cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethane and ethylene aromatization on zinc-containing zeolites

The conversion of ethane on zinc-containing zeolites SSZ-13 (CHA), ZSM-5 (MFI) and beta (*BEA) and ethylene on Zn-containing ZSM-5 was investigated using a flow micro-reactor at a temperature of 773 K and atmospheric pressure. Zinc was incorporated in the zeolites (Si/Al = 11–25) and in silicalite-1 by ion exchange (Zn 5% w/w and Zn/BAS > 3). Drying of wet-impregnated samples by freeze-drying led to better dispersion of subnano-sized clusters of ZnO in the zeolite pores, compared to drying in an oven. The samples were characterized by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen physisorption and chemical analysis; the density of Bronsted acid sites (BAS) was measured by TPD-TGA of 2-propanamine. It was shown that several zinc sites (Zn2+, [Zn–O–Zn]2+ dimers at ion exchange positions, and (ZnO)n clusters) can catalyze ethane activation and higher zinc content resulted in higher reaction rates. However, Zn in the Lewis acid site position (Zn2+ and [Zn–O–Zn]2+) can perform aromatization. Small ZnO clusters can only catalyze dehydrogenation reaction, and on their own did not catalyze aromatization, as 5% Zn-silicalite-1 catalyzed ethane dehydrogenation to ethylene while it showed slow reaction rates for ethylene conversion. The catalytic properties of Zn-ZSM-5 for ethane/ethylene aromatization depend on the balance between the number of metal/Lewis acid sites and BAS (Zn/BAS). For ethane as a reactant, Zn/BAS < 0.8 favored ethylene formation while by increasing Zn/BAS both conversion and formation of aromatics were increased, implying the essential role of Zn sites in ethane aromatization. For ethylene as a reactant, Zn/BAS = 3.8 resulted in predominant ethane formation while at Zn/BAS = 0.8 aromatics formation was predominant. The difference in product selectivity for ethane/ethylene conversion with respect to Zn/BAS could be due to the fact that ethylene, unlike ethane, can react rapidly on BAS.
Interiors and interiority in Vermeer: empiricism, subjectivity, modernism

Johannes Vermeer may well be the foremost painter of interiors and interiority in the history of art, yet we have not necessarily understood his achievement in either domain, or their relation within his complex development. This essay explains how Vermeer based his interiors on rooms in his house and used his family members as models, combining empiricism and subjectivity. Vermeer was exceptionally self-conscious and sophisticated about his artistic task, which we are still laboring to understand and articulate. He eschewed anecdotal narratives and presented his models as models in “studio” settings, in paintings about paintings, or art about art, a form of modernism. In contrast to the prevailing conception in scholarship of Dutch Golden Age paintings as providing didactic or moralizing messages for their pre-modern audiences, we glimpse in Vermeer’s paintings an anticipation of our own modern understanding of art. This article is published as part of a collection on interiorities.
Expression of chimeric human aspartic proteinases.

The aspartic proteinases form a gene family whose sequences and three-dimensional structures are strongly conserved. These monomeric proteases are initially translated as prepro- precursors into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whence they are post-translationally modified and sorted. We have studied three members of the gene family which are expressed in man. Procathepsin D carries N-linked oligosaccharides that are modified to contain mannose 6-phosphate residues. Mannose 6-phosphate receptors in the trans Golgi and on the plasma membrane bind and deliver the proenzyme to an acidic prelysosomal compartment and then recycle. Procathepsin D is processed to the mature enzyme and active at low pH (~4.5). Pepsinogen is the abundantly secreted precursor to gastric pepsin and is generally not glycosylated. Propeptide cleavage and activity occur extracellularly at acid pH (>3). Unlike cathepsin D and pepsin, renin shows exquisite specificity towards its physiologi-cal substrate, angiotensinogen, and is active at neutral pH in the circulation. Its glycosylation is variable, and cleavage of the propeptide takes place near neutrality at a paired basic residue site. These three aspartic proteinases share certain common features. Procathepsin D and pepsinogen are processed and active at acid pH. Procathepsin D and prorenin usually carry N-linked glycosylation sites. Procathepsin D is targeted to the lysosome, while pepsinogen and prorenin are sorted into secretory vesicles. Sorting into regulated secretory granules occurs in cells which express this specialized pathway.
Population Dynamics of Off-Host Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) Larvae in Response to Habitat and Seasonality in South Texas.

The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini), is an economically destructive arthropod because of its ability to vector bovine babesiosis. It is known that cattle ticks can spend 80–90% of their lifecycle as questing larvae, yet the effect of climatic factors on their off-host behavior and survival is unclear. The goal of this study was to measure the effects of specific ecological factors on off-host questing larvae in nature. The study was conducted in a south Texas pasture over a two-year period, during which time larval populations were surveyed. Simultaneously, weather variables—precipitation, relative humidity, and ambient temperatures—were recorded. Larval survival rates varied among seasons, with the overall highest populations recorded in the spring and the lowest in the fall by a ratio of 20:1. In the winter, the larger numbers were collected from exposed habitats at a ratio of 6:1. Conversely, canopied habitats in the summer had 10-fold larger larval numbers. In the spring, exposed and canopied habitats showed no difference in tick larval survival rates. The results show that the interaction between season and habitat strongly influence off-host questing tick survival. Relative humidity was a key weather variable.
UNDERSTANDING UNANTICIPATED CANCELLATIONS OF ELECTIVE CARDIOVERSIONS AT A HIGH VOLUME ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY LAB

Elective cardioversions (CV) are an important component of the care of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and require appropriate patient preparation including confirming adequate anticoagulation and pre-CV heart rhythm recording. Despite these preparations, unexpected cancellations of CV occur
Neutrophils in hot pursuit of MRSA in the lymph nodes

Neutrophils traffic in the bloodstream as initial responders against invading pathogens. In particular, neutrophils are critically important in combatting Staphylococcus aureus , which is a Gram-positive extracellular bacterial pathogen that is the most common cause of skin infections and a prime cause of life-threatening infections such as pneumonia and bacteremia. Over the past two decades, the public has become well aware of multidrug-resistant community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which has spread rapaciously through the population, creating a serious public health threat (1, 2). Thus, it is crucial to understand how neutrophils contain a local S. aureus infection to prevent systemic dissemination that often leads to death. In PNAS, Bogoslowski et al. (3) describe a novel mechanism that prevents S. aureus dissemination from an initial site of S. aureus skin infection in the mouse footpad. Utilizing two-photon microscopy, Bogoslowski et al. report that S. aureus migrated from the skin via afferent lymphatics to popliteal lymph nodes where they encountered an accumulation of trafficking neutrophils, which deployed phagocytic and antimicrobial mechanisms to halt the spread of infection (Fig. 1 A ). A rapid neutrophilic response is critical to prevent bacterial dissemination beyond the local skin infection and lymph nodes, which filter draining extracellular fluids from the infected tissue. By imaging green fluorescent neutrophils, the authors visualized and enumerated neutrophils trafficking through the lymph node, essentially preventing S. aureus systemic dissemination. Recruitment of neutrophils into the lymph nodes involved ( i ) high endothelial venules (HEVs) (Fig. 1 B ), ( ii ) a chemotactic gradient of complement C5a, and ( iii ) L-selectin on neutrophils binding to peripheral node addressin (PNAd) on endothelial cells, which mediated neutrophil rolling, arrest, and migration into the lymph node (Fig. 1 C ). L-selectin was thought to be primarily involved in lymphocyte rolling, adhering, and entering HEVs in secondary lymphoid organs, but these new data suggest a … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: sisimon{at}ucdavis.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Case 12: Postinduction Difficult Intubation

A 4-year-old, previously healthy boy is scheduled for tonsillectomy under general anesthesia. The patient is taken to the operating room, and routine monitoring equipment is placed on the child. An inhalation induction with sevoflurane is uneventful. An intravenous (IV) line is inserted, and vecuronium in a usual dose is given. RAE tubes (nasal preformed endotracheal tube [ETT]) of suitable size are not available. A (cut to size) standard uncuffed No. 5 nasal tube is inserted through the right nostril. The nasal tube is cut so that only the tube’s connector is seen outside the nostril. The connector is attached to a catheter mount, placed toward the forehead, and connected to a breathing system. The child’s lungs are manually ventilated. The surgeon covers the patient’s head, nose, and breathing system with a “turban.” Immediately thereafter the lungs become less compliant, and manual ventilation is considered very difficult. Listening to the chest confirms bilateral air entry, but breath sounds are decreased. The turban is immediately removed. This results in the immediate disappearance of the problem. A suction catheter is passed easily through the whole length of the nasal tube, and only minimal secretions are aspirated. As ventilation is now deemed to be adequate, the patient’s head is redraped. However, manual ventilation again becomes difficult, and you know that if you persist with this inadequate ventilation, then desaturation, hypoxia, and so forth will result. The surgeon is not pleased and you are now wondering what to do.
THE FREE ELEMENTARY * ORTHODOX SEMIGROUP

Abstract A * orthodox semigroup is a unary semigroup ( S , ·, *) which satisfies the axioms (1) x ** = x , (2) xx * x = x , (3) ( xy )* = y * x *, and xx * yy * zz * ∈ E ( S ) = E . Such a semigroup is orthodox in the usual sense that EE ⊂ E . Since * orthodox semigroups are equationally defined, they form a variety. This paper characterizes the free * orthodox semigroup F on a single generator x . An idempotent e is a projection provided e * = e . There is a unique projection in each R class and in each L class. Each element w ∈ F is given a canonical form by locating the projection in its R class and its L class. The characterization is achieved by describing the multiplication between these canonical forms. As a corollary, the band E ( F ) is described. This band is regular in the sense that it satisfies the regularity equation axaya = axya.
Prediction of treatment-seeking behavior in acute TMD patients: practical application in clinical settings.

Aims: To determine potential differences in predictive models of acute temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients divided into groups based on the physiologic characteristics of their TMD. Methods: One hundred seventy-seven acute TMD patients were evaluated with an extensive battery that included biologic and psychosocial measures. Subjects were separated into 3 groups based on a physical exam using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC): those with a myofascial pain diagnosis, those with either a disc displacement or other joint condition, and those who reported pain but did not receive an RDC Axis I diagnosis. Six months later, it was determined whether patients had sought additional treatment for relief of their symptoms. Treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking groups were compared for significant differences, and predictive models were generated to determine the array of variables that best predicted treatment-seeking behavior among each of the 3 classifications of TMD patients used in this study. Results: Among patients with a diagnosis of myofascial pain, gender, Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) interference score, and MPI affective distress score accurately predicted treatment-seeking behavior in 76.1% of the sample. For patients with a diagnosis of disc displacement, arthralgia, arthritis, or arthrosis, the following variables predicted treatment utilization behavior in 93.6% of the sample: race, RDC graded chronic pain, and the introversion scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2.
Oral History as Teacher: A Case Study in Public Administration

This article is a case study of an equal employment opportunity course in which the main project is a personal interview of a minority, female, or disabled worker. The teaching method in this cours...
Testing the psychometric properties of the self-harm and suicide disclosure scale

Suicide-related disclosure is an important component of identifying individuals at risk for suicide. However, no standardized measures exist to assess the degree to which individuals have disclosed suicide-related experiences. Therefore, the present study tested the psychometric properties of the Self-Harm and Suicide Disclosure Scale. A sample of 142 individuals, predominantly female and Caucasian, with ages ranging from 18-77 who had experienced suicidal ideation or behavior in their lifetime completed online surveys. A Rasch model analysis was used to test the item and individual separation and reliability and model fit of the instrument's use for disclosure to both family and nonfamily members. Analyses indicated strong item separation and reliability. Items were removed to improve model fit, resulting in two revised instruments. Findings indicate the Revised Suicide and Self-Harm Disclosure Scales are appropriate measures for assessing the depth of suicide-related disclosure. Future studies should attempt to replicate these findings with a more diverse sample.
How to Argue Liberty Cases in a Post-Kennedy World: It's Not About Individual Rights, But State Power and the Social Compact

With the appointment and probable confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, social conservatives have locked in a 5-4 majority, likely for a generation. The constitutional doctrine most likely on the brink of extinction is substantive due process: the idea that certain unenumerated privacy interests are constitutionally protected. Over the course of several decades, conservatives have drawn progressive legal thinkers and jurists into an unseemly debate about body parts and bodily functions; in this way, conservatives were winning an ideological war while losing some battles. Conservatives, by indulging fear-based arguments about abortion, sodomy, and the "homosexual agenda," made progressives focus on discrete and narrowly defined individual rights rather than on the authority, jurisdiction, and competence of the state to regulate activities that are components of citizen life--where governments have no business regulating, regardless whether those activities implicate some kind of "fundamental right." Progressive advocates must become expert on the philosophy of John Locke, using it to appeal to conservatives' stated suspicion of governmental overreach and fealty to originalism. Locke, whose writing clearly formed the basis for the words 'retained' in the Ninth Amendment and 'reserved' in the Tenth, focused on the limited power of government to interfere in the private lives of its subjects rather than the scope of the individual's jurisdiction over his or her own discrete choices. By focusing on the latter rather than the former, progressives abandoned solid ground and stepped into a minefield that conservatives had laid down; conservatives successfully framed issues around personal privacy in such a way that progressives could not ultimately win. The time is now for progressive to re-frame these issues, focusing on the broad power generally reserved to the people over their own personal and moral choices (and thus beyond the jurisdiction or reach of any government) rather than the historical or traditional views of narrow and discrete (and often personal to the point of embarrassment) "rights" or privacy interests.
Methane Detection in the Longwave Infrared

Monitoring and mapping atmospheric methane is becoming increasingly important due to its role as a greenhouse gas and the fact its atmospheric concentration has been rising in recent years. Many remote sensing techniques exist to detect the presence of methane in the atmosphere including active sensing with lidar systems, passive sensing in the solar reflective spectral region, and passive sensing in the longwave thermal infrared. This study examined the temperature contrast in the longwave infrared of an enhanced concentration of methane in a near surface plume for a variety of concentrations, plume temperatures, and plume thicknesses. Results indicate radiometric temperature absolute differences for a narrow band (50 – 200 nm) centered on the 7.68 µm methane feature ranged from 0.0 to 6.8 K for the conditions studied. Future work will further validate and expand on these results.
Catalytic Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis of Aliphatic Ketones: Iron(III) Homo-Dimers as Lewis Acidic Superelectrophiles.

Catalytic carbonyl-olefin metathesis reactions have recently been developed as a powerful tool for carbon–carbon bond formation. However, currently available synthetic protocols rely exclusively on...
Fish based multimetric index for Reservoir: a case study from the cascade reservoir system of the Tietê River (SP-Brazil).

Aim: The present paper approached some questions related to the adaptation of multimetric indexes to reservoirs. Method: the index construction adopted for the Tiete cascade reservoir system is presented step by step as case study. Results: The main questions related to the adaptation of multimetric indexes to reservoir were synthesized as: i – terminology question; ii - representative fish sampling; iii – reference condition. The construction of Reservoir Fish Assemblage Index (RFAI) for the Tiete cascade reservoir system is described in seven steps and the continuous scoring criterion increases the accuracy of the final index when compared to de discrete scoring especially for the most degraded environment. Conclusion: Biological criteria for the assessment of aquatic ecosystems are widely recognized and accepted by scientific community. The increasing value of water resource makes reservoirs the important object of scientific and social interest, justifying the definition of proper tools for their assessment and monitoring. Among the available tools, the multimetric approach is one of the most useful. The results showed the validity of the approach also for artificial environments, wishing for its official incorporation in biomonitoring programs in Brazil.
Microglia, complement and schizophrenia

Excessive synapse elimination during adolescence and early adulthood has long been hypothesized to underpin the emergence of schizophrenia. A new study reports that induced microglia-like cells derived from schizophrenia patients display increased synapse engulfment, which may be partly mediated by a genetic schizophrenia-risk variant.
Expanding Multinary Selenide Based High-Efficiency Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts through Combinatorial Electrodeposition: Case Study with Fe–Cu–Co Selenides

Developing low-cost electrocatalysts with high efficiency for water splitting is a critical task to make this technology viable for large-scale clean energy generation. Transition metal selenides, comprising earth abundant elements, such as Fe, Co and Cu, have gained attention as superior electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the alkaline medium. In this article, we have systematically investigated the evolution of OER catalytic activity as a function of composition for a series of Fe–Co–Cu quaternary selenides by exploring a trigonal phase diagram. The OER activity was dependent on the quantity of Cu and Fe in the Fe-Cu-Co-Se quaternary selenide electrocatalysts, while surprisingly, Fe–Cu ternary selenides exhibit reduced OER activity in comparison to their pure parent compounds FeSe and Cu₃Se₂. Quaternary selenides exhibited more efficient catalytic activity with increasing amount of Fe or Cu in the catalysts, and the quaternary mixed metal selenide thin film of composition (Fe₀.₄₈Co₀.₃₈Cu₀.₁₄)Se showed the best catalytic performance with a small overpotential of 256 mV at 10 mA cm–² and a low Tafel slope of 40.8 mV dec–¹ in N₂-saturated 1.0 M KOH solution. The outstanding catalytic performance of quaternary selenides may be explained by the possible electron cloud delocalization among the transition metal sites in the catalytic system through d-bands, leading to lower charge transport resistance at the catalyst–electrolyte interface as well better film conductivity, as has also been observed through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Such enhanced charge transfers eventually facilitate the rate of O₂ release from the catalyst surface, leading to enhanced activity.
Implementation of a Weight-Based Protocol for the Management of Steroid-Induced Hyperglycemia.

Background Hyperglycemia is a recognized complication of supraphysiological steroid dosing. There are no consensus guidelines on optimal treatment of steroid-induced hyperglycemia. We assessed the safety of a weight-based insulin protocol for persons treated with supraphysiological doses of steroids to examine the efficacy of using this protocol in patients with diabetes treated with prednisone or methylprednisolone. Areas of uncertainty There is uncertainty about the optimal dosing of insulin to manage steroid-induced hyperglycemia; thus, a weight-based protocol was created with the goal of reaching euglycemia faster than current practice in persons with diabetes. Variables such as steroid dosing, baseline glycemic control, and duration of steroid use further complicated the ability to manage these patients. Innovations The interdisciplinary team of diabetes providers and pharmacists worked together to devise a protocol to manage steroid-induced hyperglycemia with the goal of reducing hyperglycemia while avoiding hypoglycemia, as well as to allow for less reliance on endocrine consultation. The protocol used weight, insulin naivety, renal function, blood glucose measurements, and steroid dosing to determine the insulin dose. There was some evidence to suggest the proportion of blood glucose levels more than 200 mg/dL was lower after protocol initiation compared with before protocol initiation (P = 0.053). Several factors decreased the rate of successful outcomes, including minimal primary team participation, accurate completion of calculations based on the protocol, and initiation of the protocol after several days of hyperglycemia.
Principles of measurement and prevention of buried metal corrosion by electrochemical polarization

Mixed potential theory has been briefly reviewed to show the basis for the measurement of corrosion rate by polarization resistance and the suppression of corrosion by cathodic protection. Polarization data on buried steel and aluminum are presented to show the applicability of the theory. Limitations on the applicability of the theory to large buried surfaces, bare and coated, are discussed. It is concluded that further experimental work is needed to determine potential distribution on large surfaces and the effects of polarization on the size, distribution, and current density of anodic and cathodic surface areas.
A Dual-Band Dual-Circularly Polarized Pyramidal Horn Antenna

A polarizer system based on a cross slot on the broad-wall of a rectangular waveguide is presented. The system can exhibit dual-bands of operation, one at 72 GHz and one at 84 GHz. The polarizer feeds a pyramidal horn antenna with constant gain of 18 dB. The system can achieve dual-circular polarization in both bands of operation when the feeding port is switched. The isolation between the two feeding ports is more than 20 dB at the resonant frequencies.
Investigation of liquid properties on emitting terahertz wave under ultrashort optical excitation

Liquid water was not considered as a favorable terahertz (THz) source due to its strongly absorption in THz frequency range. Recently, it has been experimentally demonstrated that broadband THz wave can be generated from liquid water under the excitation of ultrashort laser pulses. Here, we present the measured result of liquid lines as THz emitters. Selected liquids with different polarity, salinity and temperature on THz wave generation are investigated. Comparing with water with high polarity, lower polarity liquids produce stronger THz radiation with a broader bandwidth. α-pinene, a non-polar liquid produces strongest THz signals among all liquids we tested. Saline solutions produce weaker THz radiation compare to pure water. The THz signals from temperature with 8 ℃, 18℃, and 40℃ show marginal difference under our experiment’s conditions. In addition, sugar, acid, alkali solutions and a variety of milks were also tested. Our observations show that non-polar liquids are in favor than polar liquid as alternative THz sources.
A 2T-MONOS Embedded Flash Macro With 65-nm SOTB Technology Achieving 0.15-pJ/bit Read Energy With 80-MHz Access for IoT Applications

To expand Internet of Things application ranges, ultralow active energy operations are essential in edge devices. Especially, read energy reduction in embedded Flash (eFlash) memory is strongly required to enable real-time sensing with limited energy generated by energy harvesting (EH). In this letter, 1.5-MB and 256-KB 2T-MONOS eFlash macros are developed with 65-nm silicon-on-thin-box (SOTB) technology, adopting low-energy sense amplifier and data transmission circuit techniques which enhance intrinsic advantages of SOTB devices. These macros achieve read energy of 0.15-pJ/bit with 80-MHz random read access capability, which is low enough to utilize EH technologies as energy sources.
“A very different kettle of fish”: whole vessels from the Main Burial Complex at Crystal River (8CI1)

The “allure of the exotic” dominates both the substance and practice of the archaeology of the Hopewell phenomenon in eastern North America. Ceramics have often been considered less important to Ho...
Nickel dependence of hydrogen co-deposition and nanoporosity in electrolessly deposited Cu-films

Hydrogen is inevitably produced during electroless Cu plating, it accumulates on the Cu-surface, forms gas bubbles and sticks on the as-growing Cu surface. The encapsulation of these gas-bubbles in the electroless Cu layer results in nanoporous, low ductile and compressively stressed deposits with a high blister tendency, this process being known as "hydrogen embrittlement". In this context, the present paper investigates the nanovoid density in electroless Cu films as a function of Ni0 co-deposition. The Ni0 co-deposition was varied by ranging the Ni2+-concentration in the bath from 0 ppm to 2000 ppm, as well as by using different single stabilizer components at a constant Ni2+-concentration of 400 ppm in the bath. A standardized and optimized sample preparation utilizing focused ion beam(FIB) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) inspection enables automatic image processing of the SEM-micrographs to quantify the void density of the deposits down to a void size of 10 nm. A minimum addition of 30 ppm Ni2+ in the electroless Cu bath prevents the encapsulation of hydrogen bubbles during Cu growth and leads to solid, nanoscopically defect-free layers, which have been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, deposits with a high Ni0-incorporation up to the miscibility limit of Ni in Cu (4 at. %) are nanoscopically defect-free. In contrast to Ni2+, the addition of single organic additives, commonly used to stabilize the electroless Cu bath, provokes a substantial increase of the nanoporosity of the deposit. The results were discussed in terms of a different Cugrowth mode caused by the co-deposition of Ni0. The results will have implications on the development of low/no-Ni electroless Cu baths, e.g. EDTA-based baths, as well as to applications where the integrity and thermo-mechanical stability of electroless Cu plays a crucial role.
Transcriptional regulation of SLIT2 expression in pancreatic cancer cell lines

Abstract Background SLIT2 has been shown to serve as a tumor suppressor in breast, lung, colon, and liver cancers. Additionally, expression of SLIT2 has been shown to be epigenetically regulated in prostate cancer. Therefore, we sought to determine transcriptional regulation of SLIT2 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Methods RNA expression of SLIT2, SLIT3, and ROBO1 was examined in a panel of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines while protein expression of ROBO1 and SLIT2 was examined in tumor tissue. Methylation of the SLIT2 promoter was determined using Sequenom while histone modifications were queried by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Reexpression of SLIT2 was tested by treatment with 5-aza-2’deoxycytidine and Trichostatin A. Results Pancreatic cancer cell lines fall into three distinct groups based on SLIT2 and ROBO1 expression. The SLIT2 promoter is methylated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and SLIT2 expression is dependent on the level of methylation at specific CpG sites. Treatment with 5-aza-2’deoxycytidine (but not Trichostatin A) led to SLIT2 reexpression. The SLIT2 promoter is bivalent in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and histone marks around the transcriptional start site are responsible for transcription. Conclusions Loss of SLIT2 expression modulated by epigenetic silencing may play a role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression.
Radical Criminology and Star Wars

Since 1977, the Star Wars franchise has become one of the pillars of modern American mythmaking and storytelling. What began as filmmaker George Lucas’s interpretation of classic Flash Gordon serials has become a mammoth franchise including multiple movies, books, comics, and videogames. Generations of fans have grown up captivated by the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Rey, Anakin Skywalker, and so many more. These stories are not all space battles and laser sword fights: Star Wars lends itself to the ideas proffered by generations of critical criminologists and sociologists. These are stories of dehumanization, of genocide, and of the corrupting power of wealth and military might. Star Wars offers us the chance to examine how capitalism and the forces working for it act on all of our lives through generations of the Skywalker family. How might things have been different for these characters if they had been able to do what they wanted and not what they felt they had to do? How would you answer that question about your own life?
Endoscopic trans-nasal removal of impacted bullet in the sphenoid sinus: a case report

Foreign body of the sphenoid sinus is a rare condition and most of the documented cases are shrapnel wounds. The most cases of sinuses foreign bodies are in maxillary and frontal sinus. Very few cases have been reported of lodgment of foreign body in paranasal sinuses. Garces and Norris reported that 70% of these foreign bodies usually appeared after maxillofacial traumas and 30% appeared during or after dental procedures of maxilla. A bullet impacted in the sphenoid sinus case in nineteen-year-old man was reported involving the anterior skull base. The bullet was safely removed with the trans-nasal endoscopic approach preserving the structures around the sphenoid sinus. Proximity of the sphenoid sinus to vital structures such as the optic nerve and internal carotid artery may render life-threatening complications. Adequate knowledge of the anatomical variations with regard to the sphenoid sinus and good preoperative planning are essential to ensure safe removal of foreign bodies, thereby avoiding catastrophic complications.
NOMA and User-Centric Based Cell-Free Massive MIMO Over 6G Big-Data Mobile Wireless Networks

Among the promising 6G candidate techniques to support big-data mobile wireless networks, the cell-free massive multi-input-multi-output (CF-M-MIMO) technique has received a great deal of research attentions, where a large number of distributed single-antenna access points (APs), whose ensemble forms a distributed massive MIMO array, simultaneously and jointly serve the single-antenna mobile users. However, CF-MMIMO results in the low efficiencies for big-data mobile networks when the size of the served area increases. To overcome this challenge, the user-centric approach has been integrated with CF-M-MIMO such that APs only serve a selected subset of mobile users rather than all of them. However, the performance of this approach cannot outperform the traditional CF-M-MIMO in overloaded cases, where the number of mobile users is larger than that of APs. To efficiently implement the big-data aware usercentric cell-free massive MIMO system and enhance the spectral and energy efficiencies while reducing the interference, in this paper we propose an efficient non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and user-centric based CF-M-MIMO scheme over 6G mobile wireless networks. Our proposed scheme develops a more efficient central-processing-unit based bipartite graph matching algorithm to select the optimal mobile users served by each AP. Then, we propose the NOMA-aided power allocation and pilot cluster assignment schemes. The numerical results show that our proposed schemes outperform the existing schemes without applying the NOMA technique in terms of mitigating the interference and enhancing the energy efficiency.
Comparing neuromodulation modalities involving the suprascapular nerve in chronic refractory shoulder pain: retrospective case series and literature review

Chronic shoulder pain not relieved by either conservative or surgical management is referred to as chronic refractory shoulder pain. This is a retrospective case series where chronic refractory shoulder pain patients were treated either with peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) or with pulsed radiofrequency (p-RF) therapy to the suprascapular nerve. Both patients receiving PNS reported 100% pain relief for the first month. At the 3- and 6-month follow-ups, one patient continued to experience 100% relief while the other reported 90% relief. One patient undergoing p-RF experienced about 90% pain relief at both 1- and 3-month intervals and 0% relief at the 6-month interval. The other patient with p-RF experienced 33% relief at 1-month and 0% relief thereafter. No patient reported any complications. The results of previous randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of p-RF administered to the suprascapular nerve were mixed, and there is a lack of published studies on PNS effects. Neuromodulation of the suprascapular nerve can be effective for chronic refractory shoulder pain patients. Larger scale randomized controlled trials comparing PNS and p-RF are needed to better understand their respective therapeutic capacity.
Defense Against on-Chip Trojans Enabling Traffic Analysis Attacks

Interconnection networks for multi/many-core processors or server systems are the backbone of the system as they enable data communication among the processing cores, caches, memory and other peripherals. Given the criticality of the interconnects, the system can be severely subverted if the interconnection is compromised. The threat of Hardware Trojans (HTs) penetrating complex hardware systems such as multi/many-core processors are increasing due to the increasing presence of third party players in a System-on-chip (SoC) design. Even by deploying naive HTs, an adversary can exploit the Network-on-Chip (NoC) backbone of the processor and get access to communication patterns in the system. This information, if leaked to an attacker, can reveal important insights regarding the application suites running on the system; thereby compromising the user privacy and paving the way for more severe attacks on the entire system. In this paper, we demonstrate that one or more HTs embedded in the NoC of a multi/many-core processor is capable of leaking sensitive information regarding traffic patterns to an external malicious attacker; who, in turn, can analyze the HT payload data with machine learning techniques to infer the applications running on the processor. Furthermore, to protect against such attacks, we propose a Simulated Annealing-based randomized routing algorithm in the system. The proposed defense is capable of obfuscating the attacker's data processing capabilities to infer the user profiles successfully. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed randomized routing algorithm could reduce the accuracy of identifying user profiles by the attacker from >98% to <15% in multi/many-core systems.
Outcomes of Implementing in the Real World the Women's Health CoOp Intervention in Cape Town, South Africa.

Women in South Africa living with HIV who use alcohol may not adhere to ART, affecting the country’s 90-90-90 targets. The Women’s Health CoOp (WHC), a woman-focused HIV intervention, has shown efficacy in numerous trials with key populations of women in South Africa who use alcohol and drugs. In a hybrid implementation effectiveness study, the WHC was implemented in usual care clinics by healthcare providers in a modified stepped-wedge design. We present the outcomes of alcohol use and ART adherence with 480 women, with a 95% 6-month follow-up rate across 4 implementation cycles. Compared with the first cycle, women in the fourth cycle were significantly less likely (OR = 0.10 [95% CI 0.04, 0.24]) to report alcohol use disorder risk and were 4 times more likely (OR = 4.16 [95% CI 1.05, 16.51]) to report ART adherence at 6-month follow-up. Overall, acceptability and satisfaction were extremely high. The WHC intervention was successful in reaching key populations of women to reduce alcohol use and increase ART adherence, which is essential for South Africa to reach the 90-90-90 goals.
Mass Spectrometry-Based Shotgun Lipidomics Using Charge-Switch Derivatization for Analysis of Complex Long-Chain Fatty Acids.

Charge-switch derivatization to convert long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) to their N-(4-aminomethylphenyl) pyridinium (AMPP) derivatives (FA-AMPP derivative) drastically increases their sensitivity (>102) detected by electrospray ionization (ESI) or matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI). Lipidomic analyses of the FA-AMPP derivatives by ESI combined with CID tandem mass spectrometry (MS2), or by MALDI-TOF/TOF affords unambiguous structural characterization of LCFAs, including many unusual microbial LCFAs that contain various functional groups such as methyl, hydroxyl, cyclopropyl, and double bond(s). The ease of preparation of the FA-AMPP derivatives, the tremendous gain in sensitivity after derivatization, and more importantly, the readily recognizable product ion spectra that contain rich structurally informative fragment ions for locating functional groups make this method one of the most powerful techniques for LCFA identification and quantification.
Neutron Fission Cross Sections for 231Th, 233Th, 235U, 237U, 239U, 241Pu, and 243Pu from 0.5 to 2.25 MeV Using (t, pf) Reactions

Experiments were performed using the (t, p) stripping reaction followed by fission to provide experimental measurements of fission probabilities. The neutron-induced fission cross section of the co...
The challenge of managing families with intimate partner violence in primary care.

ince 1992, the American Medical Association has encouraged physicians to ask patients about intiSpartner violence (IPV). 1 Although this recommendation has existed for 15 years, studies show that there is room for improvement, with less than 10% of physicians routinely asking about IPV. 2 A variety of studies have identified time constraints, discomfort with the subject, fear of offending the patient, frustration with patient denial, lack of skills and resources to manage IPV, and personal issues as barriers for physicians. 3‐5 In this issue, Heru et al. 6 point out the complexity of relationships with IPV in adult suicidal inpatients. These relationships include mutual perpetration of violence, poor anger management skills, and limited communication. It is no wonder that physicians do not want to open Pandora’s box. Physicians have many issues to deal with in their practices. Most physicians do not have the psychosocial training to manage the complexities of IPV, and the “fix” does not occur overnight. Why ask questions about something that one cannot treat or that seems unfixable? Physicians become frustrated with the victim’s reluctance to follow up on referrals. 3‐5 Despite the violence, the dysfunctional dance of the relationship is familiar. There are many reasons why victims do not want to end the relationship and why couples frequently want to continue the relationship despite the victim’s frustration and physical and emotional injuries. There are no easy answers, but living with IPV affects the health of all members of the family: the victim, the perpetrator, and the children. Exposure to IPV and household dysfunction as a child is associated with unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, alcohol abuse, smoking, suicide, depression, and risk factors for heart disease, chronic lung disease, and liver disease in adulthood. 7‐11 Victims of IPV have poorer health than do nonvictims. 12‐14 Conditions such as chronic pain, somati
Isolation and Characterization of α1-Acid Glycoprotein from Chimpanzee Plasma

α1-Acid glycoprotein has been isolated in homogeneous form from Cohn's Fraction VI of chimpanzee plasma by carboxymethyl cellulose chromatography and also by electrofocusing. The sedimentation coefficient of this glycoprotein is 3.48 and the molecular weight is 39,000 as estimated by the Archibald sedimentation equilibrium method. By using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molecular weights of both chimpanzee and human α1-acid glycoprotein were found to be 40,000. General properties of chimpanzee α1-acid glycoprotein, including amino acid composition, carbohydrate composition, and COOH-terminal and NH2-terminal amino acids, closely resemble those of human α1-acid glycoprotein. By electrofocusing, the isoelectric points of both human and chimpanzee α1-acid glycoprotein were found to be 1.82. In spite of the close resemblance between human and chimpanzee α1-acid glycoprotein in chemical and physical properties, and the fact that they appear immunologically identical by the Ouchterlony double diffusion technique, an immunological difference between these two glycoproteins has been shown by quantitative precipitin analysis. The results suggest that these two glycoproteins are different either in the oligosaccharide or in the peptide sequences, or possibly in both oligosaccharide and peptide structures.
Guide for Resin and Linker Selection in Solid‐Phase Peptide Synthesis

For both novice and experienced practitioners of solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), the vast selection of commercially available linkers and resins has become something of a babel. The purpose of this unit is to clarify the situation, which is best understood by distillation to first principles, through an appreciation of chemical trends and consequences, as well as practical considerations. The most commonly used linkers and resins are presented and described in detail, along with a description of their development and common applications. Key protocols are provided so that the user may prepare appropriate linker-functionalized resins for the majority of peptide synthesis applications.
The complexity of the classification of Riemann surfaces and complex manifolds

In answer to a question by Becker, Rubel, and Henson, we show that countable subsets of ℂ can be used as complete invariants for Riemann surfaces considered up to conformal equivalence, and that this equivalence relation is itself Borel in a natural Borel structure on the space of all such surfaces. We further proceed to precisely calculate the classification difficulty of this equivalence relation in terms of the modern theory of Borel equivalence relations. On the other hand we show that the analog of Becker, Rubel, and Henson's question has a negative solution in (complex) dimension n ≥ 2.
Seating Patterns and Improvements in a Small College Library

Abstract The relocation of a small academic library to a new building gave the author an opportunity to reshape the user seating mix. Differences were found in what the library preferred to offer in the way of seating (primarily carrels to control noise) and what the users preferred to use (primarily tables so they could spread out their work or study with others). Recordings of actual user preferences after the move confirmed informal observations and led to a subsequent, more successful adjustment in the seating mix. The findings and methods should be useful for librarians planning to build new facilities or create more effective seating in existing buildings.
Absolute two-dimensional sub-micron metrology for electron beam lithography: A calibration theory with applications☆

Abstract A mathematical theory is presented along with some simple resulting procedures that permit an electron beam lithography machine to be calibrated by using it to make multiple observations of an imprecisely defined but stable planar object. The calibration thus obtained yields a degree of accuracy that is approximately equal to the reproducibility of the machine. For this purpose a rigid, movable grid plate is used, with grid points placed at arbitrary but more-or-less evenly distributed, fixed positions on its surface. An e-beam lithography machine with a high precision X-Y stage has been used to measure such a grid plate. Two interferometer beams, nominally parallel to the X- and Y-axes, measure stage displacements. No geometric assumptions are made concerning the stage, other than repeatability. Although the assumptions are very general, it is possible to observe the grid in just three orientations to determine both an inverse distortion function (calibration) and accurate, absolute rectangular coordinates for the grid points, providing that the absolute distance between a pair of points on the grid is known. A calibration program has been written applying the theory to the practical problem of calibrating an e-beam lithography system. Simulations based upon actual e-beam measurements confirm the theory for the practical situation. The paper concludes with suggestions for applictions to three other areas of science and technology: astronomy, optometry, and satellite geodesy.