smoking relapse, posttraumatic stress, and depressive symptoms were higher among New Orleans than Memphis participants, hurricane exposure did not indirectly affect smoking relapse through increases in posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Instead, as the number of hurricane-related events increased so to did the probability of smoking relapse through increases in depressive (β = 0.08, SE = 0.03, p = .02) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (β=0.08, SE=0.04, p = .04). Social support lowered the probability of smoking relapse by protecting against increases in depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions Posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms mediated the effects of disaster exposure on smoking relapse, and this effect was most pronounced among survivors who reported disaster-related stressors. Former smokers heavily exposed to disasters may benefit from postdisaster interventions that reduce depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms, which may prevent smoking relapse.
The effects of dynamic workload and experience on commercially available EEG cognitive state metrics in a high-fidelity air traffic control environment

The current study evaluated the validity of commercially available electroencephalography (EEG) cognitive state metrics of workload and engagement in differentially experienced air traffic control (ATC) students. EEG and pupil diameter recordings were collected from 47 ATC students (27 more experienced and 20 less experienced) during a high-fidelity, variable workload approach-control scenario. Scenario workload was manipulated by increasing the number of aircraft released and the presence of a divided attention task. Results showed that scenario performance significantly degraded with increased aircraft and the presence of the divided attention task. No scenario performance differences were found between experience groups. The EEG engagement metric significantly differed between experience groups, with less experienced controllers exhibiting higher engagement than more experienced controllers. The EEG workload metric and pupil diameter were sensitive to workload manipulations but did not differentiate experience groups. Commercially available EEG cognitive state metrics may be a viable tool for enhancing ATC training.
Polymorph Control in MSMPR Crystallizers. A Case Study with Paracetamol

Mixed-suspension mixed-product removal (MSMPR) crystallizers can potentially allow the production of metastable polymorphs. A necessary (but not sufficient) condition is to select operating conditions such that the steady-state concentration remains above the solubility of the metastable form. In this paper, we provide a framework that helps controlling polymorphism in MSMPR. We consider paracetamol as a model system and target the production of form II, which is metastable and rapidly converts to form I in batch. We combine experimental characterization (inline infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and imaging) with population balance modeling to investigate the possibility to produce the metastable form in a continuous manner. We identify a design space allowing the visualization of the regions where each form is obtained at steady state as a function of the kinetic parameters of both forms. We show that form II cannot be obtained at steady state in pure ethanol. However, the addition of a small am...
Optimal Inversion-Based Iterative Learning Control for Overactuated Systems

An optimal inversion-based iterative learning control (Opt-In ILC) approach for overactuated systems is proposed. The Opt-In ILC update law is formulated as a constrained optimization problem using the plant model. Specifically, the ILC update law is designed to minimize control effort subject to a user-specified error convergence rate. To achieve robust monotonic convergence (MC), a frequency-domain optimization framework is adopted to determine the best plant model and robustness filter for Opt-In ILC. Simulations and experiments on an overactuated coarse–fine stage are used to demonstrate optimal control effort allocation and optimal selection of plant model and robustness filter via the proposed Opt-In ILC approach.
Introduction to Monte Carlo Methods

Monte Carlo, named after a casino in Monaco, simulates complex probabilistic events using simple random events, such as the tossing of a pair of dice to simulate the casino’s overall business model.
Bond dissociation energies of diatomic transition metal selenides: ScSe, YSe, RuSe, OsSe, CoSe, RhSe, IrSe, and PtSe.

The diatomic transition metal selenides, MSe (M = Sc, Y, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, and Pt), were studied by resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy near their respective bond dissociation energies. As these molecules exhibit high densities of vibronic states near their dissociation limits, the spectra typically appear quasicontinuously at these energies. Spin–orbit and nonadiabatic couplings among the multitudes of potential curves allow predissociation to occur on a rapid timescale when the molecule is excited to states lying above the ground separated atom limit. This dissociation process occurs so rapidly that the molecules are dissociated before they can be ionized by the absorption of a second photon. This results in an abrupt drop in the ion signal that is assigned as the 0 K bond dissociation energy for the molecule, giving bond dissociation energies of 4.152(3) eV (ScSe), 4.723(3) eV (YSe), 3.482(3) eV (RuSe), 3.613(3) eV (OsSe), 2.971(6) eV (CoSe), 3.039(9) eV (RhSe), 3.591(3) eV (IrSe), and 3.790(31) eV (PtSe). The enthalpies of formation, ΔfH0K° (g), for each diatomic metal selenide were calculated using thermochemical cycles, yielding ΔfH0K° (g) values of 210.9(4.5) kJ mol−1 (ScSe), 203.5(4.5) kJ mol−1 (YSe), 549.2(4.5) kJ mol−1 (RuSe), 675.9(6.5) kJ mol−1 (OsSe), 373.9(2.6) kJ mol−1 (CoSe), 497.4(2.7) kJ mol−1 (RhSe), 557.4(6.5) kJ mol−1 (IrSe), and 433.7(3.6) kJ mol−1 (PtSe). Utilizing a thermochemical cycle, the ionization energy for ScSe is estimated to be about 7.07 eV. The bonding trends of the transition metal selenides are discussed.
1 – Gamete Transport

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on mechanisms for transporting gametes in eutherian mammals. In mammals, oocytes are usually fertilized within a few hours of ovulation. Spermatozoa, however, may have to survive for months after the completion of spermatogenesis and release from the testis—and not just within the body of the individual that produced them. They must also survive, sometimes for long periods. The cervix is immunologically competent. For spermatozoa of many species, however, survival is not enough to ensure fertilization. They may be forced to compete with the sperm cells from other males to pass on their genetic complement. For the unfertilized oocyte, problems of survival and competition are probably minor. In rabbits and humans, insemination into the vagina stimulates leukocyte migration into the cervix as well as into the vagina, the leukocytes being primarily neutrophils and macrophages. Sperm transport through the uterus of vaginal depositors is thought to depend significantly on uterine contractions. In uterine semen depositors, spermatozoa may leave the uterus rapidly to enter the uterotubal junction. The uterotubal junction presents a barrier to spermatozoa in most eutherian mammals. After fertilization, mammalian spermatozoa may be phagocytosed by isthmic epithelial cells or may be eliminated, passing into the peritoneal cavity and then being phagocytosed. Anatomically, the lumen in species as disparate as dairy cattle and mice is particularly tortuous and narrow. There are two issues involved in oocyte transport: (1) The capture of the oocyte from the surface of the ovary or from the ovarian bursa and (2) the transport of the oocyte through the ampulla. There have been no studies conducted to demonstrate an absolute requirement for ciliary activity for oocyte transport. Although much remains to be discovered, and some issues remain to be settled, a general model for gamete transport in eutherian mammals can be derived from already known facts.
Investigation on the choice of emergency procedures on complex corneoscleral perforation

Objective To investigate the reasonable of the choice of emergency procedures on com-plex comeoscleral perforation.Methads The clinical data was performed on 67 patients with complex cor-neoscleral perforation.Among all the cases, iris reduction for 29 eyes, scleral repair for 28 eyes, intraocular for-eign extract for 4 eyes, ECCE for 32 eyes, ECCE combined with extraction of intraocular foreign body for 4 eyes, ECCE combined with extraction of intraocular foreign body and intravitreal injection of antibiotics for 3 eyes.Results Wound healing for 66 eyes achieved A grade.Postoperative visual acuity: non-light perception in 1 eyes, <0.05 in 51 eyes,0.05～0.3 in 12 eyes,≥0.3 in 3 eyes.Conclusion Proper operative method can improve improve the rate of surgical success. Key words: Ocular trauma; complex; Comeoscleral perforation; Emergency operation
Epidemiological Risk Factors Associated with Death and Severe Disease in Patients Suffering From COVID-19: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract Introduction Progression of COVID-19 to severe disease and death is insufficiently understood. Objective Summarize the prevalence adverse outcomes, risk factors, and association of risk factors with adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Methods We searched Medline, Embase and Web of Science for case-series and observational studies of hospitalized COVID-19 patients through May 22, 2020. Data were analyzed by fixed-effects meta-analysis, using Shore’s adjusted confidence intervals to address heterogeneity. Results Forty-four studies comprising 20594 hospitalized patients met inclusion criteria; 12591 from the US-Europe and 7885 from China. Pooled prevalence of death [%(95% CI)] was 18% (15-22%). Of those that died, 76% were aged≥ 60 years, 68% were males, and 63%, 38%, and 29% had hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, respectively. The case fatality risk [%(95% CI)] were 62% (48-78) for heart disease, 51% (36-71) for COPD, and 42% (34-50) for age≥ 60 years and 49% (33-71) for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Summary relative risk (sRR) of death were higher for age≥ 60 years [sRR=3.8; 95% CI: 2.9-4.8; n=12 studies], males [1.3; 1.2-1.5; 17], smoking history [1.9; 1.1-3.3; n=6], COPD [2.0; 1.6-2.4; n=9], hypertension [1.8; 1.7-2.0; n=14], diabetes [1.5; 1.4-1.7; n=16], heart disease [2.0; 1.7-2.4; 16] and CKD [2.0; 1.3-3.1; 8]. The overall prevalence of hypertension (55%), diabetes (31%) and heart disease (16%) among COVODI-19 patients in the US were substantially higher than the general US population. Conclusions Public health screening for COVID-19 can be prioritized based on risk-groups. A higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in COVID-19 patients can suggest increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition in the population.
Cervical Spine Injury is Rare in Self-Inflicted Craniofacial Gunshot Wounds: An Institutional Review and Comparison to the US National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB).

BACKGROUND Cadaveric and older radiographic studies suggest that concurrent cervical spine fractures are rare in gunshot wounds (GSWs) to the head. Despite this knowledge, patients with craniofacial GSWs often arrive with spinal motion restriction (SMR) in place. This study quantifies the incidence of cervical spine injuries in GSWs to the head, identified using computerized tomography (CT). Fracture frequency is hypothesized to be lower in self-inflicted (SI) injuries. METHODS Isolated craniofacial GSWs were queried from this Level I trauma center registry from 2013-2017 and the US National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) from 2012-2016 (head or face abbreviated injury scale [AIS] >2). Datasets included age, gender, SI versus not, cervical spine injury, spinal surgery, and mortality. For this hospital's data, prehospital factors, SMR, and CTs performed were assessed. Statistical evaluation was done with Stata software, with P <.05 significant. RESULTS Two-hundred forty-one patients from this hospital (mean age 39; 85% male; 66% SI) and 5,849 from the NTDB (mean age 38; 84% male; 53% SI) were included. For both cohorts, SI patients were older (P < .01) and had increased mortality (P < .01). Overall, cervical spine fractures occurred in 3.7%, with 5.4% requiring spinal surgery (0.2% of all patients). The frequency of fracture was five-fold greater in non-SI (P < .05). Locally, SMR was present in 121 (50.2%) prior to arrival with six collars (2.5%) placed in the trauma bay. Frequency of SMR was similar regardless of SI status (49.0% versus 51.0%; P = not significant) but less frequent in hypotensive patients and those receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The presence of SMR was associated with an increased use of CT of the cervical spine (80.0% versus 33.0%; P < .01). CONCLUSION Cervical spine fractures were identified in less than four percent of isolated GSWs to the head and face, more frequently in non-SI cases. Prehospital SMR should be avoided in cases consistent with SI injury, and for all others, SMR should be discontinued once CT imaging is completed with negative results.
CREATIVE FATHERHOOD BEHIND BARS: THE READ TO YOUR CHILD PROGRAM:

More than one-half of incarcerated people in the USA are parents of minor children. Family literacy and read-aloud programs not only provide these parents with ways to connect and communicate with their children, but also encourage children’s learning and literacy development through creative means. Research on such programs, however, is scarce. This article presents an analysis of one such family literacy program operating in a rural Pennsylvania prison. Using qualitative data, the authors describe the Read to Your Child/Grandchild (RYCG) program and the experiences of the 11 fathers who participated in the program in fall 2018. The article examines how the program bridges gaps between fathers and children in communication, physical presence, and literacy development; the unique benefits the program’s components afford its participants; and the fathers’ acts of creativity and creation while in a restricted carceral setting.
Nutritional Concerns for the Artistic Athlete

Performing artists are similar to sports athletes, with repeated patterns of training and performing. This requires that artistic athletes manage the dynamic interaction between energy/nutrient/fluid utilization and provision to assure long, healthful, and successful careers. Although sports athletes have an abundance of science-based nutritional guidance available, there are few nutrition-focused resources available to artistic athletes, which can result in failure to optimally satisfy the artistic athlete's individual nutritional needs. The purpose of this article is to review common nutritional issues faced by artistic athletes and to present science-based nutrition strategies that can aid in lowering nutrition-associated health and performance risks.
Zena Werb (1945–2020): Matrix Metalloproteinases, Microenvironments, and Mentoring

On June 16, 2020, Zena Werb, PhD, died suddenly at age 75. Zena was a faculty member of the Department of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for over 40 years. She was on...
Microglia use TAM receptors to detect and engulf amyloid β plaques.

Two microglial TAM receptor tyrosine kinases, Axl and Mer, have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, but their roles in disease have not been tested experimentally. We find that in Alzheimer’s disease and its mouse models, induced expression of Axl and Mer in amyloid plaque–associated microglia was coupled to induced plaque decoration by the TAM ligand Gas6 and its co-ligand phosphatidylserine. In the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, genetic ablation of Axl and Mer resulted in microglia that were unable to normally detect, respond to, organize or phagocytose amyloid-β plaques. These major deficits notwithstanding, TAM-deficient APP/PS1 mice developed fewer dense-core plaques than APP/PS1 mice with normal microglia. Our findings reveal that the TAM system is an essential mediator of microglial recognition and engulfment of amyloid plaques and that TAM-driven microglial phagocytosis does not inhibit, but rather promotes, dense-core plaque development. How microglia sense amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease has remained mysterious. Lemke and colleagues report that TAM receptor kinases are absolutely required for normal microglial recognition of, response to and phagocytosis of Aβ plaques. Surprisingly, TAM-mediated microglial phagocytosis of Aβ material does not constrain, but rather promotes, the formation of dense-core plaques.
Population stratification enables modeling effects of reopening policies on mortality and hospitalization rates.

Abstract Objective Study the impact of local policies on near-future hospitalization and mortality rates. Materials and Methods We introduce a novel risk-stratified SIR-HCD model that introduces new variables to model the dynamics of low-contact (e.g., work from home) and high-contact (e.g., work on-site) subpopulations while sharing parameters to control their respective R 0 ( t ) over time. We test our model on data of daily reported hospitalizations and cumulative mortality of COVID-19 in Harris County, Texas, from May 1, 2020, until October 4, 2020, collected from multiple sources (USA FACTS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council COVID-19 report, TMC daily news, and Johns Hopkins University county-level mortality reporting). Results We evaluated our model’s forecasting accuracy in Harris County, TX (the most populated county in the Greater Houston area) during Phase-I and Phase-II reopening. Not only does our model outperform other competing models, but it also supports counterfactual analysis to simulate the impact of future policies in a local setting, which is unique among existing approaches. Discussion Mortality and hospitalization rates are significantly impacted by local quarantine and reopening policies. Existing models do not directly account for the effect of these policies on infection, hospitalization, and death rates in an explicit and explainable manner. Our work is an attempt to improve prediction of these trends by incorporating this information into the model, thus supporting decision-making. Conclusion Our work is a timely effort to attempt to model the dynamics of pandemics under the influence of local policies.
Post-Operative Dysphagia in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Objective We sought to identify risk factors associated with long-term dysphagia, characterize changes in dysphagia over time, and evaluate the incidence of otolaryngology referrals for patients with long-term dysphagia following anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF). Methods About 56 patients who underwent ACDF between May 2017 to February 2019 were included in the study. All patients were assessed for dysphagia using the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) survey preoperatively and late postoperatively (≥1 year). Additionally, 28 patients were assessed for dysphagia early postoperatively (2 weeks-3 months). Demographic data, medical comorbidities, intraoperative details, and post-operative otolaryngology referral rates were collected from electronic medical records. Results Of the 56 patients enrolled, 21 patients (38%) had EAT-10 scores of 3 or more at long-term follow-up. None of the demographics, comorbidities, or surgical factors assessed were associated with long-term dysphagia. Patients who reported no long-term dysphagia had a mean EAT-10 score of 6.9 early postoperatively, while patients with long-term symptoms had a mean score of 18.1 (P = .006). Of the 21 patients who reported persistent dysphagia symptoms, 3 (14%) received dysphagia testing or otolaryngology referrals post-operatively. Conclusion Dysphagia is a notable side effect of ACDF surgery, but there are no significant demographics, comorbidities, or surgical risk factors that predict long-term dysphagia. Early postoperative characterization of dysphagia using the EAT-10 questionnaire can help predict long-term symptoms. There is inadequate screening and otolaryngology follow-up for patients with post-ACDF dysphagia.
Madness and Heroism: In Search of Truth and Identity

Borges’s life-long commitment to idealism, displayed in the current story, has implications for literary theory by stressing the reader’s role through what he calls ‘Berkeley’s aesthetics,’ i.e., s...
Aging and Longevity

India is a diverse country where multiple religions, multiple cultures, multiple ethnicities, and multiple languages coexist in a varied geographical and climatic background. The study of aging is a diverse and challenging field in India. In Indian culture, aging and wisdom are always respected by all. Aging study and longevity are interdisciplinary domains and an exciting topic for many researchers. Many of them often wonder about the centenarians and the factors responsible for longevity, particularly in the context of disability, comorbidity, and frailty in the diverse communities in India. India is still underrepresented and misunderstood in the Western world regarding the ancient history of longevity (and related spirituality). From this perspective, many ancient Indian traditions, emphasizing social relationships, have been proven to have significance in maintaining the quality of life, even for the diseased. Yoga, one of the restorative practices, is an ancient Indian technique of mind-body interrelated practice. Yoga not only has excellent therapeutic potency but also has the potential to improve the quality of life, thereby being an excellent resource for aging well and end-of-life care. This chapter discusses various factors responsible for longevity and how traditional Indian concepts of lifestyle bring hope for older adults.
Experimental Evaluation of Repair Options for Timber Piles

An experimental investigation compared repair methods that could be used to repair timber piles in timber pile bridges. Five full-scale timber pile specimens with different levels of damages were prepared. The damage in each specimen was repaired with fiberglass-reinforced plastic wrap to encapsulate the damaged region, which was filled either with resin or grout or with resin and gravel. Ultimate load tests were carried out on the specimens to evaluate the effectiveness of the repair methods. Test results showed that grout was more effective than resin in repairing large cavity-type damage. Resin appeared to be more effective in repairing cracks and small cavities in timber piles. The failure load of the repaired pile specimens was at least five times greater than the design load capacity of the timber piles and indicated that the repair methods effectively restored the capacity of the damaged timber piles.
Optimal design and coulomb blockade suppressed leakage of carbon nanotube transistors

We consider a 1.5 nm diameter (19,0) CNT for which zero-Schottky-barrier contacts have been demonstrated. The model device has a wrap-around gate, 2 nm ZrO2 dielectric, and the Fermi level of the metal contacts aligned with the conduction band of the source and drain. A number of different CNT lengths with various source/drain asymmetry are studied. A 40 nm length CNT with a 10 nm gate shows excellent performance as quantified below. We numerically calculate the gate delay (taus = C9VDD/ION), ON/OFF current ratio, and inverse subthreshold slope as a function of source to gate underlap L exS
Criminalization of The Mentally Ill

The objective of this study is to review the definition of criminalization of persons with severe mental illness (SMI), discuss possible causes of criminalization of this population, and analyze findings from empirical studies that examine the criminalization hypothesis. At each point in the criminal justice system—the police-citizen encounter, arrest, court processing, and jail detention—studies have shown that persons with SMI have extensive contact with the criminal justice system. Many studies of the criminalization of persons with SMI were conducted before special programs were developed to divert persons with SMI from the correctional system into the mental health system, e.g., special training programs for police, mental health crisis teams integrated into police departments, jail diversion programs, and mental health courts. Future studies should address the extent to which the recent programs designed to reduce criminalization of persons with SMI have been effective. Keywords: criminalization; severe mental illness; deinstitutionalization; hydraulic theory
Earnings Announcements and Option Prices

In this paper, we analyze the statistical and economic impact of earnings announcements on individual equity option prices. We develop no-arbitrage option pricing models in the presence of earnings announcements; we nonparametrically test for the importance of earnings announcements on option prices; we develop estimators of the primary parameter capturing the uncertainty present in earnings announcements, the earnings jump volatility; and we investigate the pricing implications of earnings announcements. We find strong evidence that uncertainty surrounding earnings plays a central role in determining option prices.
RETICULAR NEOPLASMS IN IRRADIATED AND UNIRRADIATED GERMFREE MICE.

Although gennfree (GF) animals were available in limited numbers in the early 1930’s, studies on the pathogenesis of neoplasia in GF animals were not reported until the late 1950’s, when tumors were induced in GF chickens by treatment with chemical carcinogens and oncogenic viruses (1). Spontaneous tumors in GF mice wer.e reported by Ward in 196l (2). Radiat ion-induced reticular neoplasms were first observed by Pollard and Matsuzawa (3) and subsequently by Walburg et al. (4). Spontaneous reticular neoplasms were first reported in germfree ICR mice by Walburg et al. (4) and subsequently in germfree Ak mice by Pollard et al. (5). None of these studies has adequately characterized the influence of microbial flora on development of the various types of reticular neoplasms which occur throughout life. This report summarizes the present status of our life-span studies on the latency and incidence of thymic and nonthymic lymphoma, myeloid leukemia and reticulum-cell sarcoma in irradiated and unirradiated germfree ICR, RFMf/Wg and AKRf/Wg mice.
Mixed‐mode fracture toughness of the cobalt‐chromium alloy/polymethlymethacrylate cement interface

Mechanical debonding of the stem/cement interface has been implicated in the failure process of cemented femoral hip components. The nature of this failure process remains poorly understood due, in part, to limited understanding of how interfacial debonding occurs in response to a wide range of loading conditions. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the fracture toughness of the cobalt-chromium alloy/polymethylmethacrylate interface under mixed-mode loading conditions. The hypothesis was that the critical energy release rate was dependent on the phase angle of the crack tip and that the fracture response would be significantly different for a smooth compared with rough interface surface. A novel in-plane shear test fixture was developed with use of a combination of finite element and experimental fracture-mechanics tests. A wide range (-65-60 degrees) of phase angles was determined with the in-plane shear test and a clamped cantilever-beam test. Sixty experimental tests were performed for cobalt-chromium alloy bars with a plasma-sprayed coating or a precoat of polymethylmethacrylate over a satin-finished surface. For the specimens with the plasma-sprayed coating, critical energy release rates (500-700 J/m2) were not a function of the phase angle of the crack tip. In contrast, critical energy release rates (15-80 J/m2) were found to be strongly affected by the phase angle for the specimens precoated with polymethylmethacrylate. The critical energy release rate for specimens with the plasma-sprayed surface was significantly (p < 0.01) greater than for those precoated with polymethylmethacrylate. The critical energy release rate increased markedly with the phase angle of the crack tip for the specimens precoated with polymethylmethacrylate. The results suggest that the failure response of a stem with a plasma-sprayed surface may be insensitive to the loading angle of the crack tip, whereas a stem precoated with polymethylmethacrylate may be more likely to debond under tensile opening loading.
Curbing the Diabetes Pandemic: The Need for Global Policy Solutions.

disease of the affluent, with lower socioeconomic groups being disproportionately affected in high-income countries and with 77% of the world’s diabetic population living in low- and middle-income countries. It is also no longer predominantly a disease of older persons, with almost half of the people with diabetes in the 40- to 59-year age range. Low- and middle-income countries face the added challenge of dealing with a dual burden of disease, as they are seeing an increase in obesity and diabetes levels, while still grappling with undernutrition and infectious diseases. 3 In 2013, diabetes was associated with US $548 billion in health care expenditures globally. 1 This figure is
Hunten receives Fleming Medal

Donald M. Hunten was awarded the John Adam Fleming Medal at the AGU Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on May 27, 1998, in Boston, Massachusetts. The John Adam Fleming Medal recognizes original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy, and related sciences.
Lost and found in translation: cross-lingual question answering with result translation

Using cross-lingual question answering (CLQA), users can find information in languages that they do not know. In this thesis, we consider the broader problem of CLQA with result translation, where answers retrieved by a CLQA system must be translated back to the user's language by a machine translation (MT) system. This task is challenging because answers must be both relevant to the question and adequately translated in order to be correct. In this work, we show that integrating the MT closely with cross-lingual retrieval can improve result relevance and we further demonstrate that automatically correcting errors in the MT output can improve the adequacy of translated results. To understand the task better, we undertake detailed error analyses examining the impact of MT errors on CLQA with result translation. We identify which MT errors are most detrimental to the task and how different cross-lingual information retrieval (CLIR) systems respond to different kinds of MT errors. We describe two main types of CLQA errors caused by MT errors: lost in retrieval errors, where relevant results are not returned, and lost in translation errors, where relevant results are perceived irrelevant due to inadequate MT. To address the lost in retrieval errors, we introduce two novel models for cross-lingual information retrieval that combine complementary source-language and target-language information from MT. We show empirically that these hybrid, bilingual models outperform both monolingual models and a prior hybrid model. Even once relevant results are retrieved, if they are not translated adequately, users will not understand that they are relevant. Rather than improving a specific MT system, we take a more general approach that can be applied to the output of any MT system. Our adequacy-oriented automatic post-editors (APEs) use resources from the CLQA context and information from the MT system to automatically detect and correct phrase-level errors in MT at query time, focusing on the errors that are most likely to impact CLQA: deleted or missing content words and mistranslated named entities. Human evaluations show that these adequacy-oriented APEs can successfully adapt task-agnostic MT systems to the needs of the CLQA task. Since there is no existing test data for translingual QA or IR tasks, we create a translingual information retrieval (TLIR) evaluation corpus. Furthermore, we develop an analysis framework for isolating the impact of MT errors on CLIR and on result understanding, as well as evaluating the whole TLIR task. We use the TLIR corpus to carry out a task-embedded MT evaluation, which shows that our CLIR models address lost in retrieval errors, resulting in higher TLIR recall; and that the APEs successfully correct many lost in translation errors, leading to more adequately translated results.