cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Components of the Vera Hypothesis: An Empirical Analysis:

Reform within the bail system has received much attention in recent years. Much of this attention has been focused on the substitution of interviews designed to determine a prisoner's likelihood of returning for trial for the traditional setting of bail After a brief account of the bail system's framework, a review of certain problem areas, and a description of a successful experiment in releasing prisoners without bail, this paper presents an analysis of prisoners' characteristics for use in predicting which prisoners, if released without bail, will become fugitives and which will return for trial.
Yersinia virulence: more than a plasmid

The genus Yersinia is composed of 11 species, three of which are pathogenic in humans. The three pathogens, Y. pestis, Y. enterocolitica, and Y. pseudotuberculosis, cause a broad spectrum of disease ranging from pneumonic plague to acute gastroenteritis. Each of the three requires a large, well-defined plasmid for full virulence, as well as many chromosomally encoded virulence factors (CEVF). This review will describe these CEVF and their roles in virulence. In addition, a possible model for key events in Y. enterocolitica pathogenesis is described based on information revealed by analysis of several of the CEVF.
The Polyanilines: a Novel Class of Conducting Polymers

The synthesis of polyaniline in its fully oxidized, fully reduced and selected average intermediate oxidation states is described together with the synthesis of a self-protonic acid doped polyaniline. The processing of polyaniline films and fibers by thermal stretching to give conductivities up to ∼100 S/cm is reported. Both doped and undoped polyaniline fibers have tensile strengths approaching those of commercial polymers.
Counting network flows in real time

We are concerned with the problem of counting the distinct flows on a high speed network link. Flow counting programs, which must peek at all incoming packets, must run very quickly in order to keep up with the high packet arrival rates of modern networks. Previous approaches for flow counting based on bitmap algorithms can underestimate the number of flows. We propose a new timestamp-vector algorithm that retains the fast estimation and small memory requirement of the bitmap-based algorithms, while reducing the possibility of underestimating the number of active flows.
Embryological ontogeny of aromatase gene expression in Chrysemys picta and Apalone mutica turtles: comparative patterns within and across temperature-dependent and genotypic sex-determining mechanisms

Although the role of aromatase in many estrogen-dependent reproductive and metabolic functions is well documented in vertebrates, its involvement in the ovarian development of species exhibiting temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is incompletely understood. This is partly due to the conflicting temporal and spatial pattern of aromatase expression and activity across taxa. To help resolve this ongoing debate, we compared for the first time the embryological ontogeny of aromatase expression in turtles possessing genotypic sex determination (GSD) (Apalone mutica) and TSD (Chrysemys picta) incubated under identical conditions. As anticipated, we found no significant thermal differences in aromatase expression at any stage examined (prior to until the end of the thermosensitive period) in A. mutica. Surprisingly, the same was true for C. picta. When placed in a phylogenetic context, our results suggest that aromatase expression is evolutionarily plastic with respect to sex determination in reptiles, and that differences between reptilian TSD and GSD are not aromatase-driven. Further research across TSD and GSD species is warranted to fully decipher the evolution of functional differences among sex-determining mechanisms.
Organotypic cultures represent tumor microenvironment for drug testing

Currently there are no cancer models that can accurately predict the clinical activity of a drug. Compounds are screened and optimized for anticancer activity in a series of in vitro and in vivo models, each of which has its own strengths and limitations. Organotypic models are three-dimensional in vitro representations of tumor microenvironment, which are more biologically relevant and technically challenging than cytotoxicity, clonogenic and spheroid assays, but less in comparison to in vivo models.
Concept Learning and Learning Strategies

Concept learning and learning strategies of pigeons were manipulated in a matching-to-sample task. Groups of 4 pigeons responded either 0, 1, 10, or 20 times to a sample stimulus, and then chose between a matching comparison stimulus and a nonmatching comparison stimulus. Tests with unfamiliar arrangements of the three training stimuli showed that learning was not by if-then rules. Tests with novel stimuli showed that as the number of sample responses increased, learning about the configural pattern of each display gave way to more learning about the sample-comparison relationship and more concept learning. Pigeons making the most sample responses showed complete concept learning.
Tridiagonalization by permutations

Tridiagonalizing a matrix by similarity transformations is an important computational tool in numerical linear algebra. Consider the class of sparse matrices which can be tridiagonalized using only row and corresponding column permutations. The advantages of using such a transformation include the absence of round-off errors and improved computation time when compared with standard transformations. A graph-theoretic algorithm which examines an arbitrary n × n matrix and determines whether or not it can be permuted into tridiagonal form is given. The algorithm requires no arithmetic while the number of comparisons, the number of assignments, and the number of increments are linear in n. This compares very favorably with standard transformation methods. If the matrix is permutable into tridiagonal form, the algorithm gives the explicit tridiagonal form. Otherwise, early rejection will occur.
Past, present, and future of pancreatic surgery

The advances in the surgical treatment of pancreatic disease in the 20th century were built on careful anatomic and physiologic studies dating to the early 1800s. Operations for neoplastic diseases developed in the 1930s by Whipple, Trimble, and others allowed pancreatic malignancies to be removed with ever increasing safety. Endocrine tumors of the pancreas were described and treated surgically. Patients with pancreatitis now have a number of surgical alternatives available for their individual circumstances. The future of surgery for pancreatic disease lies in the results of the human genome project and the fields of genomics and proteomics that resulted. The rapidity with which knowledge of gene expression is advancing owing to new technologies such as the microarray biochip is amazing. The future of pancreatic surgery is bright.
Monte Carlo modeling of heterogeneities in ceramic, polymer, and composite capacitors

High and reproducible dielectric breakdown strength is essential requirement for high energy pulse power capacitors. It is important to understand which features of a dielectric are instrumental in determining breakdown strength. Modeling of the dielectric breakdown complements experimental work in achieving deeper insights into dielectric breakdown and helps to identify parameters controlling breakdown strength for a given dielectric. We have performed Monte Carlo modeling of breakdown strength in ceramics, polymers, and layered organic/inorganic composites. In the case of ceramics, the effect of uniform and nonuniform porosity on the breakdown strength indicated that both the level and size of porosity influence dielectric strength. Furthermore, porosity has stronger influence on the breakdown strength as the pore size-to-dielectric thickness ratio becomes larger. It was also determined that the prediction of the model agrees well with experimentally observed area dependence of dielectric breakdown of commercial capacitors. In the case of semicrystalline polymers, the modeling work strongly suggests positive contribution to the breakdown strength from the interfaces between the crystalline and amorphous phases. This conclusion was reached through the comparison of Weibull modulus obtained from the experimental breakdown strength measurements of biaxially oriented polypropylene capacitors with that of Monte Carlo modeling of the same dielectrics. Only in the case of interfaces dominating the breakdown strength there was a good agreement between experimental and modeled Weibull modulus. The modeling work also indicate that unlike ceramics for which infinite Weibull modulus is theoretically achievable for the defect-free dielectric, in the case of semicrystalline dielectrics the Weibull modulus is finite in all cases, and is controlled by polymer microstructure and capacitor geometry. In the case of layered ceramic - polymer composites we focused on understanding tree propagation as a function of the dielectric contrast between the dielectrics and the placement of a single high K ceramic layer within the polymer. Both dielectric contrast between the layers and placement of the layer turned out to be important in determining the time required for sample destruction. Interestingly, these effects are observed in the electrostatic modeling without introduction of defects and space charges at the interfaces. A comparison of breakdown in heterogeneous ceramics, polymers, and composites indicates a great diversity and richness of observed behavior. In particular, both the beneficial and detrimental effects of heterogeneity were deduced from the modeling.
Transfer RNA–mediated regulation of ribosome dynamics during protein synthesis

Translocation of tRNAs through the ribosome during protein synthesis involves large-scale structural rearrangement of the ribosome and ribosome-bound tRNAs that is accompanied by extensive and dynamic remodeling of tRNA-ribosome interactions. How the rearrangement of individual tRNA-ribosome interactions influences tRNA movement during translocation, however, remains largely unknown. To address this question, we used single-molecule FRET to characterize the dynamics of ribosomal pretranslocation (PRE) complex analogs carrying either wild-type or systematically mutagenized tRNAs. Our data reveal how specific tRNA-ribosome interactions regulate the rate of PRE complex rearrangement into a critical, on-pathway translocation intermediate and how these interactions control the stability of the resulting configuration. Notably, our results suggest that the conformational flexibility of the tRNA molecule has a crucial role in directing the structural dynamics of the PRE complex during translocation.
‘Self-Supporting’ Inductive Arguments

Starting with David Hume, most philosophers have maintained that it is illicit to argue that inductive arguments will be successful in the future because they have been successful in the past. This philosophic tradition claims that such an argument is circular since it is an attempt to prove the principle that the future will resemble the past by means of an inductive argument which principle all inductive arguments presuppose. Hans Reichenbach is such a philosopher but he goes on to add that even though induction cannot be so justified, our using induction may be justified.1 Max Black, on the other hand, may be identified as one of the leaders of the movement which accepts what others deem the circular argument.2 In this paper the position of Reichenbach and Black will be examined. It is my thesis that both of their arguments are vitiated by their failure to employ the distinction between using a logic and talking about a logic, which distinction is the point of the difference between an object language and a meta-language. Once their positions are restated in terms of the distinction, it will be seen that the positions are not very dissimilar after all.
Collecting of Pinus (Pinaceae) Pollen by Osmia Bees (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Pinus pollen was found in pollen loads of 12 of 13 species of Osmia bees and in the cell provisions of 6 of 7 species. Pinus pollen averaged 5.8% by volume in pollen loads of Pinus-carrying individuals and 3.0% in the cells of nests with Pinus pollen. There was no difference in larval survival between cells with and without Pinus pollen. Pinus pollen collection was fortuitous; bees became contaminated with pine pollen that was on their normal pollen and nectar hosts.
Healthy store programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), but not the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are associated with corner store healthfulness

In response to lack of access to healthy foods, many low-income communities are instituting local healthy corner store programs. Some stores also participate in the United States Department of Agriculture's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This study used two assessment tools to compare the healthfulness of offerings at stores participating in local healthy store programs (upgraded stores), WIC, and/or SNAP to that of similar non-participating stores. Based on store audits conducted in 315 New Jersey corner stores in 2014, we calculated healthy food availability scores using subsections of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Corner Stores (NEMS-CS-Availability) and a short-form corner store audit tool (SCAT). We used multivariable regression to examine associations between program participation and scores on both instruments. Adjusting for store and block group characteristics, stores participating in a local healthy store program had significantly higher SCAT scores than did non-participating stores (upgraded: M = 3.18, 95% CI 2.65–3.71; non-upgraded: M = 2.52, 95% CI 2.32–2.73); scores on the NEMS-CS-Availability did not differ (upgraded: M = 12.8, 95% CI 11.6–14.1; non-upgraded: M = 12.5, 95% CI 12.0–13.0). WIC-participating stores had significantly higher scores compared to non-participating stores on both tools. Stores participating in SNAP only (and not in WIC) scored significantly lower on both instruments compared to non-SNAP stores. WIC-participating and non-SNAP corner stores had higher healthfulness scores on both assessment tools. Upgraded stores had higher healthfulness scores compared to non-upgraded stores on the SCAT.
Anomalous three-dimensional bulk ac conduction within the Kondo gap of SmB 6 single crystals

The Kondo insulator ${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$ has long been known to display anomalous transport behavior at low temperatures, $T l5$ K. In this temperatures range, a plateau is observed in the dc resistivity, contrary to the exponential divergence expected for a gapped system. Recent theoretical calculations suggest that ${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$ may be the first topological Kondo insulator (TKI) and propose that the residual conductivity is due to topological surface states which reside within the Kondo gap. Since the TKI prediction many experiments have claimed to observe high mobility surface states within a perfectly insulating hybridization gap. Here, we investigate the low energy optical conductivity within the hybridization gap of single crystals of ${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$ via time domain terahertz spectroscopy. Samples grown by both optical floating zone and aluminum flux methods are investigated to probe for differences originating from sample growth techniques. We find that both samples display significant three-dimensional bulk conduction originating within the Kondo gap. Although ${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$ may be a bulk dc insulator, it shows significant bulk ac conduction that is many orders of magnitude larger than any known impurity band conduction. The nature of these in-gap states and their coupling with the low energy spin excitons of ${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$ is discussed. Additionally, the well-defined conduction path geometry of our optical experiments allows us to show that any surface states, which lie below our detection threshold if present, must have a sheet resistance of $R/\text{square}\ensuremath{\ge}$ 1000 $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}$.
‘Where Riotous Difference Is Welcomed’: Reframing the Diversity Conversations in Education Through a Theological Understanding of Hospitality

This chapter contends that hospitality is a missing yet critical component to ongoing discussions of diversity in education, and a missing element in nurturing the “inner landscape of the teaching self” (Palmer in The courage to teach: exploring the inner landscape of the teacher’s life. Jossey Bass, San Francisco, p. 5, 1998). In an effort to move conversations beyond tolerance and to plot a course toward gospel principles of diversity, the first part of this chapter sets forth three propositions that draw on theological insights into the redemptive potential of Christian hospitality. Together, these propositions form the basis of why Christian educators who are committed to principles of diversity must necessarily inculcate hospitality as a spiritual value. The second part of this chapter turns to the work of Johnson (The practice of hospitality. Dayton, 2010) to offer both practical guidance and theoretical framing for cultivating hospitality as a moral attribute and professional posture. Building on each of Johnson’s five practices, the second half of this chapter provides insight to how Christian educators can effectively bring hospitality to the teaching and learning endeavor. Together, the three propositions (i.e., the why) and five practices (i.e., the how) help to address Palmer’s (1998) essential question of “who is the self that teaches” (p. 4). Recognizing that method alone will never be enough to guide educators toward the true gospel intent of diversity, this work invites deeper inquiry into the inner terrain of the teaching self and introduces hospitality as a vital feature of the shalom model of education.
Bacteriology, Water Activity and Moisture/Salt Ratio of Six Brands of Precooked Canned Bacon

Six commercial brands of precooked canned bacon, comprising 101 cans, were examined to determine if they complied with military specifications for a moisture-to-salt (M/S) ratio (percent moisture divided by percent salt) of ⩽ 9.0. Three brands were found in compliance with expected lot average values (ELAV) for M/S ratio of 4.70, 5.58 and 6.10. Water activity ELAVs of samples from these three brands were 0.82, 0.89 and 0.91; aerobic plates counts (APCs) ranged from <100 (64%) to 1500/g. Brands not in compliance had M/S ratio ELAVs of 11.24, 12.00 and 12.83; water activity ELAVs of 0.93, 0.97 and 0.99; and APCs as high as 1.7 × 107/g.
Enhancing vector shoreline data using a data fusion approach

Vector shoreline (VSL) data is potentially useful in ATR systems that distinguish between objects on land or water. Unfortunately available data such as the NOAA 1:250,000 World Vector Shoreline and NGA Prototype Global Shoreline data cannot be used by themselves to make a land/water determination because of the manner in which the data are compiled. We describe a data fusion approach for creating labeled VSL data using test points from Global 30 Arc-Second Elevation (GTOPO30) data to determine the direction of vector segments; i.e., whether they are in clockwise or counterclockwise order. We show consistently labeled VSL data be used to easily determine whether a point is on land or water using a vector cross product test.
Mechanically induced bone formation is not sensitive to local osteocyte density in rat vertebral cancellous bone

Osteocytes play an integral role in bone by sensing mechanical stimuli and releasing signaling factors that direct bone formation. The importance of osteocytes in mechanotransduction suggests that regions of bone tissue with greater osteocyte populations are more responsive to mechanical stimuli. To determine the effects of osteocyte population on bone functional adaptation we applied mechanical loads to the 8th caudal vertebra of skeletally mature female Sprague Dawley rats (6 months of age, n = 8 loaded, n = 8 sham controls). The distribution of tissue stress/strain within cancellous bone was determined using high-resolution finite element models, osteocyte distribution was determined using nano-computed tomography, and locations of bone formation were determined using three-dimensional images of fluorescent bone formation markers. Loading increased bone formation (3D MS/BS 10.82 ± 2.09% in loaded v. 3.17 ± 2.05% in sham control, mean ± SD). Bone formation occurred at regions of cancellous bone experiencing greater tissue stress/strain, however stress/strain was only a modest predictor of bone formation; even at locations of greatest stress/strain the probability of observing bone formation did not exceed 41%. The local osteocyte population was not correlated with locations of new bone formation. The findings support the idea that local tissue stress/strain influence the locations of bone formation in cancellous bone, but suggest that the size of the osteocyte population itself is not influential. We conclude that other aspects of osteocytes such as osteocyte connectivity, lacunocanilicular nano-geometry and/or fluid pressure/shear distributions within the marrow space may be more influential in regulating bone mechanotransduction than the number of osteocytes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Following Corrective Osteotomy for Distal Radius Malunion: A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background Although median nerve neuropathy and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) are known complications of both untreated and acutely treated distal radius fracture, median neuropathy after correction of distal radius malunion is not commonly reported in hand surgery literature. We describe a patient with severe CTS after corrective osteotomy, open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) with a volar locking plate (VLP), and bone grafting for distal radius malunion. Methods We report a case of severe acute CTS as a complication of corrective osteotomy with bone grafting for distal radius malunion. Results The patient was treated with surgical exploration of the median nerve and carpal tunnel release. Conclusion The authors report a case of acute CTS after ORIF with VLP for a distal radius malunion warranting surgical exploration and carpal tunnel release. Treatment teams must be aware of this potential complication so that the threshold for reoperation is low and irreversible damage to the median nerve is prevented.
ABCA4 Mutation in a Patient With Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis

A 5-year-old Ecuadorian male, previously diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy, presented for a second opinion after experiencing subjective bilateral rapid vision loss over an 18-day period, 4 months ...
Coagulation profile following liver resection: Does liver cirrhosis affect thromboelastography?

Abstract Background Thromboelastography has called into question the coagulopathy seen following partial hepatectomy. However the coagulation profile in cirrhotic livers has not been studied. Our objective was to determine the coagulation profile following partial hepatectomy in normal and cirrhotic livers. Methods Patients undergoing liver resection were prospectively enrolled in the study. The prothrombin time and international normalized ratio, as well as the thromboelastogram, were obtained preoperatively, post-operatively, and on post-operative days 1, 3, and 5. Results 22 noncirrhotic and 11 cirrhotic patients undergoing liver resection were enrolled. Postoperatively the thromboelastogram demonstrated a hypercoagulable profile in 64%, 33%, 39% and 36% of patients on post-operative days 0, 1, 3 and 5 respectively. There was no difference between patients with cirrhosis and those without underlying liver disease. Conclusion Patients appear to have a similar coagulation profile after liver resection regardless of underlying cirrhosis with many having a hypercoagulable profile.
Looking ahead: Future directions in, and future research into, second language acquisition

This article begins by situating modern-day second language acquisition (SLA) research in a historical context, tracing its evolution from cognitive to social to sociocognitive accounts. Next, the influence of the zeitgeist is considered. In this era of rapid change and turmoil, there are both perils and opportunities afforded by globalization. In addition, what globalization is bringing to the forefront is a need to grapple with the complexity of the world. It follows then that we need to think differently about SLA. I suggest that this thinking take two directions. The first is that the researchers in the field adopt an ecological perspective, whereby the relations among factors are what is key to elucidating the complexity. I offer as an example overcoming the bifurcation between research on individual differences and research on the SLA process. Doing so ushers in a person-centered, humanistic dimension of SLA. A second, related change is the renewed awareness of the importance of context and of the nature of constraints that shape any particular context. Language learning does not occur in an ideological vacuum but rather is affected in a serious way by prevailing beliefs in the society at large. I therefore make the case for language researchers to be more mindful of the social injustices that exist in the world concerning language learning and use, and I indicate several of the ideologies and myths that deserve to be challenged accordingly. Before concluding, I discuss the implications of these two changes for issues of language assessment, research, and teaching
Religion and Science in Early American Psychology

Most texts in the history of psychology ignore American contributions prior to the appearance of Hall and James. This may be a function of the strong religious inclinations of the pre-Jamesians, bu...
Innovations, Fads, and Fashion: Information Technology and Strategy, a Co-Evolution of Theory and Practice

IT represents one of the largest recurring expenditures made by firms and is a central phenomenon in the quest for competitive advantage. While IT has served as valuable phenomena in the strategy literature, research has lagged IT innovation and has produced mixed results for informing IT phenomena. The mixing of innovations, fads, and fashion with theory might lead to an inability to identify empirical connections between IT initiatives and competitive advantage and, therefore, to conclusions that 'IT doesn't matter'. Our review of nearly 500 articles over the past 30 years shows a strong co-evolutionary relationship between the phenomena and theory of IT's role in strategic management. We observe that, over distinct phases of IT innovations, IT phenomena appear to contribute disproportionately to strategic management theory.
Contraception as a Tool for Managing Feral Horse Populations in the Western United States

Management of feral horse (Equus caballus) populations has been embroiled in controversy since the animals were protected by federal legislation in 1971. Populations are currently controlled by periodic capture, with over 100 000 horses removed from public lands over the past 17 years. Destruction of healthy animals is prohibited. Current programs place horses into private ownership or maintain unwanted animals in captivity for extended periods of time. These programs are expensive, and disposing of the large number of horses captured has been difficult. Numerous research initiatives over the last decade have focused on developing practical contraceptive tools. Male-oriented contraception has had limited success and may seriously disrupt normal seasonal reproductive cycles. Two contraceptive techniques have been developed for females, steroid implants which are effective for at least 3 years and an immunocontraceptive vaccine capable of blocking conception for 1 season. At present, the practicality of the vaccine is limited due to its short duration and the need for multiple injections per animal. The long duration of the steroid implants, coupled with the fact that horses can be easily and economically captured, suggests this technique may be practical for management applications.
Surface dependent enhancement in water vapor permeation through nanochannels

Selective permeation of water vapor over liquid phase water through hydrophobic conduits finds broad use in separation processes, including desalination and membrane distillation. The tangential momentum accommodation coefficient (TMAC), a fundamental parameter that dictates momentum changes to a molecule colliding with a wall remains unknown for water vapor at room temperature and pressure conditions. Here, a nanofluidic platform with tunable hydrophobic regions that selectively barricaded flow of liquid water was patterned within glass nanochannels. The surface functionalization with an alkyltrichlorosilane led to either a fluoride or a methyl terminal group generating partially hydrophobic regions along the length of the nanochannels. Differential osmotic pressure solutions on either side of the hydrophobic region cause an isothermal evaporation–condensation process, which drives net water vapor transport from higher to lower vapor pressure solution, similar to osmotic distillation. Water vapor transport under such conditions for the 80 nm deep nanochannels was in the transitional regime with the Knudsen number ∼O(1). The TMAC was estimated experimentally to be of the order of 10−4–10−3 for both the hydrophobic coatings leading to a near-elastic collision of H2O molecules with the nanochannel walls. Use of the low TMAC surfaces was evaluated in two proof-of-concept technology demonstrations: (1) osmotic distillation using hyper-saline (brine) 3 M Utica shale flowback water as both the feed and draw and (2) separation of trace amounts of toluene and chloroform from water at high flux and selectivity. The results reported here likely provide new insights in designing hydrophilic–hydrophobic junctions for nanoscale liquid/vapor fluid transport with enhanced flux and selectivity.
p53 Represses the Mevalonate Pathway to Mediate Tumor Suppression

There are still gaps in our understanding of the complex processes by which p53 suppresses tumorigenesis. Here we describe a novel role for p53 in suppressing the mevalonate pathway, which is responsible for biosynthesis of cholesterol and nonsterol isoprenoids. p53 blocks activation of SREBP-2, the master transcriptional regulator of this pathway, by transcriptionally inducing the ABCA1 cholesterol transporter gene. A mouse model of liver cancer reveals that downregulation of mevalonate pathway gene expression by p53 occurs in premalignant hepatocytes, when p53 is needed to actively suppress tumorigenesis. Furthermore, pharmacological or RNAi inhibition of the mevalonate pathway restricts the development of murine hepatocellular carcinomas driven by p53 loss. Like p53 loss, ablation of ABCA1 promotes murine liver tumorigenesis and is associated with increased SREBP-2 maturation. Our findings demonstrate that repression of the mevalonate pathway is a crucial component of p53-mediated liver tumor suppression and outline the mechanism by which this occurs.
An exploratory study of the perception of contraceptive safety and impact on lactation among postpartum nurses at Women and Infants Hospital in 2017

Abstract Objective To describe contraceptive knowledge and counseling practices of postpartum nurses. Methods We surveyed postpartum nurses at the largest women's hospital in Rhode Island. Results We distributed 117 anonymous questionnaires and received 58 responses (response rate=50%). Twenty-three of 51 nurses (45%) reported routinely offering contraceptive advice to new mothers. Only 5/55 (9%) responded correctly that combined hormonal contraceptives were an “unacceptable health risk” in the immediate postpartum period. A minority of respondents correctly classified the progestin-only pill, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, the etonogestrel implant, the levonorgestrel intrauterine system and the copper intrauterine device as safe to use during lactation [14/56 (25%), 24/56 (43%), 27/56 (48%), 19/55 (35%) and 9/55 (16%), respectively]. Thirty-three of 51 nurses (65%) incorrectly responded that depot medroxyprogesterone acetate decreases milk supply if started immediately postpartum. Conclusion There are opportunities to improve knowledge regarding contraceptive safety and impact on lactation among postpartum nurses at our institution.
Prescription vs. consumption: Opioid overprescription to children after common surgical procedures

Abstract Background In the setting of a national opioid epidemic there are concerns about routine overprescription of opioids postoperatively in both children and adults, which introduces excess opioids into the community. Purpose We sought to examine current opioid prescribing practices by surgeons and consumption of prescribed opioids by pediatric surgical patients following discharge. Methods Starting in January 2017 we began an emailed survey for all postoperative patients in a 23-hospital system about the opioids they were prescribed and consumed following discharge. They were then asked if their pain was controlled. Responses of pediatric patients (age 10–18) were examined. Findings Data from 277 patients were analyzed. After surgical procedures, patients were prescribed significantly more opioids (given in hydrocodone 5 mg equivalents) than they consumed: for appendectomy (median 10 vs. 2) cholecystectomy (12 vs. 5), hernia repair (20 vs. 14), tonsillectomy (30 vs. 17), sinus surgery (30 vs. 5), septoplasty (27 vs. 9.5), knee arthroscopy (30 vs. 12.5), open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of the hand and wrist (20 vs. 8.5), and ORIF of the foot and ankle (27 vs. 13.5). The majority (84%) of patients agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that their pain was controlled. Of patients with excess opioids, 64% reported keeping them in their home. Conclusions Providers prescribed more opioid tablets than were used by patients. Despite using fewer tablets, patients reported good pain control. Current prescribing practices contribute to excess opioids in the community and represent an opportunity to alter the current epidemic. Level of evidence III.
The Reversal of Immune Exclusion Mediated by Tadalafil and an Anti-tumor Vaccine Also Induces PDL1 Upregulation in Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Interim Analysis of a Phase I Clinical Trial

Myeloid Derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play a key role in the progression and recurrence of human malignancies and in restraining the efficacy of adjuvant therapies. We have previously shown that Tadalafil lowers MDSCs and regulatory T cells (Treg) in the blood and in the tumor, primes a tumor specific immune response, and increases the number of activated intratumoral CD8+T cells in patients with primary Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC). However, despite these important immune modulatory actions, to date no clinically significant effects have been reported following PDE5 inhibition. Here we report for the first time interim results of our ongoing phase I clinical trial (NCT02544880) in patients with recurrent HNSCC to evaluate the safety of and immunological effects of combining Tadalafil with the antitumor vaccine composed of Mucin1 (MUC1) and polyICLC. The combined treatment of Tadalafil and MUC1/polyICLC vaccine was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events or treatment limiting toxicities. Immunologically, this trial also confirms the positive immunomodulation of Tadalafil in patients with recurrent HNSCC and suggests an adjuvant effect of the anti-tumor vaccine MUC1/polyICLC. Additionally, image cytometry analysis of scanned tumors indicates that the PDE5 inhibitor Tadalafil in conjunction with the MUC1/polyICLC vaccine effectively reduces the number of PDL1+macrophages present at the tumor edge, and increases the number of activated tumor infiltrating T cells, suggesting reversion of immune exclusion. However, this analysis shows also that CD163 negative cells within the tumor upregulate PDL1 after treatment, suggesting the instauration of additional mechanisms of immune evasion. In summary, our data confirm the safety and immunologic potential of PDE5 inhibition in HNSCC but also point to PDL1 as additional mechanism of tumor evasion. This supports the rationale for combining checkpoint and PDE5 inhibitors for the treatment of human malignancies.
Radiation therapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a treatment option that must be considered in the management of a devastating malignancy

Clinical outcomes for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) remain dismal. Local recurrences, proportions of margin positive surgical resections, and overall survival outcomes remain inferior in PAC than any other solid tumor. This stems from a current standard of care management approach that needs to be inspired and transformed with modern treatment techniques and novel therapeutic options. Radiation therapy has historically been a central component in the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma; however, the role of radiation therapy has been called into question based on the publication of clinical trials with conflicting results. We present an overview of the rationale for radiation therapy in resectable, borderline resectable, and unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We further present a summary of emerging clinical data and future directions to improve outcomes in this devastating malignancy.
Eliminating Artifacts in Electrospray Deconvolution with a SoftMax Function

UniDec provides a rapid and robust approach to deconvolving electrospray mass spectra into their corresponding mass and charge components. However, the UniDec algorithm can produce artifacts depending on the quality and complexity of the data. Here, a SoftMax function is applied to the charge state distribution of each data point, which pushes the algorithm towards assigning each data point to one primary charge state. As shown for several data sets of increasing complexity, the SoftMax function significantly reduces deconvolution artifacts, even for data with overlapping charge states.
Backlash Response Theory: How Women Leaders Use Emotional Regulation to Address Backlash Events

Backlash, or social and economic penalties against women leaders, partially explains the lack of women in senior leadership roles. Backlash effects are complex and harmful to women’s social psychol...
Impact of fluid overload and infection on respiratory adverse event development during induction therapy for childhood acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND Treatment-related morbidity and mortality occur frequently in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) induction. Yet the contributions of respiratory adverse events (AEs) within this population are poorly understood. Furthermore, the roles of fluid overload (FO) and infection in AML pulmonary complications have been inadequately examined. OBJECTIVES To describe the incidence, categories, and grades of respiratory AEs and to assess the associations of FO and infection on respiratory AE development in childhood AML induction. METHODS We retrospectively examined the induction courses of a cohort of de novo pediatric AML patients for any NCI CTCAE grade 2 to 5 respiratory AE, FO, and systemic/pulmonary infection occurrence. Demographic, disease, and treatment-related data were abstracted. Descriptive, univariate, survival, and multivariable analyses were conducted. RESULTS Among 105 eligible subjects from 2009 to 2016, 49.5% (n = 52) experienced 63 discrete respiratory AEs. FO occurred in 28.6% of subjects (n = 30), with half occurring within 24 hours of hospitalization. Positive FO status < 10 days (aHR 5.5, 95% CI 2.3-12.8), ≥ 10 days (aHR 13, 95% CI 4.1-41.8), and positive infection status ≥ 10 days into treatment (aHR 14.9, 5.4-41.6) were each independently associated with AE development. CONCLUSIONS We describe a higher incidence of respiratory AEs during childhood AML induction than previously illustrated. FO occurs frequently and early in this course. Late infections and FO at any time frame were strongly associated with AE development. Interventions focused on the prevention and management of FO and infectious respiratory complications could be instrumental in reducing preventable treatment-related morbidity and mortality.
Why transhumanists can’t survive the death of their bodies?

Summary Our animal bodies inevitably wear down and we cease to exist. Transhumanists envision that we can prolong our existence by sustaining our mental life without all of the original organic parts of our bodies. This might involve undergoing inorganic part replacements that preserve our psychological functions or uploading the information from our brains and persisting in virtue of that information being physically realized. Transhumanists believe the freshly dead can now be cryogenically preserved until scientific developments make repairs and reanimation or inorganic bodies and brain scanning feasible. Such endeavors typically overlook a difficulty plaguing Lockean accounts of persons which is explaining the relationship of the human person to distinct human animal. Problems arise that can only be avoided by identifying the human person and the human animal. This identification and the recognition that we persist in virtue of earlier states immanently causing later states will undermine attempts of transhumanists to survive the deaths of their animal bodies. The funds allocated for researching how to replace our organic bodies would be better spent on learning how to postpone the deaths of those bodies.
Dynamic data structures, a web based tool for teaching linked lists and binary trees

DDS, the Dynamic Data Structures system, is an HTML5 and JavaScript application that allows the user to interactively model dynamic data structures such as linked lists and binary trees. DDS was conceived as a modeling tool to be used in a classroom when teaching data structures, eliminating the need to model data structures on static media such as white boards. Unlike many algorithm visualization systems, DDS does not produce visualizations for an algorithm. It cannot even run an algorithm. Rather, it provides a platform for the user to build and manipulate a graphical model of a data structure in a manner of their choosing. Any action taken by the user corresponds to the execution of one statement in an algorithm. Only manipulations that are semantically valid in a language such as Java are allowed. This paper introduces the DDS system and provides an overview of its capabilities. It then discusses its usage in a CS2 class, describing how it was helpful, as well as identifying some features that would help make it more useful.
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS’ STATISTICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF SAMPLING

Research investigating graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs’) knowledge of fundamental statistics concepts is sparse at best; yet at many universities, TAs play a substantial role in the teaching of undergraduate statistics courses. This paper provides a framework for characterizing TAs’ content knowledge in a sampling context and endeavors to raise new questions about TAs’ content knowledge and its potential impact on the teaching of undergraduate statistics. The participants in this study were sixty-eight TAs from 18 universities across the United States. These TAs demonstrated considerable knowledge of theoretical probability distributions. However, they experienced tensions when attempting to quantify expected statistical variability in an empirical sampling situation and had difficulty explaining conceptual ideas of variability.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Their Neuroprotective Role After an Acute Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review of Animal Models:

Study Design:Systematic review.Objective:Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) resulting in motor deficits can be devastating injuries resulting in millions of health care dollars spent per incident. Nonster...
Patient Characteristics of Possible Responders and Nonresponders to Total Ankle Arthroplasty

Background:Characteristics of responders, or those who achieve a clinical improvement above the level of a minimal clinically important difference, have not been defined for total ankle arthroplast...
Bragg-Cherenkov Scattering and Nonlinear Conductivity of a Two-Dimensional Wigner Crystal

We show that the conductivity of 2D Wigner crystals displays strong nonlinearity. It arises from coherent many-electron Cherenkov emission of surface waves in the substrate (e.g., ripplons on helium) with the wave vectors $\mathbf{q}$ close to the reciprocal lattice vectors $\mathbf{G}$ of the electron solid. The rate of such Bragg-Cherenkov scattering sharply increases with the Wigner crystal velocity $v$ as $\mathbf{v\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}}\mathbf{G}$ approaches the surface wave frequency $\ensuremath{\omega}(G)$. The results are compared with recent experiments.
Non-COVID-19 deaths in the United States during the imposition of sheltering-in-place

ABSTRACT Public debate over imposed sheltering-in-place in the United States (US) includes the claim that non-COVID-19 deaths increased above those expected from history and from such deaths in Sweden. We test this claim by applying Box-Jenkins transfer function modeling to weekly deaths between December 29, 2013 and May 16, 2020 in the US and Sweden. In the eight weeks of imposed sheltering-in-place in the US – assumed begun in the week of March 22 – an average of 715 fewer non-COVID-19 deaths (95% CI: −1428, −2) occurred per week implying a total of 5720 less than expected from those in Sweden and from history. Results changed little (i.e., 5472 fewer deaths than expected) when we excluded deaths in New York City. Contrary to speculation, non-COVID-19 mortality appeared to decline in the US after shelter-in-place orders.
Let's get back to Venus

Phosphine in Venus's atmosphere could be a sign that life is there. The only way to find out for sure is to go have a look, writes Peter Gao
Sharp Guarantees and Optimal Performance for Inference in Binary and Gaussian-Mixture Models

We study convex empirical risk minimization for high-dimensional inference in binary linear classification under both discriminative binary linear models, as well as generative Gaussian-mixture models. Our first result sharply predicts the statistical performance of such estimators in the proportional asymptotic regime under isotropic Gaussian features. Importantly, the predictions hold for a wide class of convex loss functions, which we exploit to prove bounds on the best achievable performance. Notably, we show that the proposed bounds are tight for popular binary models (such as signed and logistic) and for the Gaussian-mixture model by constructing appropriate loss functions that achieve it. Our numerical simulations suggest that the theory is accurate even for relatively small problem dimensions and that it enjoys a certain universality property.
Comprehensive discovery of novel structured noncoding RNAs in 26 bacterial genomes.

Comparative sequence analysis methods are highly effective for uncovering novel classes of structured noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) from bacterial genomic DNA sequence datasets. Previously, we developed ...
Holmium-based metal-organic frameworks using the BDC linker

Abstract Four different holmium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized and their structures solved by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The origin of dimeric clusters in the structure, commonly observed in lanthanide-based MOFs, is proposed and discussed. Additional characterization is presented to understand the stability of these materials. The structural features including the dimeric holmium clusters in all the MOFs is discussed and it opens the possibility to design more holmium-based MOFs.