cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lattice Thermal Conductivity of Polyethylene Molecular Crystals from First-Principles Including Nuclear Quantum Effects.

Molecular crystals such as polyethylene are of intense interest as flexible thermal conductors, yet their intrinsic upper limits of thermal conductivity remain unknown. Here, we report a study of the vibrational properties and lattice thermal conductivity of a polyethylene molecular crystal using an ab initio approach that rigorously incorporates nuclear quantum motion and finite temperature effects. We obtain a thermal conductivity along the chain direction of around 160 W m^(-1) K^(-1) at room temperature, providing a firm upper bound for the thermal conductivity of this molecular crystal. Furthermore, we show that the inclusion of quantum nuclear effects significantly impacts the thermal conductivity by altering the phase space for three-phonon scattering. Our computational approach paves the way for ab initio studies and computational material discovery of molecular solids free of any adjustable parameters.
Exploring Older Adult ED Fall Patients’ Understanding of Their Fall: A Qualitative Study:

Objective:We sought to understand older patients’ perspectives about their fall, fall risk factors, and attitude toward emergency department (ED) fall-prevention interventions.Methods:We conducted ...
Characterizing the Reconfiguration Latency of Image Sensor Resolution on Android Devices

Advances in vision processing have ignited a proliferation of mobile vision applications, including augmented reality. However, limited by the inability to rapidly reconfigure sensor operation for performance-efficiency tradeoffs, high power consumption causes vision applications to drain the device's battery. To explore the potential impact of enabling rapid reconfiguration, we use a case study around marker-based pose estimation to understand the relationship between image frame resolution, task accuracy, and energy efficiency. Our case study motivates that to balance energy efficiency and task accuracy, the application needs to dynamically and frequently reconfigure sensor resolution. To explore the latency bottlenecks to sensor resolution reconfiguration, we define and profile the end-to-end reconfiguration latency and frame-to-frame latency of changing capture resolution on a Google LG Nexus 5X device. We identify three major sources of sensor resolution reconfiguration latency in current Android systems: (i) sequential configuration patterns, (ii) expensive system calls, and (iii) imaging pipeline delay. Based on our intuitions, we propose a redesign of the Android camera system to mitigate the sources of latency. Enabling smooth transitions between sensor configurations will unlock new classes of adaptive-resolution vision applications.
Trends in Cervical Cancer Screening in California's Family Planning Program.

ObjectiveGuidelines recommend 3-year cervical cancer screening intervals to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures; however, regular testing remains critical. We evaluated trends in cervical cancer screening among low-income women receiving family planning–related services and their association with
PHUI-kit: Interface Layout and Fabrication on Curved 3D Printed Objects

We seek to make physical user interface (PHUI) design more like graphical user interface (GUI) design by using a drag-and drop interface to place widgets, allowing widgets to be repositioned and by hiding implementation details. PHUIs are interfaces built from tangible widgets arranged on the surfaces of physical objects. PHUI layout will become more important as we move from rectangular screens to purpose-built interactive devices. Approaches to PHUI layout based on sculpture make it difficult to reposition widgets, and software approaches do not involve placing widgets on the device exterior. We created PHUI-kit, a software approach to PHUI layout on 3D printed enclosures, which has a drag-and-drop interface, supports repositioning of widgets, and hides implementation details. We describe algorithms for placing widgets on curved surfaces, modifying the enclosure geometry, and routing wiring inside the enclosure. The tool is easy to use and supports a wide range of design possibilities.
Environmental DNA Detection of Aquatic Invasive Plants in Lab Mesocosm and Natural Field Conditions

Aquatic invasive plant species cause negative impacts to economies and ecosystems worldwide. Traditional survey methods, while necessary, often do not result in timely detections of aquatic invaders, which can be cryptic, difficult to identify, and exhibit very rapid growth and reproduction rates. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a relatively new method that has been used to detect multiple types of animals in freshwater and marine ecosystems through tissues naturally shed from the organism into the water column or sediment. While eDNA detection has proven highly effective in the detection of aquatic animals, we know less about the efficacy of eDNA as an effective surveillance tool for aquatic plants. To address this disparity, we designed mesocosm experiments with Elodea species to determine the ability to detect accumulation and degradation of the DNA signal for aquatic plants, followed by field surveillance of the highly invasive Hydrilla verticillata in freshwaters across several U.S. geographic regions. In both lab and field experiments, we designed a high sensitivity quantitative PCR assay to detect the aquatic plant species. In both experiments, plant eDNA detection was successful; we saw accumulation of DNA when plants were introduced to tanks and a decrease in DNA over time after plants were removed. We detected eDNA in the field in areas of known Hydrilla distribution. Employing eDNA detection for aquatic plants will strengthen efforts for early detection and rapid response of invaders in global freshwater ecosystems.
Protease-activated receptor 1 inhibits cholesterol efflux and promotes atherogenesis via cullin 3–mediated degradation of the ABCA1 transporter

Although signaling of thrombin via its receptor protease-activated receptor 1 (Par1) is known to occur in atherothrombosis, its link to the actual pathogenesis of this condition is less clear. To better understand the role of thrombin–Par1 signaling in atherosclerosis, here we have studied their effects on cellular cholesterol efflux in mice. We found that by activating Par1 and cullin 3–mediated ubiquitination and degradation of ABC subfamily A member 1 (ABCA1), thrombin inhibits cholesterol efflux in both murine macrophages and smooth muscle cells. Moreover, disruption of the Par1 gene rescued ABCA1 from Western diet–induced ubiquitination and degradation and restored cholesterol efflux in apolipoprotein E–deficient (ApoE−/−) mice. Similarly, the Par1 deletion diminished diet-induced atherosclerotic lesions in the ApoE−/− mice. These observations for the first time indicate a role for thrombin–Par1 signaling in the pathogenesis of diet-induced atherosclerosis. We identify cullin 3 as a cullin-RING ubiquitin E3 ligase that mediates ABCA1 ubiquitination and degradation and thereby inhibits cholesterol efflux. Furthermore, compared with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from ApoE−/− mice, the PBMCs from ApoE−/−:Par1−/− mice exhibited decreased trafficking to inflamed arteries of Western diet–fed ApoE−/− mice. This finding suggested that besides inhibiting cholesterol efflux, thrombin–Par1 signaling also plays a role in the recruitment of leukocytes during diet-induced atherogenesis. Based on these findings, we conclude that thrombin–Par1 signaling appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis by impairing cholesterol efflux from cells and by recruiting leukocytes to arteries.
Comparison of methods for recovery and enumeration of Campylobacter from freshly processed broilers.

Most traditional Campylobacter detection and enumeration procedures are difficult and time consuming. Estimations of Campylobacter populations by the most probable number (MPN) method are especially laborious. The objective of this collaborative study, performed in duplicate in Agricultural Research Service and Food Safety Inspection Service laboratories, was to compare two MPN procedures (utilizing different selective enrichment broths and plating media) to the direct plating technique for enumeration of Campylobacter from freshly processed (postchill, postdrip) broiler chicken carcasses. Results obtained from the direct plating of carcass rinse samples on Campy-cefex agar were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from an MPN procedure employing Hunt's Campylobacter selective enrichment broth followed by recovery on modified Campylobacter charcoal differential agar. However, both of these procedures provided significantly (P < 0.05) better recovery than a second MPN procedure using Rosef's selective en...
Medical Students’ Efforts to Integrate and/or Reclaim Authentic Identity: Insights from a Mask-Making Exercise

Medical students’ mask-making can provide valuable insights into personal and professional identity formation and wellness. A subset of first- and second-year medical students attending a medical school wellness retreat participated in a mask-making workshop. Faculty-student teams examined student masks and explanatory narratives using visual and textual analysis techniques. A quantitative survey assessed student perceptions of the experience. We identified an overarching theme: “Reconciliation/reclamation of authentic identity.” The combination of nonverbal mask-making and narrative offers rich insights into medical students’ experience and thinking. This activity promoted reflection and self-care, while providing insight regarding personal and professional development.
Wave tracking method of hydraulic transients in pipe systems with pump shut-off under simultaneous closing of spherical valves

Abstract The limited wave propagation speed in water permits the propagation of pressure surges in hydraulic transients to be tracked in the time series. This occurs by tracking the primary (F) and the reflected (f) waves. The wave tracking method has been demonstrated to be applicable to highly complex hydraulic systems. The wave propagation induced by passing through a T-junction in the flow complies with the wave conservation laws which concern both the wave reflection and the transmission. It has been shown that all computations can be simply implemented in a computation tool like MS Excel. This considerably ensures both the accuracy and the reliability of computations. At a hydraulic system of Pelton turbines, excellent computational results have been achieved. The application to a highly complex hydraulic system with pump shut-off and the simultaneous closing of a spherical valve also showed excellent results, when compared with the field measurements. The key point in the presented computations is to unify the characteristics of the pump and the spherical valve. The entire computation covers the flow rate in the system, the reverse flow through the pump, the pressure response, the deceleration of the rotational speed and the system oscillations.
End-of-Life Care for Patients with Glioma

Objective To describe best practices and guidelines in symptom management at the end of life for adults with malignant glioma. Data Sources Journal articles, evidence-based reviews, textbooks, and clinical guidelines. Conclusion Symptom management is an essential element of end-of-life care that aims to preserve dignity and quality of life for patients with glioma and their family caregivers. Implications for Nursing Practice Advance care planning using a holistic approach to the patient's symptoms experience and goals of care are necessary to develop, implement, and evaluate outcomes of an evidence-based plan of care tailored for each patient and family.
A Coalitional Cyber-Insurance Framework for a Common Platform

Despite the benefits of cyber-insurance, organizations are reluctant to enroll in such policies mainly because of their limitation and high price. On the other hand, insurers are confronting the adverse selection and moral hazard problems as monitoring and distinguishing insureds’ cybersecurity posture are highly complicated. Considering the organizations’ security interdependency and their demand for cyber-insurance, we study the design of coalitional insurance mechanisms with the goal of covering the adverse selection, moral hazard, and motivating players for cybersecurity investment and information sharing. To this end, we propose a synergistic insurance framework, where organizations collaboratively insure a common platform instead of themselves. We present three models for insuring a common platform. In the first model, organizations act as both insurer and insured to distribute the risk in the coalition. In the second model, the system provides rewards to crowdfund the insurance. Finally, in the third model, we investigate the outsourcing of a common platform insurance. Furthermore, we discuss how our proposed mechanisms for such framework satisfy the budget balanced, ex ante individual rationality, and incentive compatibility properties. We study how such a system can improve the social welfare by leveraging cyber-insurance as a motivation for organizations to cooperate on the cybersecurity investment and information sharing.
Older Adults’ Preferences for Discussing Long-Term Life Expectancy: Results From a National Survey

PURPOSE Clinical practice guidelines recommend incorporating long-term life expectancy to inform a number of decisions in primary care. We aimed to examine older adults’ preferences for discussing life expectancy in a national sample. METHODS We invited 1,272 older adults (aged 65 or older) from a national, probability-based online panel to participate in 2016. We presented a hypothetical patient with limited life expectancy who was not imminently dying. We asked participants if they were that patient, whether they would like to talk with the doctor about how long they may live, whether it was acceptable for the doctor to offer this discussion, whether they want the doctor to discuss life expectancy with family or friends, and when it should be discussed. RESULTS The 878 participants (69.0% participation rate) had a mean age of 73.4 years. The majority, 59.4%, did not want to discuss how long they might live in the presented scenario. Within this group, 59.9% also did not think that the doctor should offer the discussion, and 87.7% also did not want the doctor to discuss life expectancy with family or friends. Fully 55.8% wanted to discuss life expectancy only if it were less than 2 years. Factors positively associated with wanting to have the discussion included higher educational level, believing that doctors can accurately predict life expectancy, and past experience with either a life-threatening illness or having discussed life expectancy of a loved one. Reporting that religion is important was negatively associated. CONCLUSIONS The majority of older adults did not wish to discuss life expectancy when we depicted a hypothetical patient with limited life expectancy. Many also did not want to be offered discussion, raising a dilemma for how clinicians may identify patients’ preferences regarding this sensitive topic.
Comparative toxicity of a food additive TiO 2 , a bulk TiO 2 , and a nano-sized P25 to a model organism the nematode C. elegans

To help fill the knowledge gap regarding the potential human health impacts of food pigment TiO2, a comparative toxicity study was performed on a food-grade TiO2 (f-TiO2), a bulk TiO2 (b-TiO2), and a nano-sized TiO2 (Degussa P25), and in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Acute phototoxicity and chronic toxicity effects including reproduction, lifespan, and vulval integrity were evaluated. The f-TiO2, b-TiO2, and P25 had a primary particle size (size range) of 149 (53–308) nm, 129 (64–259) nm, and 26 (11–52) nm, respectively. P25 showed the greatest phototoxicity with a 24-h LC50 of 6.0 mg/L (95% CI 5.95, 6.3), followed by the f-TiO2 (LC50 = 6.55 mg/L (95% CI 6.35, 6.75)), and b-TiO2 was the least toxic. All three TiO2 (1–10 mg/L) induced concentration-dependent effects on the worm’s reproduction, with a reduction in brood size by 8.5 to 34%. They all caused a reduction of worm lifespan, accompanied by an increased frequency of age-associated vulval integrity defects (Avid). The impact on lifespan and Avid phenotype was more notable for P25 than the f-TiO2 or b-TiO2. Ingestion and accumulation of TiO2 particles in the worm intestine was observed for all three materials by light microscopy. These findings demonstrate that the food pigment TiO2 induces toxicity effects in the worm and further studies are needed to elucidate the human health implication of such toxicities.
Uncertainty Estimates for SeaSonde HF Radar Ocean Current Observations

AbstractHF radars typically produce maps of surface current velocities without estimates of the measurement uncertainties. Many users of HF radar data, including spill response and search and rescu...
Dam Operations and Subsurface Hydrogeology Control Dynamics of Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Regulated River Reach

Hydrologic exchange flows (HEFs) across the river-aquifer interface have important implications for biogeochemical processes and contaminant plume migration in the river corridor, yet little is kno...
An Update on the Louisiana and Texas Rigs-to-Reefs Programs in the Gulf of Mexico

The Louisiana and Texas Rigs-to-Reefs programs enjoy widespread public, industry, and government support and have become models for similar programs around the world. Louisiana’s Rigs-to-Reefs prog...
Case Histories of Significant Medical Advances: Laparoscopy

We describe how operations through laparoscopes – tubular instruments inserted into abdominal cavities – revolutionized gynecological and other surgeries inside the abdomen such as gall bladder removal. Specifically, we chronicle the: 1) foundational technologies and procedures for laparoscopy developed by gynecologists from the 1940s through the 1970s. 2) extension of laparoscopy to gallbladder removal in the late 1980s, 3) adoption of the technique in the 1990s.
A Sub-Millimeter Lateral Resolution Ultrasonic Beamforming System for Brain Stimulation in Behaving Animals

In this paper, we present a second-generation wireless ultrasonic beamforming system, aiming for a truly wearable device for brain stimulation in small behaving animals. The fully-integrated, battery-operated system enables a self- contained untethered system. The system is partitioned into two parts for weight distribution: (1) a 1D capacitive micromachined transducer (CMUT) array on a separate head-mountable flexible printed circuit board (PCB), (2) a rigid back-mountable PCB including electronics such as a custom ASIC, a power management unit, a wireless module, and a battery. The newly developed ASIC not only enables a compact electronic system (30.5 mm x 63.5 mm) but also generates 3.4 times higher acoustic pressure (1.89 MPa PP ), which corresponds to a spatial-peak pulse-average intensity (I SPPA ) of 33.5 W/cm2, at a depth of 5 mm, compared to the first-generation ASIC. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the pressure is estimated to be 0.6 mm, achieving a sub-millimeter lateral resolution by using 5-MHz focused waves.
Case 3792 – Pachnaeus Schoenherr, 1826 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Curculionidae): proposed precedence over Docorhinus Schoenherr, 1823

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.3 of the Code, is to conserve use of the generic name PachnaeusSchoenherr, 1826 (Curculionidae, Entiminae, Eustylini). The name Pachnaeus is threatened by its senior objective synonym, DocorhinusSchoenherr, 1823, for which it was erroneously erected as a replacement name. Strict application of the Code would result in unnecessary confusion since the name Pachnaeus has been heavily used in the agricultural and taxonomic literature for the last 193 years, whereas its senior objective synonym Docorhinus has been treated as valid only once since it was (erroneously) replaced by Pachnaeus. Several members of Pachnaeus, for example Pachnaeus opalus (Olivier, 1807) (“northern citrus root weevil”, for which a lectotype is designated herein), Pachnaeus litus (Germar, 1824) (“southern citrus root weevil”), and Pachnaeus citriMarshall, 1916, are well documented and serious pests of citrus. Reverting the genus name to its senior synonym would lead to nomenclatural instability and confusion in the literature and, because of the singular treatment of Docorhinus as valid. Prevailing usage (Arts. 23.9.1 and 23.9.2) cannot be invoked to resolve this discrepancy. We therefore request a reversal of precedence under the Commission's plenary power, with Docorhinus, the senior objective synonym, being suppressed.
Clustered Feature Importance (Presentation Slides)

A substitution effect takes place when two or more explanatory variables share a substantial amount of information (predictive power). Under the presence of substitution effects, feature importance methods may not be able to determine robustly which variables are significant. This presentation discusses the Clustered Feature Importance (CFI) method, which is robust to linear as well as non-linear substitution effects.
Reliability and Validity of the Short-Form 12 Item Version 2 (SF−12v2) Health-Related Quality of Life Survey and Disutilities Associated with Relevant Conditions in the U.S. Older Adult Population

This study aimed to validate the Short-Form 12-Item Survey-version 2 (SF-12v2) in an older (≥65 years old) US population as well as estimate disutilities associated with relevant conditions, using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey longitudinal panel (2014-2015). The physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were examined for reliability (internal consistency, test-retest), construct validity (convergent and discriminant, structural), and criterion validity (concurrent and predictive). The study sample consisted of 1040 older adults with a mean age of 74.09 years (standard deviation: 6.19) PCS and MCS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha-PCS: 0.87, MCS: 0.86) and good and moderate test-retest validity, respectively (intraclass correlation coefficient: PCS:0.79, MCS:0.59)). The questionnaire demonstrated sufficient convergent and discriminant ability. Confirmatory factor analysis showed adequate fit with the theoretical model and structural validity (goodness of fit = 0.9588). Concurrent criterion validity and predictive criterion validity were demonstrated. Activity limitations, functional limitations, arthritis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, myocardial infarction, stroke, angina, and high blood pressure were associated with disutilities of 0.18, 0.15, 0.06, 0.07, 0.07, 0.06, 0.09, 0.06, and 0.08, respectively, and demonstrated the responsiveness of the instrument to these conditions. The SF-12v2 is a valid and reliable instrument in an older US population.
PDF readability enhancement on mobile devices

In the past, researchers studied readability enhancement of English articles for non-native English readers, either on paper reading or hypertext reading. Using a variety of methods, researchers were able to enhance the reading comprehension and the users' satisfaction on hypertext reading, such as changing content presentation with visual-syntactic text formatting (VSTF) format or Jenga format. In terms of dynamically changing content presentation for reading, one less explored format is Portable Document Format (PDF), which was traditionally viewed within a modern Web browser or Adobe Acrobat reader on the desktop. PDF format was standardized as an open format in 2008 and has been widely used to keep a fixed-layout content. However, a fixed layout document presents a challenge to apply existing transformation methods, not mention on mobile devices. In this paper, we present a system that uses a novel algorithm to decode a PDF document and apply content transformation to enhance its readability. Although we used Jenga format as an example to enhance the readability of PDF documents, we envision the proposed framework can be used to adopt different transformation methods. The system was implemented in a mobile device and we are able to apply a basic transformation to a PDF document at both the sentence and paragraph levels. The main contribution of this research is we extend previous work of readability enhancement from paper document and hypertext content to PDF documents. Current result is promising, and we believe it is worth further investigation to make PDF documents readable and accessible on the Web for different populations, such as non-native English readers, people with dyslexia or special needs, etc.
Native and non-native understory vegetation responses to restoration treatments in a dry conifer forest over 23 years

Abstract Restoration of fire-prone forests is a common practice intended to increase resilience to wildfire, drought, and bark beetles. However, the long-term effects of restoration treatments on understory species, particularly non-native species, are poorly understood. We investigated long-term (23 years) effects of restoration treatments on native and non-native understory vegetation at the Lick Creek Demonstration-Research Forest, a ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir forest in western Montana, USA. Restoration treatments included shelterwood-with-reserves harvesting implemented alone or in combination with prescribed burning under either wet or dry conditions, plus a no-action control. Changes in understory vegetation cover and species richness (measured pre-treatment, 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, and 23 years post-treatment) were analyzed by growth form (forb, graminoid, and shrub) and origin (native vs. non-native) to test how understory dynamics respond to disturbance intensity. We also accounted for basal area of trees to consider how differential overstory conditions affected final treatment responses. Native vegetation cover responses followed predictable successional patterns: after initial declines by grasses and shrubs immediately after disturbance (43% and 40% reduction, respectively), all groups increased, peaked about five years after disturbance (74% greater than pre-treatment on average) and then generally declined to levels similar to pre-treatment. The magnitude of these changes was related to the disturbance intensity (i.e., cut-and-dry-burn > cut-and-wet-burn > cut-and-no-burn > control). For all native groups, variation in tree basal area at year 23 explained remaining differences among treatments. Non-native grasses and forbs followed similar overall trajectories, but cover of these groups increased immediately after treatment and rose more steeply to their peak five years post-treatment (12 times greater than pre-treatment on average), with differences persisting through year 23. While non-native cover responses in year 23 were negatively correlated with tree basal area, as seen for native taxa, overstory conditions alone did not fully account for differences between burned and unburned treatments. This suggests that effects of burning unrelated to tree regeneration favored non-natives. Nonetheless, in the last sampling year treatment-induced increases in non-native cover were modest, suggesting that after 23 years understory responses in this forest type were fairly resilient to restoration treatments. However, because forest structure and composition were reverting to pre-treatment conditions by year 23, retreatment may be necessary at intervals of
Effect of Incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy vs Standard Wound Dressing on the Development of Surgical Site Infection after Spinal Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study

Background Use of a closed-incisional negative pressure therapy (ci-NPT) dressing is an emerging strategy to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs) in spine surgery that lacks robust data. Objective To determine the impact of a ci-NPT, as compared with a standard dressing, on the development of SSIs after spine surgery. Methods This was a prospective observational study over a 2-yr period. Indications for surgery included degenerative disease, deformity, malignancy, and trauma. Exclusion criteria included anterior and lateral approaches to the spine, intraoperative durotomy, or use of minimally invasive techniques. SSIs up to 60 d following surgery were recorded. Results A total of 274 patients were included. SSI rate was significantly lower with ci-NPT dressing (n = 118) as compared with the standard dressing (n = 156) (3.4 vs 10.9%, P = .02). There was no statistical difference in infection rate for decompression alone procedures (4.2 vs 9.1%, P = .63), but there was a statistically significant reduction with the use of a negative-pressure dressing in cases that required instrumentation (3.2 vs 11.4%, P = .03). Patients at higher risk (instrumentation, deformity, and malignancy) had less SSIs with the use of ci-NPT, although this did not reach statistical significance. There were no complications in either group. Conclusion SSI rates were significantly reduced with a ci-NPT dressing vs a standard dressing in patients who underwent spinal surgery. The higher cost of a ci-NPT dressing might be justified with instrumented cases, as well as with certain high-risk patient populations undergoing spine surgery, given the serious consequences of an infection.
Accelerating progress to innovation for patients: Trial design and risk stratification

In early breast cancer, we integrate risk stratification and trial design, together with subtype, to focus on clinical questions in specific patient populations. In the past, trials enrolled an "all-comers," broadly-defined population. More recently, trials enroll low-to intermediate-risk populations for whom testing strategies to de-escalate therapy are appropriate, or intermediate-to high-risk populations for whom testing additional and novel therapeutic strategies are needed. For example, in patients who have triple-negative breast cancer, the presence of residual disease after neoadjuvant therapy has become an approach to risk stratification for defining a trial population testing approaches to adjuvant therapy. In patients with hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, trials testing the addition of adjuvant CDK4/6 inhibitors to standard endocrine therapy have enrolled intermediate-to high-risk populations using various definitions and with heterogeneous results. Results of the recent generation of clinical trials testing systemic therapy for early breast cancer provide an opportunity to learn and improve future trial designs and accelerate progress to innovation for patients.
A two-stage design optimization framework for multifield origami-inspired structures:

Different types of active materials have been used to actuate origami-inspired self-folding structures. To model the highly nonlinear deformation and material responses, as well as the coupled fiel...
A proof of concept treatment planning study of gated proton radiotherapy for cardiac soft tissue sarcoma

Abstract Background and Purpose Few studies on radiotherapy of cardiac targets exist, and none using a gating method according to cardiac movement. This study aimed to evaluate the dose-volume advantage of using cardiac-respiratory double gating (CRDG) in terms of target location with additional ECG signals in comparison to respiratory single gating (RSG) for proton radiotherapy of targets in the heart. Materials and Methods Cardiac motion was modeled using a cardiac-gated four-dimensional computed tomography scan obtained at the end-expiration. Plans with the prescription dose of 50 Gy (RSG and CRDG plans at diastole and systole phases) were compared in terms of clinically relevant dose-volume criteria for various target sizes and seven cardiac subsites. Potential dose sparing by utilizing CRDG over RSG was quantified in terms of surrounding organ at risk (OAR) doses while the dose coverage to the targets was fully ensured. Results The average mean dose reductions were 28 ± 10% when gated at diastole and 21 ± 12% at systole in heart and 30 ± 17% at diastole and 8 ± 9% at systole in left ventricle compared to respiratory single gating. The diastole phase was optimal for gated treatments for all target locations except right ventricle and interventricular septum. The right ventricle target was best treated at the systole phase. However, an optimal gating phase for the interventricular septum target could not be determined. Conclusions We have studied the dose-volume benefits of CRDG for each cardiac subsite, and demonstrated that CRDG may spare organs at risk better than RSG.
Advances in lateral copper electroplated metallic tracks—production and applications by using hydrogen evolution-assisted electroplating

Recently, we have demonstrated that hydrogen evolution-assisted (HEA) electroplating can be used for rapid lateral growth of copper across a gap between two copper traces on a printed circuit board (PCB). In this work, the HEA approach has been applied for growing copper traces on three different fabrics of 1000 Denier-Coated Cordura Nylon, Laminated Polyester Ripstop, and 100% Virgin Vinyl. To provide the conductive path for the electroplating, first, the desired pattern was applied as a template on the fabric using a conductive ink including multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The template was then metalized by coating it with copper. The fastest copper lateral growth rate was achieved in 1000 Denier-Coated Cordura Nylon sample (370.96 μm/s), while 100% Virgin Vinyl sample showed the slowest growth rate of 99.57 μm/s. Further study of the morphologies using the scanning electron microscopy technique showed that the material and the texture of the fabric directly affect the morphology of the electroplated copper. The results are very promising for developing a new method of fabricating wearable electronics by directly printing copper on different fabrics.
Urgent neurosurgical interventions in the COVID-19 positive pediatric population.

Background Urgent neurosurgical interventions for pediatric patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are rare. These cases pose additional stress on a potentially vulnerable dysregulated inflammatory response that can place the child at risk of further clinical deterioration. Our aim was to describe the perioperative course of SARS-CoV-2–positive pediatric patients who had required an urgent neurosurgical intervention. Methods We retrospectively analyzed pediatric patients aged ≤18 years who had been admitted to a quaternary children's hospital with a positive polymerase chain reaction test result for SARS-CoV-2 virus from March 2020 to October 2021. The clinical characteristics, anesthetic and neurosurgical operative details, surgical outcomes, and non-neurological symptoms were collected and analyzed. Results We identified 8 SARS-CoV-2–positive patients with a mean age of 8.83 years (median, 8.5 years; range, 0.58–18 years). Of the 8 patients, 6 were male. All children had had mild or asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2109. The anesthetic and surgical courses for these patients were, overall, uncomplicated. All the patients had been admitted to a specialized isolation unit in the pediatric intensive care unit for cardiopulmonary and neurological monitoring. The use of increased protective personal equipment during anesthesia and surgery did not impede a successful neurosurgical operation. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2–positive pediatric patients with minimal coronavirus disease 2019–related symptoms who require urgent neurosurgical interventions face unique challenges regarding their anesthetic status, operative delays due to SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction testing, and requirements for additional protective personal equipment. Despite these clinical challenges, the patients in our study had not experienced adverse postoperative consequences, and no healthcare professional involved in their care had contracted the virus.
Is There a Duty to Obey the Law

The central question in political philosophy is whether political states have the right to coerce their constituents and whether citizens have a moral duty to obey the commands of their state. In this 2005 book, Christopher Heath Wellman and A. John Simmons defend opposing answers to this question. Wellman bases his argument on samaritan obligations to perform easy rescues, arguing that each of us has a moral duty to obey the law as his or her fair share of the communal samaritan chore of rescuing our compatriots from the perils of the state of nature. Simmons counters that this, and all other attempts to explain our duty to obey the law, fail. He defends a position of philosophical anarchism, the view that no existing state is legitimate and that there is no strong moral presumption in favor of obedience to, or compliance with, any existing state.
Evaluation of Farmer’s Risk Attitudes Using Alternative Utility Functional Forms

The most commonly used utility functional forms are reviewed and their properties compared. Then, using data collected from West Azarbaijan province, utility functions are estimated and absolute risk aversion coefficients measured. Exponential and expopower utility functions classified all farmers as risk averse, but quadratic and cubic utility functions classified 75% and 65% of farmers as risk-averse, respectively. Findings in this study indicated that alternative utility functi ons may classify farmers’ risk attitudes in different ways.
GABA(A) receptor mutations associated with generalized epilepsies.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA A ) receptor mutations associated with generalized epilepsies. GABA A receptors are the primary mediators of fast inhibitory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system (CNS) and are repeatedly documented to play a critical role in animal models of seizures. GABA A receptors are formed by pentameric assembly of multiple subunit subtypes. The most common GABA A receptors contain two α subunits, two β subunits, and a γ or δ subunit. Idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs) are characterized by absence, myoclonic, and/or primary generalized tonic–clonic seizures in the absence of structural brain abnormalities and have a genetic basis. Mutations associated with IGEs are also identiﬁed in human GABA A receptor genes. The chapter focuses on the described human GABA A receptor channel epilepsy mutations. The mutations in GABA A receptor γ2, α1, and δ subunits that are associated with different IGE syndromes are reviewed in the chapter. These mutations alter GABA A receptor gating, expression, and/or trafﬁcking of the receptor to the cell surface, all pathophysiological mechanisms that result in reduced GABA‐evoked currents that in neurons would cause neuronal disinhibition and thus predispose affected patients to manifest seizures.
Activation of a cryptic pathway for threonine metabolism via specific IS3-mediated alteration of promoter structure in Escherichia coli.

The tdh operon of Escherichia coli consists of two genes whose products catalyze sequential steps in the formation of glycine and acetyl coenzyme A from threonine. The operation of the tdh pathway can potentially confer at least two capabilities on the cell: the first is to provide a biosynthetic source of glycine, serine, or both that is an alternative to the conventional (triose phosphate) pathway; the second is to enable cells to utilize threonine as the sole carbon source. The latter capability is referred to as the Tuc+ phenotype. In wild-type E. coli, the tdh operon is expressed at levels that are too low to bestow the Tuc+ phenotype, even in leucine-supplemented media, where the operon is induced eightfold. In eight Tuc+ mutants, the expression of the tdh operon was elevated 100-fold relative to the uninduced wild-type operon. The physical state of the DNA at the tdh locus in these Tuc+ strains was analyzed by Southern blotting and by DNA sequencing. In eight independent isolates the mobile genetic element IS3 was found to lie within the tdh promoter region in identical orientations. In six cases that were examined by DNA sequencing, IS3 occupied identical sites between the -10 and -35 elements of the tdh promoter. The transcription start points for the wild-type tdh promoter and one IS3-activated tdh promoter were identical. In effect, the repeatedly observed transposition event juxtaposed an IS3-borne -35 region and the tdh-specific -10 region, generating a hybrid promoter whose utilization led to elevated, constitutive expression of the tdh operon. This is the first case of promoter activation by IS3 where the site of transcription initiation is unaltered. Images
Computational Approaches to Measuring the Similarity of Short Contexts : A Review of Applications and Methods

Measuring the similarity of short written contexts is a fundamental problem in Natural Language Processing. This article provides a unifying framework by which short context problems can be categorized both by their intended application and proposed solution. The goal is to show that various problems and methodologies that appear quite different on the surface are in fact very closely related. The axes by which these categorizations are made include the format of the contexts (headed versus headless), the way in which the contexts are to be measured (first-order versus second-order similarity), and the information used to represent the features in the contexts (micro versus macro views). The unifying thread that binds together many short context applications and methods is the fact that similarity decisions must be made between contexts that share few (if any) words in common.
Social Welfare Policy as a Form of Social Justice

Social workers confront horrific problems on a daily basis that reflect the broad range of social issues that plague and threaten the lives of people and weaken our civil structures. Central to the social work profession's mission is its work with and on behalf of the most vulnerable, at-risk, and marginalized persons in our communities. The author recognizes that social policy governs practice and agency work and that all policies are extensions of justice theories. The author believe that Rawls theory of justice best reflects the mission, values, and beliefs of the social work profession. The author identifies critical thinking, though merged with creative thinking as the overarching skill necessary for successful policy practice. Keywords: social policy; social welfare policy; justice theory; Rawls; creative thinking; creative thinking; policy practice
Human prochymase activation: A novel role for heparin in zymogen processing

Human prochymase is packaged with heparin in mast cell granules and appears to be activated by dipeptidylpeptidase I. We show that a high affinity interaction between heparin and prochymase allows the 2-residue propeptide to be cleaved by dipeptidylpeptidase I. A conserved Glu in the propeptide is necessary for this heparin effect. Following propeptide cleavage, capture of the newly generated NH2 terminus by an "activation groove" on the enzyme activates the enzyme and concurrently prevents a progressive degradation of the NH2 terminus by dipeptidylpeptidase I. Surrogate peptide studies show that the activation groove is unoccupied in prochymase and is specific for the chymase NH2 terminus. These observations indicate that heparin is an important cofactor in the prochymase activation process and explain how dipeptidylpeptidase I, a nonspecific processing enzyme, can effect a specific cleavage of the zymogen propeptide.
Substrate recognition of type III secretion machines--testing the RNA signal hypothesis.

Summary Secretion by the type III pathway of Gram-negative microbes transports polypeptides into the extracellular medium or into the cytoplasm of host cells during infection. In pathogenic Yersinia spp., type III machines recognize 14 different Yop protein substrates via discrete signals genetically encoded in 7–15 codons at the 5′ portion of yop genes. Although the signals necessary and sufficient for substrate recognition of Yop proteins have been mapped, a clear mechanism on how proteins are recognized by the machinery and then initiated into the transport pathway has not yet emerged. As synonymous substitutions, mutations that alter mRNA sequence but not codon specificity, affect the function of some secretion signals, recent work with several different microbes tested the hypothesis of an RNA-encoded secretion signal for polypeptides that travel the type III pathway. This review summarizes experimental observations and mechanistic models for substrate recognition in this field.
Stochastic modeling of cytoplasmic reactions in complex biological systems

The use of “in silico” stochastic event based modeling can identify the dynamic interactions of different processes in a complex biological system. This requires the computation of the time taken by different events in the system based on their biological functions. One such important event is the reactions between the molecules inside the cytoplasm of a cell. We present a mathematical formulation for the estimation of the reaction time between two molecules within a cell based on the system state. We derive expressions for the average and second moment of the time for reaction to be used by our stochastic event-based simulation. Unlike rate equations, the proposed model does not require the assumption of concentration stability for multiple molecule reactions.
The power of semidefinite programming relaxations for MAX-SAT

Recently, Linear Programming (LP)-based relaxations have been shown promising in boosting the performance of exact MAX-SAT solvers. We compare Semidefinite Programming (SDP) based relaxations with LP relaxations for MAX-2-SAT. We will show how SDP relaxations are surprisingly powerful, providing much tighter bounds than LP relaxations, across different constrainedness regions. SDP relaxations can also be computed very efficiently, thus quickly providing tight lower and upper bounds on the optimal solution. We also show the effectiveness of SDP relaxations in providing heuristic guidance for iterative variable setting, significantly more accurate than the guidance based on LP relaxations. SDP allows us to set up to around 80% of the variables without degrading the optimal solution, while setting a single variable based on the LP relaxation generally degrades the global optimal solution in the overconstrained area. Our results therefore show that SDP relaxations may further boost exact MAX-SAT solvers.
Anti‐Proliferative Effect of the Kinase Inhibitor K252a on Human Prostatic Carcinoma Cell Lines

Members of the K252 family of kinase inhibitors have been demonstrated to inhibit a number of neurotrophin-mediated cellular responses, and to preferentially inhibit the activity of neurotrophin receptors. In this study, we examined the effects of K252a and K252b on the growth of human prostate carcinoma cells, whose growth is, in part, mediated by a prostatic nerve growth factor(NGF)-like protein(s). K252a inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation by three androgen-independent prostate tumor cell lines (TSU-pr1, DU-145, and PC-3), under basal growth conditions, and in response to growth stimulation by human prostatic stromal (hPS) cell proteins and serum. K252b, which does not readily penetrate cell membranes, had no significant effect on [3H]thymidine incorporation by the prostate tumor cell lines. The decrease in [3H]thymidine incorporation by the cell lines in response to K252a did not appear to be the result of K252a cytotoxicity at concentrations as high as 100 nM, as measured by the Trypan blue assay for cell viability. Treatment of cells for 25 hours with 100 nM K252a resulted in accumulation of TSU-pr1, DU-145, and PC-3 cells in G0/G1, concurrent with a substantial decrease in cells synthesizing DNA. Treatment of androgen-responsive LNCaP prostatic carcinoma cells for 25 hours with 100 nM K252a also resulted in a significant decrease in DNA synthesis. Human recombinant NGF-mediated phosphorylation of a 140-kDa Trk NGF receptor in the TSU-pr1 cell line was inhibited by treatment with 100 nM K252a. Hence, K252a inhibition of Trk phosphorylation most probably contributed, in part, to the inhibition of prostate tumor cell growth in vitro. These results suggest that the mechanism of K252a action may be useful in the design of potential therapies for prostate cancer treatment.