cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Medium Access Protocol (CSMA/CD-W) Supporting Wireless Inter-Robot Communication in Distributed Robotic Systems

A communication media access protocol, CSMA/CD-W (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection for Wireless) is proposed to support both broadcasting and point-to-point communication in mobile robot based Distributed Robotic Systems (DRS). Differing from many existing experimental systems based on off-the-shelf wireless communication products for computers, no centralized mechanism or “ground support” is used, which is consistent with basic principles of DRS. The proposed protocol supports wireless data communication among mobile robots on a shared communication channel. It distincts itself from CSMA and its variations with the capability of detecting, in a wireless network, collisions of broadcast (undesignated) messages for which acknowledgments are not expected.
Endogenous Tax Policy and Economic Growth of Tax Havens

That tax haven policies contribute to favorable economic growth in tax haven countries is widely accepted in international policy dialogues. There is, however, minimal empirical evidence to substantiate this assertion. Empirical investigations are hampered by the likely endogeneity of tax haven policies to underlying growth outcomes. Using a sample of 155 countries from 1982 to 2003, we find that the standard tax haven variable is endogenous to the error term in a typical growth regression. We offer land area measures as valid instruments for tax haven status. Results based on two-stage least squares estimation with heteroskedastic standard errors and controls for initial conditions provide empirical justification for the commonly held belief that tax havens flourish compared with non-tax haven countries. Understanding the role of endogeneity is salient for a variety of related research, including the current dialogue concerning the impact of tax haven policies on non-tax haven countries.
Detection of Life in Soil on Earth and on Other Planets: Introductory Remarks

Publisher Summary Opportunity to examine the moon's soil material is important to microbiologists because living things like or unlike those in the soil on Earth are found in it. Even if no life is detected, information will be obtained that is needed for investigations of Mars and other planets. There is some knowledge of the elements contained in the moon and planets, but because no material from them have been brought to the Earth yet, physical and chemical properties of the substances and the presence of living things or primordial substances that might be the precursors of living things are subjects for speculation. The chapter devotes attention to soil in the thinking about life on the planets because soil on the Earth harbors a great diversity of living things. It is a reasonable assumption that there will be living things in planetary soil if there is life in any form on the planets. The chapter discusses soil microbiology that may be applicable to the studies of life on the planets.
Collaboration and Disclosure in Dynamic R&D Races

Recent models of multi-stage R&D have shown that a system of weak intellectual property rights may lead to faster innovation by inducing firms to share intermediate technological knowledge. However, I argue that the positive effect of weak intellectual property regimes on the sharing of intermediate technological knowledge vanishes when technology is complex, as is likely to be the case in many high-tech industries. Under this condition, technologically complex discoveries that are disclosed by a technological leader can be ignored by the follower, who does so when it can free ride off the research of the rival, since ignoring the disclosure encourages more research by the leader.
Analysis of Exponential Experiments with Lattices of Plutonium in Heavy Water

In this paper Pu-Al-D2O lattice experiments are analyzed with primarily ENDF/B data and methods based on asymptotic theory. The effects of varying the 239Pu cross sections in the unresolved-resonan...
Rural Control in Nineteenth Century China

A RTHUR HENDERSON SMITH, writing near the end of the previous cenL tury, characterized the Chinese village organization as "the self-government of the small communities" and asserted that "the management of the village was in the hands of the people themselves."' His enthusiasm was shared in varying degrees by other writers, both native and foreign.2 For good reasons, however, this encouraging view is no longer supported by students of Chinese society.3 Among other shortcomings, it ignored the existence of a considerable number of tiny villages, especially in north China,4 and the fact that the inhabitants of such villages were usually too impoverished to be able to afford organization. It failed also to maintain a necessary distinction between two aspects of village organization where it existed, namely, between the village as a center of rural community life and the village as an object of imperial control, each with its distinct leadership, the one called forth by government action, the other emerging from the rural inhabitants themselves.5 This failure led to an illusion in which village activities and organization that came as a result of government control appeared as manifestations of local initiative. While it is unnecessary to demonstrate that the impression such as gained by Smith was too optimistic to be true, it may be useful to examine briefly the
A Study of Sea Floor Structure Using Ocean Bottom Shots and Receivers

Much of the ocean floor is covered with layers of soft sediment that cannot withstand large shearing forces without tearing. As a consequence, shear-wave slowness is an order of magnitude larger in ocean sediments than in crustal rock. The soft sea floor is a low velocity zone that focuses seismic energy, causing interface waves (or Stoneley waves) to travel along the ocean bottom in the same fashion that Rayleigh waves travel along the surface of the earth. In this paper we present Stoneley wave data from sea-floor sources recorded on ocean bottom seismometers (OBS’s) at deep water sites off the California coast. To interpret the data, we generate synthetic seismograms based on thinly layered, low shear velocity models.
Integrated Real Time Geospatial Sensor Web and Visual Analytics for Environmental Decision Support

In this paper, we present an integrated Real-Time Geospatial Sensor Web and Visual Analytics systEm (RT-GeoSWAVE), which allows user-driven creation and sensors for real-time situational awareness. We illustrate this cyber-sensing system through a near-real-time urban flooding and sewer overflow scenario in Chicago, where NEXRAD Level II data are converted through a series of spatial, temporal and thematic transformations to a group of persistent polygon-based virtual rainfall sensors at the urban hydrological unit scale (i.e., sewersheds), which in turn can be visualized on demand as a real-time animated movie in space and time on the integrated Web-based Google Earth to assess rainfall patterns in an urban sewershed. Such a system is invaluable for real-time decision support as the spatial distribution of intense rainfall significantly impacts the triggering and behavior of urban flooding and sewer overflows. Furthermore, the system also demonstrates a critical capability for environmental observatories that will enable their users to dynamically evolve a suite of derived data products to meet changing research and management needs. INTRODUCTION This paper presents a system called RT-GeoSWAVE that provides an information system framework for real-time environmental decision making driven by sensor data from environmental observatories. Currently there are a number of large-scale national environmental observatories initiatives in the United States (US) supported by the US National Science Foundation, such as the WATERS (Water and Environmental Research Systems) Network (Montgomery et al. 2007), the Ocean Observatory Initiative (Murphy 2008), and the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) (Keller et al. 2008). In addition, there are various sensors and instruments that are already deployed and managed by many Federal, state, and local government agencies, research institutions (Hart and Martinez 2006) and even citizens. For example, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) (http://www.cocorahs.org/) (Cifelli et al. 2005) has participating residential backyard rain gages in all 50 states across the US as of January 2010. The increasing ubiquity of environmental sensor networks and the value of their data for scientific discovery have compelled researchers, such as Hart and Martinez (2006), to 325 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2010: Challenges of Change. © 2010 ASCE
Fatigue 2 months after myocardial infarction may indicate risk for persistent fatigue

Commentary on : Fredriksson-Larsson U, Alsen P, Karlson BW, et al. Fatigue two months after myocardial infarction and its relationships with other concurrent symptoms, sleep quality and coping strategies. J Clin Nurs 2015;24:2192–200.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] Fredriksson-Larsson and colleagues address an important symptom, fatigue, in the post-MI period. Typically, this time period is when physiological recovery and pharmacological … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJ%2BClin%2BNurs%26rft.volume%253D24%26rft.spage%253D2192%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1111%252Fjocn.12876%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F25988847%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1111/jocn.12876&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=25988847&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febnurs%2F19%2F3%2F78.atom
In Vivo Examination of Mouse APOBEC3- and Human APOBEC3A- and APOBEC3G-Mediated Restriction of Parvovirus and Herpesvirus Infection in Mouse Models.

ABSTRACT APOBEC3 knockout and human APOBEC3A and -3G transgenic mice were tested for their ability to be infected by the herpesviruses herpes simplex virus 1 and murine herpesvirus 68 and the parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM). Knockout, APOBEC3A and APOBEC3G transgenic, and wild-type mice were equally infected by the herpesviruses, while APOBEC3A but not mouse APOBEC3 conferred resistance to MVM. No viruses showed evidence of cytidine deamination by mouse or human APOBEC3s. These data suggest that in vitro studies implicating APOBEC3 proteins in virus resistance may not reflect their role in vivo . IMPORTANCE It is well established that APOBEC3 proteins in different species are a critical component of the host antiretroviral defense. Whether these proteins also function to inhibit other viruses is not clear. There have been a number of in vitro studies suggesting that different APOBEC3 proteins restrict herpesviruses and parvoviruses, among others, but whether they also work in vivo has not been demonstrated. Our studies looking at the role of mouse and human APOBEC3 proteins in transgenic and knockout mouse models of viral infection suggest that these restriction factors are not broadly antiviral and demonstrate the importance of testing their activity in vivo .
Sickness unto Death in the Age of 24/7: Wolfgang Herrndorf's Arbeit und Struktur

How does one die in the digital age? In exploring this question, this article juxtaposes Jonathan Crary’s critique of the contemporary and Wolfgang Herrndorf ’s Arbeit und Struktur—a blog in which the German author documented his three-year battle against brain cancer. The digital age, Crary argues in 24/7, not only enables but forces its natives to ceaselessly engage in work. From the vantage point of terminal illness, however, the digital administration of the self appears not as a strategy of disempowerment but as a lifesustaining practice that allows for the continuous production of the self under precarious bodily conditions. Drawing on the temporality of the digital—its immediacy—the article also examines the poetics of Herrndorf ’s blog as illness narrative.
Circulating hematopoietic progenitor cell number is associated with prefrontal cortical thickness, white matter integrity and PTSD duration in combat-exposed veterans

Background Circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells (PCs; CD34+ and CD34+/KDR+) facilitate neurogenesis and neovascularization, promoting increased cortical thickness and white matter integrity in animal models. However, it unknown whether low PCs are associated with trauma symptoms or neurovascular health among veterans. Objectives Determine whether lower PCs are associated with: (1) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, duration and symptoms, (2) decreased prefrontal cortical (PFC) thickness, and (3) reduced white matter integrity, indexed by white matter hypointensities (WMH), and tracts relevant to fear processing: the Uncinate Fasciculus (UF) and Inferior Fronto-Occipital Fasciculus (IFOF). Methods 100 male and 8 female combat-exposed veterans reported PTSD symptoms (43 PTSD+) and were studied by 3T MRI, acquiring whole brain T1-weighted images and, for a subsample ( n = 54), diffusion tensor images. PCs were characterized by flow cytometry. Results Higher CD34+/KDR+ counts were related to greater PFC thickness (DM-PFC and DL-PFC), while higher CD34+ counts were related to better IFOF (but not UF) integrity and fewer WMH, controlling for age, gender, smoking, cardiovascular comorbidities and head injury. In PTSD+ subjects, CD34+/KDR+ counts were inversely related to time since the worst trauma, but not PTSD diagnosis or current symptoms. Conclusions PCs are associated with enhanced white matter integrity and PFC thickness, with potential implications for neurovascular plasticity and fear processing. In patients with PTSD, PCs may exhibit accelerated depletion with increasing time post-trauma.
Toward a taxonomic definition of perennial wheat: a new species ×Tritipyrum aaseae described

Nearly a century has passed since the first crosses were made between wheat (Triticum L.) and perennial Triticeae relatives with the goal of developing a perennial grain and forage crop. Numerous crosses of different species and genera have been attempted, and many have yielded fertile hybrids. Despite these successes, a definitive taxonomic treatment of stable hybrids has never been established. “Perennial wheat” is the term commonly used to refer to these hybrids when the traits of interest are the perennial growth habit and grain yield, regardless of parentage. In order to establish a consistent system in which researchers can effectively communicate and collaborate, it is important to characterize unique combinations. In this paper we briefly outline the history of perennial wheat breeding, suggest a naming convention based on the International Code for Nomenclature and describe one combination within the new nothogenus ×Tritipyrum. The development of perennial grains has the potential to allow for new agricultural systems that take advantage of the persistent nature of the crop. The taxonomic definition of this new crop type will help focus research and breeding efforts as well as organize the literature and facilitate collaboration.
Neural network-based attack detection in nonlinear networked control systems

The communication links in networked control systems are vulnerable to various malicious attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel network attack detection scheme that is able to capture the abnormality in the traffic flow caused by a class of attacks targeting at the communication links. We model the network traffic flow in the bottleneck as a nonlinear system with unknown dynamics. By utilizing an observer, network attack detection residual is generated which is used to determine the existence of attacks in the networks when the residual exceeds a predefined threshold. We also revisit an optimal event-triggered controller for the physical system and derive the maximum delay and packet loss that the system can tolerate.
Ordered Rate Constitutive Theories for Non-Classical Thermoviscoelastic Fluids Incorporating Internal and Cosserat Rotation Rates

This paper considers conservation and balance laws for non-classical fluent continua in the presence of internal rotation rates due to the velocity gradient tensor and the rotation rates due to Cos...
What I think I will do versus what I say I do: Mispredicting marijuana use among teenage drug users

Abstract Past research examines factors that impact marijuana use. However, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the combined role of previous experience, attitudes and the situation in determining present and future marijuana use. We fill this gap by studying factors that affect misprediction of marijuana use among teenagers. Specifically, we study (1) whether individuals are able to correctly predict their future marijuana use, (2) the direction of misprediction (over versus under prediction) and (3) the factors that affect errors in prediction. We use data from a federally sponsored survey about teenagers' marijuana consumption in the United States. We find that, teenagers under predict future marijuana use and that this inaccuracy is moderated by the extent of use. We also find that misprediction is affected by both attitudes and the situation through main and interaction effects. We outline some policy implications of our findings.
NOX2 NADPH oxidase controls responses to infection and sterile inflammation

The NOX2 NADPH oxidase generates superoxide following activation by microbial or other inflammatory stimuli. Inactivating mutations in this leukocyte enzyme result in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a primary immunodeficiency associated with recurrent bacterial and fungal infections as well as inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and discoid lupus. These symptoms reflect a dual importance of the NADPH oxidase both for microbial killing and for attenuating inflammation by still incompletely understood mechanisms. Moreover, hypomorphic NADPH oxidase gene variants are linked to inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmunity. A long-term goal is to better understand how the NADPH oxidase functions as a critical host effector in these different settings. Our recent work in murine CGD suggest that excessive IL-1α released by sentinel macrophages drive hyper-inflammation in sterile peritoneal inflammation (Bagaitkar et al., Blood 2017). To further interrogate the relative role of the NADPH oxidase in different myeloid cells, we developed mice with lineage–restricted impairment of NADPH oxidase activity using Cre recombinases. Ongoing studies are investigating the impact during sterile inflammation and the response to Aspergillus, an important pathogen in CGD.
Acid-Induced Fusion of Liposomes

Liposomes have become an important model system for studying the phenomenon of membrane fusion (Blumenthal, 1985; Gregoriadis, 1984). The simplicity of form of artificial lipid membranes makes them an effective tool for elucidating the actual mechanism of fusion between opposing membranes. The information derived from the study of model liposome fusion is A. crucial contribution to the understanding of biologically relevant fusion activities, including endocytosis, exocytosis, and viral infection.
A fission-source acceleration technique for time-dependent even-parity Sn calculations

A synthetic scheme for accelerating the convergence of the fission source in time-dependent multigroup even-parity S[sub n] calculations with downscatter is described. The low-order operator associated with this scheme is a one-group diffusion operator. Thus, this scheme can be thought of as a variant of diffusion synthetic acceleration. A Fourier analysis of this scheme is performed, which indicates that it is unconditionally effective for a spatially infinite model problem. Computational results are presented that show excellent performance of the method in three-dimensional calculations. Although this method is derived for the even-parity S[sub n] equations, it can easily be generalized for application to the standard first-order S[sub n] equations. The accelerated interaction equations for both the even-parity and first-order S[sub n] equations are given, but only the even-parity algorithm is computationally tested.
An alternative hypothesis for the direction of hydrogen ion movement and energy transduction in H. halobium.

Abstract It is generally accepted that purple membrane of H. halobium functions as a light-driven hydrogen ion pump translocating hydrogen ions from inside the cell to the external medium. However, experimental data from this laboratory together with those obtained by others have always shown an initial alkalinization of the external medium in the light. Additionally, we have found that oxygen can also induce an alkalinization of the bathing solution in the dark. These results can be readily explained if the direction of hydrogen-ion translocation is reversed, that is that both light and oxygen generate an electrochemical gradient of hydrogen ions, which is outwardly directed for ATP synthesis.
Review of Literature on Rotor Balancing

While the necessity of rotor balancing was demonstrated by Jeffcott in his classic paper [68], published in 1919, the first significant contributions to the rotor balancing literature did not appear until about 1930. Prior to the 1950s, the balancing literature was concerned with the balancing of rigid rotors and, in a few cases, very simple flexible ones. There is no documentation during this period of any systematic balancing procedure using more than two balancing planes. The first flexible rotors of significance to be built were steam turbine rotors. Initially, these rotors were balanced using simple, rigid-rotor procedures. However, as these rotors became more flexible, and were often operated supercritically, the existing balancing procedures became inadequate. This led to the development of a number of balancing methods specifically designed for flexible rotors.
Self-rated health and depressive symptoms in older adults: A growth mixture modeling approach.

Abstract Objective Self-Rated Health (SRH) and depressive symptoms are important indicators of global quality of life in older adults. Prior research suggests associations between SRH and depressive symptoms. The current study assessed latent groups in levels and trajectories of these two subjective health indicators and how the latent groups relate to each other. Methods Participants from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging (N = 2,087, ages 65+) were assessed over six waves of data collection, spanning eight years. Results Growth Mixture Models were run for SRH and depressive symptoms, each yielded three latent groups with similar patterns: for both SRH and depressive symptoms two groups differing in their level with worsening status over time, and a third stable, but poorer functioning group. Analysis of the assignment of the latent groups revealed a consistent pattern for the majority, but some people were high in depression and high in SRH and some were low in depression and low in SRH. Conclusions SRH and depressive symptoms yielded both three latent groups whose combination supported the expected assignment for the majority and an unexpected assignment for some people. This may be a result of a protective factor existing for one variable but not the other.
Baseline Concussion Clinical Measures Are Related to Sensory Organization and Balance.

ABSTRACTPurposeThis study aimed to examine relationships among baseline demographics, symptom severity, computerized neurocognitive outcomes, and balance performance in collegiate athletes.MethodsCollegiate varsity athletes (N = 207, age = 19.3 ± 1.0 yr) participating in an ongoing clinical research
Comparative genomic and methylome analysis of non-virulent D74 and virulent Nagasaki Haemophilus parasuis isolates.

Haemophilus parasuis is a respiratory pathogen of swine and the etiological agent of Glasser's disease. H. parasuis isolates can exhibit different virulence capabilities ranging from lethal systemic disease to subclinical carriage. To identify genomic differences between phenotypically distinct strains, we obtained the closed whole-genome sequence annotation and genome-wide methylation patterns for the highly virulent Nagasaki strain and for the non-virulent D74 strain. Evaluation of the virulence-associated genes contained within the genomes of D74 and Nagasaki led to the discovery of a large number of toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems within both genomes. Five predicted hemolysins were identified as unique to Nagasaki and seven putative contact-dependent growth inhibition toxin proteins were identified only in strain D74. Assessment of all potential vtaA genes revealed thirteen present in the Nagasaki genome and three in the D74 genome. Subsequent evaluation of the predicted protein structure revealed that none of the D74 VtaA proteins contain a collagen triple helix repeat domain. Additionally, the predicted protein sequence for two D74 VtaA proteins is substantially longer than any predicted Nagasaki VtaA proteins. Fifteen methylation sequence motifs were identified in D74 and fourteen methylation sequence motifs were identified in Nagasaki using SMRT sequencing analysis. Only one of the methylation sequence motifs was observed in both strains indicative of the diversity between D74 and Nagasaki. Subsequent analysis also revealed diversity in the restriction-modification systems harbored by D74 and Nagasaki. The collective information reported in this study will aid in the development of vaccines and intervention strategies to decrease the prevalence and disease burden caused by H. parasuis.
Flexible reverse osmosis (FLERO) desalination

Abstract A flexible RO (FLERO) membrane desalination configuration employing a pressure intensifier and partial concentrate recycle was investigated with respect to operational flexibility and specific energy consumption (SEC). Decomposition of FLERO configuration and its operation into a membrane processing and concentrate recycle units allows fluid flow regulation at low pressure and adjustable product water recovery. Operational analysis, along with experimental evaluation using a small-scale spiral wound system, demonstrated a desalting capability over a wide range of both permeate recovery and source water salinity. Moreover, in the FLERO configuration a relatively low-pressure pump can be used, even for seawater desalination. However, the SEC for the FLERO configuration is higher, at the same recovery and permeate productivity, relative to conventional single-pass with energy recovery. Nonetheless, given its operational flexibility, in terms of handling both a wide range of source water salinity and recovery and source water salinity and need for low-pressure RO water feed pump. Given the above, FLERO should be ideal for small-scale applications, particularly in remote locations, and field evaluation is warranted to establish its long-term benefits. Large-scale FLERO applications would depend on the availability of suitable energy recovery devices of sufficient efficiency for large desalination capacity.
On the utility of Asian critical (AsianCrit) theory in the field of education

AbstractDespite the powerful influence of race and racism on the experiences and outcomes of Asian Americans in US education, coherent conceptual frameworks specifically focused on delineating how ...
Integrating Graphene into Future Generations of Interconnect Wires

The escalating RC delay and diminishing reliability of Cu interconnect present immense challenges for continued integrated circuits performance improvement. This paper reviews the use of single-layer graphene as the diffusion barrier and capping layer to extend scaling of Cu into future generations of interconnects. With graphene barrier/capping layer, processor core simulations predict an 8% speed boost or 12% energy saving, plus higher tolerance for process variations. Single-layer graphene (3.35 A thick) provides 3.3× longer barrier lifetime than 2 nm TaN. Barrier reliability is expected to further improve with transfer-free and single-crystalline graphene. In-situ low-temperature grown graphene ( 3 doping and higher immunity to electromigration. Replacing Cu with multilayer graphene, processor cores achieve 9% higher speed or 16% less energy consumption. Spin-on-glass encapsulated multilayer graphene shows two times longer electromigration lifetime than CoWP capped Cu.
Subependymoma involving multiple spinal cord levels: A clinicopathological case series with chromosomal microarray analysis

Subependymomas of the spinal cord are rare, do not often involve multiple levels, and very rarely recur. Here, we present a series of spinal cord subependymomas with a detailed description of the clinical, radiological and pathological features, and characterization by chromosomal microarray analysis. Briefly, the four patients included two men and two women, between the ages of 22 and 48 years. The most common presenting symptoms were neck and arm pain with upper extremity weakness. By imaging, the tumors were found to involve multiple spinal levels, including cervical/ cervico-thoracic (three patients) and thoracic (one patient), were all eccentric, and had minimal to no post-contrast enhancement. Two patients underwent gross total resection, one had a sub-total resection, and one underwent biopsy alone with a decompressive laminectomy. Follow up ranged from 6 months to 22 years. One patient (case 4) had recurrence 15 years following gross total resection and chromosomal microarray analysis revealed deletions on the long arm of chromosome 6. Our limited series suggests that spinal cord subependymomas can rarely recur, even following gross total resection, suggesting a possible role for long-term surveillance for these rare tumors.
C-MEMS for bio-sensing applications

ABSTRACT Developing highly sensitive, selective, and reproducible miniaturized bio-sensing platforms require reliable bio-interface which should be compatible with microfabrication techniques. In this study, we have fabricated pyrolyzed carbon arrays with high surface area as a bio-sensing electrode, and developed the surface functionalization methods to increase biomolecules immobilization efficiency and further understand electrochemical phenomena at bio-interfaces. The carbon microelectrode arrays with high aspect ratio have been fabricated by carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) and nanomaterials such as graphene have been integrated to further increase surface area. To achieve the efficient covalent immobilization of biomolecules, various oxidation and reduction functionalization methods have been investigated. The oxidation treatment in this study includes vacuum ultraviolet, electrochemical activation, UV/Ozone and oxygen RIE. The reduction treatment includes direct amination and diazonium grafting. The developed bio-sensing platform was then applied for several applications, such as: DNA sensor; H
A fundamental understanding of whole biomass dissolution in ionic liquid for regeneration of fiber by solution-spinning

Materials generated from renewable resources are promising and attractive substitutes for petroleum-based materials. Recently, regeneration of cellulose fibers using ionic liquids (ILs) as green solvents has been a topic of interest to both industrial and academic sectors. However, extraction of cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass requires numerous energy intensive processing steps. Additionally, the deconstruction and removal of lignin and hemicellulose components from lignocellulosic biomass usually involve corrosive pretreatment and the solvation of specific biomass components. Instead, utilization of the whole biomass—particularly woody residues—to manufacture high-performance materials offers an attractive value-proposition. In this study, we demonstrated fiber regeneration of whole hybrid poplar (HP) biomass by a sustainable method. We developed an environmentally friendly approach by partially auto-hydrolyzing the biomass with water before its dissolution in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]) ionic liquid, for large-scale, roll-to-roll production of fibers by solution spinning. We report, for the first time, a fundamental understanding of the inter- and intramolecular interactions in HP biomass–IL solutions, as well as their corresponding spinnability, structural reformation, and mechanical performance of the regenerated fibers. Particularly, the molecular alignment, recrystallization, and crystallinity of the spun fibers were correlated to the chain entanglement, molecular relaxation, and rheological properties of the HP biomass–IL solutions. A window of entangled concentration (4–6.5 wt%) of biomass in the IL was determined to be favorable for fiber spinning.
When the Uterus Competes for Perfusion: Management of a Pregnant Patient with Bypass Graft Occlusion.

Background. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in pregnancy has serious implications and requires multidisciplinary management. This becomes even more complicated in the setting of active disease and history of prior vascular grafts. Case. A woman presented with increasing left lower extremity pain at 18 weeks of gestation with a complex history of PAD and a previous bifurcated aorta-left femoral, -right iliac bypass. CT angiogram demonstrated known occluded bypass graft. A multidisciplinary team of providers developed guidelines for potential surgical intervention based upon clinical symptoms. Conclusion. Pelvic PAD can worsen in pregnancy in the setting of the enlarging uterus, which can potentially deplete perfusion of existing collateral vessels. Symptomatic approach to worsening disease provided an effective management strategy in this case.
Highly-selective µ-opioid receptor antagonism does not block L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in a rodent model.

Dopamine-replacement utilizing L-DOPA is still the mainstay treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD), but often leads to development of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID), which can be as debilitating as the motor deficits. There is currently no satisfactory pharmacological adjunct therapy. The endogenous opioid peptides enkephalin and dynorphin are important co-transmitters in the direct and indirect striatofugal pathways and have been implicated in genesis and expression of LID. Opioid receptor antagonists and agonists with different selectivity profiles have been investigated for anti-dyskinetic potential in preclinical models. In this study we investigated effects of the highly-selective μ-opioid receptor antagonist CTAP (> 1200-fold selectivity for μ- over δ-opioid receptors) and a novel glycopeptide congener (gCTAP5) that was glycosylated to increase stability, in the standard rat LID model. Intraperitoneal administration (i.p.) of either 0.5 mg/kg or 1 mg/kg CTAP and gCTAP5 completely blocked morphine’s antinociceptive effect (10 mg/kg; i.p.) in the warm water tail-flick test, showing in vivo activity in rats after systemic injection. Neither treatment with CTAP (10 mg/kg; i.p.), nor gCTAP5 (5 mg/kg; i.p.) had any effect on L-DOPA-induced limb, axial, orolingual, or locomotor abnormal involuntary movements. The data indicate that highly-selective μ-opioid receptor antagonism alone might not be sufficient to be anti-dyskinetic.
6-MONTH RETURN TO SPORTS TESTING FOLLOWING ACL RECONSTRUCTION IN ADOLESCENTS WITH QUADRICEPS TENDON AUTOGRAFT VERSUS HAMSTRING AUTOGRAFT:

Background:Quadriceps tendon autograft represents an increasingly popular graft option for ACL reconstruction (ACLR). However, there is a paucity of literature regarding the early post-operative ef...
Trends in the incidence and survival outcomes in patients with lung neuroendocrine neoplasms in the United States.

e19120Background: The incidence and prevalence of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs) are rapidly rising. Epidemiologic trends have been reported for common NENs, but specific data for lung NENs has be...
Safaliba community language awareness: ‘Safale̱ba—a dage̱ya ka o̱ bebee!*’ * ‘Safaliba—it is important for it to exist!’

Safaliba is an Indigenous Ghanaian language spoken by 7–9,000 Ghanaians in a nation-state of 29 million people with 73 indigenous languages, none of which are spoken by a majority of Ghanaians. Gov...
Partial anomalous left pulmonary artery in heterotaxy syndrome. A case report and review of literature

Abstract Partial anomalous left pulmonary artery in association with congenital heart defects is a rare anomaly that can cause compression of the tracheobronchial tree. We report a case of partial anomalous left pulmonary artery causing compression of the left mainstem bronchi in a patient with heterotaxy syndrome. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a partial anomalous left pulmonary artery causing compression of the left mainstem bronchi in a patient with heterotaxy syndrome. We also reviewed other reported cases of partial anomalous left pulmonary artery with and without tracheobronchial compression.
Nurse practitioner students as an essential workforce: The lessons of coronavirus disease 2019.

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupted the education and clinical training of nursing students. Clinical sites shut out students over low equipment supplies, physical distancing requirements, and redeployment of staff. Purpose and Methods The purpose of this paper is to highlight a progressive solution to engage nurse practitioner students as part of the COVID-19 response given the disruption of their traditional clinical training environments so that student could continue to matriculate and graduate in a timely manner. Findings Nurse practitioner students swiftly responded and were deemed an essential part of the nursing workforce. Discussion Policy implications for advanced nursing practice and education for telehealth and simulation research moving forward is also provided.
Steady-State Visually Evoked Potentials and Feature-based Attention: Preregistered Null Results and a Focused Review of Methodological Considerations

Feature-based attention is the ability to selectively attend to a particular feature (e.g., attend to red but not green items while looking for the ketchup bottle in your refrigerator), and steady-...
Implementation Science and Nutrition: From Research to Practice

Implementation science (IS) is a young field that seeks to minimize the gap between what we know and what we practice, otherwise known as the "know-do gap." Recently, IS has focused on research that expedites the dissemination of evidence-based knowledge, accelerates the translation of interventions to improve knowledge gaps, shrinks healthcare disparities, enhances care of complex medical conditions, and narrows variation in clinical practice and policy. This article seeks to review theoretical frameworks of IS and demonstrate how IS can be utilized to improve nutrition care. Specific examples in this article include implementation of initiatives to improve documentation of malnutrition, increase provision of oral nutrition supplements, increase use of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols, and increase energy and protein delivery. Clinical nutrition is a growing field with more and more research findings pointing to new therapies. In implementing these new therapies, practitioners should recognize the complex system present in healthcare and lean on IS findings to speed implementation and more rapidly improve clinical outcomes.
Identification of the FDA-Approved Drug Pyrvinium as a Small-Molecule Inhibitor of the PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction

Immune checkpoint blockade involving inhibition of the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction has provided unprecedented clinical benefits in treating a variety of tumors. To date, a total of six antibodies that bind to either PD-1 or PD-L1 protein and in turn inhibit the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction have received clinical approvals. Despite being highly effective, these expensive large biotherapeutics possess several inherent pharmacokinetic limitations that can be successfully overcome through the use of low-molecular-weight inhibitors. One such promising approach involves small-molecule induced dimerization and sequestration of PD-L1, leading to effective PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition. Herein, we present the discovery of such potential bioactive PD-L1 dimerizers through a structure- and ligand-based screening of a focused library of approved and investigational drugs worldwide. Pyrvinium, an FDA-approved anthelmintic drug, showed the highest activity in our study with IC50 value of ∼29.66 μM. It is noteworthy that Pyrvinium, being an approved drug, may prove especially suitable as a good starting point for further medicinal chemistry efforts, leading to design and development of even more potent structural analogs as selective PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Furthermore, the adopted integrated virtual screening protocol may prove useful in screening other larger databases of lead- and drug-like molecules for hit identification in the domain of small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.
Tight Bounds for the Probability of Connectivity in Random K-out Graphs

Random K-out graphs are receiving increasing attention as a model to construct sparse, yet well connected topologies in a fully distributed fashion with applications in modeling sensor networks secured by random pairwise key predistribution schemes, decentralized learning, and cryptocurrency networks. A random K-out graph over a set of n nodes is constructed as follows. Each node draws an edge towards K distinct nodes selected uniformly at random. The orientation of the edges is then ignored, yielding an undirected graph. Existing results on connectivity of random K-out graphs focus on an asymptotic setting where the number of nodes is infinite. In the asymptotic setting, it is known that random K-out graphs get connected for any K ≥ 2, and thus achieve connectivity easily, i.e., with far fewer edges (O(n)) as compared to classical random graph models including Erdős-Renyi graphs (O(n log n)). However, practical deployment of random K-out graphs as a tool for topology design requires an understanding of the connectivity of these graphs when the number of nodes is finite.In this work, we derive upper and lower bounds for probability of connectivity in random K-out graphs when the number of nodes is finite. Our matching upper and lower bounds prove that the probability of connectivity is $1 - \Theta \left( {1/{n^{{K^2} - 1}}} \right)$ for all K ≥ 2. Our work is the first to provide an upper bound on the probability of connectivity, which shows that further improvement on the order of n in the lower bound is not possible. Our corresponding lower bound significantly improves the existing ones. Together, our bounds provide a more precise characterization of the probability of connectivity, and reveal that random K-out graphs are an efficient way to construct a connected network topology when the number of nodes is finite. Through numerical simulations, we show that our bounds closely mirror the empirically observed probability of connectivity.
Association of early dysnatremia with mortality in the neonatal intensive care unit: results from the AWAKEN study.

Objective To determine the association of dysnatremia in the first postnatal week and risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality. Study design A secondary analysis of 1979 neonates in the AWAKEN cohort evaluated the association of dysnatremia with (1) AKI in the first postnatal week and (2) mortality, utilizing time-varying Cox proportional hazard models. Result Dysnatremia developed in 50.2% of the cohort and was not associated with AKI. Mortality was associated with hyponatremia (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.07-4.31), hypernatremia (HR 4.23, 95% CI 2.07-8.65), and combined hypo/hypernatremia (HR 6.39, 95% CI 2.01-14.01). In stratified models by AKI-status, hypernatremia and hypo/hypernatremia increased risk of mortality in neonates without AKI. Conclusion Dysnatremia within the first postnatal week was associated with increased risk of mortality. Hypernatremia and combined hypo/hypernatremia remained significantly associated with mortality in neonates without AKI. This may reflect fluid strategies kidney injury independent of creatinine and urine-output defined AKI, and/or systemic inflammation.
Five year expanded prostate cancer index composite-based quality of life outcomes after prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer.

Study Type – Therapy (outcomes research) Level of Evidence 2c What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Previous studies typically assessed early outcomes (≤2 years) after prostatectomy often without individual pre-operative scores for comparison. Our study followed patients and provides long term results, five years post-operatively, and compared results to patients own baseline scores across all domains within EPIC. OBJECTIVE To document the Expanded Prostate cancer Index Composite (EPIC) results for men followed for 5 years after radical prostatectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS EPIC and demographic information were prospectively obtained from 434 patients who received questionnaires preoperatively and 1, 4, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months postoperatively. Paired t-tests compared scores at individual time points. Percentage return to baseline was calculated at all postoperative time points and multivariate analyses evaluated postoperative trends. RESULTS The mean age of patients was 63.4 years. Mean urinary function and incontinence worsen after prostatectomy, with recovery stable 12 months after surgery. Mean urinary bother returned to baseline by 4 months post-prostatectomy. Some 55.8% and 77.5% of patients return to their urinary function and bother baselines, respectively, 1 year after surgery. Mean sexual function and bother both declined after surgery, with new stable baselines achieved by 24 and 36 months post-prostatectomy, respectively. Of the patients, 24.2% returned to their sexual function baseline by 24 months. No postoperative improvement was noted in mean sexual bother until the 12 months post-prostatectomy. Of the patients, 36.8% returned to their sexual bother baseline by 36 months. Minimal change was noted in the bowel and hormonal domains. CONCLUSIONS Mean urinary function and incontinence did not recover to preoperative baseline after prostatectomy, although it did not add distress because mean urinary bother returned to pre-prostatectomy levels. Mean sexual function declined post-prostatectomy, with continued recovery up to 24 months. Sexual bother recovered later but, once it reached a new baseline, the distress does not lessen with time, probably indicating an inability to adjust to their functional loss.
The Fundamental Group

In this chapter, we will look more closely at the fundamental group of a compact Lie group G. We will show that it is a finitely generated Abelian group and that each loop in G can be deformed into any given maximal torus. Then we will show how to calculate the fundamental group. Along the way we will encounter another important Coxeter group, the affine Weyl group. The key arguments in this chapter are topological and are adapted from Adams [2].
Time and Place of Action of Sex-determining Factors in Ontogeny

In multicellular organisms there is a division of labor among the various cell types that constitute an individual. Although endowed with identical genetic constitutions, different somatic cell types in different parts of the body perform different functions. This is because many of the genes are turned on only in certain somatic cell types. The gene loci for component polypeptides of hemoglobin function only in erythropoietic cells. Skin cells and cells of liver parenchyma, no doubt, maintain these genes in their nuclei, yet these genes remain dormant. Similarly, the gene locus for the hormone, insulin, is activated only in Langhans islet cells of the pancreas. The above examples are given in order to demonstrate that every gene with a specialized function has a particular somatic cell type in which to express itself.