cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CMEA’s Hard Currency Deficits and Rouble Convertibility

Over the past fifteen years, the CMEA countries† have consistently run hard currency deficits in their trade with the West. I will first consider very briefly the extent and causes of these deficits. In Sections II and III, various Eastern convertible-currency proposals, which are related to financing these deficits, will be discussed. The policy issues will be summarised in the final Section. Because of the limitations of space, some of the issues discussed below will be considerably oversimplified.
Ten years after the FDA black box warning for antidepressant drugs: a critical narrative review

Background The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about the increased suicidality risk associated with the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and venlafaxine in children and adolescents. Objectives To critically appraise the available evidence supporting the FDA Black box warning concerning to the use of antidepressants in child and adolescents. Methods A critical review of articles in Medline/PubMed and SciELO databases regarding the FDA Black box warning for antidepressants, and the impact of FDA warnings on antidepressant prescriptions and suicide rates. Results The warning was based on surveys that did not report either cases of suicide nor a significant difference supporting an increased suicidality rate. The concept was defined in an ambiguous way and there is currently more available evidence to support such definition. The use of SSRI and venlafaxine has been associated to lower suicidality rates, but the prescription fall due to the warning increased suicide rates. Discussion Suicidality is an inherent feature of depressive disorders so it would be desirable to consider how much of the phenomenon may be attributed to antidepressants per se. It would be appropriate to consider that suicide rates might increase also as a consequence of the warning.
Ab initio calculations of the lattice parameter and elastic stiffness coefficients of bcc Fe with solutes

Abstract We present an efficient methodology for computing solute-induced changes in lattice parameters and elastic stiffness coefficients C ij of single crystals using density functional theory. We introduce a solute strain misfit tensor that quantifies how solutes change lattice parameters due to the stress they induce in the host crystal. Solutes modify the elastic stiffness coefficients through volumetric changes and by altering chemical bonds. We compute each of these contributions to the elastic stiffness coefficients separately, and verify that their sum agrees with changes in the elastic stiffness coefficients computed directly using fully optimized supercells containing solutes. Computing the two elastic stiffness contributions separately is more computationally efficient and provides more information on solute effects than the direct calculations. We compute the solute dependence of polycrystalline averaged shear and Young’s moduli from the solute dependence of the single-crystal C ij . We apply this methodology to substitutional Al, B, Cu, Mn, Si solutes and octahedral interstitial C and N solutes in bcc Fe. Comparison with experimental data indicates that our approach accurately predicts solute-induced changes in the lattice parameter and elastic coefficients. The computed data can be used to quantify solute-induced changes in mechanical properties such as strength and ductility, and can be incorporated into mesoscale models to improve their predictive capabilities.
Understanding factors controlling depolymerization and polymerization in catalytic degradation of β-ether linked model lignin compounds by versatile peroxidase

Lignin is a major component of lignocellulosic biomass and is responsible for much of its recalcitrant nature. Enzymatic breakdown of lignin into valuable products potentially represents an additional revenue stream in biofuels production. Many enzymes have been characterized which perform oxidative catalysis of lignin decomposition. However, the nature of the decomposition products from a given enzyme-catalyzed reaction depends on competition between depolymerization of lignin and repolymerization of the resulting depolymerization products, resulting in either polymeric products or small, aromatic species. The latter have greater value, as aromatic monomers can be used as precursors in the production of fuels and specialty chemicals via chemical or synthetic biological routes. An understanding of the factors that control the equilibrium between depolymerization and polymerization remains elusive. In this study we investigated this equilibrium for a versatile peroxidase from B. adusta using several lignin model compounds containing β-ether bonds as substrates and characterized the effects of reaction conditions (pH, addition of H2O2 and mediators) on catalysis. In tandem, quantum chemistry calculations of free energy changes of relevant chemical reactions and of electron spin density distributions of radical species were performed. Due to the low oxidation potential of the neutral radical, this enzyme is unable to oxidize non-phenolic lignin subunits. The results indicate that for phenolic lignin dimers the versatile peroxidase first produces a neutral radical via oxidation of the 4-OH position, followed by polymerization and depolymerization reactions. Selection between polymerization and depolymerization reaction pathways was found to be dependent on the functional group at the 5 position of the guaiacyl group (G5). In the case of a hydrogen atom at the G5 position (guaiacylglycerol-β-ether), the unpaired electron is distributed between the 4-OH and G5 positions, resulting in polymerization. However, substitution of G5 with a methoxy group (S-O-4) results in roughly equal distribution of the unpaired electron at G1 and 4-OH, leading to extensive side chain cleavage. The degradation pathway of phenolic β-O-4 was identified as Cα-aryl cleavage rather than Cα–Cβ.
Aging in place in every community: Social exclusion experiences of parents of adult children with autism spectrum disorder

This article offers an examination of aging processes of lifelong caregivers and the possibilities for social exclusion place experienced by parents of adult children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study of parental caregivers ( n = 51) sheds light on how enduring caregiving roles can lead to social exclusion in three ways: misunderstanding of ASD and stigma, the complexity of the caregiving roles, and impact on daily routines including challenges with long-term planning for both the adult children and the parental caregivers. Implications for practice to address social exclusion include education and building greater communication ties among family member for family members and advocacy for more and higher quality services including respite care. This article concludes with discussion of the impact of this aging, yet caregiving population and the need for knowledge about aging processes and anticipating aging for these caregivers.
Notes on interval estimation of the proportion ratio under a three-treatment three-period crossover trial

Abstract When comparing two experimental treatments with a placebo, we focus our attention on interval estimation of the proportion ratio (PR) of patient responses under a three-period crossover design. We propose a random effects exponential multiplicative risk model and derive asymptotic interval estimators in closed form for the PR between treatments and placebo. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we compare the performance of these interval estimators in a variety of situations. We use the data comparing two different doses of an analgesic with placebo for the relief of primary dysmenorrhea to illustrate the use of these interval estimators and the difference in estimates of the PR and odds ratio (OR) when the underlying relief rates are not small.
The Promise and Possibilities of Community Conversations: Expanding Opportunities for People With Disabilities:

The persistence of disappointing employment, educational, and community outcomes for youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) demands new and effective pathways for c...
Two-dimensional Dirac fermions in thin films of Cd3As2

Three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetals are a new state of matter. The authors report on experiments that directly access the electronic structure of two-dimensional states in the prototype topological Dirac semimetal Cd${}_{3}$As${}_{2}$. By modulating the carrier density of very thin, epitaxial Cd${}_{3}$As${}_{2}$ films, using the electric field effect, the authors tune the electronic states through a two-dimensional Dirac point, as evidenced by a minimum in the density of states. Moreover, the linear energy dispersion and the presence of a zero-energy Landau level establish the topological nature of the two-dimensional states in this three-dimensional Dirac semimetal.
SRGAP2a: A New Player That Modulates Podocyte Cytoskeleton and Injury in Diabetes.

Podocyte injury and podocyte loss are common features in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Podocyte detachment and decreased podocyte numbers occur in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and correlate with the progression of renal disease (1–5). Podocytes play a critical role in the maintenance of the glomerular tuft and the filtration barrier. Foot processes of adjacent podocytes interdigitate to form narrow filtration slits that are bridged by the slit diaphragm (6–9). Podocyte foot processes form the final barrier to protein loss by creating the porous membrane slit diaphragm. Progressive injury and loss of podocytes result in loss of protein in the urine. The resulting microalbuminuria can progress to macroalbuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and progressive loss of glomerular filtration rate that are hallmarks of DKD (10,11). The actin …
Enhancing Psychosocial Constructs Associated with Technology-Based Physical Activity: A Randomized Trial among African American Women.

ABSTRACTBackground: Minority women have demonstrated higher rates of health disparities associated with lower levels of physical activity, a finding prevalent among college-aged individuals. Though these health disparities occur given a variety of factors, novel, technology-based interventions are being developed to increase physical activity, with Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) serving as a useful framework for guiding such interventions. Purpose: This investigation sought to evaluate 2 technology-based interventions on physical activity motivation and psychosocial variables among young African American women. Methods: Forty-nine female African American college students aged 18–24 used an UpBand accelerometer and app or a diet tracker app for 6 weeks. Posttesting occurred at the conclusion of the intervention and 2 months postintervention. Results: Perceived family support for exercise decreased in both groups, F(2, 94) = 9.90, P < .001, partial η2 = 0.17. Following an initial decrease in exercise self-ef...
Movement patterns of California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) following oiling and rehabilitation.

Direct mortality of wildlife is generally used to quantify the damage caused by pollution events. However, free-ranging wildlife that survive initial exposure to pollutants may also experience long-term consequences. Individuals that are rehabilitated following oil exposure have a known history of oiling and provide a useful study population for understanding behavior following pollution events. We GPS-tracked 12 rehabilitated brown pelicans and compared their movements to those of eight non-oiled, non-rehabilitated controls over 87-707 (mean = 271) days. Rehabilitated pelicans traveled farther, spent more time in long-distance movements, and occupied more productive waters than controls. These differences were more apparent among females than males. Rehabilitated pelicans also visited breeding colonies and nest sites at lower rates than controls. Our results indicate that, although rehabilitated pelicans undertake long-distance movements, they may display increased dispersion and reduced breeding investment, particularly among females. Such behavioral changes could have long-term effects on populations.
Compressional and shear in situ measurements in the Lower Laguna Madre

This presentation describes the apparatus, procedure, and results from a field experiment conducted in July 2017 in the seagrass beds of the Lower Laguna Madre. The Laguna Madre is a shallow hypersaline lagoon on the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The relatively flat bathymetry is covered by a thick meadow of Thalassia testudinum. Acoustic piezoelectric transducer probes measured compressional wave speed and attenuation in the seagrass canopy as well as geoacoustic properties (compressional and shear wave speed and attenuation) of the underlying sediment. Geoacoustic parameters were measured at depths between 5 cm and 20 cm in 5 cm increments. Compressional wave measurements were made over a frequency range of 20 kHz to 100 kHz, and shear wave measurements were made at 500 Hz and 1 kHz. The compressional wave data from this experiment indicates dispersion within the seagrass canopy and sediment. This dispersion is likely due to the high presence of gas bubbles in both the seagrass and supporting sed...
Designing for Workplace Reflection: A Chat and Voice-Based Conversational Agent

Conversational agents stand to play an important role in supporting behavior change and well-being in many domains. With users able to interact with conversational agents through both text and voice, understanding how designing for these channels supports behavior change is important. To begin answering this question, we designed a conversational agent for the workplace that supports workers' activity journaling and self-learning through reflection. Our agent, named Robota, combines chat-based communication as a Slack Bot and voice interaction through a personal device using a custom Amazon Alexa Skill. Through a 3-week controlled deployment, we examine how voice-based and chat-based interaction affect workers' reflection and support self-learning. We demonstrate that, while many current technical limitations exist, adding dedicated mobile voice interaction separate from the already busy chat modality may further enable users to step back and reflect on their work. We conclude with discussion of the implications of our findings to design of workplace self-tracking systems specifically and to behavior-change systems in general.
Early Steps of V(D)J Rearrangement: Insights from Biochemical Studies of RAG-RSS Complexes

V(D)J recombination is initiated by the synapsis and cleavage of a complementary (12/23) pair of recombination signal sequences (RSSs) by the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins. Our understanding of these processes has been greatly aided by the development of in vitro biochemical assays of RAG binding and cleavage activity. Accumulating evidence suggests that synaptic complex assembly occurs in a step-wise manner and that the RAG proteins catalyze RSS cleavage by mechanisms similar to those used by bacterial transposases. In this chapter we will review the molecular mechanisms of RAG synaptic complex assembly and 12/23-regulated RSS cleavage, focusing on recent advances that shed new light on these processes.
Confirmation of detection and classification of low-order, low-degree, acoustic modes with 1985 observations

Recently SCLERA has been involved in expanding its observing program with the introduction of a new technique to include the search for global solar oscillations in the visible to near infrared continuum. In 1985, data was collected by Oglesby (1986) using this new technique. To a high degree of statistical significance, the classification of the low-order, low-degree solar acoustic modes by Hill (1984) has been confirmed with the 1985 data. The n = 1 eigenfrequency spectrum has been divided into three bins according to 7 ≤ l ≤ 12, 13 ≤ l ≤ 17, and 18 ≤ l ≤ 22 and the confirmation for each bin is at the 4.7σ, 3.6σ, and 3.8σ levels, respectively.
Interdisciplinary Pain Management Improves Pain and Function in Pediatric Patients with Chronic Pain Associated with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome.

Abstract Background The relation between chronic musculoskeletal pain and joint hypermobility in a small percentage of the pediatric population is well described. However, literature discussing the treatment of chronic pain associated with joint hypermobility in pediatrics is limited. The present study examines the impact of interdisciplinary treatment on chronic pain in pediatrics with joint hypermobility syndrome. Objective To determine if pediatric patients with chronic pain related to joint hypermobility can be effectively treated with an intensive, interdisciplinary pain management program, as measured by changes in pain, psychosocial and physical functioning, as well as parental coping. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Urban academic tertiary intensive outpatient interdisciplinary pain management clinic. Participants The study involved 30 patients who met the criteria for a diagnosis of joint hypermobility and chronic pain and completed an interdisciplinary pain management program. Intervention All patients were treated in an intensive pediatric interdisciplinary pain management program for a duration of 6 to 8 weeks. The program provided physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychological counseling, and weekly pediatric rehabilitation medicine follow-up. Main Outcome Measures Outcome measures included numeric rating scale pain scores, the Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire, and the Bath Adolescent Pain–Parent Impact Questionnaire. Changes from pre- to post-treatment were analyzed using paired-samples t tests. Results Patients endorsed pre- to post-treatment improvements in pain, depression, general anxiety, pain-related anxiety, social functioning, and physical functioning ( P P Conclusion The present findings suggest that an intensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation pain management program yields short-term improvements in pain, emotional and physical function, and daily activity in a pediatric population diagnosed with joint hypermobility. Parents also experienced benefits from the program. A larger prospective study with longer-term follow-up is needed. Level of evidence Level III
Developing a Content Strategy Course and Interdisciplinary Skills: A Teaching Case

The content strategy course has gained more interest for inclusion in the technical communication curriculum. However, content strategy combines a range of interdisciplinary skills, and technical communication scholarship has only briefly discussed how best to teach content strategy and whether we should devote a standalone course to the topic. This teaching case describes a content strategy course that combines the necessary content strategy skills students require and demonstrates how future research on course development in this area could further guide the technical communication field.
Histologic similarities in children with eosinophilic esophagitis and proton pump inhibitor-responsive esophageal eosinophilia.

The EPX histologic scoring system can be used to differentiate children with EoE and PPI-REE relative to GERD, supporting the relationship between these 2 groups and enhancing current diagnostic and treatment approaches.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH MINING AND PROCESSING OF URANIUM

ABSTRACT Mortality from all causes was determined for groups of white and Indian underground uranium miners, and for a small group of uranium mill workers. Analysis was by a life table method. A significant excess of respiratory cancer was found among among both white and Indian miners. A significant excess of nonmalignant respiratory disease was found among whites. It was attributed primarily to diffuse parenchymal damage by radiation; it approaches respiratory cancer in importance as a cause of death among whites. A significant excess of malignant disease of the lymphatic and hematopoietic tissue was found among uranium mill workers. This was attributed primarily to irradiation of lymph nodes by thorium-230. Exposure-response curves for nonsmoking uranium miners are linear for both respiratory cancer and “other respiratory disease”. Cigarette smoking elevates and distorts that curve. Light cigarette smokers appear to be most vulnerable to lung parenchymal damage by the radiation. The predominant histological type of cancer among nonsmokers, white smokers and Indians is small cell undifferentiated. Accidental deaths are high among inexperienced miners, and even among experienced miners it is about 3 times expected.
Fading light and sluggish flight: A two-dimensional model of consciousness in lucid dreams

In the interest of correlating subjective dream experience with emergent models for dreaming consciousness, the following hypothesis is considered: A variety of anomalies occurring in lucid dreaming suggest that there are two distinct modes of awareness available in the lucid state--focused and objectifying awareness (FOA), and relational immersive awareness (RIA)—and that these distinct modes impact the phenomenology of the lucid experience in clearly observable ways. While this hypothesis may raise questions about neural processes and large-scale networks, this paper focuses principally on the phenomenological features of these two modes of awareness.
Special Functions for Radiation from Sources Close to an Electrically Large Conducting Convex Surface

Acoustic hard and soft Fock functions and their variations have been used as special functions in asymptotic methods to compute electric fields pertaining to direct and surface-diffracted rays due to sources on or slightly off an electrically large conducting convex surface. Numerical evaluation of these functions have been studied and reported well. Hence, formulations are available for accurate evaluation of these functions in different intervals of their variable. However, they do not yield accurate and continuous results for the derivatives of these functions. In this paper, the existing formulations are modified to evaluate the Fock functions, and their derivatives. The modified formulations provide accurate results for the functions and their derivatives, and their continuity at the boundaries between adjacent intervals in both magnitude and phase.
Immune Responses to Trichloroethylene and Skin Gene Expression Profiles in Sprague Dawley Rats

Objective To characterize the immune reaction in SD rats exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE) and to identify the gene expression profiles involved in skin after TCE exposure. Methods Fifteen percent of TCE was injected intradermally into the rat back (100 μL/120 g) at intervals of 7 days. Whole blood was collected 24 h after the fifth or seventh intradermic administration of TCE. The percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ of T lymphocytes were measured by a flow cytometer. The concentrations of IFN-gamma and IL-4 in the serum were semi-quantified by ELISA. Total RNAs of skin samples at 3 h or 24 h after the seventh dose of TCE in SD rats were extracted, and gene expression profiles of these tissues were analyszed by rat toxicology U34 array of Affymetrix. Results Obvious decline of CD4+ in T lymphocytes was observed in the TCE-administer group. No significant concentration differences in IFN-gamma and IL-4 were found between TCE-treated and control rats. Gadd45a and Mel were significantly up regulated in skin tissue 24 h after TCE exposure. The expression regulation of immune response factors was as active as proteins associated with lipid metabolism and synthesis process in these skin samples of SD rats exposed to TCE. Conclusion T-helper type 1 cells mediate immune response can not be elicited in TCE-treated SD rats, but certain immune disorder can be induced.
Defining the learning curve for successful staging with sentinel lymph node biopsy for endometrial cancer among surgeons at an academic institution

Background Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is increasingly used in endometrial cancer staging; however, success of the technique is variable, and the learning curve needs to be better understood. Success is defined as identification of a SLN specimen containing nodal tissue in bilateral hemi-pelvises. Objective To assess the learning curve of surgeons at an academic institution in performing successful SLN mapping and biopsy during robotic staging for endometrial cancer. Methods After institutional review board approval, patients who underwent staging with robotic SLN mapping using indocyanine green at a single academic program between July 2012 and December 2017 were identified. Demographic, pathologic, and surgical data were retrospectively collected from the medical records. Descriptive and comparative statistics were performed. Surgeon rates of successful bilateral SLN mapping and removal of lymphoid-containing SLN specimens were compared. A logistic model was used to analyze the probability of successful SLN mapping and removal of lymph node-containing tissue with increasing number of procedures performed. Results Three hundred and seventeen patients met the eligibility criteria. Most had early-stage, low-grade endometrial cancer. A total of 194 (61%) patients had successful bilateral mapping. Among seven surgeons, a plateau in rates of successful bilateral mapping was achieved after 40 cases. No linear correlation was seen between the number of surgeries performed and the rate of removal of lymph node-containing tissue among surgeons. Each additional 10 procedures performed was associated with a 5% and an 11% increase in the odds of successful SLN mapping and removal of lymph node-containing tissue, respectively. Discussion The successful removal of lymph node-containing specimens appears to be a surgeon-specific phenomenon. The plateau of the learning curve for successful bilateral mapping seems to be reached at around 40 cases. These first 40 cases offer a time for auditing of individual rates of SLN mapping and removal to identify surgeons who may benefit from procedure-specific remediation.
Comments on “Dynamic viscosity, density and surface tension of 1,3-propanediol (1) +1,2-propanediamine (2) binary system at T = (293.15 to 318.15) K and atmosphere pressure”

Abstract Errors were found in the published article pertaining to the partial molar volumes of the individual mixture components. The authors' numerical values were not consistent with the excess molar volumes reported in the paper. It was further noted that the authors' calculated partial molar volumes of neat 1,2-propanediamine were not equal to the compound's molar mass divided by the compound's density.
Inhibition of Excision of Oxidatively Generated Hydantoin DNA Lesions by NEIL1 by the Competitive Binding of the Nucleotide Excision Repair Factor XPC-RAD23B

The interplay between nucleotide excision repair (NER) and base excision repair (BER) of nonbulky, oxidatively generated DNA lesions has long been a subject of significant interest. The hydantoin oxidation products of 8-oxoguanine, spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) and 5-guanidinohydantoin (Gh), are substrates of both BER and NER in HeLa cell extracts and human cells [Shafirovich, V., et al. (2019) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 32, 753-761]. The primary factor that recognizes DNA lesions is the DNA damage-sensing factor XPC-RAD23B (XPC), while the glycosylase NEIL1 is known to remove Gh and Sp lesions from double-stranded DNA. It is shown here that in aqueous solutions containing nanomolar concentrations of proteins, XPC and NEIL1 compete for binding to 147-mer oligonucleotide duplexes that contain single Gh or Sp lesions under conditions of [protein] ≫ [DNA], thus inhibiting the rate of BER catalyzed by NEIL1. The non-covalently bound NEIL1 molecules can be displaced by XPC at concentration ratios R = [XPC]/[NEIL1] > 0.2, while full displacement of NEIL1 is observed at R ≥ 0.5. In the absence of XPC and under single-turnover conditions, only the burst phase is observable. However, with a progressive increase in the XPC concentration, the amplitude of the burst phase decreases gradually, and a slower time-dependent phase of incision product formation manifests itself with rate constants of 3.0 × 10-3 s-1 (Gh) and 0.90 × 10-3 s-1 (Sp). These slow kinetics are attributed to the dissociation of XPC-DNA complexes that allow for the rebinding of NEIL1 to the temporarily exposed Gh or Sp lesions, and the incisions observed under these steady-state conditions.
Inelastic Scattering of 40-MeV Polarized Protons

The left-right asymmetry and differential cross section for the inelastic scattering of 40-MeV polarized protons were measured over a large angular region for each of the following ${2}^{+}$ excitations: 1.78 MeV in $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$, 1.41 and 2.97 MeV in $^{54}\mathrm{Fe}$, 1.45 MeV in $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$, and 1.33 MeV in $^{60}\mathrm{Ni}$. Some asymmetry and cross-section data were also obtained for ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ states: 6.9 MeV in $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$, 4.8 and 6.4 MeV in $^{54}\mathrm{Fe}$, 4.5 MeV in $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$, and 4.08 MeV in $^{60}\mathrm{Ni}$. The inelastic scattering was analyzed in the distorted-wave approximation, using the collective-model extension of the optical-model potential determined by fitting elastic polarization and cross-section measurements for each target. The inelastic asymmetry and cross-section data are best reproduced with a collective-model interaction obtained by deforming the complete optical potential, including its imaginary and spin-orbit parts.
Environmental and Regulatory Concerns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Pandemic Food and Stigma Survey.

In this article, we present data from the monthly Pandemic Food and Stigma Survey (PFSS), a nationwide representative sample of adults in the United States designed to identify how the pandemic is affecting concerns about food and the environment. Two surveys were conducted in May and June 2020. Our analysis suggests that the public's concern about contracting COVID-19 has been high; however, infection with COVID-19 was not the only concern. A majority of respondents remained strongly concerned about environmental issues, such as climate change, while responses to sudden relaxations of environmental and food safety policies varied. We analyze the PFSS data to identify factors associated with concerns about pandemic and environmental regulatory changes. In general, we find that people whose food security has been threatened by COVID-19 remain concerned about relaxation of environmental regulations, and those most inclined to take steps to reduce spread of the virus, such as wearing masks and social distancing, are more concerned about relaxed regulations than those less willing to take mitigating actions.
Association of Mobile Phone Location Data Indications of Travel and Stay-at-Home Mandates With COVID-19 Infection Rates in the US.

Importance A stay-at-home social distancing mandate is a key nonpharmacological measure to reduce the transmission rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), but a high rate of adherence is needed. Objective To examine the association between the rate of human mobility changes and the rate of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used daily travel distance and home dwell time derived from millions of anonymous mobile phone location data from March 11 to April 10, 2020, provided by the Descartes Labs and SafeGraph to quantify the degree to which social distancing mandates were followed in the 50 US states and District of Columbia and the association of mobility changes with rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Exposure State-level stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was the association of state-specific rates of COVID-19 confirmed cases with the change rates of median travel distance and median home dwell time of anonymous mobile phone users. The increase rates are measured by the exponent in curve fitting of the COVID-19 cumulative confirmed cases, while the mobility change (increase or decrease) rates were measured by the slope coefficient in curve fitting of median travel distance and median home dwell time for each state. Results Data from more than 45 million anonymous mobile phone devices were analyzed. The correlation between the COVID-19 increase rate and travel distance decrease rate was –0.586 (95% CI, –0.742 to –0.370) and the correlation between COVID-19 increase rate and home dwell time increase rate was 0.526 (95% CI, 0.293 to 0.700). Increases in state-specific doubling time of total cases ranged from 1.0 to 6.9 days (median [interquartile range], 2.7 [2.3-3.3] days) before stay-at-home orders were enacted to 3.7 to 30.3 days (median [interquartile range], 6.0 [4.8-7.1] days) after stay-at-home social distancing orders were put in place, consistent with pandemic modeling results. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that stay-at-home social distancing mandates, when they were followed by measurable mobility changes, were associated with reduction in COVID-19 spread. These results come at a particularly critical period when US states are beginning to relax social distancing policies and reopen their economies. These findings support the efficacy of social distancing and could help inform future implementation of social distancing policies should they need to be reinstated during later periods of COVID-19 reemergence.
Emphysematous gastritis: a case series and review of the current trend favoring conservative management

Emphysematous gastritis [EG] is a rare condition associated with a high mortality rate which involves the invasion of gas-forming organisms into the gastric mucosa. Risk factors include mucosal defects such as gastric ulceration as well as systemic illnesses such as diabetes. Clinical presentation includes abdominal pain as well as signs of sepsis. Air in the gastric wall and portal venous system on abdominal imaging are characteristic radiographic findings. The ideal treatment of the condition is unclear, given its rarity. Cases have typically involved either surgical options or conservative management with bowel rest and intravenous antibiotics. We report on two patients treated successfully at our institution with conservative management and a review of the current knowledge in this area. Recent case literature shows a trend towards conservative management for emphysematous gastritis with several successfully managed cases, suggesting that patients can avoid surgery in the majority of cases.
Changes in core beliefs over time predict symptoms and functioning in clinical high risk for psychosis.

AIM The current study examined whether changes in core beliefs over time predict positive symptoms, negative symptoms, social functioning, and role functioning within individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR). METHODS CHR participants (N = 73) completed the Brief Core Schemas Scale (BCSS) at baseline, with a subset of participants (n = 54) completing study procedures at a 12-month follow-up. Attenuated psychotic symptoms, social, and role functioning were assessed at both timepoints. RESULTS Hierarchical regression analyses showed that changes in self-beliefs between baseline and follow-up predicted worsening social and role functioning at 12-month follow-up, with trends suggesting they also predicted negative and positive symptoms at 12-month follow-up. The independent effect of an increase in negative self-beliefs marginally or significantly predicted all outcomes of interest. CONCLUSIONS The current study shows incremental validity of self-beliefs from a novel perspective. It suggests that worsening self-beliefs have a clinically meaningful impact within CHR populations.
An Uncertainty Estimation Framework for Risk Assessment in Deep Learning-based AFib Classification

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is among one of the most common types of heart arrhythmia afflicting more than 3 million people in the U.S. alone. AF is estimated to be the cause of death of 1 in 4 individuals. Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms have led to the capability of reliably detecting AF from ECG signals. While these algorithms can accurately detect AF with high precision, the discrete and deterministic classifications mean that these networks are likely to erroneously classify the given ECG signal. This paper proposes a variational autoencoder classifier network that provides an uncertainty estimation of the network’s output in addition to reliable classification accuracy. This framework can increase physicians’ trust in using AI-based AF detection algorithms by providing them with a confidence score which reflects how uncertain the algorithm is about a case and recommending them to put more attention to the cases with a lower confidence score. The uncertainty is estimated by conducting multiple passes of the input through the network to build a distribution; the mean of the standard deviations is reported as the network’s uncertainty. Our proposed network obtains 97.64% accuracy in addition to reporting the uncertainty1.
Family and individual risk factors for triangulation: Evaluating evidence for emotion coaching buffering effects.

Adolescents who are triangulated into interparental conflict are at increased risk for psychological maladjustment. However, little is known about factors that may predict family risk for triangulating adolescents, or protective factors that can off-set this risk. In this study, we conducted longitudinal tests of family, parent, and adolescent factors that might predict increases in triangulation over time. The sample included 174 adolescents and their mother figures from two-parent families (58% female; Mage = 14.75 years) who provided data on two occasions, six months apart. Hierarchical linear regression models evaluated family, parent, and adolescent risk factors for triangulation into interparental conflict, and subsequently parent's emotion coaching and adolescent gender as potential moderators of risk for triangulation. Findings revealed that low family cohesion, parent depression, and adolescent difficulties with emotion regulation represented risks for triangulation. Parent emotion coaching moderated the association between low interparental love and triangulation differentially based on adolescent gender.
Small fiber neuropathy in multiple sclerosis: A case series

Abstract Background Chronic neuropathic pain is a common and difficult to treat symptom in patients with MS. The etiology of pain is poorly understood and often thought to be centrally mediated. The response to treatment is suboptimal often resulting in poor quality of life Case series We present a series of 5 MS patients with intractable neuropathic pain and biopsy confirmed small fiber neuropathy. Method A retrospective case series of 5 MS patients with SFN. All skin biopsies and exams were performed by a trained neurologist at our institution (Brown Neurology). Specimens were processed and studied at Therapath Neuropathology (545 West 45th street New York NY 10036). Conclusion The diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy may have significant implications in the understanding and treatment of chronic pain in MS patients.
Review of: Levy H “And The Blood Cried out. A Prosecutor's Spell-binding Account of the Power of DNA”

Rarely, does a technically accurate work provide a concise (223 page) yet intriguing narrative. Harlan Levy's straightforward account of the introduction of DNA technology into the criminal justice system makes for easy and informative reading. The hard-bound, well-edited, carefully-referenced edition should be a required textbook for students of the law and forensic sciences, but it may well be consumed by those who find pleasure in detective stories. The book has ten chapters that provide details of some very famous and infamous legal cases that arose during the first “DNA decade”. These narratives were selected because defendants were found guilty or innocent on the bases of (or despite) VNTR and/or PCR matching of DNA contained in blood or semen evidence to DNA of the blood of suspects.
Tetraploid Artemisia annua hairy roots produce more artemisinin than diploids

Hairy root cultures of diploid Artemisia annua L. (clone YUT16) grow rapidly and produce the antimalarial sesquiterpene artemisinin. Little is known about how polyploidy affects the growth of transformed hairy roots and the production of secondary metabolites. Using colchicine, we produced four stable tetraploid clones of A. annua L. from the YUT16 hairy root clone. Analysis showed major differences in growth and artemisinin production compared to the diploid clone. Tetraploid clones produced up to six times more artemisinin than the diploid parent. This study provides an initial step in increasing our understanding of the role of polyploidy in secondary metabolite production, especially in hairy roots.
Platforms or Franchisors? Two Contractual Forms When Consumers Care About Quality

Platform markets (two-sided markets) tend to be analyzed in the context of pricing frameworks. Scant attention has been paid to a complementary line of thought, which is based on the observation that in many cases enhancing the quality of goods and services running on the platform may be as important for platform markets as getting the prices right. This paper analyzes two contracting choices that a platform intermediary (program designer) may have to solve the inherent problems of moral hazard and adverse selection. Specifically, the intermediary needs to incentivize a developer (seller) to ex ante invest in quality development for his product or service since consumers expect high-quality applications. In line with the emerging literature on platform rules and regulation we identify two contractual forms: a vertically integrated platform mode of contracting that involves a relatively closer contractual relationship where the platform intermediary charges the consumers, and the fixed-fee franchise contract in which the platform charges the developer and the latter sells directly to the consumers. While platform contracting shows second-best distortions in the optimal contract, the fixed-fee contract generally achieves a first-best solution but is limited to a setting with a risk-neutral developer.
A 12b 70MS/s SAR ADC with digital startup calibration in 14nm CMOS

A 12b 70MS/s sub-2 radix SAR ADC designed on Intel's 14nm tri-gate CMOS process is presented. It utilizes a startup calibration for correcting capacitor mismatches in its CDAC. The calibration is fully digital and doesn't require accurate references or input signals. The sub-2 radix architecture provides redundancy that improves speed. The comparator has a novel preamplifier that helps achieve low-noise and high-speed operation. The ADC achieves 68.1dB SNDR, 80dB SFDR, 70MS/s speed, and consumes 4.3mW power.
Somatostatin Inhibition of Basal and Carbachol-Stimulated Gastrin Release in Rat Antral Organ Culture

Abstract The effects of somatostatin on gastrin release and total gastrin immunoreactivity were examined under in vitro conditions in rat antral organ culture experiments. Basal antral gastrin release was inhibited by somatostatin. Total culture gastrin contents (culture medium gastrin plus extracted antral mucosal gastrin) at 6 h were reduced significantly by 10 −5 M (p −4 M (p −5 M), was suppressed by somatostatin: at 30 min and 6 h of culture 10 −8 M somatostatin inhibited carbachol-stimulated gastrin release by 66% and 54%, respectively, and 10 −5 M and 10 −4 M somatostatin completely abolished gastrin release. The rate of gastrin release stimulated by carbachol was suppressed significantly by each dose of somatostatin examined (10 −8 M to 10 −4 M). The present studies indicate that somatostatin inhibits both gastrin secretion by cultured rat antral mucosa and total antral culture gastrin contents, and demonstrate that cholinergically-mediated gastrin secretion is inhibited by somatostatin.
Excited State Energy Transfer Pathways in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers. 2. Heterodimer Special Pair

Ultrafast singlet excited state energy transfer occurs from the monomeric chromophores to the primary electron donor or special pair in photosynthetic reaction centers. The mechanism of this proces...
Focus-Assist Device for a Flying-Spot Microscope

Uncertainty in locating optimum focus can be a major problem when a scanning microscope is used as an input to a quantitative image-analysis system. Our novel solution to this problem is to maximize the integral of the video light-loss signal above a threshold, when the threshold is arbitrarily set above background and within the range of grayness of the image. This algorithm has been incorporated into a real-time analog device to monitor the quality of focus. The focus-assist device uses IC operational amplifiers and has a bandpass of 0.5 MHz. When the device is used with images of metaphase chromosomes, the standard deviation of optimum focus is reduced to 0.09 ?m as contrasted to the unassisted value of 0.37 ?m. The device is simple, fast, reliable, and extremely sensitive. It should have general application to both macro- and microscopic scanning systems.
BIFURCATIONS IN TWINKLING OSCILLATORS

We present the underlying dynamics of snap-through structures that exhibit twinkling. Twinkling occurs when the nonlinear structure is loaded slowly and the masses snap-through, converting the low frequency input to high frequency oscillations. We have studied a nonlinear spring-mass chain loaded by a quasistatic pull. The spring forces are assumed to be cubic with intervals of negative stiffness. Depending on the parameters, the system has equilibria at multiple energy levels. The normal form and the bifurcation behaviors for the single and two degree of freedom systems are studied in detail. A new type of bifurcation, which we refer to as a star bifurcation, has been observed for the symmetric two degree of freedom system, which is of codimension four for the undamped case, and codimension three or two for the damped case, depending on the form of the damping.
Issues in benchmarking and assessing institutional engagement

A range of instruments and strategies has been employed to benchmark and measure the institutionalization of community engagement.
Millimeter (mm)-wave wireless NoC as interconnection backbone for multicore chips: promises and challenges

The continuing progress and integration levels in silicon technologies make complete end-user systems on a single chip possible. This massive level of integration makes modern multi-core chips all pervasive in domains ranging from weather forecasting, astronomical data analysis, and biological applications to consumer electronics and smart phones. NoCs have emerged as communication backbones to enable a high degree of integration in multi-core SoCs. Despite their advantages, an important performance limitation in traditional NoCs arises from planar metal interconnect-based multi-hop communications, wherein the data transfer between far-apart blocks causes high latency and power consumption. The latency, power consumption, and interconnect routing problems of NoCs can be simultaneously addressed by replacing multi-hop wired paths with high-bandwidth single-hop long-range wireless links. Recent investigations have established that the silicon integrated on-chip antenna operating in the millimeter wave range of a few tens to one hundred GHz is now a viable technology. Coupled with significant advances in mm-wave transceiver design, this opens up new opportunities for detailed investigations into wireless NoCs (WiNoCs). This talk will present methodologies and challenges for designing WiNoC architectures.