cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the effectiveness of smoking treatment research: conceptual bases and progress

Background and aims A chronic care strategy could potentially enhance the reach and effectiveness of smoking treatment by providing effective interventions for all smokers, including those who are initially unwilling to quit. This paper describes the conceptual bases of a National Cancer Institute-funded research program designed to develop an optimized, comprehensive, chronic care smoking treatment. Methods This research is grounded in three methodological approaches: (1) the Phase-Based Model, which guides the selection of intervention components to be experimentally evaluated for the different phases of smoking treatment (motivation, preparation, cessation, and maintenance); (2) the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), which guides the screening of intervention components via efficient experimental designs and, ultimately, the assembly of promising components into an optimized treatment package; and (3) pragmatic research methods, such as electronic health record recruitment, that facilitate the efficient translation of research findings into clinical practice. Using this foundation and working in primary care clinics, we conducted three factorial experiments (reported in three accompanying papers) to screen 15 motivation, preparation, cessation and maintenance phase intervention components for possible inclusion in a chronic care smoking treatment program. Results This research identified intervention components with relatively strong evidence of effectiveness at particular phases of smoking treatment and it demonstrated the efficiency of the MOST approach in terms both of the number of intervention components tested and of the richness of the information yielded. Conclusions A new, synthesized research approach efficiently evaluates multiple intervention components to identify promising components for every phase of smoking treatment. Many intervention components interact with one another, supporting the use of factorial experiments in smoking treatment development.
Dissociation of low density lipoprotein-antibody precipitates at alkaline pH

The effect of alkaline pH on the dissociation of immunoprecipitates of low density lipoproteins (LDL) of the Sf 0-10 class was studied by immunological and ultracentrifugal methods. The precipitates prepared at the equivalence point were dissolved and centrifuged in sodium chloride solutions of density 1.063 and pH's between 10.25 and 11.5. Analytical centrifugation of the top fraction, which floated at density 1.063, after dialysis against 0.9% sodium chloride of pH 7.4 revealed the presence of LDL and of soluble LDL-antibody complex. The amount of soluble complex was greater for the preparations obtained at lower pH than those obtained at higher pH and was undetectable at pH 11.5. The yield of immunoglobulin from the bottom fractions was maximal when the pH of the centrifugation medium was 11.0. Below pH 11.0, the greatly reduced yield of immunoglobulin was due partly to incomplete dissociation and partly to aggregation of soluble complex, while above pH 11.0 the decreased yield was possibly due to alkaline denaturation of the globulin. The immunoglobulin separated at pH 11.0 and dialyzed to pH 7.4 was reprecipitatable by LDL, and the reactivity did not seem to be appreciably influenced by the alkaline treatment.
Microfabricated silicon gas chromatographic microchannels: fabrication and performance

Using both wet and plasma etching, we have fabricated micro-channels in silicon substrates suitable for use as gas chromatography (GC) columns. Micro-channel dimensions range from 10 to 80 {micro}m wide, 200 to 400 {micro}m deep, and 10 cm to 100 cm long. Micro-channels 100 cm long take up as little as 1 cm{sup 2} on the substrate when fabricated with a high aspect ratio silicon etch (HARSE) process. Channels are sealed by anodically bonding Pyrex lids to the Si substrates. We have studied micro-channel flow characteristics to establish model parameters for system optimization. We have also coated these micro-channels with stationary phases and demonstrated GC separations. We believe separation performance can be improved by increasing stationary phase coating uniformity through micro-channel surface treatment prior to stationary phase deposition. To this end, we have developed microfabrication techniques to etch through silicon wafers using the HARSE process. Etching completely through the Si substrate facilitates the treatment and characterization of the micro- channel sidewalls, which domminate the GC physico-chemical interaction. With this approach, we separately treat the Pyrex lid surfaces that form the top and bottom surfaces of the GC flow channel.
Impotence and Aging

Erectile dysfunction or impotence occurs commonly in older persons. It usually has an organic rather than a psychogenic cause in men over 40 years of age. It may be associated with a decline in libido secondary to the age-related decline in testosterone that occurs in all older men.
Conceptualizing Pathological Anger and Other Maladaptive Emotional Propensities Within an Individual Differences Framework: A Comment on "Anger: The Unrecognized Emotion in Emotional Disorders"

Cassiello-Robbins and Barlow (2016) illustrate in the target article the importance of anger as a transdiagnostic factor in emotional disorders. We agree and extend the logic of their argument to psychopathology more broadly by fitting mental health problems into a more general individual differences framework. We illustrate how this helps solve the problems of comorbidity and heterogeneity in contemporary diagnosis.
Dominating Cues and the Limits of Elite Influence

Scholars have found source cues—the political actors behind a policy issue—to be a potent cause of opinion change. The implication is an easily persuaded public. I advance the argument that the public is not so easily persuaded. A policy featuring group beneficiaries provides a highly informative cue, one that is likely to dominate source cues. This insight is based on research demonstrating that people ignore source cues if they engage the subject matter at hand. Using a variety of experiments, I find that group beneficiary cues often dominate source cues. However, I also find that source cues affect opinion if they provide unexpected information about (1) an endorsement that is contrary to the source’s beliefs or (2) feature an extreme, disliked outgroup.
Predicting Electrocatalytic Properties: Modeling Structure-Activity Relationships of Nitroxyl Radicals.

Stable nitroxyl radical-containing compounds, such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO) and its derivatives, are capable of electrocatalytically oxidizing a wide range of alcohols under mild and environmentally friendly conditions. Herein, we examine the structure–function relationships that determine the catalytic activity of a diverse range of water-soluble nitroxyl radical compounds. A strong correlation is described between the difference in the electrochemical oxidation potentials of a compound and its electrocatalytic activity. Additionally, we construct a simple computational model that is able to accurately predict the electrochemical potential and catalytic activity of a wide range of nitroxyl radical derivatives.
Simulation Models for Predicting Durability of Insect-resistant Germ Plasm: Hessian Fly (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)-resistant Winter Wheat

In an attempt to determine what strategies of resistant germ plasm deployment would most successfully inhibit Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), adaptation to wheat resistance factors while offering significant crop protection, a computer simulation model was developed to mimic ecological/genetic interactions between Hessian fly populations and resistant winter wheat. Durability of the following resistant germ plasm deployment strategies was examined: 1) sequential release of two pure cultivars, each with a single resistance factor, 2) release of a random spatial mixture of these two cultivars, 3) release of a pure cultivar in which both resistance factors were present in each plant (pyramided), and 4) modification of each of the above deployment strategies by addition of totally susceptible wheat to the system. Effects of temporal and spatial characteristics of the mixtures were also explored. Interpolating a pyramided resistant cultivar with some totally susceptible plants offers the highest relative durability in most cases, and is predicted to last >400 fly generations under some conditions.
Comments and Complements

(1974). Comments and Complements. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 81, No. 10, pp. 1097-1099.
Does violence have a signature

Ayona Datta’s essay, “The Intimate City,” deals with complex questions of violence and intimacy in the city, beginning with the “critical event” that became known as the Delhi rape case—a brutal ac...
The role of PET scanning in the staging of lung cancer

Positron emission tomography (PET) recently has proved useful in the staging of lung carcinoma, specifically in the determination of the presence of nodal disease and distant metastases. In several studies up to 18% of patients considered to be resectable have more advanced disease demonstrated by PET imaging. Regarding nodal staging, the sensitivity of PET has been reported in the range of 76–100% and specificity in the range of 82–100%. Nearly all studies have demonstrated the superiority of FDG PET over CT scanning in the evaluation of nodal disease. A recent study by Peterman et al of 102 patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer demonstrated a sensitivity for PET in the detection of nodal disease of 91% with a specificity of 86%. Despite the superiority of PET over CT scanning, the resolution of PET makes determination of the extent of tumor and involvement of individual lymph node groups difficult although this should improve with the advent of combined CT PET scanners. In addition, PET seems to improve the noninvasive detection of extrathoracic disease. Whole body PET can stage intrathoracic and extrathoracic disease in a single examination and has an overall greater accuracy than conventional imaging. Whole body PET can detect unsuspected extrathoracic metastases in up to 10% of patients when CT scanning fails to detect them, and also alters management in up to 40% of cases.
PHARMACOKINETICS OF PROPRANOLOL AND ITS METABOLITE 4-HYDROXYPROPRANOLOL

The pharmacokinetics of the pharmaclogically active 4-hy-droxypropranolol (4-OH-P) and propranolol were studies after single doseadministration of 40 mg in 20 healthy volunteers. The bioavailability,volume of distribution and clearance were calculated in 8 subjects who hadreceived single intravous and oral doses of propranolol. Individual subjectconcentration-time data were analysed and results indicated that the dataof propranolol fit a one-compartment model for 8 but 12 volunteers, whosedata fit a two-compartment model with first order absorption, and thatthe kinetics of metabolite 4-OH-P displayed to be characteristic of elimin-ation rate limitation (ERL). The metabolite half-life were obviouslylonger than propranolol half-life (10.67±10.17 h vs 4.17±1.93 h). Mean-while, the considerable variations among individuals in the disposition ofpropranolol were demonstrated. The area under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC) of propranolol was 25.6 times greater in highest thanin the lowest and the peak concentration was 14.8 times. To analyse thereason of intersubject variability, one might suggest that the differences inpropranolol disposition after small oral doses is dependent on metabolicrate of the oxidation.
Model Driven Development and Dynamic Composition of Web Services

Web Services (WS) have emerged as a new component-based software development paradigm in a network-centric environment based on the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), the XML open standard description language, and HTTP transportation protocol. Legacy software systems can incorporate WS technology in order to be reused and integrated in a distributed environment across heterogeneous platforms. While WS is gaining its momentum toward wide adoption in the software industry, there are two critical issues yet to be addressed before its power is fully realized: (1) the migration of legacy distributed software systems toward WS applications and (2) the innovation of new infrastructures and languages in support of WS application development. The contribution of this dissertation is in these two directions. First, a comprehensive, systematic, automatable, and language-neutral approach is presented toward reengineering legacy software systems to WS applications, rather than rewriting the whole legacy software system from scratch in an ad hoc, language-specific manner. It is noteworthy that this approach is not specific to reengineering WS applications but can be generalized to reengineering legacy software systems to other applications. Moreover, this approach offers a means for modeling assets exchange in both horizontal and vertical directions (along the meta-model stack). Second, with the dynamic features of both service consumption and provisioning in distributed environments, WS applications are subject to dynamic composition. As such, in a bottom-up order, this dissertation presents an infrastructure for dynamic WS composition and its high-level programming model based on a hybrid of logic programming and imperative programming. In particular, with the logic programming paradigm and the rule inference engine support, not only is autonomous composition achieved but also WS selection specification can be seamlessly integrated with the composition process, which is necessary for achieving customizability, optimization, and Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees for dynamic composition.
Nonuniform Motion of Charged Particles in Prescribed Electric and Magnetic Fields

Two great universal phenomena which must be understood in order to understand electronics are the motions of particles—that is, very small bodies—and the motion of waves . . . . The particles with which electronics deals are chiefly electrons. In order to understand the motion of electrons or ions through the emptiness of a vacuum tube, we must have some understanding of the laws of motion, laws which govern not only the motion of electrons and of ions in vacuum tubes but all motions in the world about us and the motions of heavenly bodies as well: the motion of baseballs and automobiles, the motions of satellites and planets in their orbits, and the motion of the stars in their courses.
Text Mining Using Latent Semantic Analysis: An Illustration through Examination of 30 Years of Research at JIS

ABSTRACT: Big Data presents a tremendous challenge for the accounting profession today. This challenge is characterized by, among other things, the explosive growth of unstructured data, such as text. In recent years, new text-mining methods have emerged to turn unstructured textual data into actionable information. A critical role of accounting information systems (AIS) research is to help the accounting profession assess and utilize these methodologies in an accounting context. This paper introduces the latent semantic analysis (LSA), a text-mining approach that discovers latent structures in unstructured textual data, to the AIS research community. An LSA-based approach is used to analyze AIS research as published in the Journal of Information Systems (JIS) over the last 30 years. JIS research serves as an appropriate domain of analysis because of a perceived need to contextualize the scope of AIS research. The research themes and trends resulting from this analysis contribute to a better understanding...
Abstract 256: 2D Ultrasound Measurements Can Quantify Relative Single-Plane Circumferential Strain in an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Model

OBJECTIVES: Current size-based assessments of AAA rupture potential do not accurately identify all patients at risk. True AAA rupture potential is related to hemodynamic and geometric factors involving wall strain and compliance. Our hypothesis is that transcutaneous ultrasound-derived strain measurements can identify heterogeneous aortic wall compliance toward predicting future rupture. METHODS: A latex phantom with changes in wall thickness (0.05-0.25 inches) to simulate AAA morphology was tested on an in vitro hemodynamic simulator. A GE Vivid i ultrasound machine interrogated the phantom under uniform physiologic, pulsatile conditions. The circumferential strain and radial strain of uniform wall phantom versus asymmetric wall phantom was quantified. RESULTS: Maximum circumferential strain (MCS) of the uniform wall thickness phantom was evenly distributed at 3.5% with an AP wall strain difference of 2.3% (Figure 1A). Maximum radial strain (MRS) was evenly distributed at 9% with an AP wall strain difference of 0%. MCS and MRS of the asymmetric wall thickness phantom were significantly increased to 30% and 36% respectively at the thinned anterior wall. AP wall strain difference was 22% (Figure 1B) and 10% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using transcutaneous 2D ultrasound, we were able to quantify changes in strain due to wall compliance in an AAA phantom. Further development of this technology may provide for a non-invasive method of characterizing the hemodynamic and geometric properties of an AAA to predict rupture potential.
Understanding Parents’ Child Vaccination Behaviors in the United States

Acknowledging the growing public health concern caused by the deadly reemergence of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in the United States, this research focuses on how we can better understand American parents’ child vaccination behaviors. The results of an empirical analysis using original data from a recent national survey of American parents with at least one child under age 18 (who had a total of 718 adult and minor children) show that parents’ perceptions regarding vaccine benefits, risks, and utility in general, which are derived from their more fundamental philosophical dispositions, which shape their conception of ideally structured social relations, directly translate into their vaccination behavior. The findings also suggest that non-attitudinal factors, including whether a parent has health insurance coverage for his or her child, influence such behavioral decisions as well. For a more comprehensive understanding of the aforementioned attitude-behavior relationship, systematic investigations incorporating multi-level factors, including demographic characteristics, cultural orientations, perceptions of disease prevalence, vaccine-related knowledge, and trust of the information provided by healthcare professionals and government, are conducted and its theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Total Hip Replacement

Perioperative management of the patient for total joint surgery involves a basic understanding of the patient’s preexisting conditions, the surgical plan, and the potential for intraoperative complications. This patient population often presents with multiple comorbidities, in addition to degenerative joint disease, which can complicate the perioperative course. Proper preoperative workup and intraoperative monitoring are paramount in reducing morbidity and mortality. Choice of anesthetic technique (Regional vs. General) should not only take into consideration preexisting conditions, but also length or surgery, risk of nerve injury, and potential for blood loss. The most common complication to occur during joint replacement surgery is acute blood loss, followed by venothromboembolism. Although the incidence of these events is relatively low, given the new advances in anesthetic and surgical techniques, it is important to recognize in the setting of intraoperative hypotension. Postoperative management of the orthopedic patient includes adequate analgesia with multimodal techniques utilizing both pharmacologic methods and regional anesthetic techniques with the aim of facilitating early ambulation.
Budget-Aware Deep Semantic Video Segmentation

In this work, we study a poorly understood trade-off between accuracy and runtime costs for deep semantic video segmentation. While recent work has demonstrated advantages of learning to speed-up deep activity detection, it is not clear if similar advantages will hold for our very different segmentation loss function, which is defined over individual pixels across the frames. In deep video segmentation, the most time consuming step represents the application of a CNN to every frame for assigning class labels to every pixel, typically taking 6-9 times of the video footage. This motivates our new budget-aware framework that learns to optimally select a small subset of frames for pixelwise labeling by a CNN, and then efficiently interpolates the obtained segmentations to yet unprocessed frames. This interpolation may use either a simple optical-flow guided mapping of pixel labels, or another significantly less complex and thus faster CNN. We formalize the frame selection as a Markov Decision Process, and specify a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network to model a policy for selecting the frames. For training the LSTM, we develop a policy-gradient reinforcement-learning approach for approximating the gradient of our non-decomposable and non-differentiable objective. Evaluation on two benchmark video datasets show that our new framework is able to significantly reduce computation time, and maintain competitive video segmentation accuracy under varying budgets.
AID and Reactive Oxygen Species Can Induce DNA Breaks within Human Chromosomal Translocation Fragile Zones

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) occurring within fragile zones of less than 200 base pairs account for the formation of the most common human chromosomal translocations in lymphoid malignancies, yet the mechanism of how breaks occur remains unknown. Here, we have transferred human fragile zones into S. cerevisiae in the context of a genetic assay to understand the mechanism leading to DSBs at these sites. Our findings indicate that a combination of factors is required to sensitize these regions. Foremost, DNA strand separation by transcription or increased torsional stress can expose these DNA regions to damage from either the expression of human AID or increased oxidative stress. This damage causes DNA lesions that, if not repaired quickly, are prone to nuclease cleavage, resulting in DSBs. Our results provide mechanistic insight into why human neoplastic translocation fragile DNA sequences are more prone to enzymes or agents that cause longer-lived DNA lesions.
Monoclonal Antibodies Reveal Dynamic Plasticity Between Lgr5- and Bmi1-Expressing Intestinal Cell Populations.

Background & Aims Continual renewal of the intestinal epithelium is dependent on active- and slow-cycling stem cells that are confined to the crypt base. Tight regulation of these stem cell populations maintains homeostasis by balancing proliferation and differentiation to support critical intestinal functions. The hierarchical relation of discrete stem cell populations in homeostasis or during regenerative epithelial repair remains controversial. Although recent studies have supported a model for the active-cycling leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein–coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5)+ intestinal stem cell ( ISC ) functioning upstream of the slow-cycling B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 homolog (Bmi1)-expressing cell, other studies have reported the opposite relation. Tools that facilitate simultaneous analyses of these populations are required to evaluate their coordinated function. Methods We used novel monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) raised against murine intestinal epithelial cells in conjunction with ISC–green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter mice to analyze relations between ISC populations by microscopy. Ex vivo 3-dimensional cultures, flow cytometry, and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses were performed. Results Two novel mAbs recognized distinct subpopulations of the intestinal epithelium and when used in combination permitted isolation of discrete Lgr5GFP and Bmi1GFP-enriched populations with stem activity. Growth from singly isolated Lgr5GFP ISCs gave rise to small spheroids. Spheroids did not express Lgr5GFP and instead up-regulated Bmi1GFP expression. Conversely, Bmi1-derived spheroids initiated Lgr5GFP expression as crypt domains were established. Conclusions These data showed the functional utility of murine mAbs in the isolation and investigation of Lgr5GFP and Bmi1GFP ISC-enriched populations. Ex vivo analyses showed hierarchical plasticity between different ISC-expressing states; specifically Lgr5GFP ISCs gave rise to Bmi1GFP cells, and vice versa. These data highlight the impact of temporal and physiological context on unappreciated interactions between Lgr5GFP and Bmi1GFP cells during crypt formation.
Racial/ethnic differences in HIV testing: An application of the health services utilization model

This study applying the health services utilization model examined the importance of predisposing, enabling, and need variables to the social mechanisms explaining lifetime HIV testing across racial/ethnic groups. Data for the study were derived from the National Health Interview Survey (collected 2013-2014), our final sample numbering 18,574 adults. Four subsamples reflected race/ethnicity: 13,347 Whites, 2267 Blacks, 2074 Hispanics, and 886 Asians. Logistic regression established respondent odds of ever having received HIV testing. Further statistical testing evaluated race/ethnicity's potential moderating role in HIV testing. The findings generally support a role for Aday's predisposing, enabling, and need factors in explaining HIV testing. Across the four subsamples, female gender, older age, and sexual minority status consistently increased lifetime HIV testing. However, we found racial/ethnic differences in HIV testing's associations with these factors and others. Our study made a beginning in the effort to specify mechanisms leading to HIV testing-and reliable diagnosis-among four racial/ethnic groups. Understanding these mechanisms might multiply opportunities to raise testing rates for all, in turn reducing racial/ethnic disparities in HIV treatment.
Polymer-Surfactant Interactions by Surfactant Selective Electrodes

The interaction between ionic surfactants and several polymers was investigated using surfactant ion and counterion selective electrodes. Four block polypeptides containing either alanine-lysine or alanine-glutamic acid were observed to bind a number of oppositely charged surfactant ions, dodecyl sulfate and dodecyltrimethylammonium ions, respectively. The binding ratios, corresponding to the net charge on the peptides, were similar to those found previously using titration calorimetry. Also studied were polyvinylpyrrolidone, which exhibited complex dodecyl sulfate binding, and cytochrome c peroxidase. The later strongly bound a number of dodecyl sulfate ions which was also approximately equal to the number of basic amino acid residues present in the protein. All six polymers reduced the critical micelle concentration from its value in the absence of the polymers whenever appreciable surfactant binding occurred.
The Use of Radioimmunotherapy in Combination with Bioreductive Agents

Clinical trials of radiolabeled antibody therapy have produced some complete and partial responses, primarily in lymphomas (DeNardo et al. 1988; Vriesendorp et al. 1989; Press et al. 1993). However, in solid tumors, very few tumors have responded to radioimmunotherapy (RIT) alone (Order et al. 1988; Meredith et al. 1992; Breitz et al. 1992). This may be due to a number of factors including antigenic heterogeneity, inherently radioresistant tumor cells, poor antibody penetration due to factors such as interstitial hypertension and large tumor volumes, and poor tumor to normal tissue ratios limiting the dose of activity that can be injected. It has become clear that more effective strategies must be developed which will minimize these factors that are preventing adequate tumor treatment. One possibility is to combine RIT with bioreductive agents which are drugs that are activated under reducing conditions in vivo, as are found in the hypoxic regions of tumors.
Pearls in Paradise: The Catalog of the Exhibition of Precious Maps and Archives from the Vatican Apostolic Library at Macau University of Science and Technology: Global Mapping of Macao, 2015 Yearbook, Edited by Dai Long Ji and Yang Xun Ling

What a pleasant task to have reviewing this gem of a book! Every page contains a new treat for the eyes and the mind. But first, what is this wonderful treat? In 2015 a symposium was held at the Ma...
Organizational Forms of Raiding: Client, Organizer, and Executor

This chapter considers organizational and institutional forms of predatory raiding in Russia and analyzes the business of hostile takeovers. Predatory raiding in Russia is a specific business, connected to other related businesses and state structures. In addition to banks and financial-industrial groups, there are firms that specialize in raiding. Organizational forms of raiding demonstrate the division of functions and include the structural chain that consists of the client, organizer, and executor. In this chain, predatory raiders can occupy any position in this chain or simply play a role of sub-contractors in a hostile takeover. Predatory raiders take over enterprises to own them or to sell them. Due to the violent nature and storming of enterprises by predatory raiders, modern history of Russian raiding movement may be labeled as the chronicles of ancient sieges or the war of high fences.
Synthesis, characterization and halogenation of some dihydroboron(1+) salts containing phosphine bases

Abstract Several dihydroboron(1+) cations of the types LYBH 2 + and YY′BH 2 + in which L is an amine, Y is a phosphine, and Y′ is a different phosphine were synthesized and characterized. A cyclic dihydroboron(1+) salt containing 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane was also prepared and characterized. The PF 6 − salts and their chlorination products were studied via proton and boron NMR and IR data. Several asymmetric cations of the types LYBHCl + and YY′BHCl + are reported. The bound phosphine P(CH 3 ) 2 C 6 H 5 was found to have nonequivalent methyl resonances in the proton NMR spectra of the cations [(CH 3 ) 3 NBHClP(CH 3 ) 2 C 6 H 5 ] + and [(C 6 H 5 ) 3 PBHClP(CH 3 ) 2 C 6 H 5 ] + which confirms the asymmetric nature of the boron atoms in these two cations.
Evaluation of psychosomatic distress and its influence in the outcomes of lumbar fusion procedures for degenerative disorders of the spine

The authors aim to evaluate the ability of spine surgeons to subjectively identify patients with psychological distress in a subset of lumbar fusion candidates, and the influence of such factors on surgical outcomes. From a cohort of 85 patients who had received a surgical indication for lumbar fusion and were subjectively evaluated for psychological distress, 60 were included in the study and underwent objective evaluation using the Distress Risk Assessment Method (DRAM) evaluation for depressive/distress symptoms, VAS and Oswestry scores pre- and postoperatively. Fifty-six patients were available with a minimum 6-month follow-up: 20 presented with normal DRAM scores, and 36 with abnormal DRAM (28 at risk; 4 distressed somatic; 4 distressed depressive). Although the group improved significantly with surgery regarding VAS and Oswestry, it was not the case for the DRAM score. The abnormal DRAM group had inferior VAS, Oswestry and satisfaction rates in comparison with the normal DRAM group. A significant number of patients in the at-risk group reduced their DRAM scores and were classified as normal patients at the end of the study. This study emphasizes the need for objective psychological screening on chronic low back pain patients and that although patients with abnormal DRAM scores benefit from surgery, they report inferior outcomes and satisfaction in comparison with the normal DRAM group.
HAIRY LEUKOPLAKIA IN A PATIENT UNDERGOING ANTI-RETROVIRAL THERAPY

We report a case of hairy leukoplakia that developed in a patient undergoing anti-retroviral therapy. A 53-year old white male presented with mild erythema in the anterior maxillary gingiva and was managed with clobetasol gel, after excluding the possibility of candidiasis. Patient's medical history was significant for HIV, bipolar disorder, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic bronchitis, smoking, and alcohol. His medications included Androgel, Axiron, atorvastatin, bupropion, clonazepam, finasteride, hydrochlorothiazide, lamotrigine, lisinopril, pantoprazole, Prezcobix, Trazadone, Truvada (200 mg emticitabine, 300 mg tenofovir), Ziprasidone, zolpidem, and baby aspirin. During one of multiple follow-up appointments, an asymptomatic white plaque was identified on right lateral tongue. Clinical differential diagnoses included hairy leukoplakia and hyperkeratosis secondary to trauma. Patient reported that his physician changed Truvada to Descovy (200 mg emticitabine, 25 mg tenofovir) since his last appointment. At the appointment six weeks later, the white plaque increased in size, and additional white plaques were found on the left dorso-lateral surface and dorsal tongue. Two biopsies were taken, one from the right lateral and the other from left dorso-lateral tongue. The biopsies showed similar histological features including hyperparakeratosis with shaggy surface and bacterial colonization. Intracellular edema and pyknotic nuclei were noted in the spinous cell layer. Upper spinous cell nuclei were enlarged and glassy appearing, without obvious nucleoli or nuclear beading. An Epstein-Barr encoding region (EBER) in-situ hybridization was performed, which demonstrated presence of EBV. Blood testing, taken five days after the biopsy, showed a CD4 count and viral load within normal limits. The patient's physician prescribed a course of acyclovir 800mg for treating oral hairy leukoplakia. The oral lesions reduced in size at the follow-up appointment three weeks after completion of acyclovir therapy. Further follow-up information also will be presented.
Operating Room Intervention Rates After Orthopaedic Resident-reduced Pediatric Both-Bone Forearm Fractures Relative to the Academic Calendar.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the operating room (OR) intervention rates and quality of fracture reductions for pediatric diaphyseal both-bone forearm fractures performed by orthopaedic residents relative to the academic year. OR intervention was defined as any procedure performed in the OR, including closed reduction and casting, and was used to identify fractures that required secondary intervention after initial closed reduction performed by an orthopaedic resident in the emergency department. METHODS A retrospective analysis identified pediatric patients presenting at our institution with both-bone forearm fractures from July 2010 to June 2016. Emergency-room sedation time, highest experience of orthopaedic resident documented to be present at the time of sedation (in postgraduate months), and frequencies of OR intervention were obtained by chart review. Fracture characteristics were determined by radiographic review. Immediate postreduction radiographs were used to measure cast indices, and adequacy of reduction was determined by postreduction angulation and translation. RESULTS During the time period studied, 470 both-bone forearm reductions under sedation were performed by an orthopaedic resident at our institution. Of these, 41 fractures (41 patients) required 42 OR interventions (40 involved surgical fixation and 2 were repeat closed reductions). The academic year was divided into quartiles. The April to June quartile had the highest overall percentage of OR intervention (10.6%), followed by July to September (8.6%); however, there was no significant difference between quartiles in the percentages of reductions that needed OR intervention (P=0.553). There was also no correlation between the experience level of the resident performing the reduction (based on postgraduate months) and the frequency of OR intervention (P=0.244). The anteroposterior (AP) and lateral reduction grades did not vary based on quarters (P=0.584; 0.353). The ability to obtain adequate reduction and the rate of unacceptable cast index were also not significantly different between quarters (P=0.347 and 0.465). CONCLUSIONS We found no significant difference in rates of OR intervention or the quality of reduction for pediatric both-bone diaphyseal forearm fractures treated by orthopaedic residents relative to the academic year. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III-comparative cohort study.
T-cell receptor signal strength and epigenetic control of Bim predict memory CD8+ T-cell fate

Most effector CD8+ T cells die, while some persist and become either "effector" (TEM) or "central" (TCM) memory T cells. Paradoxically, effector CD8+ T cells with greater memory potential have higher levels of the pro-apoptotic molecule Bim. Here, we report, using a novel Bim-mCherry knock-in mouse, that cells with high levels of Bim preferentially develop into TCM cells. Bim levels remained stable and were regulated by DNA methylation at the Bim promoter. Notably, high levels of Bcl-2 were required for Bimhi cells to survive. Using Nur77-GFP mice as an indicator of TCR signal strength, Nur77 levels correlated with Bim expression and Nur77hi cells also selectively developed into TCM cells. Altogether, these data show that Bim levels and TCR signal strength are predictive of TEM- vs. TCM-cell fate. Further, given the many other biologic functions of Bim, these mice will have broad utility beyond CD8+ T-cell fate.
The Role of Pressure Groups and Problem Definition in Crafting Legislative Solutions to the Opioid Crisis

Organized interest groups and federal administrative agencies have historically been influential in defining problem drug use during nationwide crisis. As such, the manner in which these pressure groups defined the problem may have influenced or, at least, provided support for legislators’ decisions to shy away from a criminal justice approach and towards acceptance of a more “health-oriented” — one that did not comprehensively address demand factors or demonstrate a commitment to reforming U.S. drug policy to meet international standards of best practice. In an effort to provide a snapshot of what such involvement may look like, this article explores the types of narratives used by pressure groups to define the opioid crisis in the congressional hearing discourse prior to the enactment of CARA. In order to do this, I analyzed 144 congressional hearing testimonies discussing the opioid crisis and identified the most common narratives used to explain the causes of the opioid crisis. I also identified the types of legislative proposals supported in these narratives.
A Synthetic Bioinspired Carbohydrate Polymer with Mucoadhesive Properties

Mucoadhesive polymers are of significant interest to the pharmaceutical, medical device, and cosmetic industries. Polysaccharides possessing charged functional groups, such as chitosan, are known for mucoadhesive properties but suffer from poor chemical definition and solubility, while the chemical synthesis of polysaccharides is challenging with few reported examples of synthetic carbohydrate polymers with engineered-in ionic functionality. We report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a synthetic, cationic, enantiopure carbohydrate polymer inspired by the structure of chitosan. These water-soluble, cytocompatible polymers are prepared via an anionic ring-opening polymerization of a bicyclic β-lactam sugar monomer. The synthetic method provides control over the site of amine functionalization and the length of the polymer while providing narrow dispersities. These well-defined polymers are mucoadhesive as documented in single-molecule scale (AFM), bulk solution phase (FRAP), and ex vivo tissue experiments. Polymer length and functionality affects bioactivity as long, charged polymers display higher mucoadhesivity than long, neutral polymers or short, charged polymers.
Nanostructured composite materials for advanced chemical sensors

Abstract Nanostructured sensing materials play a crucial role in the successful application of sensors for gaseous compounds, resulting from the increasingly growing demand of high performing sensing tools in various areas, ranging from medicine to agriculture and food, from indoor and outdoor environments to people safety and city control. This chapter deals with the most recent results achieved in the latest generation of the conductive sensors based on metal oxides and polymers, both the form of nanostructures and in combination with additional nanocomponents. It is an attempt to better comprehend the relationships between the physicochemical properties of the nanostructured materials, their three-dimensional architecture, analyte–material interfaces, and charge carrier changes, which are the key mechanisms of the described sensing processes.
How to Help Small Businesses Survive COVID-19

Small businesses are among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Many are shuttered, and far more face cash flow constraints, raising questions about just how many will survive this recession. The government has responded with a critical forgivable loan program, but for many of these businesses, this program alone will not provide the cash they need to retain workers, pay rent, and help their business come back to life when Americans are no longer sheltering in place. This essay calls on regulators to find new and creative ways to work with existing intermediaries, including banks and online lenders, who have the infrastructure and tools needed to help small businesses get the additional loans they need to survive and thrive. Leveraging existing institutions could enhance the speed, scale, and scope of the government’s response, all critical virtues in the efforts to support small business.
Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost–benefit analysis predicts that if a behavior is adaptive, the benefits of a behavior must exceed the costs of that behavior. Fundamentally, the benefits and costs relate to fitness, though currencies such as time and energy are often used as proxies of fitness. The cost–benefit approach has been extended to model when this benefit-to-cost ratio is optimal and states that an individual should maximize the benefit of the behavior while simultaneously minimizing any costs associated with the behavior. Because specific predictions can be made from these models, this technique has widespread application in the adaptive study of behavior.
How Kaiser Permanente Created a Mental Health and Wellness Digital Ecosystem

Digital mental health and wellness resources, including smartphone applications (apps), can help patients, in addition to in-person appointments with clinicians and other traditional types of suppo...
Internal carotid artery stenosis and risk of cerebrovascular ischemia following stereotactic radiosurgery for recurrent or residual pituitary adenomas

To evaluate the incidence of internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis and cerebrovascular accident in a series of patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for recurrent or residual pituitary adenoma. All patients treated with single fraction SRS in our institution for recurrent or residual non-functioning-, growth hormone- and ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas were retrospectively identified and reviewed. A comprehensive literature review to identify studies reporting on ICA steno-occlusive disease following SRS for pituitary adenomas and compare the risks of carotid stenosis and ischemic stroke in the SRS treated group to the general population figures. 528 patients [312 women and 216 men; median age at SRS 46 years old (range 12–80 years)] treated with SRS at our institution met study inclusion criteria. Mean clinical and radiologic follow-ups were 68.87 (SD ± 43.29) and 55.99 months (SD ± 38.03), respectively, and there were no clinically evident cerebral ischemic events noted. Asymptomatic, post-SRS, ICA stenosis occurred in two patients. A total of eight patients with ICA steno-occlusive disease following pituitary adenoma radiosurgery have been reported. Two of them suffered from ischemic stroke with however excellent recovery. As compared to the general population, SRS for pituitary adenomas does not seem to confer appreciable increased risk for ICA steno-occlusive disease and ischemic stroke. However, post-SRS radiation vessel injuries do occur and physicians should be aware about this rare event. Prompt identification and management according to current guidelines are essential to prevent ischemic strokes.
Occlusal Schemes for Implant Restorations: Best Evidence Consensus Statement.

Purpose Numerous studies have focused on the various complications with implant-retained restorations and a common thread in these publications is the potential for occlusal overload. The purpose of this Best Evidence Consensus Statement on implant occlusal schemes was to review the literature to determine the level of scientific evidence upon which the articles are based. Materials and methods Limiting the search to Clinical trials, Randomized Controlled Trials, Systematic Reviews, Meta-analyses, the key words: dental implants, occlusion, found no citations. Expanding the search to Journal articles found 1,483 results, 20 of which pertained to the question. Doing a similar search including Journal Articles, the key words: dental implants and occlusal scheme found 47 citations, 17 of which were pertinent to the question. Results After eliminating duplicates and non-relevant articles, 15 were included in the review. Nineteen additional articles were culled by going through the reference lists in the aforementioned articles. Conclusions There is a lack of scientific evidence regarding the occlusal scheme utilized with implant restorations that will minimize or eliminate complications. In light of this lack of scientific evidence, the style of occlusion a practitioner utilizes with tooth or mucosal supported prostheses may be used with implant-supported restorations until compelling evidence dictates otherwise.
WATER USE BEHAVIORS OF AXIS DEER (AXIS AXIS) IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

We conducted a study to determine whether the nonnative axis deer (Axis axis) exhibited behaviors that could be negatively impacting ponds and pools in ephemeral channels. To assess behaviors, we collected game camera-trap images at two sites within the Texas Hill Country with naturally occurring standing water sources frequented by A. axis. We analyzed images of A. axis for behaviors including wallowing, territorial marking, and drinking. We also analyzed water samples for turbidity and Escherichia coli, in order to determine potential impacts of axis deer on water quality. During this study, we observed only drinking behaviors by A. axis. Water quality parameters did not significantly correlate with A. axis visitation rates. The observations suggest limited impact of A. axis on water sources, contributing to a greater understanding of A. axis behaviors and potential impacts within the Texas Hill Country.
‘Murdered Man’: Re-Examining Keats in The Examiner

In John Keats’s Isabella; or the Pot of Basil (1820), Isabella’s mercantile brothers plot to murder her suitor, their clerk Lorenzo, for spoiling their plans to marry her to ‘some high noble and hi...