cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hexagotnal Silicon: A New Hrem Study

A new high resolution electron microscopy investigation of indentationinduced hexagonal silicon has been carried out using the JEOL 4000EX electron microscope. The better resolution of the microscope enables one to extract more structural information about this intriguing phase and its interface with the cubic phase. A new structural model for the cubic/- hexagonal interface is presented. Image simlations are carried out over a wide range of thickness and defocus for the new model and also a previous model due to Tan et al.
Thoracoscopic Ablation With Appendage Ligation Versus Medical Therapy for Stroke Prevention: A Proof-of-Concept Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVE Atrial fibrillation (AF) has a demonstrable effect on quality of life (QOL). Recurrent stroke occurs in 10% of patients with AF. The objective of this study was to demonstrate proof of concept that thoracoscopic pulmonary vein isolation and atrial appendage ligation (TPVIAL) could prevent recurrent stroke and could potentially improve QOL in patients with AF with a previous stroke. METHODS The study was a National Institutes of Health-funded single-center proof-of-concept design that randomized 23 patients with AF-related stroke to TPVIAL (n = 12) or to medical management (n = 11). Quality of life was the primary outcome variable; secondary end points included restoration of rhythm, recurrent stroke, and surgical morbidity. RESULTS Quality-of-life subscores at 3 and 6 months revealed improvements in energy and decreases in fatigue in the TPVIAL arm [baseline, 33 (19.8); 3 months, 49.5 (20.6), P = 0.01; 6 months, 55.5 (14.4), P = 0.03]. At 12-month follow-up, there were no recurrent strokes in the TPVIAL group. In the medically treated arm, two patients at 6 months (P = 0.22) and three total patients at 12 months (P = 0.09) had recurrent ischemic stroke. There was one death in the medical management arm. In the TPVIAL arm, no AF recurrence occurred in patients with paroxysmal AF, and one patient had recurrence of persistent and long-standing AF. Seven patients in the TPVIAL arm discontinued warfarin therapy for secondary stroke prevention. CONCLUSIONS This small proof-of-concept study showed that TPVIAL improved QOL on two subscores and restored normal sinus rhythm in all but one patient, and it showed the potential to prevent secondary stroke. A larger study will be needed.
Slo2.1 Potassium Channel Knockout Mice have an Altered Metabolic Phenotype in Cardiac Mitochondria

Mitochondrial K+ channels are important mediators of cell protection against stress. Although the existence of mitochondrial K+ channels can be demonstrated phenomenologically, intense debate surrounds their molecular identity, their role in patho-physiology, and their regulation by endogenous signals. The mammalian Slo family of K+ channels consists of Slo1, Slo2.1, Slo2.2 and Slo3. While Slo3 expression is restricted to the germline, Slo1, Slo2.1 and Slo2.2 are widely expressed. Examination of these channels has been limited to pharmacologic profiling which is hampered by overlapping sensitivities to activators and inhibitors, and off-target effects of small molecules. Work from our lab using genetic knockout mice has demonstrated that Slo1 in intrinsic cardiac neurons is required for protection against ischemia/reperfusion injury elicited by ischemic preconditioning, while Slo2.1 in cardiomyocytes is required for protection via anesthetic preconditioning. Slo2.1 is expressed in the heart and has been detected in the cell membranes of cardiomyocytes. We predict that Slo2.1 may also be a mitochondrial potassium channel. Herein we use pharmacologic activators and inhibitors of Slo2 channels in wildtype and Slo2.1-/- mice to demonstrate the presence of Slo2.1 in cardiac mitochondria. This was also confirmed directly by electophysiology (patch clamp) of isolated mitochondrial inner membranes (mitoplasts). Additional analysis of hearts, cardiomyocytes, and cardiac mitochondria from these knockout mice has revealed a metabolic phenotype, indicating a functional relationship between mitochondrial potassium channels and regulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. These data demonstrate a role for Slo2.1 in the regulation of cardiac mitochondrial function.
T cell Bim levels reflect responses to anti–PD-1 cancer therapy

Immune checkpoint therapy with PD-1 blockade has emerged as an effective therapy for many advanced cancers; however, only a small fraction of patients achieve durable responses. To date, there is no validated blood-based means of predicting the response to PD-1 blockade. We report that Bim is a downstream signaling molecule of the PD-1 pathway, and its detection in T cells is significantly associated with expression of PD-1 and effector T cell markers. High levels of Bim in circulating tumor-reactive (PD-1+CD11ahiCD8+) T cells were prognostic of poor survival in patients with metastatic melanoma who did not receive anti-PD-1 therapy and were also predictive of clinical benefit in patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with anti-PD-1 therapy. Moreover, this circulating tumor-reactive T cell population significantly decreased after successful anti-PD-1 therapy. Our study supports a crucial role of Bim in both T cell activation and apoptosis as regulated by PD-1 and PD-L1 interactions in effector CD8+ T cells. Measurement of Bim levels in circulating T cells of patients with cancer may provide a less invasive strategy to predict and monitor responses to anti-PD-1 therapy, although future prospective analyses are needed to validate its utility.
Biophysical influences on the spatial distribution of fire in the desert grassland region of the southwestern USA

Fire is an important driver of ecological processes in semiarid systems and serves a vital role in shrub-grass interactions. In desert grasslands of the southwestern US, the loss of fire has been implicated as a primary cause of shrub encroachment. Where fires can currently be re-introduced given past state changes and recent restoration actions, however, is unknown and controversial. Our objective was to evaluate the interactive effects of climate, urban development, and topo-edaphic properties on fire distribution in the desert grassland region of the southwestern United States. We characterized the spatial distribution of fire in the Chihuahuan Desert and Madrean Archipelago ecoregions and investigated the influence of soil properties and ecological site groups compared to other commonly used biophysical variables using multi-model inference. Soil-landscape properties significantly influenced the spatial distribution of fire ignitions. Fine-textured bottomland ecological site classes experienced more fires than expected in contrast to upland sites with coarse soil textures and high fragment content that experienced fewer fire ignitions than expected. Influences of mean annual precipitation, distance to road/rail, soil available water holding capacity (AWHC) and topographic variables varied between ecoregions and political jurisdictions and by fire season. AWHC explained more variability of fire ignitions in the Madrean Archipelago compared to the Chihuahuan Desert. Understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of recent fires in desert grasslands is needed to manage fire and predict responses to climate change. The use of landscape units such as ecological sites presents an opportunity to improve predictions at management scales.
GAW12: Simulated genome scan, sequence, and family data for a common disease

The Genetic Analysis Workshop (GAW) 12 simulated data involves a common disease defined by imposing a threshold on a quantitative liability distribution. Associated with the disease are five quantitative risk factors, a quantitative environmental exposure, and a dichotomous environmental variable. Age at disease onset and household membership were also simulated. Genotype data, including 2,855 microsatellites on 22 autosomes, were simulated for 1,497 individuals in 23 families. Phenotype data and sequence data for seven candidate genes were provided for 1,000 of these individuals who were "living" and available for study. Data were simulated for 50 replicate samples in each of two populations, a general population and a population isolate formed from a small group of founders.
Alkyl melibioside and alkyl cellobioside surfactants: effect of sugar headgroup and alkyl chain length on performance

The potential of glycolipid surfactants, composed of a sugar headgroup and lipid tail, as highly biodegradable and less toxic alternatives to commonly used surfactants motivates the systematic study of structure–function relationships of various glycolipid surfactants. Advances in the efficient synthesis of high purity amphipathic glycolipid surfactants enable the analysis of a diverse set of glycolipids. The solution phase properties of two suites of glycolipid surfactants, n-alkyl-O-melibiosides and n-alkyl-O-cellobiosides, with varying straight-chain alkyl tails of 8, 10 and 12 carbons are investigated in this work. This study substantiates their efficient surfactant performance and reveals their aggregate structure and microenvironment as it relates to molecular structure. Surface tensiometry demonstrates critical micelle concentrations of 0.2–40 mM with minimum surface tension values of 36–40 mN m−1. Time resolved fluorescence quenching (TRFQ) spectroscopy is used to calculate micelle aggregation number (12–70 molecules per micelle) and assess relative micropolarity and microfluidity within the aggregates. The average aggregation numbers determined by TRFQ and apparent hydrodynamic radii determined by dynamic light scattering vary with alkyl chain length and headgroup size, but these properties are relatively insensitive to changes in concentration. The aggregates form nearly spherical, tightly-packed micelles with a small population of vesicles and polydispersity present at low concentrations or with short alkyl chain length.
Hydrosilylation of Aldehydes and Ketones Catalyzed by a Terminal Zinc Hydride Complex, [κ3-Tptm]ZnH

Tris(2-pyridylthio)methyl zinc hydride, [κ3-Tptm]ZnH, is an effective catalyst for multiple insertions of carbonyl groups into the Si–H bonds of PhxSiH4–x (x = 1, 2). Specifically, [κ3-Tptm]ZnH catalyzes the insertion of a variety of aldehydes and ketones into the Si–H bonds of PhSiH3 and Ph2SiH2 to afford PhSi[OCH(R)R′]3 and Ph2Si[OCH(R)R′]2, respectively. The mechanism for hydrosilylation is proposed to involve insertion of the carbonyl group into the Zn–H bond to afford an alkoxy species, followed by metathesis with the silane to release the alkoxysilane and regenerate the zinc hydride catalyst. Multiple insertion of prochiral ketones results in the formation of diastereomeric mixtures of alkoxysilanes that can be identified by NMR spectroscopy.
Two nonquadratic rational maps devised from Weierstrass doubling formulas

THIS CHAPTER DRAWS FROM A CACHE OF LONG “LOST” illustrations that were prepared made in 1979 with the assistance of Mark R. Laff. They are published here for the first time, at long last, together with explanations and comments, describe in documented detail the story told in Chapter C12. Some are attractive, and most affect the basic distinction made in Chapter C1 between seeing and discovering.
Arthritis-Related Limitations Predict Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults With Prediabetes Identified in the NHANES 2011-2014

Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which arthritis-related limitations are salient in predicting less than the recommended amount of time for adults with prediabetes to spend on moderate or vigorous physical activity. Methods Data from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States were used to identify the predictors of insufficient physical activity in a large sample of adults with prediabetes 20 years of age and older (n = 2536). Results When extrapolated to more than 45 million adults in the United States at least 20 years of age with prediabetes, 42.7% had insufficient physical activity. Having arthritis-related functional limitations was a significant predictor of insufficient physical activity, even after accounting for the statistically significant contributions of female sex, older age, lower education level, higher body mass index, and depression. Conclusion When educating and counseling adults with prediabetes, diabetes educators should assess for arthritis-related functional limitations when examining factors that may affect prediabetes progression. Recommendations for physical activity for those with mobility and other limitations need to be individualized within a tailored exercise program to accommodate their specific limitations.
Improved Structural Health Monitoring of London’s Docklands Light Railway Bridges Using Digital Image Correlation

As our transportation infrastructure ages and the challenge of keeping it serviceable grows, the need for improved condition information on which to make good cost-effective maintenance decisions b...
Postsurgical Cavity Evolution After Brain Metastasis Resection: How Soon Should Postoperative Radiosurgery Follow?

Background Postoperative stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to the cavity after resection of brain metastases improves local control. We hypothesized that significant cavity constriction would occur from the immediate postoperative period to the time of SRS and aimed to elucidate optimal treatment timing. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 79 consecutive patients with 85 resection cavities treated with SRS after gross total resection of a brain metastasis. Preoperative lesion, immediate postoperative cavity, and cavity at the time of SRS were contoured for each patient. Factors influencing cavity size and interval cavity change were analyzed. Results Median immediate postoperative cavity volume was 7.5 cm3, and median SRS cavity volume was 8.7 cm3. Median time from surgery to SRS was 20 days. Median volumetric cavity change was an increase of 28%. Of cavities, 34 (40%) increased in size >2 cm3, whereas only 8 cavities (9%) decreased in size >2 cm3; 43 cavities (51%) had ≤2 cm3 change. The largest postoperative cavities experienced the smallest percentage cavity change in the time interval to SRS (Spearman correlation −0.32, P = 0.003). Conclusions Cavity size after brain metastasis resection increased a median of 28% from immediate postoperative scan to time of SRS. Greater than 90% of postoperative cavities either increased >2 cm3 or remained within 2 cm3 of their immediate postoperative cavity volume. Early postoperative SRS within 2–3 weeks may be appropriate to minimize cavity growth. Delaying postoperative SRS beyond 3 weeks in hopes of significant cavity contraction is not warranted.
One and Done: Long-Term Sperm Storage in the Cactus-Feeding Bug, Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae)

Female sperm storage is common across a wide taxonomic range. The temporal separation of mating and fertilization has several benefits for females. It enables sperm selection from multiple males, but can also allow females to temporally and spatially delay fertilization until the proper environmental conditions are found. In this study, we investigated the extent and possible function of sperm storage in the polygamous cactus-feeding bug, Narnia femorata Stal (Hemiptera: Coreidae). To determine the viability of stored sperm over time, we tracked life-long fecundity of females exposed to varying levels of male access. We exposed females to four treatments: one male for 1 wk, one male for 1 wk with further exposure to the same male later in her life for an additional week, one male for the duration of her life, or two males (subsequent) for the duration of her life. Our results indicate that females can store sperm and produce viable offspring during their lifespan from a relatively brief mating encounter with a single male. Furthermore, egg production and fertility rates did not differ across treatments, suggesting that time of exposure to mates and number of mates (monandry vs. polyandry) has no effect on N. femorata fecundity. Sperm storage seems to operate independently of mate number or availability, and is therefore, likely an adaptation to the patchy spatial-temporal distribution of adequate resources.
Poly(arylene ether)s containing heterocyclic units

Since 1985, a major effort has been devoted to incorporating heterocyclic units within the backbone of poly(arylene ether)s (PAE). Heterocyclic units within PAE generally improve certain properties such as strength, modulus and the glass transition temperature. Nucleophilic and electrophilic aromatic substitution have been successfully used to prepare a variety of PAE containing heteorcyclic units. Many different heterocyclic families have been incorporated within PAE. The synthetic approaches and the chemistry, mechanical and physical properties of PAE containing different families of heterocyclic units are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the effect variations in chemical structure (composition) have upon polymer properties.
Any Second Could Be the Second: How Thinking About What Might Have Been Affects the Emergence of Meaning and Commitment Across the Adult Life Span

When major decisions arise, people make choices that immediately set them on particular life paths and trajectories. Such pivotal moments have been dramatized in literature (e.g., Frost’s (1969) famous poem, “The Road Not Taken”), film (e.g., Sliding Doors), and even in a recent series of AT&T commercials that portray this phenomenon as it relates to modern day life. In one such commercial, the narrative moves backward in time from a president being inaugurated, to his early childhood, to his parents buying their first home, and to their first date at a movie theater. The commercial ends with a younger version of the president’s father waiting idly for a train as he suddenly notices a gorgeous woman sitting in the passenger car across the platform. When he instantly changes his ticket (wirelessly, on his AT&T phone of course) so that he can have the opportunity to meet her, the tagline “Any second could be the second” plays across the screen. Naturally, we are left to wonder: What if he hadn’t been able to change his train ticket? Would the course of his life have played out differently? Would another opportunity have arisen to unite him with his wife and mother of his child (the future president, no less)? In this chapter, we propose that how people think about past events and decisions – whether and how they consider those seemingly chance events and alternative realities that might have been – fosters an appreciation for both those defining moments from the past, as well as the present reality that these moments helped to construct.
The moderating effect of perceived social support on the relation between heaviness of smoking and quit attempts among adult homeless smokers.

Abstract Background Over 70% of homeless adults smoke cigarettes. Despite the desire to quit, this group rarely receives the external support to make or maintain a successful quit attempt (SQA; intentional quit attempt lasting >24 h). The Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) is a cigarette dependence measure that independently predicts SQAs among domiciled adults. For homeless adults, social support may be a way to buffer the impact of cigarette dependence on SQAs. Methods The association of the HSI and past-year SQAs, and the potential moderating role of social support, was examined among 445 homeless smokers (Mage = 43.2 + 11.8, 65% male, 57.5% white). Support was measured by the International Support Evaluation List (ISEL-12) and its 3 subscales: tangible, belonging, & appraisal support. Results The HSI was negatively correlated with SQAs (r=−.283, p Conclusion The perceived availability of someone to talk to about one's problems appeared to attenuate the strength of the inverse relationship between the heaviness of smoking and SQAs. Fostering appraisal support for homeless smokers through group treatment may reduce the impact of cigarette dependence on making quit attempts. Social support coupled with the increased availability of empirically-supported cessation aids may improve dismal quit rates among homeless adults.
Are assumptions of consumer views impeding nano-based water treatment technologies?

Initial studies indicate that consumer concerns about nanomaterial use in point-of-use water systems may be overestimated by manufacturers. Nevertheless, manufacturers should continue to focus on building consumer confidence in the safety of their products.
A global record of single-layered ice cloud properties and associated radiative heating rate profiles from an A-Train perspective

A record of global single-layered ice cloud properties has been generated using the CloudSat and CALIPSO Ice Cloud Property Product (2C-ICE) during the period 2007–2010. These ice cloud properties are used as inputs for the NASA Langley modified Fu–Liou radiative transfer model to calculate cloud radiative heating rate profiles and are compared with the NASA CERES observed top-of-atmosphere fluxes. The radiative heating rate profiles calculated in the CloudSat/CALIPSO 2B-FLXHR-LIDAR and CCCM_CC products are also examined to assess consistency and uncertainty of their properties using independent methods. Based on the methods and definitions used herein, single-layered ice clouds have a global occurrence frequency of ~ 18%, with most of them occurring in the tropics above 12 km. Zonal mean cloud radiative heating rate profiles from the three datasets are similar in their patterns of SW warming and LW cooling with small differences in magnitude; nevertheless, all three datasets show that the strongest net heating (> + 1.0 K day−1) occurs in the tropics (latitude ~ 50°). Differences in radiative heating rates are also assessed based on composites of the 2C-ICE ice water path (IWP) and total column water vapor (TCWV) mixing ratio to facilitate model evaluation and guide ice cloud parameterization improvement. Positive net cloud radiative heating rates are maximized in the upper troposphere for large IWPs and large TCWV, with an uncertainty of 10–25% in the magnitude and vertical structure of this heating.
Immigrants and wealth attainment: migration, inequality, and integration

Wealth is an important measure of advantage and disadvantage, especially in a global context of wage stagnation, growing debt, and rising inequality. We see research on the wealth attainment of imm...
Augmenting the Treatment of PTSD with Ketamine—a Review

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of 6.1% in the general adult population. Clinical guidelines for the treatment of PTSD suggest the use of trauma-focused psychotherapies such as prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). As a second-level intervention, these guidelines suggest the use of psychotropic medications, mainly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). To date, however, studies have shown that both psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic treatments have limited efficacy, with remission rates around 40–70% and dropout rates of up to 50%. This paper reviews a new and emerging treatment approach of medication-augmented psychotherapy for PTSD, with an emphasis on augmenting prolonged exposure therapy (PE) with sub-anesthetic ketamine infusion. Based on animal and human research on fear extinction and memory reconsolidation, neurobiological changes that emerge following a ketamine infusion can enhance learning and thus benefit exposure-based psychotherapies for PTSD. Medication-augmented exposure-based psychotherapies represent a promising direction for the treatment of PTSD, with some positive results in small-scale studies. More studies (phase 2 and 3) should be performed to determine if this multimodal treatment approach may help mitigate PTSD symptoms in trauma-exposed individuals who do not respond to standard monotherapeutic approaches.
The Meso-World: Tiny Publics and Political Action

In recent decades, sociologists have too often ignored the group level—the meso-level of analysis—in their emphasis on either the individual or the institution. This unfortunate absence misses much of what is central to a sociological analysis of community based on “action.” I draw upon Erving Goffman’s (1983) concept of the interaction order as I argue that a rigorous political sociology requires a focus on group cultures and tiny publics. Group dynamics, idiocultures, and interaction routines are central in creating social order. This approach to civic life draws from the pragmatism of John Dewey, as well as the broad tradition of symbolic interactionist theorists. Ultimately, I argue that a commitment to local action constitutes a commitment to a more extended social system.
Overdose Prevention Site Acceptability among Residents and Businesses Surrounding a Proposed Site in Philadelphia, USA

Overdose prevention sites (OPS) are places where people use previously obtained drugs under the supervision of a health professional. They have been proposed in six United States (US) cities, including Philadelphia, to help reduce opioid-related overdose deaths and public injection. Philadelphia has the highest overdose rate among large cities in the US, which has led a local community-based organization to plan the implementation of OPS. Kensington, a neighborhood with the highest drug mortality overdose rates in the city, is a likely site for the proposed OPS. Given the dearth of research systematically assessing public opinion towards OPS prior to implementation, we enrolled 360 residents and 79 business owners/staff in the Kensington neighborhood in a cross-sectional acceptability study. Face-to-face surveys assessed participant characteristics, experiences with drug-related social problems, and OPS acceptability. Using descriptive statistics, we estimated factors associated with favorability towards opening an OPS in the Kensington neighborhood. Ninety percent of residents were in favor of an OPS opening in Kensington. Support was significantly higher among unstably housed individuals and persons who currently use opioids. In the business sample, 63% of owners/staff were in favor of opening an OPS in Kensington. A greater proportion of Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanic/Latinx respondents, and non-Hispanic/Latinx Black respondents were in favor of an OPS opening in Kensington compared with white respondents (p < 0.04). While details about implementation are still being considered, results indicate general acceptability among Kensington residents and businesses for an OPS, especially if it can deliver benefits that curb drug-related social problems. Should an OPS be implemented in Philadelphia, it would be important to monitor changes in drug-related social problems and acceptability post implementation.
Historical Dictionary of Ghana by David Owusu-Ansah

Owusu-Ansah, David. Historical Dictionary of Ghana . Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. Review by Kwaku Nti.
Cell Surface CXCR4 and BTK Expression Are Associated in Myeloma Cells and Osteoclast Precursors and Mediate Myeloma Cell Homing and Clonogenicity, and Osteoclastogenesis

Abstract 884 Myeloma cells typically grow in bone, recruit osteoclast precursors and induce their differentiation and activity in areas adjacent to tumor foci. Clonal B-lymphocytes and plasma cells harboring lymphocytic phenotypes have a proposed role in sustaining myeloma. Bruton9s tyrosine kinase (BTK) is expressed in hematopoietic cells and is particularly involved in B-lymphocyte function and osteoclastogenesis. The SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling pathway is reportedly involved in homing to bone of myeloma cells and osteoclast precursors. The aims of the study were to investigate the possible association between CXCR4 and BTK signaling in myeloma cells and osteoclast precursors, and the consequences of BTK inhibition on myeloma cell migration and clonogenicity, and osteoclastogenesis. By global gene expression profiling (GEP), BTK expression was moderately higher in clinical myeloma cells (n=559) than normal plasma cells (n=25, p 50% (p 50% (p Disclosures: Barlogie:Celgene, Genzyme, Novartis, Millennium: Consultancy, Honoraria, Patents & Royalties. Shaughnessy:Myeloma Health, Celgene, Genzyme, Novartis: Consultancy, Employment, Equity Ownership, Honoraria, Patents & Royalties.
Delayed pH equilibration in blood during carbonic anhydrase inhibition.

The events that occur in a red cell as it passes through a lung capillary were well-summarized by Roughton in 19641, although a mechanism for pH equilibration between red cells and plasma was not included in that schema. The need for such a mechanism arises because, as blood exchanges gases in the pulmonary capillaries, [H+] changes intrace11u1ar1y because of the oxygenation of hemoglobin and carbon dioxide reactions that take place there, but plasma [H+] changes little. As a result, H+ must be transferred across the red cell membrane to reach complete equilibrium within blood. The rate of exchange of OH- for C1- is relatively slow2 and is thought not to be important in this process of pH equilibration in vivo. Rather, in the presence of CO2, it is the JacobsStewart cycle3 that effects the movement of H+’equivalents across the red cell membrane4. This cycle is rate-limited by the uncatalyzed extracellular hydration-dehydration reactions of CO2.
Influence of feature calculating parameters on the reproducibility of CT radiomic features: a thoracic phantom study.

Background Existing studies have demonstrated that imaging parameters may affect radiomic features. However, the influence of feature calculating parameters has been overlooked. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of feature calculating parameters (gray-level range and bin size) on the reproducibility of CT radiomic features. Methods Thirty-six CT scans from an anthropomorphic thoracic phantom were acquired with different imaging parameters including effective dose, pitch, slice thicknesses and reconstruction kernels. The influence of feature calculating parameters was investigated in terms of three gray-level ranges and eleven gray-level bin sizes. Feature reproducibility was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with the cutoff value of 0.8 and the coefficient of variation (CV) with the cutoff value of 20%. The agreements of reproducible features in different ranges and bin sizes were analyzed by Kendall's W test and Kappa test. The proportions of reproducible features, in terms of two calculating, four imaging and two segmentation parameters, were evaluated using Cochran's Q test and Dunn's test. Results For the three gray-level ranges, 50% (44/88) of features were reproducible with a perfect agreement (Kendall's W coefficient 0.844, P<0.001). Of the 72 features that may be influenced by gray-level bin size, 33.3% (24/72) were reproducible for 11 bin sizes with a perfect agreement (Kendall's W coefficient 0.879, P<0.001). For the proportions of reproducible features, there was no statistically significant difference among three ranges (P=0.420), but there was among eleven bin sizes (P=0.013). The proportions of reproducible features in feature calculating parameters were statistically significantly lower than those in imaging parameters (adjusted P<0.05). Conclusions Feature calculating parameters may have a greater influence than imaging parameters on the reproducibility of CT radiomic features, which should be given special attention in clinical applications.
HI-Light: A Glass-Waveguide-Based "Shell-and-Tube" Photothermal Reactor Platform for Converting CO2 to Fuels.

Summary In this work, we introduce HI-Light, a surface-engineered glass-waveguide-based “shell-and-tube” type photothermal reactor which is both scalable in diameter and length. We examine the effect of temperature, light irradiation, and residence time on its photo-thermocatalytic performance for CO2 hydrogenation to form CO, with a cubic phase defect-laden indium oxide, In2O3-x(OH)y, catalyst. We demonstrate the light enhancement effect under a variety of reaction conditions. Notably, the light-on performance for the cubic nanocrystal photocatalyst exhibits a CO evolution rate at 15.40 mmol gcat−1 hr−1 at 300°C and atmospheric pressure. This is 20 times higher conversion rate per unit catalyst mass per unit time beyond previously reported In2O3-x(OH)y catalyst in the cubic form under comparable operation conditions and more than 5 times higher than that of its rhombohedral polymorph. This result underscores that improvement in photo-thermocatalytic reactor design enables uniform light distribution and better reactant/catalyst mixing, thus significantly improving catalyst utilization.
Reducing and Widening Disparities with Blind Evaluations: Evidence From a Field Experiment

Blinding identities during evaluations is often proposed as a way to combat discrimination and alleviate disparities, but previous studies have found mixed results. I implement blind review at an academic conference, and directly compare the scores that the same submitted paper received from blind and non-blind reviewers. With this design, I find that the effects of blinding differed by how a subject would perform "under the status quo" without blinding. Blinding did not significantly impact the gender score gap among those that would perform the best or the worst under the status quo, but significantly exacerbated the gap among applicants who would have scored near the median without blinding. Consequently, the effect of blinding on acceptance rate gaps varied with the overall acceptance rate. This can help reconcile why blinding has "worked" in some contexts while not in others. Ultimately, it is necessary to examine distributional effects to understand exactly in which situations blinding produces desired outcomes. Even when the average treatment effect on gaps is small, this may mask important heterogeneity for individuals at different margins.
The impact of physical therapist attitudes and beliefs on the outcomes of patients with low back pain.

Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem that places a major burden on individuals and society. It has been proposed that patients treated by biomedically oriented clinicians will have worse outcomes than those treated by biopsychosocially oriented clinicians. Objective To investigate the impact of physical therapist LBP related attitudes and beliefs on the outcomes of patients with LBP. Design Retrospective cohort design. Method United States based physical therapists utilizing the Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes, Inc. (FOTO) database were surveyed using the Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) and the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT). Outcomes were measured using average Computerized Lumbar Functional Scale change scores (CLFS) and CLFS residual scores. Results Analysis was performed on outcome data from 78 physical therapist and included 2345 patients. HC-PAIRS was a univariate predictor of average CLFS change scores and average CLFS residual scores. PABS-PT Biomedical subscale was a univariate predictor of average CLFS change scores. After adjusting for confounding variables, higher HC-PAIRS scores and PABS-BM scores were associated with a greater change in average CLFS score, and higher PABS-BM scores were associated with higher CLFS residual scores. Conclusion Physical therapists who believed in a stronger relationship between pain and disability had improved patient outcomes.
Evidence For and Against Direct Kidney Infection by SARS-CoV-2 in Patients with COVID-19.

Despite evidence of multi-organ tropism of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19, direct viral kidney invasion has been difficult to demonstrate. The question of whether SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect the kidney is relevant to the understanding of pathogenesis of acute kidney injury and collapsing glomerulopathy in COVID-19. Methodologies to document SARS-CoV-2 infection that have been used include immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in situ hybridization and electron microscopy. In our review of studies to date we found that SARS-CoV-2 in the kidney of patients with COVID-19 was detected in 18 of 94 (19%) by immuno-histochemistry, 71 of 144 (49%) by RT-PCR and 11 of 84 (13%) by in situ hybridization. In a smaller number of patients with COVID-19 examined by immunofluorescence, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 10 of 13 (77%). In total, in kidneys from 102 of 235 patients (43.4%), the presence of SARS-CoV-2 was suggested by at least one of the methods used. Despite these positive findings, caution is needed as many other studies have been negative for SARS-CoV-2 presence and it should be noted that when detected it was only in kidneys obtained at autopsy. There is a clear need for studies from kidney biopsies, including those performed at early stages of the COVID-19 associated kidney disease. Development of tests to detect kidney viral infection in urine samples would be more practical as a non-invasive way to evaluate SARS CoV-2 infection during the evolution of COVID-19-associated kidney disease.
Microvascular free tissue transfer for reconstruction of complex lower extremity trauma: Predictors of complications and flap failure.

BACKGROUND Despite advanced wound care techniques, open fractures in the setting of lower extremity trauma remain a challenging pathology, particularly when free tissue transfer is required for coverage. We aimed to evaluate factors associated with flap failure in this setting using a large, heterogeneous patient population. METHODS Retrospective review of patients who underwent traumatic lower extremity free flap reconstruction (2002-2019). Demographics wound/vessel injury characteristics, pre and perioperative factors, and flap outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS One hundred eighty-eight free flaps met inclusion criteria, with 23 partial (12.2%) and 13 total (6.9%) flap failures. Angiography was performed in 87 patients, with arterial injury suffered in 43.1% of those evaluated. Time to flap coverage varied within 3 days (4.5%), 10 days (17.3%), or 30 days of injury (42.7%). In all, 41 (21.8%) subjects suffered from major flap complications, including failure and takebacks. Multivariate regression demonstrated the presence of posterior tibial (PT) artery injury predictive of both flap-failure (Odds ratio [OR] = 11.4, p < .015) and major flap complications (OR = 12.1, p < .012). Immunocompromised status was also predictive of flap failure (OR = 12.6, p < .004) and major complications (OR = 11.6, p < .007), while achieving flap coverage within 30 days was protective against flap complications (OR = 0.413, p < .049). Defect size, infection, and injury location were not associated with failure. CONCLUSIONS When examining a large, heterogeneous patient cohort, free flap outcomes in the setting of lower extremity open fractures can be influenced by multiple factors. This presence of PT artery injury, flap coverage beyond 30 days of injury, and immunocompromised status appear predictive of flap complications in this context.
Retinal arteriolar macroaneurysms with supravalvular pulmonic stenosis in the United Arab Emirates.

Retinal arteriolar macroaneurysms with supravalvular pulmonic stenosis (RAMSVPS) is a rare syndrome that to date has only been reported in Saudi Arabian families. All tested patients have been homo...
Genetic Diversity of Human Host Genes Involved in Immune Response and the Binding of Malaria Parasite in Patients Residing along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Polymorphisms of the genes encoding proteins involved in immune functions and the binding of malaria parasites to human host cells have been the focus of research in recent years, aiming to understand malaria pathogenesis and case severity and to exploit this knowledge to assert control over malaria. This study investigated the genetic diversity of the human host genes encoding proteins that are involved in immune functions and malaria parasite binding, i.e., MCP1 (−2518), TGFβ1 (−509), TNFα (−308), IL4 (VNTR), IL6 (−174), IL10 (−3575), TLR4 (299), CD36 (−188), and ICAM1 (469) in patients with mono-infection of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections in the multidrug-resistant areas along the Thai-Myanmar border. The association between gene polymorphisms and parasite density was also investigated. Genomic DNA (gDNA) of P. falciparum and P. vivax were extracted from whole blood and dried blood spot (DBS). Gene amplification and genotyping were performed by PCR and PCR-RFLP analysis, respectively. Of these samples, 178 and 209 samples were, respectively, mono-infection with P. falciparum and P. vivax. The ratio of P. falciparum: P. vivax was 46%:54%. Results showed marked variation in the frequency distribution and patterns of the genotypes and gene alleles of the nine immune response genes or human host genes. The SNPs of TGFβ1, IL10 and ICAM1, were significantly associated with P. falciparum, but not P. vivax parasite density. TGFβ1, IL10 and ICAM1, may play more significant roles in modulating P. falciparum than P. vivax parasitemia. The prevalence of the genotypes and gene alleles of these genes, including their association with parasite density, may vary depending on patient ethnicity and endemic areas. Information obtained from each endemic area is essential for treatment strategies and the development of vaccines for malaria prophylaxis in specific areas.
Pfizer–biontech COVID-19 RNA vaccination induces phosphatidylserine autoantibodies, cryoglobulinemia, and digital necrosis in a patient with pre-existing autoimmunity

We describe a 64-year-old Caucasian female with a history of Raynaud's disease, hand arthritis, photosensitivity, Sjogren's syndrome and leukocytoclastic vasculitis who presented with progressively worsening fingertip necrosis that began three days after receiving a first dose of Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 RNA vaccine. Our workup revealed cryoglobulinemia, hypocomplementemia, elevated antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and IgM antiphospholipid autoantibodies (aPL) directed against phosphatidylserine (aPL-PS), suggesting a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The patient failed to develop anti-spike IgG antibodies up to two months following vaccination. Disease progression was halted by plasmapheresis, anticoagulation, and immune suppression. We conclude that the vaccine RNA moiety may induce SLE manifesting in APS, cryoglobulinemia, hypocomplementemia, and digital necrosis.
Quadratic Span Programs and Succinct NIZKs without PCPs

We introduce a new characterization of the NP complexity class, called Quadratic Span Programs (QSPs), which is a natural extension of span programs defined by Karchmer and Wigderson. Our main motivation is the quick construction of succinct, easily verified arguments for NP statements.
Association Rule Mining Algorithms for Set-Valued Data

This paper presents an association rule mining system that is capable of handling set-valued attributes. Our previous research has exposed us to a variety of real-world biological datasets that contain attributes whose values are sets of elements, instead of just individual elements. However, very few data mining tools accept datasets that contain these set-valued attributes, and none of them allow the mining of association rules directly from this type of data. We introduce in this paper two algorithms for mining (classification) association rules directly from set-valued data and compare their performance. We have implemented a system based on one of these algorithms and have applied it to a number of biological datasets. We describe here our system and highlight its merits by means of comparing the results achieved with it and the failed attempts to mine association rules from those datasets using standard tools. Our system makes the creation of input files containing set-valued data much easier, and makes the mining of association rules directly from these data possible.
Part-Based R-CNNs for Fine-Grained Category Detection

Semantic part localization can facilitate fine-grained categorization by explicitly isolating subtle appearance differences associated with specific object parts. Methods for pose-normalized representations have been proposed, but generally presume bounding box annotations at test time due to the difficulty of object detection. We propose a model for fine-grained categorization that overcomes these limitations by leveraging deep convolutional features computed on bottom-up region proposals. Our method learns whole-object and part detectors, enforces learned geometric constraints between them, and predicts a fine-grained category from a pose-normalized representation. Experiments on the Caltech-UCSD bird dataset confirm that our method outperforms state-of-the-art fine-grained categorization methods in an end-to-end evaluation without requiring a bounding box at test time.
SampleSearch: A scheme that searches for consistent samples

Sampling from belief networks which have a substantial number of zero probabilities is problematic. MCMC algorithms like Gibbs sampling do not converge and importance sampling schemes generate many zero weight samples that are rejected, yielding an inefficient sampling process (the rejection problem). In this paper, we propose to augment importance sampling with systematic constraint-satisfaction search in order to overcome the rejection problem. The resulting SampleSearch scheme can be made unbiased by using a computationally expensive weighting scheme. To overcome this an approximation is proposed such that the resulting estimator is asymptotically unbiased. Our empirical results demonstrate the potential of our new scheme.
18 – Animal Injury

Publisher Summary Animals can injure trees in three general ways. First, they can wound trunks, branches, and roots; second, they can place toxic chemical products on tree tissues and the soil; and third, they can cause soil compaction. Most wounds are caused by animals chewing, pecking, clawing, or digging on or around trees. The soil environment around trees is altered by chemical waste products or by the compressive effect of animal feet. Wounds from chewing are the most common type of animal injury on woody plants and are most frequently associated with rodents such as mice, rabbits, squirrels, porcupines, and beaver. However, deer, cattle, horses, moose, elk, and other grazing animals also chew trees. Chewing injury can be controlled to some extent with animal repellants, such as thiram, applied in the fall. Pecking wounds from birds can also be a problem on trees. The bird pecks rows of holes around the tree and is the worst offender. These pecking wounds, when numerous, result in cankers that can kill patches of bark and, if sufficiently severe, can girdle the top of the tree.
Planckian axions in string theory

We argue that super-Planckian diameters of axion fundamental domains can arise in Calabi-Yau compactifications of string theory. In a theory with N axions θ i , the fundamental domain is a polytope defined by the periodicities of the axions, via constraints of the form − π < Q i j θ j < π. We compute the diameter of the fundamental domain in terms of the eigenvalues f 1 2 ≤ … ≤ f 2 of the metric on field space, and also, crucially, the largest eigenvalue of (QQ ⊤)−1. At large N, QQ ⊤ approaches a Wishart matrix, due to universality, and we show that the diameter is at least Nf N , exceeding the naive Pythagorean range by a factor > $$ \sqrt{N} $$ . This result is robust in the presence of P > N constraints, while for P = N the diameter is further enhanced by eigenvector delocalization to N 3/2 f N . We directly verify our results in explicit Calabi-Yau compactifications of type IIB string theory. In the classic example with h 1,1 = 51 where parametrically controlled moduli stabilization was demonstrated by Denef et al. in [1], the largest metric eigenvalue obeys f N ≈ 0.013M pl. The random matrix analysis then predicts, and we exhibit, axion diameters ≈ M pl for the precise vacuum parameters found in [1]. Our results provide a framework for pursuing large-field axion inflation in well-understood flux vacua.