cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distinct amino acid–sensing mTOR pathways regulate skeletal myogenesis

Signaling through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in response to amino acid availability controls many cellular and developmental processes. mTOR is a master regulator of myogenic differentiation, but the pathways mediating amino acid signals in this process are not known. Here we examine the Rag GTPases and the class III phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) Vps34, two mediators of amino acid signals upstream of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) in cell growth regulation, for their potential involvement in myogenesis. We find that, although both Rag and Vps34 mediate amino acid activation of mTORC1 in C2C12 myoblasts, they have opposing functions in myogenic differentiation. Knockdown of RagA/B enhances, whereas overexpression of active RagB/C mutants impairs, differentiation, and this inhibitory function of Rag is mediated by mTORC1 suppression of the IRS1-PI3K-Akt pathway. On the other hand, Vps34 is required for myogenic differentiation. Amino acids activate a Vps34-phospholipase D1 (PLD1) pathway that controls the production of insulin-like growth factor II, an autocrine inducer of differentiation, through the Igf2 muscle enhancer. The product of PLD, phosphatidic acid, activates the enhancer in a rapamycin-sensitive but mTOR kinase-independent manner. Our results uncover amino acid-sensing mechanisms controlling the homeostasis of myogenesis and underline the versatility and context dependence of mTOR signaling.
Treatment outcomes of micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation in advanced glaucoma

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The goal of this study was to describe our experience with the novel micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC; IRIDEX IQ810 Laser Systems, CA) in patients with advanced glaucoma. Patients with advanced glaucoma who underwent MP-TSCPC were included in our study. Laser settings were 2000 mW of 810 nm infrared diode laser set on micropulse delivery mode. The laser was delivered over 360° for 100-240 s. The duty cycle was 31.3 %, which translated to 0.5 ms of "on time" and 1.1 ms of "off time." Surgical success was defined as an intraocular pressure (IOP) of 6-21 mmHg or a reduction of IOP by 20 % at the last follow-up visit. Failure was defined as an inability to meet the criteria for success or a need for incisional glaucoma surgery. Nineteen patients underwent MP-TSCPC with mean follow-up of 60.3 days. Mean IOP dropped from 37.9 mmHg preoperatively to 22.7 mmHg at last follow-up, representing a 40.1 % decrease. The success rate for initial treatment was 73.7 % (n = 14). Three patients underwent a second treatment, increasing the overall success rate to 89.5 % (n = 17). Four patients gained one line of vision, and four patients lost one line of vision. The novel MP-TSCPC laser had a high rate of surgical success after a short follow-up period in patients with advanced glaucoma. Further long-term evaluation and comparison to the traditional transscleral cyclophotocoagulation are warranted.
Epididymal Sparing Bilateral Simple Orchiectomy: Cost-Effectiveness and Aesthetic Preservation for Men with Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Abstract Introduction In the last 2 decades medical androgen deprivation therapy has replaced surgical castration for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. We assessed costs and patient satisfaction associated with epididymal sparing bilateral simple orchiectomy in an underinsured, immigrant population. Methods We performed epididymal sparing bilateral simple orchiectomy in patients with metastatic prostate cancer between January 2003 and September 2014 at our institution. Procedures were performed in the operating room with the patient under general anesthesia and later under conscious sedation. Associated material and facility costs were calculated and compared to costs of androgen deprivation therapy with leuprolide or degarelix. Medication costs were calculated using wholesale acquisition costs. Patient satisfaction and body image perception were evaluated using a survey questionnaire. Results A total of 108 orchiectomies were performed in the operating room and 12 in the outpatient unit. The total cost of bilateral simple orchiectomy in the operating room was $4,118. By performing orchiectomy in the outpatient unit we reduced the cost to $2,101. The cost of orchiectomy in the operating room is the equivalent of 4 months of leuprolide and 7.8 months of degarelix. When performed in the outpatient clinic the cost of bilateral simple orchiectomy is equivalent to 2.1 months of leuprolide and 4 months of degarelix. Overall 95% of participants surveyed were pleased with the surgical results. Conclusions The average life expectancy of men with metastatic prostate cancer is 30 months and, thus, a onetime surgical cost offers significant cost savings. Further cost reductions are achieved by performing bilateral simple orchiectomy in the outpatient setting. By sparing the epididymis, patients are left with a sense of testicular preservation. Epididymal sparing bilateral simple orchiectomy is a cost-effective and cosmetically acceptable method of androgen deprivation therapy for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
Internal and external TEA block in single cloned K+ channels

Tetraethylammonium (TEA) has been used recently to probe natural and mutational variants of voltage-dependent K+ channels encoded by cDNA clones. Its usefulness as a probe of channel structure prompted us to examine the molecular mechanism by which TEA blocks single-channel currents in Xenopus oocytes expressing the rat brain K+ channel, RCK2. TEA at the intracellular surface of membrane patches decreased channel open time and increased the duration of closed intervals. Tetrapentylammonium had similar but more potent effects. Extracellular application of TEA caused an apparent reduction of single-channel amplitude. Block was slower at the high-affinity internal site than at the low-affinity external site. Internal TEA selectively blocks open K+ channels, and the voltage dependence of the block indicates that the binding site lies within the membrane electric field at a point 25% of the distance from the cytoplasmic margin. External TEA also interacts with the open channel but is less sensitive to membrane potential. The results indicate that the internal and external TEA binding sites define the inner and outer margins of the aqueous pore.
Cajal bodies are linked to genome conformation

The mechanisms underlying nuclear body (NB) formation and their contribution to genome function are unknown. Here we examined the non-random positioning of Cajal bodies (CBs), major NBs involved in spliceosomal snRNP assembly and their role in genome organization. CBs are predominantly located at the periphery of chromosome territories at a multi-chromosome interface. Genome-wide chromosome conformation capture analysis (4C-seq) using CB-interacting loci revealed that CB-associated regions are enriched with highly expressed histone genes and U small nuclear or nucleolar RNA (sn/snoRNA) loci that form intra- and inter-chromosomal clusters. In particular, we observed a number of CB-dependent gene-positioning events on chromosome 1. RNAi-mediated disassembly of CBs disrupts the CB-targeting gene clusters and suppresses the expression of U sn/snoRNA and histone genes. This loss of spliceosomal snRNP production results in increased splicing noise, even in CB-distal regions. Therefore, we conclude that CBs contribute to genome organization with global effects on gene expression and RNA splicing fidelity.
The Bouba-Kiki Phenomenon Tested via Schematic Drawings of Facial Expressions: Further Validation of the Internal Simulation Hypothesis.

Sound-shape associations involving consistent matching of nonsense words such as ‘bouba’ and ‘kiki’ with curved and angular shapes, respectively, have been replicated in several studies. The purpos...
The inhibition of CD1d-mediated antigen presentation upon an HSV-1 infection is VP22-dependent (VIR1P.1134)

CD1d-restricted T (NKT) cells are important for controlling a herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. One of the mechanisms of immune evasion by HSV is to down-regulate CD1d-mediated activation of NKT cells. VP22 is an HSV-1-encoded protein responsible for reorganizing the host cell’s cytoskeletal network and viral spreading. We have shown that modification of the cytoskeleton can alter CD1d-mediated antigen presentation. In this study, we found an HSV-1 lacking VP22 (ΔUL49) was impaired in its ability to inhibit CD1d-mediated antigen presentation compared to wild-type (WT) virus; this was reversed by a repair virus (UL49R) in CD1d-expressing cells. Of importance, the effects of VP22 were shown to be exerted on the T322/S323 dyad, critical residues for the virus to reduced antigen presentation. We further demonstrated that CD1d recycling was inhibited by infection with WT and UL49R, but not ΔUL49 virus. Rather than inhibiting antigen presentation by CD1d, ectopic expression of VP22 in CD1d-expressing cells complemented the VP22-deficient virus in inhibiting antigen presentation. Therefore, VP22 is required (but not sufficient) for the inhibition of CD1d-mediated antigen presentation by an HSV-1 infection.
Preservation of Sexual Potency in Prostatic Cancer Patients After Pelvic Lymphadenectomy and Retropubic 125I Implantation

AbstractSexual histories were obtained from 51 patients (average age 67. 7 years) with prostatic cancer and their spouses before and after pelvic lymphadenectomy and retropubic 125iodine implantation. Sexual potency was retained in 40 of the 41 patients who were sexually active preoperatively. Ten patients were sexually inactive p:reoperatively: 4 with diminished potency and 6 with complete erectile impotence. Sexual dysfunction was most often psychogenic in origin. At 6 months 5 of these patients had resmned satisfactory sexual intercourse as a result of reassurance, encouragement and education of remaining sexual potential. No patient suffered complete erectile impotence as a result of the procedure.
Amino acid supplementation of low-protein diets for swine: effects of gestation treatment on reproductive performance of gilts and sows.

The effect of lysine and tryptophan addition to an all-corn diet fortified with vitamins and minerals fed to gestating gilts and sows was studied in a series of five trials. The experiments were designed to establish the effect of the addition of the two amino acids on: 1) N balance, 2) reproductive performance over two consecutive parities and 3) the immune response of the gestating gilt and transfer of immune proteins to the nursing pig. Nitrogen retention by gravid gilts fed an all-corn gestation diet increased (P less than .05) in response to lysine addition, but was not affected by subsequent addition of tryptophan. Daily N retention of gravid gilts fed the corn or corn and amino acid-supplemented diets was lower than that of gilts fed a 12% crude protein (CP) diet. Reproductive performance for two parities, as evaluated by gestation and lactation weight gain and, number and weight of pigs at birth and at 28 d was similar among treatments. Evaluation of the amino acid status of gestating gilts by measurement of the development of specific antibody response to sheep red blood cells and bovine serum albumin showed a trend for improved antibody development in gilts fed corn diets supplemented with both lysine and tryptophan and in the passive immunity of their offspring. Total whey protein and globulin content of 0-h colostrum was not affected by dietary treatment. The lack of a depression in reproductive performance of gilts fed an all-corn diet could be because of compensatory N retention. During the 4 to 5 d before parturition, all gilts were fed the 12% protein control diet. Gilts that were fed a corn diet from d 1 to 108 of gestation retained 40% more (P less than .01) N from d 109 to 114 of gestation than gilts that had been fed the 12% protein diet throughout gestation.
Update on MR Enterography: Potentials and Pitfalls

This article serves to review the role of MR Enterography (MRE) in current clinical practice. Optimal technique is described based on recent consensus guidelines, as well as the potential role of optional and emerging sequences. The value of MRE for assessing patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is highlighted, including diagnosis, disease subtyping, detecting extraintestinal findings, and identifying complications, including particular attention to how these findings may be used for treatment decision-making. We specifically address the advantages and disadvantages of MRE compared to CT Enterography, including recently updated American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria for Crohn disease. Although less well established, we also discuss the utility of MRE in evaluating noninflammatory small bowel pathologies. Beyond initial diagnosis and disease phenotype characterization, MRE is increasingly incorporated into clinical indices used for treatment decision-making and assessing bowel damage longitudinally. Detecting and quantifying fibrosis remains a challenge in imaging for IBD, but some MRE sequences, such as magnetization transfer (MT) imaging, or fusion modalities, such as PET/MRE, have shown promise in providing functional information and offering meaningful biomarkers. MRE is also increasingly utilized for applications outside of IBD, such as screening for or assessing small bowel neoplasms. MRE is a valuable noninvasive technique for imaging the entire gastrointestinal tract and extraintestinal organs in a single examination without ionizing radiation. In IBD, MRE allows for accurate initial diagnosis and subtyping by assessing the bowel lumen, bowel wall, and surrounding structures simultaneously. Reliably predicting and quantifying fibrosis remains a challenge, but novel techniques, including fusion PET/MRE and MT imaging, offer promise. Quantitative MRE indices have also been developed and validated for assessing treatment response in patients with IBD, which can help guide treatment toward mucosal healing.
A Critical Period in Purkinje Cell Development Is Mediated by Local Estradiol Synthesis, Disrupted by Inflammation, and Has Enduring Consequences Only for Males.

Identifying and understanding critical periods in brain development is essential to decoding the long-term impact of widespread, poorly defined, and frequently occurring insults such as inflammation. Using the laboratory rat Rattus norvegicus , we have discovered a narrowly constrained critical period in Purkinje neuron development subject to dysregulation by inflammation. The onset and offset of heightened vulnerability are attributed to a tightly orchestrated gene expression profile present only during the second postnatal week and not the first or third weeks. Genes expressed during this time code for enzymes and receptors which are critical not only for prostaglandin production and activity but also for estradiol production via the aromatase enzyme and estradiol action via the α isoform of the estrogen receptor. The two synthetic pathways are connected by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) activation of the aromatase enzyme, as we reported previously (Dean et al., 2012b) and confirm here. Dysregulation of the PGE2–estradiol pathway during the second week by treatment with PGE2 or lipopolysaccharides produces enduring consequences as a result of reduced growth of Purkinje dendritic trees and impaired juvenile social play behavior, but only in males. The deleterious consequences of inflammation locally in the cerebellum are prevented by peripheral treatment with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor nimesulide or the aromatase inhibitor formestane. These findings highlight a novel regulatory pathway that creates a critical period in brain development vulnerable to dysregulation by inflammation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The cerebellum is increasingly appreciated for its role in social, emotional, and cognitive behaviors. It is consistently and severely affected in neuropsychiatric disorders originating during development, such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. We have identified a critical period in rat development during the second week of life that is dysregulated by inflammatory insults. An intrinsic program of gene expression determines the critical period. The enduring consequences of inflammation during the second postnatal week are stunted dendrites of the cerebellum9s principal neurons, Purkinje cells, and impairments in later social behavior. These changes are not evident if inflammation occurs during the first or third week, highlighting the importance of fine-grained analyses of developmental processes and the factors that influence them.
Sample-based Models of Protein Structural Transitions

Modeling structural transitions of a protein at equilibrium is central to understanding function modulation but challenging due to the disparate spatio-temporal scales involved. Of particular interest are sampling-based methods that embed sampled structures in discrete, graph-based models of dynamics to answer path queries. These methods have to balance between further exploiting low-energy regions and exploring unpopulated, possibly high-energy regions needed for a transition. We recently presented a strategy that leverages experimentally-known structures to improve sampling. Here we demonstrate how such structures can further be leveraged to improve both exploitation and exploration and obtain paths of very high granularity. We show that such improvement is key to accurate sample-based modeling of structural transitions. We further demonstrate that ranking methods by the best transition cost obtained can be deceptive, as denser sampling, which follows a rugged landscape more faithfully, may result in higher costs. The work presented here improves understanding of the current capabilities and limitations of sampling-based methods. Proposing strategies to address some of these limitations in this paper is a first step towards sampling-based methods becoming reliable tools for modeling protein structural transitions.
Fetal trisomy 8 mosaicism associated with truncus arteriosus Type I

In contrast to complete trisomy 8, which occurs in 0.8% of spontaneous pregnancy losses and is usually lethal, trisomy 8 mosaicism (Warkany syndrome 2), occurs in between 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 births and entails a widely variable phenotype including central nervous, ocular, cardiac, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and musculoskeletal abnormalities. Individuals with trisomy 8 mosaicism may exhibit developmental delays and are at increased risk of developing leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. We present an unusual case in which midtrimester sonographic diagnosis of fetal truncus arteriosus type I at 18 weeks' gestation, led to amniocentesis with an initial normal karyotype. Microarray analysis detected fetal trisomy 8 mosaicism. Systematic literature search reveals that the association between truncus arteriosus and trisomy 8 mosaicism has not been reported previously.
Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool (NEFPAT): Development and Evaluation.

Objective To develop and evaluate a nutrition environment assessment tool to assess the consumer nutrition environment and use of recommended practices in food pantries. Methods The Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool (NEFPAT) was developed based on a literature review and guidance from professionals working with food pantries. The tool was pilot-tested at 9 food pantries, an expert panel assessed content validity, and interrater reliability was evaluated by pairs in 3 pantries. After revisions, the NEFPAT was used in 27 pantries. Results Pilot tests indicated positive appraisal for the NEFPAT and recommendations were addressed. The NEFPAT's 6 objectives and the overall tool were rated as content valid by experts, with an average section rating of 3.85 ± 0.10. Intraclass correlation coefficients for interrater reliability were >0.90. Conclusions and implications The NEFPAT is content valid with high interrater reliability. It provides baseline data that could be valuable for interventions within the nutrition environment of food pantries.
Rousing a Response: When the United States Changes Policy toward Mass Killing

When do U.S. presidents change policy to respond with increased intensity to mass killings of civilians in other countries? The twentieth century witnessed a series of state-sponsored mass killings...
Spin-Center Shift-Enabled Direct Enantioselective α-Benzylation of Aldehydes with Alcohols

Nature routinely engages alcohols as leaving groups, as DNA biosynthesis relies on the removal of water from ribonucleoside diphosphates by a radical-mediated “spin-center shift” (SCS) mechanism. Alcohols, however, remain underused as alkylating agents in synthetic chemistry due to their low reactivity in two-electron pathways. We report herein an enantioselective α-benzylation of aldehydes using alcohols as alkylating agents based on the mechanistic principle of spin-center shift. This strategy harnesses the dual activation modes of photoredox and organocatalysis, engaging the alcohol by SCS and capturing the resulting benzylic radical with a catalytically generated enamine. Mechanistic studies provide evidence for SCS as a key elementary step, identify the origins of competing reactions, and enable improvements in chemoselectivity by rational photocatalyst design.
Variable temperature PXRD investigation of the phase changes during the dehydration of potassium Tutton salts

The thermal dehydration of the potassium Tutton salts K2M(SO4)2·6H2O (M = Mg, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) was investigated using thermal gravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FTIR, and variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction. While each Tutton salts lost all six waters of hydration when heated to 500 K, the decomposition pathway depended on the divalent metal cation. K2Ni(SO4)2·6H2O lost all six waters in a single step, and K2Cu(SO4)2·6H2O consistently lost water in two steps in capped and uncapped cells. In contrast, multiple decomposition pathways were observed for the magnesium, cobalt, and zinc Tutton salts when capped and uncapped TG cells were used. K2Zn(SO4)2·6H2O lost the waters of hydration in a single step in an uncapped cell and in two steps in a capped cell. Both K2Mg(SO4)2·6H2O and K2Co(SO4)2·6H2O decomposed in a series of steps where the stability of the intermediates depended on the cell configuration. A greater number of phases were often observed in DSC and capped-cells TG experiments. A quasi-equilibrium model is presented that could explain this observation. These results highlight that experimental conditions play a critical role in the observed thermal decomposition pathway of Tutton salts.
Interactions of Intracellular Ca2+ Pools in Vascular Smooth Muscle

On the basis of Heilbrunn and Wiercinsky’s discovery1 that muscle contraction was initiated by an increase in [Ca2+]i, transients in tension development have been used as indicators of Ca2+ release from intracellular pools. The report by Filo et al. 2 of detergent skinned smooth muscle contraction induced by increments of [Ca2+] in the bathing solution validated this method for this tissue. However the more recent discovery of modulation of myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity by agonists does complicate the quantitative aspects of this indirect method3. This is especially true if different agents are used to mobilize the intracellular pools.
Positive feedback and feedforward loops between PERIANTHIA, WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX5 and GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR 1 modulate gene expression and function in the Arabidopsis root

Abstract The Arabidopsis root meristem consists of populations of stem cells that surround the mitotically less active cells known as the Quiescent Center (QC). The QC maintains the stem cells in a non-cell-autonomous manner through the function of the transcription factor (TF) WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX5 (WOX5), which is required for columella stem cell (CSC) maintenance. However, whether WOX5 has a regulatory role in any other adjacent stem cells is less understood. To this end, we identified a set of TFs downstream of WOX5 in both QC and Cortex Endodermis Initial (CEI) cells. We then utilized Gene Regulatory Network (GRN) inference to identify GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR 1 (GIF1) as a key gene involved in positive feedback and feedforward loops with WOX5 as well as another stem cell regulator, PERIANTHIA (PAN). Finally, we constructed an ordinary differential equation model based on this inferred GRN to simulate GIF1, PAN, and WOX5 expression over time, which suggests the precise temporal expression of WOX5 and GIF1 is important to sustain QC function.
Education and new technologies: perils and promises for learners

Asked to imagine a fictional character Mary from 1927 stepping into our modern world, Kieron Sheehy and Andrew Holliman (2018) in their book, Education and new technologies: perils and promises for...
A new continuum model of the incoherent interface compared with growth of a spinel rim on an olivine grain

Abstract In a polymorphic change in which the phases differ only by a reversible difference in specific volume, kinematics requires a unit mass to suffer deviatoric strain in the instant it is transformed. Unlike the Eshelby stress–free strain, this strain is a property of the motion. Its existence must be considered when formulating the constitutive relation for the product of an incoherent transformation. To show this, two models are compared: in both, the (Nabarro) condition of vanishing shear stress is imposed at the incoherent interface; they differ only in the treatment of the deviatoric strain at issue. In the existing model, deviatoric stress within a unit mass of product is determined by total deviatoric strain from its initial state as parent phase. In the new model, lattice reconstruction is assumed to erase all memory within the unit mass of deviatoric strain suffered before, or during, its transformation. The existing model is not consistent with experiments on the olivine spinel–phase change in single crystals. It predicts that when the pressure applied exceeds a critical value, samples should transform completely at almost constant rate; instead, growth is seen to slow, and may even cease. The new model predicts this. Without adjustable constants, fair agreement is obtained with experiments on samples having 75–200 ppmw of water. Because elastic deformation by itself can explain those observations, the very thin rims seen on even drier samples suggest that water may be essential to lattice reconstruction in this phase change.
Automated Deformation-Based Analysis of 3D Optical Coherence Tomography in Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and a leading cause of vision impairment in working age adults. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a routinely used clinical tool to observe retinal structural and thickness alterations in DR. Pathological changes that alter the normal anatomy of the retina, such as intraretinal edema, pose great challenges for conventional layer-based analysis of OCT images. We present an alternative approach for the automated analysis of OCT volumes in DR research based on nonlinear registration. In this paper, we first obtain an anatomically consistent volume of interest (VOI) in different OCT images via carefully designed masking and affine registration. After that, efficient B-spline transformations are computed using stochastic gradient descent optimization. Using the OCT volumes of normal controls, for which layer-based segmentation works well, we demonstrate the accuracy of our registration-based analysis in aligning layer boundaries. By nonlinearly registering the OCT volumes of DR subjects to an atlas constructed from normal controls and measuring the Jacobian determinant of the deformation, we can simultaneously visualize tissue contraction and expansion due to DR pathology. Tensor-based morphometry (TBM) can also be performed for quantitative analysis of local structural changes. In our experimental results, we apply our method to a dataset of 105 subjects and demonstrate that volumetric OCT registration and TBM analysis can successfully detect local retinal structural alterations due to DR.
Surgical management of stomal prolapse – Is there a superior approach to repair?

Abstract Background Stomal prolapse is an uncommon complication related to ostomy creation without comparative studies to suggest an optimal approach. Our aim was to assess long-term recurrence rates following surgical repair, specifically local repair vs. laparotomy. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent surgical correction of a prolapsed stoma by dedicated colorectal surgeons. The primary outcome was recurrence. We evaluated perioperative risk factors for long-term recurrence, focusing on the surgical approach. Results Over 12 years, 23 patients underwent 37 surgeries (median follow-up 24 months, range 1–126). Repeat operations for recurrence were performed in 43.5% of patients, 80% within one year. Recurrence was similar regardless of the surgical approach; 43.6% local repair vs 42.9% laparotomy (p = 0.41). Age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, ASA score, type of stoma, and urgency of repair were not associated with recurrence. Re-recurrence resulting in a third operation, occurred in 50% of patients. Conclusion Operative repair of stomal prolapse, regardless of approach, is associated with high recurrence rates. No identifiable factors were associated with recurrence.
To Help “La Gente”: Examining Helping People as a Motivation for Becoming an Officer in the Los Angeles Police Department Among Male Mexican American Officers:

The most commonly declared motivation for pursuing a career in law enforcement is helping people. As part of a study focusing on male Mexican American police officers in the Los Angeles Police Depa...
The EU’s Economic Governance: Development in the Context of Modern Challenges

The article explores the key milestones in the evolution of the economic governance system in the EU in the context of the current challenges facing the European economy. The European single currency is one of the most significant and tangible achievements of a United Europe, and is therefore not just a monetary project. It provides a basis for economies of the Member States to become more integrated with a view to supporting greater stability and prosperity. The architecture of the Economic and Monetary Union, established by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, is unique whereas it combines a single monetary policy that pursues the objective of price stability with decentralized fiscal and economic policies under the responsibility of Member States. In light of those considerations, the Treaty requires Member States to regard their economic policies as a matter of common concern and to coordinate them within the Council that is, at the intergovernmental level. Since the early 1990s, when the Maastricht Treaty laid the foundations of the single currency area, the EU has developed a very comprehensive and detailed framework for economic and fiscal surveillance. The framework is laid down in a range of secondary legislation, as well as in other documents that provide more details and transparency on how surveillance is carried out in practice. The framework has evolved in waves over time, with changes introduced in response to the emergence of new economic challenges, as well as based on the lessons gained in the implementation of the surveillance framework. In 1997, the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) was established so as to strengthen the monitoring and coordination of national fiscal and economic policies to permanently enforce the deficit and debt limits established by the Maastricht Treaty for all Member States. In the early 2000s, adherence to the nominal deficit targets of the SGP proved difficult for some Member States in a recessionary environment. That is why the SGP was reformed to allow for greater consideration of economic conditions. In response to the vulnerabilities exposed by the economic and financial crisis that hit the EU and the euro area after 2007, the EU took a series of measures to strengthen its economic governance and surveillance framework. They are relevant for all Member States, but have a number of specific features for those that use the euro. The revamped macroeconomic and budgetary surveillance were integrated into the European Semester, a common timeline for the coordination of economic and employment policies at EU level, and which was established in the same context. Thus, the EU’s economic governance has strengthened and improved over time, evolving in the context of historical events. Its future will depend, in particular, on which scenario for further development the EU ultimately chooses.
Particle Filter Based Localization of Access Points Using Direction of Arrival on Mobile Robots

Localization of autonomous vehicles in unknown and unstructured GPS-denied environments is still a relevant and major research challenge in the field of Robotics. Applications of such research can be found in search and rescue missions and connected vehicles, where multiple robots need an efficient solution for simultaneous localization through multi-sensor integration so that they can effectively cooperate and coordinate tasks amongst themselves. In this paper, we propose a novel method for estimating the position of a WiFi access point in relation to a moving robot. Specifically, we exploit the integration of two sensors: Direction-of-arrival (DOA) of WiFi signals and the robot’s odometry and combine them with Gaussian probabilistic sampling in a Particle Filter framework. We evaluate the proposed method in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency through extensive trials on datasets gathered from real-world measurements with mobile robots and compared our method against standard approaches. The results demonstrate superior localization accuracy (up to 3x improvement) and capability for most practical applications.
Toward Combatting COVID-19: A Risk Assessment System

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a significant public health emergency all over the world since it was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Until today, massive disease-related data have been collected, both manually and through the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), which can be potentially used to analyze the spread of the disease. On the other hand, with the help of IoMT, the analysis results of the current status of COVID-19 can be delivered to people in real time to enable situational awareness, which may help mitigate the disease spread in communities. However, current accessible data on COVID-19 are mostly at a macrolevel, such as for each state, county, or metropolitan area. For fine-grained areas, such as for each city, community, or geographical coordinate, COVID-19 data are usually not available, which prevents us from obtaining information on the disease spread in closer neighborhoods around us. To address this problem, in this article, we propose a two-level risk assessment system. In particular, we define a “risk index.” Then, we develop a risk assessment model, called MK-DNN, by taking advantage of the multikernel density estimation (MKDE) and deep neural network (DNN). We train MK-DNN at the macrolevel (for each metro area), which subsequently enables us to obtain the risk indices at the microlevel (for each geographic coordinate). Moreover, a heuristic validation method is further designed to help validate the obtained microlevel risk indices. Simulations conducted on real-world data demonstrate the accuracy and validity of our proposed risk assessment system.
Impact of Intrathecal Fentanyl on Hospital Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty With Neuraxial Anesthesia

Abstract Background Intrathecal opioids have been used to reduce pain after total joint arthroplasty; however, the utility of these drugs is disputed. We examined the impact of eliminating intrathecal fentanyl on outcomes for patients undergoing direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods Retrospective review of 376 THA patients from a single institution was conducted. Univariate analysis was used to compare intraoperative medication usage and postoperative outcomes for THA patients receiving intrathecal fentanyl compared with those who did not receive intrathecal fentanyl. Results Recovery room pain scores were significantly lower for patients who received intrathecal fentanyl (intrathecal fentanyl 1.4 vs no 2.2, P = .001), but no difference in opioid consumption was observed (intrathecal fentanyl 9.3 milligram morphine equivalent vs no 10.5 milligram morphine equivalent, P = .200). Intraoperative use and dose of intravenous morphine, hydromorphone, and dexamethasone did not differ significantly between groups. There were no significant differences in length of stay between the groups (intrathecal fentanyl 1.1 days vs 1.1 days, P = .973), 90-day readmission, or recatherization rates between groups (readmission, intrathecal fentanyl 4.8% vs no 5.8%, P = .709; recatherization, intrathecal fentanyl 0% vs no 0.7%, P = 1.00). Conclusion The administration of intrathecal fentanyl does not have a significant effect on early postoperative narcotic consumption, length of stay, 90-day readmissions, or recatheterization after THA with neuraxial anesthesia. Intrathecal fentanyl does not appear to improve outcomes and should not be included as a standard element of THA rapid recovery protocols.
Method for Solving Bang-Bang and Singular Optimal Control Problems using Adaptive Radau Collocation

A method is developed for solving bang-bang and singular optimal control problems using adaptive Legendre-Gauss-Radau (LGR) collocation. The method is divided into several parts. First, a structure detection method is developed that identifies switch times in the control and analyzes the corresponding switching function for segments where the solution is either bang-bang or singular. Second, after the structure has been detected, the domain is decomposed into multiple domains such that the multiple-domain formulation includes additional decision variables that represent the switch times in the optimal control. In domains classified as bang-bang, the control is set to either its upper or lower limit. In domains identified as singular, the objective function is augmented with a regularization term to avoid the singular arc. An iterative procedure is then developed for singular domains to obtain a control that lies in close proximity to the singular control. The method is demonstrated on five examples, four of which have either a bang-bang and/or singular optimal control while the fifth has a smooth and nonsingular optimal control. The results demonstrate that the method of this paper provides accurate solutions to problems whose solutions are either bang-bang or singular when compared against previously developed mesh refinement methods that are not tailored for solving nonsmooth and/or singular optimal control problems, and produces results that are equivalent to those obtained using previously developed mesh refinement methods for optimal control problems whose solutions are smooth.
Mechanistically guided survey of enantioselective palladium-catalyzed alkene functionalization

Palladium-catalyzed alkene functionalization was discovered more than 60 years ago and is now a commonly used strategy for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and materials. The development of asymmetric variants of this reaction is described in this short review. The review is organized around the mechanistic challenges that have hampered the development of these transformations for various substrate classes, as well as the strategies, ligand classes, and additives that have been introduced to overcome them. New methodologies for Heck, oxidative Heck, dehydrogenative Heck, and Wacker-type reactions are highlighted, with a special focus on the progression from cyclic to acyclic to electronically unbiased olefin substrates.
Observer descriptions of the empathic person: a look at the Davis IRI and Hogan empathy scales.

We report the different personality profiles associated with five different empathy scales assessed by the face valid Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the empirically derived Hogan Empathy Scale. Participants arranged in groups of 5-7 worked and socialized together in groups for nine weeks before evaluating each other using Ten-Item Personality Inventory. We also recruited the friends and family members of participants to complete Q-Set descriptions of them. As hypothesized, Empathic Concern from the IRI was associated with a target's apparent Agreeableness, a trait that includes the sub-trait of being altruistic. Hogan Empathy, however, was associated more strongly with judgments of a target's Extraversion and Openness, which are traits more aligned with the notion of an empathic counselor as opposed to a bystander intervener. These results make it clear that different empathy scales not only assess theoretically distinct empathy facets but also qualitatively different interpersonal behavior (i.e., perceptions made by family, friends, and colleagues of a target's behavioral and interaction tendencies).
Style, Gender, and Fantasy in Nineteenth-Century American Women's Writing: Coda: The value of ornament: Gilman and Wharton

Hopkins is certainly not the only writer to return to highly wrought style and assess its value for a later moment. Hopkins finds its mediation of spirit and sense particularly salient regarding her quest for a more capacious and just embodiment of African American female desire, and she adapts highly wrought techniques to her innovation of a new generic as well as stylistic form. Hopkins' contemporaries Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Edith Wharton isolate and reflect on another aspect of highly wrought style: they turn specifically to the political efficacy of ornament in highly wrought fiction to interrogate its value for a moment when the middle- and upper-class white woman is increasingly excluded from social and political economy, a position often cast as “ornamental.” Both authors offer a critical meta-reflection on, rather than a stylistic adaptation of, the entwined compositional and social value of ornament as a potential idiom for women's expression and representation. Gilman most memorably engages the intersection of female expression and ornamentality in “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” and in its predecessor in her oeuvre, “The Giant Wistaria.” The paper and the wisteria, both ornaments of the “arabesque” style (the wallpaper explicitly so) weigh so heavily on their supporting structures – walls and homes that imprison women – that they pull them down quite literally. But the victory is pyrrhic, as Gilman's ornaments also entangle and seem to sacrifice the women whose desire they encode.
Image reconstruction from frequency domain data on arbitrary contours

This paper presents a new view of the problem of image reconstruction in the spatial Fourier domain based on the generalized projections of a two-dimensional image. The algorithms that are presented are derived from the exact continuous relations between the Fourier transforms of a spatially limited image and those of its generalized projections. A Fourier domain reconstruction formula is derived that is a natural consequence of these relations giving values of the two-dimensional transform on a regular grid useful for inverse FFT. This approach is contrasted with the more ad hoc methods of Fourier domain interpolation and with the spatial domain approaches such as the backprojection and backpropagation methods.
Adjusting thresholds of satellite‐based convective initiation interest fields based on the cloud environment

[1] The Time-Space Exchangeability (TSE) concept states that similar characteristics of a given property are closely related statistically for objects or features within close proximity. In this exercise, the objects considered are growing cumulus clouds, and the data sets to be considered in a statistical sense are geostationary satellite infrared (IR) fields that help describe cloud growth rates, cloud top heights, and whether cloud tops contain significant amounts of frozen hydrometeors. In this exercise, the TSE concept is applied to alter otherwise static thresholds of IR fields of interest used within a satellite-based convective initiation (CI) nowcasting algorithm. The convective environment in which the clouds develop dictate growth rate and precipitation processes, and cumuli growing within similar mesoscale environments should have similar growth characteristics. Using environmental information provided by regional statistics of the interest fields, the thresholds are examined for adjustment toward improving the accuracy of 0–1 h CI nowcasts. Growing cumulus clouds are observed within a CI algorithm through IR fields for many 1000 s of cumulus cloud objects, from which statistics are generated on mesoscales. Initial results show a reduction in the number of false alarms of ~50%, yet at the cost of eliminating approximately ~20% of the correct CI forecasts. For comparison, static thresholds (i.e., with the same threshold values applied across the entire satellite domain) within the CI algorithm often produce a relatively high probability of detection, with false alarms being a significant problem. In addition to increased algorithm performance, a benefit of using a method like TSE is that a variety of unknown variables that influence cumulus cloud growth can be accounted for without need for explicit near-cloud observations that can be difficult to obtain.
Application of Technology in Accounting Instruction

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the application of technology in accounting instruction. The well-conceived use of technology in the accounting classroom can have a positive impact upon the quality of instruction. Previous studies have shown that its impact may be greatest among weaker students, and when providing instruction in areas of accounting that are conceptually complex. Another study of the effects of technology on instruction indicates that its introduction to the classroom may engender a positive change in student attitudes about accounting. Technology can be used in accounting courses in a variety of ways. Both presentation and learning technology applications are available today that can enhance the presentation, and understanding of accounting principles, and concepts. Applications of presentation technology that improve instruction in the lecture-oriented classroom setting include the use of electronic transparencies, and lecture enhancement videos. Learning technology applications that support the entire learning process consist of integrated practice sets, decision support systems, expert systems, student tutorial videos, CD ROM, and hypercard databases, and custom publishing application.
Library Research for the 99%: Reaching Out to the Occupy Wall Street Movement

This article describes how librarians from three different universities in the greater New York area came together through the myMETRO Researchers Project to reach out to Occupy Wall Street. Using social media and free online tools to partner with Occupy’s environmental subgroup, the authors overcame proprietary roadblocks, copyright challenges, and distrust/skepticism to discover the authentic information needs of activists and compile an annotated bibliography of scholarly research on the real-world impacts of climate change. This successful collaboration is an example of how institutions can be used as contact points through which individuals can affect change on society, and how librarians can partner with local community groups to combat information poverty and digital divides and promote open access and knowledge-sharing.