cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nontrivial directions for scalar fields.

We study the eigenvectors of the renormalization-group matrix for scalar fields at the Gaussian fixed point, and find that there exist {open_quote}{open_quote}relevant{close_quote}{close_quote} directions in parameter space. They correspond to theories with exponential potentials that are nontrivial and asymptotically free. All other potentials, including polynomial potentials, are {open_quote}{open_quote}irrelevant,{close_quote}{close_quote} and lead to trivial theories. Away from the Gaussian fixed point, renormalization does not induce derivative couplings, but it generates nonlocal interactions. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-supported ionogels with a high ionic liquid loading.

The immiscibility of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and ionic liquids (ILs) was overcome to create PDMS-supported IL gels (ionogels) with IL loadings of up to 80 % by mass through a simple sol–gel reaction at room temperature. By stirring a mixture of a functionalized PDMS oligomer, formic acid, and an IL (or lithium-in-IL solution), a resin was formed that could be cast to create a freestanding, flexible ionogel. PDMS-supported ionogels exhibited favorable ionic conductivity (ca. 3 mS cm−1) and excellent mechanical behavior (elastic modulus: ca. 60 kPa; fatigue life: >5000 cycles; mechanically stable at temperatures up to 200 °C). The activation energy of ionic conductivity was shown to be nearly identical for the ionogel and the neat IL, in contrast to ionogel systems wherein the scaffold material is miscible with the IL. This similarity indicates that IL/scaffold chemical interactions are key to the understanding of ionogel electrical performance, especially at elevated temperatures.
Detecting fixation on a target using time-frequency distributions of a retinal birefringence scanning signal.

The fovea, which is the most sensitive part of the retina, is known to have birefringent properties, i.e. it changes the polarization state of light upon reflection. Existing devices use this property to obtain information on the orientation of the fovea and the direction of gaze. Such devices employ specific frequency components that appear during moments of fixation on a target. To detect them, previous methods have used solely the power spectrum of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), which, unfortunately, is an integral method, and does not give information as to where exactly the events of interest occur. With very young patients who are not cooperative enough, this presents a problem, because central fixation may be present only during very short-lasting episodes, and can easily be missed by the FFT. This paper presents a method for detecting short-lasting moments of central fixation in existing devices for retinal birefringence scanning, with the goal of a reliable detection of eye alignment. Signal analysis is based on the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT), which reliably localizes such events in the time-frequency plane. Even though the characteristic frequencies are not always strongly expressed due to possible artifacts, simple topological analysis of the time-frequency distribution can detect fixation reliably. In all six subjects tested, the CWT allowed precise identification of both frequency components. Moreover, in four of these subjects, episodes of intermittent but definitely present central fixation were detectable, similar to those in Figure 4. A simple FFT is likely to treat them as borderline cases, or entirely miss them, depending on the thresholds used. Joint time-frequency analysis is a powerful tool in the detection of eye alignment, even in a noisy environment. The method is applicable to similar situations, where short-lasting diagnostic events need to be detected in time series acquired by means of scanning some substrate along a specific path.
Pulmonary Epithelial Cell-Derived Cytokine TGF-β1 Is a Critical Cofactor for Enhanced Innate Lymphoid Cell Function

Epithelial cells orchestrate pulmonary homeostasis and pathogen defense and play a crucial role in the initiation of allergic immune responses. Maintaining the balance between homeostasis and inappropriate immune activation and associated pathology is particularly complex at mucosal sites that are exposed to billions of potentially antigenic particles daily. We demonstrated that epithelial cell-derived cytokine TGF-β had a central role in the generation of the pulmonary immune response. Mice that specifically lacked epithelial cell-derived TGF-β1 displayed a reduction in type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), resulting in suppression of interleukin-13 and hallmark features of the allergic response including airway hyperreactivity. ILCs in the airway lumen were primed to respond to TGF-β by expressing the receptor TGF-βRII and ILC chemoactivity was enhanced by TGF-β. These data demonstrate that resident epithelial cells instruct immune cells, highlighting the central role of the local environmental niche in defining the nature and magnitude of immune reactions.
Introduction to this Special Issue Meaning in personal memories: Is more always better?

Theoretical models of autobiographical memory, narrative processing, and responses to stressful events all propose that the construction of meaningful and coherent accounts of personal experiences ...
Chemistry Related to the Search for Drugs from the Sea

In the search for bioactive compounds from marine sources, the selection of specific organisms and classes of compounds to be studied is dictated by bioassay, rather than the conscious choice of the investigator. As a result, efforts are often not focused on a given phylum or class of compounds. Instead, animals from different phyla and compounds varying greatly in size, type, and structural complexity are dealt with. The collection of different organisms and assorted types of natural products described in this paper illustrates these points.
Defect Annealing Studies in Neutron Transmutation Doped Silicon

Electrical, optical, x-ray and electron microscopy techniques have been used to investigate lattice damage and annealing in NTD silicon. Dislocation loops of 10–100 Â diameter were identified in both the as irradiated state and after thermal anneals of up to 900°C by the electron microscopy and x-ray techniques. A correlation of these results with the infrared absorption and electron mobility recovery stage between 600 and 750°C suggests that defects < 10 A are also contributing to the recovery processes at this temperature.
Oligospermines and Nucleic Acid Interaction: A Structure Property Relationship Study

A variety of delivery vehicles use spermine as a polycationic component to form complexes with nucleic acids. Thus, we investigated the influence of molecular architecture, amine density, and molecular weight of oligospermines on its binding to nucleic acids. We report the synthesis of mono, bis, and tetraspermines with linear, cyclic, dendritic, and quatrefoil architecture. The effect of molecular weight was more pronounced in linear oligospermines than their cyclic counterparts. Oligospermines with similar amine density but different molecular architectures exhibited different binding profiles. Among all oligospermines evaluated, dendritic tetraspermine exhibited the highest binding affinity. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations also indicated higher affinity for dendritic tetraspermine to siRNA than its linear counterpart suggesting the importance of spermine geometry in binding to nucleic acids. Importantly, dendritic tetraspermine was less toxic than linear tetraspermine, suggesting its potential...
Applying Conversation Analysis Methods to Online Talk: A Literature Review

Abstract While researchers have used conversation analysis (CA) methods to understand online talk since the 1990s, to date there has been no systematic review of these studies to better understand this methodological development. This article presents a comprehensive literature review of 89 peer-reviewed journal articles reporting findings of empirical studies using CA to understand social interaction online. In this review, we describe who is conducting this type of research, the contexts in which CA has been used to make sense of text-based online talk, and where such studies are being published. We also identify the “fundamental” conversational structures researchers are drawing upon in making sense of online talk as social interaction. Findings show that studies are using CA to understand “mundane” conversational contexts, as well as institutional talk from educational, counseling and workplace settings. The number of such studies are increasing and are being conducted by an international network of researchers across a variety of disciplines. The data is most often described as synchronous or asynchronous, with a slow increase in attention to social media data. Publication outlets are mostly language-based and/methodological journals. Analysis revealed four main aims: (1) comparing online and face-to-face talk, (2) understanding how coherence is maintained, (3) understanding how participants deal with trouble, and (4) understanding how social actions are accomplished asynchronously. This review contributes to the overall understanding of the methodological development of CA, offering useful insights for those interested in using it to understand social interaction as it occurs online.
Chemistry of metabolites of thioureas.

Thiourea and some monosubstituted thioureas are toxic and tumorogenic while 1,3-diarylthioureas are not. There are strong indications that the biological activity of these compounds is due to oxidation at sulfur followed by reactions in which the sulfur moiety is separated from the rest of the molecule. That is, the metabolism of toxic thioureas, involves this loss of sulfur while nontoxic compounds are either excreted unchanged or undergo alternate metabolism.1–3 The oxidation at sulfur is probably catalyzed by FAD-containing monooxygenase (FADMO). Model studies show that this enzyme oxidizes thioureas to the S-monoxide and S,S-dioxide. The slower oxidation in solution to the corresponding trioxides does not appear to be catalyzed by FADMO. 4,5
A novel stochastic model and fast generation method for Nakagami fading channels

Nakagami fading channels are widely accepted to model a variety of wireless channels. They are parameterized by the m-factor, which can take on any value m > 0. The case m = 1 subsumes Rayleigh fading, while 0 < m < 1 models channels that exhibit a larger percentage of deep fades. The Nakagami amplitude distribution is closely related to the gamma distribution, which describes the instantaneous intensity. In this paper, we address generation of random samples from the univariate Nakagami, or equivalently, the gamma distribution. When m takes on integral values, a simple stochastic description in terms of exponential variates is commonly employed. Recently acceptance-rejection techniques have been described that hold for non-integral m. We describe a little known stochastic description as the product of uniform variates, and provide a simple approximate description which allows for rapid generation of Nakagami variates with very few random degrees of freedom. The stochastic model is also of interest in that it suggests new interpretations of Nakagami fading as a random product model.
Effect of fabrication imperfections for ground-plane-backed dielectric resonator antennas with coaxial excitation

The effect of imperfections in terms of surface roughness which could lead to the introduction of air gaps between the dielectric resonator (DR) and the contacting conducting surfaces is investigated. Results of studies which illustrate the effect of air gaps upon the input impedance and resonant frequency of cylindrical dielectric resonator antennas (CDRAs) operating in the TM 01 and HEM 11 modes are presented.
DILATED MID-ASCENDING AORTA IN HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY IS ASSOCIATED WITH DYNAMIC LEFT VENTRICULAR OUTFLOW TRACT OBSTRUCTION AND NOT WITH GENETIC ABNORMALITIES

Background: Prior studies have suggested a relationship between aortic dilatation and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). There are no data evaluating the relative strength of association between dilated aorta and HCM in terms of whether the dilatation was mediated by left ventricular outflow tract (
Compact teleoperated laparoendoscopic single-site robotic surgical system: Kinematics, control, and operation.

Background To date a variety of teleoperated surgical robotic systems have been developed to improve a surgeon's ability to perform demanding single-port procedures. However typical large systems are bulky, expensive, and afford limited angular motion, while smaller designs suffer complications arising from limited motion range, speed, and force generation. This work was to develop and validate a simple, compact, low cost single site teleoperated laparoendoscopic surgical robotic system, with demonstrated capability to carry out basic surgical procedures. Methods This system builds upon previous work done at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and includes instrument and endoscope manipulators as well as compact articulated instruments designed to overcome single incision geometry complications. A robotic endoscope holder was used for the base, with an added support frame for teleoperated manipulators and instruments fabricated mostly from 3D printed parts. Kinematics and control methods were formulated for the novel manipulator configuration. Results Trajectory following results from an optical motion tracker and sample task performance results are presented. Conclusions Results indicate that the system has successfully met the goal of basic surgical functionality while minimizing physical size, complexity, and cost.
The Cultural Transmission of Trust Norms: Evidence from a Lab in the Field on a Natural Experiment

We conduct trust games in three villages in a northeastern Romanian commune. From 1775-1919, these villages were arbitrarily assigned to opposite sides of the Habsburg and Ottoman/Russian border despite being located seven kilometers apart. All three empires were ruled by outsiders to Romania, with Russian and Ottoman fiscal institutions being more rapacious. We conjecture that this history contributed to a culture of mistrust of outsiders (relative to co-villagers). Our design permits us to test this conjecture, and more generally, whether historically-derived cultural norms are transmitted intergenerationally. We find that participants on the Ottoman/Russian side that also have family roots in the village are indeed less likely to trust outsiders but more likely to trust co-villagers.
Paper-Based All-Solid-State Ion-Sensing Platform with a Solid Contact Comprising Colloid-Imprinted Mesoporous Carbon and a Redox Buffer

We report the design, structure, and performance of a planar paper-based ion-sensing platform that utilizes colloid-imprinted mesoporous (CIM) carbon as a solid contact, with a redox buffer as the internal reference. This device contains an all-solid-state ion-selective electrode and an all-solid-state reference electrode that are integrated into the paper substrate with a symmetrical cell design. To ensure calibration-free sensor operation, each interfacial potential within the device is well-defined by the use of a redox buffer added to the sensing and reference membranes that controls the interfacial potentials at the CIM carbon/sensing membrane and CIM carbon/reference membrane interfaces. Two types of redox buffers were evaluated for this purpose, i.e., one based on the tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate salts of cobalt(II/III) tris(4,4′-dinonyl-2,2′-bipyridyl) and one consisting of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane and its corresponding anion radical. The feasibility of the design was demonstrated wit...
Factors That Affect Pain Management in Aeromedical Evacuation: An Ethnographic Approach

Background Pain management is a challenge in the transport setting, but actual factors that influence pain have not been assessed systematically. Objective To describe the environmental factors and social context that affect pain management in military aeromedical evacuation. Methods Field notes were taken throughout flight, including observational measures of pain, environmental factors, and interactions between the patient and crew. Data collection was completed on 8 missions and 16 patients; common themes were identified that should be considered in the management of pain in aeromedical evacuation. Results Communication was a key problem primarily to aircraft noise, the reluctance of patients to speak with crew members while they were wearing headsets, and limited time to assess for pain and provide patient education. Seating and litters appeared to be uncomfortable for ambulatory and litter patients, and preparatory guidance on pain management did not address the stressors of flight or transportation phases. Another compounding factor was the psychological distress, particularly among those leaving a combat zone before the anticipated end of a deployment. Throughout the flight, the military culture of independence, stoicism, and camaraderie also was clearly evident. Conclusions Barriers to communication, comfort, and patient education are well known to transport nurses, but it is important to understand the overall effect they have on the management of pain. Developing solutions to address these factors should be a priority to ensure pain is adequately managed throughout transport.
Retention of knowledge and skills in pediatric basic life support amongst pediatricians

Retention of resuscitation skills is usually assessed at a predefined moment, which enables participants to prepare themselves, possibly introducing bias. In this multicenter study, we evaluated the retention of knowledge and skills in pediatric basic life support (PBLS) amongst 58 pediatricians and pediatric residents with an unannounced examination. Practical PBLS skills were assessed with a validated scoring instrument, theoretical knowledge with a 10-item multiple-choice test (MCQ). Participants self-assessed their PBLS capabilities using five-point Likert scales. Background data were collected with a questionnaire. Of our participants, 21% passed the practical PBLS exam: 29% failed on compressions/ventilations, 31% on other parts of the algorithm, 19% on both. Sixty-nine percent passed the theoretical test. Participants who more recently completed a PBLS course performed significantly better on the MCQ (p = 0.03). This association was less clear-cut for performance on the practical exam (p = 0.11). Older, attending pediatricians with more years of experience in pediatrics performed less well than their younger colleagues (p < 0.05). Fifty-one percent of the participants considered themselves competent in PBLS. No correlation was found between self-assessed PBLS capabilities and actual performance on the practical exam (p = 0.25). Conclusion: Retention of PBLS skills appears to be poor amongst pediatricians and residents, whereas PBLS knowledge is retained somewhat better.
Race in America: What Does It Mean for Diabetes and CKD?

> Race…is an arranged marriage between the social and biological worlds. > > Cooper et al. ([1][1]) What is race? Although this question may seem simple, the definition of race is a complex topic of great discourse. The US Census defines race on the basis of self-identification (white, black or
Presynaptic Calcium Channels as Drug Targets for Pain

A substantial body of evidence (including in vitro and in vivo pharmacology using selective N-type blockers and studies using CaV2.2 knockout mouse strains) implicates CaV2.2 as the major presynaptic VDCC underlying glutamate and neuropeptide release from sensory terminals in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. In addition, data is emerging to support a key role of VDCC alpha2delta (α2δ) accessory subunits as modulators of presynaptic VDCC function and regulators of synaptic release. The successful use of the α2δ-1 ligands, gabapentoids, to treat fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy and the development of the ω-conopeptide ziconotide, a CaV2.2 blocker with clinical efficacy demonstrated in a range of chronic pain disorders has established presynaptic VDCCs as key pain drug discovery targets. This chapter will outline current understanding of the role of presynaptic VDCCs in pain signalling, discuss efforts to develop ω-conopeptides and small molecule inhibitors of CaV2.2 as novel analgesics and review mechanism of action and clinical use of gabapentinoids and ω-conotoxins.
A qualitative study to explore paraprofessionals’ role in school‐based prevention and early intervention mental health services

This study explored the role of paraprofessionals within a school-based prevention and early intervention program to promote children's engagement in learning and positive parenting practices. Study aims were designed to understand how paraprofessionals perceive their role in high-need communities and how they define their work within schools. Two focus groups were conducted with school family liaisons (SFLs) during the 2015-2016 school year. Transcribed audio recordings were coded using thematic analysis wherein 2 authors coded independently, followed by audited discussion and final consensus codes. SFLs acknowledged the importance of serving high-need communities and relationship building was central to their role. They leveraged contextual knowledge (culture, language, and neighborhood) to engage parents, allowing them to serve as effective advocates for parents/families in the school setting. Findings support the importance of paraprofessionals in prevention-focused services and highlight how leveraging shared experiences and prioritizing relationship building facilitates their work as advocates within schools.
Abstract IA38: Progress and unanswered questions in EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer

A summary of the major advances in management of EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer will be provided, along with a discussion of missing pieces of information that could improve the care of patients. Citation Format: Lecia V. Sequist. Progress and unanswered questions in EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic; Jan 8-11, 2018; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(17_Suppl):Abstract nr IA38.
The intersection of violence, brain networks, and mindfulness practices

Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the intersection of three brain networks, violence, and mindfulness practices. Research findings suggest that violence and predictors of violence are linked to neurological abnormalities in three interconnected brain networks including the salience network, the executive control network, and the default mode network. This paper also reviews findings which demonstrate that mindfulness practices and a related trait, self-compassion, lead to positive changes in the same brain systems and research results that discuss the use of mindfulness practices and self-compassion as interventions to violence. Future research directions and implications of mindfulness practices, brain networks, and violence are discussed.
Influenza A prevalence and subtype diversity in migrating teal sampled along the United States Gulf Coast

Wild birds in the order Anseriformes are important reservoirs for influenza A viruses (IAVs); however, IAV prevalence and subtype diversity may vary by season, even at the same location. To better understand the ecology of IAV during waterfowl migration through the Gulf Coast of the United States (Louisiana and Texas), surveillance of blue-winged (Spatula discors) and American green-winged (Anas carolinensis) teal was conducted. The surveillance was done annually during the spring (live capture; 2012–17) and fall (hunter harvested; 2007–17) at times inferred to coincide with northward and southward movements, respectively, for these waterfowl species. During spring migration, 266 low pathogenicity (LP) IAV positive samples were recovered from 7547 paired cloacal–oropharyngeal (COP) samples (prevalence, 3.5%; annual range, 1.3%–8.4%). During fall migration, 650 LP IAV-positive samples were recovered from 9493 COP samples (prevalence, 6.8%; annual range, 0.4%–23.5%). Overall, 34 and 20 different IAV subtypes were recovered during fall and spring sampling, respectively. Consistent with previous results for fall migrating ducks, H3 and H4 hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes were most common; however, H4 subtype viruses predominated every year. This is in contrast to the predominance of LP H7 and H10 HA subtype viruses during spring. The N6 and N8 neuraminidase subtypes, which were usually associated with H4, were most common during fall; the N6 subtype was not recovered in the spring. These consistent seasonal trends in IAV subtype detection in teal are currently not understood and highlight the need for further research regarding potential drivers of spatiotemporal patterns of infection, such as population immunity.
Action of triethanolamine on the hydration of tricalcium aluminate

Abstract Hydration characteristics of tricalcium aluminate and tricalcium aluminate + gypsum were studied following addition of 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 or 10.0% triethanolamine (TEA) at a solution/C3A ratio of 1.0 after hydration periods of 1 to 60 min. TEA accelerated the hydration of C3A to the hexagonal aluminate hydrate and its conversion to the cubic aluminate hydrate. The rate of hydration increased with increased amounts of TEA, which also accelerated the formation of ettringite in the C3A-gypsum-H2O system.
A Less Dangerous “Ask Us Anything”

When we started really paying attention to how people use IT and how they respond to the offerings our department has, we noticed something fascinating: people have great questions, and they do not always have a space to ask them.Traditionally, our department offered periodic in-person "training" sessions around the type of software applications you'd expect: Word; Excel; Photoshop; InDesign. We (perhaps coincidentally) also noticed low numbers of attendees at these sessions, and the same self-selecting folks showing up regularly.We found that when we identified key folks around campus, we had higher engagement and higher attendance at sessions, as well as a welcome and engaging diversity of questions at the sessions. We transformed our approach from an “us-to-you” delivery platform to a preparation for the types of things many people want to know about a program, and preparation for answering the things people needed to know once they had used the program. We started asking “What do you want to be able to do?” instead of telling them “This is how you should use this application.”Our documentation style changed in response to this change in session offerings. We started writing in a way that streamlined the user path to information. Our mantra became "don't hand me the dictionary when I ask you how to do something." We strive to provide succinct and distinct paths to commonly requested information in plain English, and to address concerns up front with our users.The results of our approach are easy to see – people feel more comfortable when learning on their own terms, and it is easier for our team to help provide meaningful sessions when we have identified people who help identify and target sessions and to help round up attendees. When we listen, we can do better.
Deformable Part Models for Automatically Georeferencing Historical Map Images

Libraries are digitizing their collections of maps from all eras, generating increasingly large online collections of historical cartographic resources. Aligning such maps to a modern geographic coordinate system greatly increases their utility. This work presents a method for such automatic georeferencing, matching raster image content to GIS vector coordinate data. Given an approximate initial alignment that has already been projected from a spherical geographic coordinate system to a Cartesian map coordinate system, a probabilistic shape-matching scheme determines an optimized match between the GIS contours and ink in the binarized map image. Using an evaluation set of 20 historical maps from states and regions of the U.S., the method reduces average alignment RMSE by 12%.
Electrical characteristics of the oxyfuel flame while cutting steel

Abstract We present the first published record of electrical phenomena in the oxyfuel cutting torch flame while cutting a steel work piece. Measurements of the voltage-current characteristic between the torch and the work piece demonstrate three piecewise-linear regimes in the ± 10 V range. Flame resistance measurements in the ohmic regime are studied using three candidate excitation signals while varying fuel/oxygen ratio, feed rate, and standoff distance. Electrical characteristics are also observed during successful and unsuccessful pierce and loss-of-cut events. The flame’s electrical resistance is found to be 2.8 k Ω per mm of length; a factor of 3 smaller than the same conditions without cutting oxygen. We present an argument that the drastic increase in plasma conductivity is due to an abundance of electrons produced at the work piece. We draw preliminary conclusions about the potential applicability of these measurements for the in-process detection of standoff, pierce success, and loss-of-cut events.
OOD Case Study: Transition to Software Design

The Address Book Application (ABA) case study is used to transition our thinking to software design. New software design models are introduced to describe the ABA. The new design models are UML package diagrams, IDEF0 function models, UML communication diagrams, and data-flow diagrams. The six characteristics for a good software design are then used to evaluate the ABA software design. To further explore software design concepts, a new case study is introduced using a top-down design approach. For this new case study, software design models are developed and then evaluated using the six characteristics for a good software design.
Reductions in the dietary niche of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) from the Holocene to the Anthropocene.

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal hunted to near extinction during the 1800s. Despite their well-known modern importance as a keystone species, we know little about historical sea otter ecology. Here, we characterize the ecological niche of ancient southern sea otters (E. lutris nereis) using δ13C analysis and δ15N analysis of bones recovered from archaeological sites spanning ~7,000 to 350 years before present (N = 112 individuals) at five regions along the coast of California. These data are compared with previously published data on modern animals (N = 165) and potential modern prey items. In addition, we analyze the δ15N of individual amino acids for 23 individuals to test for differences in sea otter trophic ecology through time. After correcting for tissue-specific and temporal isotopic effects, we employ nonparametric statistics and Bayesian niche models to quantify differences among ancient and modern animals. We find ancient otters occupied a larger isotopic niche than nearly all modern localities; likely reflecting broader habitat and prey use in prefur trade populations. In addition, ancient sea otters at the most southerly sites occupied an isotopic niche that was more than twice as large as ancient otters from northerly regions. This likely reflects greater invertebrate prey diversity in southern California relative to northern California. Thus, we suggest the potential dietary niche of sea otters in southern California could be larger than in central and northern California. At two sites, Ano Nuevo and Monterey Bay, ancient otters had significantly higher δ15N values than modern populations. Amino acid δ15N data indicated this resulted from shifting baseline isotope values, rather than a change in sea otter trophic ecology. Our results help in better understanding the contemporary ecological role of sea otters and exemplify the strength of combing zooarchaeological and biological information to provide baseline data for conservation efforts.
All things considered: Surrogate decision-making on behalf of patients in the minimally conscious state:

The minimally conscious state presents unique ethical, legal, and decision-making challenges because of the combination of diminished awareness, phenomenal experience, and diminished or absent comm...
Update on cardiovascular and metabolic risk profiles of hormonal agents used in managing advanced prostate cancer.

Abstract Purpose Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a mainstay of therapy for advanced prostate cancer (CaP), may raise patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related adverse events. The new androgen receptor (AR)-targeted agents are associated with hypertension and cardiovascular events. The most common non-CaP cause of death in men with CaP is CVD. The purpose of this review is to raise awareness of the metabolic and CV risks of ADT and to encourage proper monitoring of patients treated with hormonal agents. Materials and Methods To review the cardiovascular and metabolic risk profiles of hormonal agents in managing patients with advanced CaP, the author searched PubMed, meeting abstracts, and clinicaltrials.gov from 1941 through early 2020 using search terms such as locally advanced CaP guidelines, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist/antagonist, ADT, CaP, CVD, abdominal obesity metabolic syndrome, and cerebrovascular disorder. The author ultimately selected 42 of the most relevant publications for inclusion in this paper. Results Data regarding cardiovascular risk in patients with CaP on ADT are inconsistent, though there may be evidence of less risk in GnRH antagonists than GnRH agonists in men with pre-existing CVD. Observational post hoc studies generally show higher risks for GnRH agonists than GnRH antagonists. A review of 6 phase 3 trials found that patients treated with GnRH antagonists had lower cardiovascular risk than those treated with agonists during the first year of ADT, and these differences were especially significant among men with pre-existing CVD. Additionally, a small prospective randomized phase 2 study, as well as a large phase 3 trial, showed that there were significantly more major adverse cardiovascular events in patients treated with a GnRH agonist compared to a GnRH antagonist. In addition, the AR-targeted agents in conjunction with ADT have been shown to have more hypertension and/or cardiovascular risk than ADT plus placebo in numerous phase 3 trials. Conclusions Whether there is a difference in CVD risk between GnRH agonists and antagonists is the subject of an ongoing phase 3 trial with cardiovascular endpoints. Addition of newer AR-targeted agents may confer additional risk over ADT alone. Clinicians treating advanced CaP should be aware of underlying comorbidities of their patients before choosing either conventional ADT or adding AR-targeted agents. Physicians should monitor patients for hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular side effects that may require intervention in order to minimize downstream adverse events and should communicate with other colleagues on the patient's health care team to ensure the best outcomes.
Going beyond the Shockley-Queisser Efficiency Limit for a GaAs Laser Power Converter (LPC) using Optical Front and Rear Coat Optimization

For laser power converters dominated by photon recycling, optimized anti-reflection coatings will achieve efficiencies that exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit. We present designs for such coatings based on efficiency optimization considering both anti-reflection and low hemispherical emissivity.
Graphical Shape Thinking and Transfer

Said succinctly, transfer refers to relations of similarity students construct during and among learning experiences. Researchers’ recent descriptions of transfer include explaining how different learning experiences influence each other and the meanings students construct for mathematics concepts. In this chapter, I discuss students’ transfer against the backdrop of two distinct students’ meanings for graphs—meanings Thompson and I introduced as instances of graphical shape thinking. Graphical shape thinking has two primary forms, each representing an epistemic subject. In illustrating two forms of graphical shape thinking and their relationships with students’ transfer actions, I discuss a perspective on concept construction that marries forward transfer, backward transfer, and the two forms of graphical shape thinking (and, more broadly, quantitative reasoning). I also provide related ideas for future directions in research.
Inviscid spatial stability of a compressible mixing layer. II, The flame sheet model

We report the results of an inviscid spatial stability calculation for a compressible reacting mixing layer. The limit of infinite Damkohler number is taken and the diffusion flame is approximated by a flame sheet. Results are reported for the phase speeds of the neutral waves and maximum growth rates of the unstable waves as a function of the parameters of the problem: the ratio of the temperature of the stationary stream to that of the fast stream, the Mach number of the fast stream, the heat release per unit mass fraction of the reactant, the equivalence ratio of the reaction, and the frequency of the disturbance. These results are compared to the phase speeds and growth rates of the corresponding non-reacting mixing layer. We show that the addition of combustion has important, and complex, effects on the flow stability. In particular, we show that the flow can become absolutely unstable with a sufficient amount of heat release.
Ibrutinib induces durable remissions in treatment-naïve patients with CLL and 17p deletion/TP53 mutations.

Ibrutinib, the first-in class Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, has become a preferred treatment for patients with CLL, based on improved progression free and overall survival (PFS, OS) when compared to previous standard chemo-(+/-) immunotherapy regimen, in the frontline and relapsed disease settings. However, patients with 17p deletion and/or TP53 mutations were excluded from several of the pivotal CLL frontline therapy trials, and therefore there are limited data about the outcome with ibrutinib in this group of high-risk patients. Here, we report the long-term outcome of 27 patients with CLL treatment naive with 17p deletion and/or TP53 mutation treated with ibrutinib alone or in combination with rituximab on a Phase-2 clinical study. After a median follow-up of 70 months, median PFS and OS were not reached, and the estimated 6-year PFS and OS were 60% and 79%, respectively. These data corroborate that ibrutinib therapy, induces durable remissions in patients with 17p deletion and/or TP53 mutations, and suggest that BTK inhibitor therapy should be a preferred treatment for these patients outside of clinical trials.
The Effect of Peripheral Site Ligands on the Reaction Kinetics of Phosphyl and Carboxyl Esters with Acetylcholinesterase

The active serine of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (EC 3.1.1.7) is readily acylated by organophosphorus compounds (OPs) rendering the enzyme inactive. OPs employed as pesticides or of potential concern as chemical warfare agents typically bear no charge and inhibit the enzyme at rates slower than cationic OPs. The inhibition rates for both cationic and neutral OPs are reduced by most ligands binding reversibly at the active center. However, binding of small cationic ligands, such as tetramethyl- and tetraethyl- ammonium into the AChE active center was also shown to increase rates of carbamylation and sulfonylation by the corresponding acyl fluorides (1, 2). Similarly, enzymic hydrolysis of a series of small neutral acetates is accelerated in the presence of N-methyl acridinium (3) a cationic inhibitor which presumably binds in the choline subsite of the active center. The small size of these neutral acylating agents and the corresponding cations, which modulate the kinetics, allow for their simultaneous coexistence within the AChE active center gorge.
A Scale and Translation Invariant Approach for Early Classification of Spatio-Temporal Patterns Using Spiking Neural Networks

This paper addresses the problem of encoding and classifying spatio-temporal patterns, which are typical for human actions or gestures. The proposed method has the following main contributions: (i) it requires a very small number of training examples, (ii) it accepts variable sized input patterns, (iii) it is invariant to scale and translation, and (iv) it enables early recognition, from only partial information of the pattern. The underlying representation employed is a spiking neural network with axonal conductance delay. We designed a novel approach for mapping spatio-temporal patterns to spike trains, which are used to stimulate the network. The pattern features emerge in the network as a result of this stimulation in the form of polychronous neuronal groups, which are used for classification. The proposed method is validated on a set of gestures representing the digits from $$0$$0 to $$9$$9, extracted from video data of a human drawing the corresponding digits. The paper presents a comparison with several other standard pattern recognition approaches. The results show that the proposed approach significantly outperforms these methods, it is invariant to scale and translation, and it has the ability to recognize patterns from only partial information.
Aristotle on the Nature of Community, by Adriel M. Trott

Adriel Trott's study of Aristotle's Politics engages a wide range of scholarship in philosophy, political science, and classics. The book aims to show that ‘Aristotle's account of political life’ i...
Regulated Binding of Importin-α to Protein Kinase Cδ in Response to Apoptotic Signals Facilitates Nuclear Import

PKCδ translocates into the nucleus in response to apoptotic agents and functions as a potent cell death signal. Cytoplasmic retention of PKCδ and its transport into the nucleus are essential for cell homeostasis, but how these processes are regulated is poorly understood. We show that PKCδ resides in the cytoplasm in a conformation that precludes binding of importin-α. A structural model of PKCδ in the inactive state suggests that the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) is prevented from binding to importin-α through intramolecular contacts between the C2 and catalytic domains. We have previously shown that PKCδ is phosphorylated on specific tyrosine residues in response to apoptotic agents. Here, we show that phosphorylation of PKCδ at Tyr-64 and Tyr-155 results in a conformational change that allows exposure of the NLS and binding of importin-α. In addition, Hsp90 binds to PKCδ with similar kinetics as importin-α and is required for the interaction of importin-α with the NLS. Finally, we elucidate a role for a conserved PPxxP motif, which overlaps the NLS, in nuclear exclusion of PKCδ. Mutagenesis of the conserved prolines to alanines enhanced importin-α binding to PKCδ and induced its nuclear import in resting cells. Thus, the PPxxP motif is important for maintaining a conformation that facilitates cytosplasmic retention of PKCδ. Taken together, this study establishes a novel mechanism that retains PKCδ in the cytoplasm of resting cells and regulates its nuclear import in response to apoptotic stimuli.
The Secular Drift of the Rotation Pole

The reality of the decadal fluctuations in the position of the Earth’s rotation pole with respect to the Earth’s crust as exhibited in solutions for the pole path determined using the ILS latitude observations has been questioned in the past due to concerns about the contaminating influence of systematic effects at the individual ILS stations. A new solution for the pole path is recovered in this study by a technique designed to account for any systematic effects that might be occurring at individual stations. This new solution is shown to be significantly coherent with the well-known ILS solution indicating that systematic latitude effects at the individual ILS stations are not significantly corrupting the solution for the pole path. It is therefore concluded that the decadal fluctuations in the pole path are real.
Predictors of Excess Mortality After Fracture: A Population‐Based Cohort Study

To determine the extent to which excess mortality after fractures attributable to particular causes at specific skeletal sites can be predicted using data about all medical diagnoses, we conducted a historical cohort study among 1991 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents aged ≥ 50 years who experienced any fracture in 1989 to 1991 and who were followed passively for up to 22 years for death from any cause. We used a machine learning approach, gradient boosting machine (GBM) modeling, to determine whether the comorbid conditions present at the time of fracture and those that arose subsequently could, in aggregate, identify patients at the greatest increased risk of death. During 21,867 person-years of follow-up, 1245 deaths were observed when 1061 were expected (standardized mortality ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-1.2). Patients presented with a median history of 26 comorbid conditions each as assessed by the Clinical Classification Software system and 57 each over the total duration of follow-up. Using all available information, the excess deaths could be predicted with good accuracy (c-index ≥ 0.80) in 89% of the GBM models built for patients with different types of fracture; in one-third of the models, the c-index was ≥ 0.90. The conditions most prominent in the GBM prediction models were also reflected in the specific causes of death that were elevated, suggesting the influence of confounding on the relationship. However, the predominant comorbid conditions were mainly those responsible for mortality in the general population, rather than the specific diseases most closely associated with secondary osteoporosis. To reduce long-term deaths in the fracture population as a whole, a more general approach to the fracture patient is indicated.