cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The multidimensional nature of HIV stigma: evidence from Mozambique

HIV stigma continues to be a major challenge to addressing HIV/AIDS in various countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Mozambique. This paper explores the multidimensional nature of HIV stigma through the thematic analysis of five qualitative studies conducted in high HIV prevalence provinces in Mozambique between 2009 and 2012. These studies included 23 interviews with people living with HIV (PLHIV) (10 women and 13 men); 6 focus groups with 32 peer educators (24 women and 8 men) working for community-based organisations (CBOs) providing services to PLHIV; 17 focus groups with community members (72 men and 70 women); 6 interviews (4 women and 2 men) with people who had family members living with HIV/AIDS; 24 focus groups (12 with men and 12 with women) and 6 interviews with couples. Our findings indicate that HIV stigma is a barrier to HIV testing and counselling, status disclosure, partner notification, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) access and adherence, and that moral stigma seems to be more comm...
Efimov effect for heteronuclear three-body systems at positive scattering length and finite temperature

We study the recombination process of three atoms scattering into an atom and diatomic molecule in heteronuclear mixtures of ultracold atomic gases with large and positive interspecies scattering length at finite temperature. We calculate the temperature dependence of the three-body recombination rates by extracting universal scaling functions that parametrize the energy dependence of the scattering matrix. We compare our results to experimental data for the $^{40}\mathrm{K}\ensuremath{-}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ mixture and make a prediction for $^{6}\mathrm{Li}\ensuremath{-}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$. We find that contributions from higher partial wave channels significantly impact the total rate and, in systems with particularly large mass imbalance, can even obliterate the recombination minima associated with the Efimov effect.
Reversion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition by a novel agent DZ-50 via IGF binding protein-3 in prostate cancer cells

// Zheng Cao 1 , Shahriar Koochekpour 2 , Stephen E. Strup 1 and Natasha Kyprianou 1, 3 1 Department of Urology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA 2 Department of Genetics and Genomic and Urology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA 3 Departments of Biochemistry and Toxicology & Cancer Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA Correspondence to: Natasha Kyprianou, email: nkypr2@email.uky.edu Keywords: prostate stroma, targeted therapeutics, mesenchymal changes, tumor microenvironment, DZ-50 Received: February 23, 2017 Accepted: May 05, 2017 Published: July 28, 2017 ABSTRACT Dysregulation of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis has been linked to reactive stroma dynamics in prostate cancer progression. IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP3) induction is initiated by stroma remodeling and could represent a potential therapeutic target for prostate cancer. In previous studies a lead quinazoline-based Doxazosin® derivative, DZ-50, impaired prostate tumor growth by targeting proteins involved in focal adhesion, anoikis resistance and epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT). This study demonstrates that DZ-50 increased expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin, and decreased the mesenchymal marker N-cadherin in human prostate cancer cells. In DU-145 cells, the effect of DZ-50 on EMT towards mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET) was inhibited by talin1 overexpression, a focal adhesion regulator promoting anoikis resistance and tumor invasion. DZ-50 treatment of human prostate cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) downregulated IGFBP3 expression at mRNA and protein level. In TGF-β1 responsive LNCaPTβRII, TGF-β1 reversed DZ-50-induced MET by antagonizing the drug-induced decrease of nuclear IGFBP3. Furthermore, co-culture with CAFs promoted prostate cancer epithelial cell invasion, an effect that was significantly inhibited by DZ-50. Our findings demonstrate that the lead compound, DZ-50, inhibited the invasive properties of prostate cancer epithelial cells by targeting IGFBP3 and mediating EMT conversion to MET. This study integrated the mechanisms underlying the effect of DZ-50 and further supported the therapeutic value of this compound in the treatment of advanced metastatic prostate cancer.
More than one way to persist: Unpacking the nature of salesperson persistence to understand its effects on performance

Abstract While the importance of persistence to sales success is seemingly unquestioned, anecdotal evidence suggests that the incremental business generated through salesperson persistence may be tempered by its accompanying costs (e.g., time spent pursuing noncommittal prospects). In light of this possibility, this research uses a grounded theory approach to explore the nature of salesperson persistence, its behavioral manifestations, and its impact on salesperson job performance. Consistent with social influence theory precepts, this study finds that (1) persistence manifests as a combination of influence tactics salespeople deploy to shape the responses of resistant prospects, and (2) the mix of persistence tactics salespeople employ can be nurture-focused (i.e., aimed at building the foundation for future exchange) and/or closure-focused (i.e., aimed at uncovering prospects' true intent), with each persistence approach having desirable and undesirable performance consequences. Additionally, the data reveal that political skill is an important boundary condition which determines the effectiveness of persistence attempts as it enables salespeople to identify tactics likely to be most effective in a given situation. The study's findings thus suggest that the effect of persistence on salesperson performance may not be universally positive, but rather depends on the type of tactics salespeople deploy as well as on their level of political skill.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy of Caliceal Diverticula Calculi

AbstractWe reviewed 10 patients with calculi in caliceal diverticula to determine whether they could be treated successfully by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Of the patients 7 required 1 and 3 required 2 treatment attempts to fragment the calculi completely. After a minimum followup of 3 months (mean 5.9 months) 2 patients (20 per cent) had passed successfully all of the stone fragments, while 3 (30 per cent) had passed more than half and 5 (50 per cent) had passed less than half of the fragments. Of the 8 patients with residual fragments only 3 had persistent symptoms indicating that symptom relief is not dependent on complete stone removal. The possibility of producing a satisfactory result (70 per cent free of symptoms) and the low morbidity of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy suggest that this treatment may be appropriate for calculi in caliceal diverticula.
Temporal Control in Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Using Zerovalent Metals

Polymer chain growth can be controlled in a spatiotemporal manner by external stimuli including chemical, redox, light, electrical current, and mechanical procedures. In this paper, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was investigated in the presence of zerovalent metals, such as copper or silver wire, as chemical stimuli to assert temporal control over ATRP reactions. The ATRP activator, L/CuI complex, was (re)generated, or catalyst was switched “on”, in the presence of the metal wires to start the reaction whereas removing the wire from the solution stopped activator (re)generation. In the absence of the metal zero wires, the residual activator in the solution was consumed by irreversible radical termination processes converting activators to deactivator species—catalyst switched “off”—and hence polymerization stopped. However, the nature of the ligand played a crucial role in defining the concentrations of deactivator and activator species, [L/CuII]/[L/CuI], present in the polymerization medium...
Linear Oscillating Cascade Unsteady Aerodynamic Experiments

Experiments in a linear oscillating cascade reveal that the wind tunnel walls enclosing the cascade have, in some cases, a detrimental effect on the oscillating cascade aerodynamics. In a subsonic flow field, biconvex airfoils are driven simultaneously in harmonic, torsion-mode oscillations for a range of interblade phase angle values. It is found that the cascade dynamic periodicity — the airfoil-to-airfoil variation in the unsteady surface pressure coefficient, C p — is good for some values of interblade phase angle but poor for others. Calculations based upon linearized unsteady aerodynamic theory indicate that pressure waves reflected from the wind tunnel walls are responsible for the cases where there is poor periodicity in C p . However, the periodicity in the unsteady pressure difference coefficient ∆C p is generally good, apparently due to cancellation of acoustic modes imposed by the wind tunnel walls. The unsteady pressure difference coefficients are correlated with linearized analysis predictions.
State of the Art and Predictions for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

The term robot conjures up a vision of a mechanical man—that is, some android as viewed in Star Wars or other science fiction movies. The industrial robot has no resemblance to these Star Wars figures. In reality, robots are largely constrained and defined by what we have so far managed to do with them.
Pursuing interests and getting involved: Exploring the conditions of sponsorship in youth learning

The phenomenon of “brokering”—or connecting youth to present or future opportunities—is now well known in the field of learning and youth development as an integral part of how and why youth pursue and remain in particular interest-related learning opportunities. More recently, the related term sponsorship refers to the multiple ways in which youth experience brokering-like moments related to their interests. This article aims to better understand how sponsorship functions in the everyday conduct of youths’ lives, as well as if and how sponsorship mediates young people’s sustained participation and planned future in relation to their interest(s). We leverage a longitudinal data set collected over three years of youth participation in interest-related activities to retrospectively understand sponsorship within the existing conditions of young people’s lives, including youth interest and access to program resources. Findings suggest that interest was often not the initial driver for youth entering an activity, but that youth joined activities based on other perceived benefits. Once involved, however, they found themselves developing skills, making friends, and seeing a possible future in the activity. We conclude with design principles intended to support young people in joining an activity, sustaining their participation, and seeing new possibilities for their futures.
Smart Earth: A meta-review and implications for environmental governance

Abstract Environmental governance has the potential to be significantly transformed by Smart Earth technologies, which deploy enhanced environmental monitoring via combinations of information and communication technologies (ICT), conventional monitoring technologies (e.g. remote sensing), and Internet of Things (IoT) applications (e.g. Environmental Sensor Networks (ESNs)). This paper presents a systematic meta-review of Smart Earth scholarship, focusing our analysis on the potential implications and pitfalls of Smart Earth technologies for environmental governance. We present a meta-review of academic research on Smart Earth, covering 3187 across the full range of academic disciplines from 1997 to 2017, ranging from ecological informatics to the digital humanities. We then offer a critical perspective on potential pathways for evolution in environmental governance frameworks, exploring five key Smart Earth issues relevant to environmental governance: data; real-time regulation; predictive management; open source; and citizen sensing. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research directions and trans-disciplinary conversations about environmental governance in a Smart Earth world.
Global Exponential Tracking Control for an Autonomous Surface Vessel: An Integral Concurrent Learning Approach

In this paper, an adaptive controller is developed for a fully actuated marine vehicle where the rigid body and hydrodynamic parameters are unknown. A data-based integral concurrent learning method is used to compensate for the uncertain parameters. A Lyapunov-based analysis is presented to show that the closed-loop system is globally exponentially stable and the uncertain parameters are identified exponentially without the requirement of persistence of excitation. Experimental results on an autonomous surface vessel operating on a lake illustrate the controller's ability to track figure-8 trajectories in environments with small disturbances.
A novel EEG paradigm to simultaneously and rapidly assess the functioning of auditory and visual pathways

A novel electroencephalography paradigm enables the rapid, reliable, and noninvasive assessment of neural activity along both auditory and visual pathways concurrently. The paradigm uses an ecologi...
Vascular Lesions of the Vulva

The vulva is a rich vascularized organ of the lower genital tract; however, vascular lesions constitute a rare event. Most of these processes are asymptomatic and found incidentally requiring sometimes extensive surgical intervention. Diagnoses of vulvar vascular lesions as well as their extragenital counterpart can be challenging. Knowledge of the wide variety of presentations would ensure an early diagnosis and avoidance of potential aggressive treatment.
A curious case of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, mitral valve stenosis, and nephropathy in a 24-year-old Native American man

A 24-year-old Native American man with a history of microscopic hematuria of unknown etiology presented with cough, shortness of breath, and hemoptysis. Exam was notable for hypoxemia, tachycardia, and the absence of fever. A chest radiograph revealed cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema. Echocardiogram revealed mitral valve stenosis (MVS) with a rheumatic-appearing valve and moderate mitral valve disease. Right heart catheterization demonstrated severe pulmonary hypertension out of proportion to left heart disease, with …
Getting to Zero Begins With Getting to Ten.

Background Statement:The global “90-90-90” targets introduced by UNAIDS in 2014—90% of people living with HIV will know their HIV status; 90% of those will be on antiretroviral treatment; and 90% of those will achieve viral suppression by 2020—have become more than a useful heuristic device, and now
Using somatic variant richness to mine signals from rare variants in the cancer genome.

To date, the vast preponderance of somatic variants observed in the cancer genome have been rare variants, and it is common in practice to encounter in a new tumor variants that have not been observed previously. Here we focus on probability estimation for encountering such hitherto unseen variants. We draw upon statistical methodology that has been developed in other fields of study, notably in species estimation in ecology, and word frequency estimation in computational linguistics. Analysis of whole-exome and targeted panel sequencing data sets reveal substantial variability in variant “richness” between genes that could be harnessed for clinically relevant problems. We quantify the variant-tissue association and show a strong gene-specific, lineage-dependent pattern of encountering new variants. This variability is largely determined by the proportion of observed variants that are rare. Our findings suggest that variants that occur at very low frequencies can harbor important signals that are clinically consequential. Sequencing cancer genomes reveals low frequency novel somatic variants without known function. Here, the authors leverage statistical methodology from the fields of computational linguistics and ecology to highlight the potentially important signals harboured by these novel variants that are often dismissed.
Wide-field Ophthalmic Space-Division Multiplexing Optical Coherence Tomography.

High-speed ophthalmic optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems are of interest because they allow rapid, motion-free, and wide-field retinal imaging. Space-division multiplexing optical coherence tomography (SDM-OCT) is a high-speed imaging technology that takes advantage of the long coherence length of microelectromechanical vertical cavity surface emitting laser sources to multiplex multiple images along a single imaging depth. We demonstrate wide-field retinal OCT imaging, acquired at an effective A-scan rate of 800,000 A-scans/s with volumetric images covering up to 12.5 mm×7.4 mm on the retina and captured in less than 1 s. A clinical feasibility study was conducted to compare the ophthalmic SDM-OCT with commercial OCT systems, illustrating the high-speed capability of SDM-OCT in a clinical setting.
HIV-1-induced cytokines deplete homeostatic innate lymphoid cells and expand TCF7-dependent memory NK cells

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection is associated with heightened inflammation and excess risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and other complications. These pathologies persist despite antiretroviral therapy. In two independent cohorts, we found that innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) were depleted in the blood and gut of people with HIV-1, even with effective antiretroviral therapy. ILC depletion was associated with neutrophil infiltration of the gut lamina propria, type 1 interferon activation, increased microbial translocation and natural killer (NK) cell skewing towards an inflammatory state, with chromatin structure and phenotype typical of WNT transcription factor TCF7-dependent memory T cells. Cytokines that are elevated during acute HIV-1 infection reproduced the ILC and NK cell abnormalities ex vivo. These results show that inflammatory cytokines associated with HIV-1 infection irreversibly disrupt ILCs. This results in loss of gut epithelial integrity, microbial translocation and memory NK cells with heightened inflammatory potential, and explains the chronic inflammation in people with HIV-1.
Understanding Alternative Payment Models

As the US health care system experiences increasing financial strain, policy makers have expressed heightened interest in identifying and developing alternatives to the predominantly fee-for-service payment system that exists in this country. This chapter provides a brief history of provider payment models and, with this background, explores the more common alternative payment models (APMs) as they apply to total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This chapter further summarizes the essentials to the successful implementation of APMs in an arthroplasty practice setting. Finally, we explore the current evidence regarding the efficacy of APMs in TJA practice. Going forward, it is likely that APMs will continue to evolve and expand, and therefore it is critical for the TJA surgeon to gain a working knowledge of the policy context within which this change is occurring, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each particular payment model and their potential impact on clinical practice, patient outcomes, and health care spending.
The Neurologic Manifestations of Coronavirus Disease 2019

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic that has so far affected 216 countries and more than 5 million individuals worldwide. The infection is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While pulmonary manifestations are the most common, neurological features are increasingly being recognized as common manifestations of the COVID-19, especially in the cases of severe infection. These include acute cerebrovascular disease, encephalitis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). Here, we review the neuropathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and the central and peripheral nervous system manifestations of COVID-19.
“Maps are hard for me”: Identifying How Older Adults Struggle with Mobile Maps

Despite a global upward trend in mobile device ownership, older adults continue to use few applications and fewer features. For example, besides directions, maps provide information about public transit, traffic, and amenities. Mobile maps can assist older adults to navigate independently, avail city facilities, and explore new places. But how accessible are current mobile maps to older adults? In this paper, we present results from a qualitative study examining how older adults use mobile maps and the difficulties they encounter. 172 problems were identified and categorized across 17 older adults (ages 60+). Results indicate that non-motor issues were more difficult to mitigate than motor issues and led to maximum frustration and resignation. These non-motor issues stemmed from three factors, inadequate visual saliency, ambiguous affordances, and low information scent, making it difficult for older adults to notice, use, and infer, respectively. Two design solutions are proposed to address these non-motor issues.
Disorders of Localized Inflammation in Wound Healing

Wound healing is a conserved, multistep physiological process that relies on a balanced equilibrium between neutralization of the causative agent and restoration of native tissue structure and function. An imbalance at any step can quickly escalate into a dysregulated positive feedback loop, resulting in chronic inflammation, loss of function, or tissue death. Failures or dysregulation of these steps can result in phenotypes of aberrant wound healing that eventually manifest as chronic inflammation. This approach to physiological and pathological wound healing will be explored from a combined systems and molecular biology perspective with relevance to the clinical setting.
Improving Orbital Debris Environment Predictions Through Examining Satellite Movement Data

This paper describes a method for characterizing the 1–3 mm low Earth orbit (LEO) debris environment using satellite perturbation data (unexpected, sudden orbital movements not attributable to othe...
Novel RT-ddPCR assays for determining the transcriptional profile of SARS-CoV-2

Author(s): Telwatte, Sushama; Kumar, Nitasha; Vallejo-Gracia, Albert; Kumar, Renuka; Lu, Chuanyi; Ott, Melanie; Wong, Joseph; Yukl, Steven | Abstract: The exact mechanism of coronavirus replication and transcription is not fully understood; however, a hallmark of coronavirus transcription is the generation of negative-sense RNA intermediates that serve as the templates for the synthesis of positive-sense genomic RNA (gRNA) and an array of subgenomic mRNAs (sgRNAs) encompassing sequences arising from discontinuous transcription. Existing PCR-based diagnostic assays for SAR-CoV-2 are qualitative or semi-quantitative and do not provide the resolution needed to assess the complex transcription dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 over the course of infection. We developed and validated a novel panel of specially designed SARS-CoV-2 ddPCR-based assays to map the viral transcription profile. Application of these assays to clinically relevant samples will enhance our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 replication and transcription and may also inform the development of improved diagnostic tools and therapeutics. Highlights We developed a novel panel of 7 quantitative RT-ddPCRs assays for SARS-Cov-2 Our panel targets nongenic and genic regions in genomic and subgenomic RNAs All assays detect 1-10 copies and are linear over 3-4 orders of magnitude All assays correlated with the clinical Abbott SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load Assay Clinical samples showed higher copy numbers for targets at the 3’ end of the genome
Cationic Bottlebrush Polymers Outperform Linear Polycation Analogues for pDNA Delivery and Gene Expression

Cationic polymer vehicles have emerged as promising platforms for nucleic acid delivery because of their scalability, biocompatibility, and chemical versatility. Advancements in synthetic polymer c...
Retinal and choroidal manifestations of COVID-19.

Purpose of review The novel coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) has a wide range of systemic manifestations. Ocular manifestations are now well recognized, with conjunctivitis being the most common. Posterior segment involvement is uncommon and has mainly been described in case reports. This review provides an overview of the posterior segment involvement of COVID-19. Recent findings Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 affects the retina and the choroid through either direct entry or triggering an indirect inflammatory response. Majority of the retinal findings is a result of microvascular derangement leading to cotton wool spots, intraretinal hemorrhages, paracentral acute middle maculopathy, acute macular neuroretinopathy, or retinal vein occlusions. Rarely, inflammation involving the retina or the choroid, or reactivation of previously quiescent uveitis, can be seen. Summary It is important to recognize the possible correlation between ophthalmic conditions and COVID-19 as it can aid in diagnosis, management, and mitigation of the disease.
The Philosophy of Husserl

As the founder of phenomenology, Edmund Husserl has been hugely influential in the development of contemporary continental philosophy. In The Philosophy of Husserl, Burt Hopkins shows that the unity of Husserl's philosophical enterprise is found in the investigation of the origins of cognition, being, meaning, and ultimately philosophy itself. Hopkins challenges the prevailing view that Husserl's late turn to history is inconsistent with his earlier attempts to establish phenomenology as a pure science and also the view of Heidegger and Derrida, that the limits of transcendental phenomenology are historically driven by ancient Greek philosophy. Part 1 presents Plato's written and unwritten theories of eide and Aristotle's criticism of both. Part 2 traces Husserl's early investigations into the formation of mathematical and logical concepts and charts the critical necessity that leads from descriptive psychology to transcendentally pure phenomenology. Part 3 investigates the movement of Husserl's phenomenology of transcendental consciousness to that of monadological intersubjectivity. Part 4 presents the final stage of the development of Husserl's thought, which situates monadological intersubjectivity within the context of the historical a priori constitutive of all meaning. Part 5 exposes the unwarranted historical presuppositions that guide Heidegger's fundamental ontological and Derrida's deconstructive criticisms of Husserl's transcendental phenomenology. The Philosophy of Husserl will be required reading for all students of phenomenology.
An Introduction to Kant's Ethics

This is the most up-to-date, brief and accessible introduction to Kant's ethics available. It approaches the moral theory via the political philosophy, thus allowing the reader to appreciate why Kant argued that the legal structure for any civil society must have a moral basis. This approach also explains why Kant thought that our basic moral norms should serve as laws of conduct for everyone. The volume includes a detailed commentary on Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant's most widely studied work of moral philosophy. The book complements the author's much more comprehensive and systematic study Immanuel Kant's Moral Theory (Cambridge, 1989), a volume that has received the highest critical praise. With its briefer compass and non-technical style this new introduction should help to disseminate the key elements of one of the great modern philosophies to an even wider readership.