cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unrealized potential and residual consequences of electronic prescribing on pharmacy workflow in the outpatient pharmacy

Introduction Electronic prescribing systems have often been promoted as a tool for reducing medication errors and adverse drug events. Recent evidence has revealed that adoption of electronic prescribing systems can lead to unintended consequences such as the introduction of new errors. The purpose of this study is to identify and characterize the unrealized potential and residual consequences of electronic prescribing on pharmacy workflow in an outpatient pharmacy. Methods A multidisciplinary team conducted direct observations of workflow in an independent pharmacy and semi-structured interviews with pharmacy staff members about their perceptions of the unrealized potential and residual consequences of electronic prescribing systems. We used qualitative methods to iteratively analyze text data using a grounded theory approach, and derive a list of major themes and subthemes related to the unrealized potential and residual consequences of electronic prescribing. Results We identified the following five themes: Communication, workflow disruption, cost, technology, and opportunity for new errors. These contained 26 unique subthemes representing different facets of our observations and the pharmacy staff's perceptions of the unrealized potential and residual consequences of electronic prescribing. Discussion We offer targeted solutions to improve electronic prescribing systems by addressing the unrealized potential and residual consequences that we identified. These recommendations may be applied not only to improve staff perceptions of electronic prescribing systems but also to improve the design and/or selection of these systems in order to optimize communication and workflow within pharmacies while minimizing both cost and the potential for the introduction of new errors.
Transient evoked and distortion product otoacoustic emissions in traumatic brain injury.

Behavioral audiometry may be of limited value for those patients who have incurred significant brain injury and remain unresponsive to auditory stimuli. Even the more "objective" tests such as auditory brainstem response (ABR) and acoustic reflex testing may be inadequate tools to assess peripheral auditory function when significant brainstem injury has occurred. Determination of peripheral hearing becomes important because rehabilitation strategies are anchored to the knowledge of sensory function prior to implementing appropriate plans of intervention. We present the usefulness of otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing to further evaluate the cochlear function in a patient with traumatic brain injury who was subsequently inconsistent in response to sound. Language: en
Sexual Problems of the Adolescent Girl

In order to understand the adolescent girl, one must have a sympathetic understanding of the world that confronts her and interacts with the psychobiological changes she is undergoing. Attention is focussed upon the normal adolescent and the developmental vicissitudes associated with her psychosexual development. Certain clinical manifestations will alert the physician to the possibility of severe psychopathology and the likelihood of psychosis rather than a transient situational personality disturbance or a personality trait disturbance.
Equivalent Linearization for Random Vibration

The concept of equivalence between linear and nonlinear systems undergoing random vibration is investigated, and the advantages and limitations of each of several definitions of equivalence are analyzed. The particular nonlinear system considered is the bilinear hysteretic single-degree-of-freedom oscillator, and the linear systems considered include one- and two-degree-of-freedom oscillators. The general characteristics of the stationary response of both the linear and nonlinear systems to random excitation are summarized. Various definitions of equivalence are then proposed on the basis of matching various response statistics of the two systems. The response statistics considered are rms displacement and velocity levels and power spectral density. Experimental values for the response statistics of the bilinear system are used with analytical results for the linear systems to obtain values for the equivalent linear system parameters under each definition of equivalence. The relationship of the proposed definitions and their results to previous work for similar systems with harmonic excitation and to previously suggested approximate analytical methods for random vibration is presented.
Effect of training set size on SVM and Naïve Bayes for Twitter sentiment analysis

Twitter sentiment analysis has become an effective way in measuring public sentiment about a certain topic or product. Thus, researchers have worked extensively in recent years to build efficient models for sentiment classification. In this paper, we will measure the effect of varying the training set size on the classification accuracy and F-score of SVM and Naive Bayes classifiers. We will expand our study even further by forming two ensembles: Ensemble 1 and Ensemble 2. Both ensembles include a single Naive Bayes and SVM classifier, but the ensembles differ in terms of the decision fusion technique utilized. Ensemble 1 uses ‘AND-type’ fusion while Ensemble 2 uses ‘OR-type’ fusion. In this paper, we measure the effect of training set size on each ensemble configuration type by measuring their F-scores and classification accuracies while varying the training set size.
The Sanctity of Human Life: Secular Moral Authority, Biomedicine, and the Role of the State

In his commentary on English law Sir William Blackstone notes that the law of nature, the moral law, is one of the foundations of the civil law. The civil law builds upon the moral duties one has to God, neighbor, and the self and it fulfills a remedial function when people violate the natural laws or fail in their moral duties ([5], pp. 42–55). This view of the law is ably articulated in our own century by Lord Patrick Devlin who understood that the state should “compel a man to act for his own good” ([13], p. 136). This view of the state presumes that society can know what the good for each man is and has the moral authority to enforce it. However, moral controversies, such as those in biomedicine, which turn on disputes over differing understandings of the good, moral virtue, or moral duty, raise questions about the moral authority of the state to resolve such controversies.
Characterization of Slow-Pyrolysis Bio-Oils by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Bio-oils produced from biomass pyrolysis are an attractive fuel source that requires significant upgrading. Before upgrade strategies can be developed, the molecular composition of bio-oils needs to be better understood. In this work, oily and aqueous fractions of bio-oils produced by slow pyrolysis of two feedstocks, pine shavings (PS) and corn stover (CS), were analyzed by negative electrospray ionization (ESI)-Orbitrap and ion mobility-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IM-TOF-MS). Analyte ion signal was observed primarily between m/z 80 and 450 in the mass spectra of these samples. Mass defect analysis and collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments performed on mobility-separated ions indicated a high degree of homology among bio-oil samples produced from both feedstocks. Oxygen-rich species having between 1 and 9 oxygen atoms and with double bond equivalents (DBEs) ranging from 1 to 15 were identified, indicating that catalytic upgrading will likely be required if slow-pyrolysis bio-oils are to ...
The Image of Advertising Truth: Is Being Truthful Enough?:

This is a comment on “Truth and the Image of Advertising” which appeared in the October, 1969 issue of the JOURNAL OF MARKETING. The author appraises Professor Kottman's defense of advertising agai...
Water-polysaccharide interactions in the primary cell wall of Arabidopsis thaliana from polarization transfer solid-state NMR.

Polysaccharide-rich plant cell walls are hydrated under functional conditions, but the molecular interactions between water and polysaccharides in the wall have not been investigated. In this work, we employ polarization transfer solid-state NMR techniques to study the hydration of primary-wall polysaccharides of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. By transferring water 1H polarization to polysaccharides through distance- and mobility-dependent 1H–1H dipolar couplings and detecting it through polysaccharide 13C signals, we obtain information about water proximity to cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectins as well as water mobility. Both intact and partially extracted cell wall samples are studied. Our results show that water–pectin polarization transfer is much faster than water–cellulose polarization transfer in all samples, but the extent of extraction has a profound impact on the water–polysaccharide spin diffusion. Removal of calcium ions and the consequent extraction of homogalacturonan (HG) signifi...
Control of Sod Webworms (Herpetogramma spp. and Crambus Spp.) on Bermudagrass

Nineteen insecticides at a total of 32 rates, formulations or combinations of formulations were evaluated for control of sod webworms (mixed populations of 62% Herpetogramma spp. and 38% Crambus spp.) on Tifgreen bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. Excellent control was obtained with 10 chemical insecticides. Acceptable control was also obtained with Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner.
With a Little Help from My Friends: Scaffolding Techniques in Problem Solving.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore middle grade mathematics students’ uses of scaffolding and its effectiveness in helping students solve non-routine problems. Students were given two different types of scaffolds to support their learning of sixth grade geometry concepts. First, students solved a math task by using a four square graphic organizer that included the identification of critical components, strategy selection, computation, and analyses of answers. The second type of scaffolding occurred with different grouping formats, alternating work led by the teacher, working in groups of four, in pairs, and finally working alone. Measures included extended response daily tasks, teacher-created unit test, state standardized assessments, and surveys gauging student’s satisfaction with types of scaffolding. Classroom use of a variety of scaffolds led to an increase in the number of correct responses and more detailed explanations. No significant differences occurred on the teacher-made tests, y...
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (Gem) - National Entrepreneurship Assessment United States of America - 2003 Executive Report

The 2003 USA Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report indicates that entrepreneurship thrives at very high levels, moving ahead of the general economic recovery of the country. The entrepreneurial activity has increased from 10.5% in 2002 to 11.9% in 2003. Also, the United States has the seventh highest Total Entrepreneurship Activity (TEA) among the 31 GEM countries and a rate of 2.4% of the total Firm Entrepreneurial Activity (FEA), the tenth highest across the GEM countries. Three investigation methods are used in the series of national GEM studies: an adult population survey; interviews with entrepreneurship experts in that country; and selected national and demographic data. The GEM model examines general framework conditions for economic growth and nine entrepreneurial framework conditions – financial support, government policy, government programs, education and training, research and development transfer, commercial and professional infrastructure, market openness, access to physical infrastructure and cultural and social norms. In terms of population profile, people between 24 and 34 years of age are the most active in entrepreneurial activity. Of these, men are more likely to start a new business than women. The U.S. entrepreneurial culture continues to influence participation in entrepreneurial activities. Moreover, financing from informal investors and entrepreneurs plays an important part in both new and established ventures. Formal venture capital has declined from its peak in 2000. Recommendations are made for improving the gender gap in entrepreneurship, increasing awareness of entrepreneurship opportunities, and providing more exposure to entrepreneurship education as well as access to the latest technology. Recommendations are also made for strong intellectual property rights laws to increase R&D transfers and cooperation between university research and growing firms. (CBS)
The study of 3D digital terrain simulation and spatial analysis based on MATLAB

Utilizing MATLAB's powerful visualization capabilities and rich image processing tools,the paper presents a new approach for three-dimensional terrain simulation and spatial analysis with Fengtai central district as the case,including spatial modeling,image registration,image overlay,slope aspect and profile analysis.
Crowdsourcing for multiple-choice question answering

We leverage crowd wisdom for multiple-choice question answering, and employ lightweight machine learning techniques to improve the aggregation accuracy of crowdsourced answers to these questions. In order to develop more effective aggregation methods and evaluate them empirically, we developed and deployed a crowdsourced system for playing the "Who wants to be a millionaire?" quiz show. Analyzing our data (which consist of more than 200,000 answers), we find that by just going with the most selected answer in the aggregation, we can answer over 90% of the questions correctly, but the success rate of this technique plunges to 60% for the later/harder questions in the quiz show. To improve the success rates of these later/harder questions, we investigate novel weighted aggregation schemes for aggregating the answers obtained from the crowd. By using weights optimized for reliability of participants (derived from the participants' confidence), we show that we can pull up the accuracy rate for the harder questions by 15%, and to overall 95% average accuracy. Our results provide a good case for the benefits of applying machine learning techniques for building more accurate crowdsourced question answering systems.
Expansion of the seizure monitoring program: a collaborative approach

This article discusses an interdisciplinary total quality management (TQM) project that planned for the expansion of the seizure monitoring program on a neuroscience unit. The processes of education, bed management, and patient care were evaluated by a TQM group of staff nurses, unit leader, attending physicians, clinical nurse specialist, and technicians. Each participant identified actual and potential problems and their effects on the participant's area of care.
Graphs to facilitate the formation of a therapeutic alliance.

Graphing is an innovative technique in which a line diagram correlates external stimuli, feelings, and behavior in a time sequence for the patient and therapist. Graphs are indicated when the patient has difficulty forming a therapeutic alliance. The graph technique is an adjunct to psychotherapy rather than a total treatment approach.
Assessing the Effect of Compressed Work Week Strategy on Transportation Network Performance Measures

The focus of this paper is on evaluating and assessing the effect of a compressed work week strategy (say, not working a day each week) on transportation network performance measures such as link-level traffic speed, travel time, and volume-to-capacity ratio using data gathered for the Charlotte metropolitan area, North Carolina. The results obtained indicate that reducing 15% to 20% of work commute during the morning peak hours using compressed work week strategy would increase traffic speeds by up to 5 mph on at least 64% of center-lane miles (sum of the length of the center line of all lanes of traffic for each selected link). It would also decrease the travel time by up to two minutes on at least 61% of center-lane miles.
Stochastic Nonlinear Model Predictive Control with Joint Chance Constraints

Abstract: When the stochastic description of system uncertainties is available, a natural approach to predictive control of uncertain systems involves explicitly accounting for the probabilistic occurrence of uncertainties in the optimal control problem. This work presents a stochastic nonlinear model predictive control (SNMPC) approach for nonlinear systems subject to time-invariant uncertainties as well as additive disturbances. The generalized polynomial chaos (gPC) framework is used to derive a deterministic surrogate for the stochastic optimal control problem. The key contribution of this paper lies in extending the gPC-based SNMPC approach reported in our earlier work to handle stochastic disturbances. This is done via mapping the stochastic disturbances onto the space of the coefficients of polynomial chaos expansions, which enables efficient propagation of stochastic disturbances. A sample-based approach to joint chance constraint handling is employed to fulfill the state constraints in a probabilistic sense. A gPC-based Bayesian parameter estimator is utilized to update the probability distribution of uncertain system parameters at each sampling time. In a simulation case study, the closed-loop performance of the SNMPC approach is demonstrated on an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet that is developed for biomedical applications.
Big Five Personality Traits, Political Participation, and Civic Engagement: Evidence from 24 Countries

Objective Recently, researchers interested in the psychological antecedents of political behavior have started to integrate individual personality traits into models of political participation and civic engagement. Thus far, there have not been any large-scale, cross-national analyses of the relationship between personality and participation. In this article, I use data from representative surveys conducted in 24 countries to examine the influence of personality on political and civic participation. The analysis focuses on the influence of the Big Five traits, enabling tests of hypotheses (that have previously only been tested in a few countries) across diverse contexts. Methods I use logistic, Poisson, and ordered logit models to investigate the effects of the Big Five traits on a variety of measures of political and civic engagement, controlling for a number of demographic attributes previously connected to participation such as income and education. Results I find evidence that the effects of the Big Five vary considerably across countries. Conclusion The results presented here justify future research on personality-environment interactions.
It’s a family business!: Leadership texts as technologies of heteronormativity:

This article contributes to the recent scholarship in Critical Leadership Studies by tracing several heteronormative logics entangled within contemporary leadership discourse. As a popular and prof...
Anatomic Reasons for Failure to Visualize the Appendix With Graded Compression Sonography: Insights From Contemporaneous CT.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to identify the anatomic locations of appendixes on CT when graded compression sonography fails to visualize the appendix. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study included 197 patients with suspected appendicitis whose appendixes were not visualized on graded compression sonography performed with typically used transducers of at least 10 MHz, who underwent CT within 48 hours following graded compression sonography, and who had available either pathologic examination following surgery or 6-week follow-up if surgery was not performed. Appendixes were retrospectively localized using four transverse quadrants (including the posteromedial quadrant) centered on the ileocecal valve and projected vertically, the craniocaudal level relative to the iliac crests, and the depth of the appendix as measured from the surface of the skin. Data were assessed using the Fisher exact test, t test, multinomial test, binomial distribution, ANOVA, and linear regression. RESULTS. Appendixes were ...
Evolution, Theory and Experiments with Microorganisms

Evolution is the central unifying concept of modern biology. However, evolution requires changes over generational time, making it difficult to investigate in many taxa. Microbial systems therefore offer an unparalleled opportunity to study evolution in an experimental setting. Here, we review some of the fundamental concepts in evolutionary biology, and highlight microbial studies testing key concepts from evolutionary theory.
Virtual Metering: An Efficient Water Disaggregation Algorithm via Nonintrusive Load Monitoring

The scarcity of potable water is a critical challenge in many regions around the world. Previous studies have shown that knowledge of device-level water usage can lead to significant conservation. Although there is considerable interest in determining discriminative features via sparse coding for water disaggregation to separate whole-house consumption into its component appliances, existing methods lack a mechanism for fitting coefficient distributions and are thus unable to accurately discriminate parallel devices’ consumption. This article proposes a Bayesian discriminative sparse coding model, referred to as Virtual Metering (VM), for this disaggregation task. Mixture-of-Gammas is employed for the prior distribution of coefficients, contributing two benefits: (i) guaranteeing the coefficients’ sparseness and non-negativity, and (ii) capturing the distribution of active coefficients. The resulting method effectively adapts the bases to aggregated consumption to facilitate discriminative learning in the proposed model, and devices’ shape features are formalized and incorporated into Bayesian sparse coding to direct the learning of basis functions. Compact Gibbs Sampling (CGS) is developed to accelerate the inference process by utilizing the sparse structure of coefficients. The empirical results obtained from applying the new model to large-scale real and synthetic datasets revealed that VM significantly outperformed the benchmark methods.
Duration of antibiotic treatment after endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of walled-off pancreatic necrosis not affecting outcomes

Background and aim Although society guidelines recommend a short course of antibiotics after drainage of walled-off necrosis (WON), the exact duration is unclear. Methods This is a retrospective review of patients with no prior antibiotic exposure who underwent dual-modality drainage (DMD) for sterile WON from 2008 to 2017. Patients were grouped into short duration (SD, ≤5 days) versus long duration (LD, >5 days). The main outcome was the frequency of recurrent infections. Results Sixty-one patients (25 in the SD group and 36 in the LD group) were included. Patients in the two groups had comparable age, comorbidities, and severity of disease (P = 0.89). Patients in the SD group were treated with antibiotics for a median of 3 days compared with 8.5 days in the LD group. There were no differences in recurrent febrile episodes within 30 days of procedure-44% of SD group versus 39% of LD (P = 0.69). There was also no difference in time to resolution of WON (64 days for both groups, P = 0.72) or duration of hospitalization post-DMD (SD 7.7 days versus LD 7.5 days, P = 0.42). Three cases of Clostridium difficile colitis were observed in the LD group. Conclusions Longer course of antibiotics seems to have similar outcomes compared with shorter courses in patients with WON treated with DMD. Prolonged-course therapy may predispose to secondary infections like C. difficile colitis. A randomized controlled trial is needed to evaluate the role and duration of peri-procedural antibiotics after drainage of sterile WON.
Some Problems in the Definition and Justification of Punishment

Punishment, whatever else may be true of it, involves the intentional infliction of unpleasantness or pain upon human beings by other human beings. For this reason most persons believe, and I think correctly, that punishment is a problem that must be confronted by all human beings concerned to be moral. It is a problem in the sense that because pain is intentionally imposed a justification is required before we are entitled to regard punishment as morally acceptable.
Pigment epithelium derived factor regulates human Sost/Sclerostin and other osteocyte gene expression via the receptor and induction of Erk/GSK-3beta/beta-catenin signaling.

Mutations in Serpinf1 gene which encodes pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) lead to osteogenesis imperfecta type VI whose hallmark is defective mineralization. We reported that PEDF suppressed expression of Sost/Sclerostin and other osteocyte related genes in mineralizing osteoblast cultures and suggested that this could be part of the mechanisms by which PEDF regulates matrix mineralization (Li et al. J Cellular Phys. 2014). We have used a long-term differentiated mineralizing osteoblast culture (LTD) to define mechanisms by which PEDF regulates osteocyte gene expression. LTD cultures were established by culturing human osteoblasts in an osteogenic medium for 4 months followed by analysis of osteocytes related genes and encoded proteins. LTD cells synthesized Sclerostin, matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE) and dentin matrix protein (DMP-1) and their synthesis was reduced by treatment with PEDF. Treatment of the cultures with PEDF induced phosphorylation of Erk and glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK-3β), and accumulation of nonphosphorylated β-catenin. Inhibition of Erk activation and neutralizing antibodies to the pigment epithelium derived receptor (PEDF-R) suppressed GSK-3β phosphorylation and accumulation of nonphosphorylated β-catenin in presence of PEDF. Topflash assays demonstrated that PEDF activated luciferase reporter activity and this activity was inhibited by treatment with Erk inhibitor or neutralizing antibodies to PEDF-R. Dickkopf-related protein 1 treatment of the cells in presence of PEDF had minimal effect suggesting that GSK-3β phosphorylation and accumulation of nonphosphorylayted β-catenin may not involve LRP5/6 in osteocytes. Taken together, the data demonstrate that PEDF regulates osteocyte gene expression through its receptor and possible involvement of Erk/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway.
Imaging-based pooled CRISPR screening reveals regulators of lncRNA localization.

Pooled-library CRISPR screening provides a powerful means to discover genetic factors involved in cellular processes in a high-throughput manner. However, the phenotypes accessible to pooled-library screening are limited. Complex phenotypes, such as cellular morphology and subcellular molecular organization, as well as their dynamics, require imaging-based readout and are currently beyond the reach of pooled-library CRISPR screening. Here we report an all imaging-based pooled-library CRISPR screening approach that combines high-content phenotype imaging with high-throughput single guide RNA (sgRNA) identification in individual cells. In this approach, sgRNAs are codelivered to cells with corresponding barcodes placed at the 3′ untranslated region of a reporter gene using a lentiviral delivery system with reduced recombination-induced sgRNA-barcode mispairing. Multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) is used to read out the barcodes and hence identify the sgRNAs with high accuracy. We used this approach to screen 162 sgRNAs targeting 54 RNA-binding proteins for their effects on RNA localization to nuclear compartments and uncovered previously unknown regulatory factors for nuclear RNA localization. Notably, our screen revealed both positive and negative regulators for the nuclear speckle localization of a long noncoding RNA, MALAT1, suggesting a dynamic regulation of lncRNA localization in subcellular compartments.
An Introduction to the Rhetoric of Trump’s “Battle”

In 1939 Kenneth Burke released an astute and foretelling essay analyzing Hitler’s Mein Kampf (published only four years prior in 1925) entitled The Rhetoric of Hitler’s “Battle.” He identifies four main persuasive ornaments Hitler used that explain the communication in which he came to power: inborn dignity, projection device, symbolic rebirth, and commercial use. I use Burke’s essay to parallel the development and successes of Hitler’s rhetoric with President Trump’s rhetoric and media presence in order to encourage using Burke’s sheer perceptiveness to foreshadow and protect against similar swindle in United States leadership.
Hot Topic: Should all Women with Breast Cancer Undergo Genetic Testing?

Panel testing for germline mutations in cancer patients has advanced rapidly in recent years. In breast cancer, these advances have raised questions about the indications for testing, with some groups advocating testing of all patients with breast cancer. Studies uniformly demonstrate that expanded scope of genetic testing will result in identification of more women with germline mutations. However, many challenges remain in interpretation of such broad panel testing, including limited information about the risks of second cancers conferred by most of these germline mutations and the high rates of VUS that risk causing anxiety and driving decisions towards unwarranted CPM. These challenges limit the utility of panel testing and are further compounded by lack of sufficient genetic counseling support to facilitate discussion with patients around these complex issues. For most women, the benefits of broad panel testing are limited. A tailored approach to genetic testing, based on detailed family history and tumor phenotype, remains the preferred approach.
Robust Bone Shadow Segmentation from 2D Ultrasound Through Task Decomposition

Acoustic bone shadow information in ultrasound (US) is important during imaging bones in US-guided orthopedic procedures. In this work, an end to end deep learning-based method is proposed to segment the bone shadow region from US data. In particular, we decompose the bone shadow segmentation task into two subtasks, coarse bone shadow enhancement (BSE) and horizontal bone interval mask (HBIM) estimation. Outputs from two subtasks are processed by a masking operation to generate the final bone shadow segmentation. To better leverage the mutual information in different tasks, our model features a shared encoder as deep feature extractor for both subtasks and two multi-scale pyramid pooling decoders. Additionally, we propose a conditional shape discriminator to regularize the shape of the output segmentation map. The proposed method is validated on 814 in vivo US scans obtained from knee, femur, distal radius and tibia bones. Validation against expert annotation achieved statistically significant improvements in segmentation of bone shadow regions compared to the state-of-the-art method.
Sex-Based Reporting of Common Musculoskeletal Conditions.

Introduction: Sex- and gender-based differences affect all aspects of health and disease, including musculoskeletal conditions. However, it is unknown how often authors publish outcomes of common c...
Synoptic climatology of nuisance flooding along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, USA

Nuisance flooding (NF; also known as high-tide, or “sunny day” flooding) is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon afflicting coastal developments worldwide. NF often results when high tides, exacerbated by global sea level rise, coincide with onshore-directed surface winds. The elevated tidal condition, compounded by frictionally forced ocean currents, then inundates coastal infrastructure, posing a non-life-threatening inconvenience for local residents. Even though NF events are formed by a coupling of atmospheric and oceanic conditions, the large-scale atmospheric circulations favorable for NF have received little attention. Using a 40 year NF database derived from coastal gauge data, this study identifies the mid-tropospheric synoptic atmospheric patterns within days of NF events along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the USA. ERA-Interim reanalysis supplies 500 hPa geopotential height patterns over North America that coincide with NF events. Subsequently, a principal components analysis is performed upon all NF-associated 500 hPa patterns, disaggregated by region (New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Gulf Coast), to identify dominant intra-variability NF-related circulations. Consistent with prior work, results show that NF frequency is increasing with time. Further, each region is characterized by a unique set of dominant NF synoptic patterns. Most patterns have clear physical associations to NF mechanisms, such as a nearby 500 hPa trough that would support a surface cyclone and strong onshore surface winds, or a mid-level high-pressure cell that would direct onshore-oriented return flow along its western periphery. However, some patterns correspond less obviously to oft-referenced NF mechanisms and may instead reflect low-frequency modes of variability and/or localized influences.
miR-155 promotes T reg cell development by safeguarding medullary thymic epithelial cell maturation

During thymocyte development, medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) provide appropriate instructive cues in the thymic microenvironment for not only negative selection but also the generation of regulatory T (T reg) cells. Here, we identify that miR-155, a microRNA whose expression in T reg cells has previously been shown to be crucial for their development and homeostasis, also contributes to thymic T reg (tT reg) cell differentiation by promoting mTEC maturation. Mechanistically, we show that RANKL stimulation induces expression of miR-155 to safeguard the thymic medulla through targeting multiple known and previously uncharacterized molecules within the TGFβ signaling pathway, which is recognized for its role in restricting the maturation and expansion of mTECs. Our work uncovers a miR-155-TGFβ axis in the thymic medulla to determine mTEC maturity and, consequently, the quantity of tT reg cells and suggests that miR-155 ensures proper tT reg cell development in both cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic manners.
Multiplexed imaging mass spectrometry of the extracellular matrix using serial enzyme digests from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections

We report a multiplexed imaging mass spectrometry method which spatially localizes and selectively accesses the extracellular matrix on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections. The extracellular matrix (ECM) consists of (1) fibrous proteins, post-translationally modified (PTM) via N- and O-linked glycosylation, as well as hydroxylation on prolines and lysines, and (2) glycosaminoglycan-decorated proteoglycans. Accessing all these components poses a unique analytical challenge. Conventional peptide analysis via trypsin inefficiently captures ECM peptides due to their low abundance, intra- and intermolecular cross-linking, and PTMs. In previous studies, we have developed matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) techniques to capture collagen peptides via collagenase type III digestion, both alone and after N-glycan removal via PNGaseF digest. However, in fibrotic tissues, the buildup of ECM components other than collagen-type proteins, including elastin and glycosaminoglycans, limits efficacy of any single enzyme to access the complex ECM. Here, we have developed a novel serial enzyme strategy to define the extracellular matrix, including PTMs, from a single tissue section for MALDI-IMS applications. Graphical Abstract.
The $\mathbb F_p$-Selberg Integral.

We prove an $\mathbb F_p$-Selberg integral formula, in which the $\mathbb F_p$-Selberg integral is an element of the finite field $\mathbb F_p$ with odd prime number $p$ of elements. The formula is motivated by analogy between multidimensional hypergeometric solutions of the KZ equations and polynomial solutions of the same equations reduced modulo $p$.
A Novel Retinal Gene Therapy Strategy for Batten Disease and Beyond

Batten Disease is a fatal, lysosomal storage disorder characterized by cognitive and motor deficits, vision impairments, and seizures. Loss of vision is a hallmark of 10 of the 13 Batten Disease subtypes. Our group has pioneered AAV9 gene therapy treatments achieving widespread transduction of the brain and spinal cord. Two clinical trials are currently ongoing at Nationwide Children’s Hospital delivering this vector via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to the brain and spinal cord for treatment of the lethal neurodegenerative aspects of Batten Disease. However, AAV9 transduction of the retina after CSF delivery is limited and there is a critical need for a solution that prevents vision loss and further improves quality of life for Batten Disease patients. Similar to most genetic ocular diseases, photoreceptor degeneration is the most commonly cited pathology in patients. However, recent studies suggest that in some subtypes of Batten Disease, expression must be rescued also within the deeper layers of the retina that are difficult to reach with therapeutic vectors (inner nuclear layer, INL). We performed single cell RNA sequencing of mice and non-human primate retinas in collaboration with Dr. Fischer (OSU) and concluded that Batten Disease vision specific gene therapy needs to target a wide range of cells, including the INL, which is a major challenge for translation of a vision specific therapy to the clinic. We have recently discovered that administration of neuraminidase (NA), a sialidase enzyme, prior to or in combination with AAV9.GFP, drastically increases transduction throughout the murine C57Bl/6 retina including the INL and all the way through to the photoreceptor layer. Our preliminary data indicates GFP expression in almost all, if not all, retinal cell types using this method. Importantly, we have confirmed successful targeting of INL bipolar cells, a notoriously difficult cell-type to transduce, and up to 40% increase in Muller glia transduction. Preliminary histological examination indicates no damage or alterations in retinal integrity. While additional testing in large animal models is required and scheduled to occur in a WT pig model in Autumn 2020, this remarkable discovery suggests that it may now be possible to target every cell-type of the retina with a single AAV vector. This is especially important in regard to treatment of Batten Disease but has many additional implications. Current retinal therapies that require a more invasive subretinal delivery to photoreceptors could now opt for the safer intravitreal delivery strategy. In addition, this strategy would be highly useful in the field of optogenetics, where investigators continue to struggle to find an efficient way to express light-sensitive opsins in cells of the INL to restore sight in individuals that have already lost their photoreceptors.
Histiocytosis and Neoplasms of Macrophage-Dendritic Cell Lineages: Multimodality Imaging with Emphasis on PET/CT

Histiocytosis is a rare inflammatory process characterized by pathologic infiltration and accumulation of cells derived from the monocytic lineage in normal tissue. It encompasses more than 100 different subtypes of disorders that were recently classified into five main groups: (a) Langerhans-related histiocytosis, (b) Rosai-Dorfman histiocytosis, (c) cutaneous and mucocutaneous histiocytosis, (d) malignant histiocytosis, and (e) hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and macrophage activation syndrome. Langerhans cell histiocytosis is the most common histiocytic disorder. Less common types include Erdheim-Chester disease, Rosai-Dorfman disease, adult and juvenile xanthogranuloma, necrobiotic xanthogranuloma, histiocytic sarcoma, interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma, Langerhans cell sarcoma, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Although the pathogenesis of these disorders may be attributable to mutations in the oncogenic driver, recent discoveries have shown that inflammation and fibrosis secondary to mutated histiocytes, rather than a proliferative cell mechanism, result in manifestation of the disease. Diagnosis, which relies on a multidisciplinary approach, is challenging and often delayed because clinical findings are nonspecific and may mimic malignant processes at radiologic evaluation. Compared with conventional imaging, PET/CT allows detection of the increased metabolic activity in histiocytes. Diagnostic algorithms for histiocytic disorders should include functional imaging with fluorine 18 (18F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT, which provides a comprehensive whole-body evaluation of their potential involvement with multiple organ systems and allows monitoring of therapeutic response. The most recent revised classification, pathophysiologic and clinical manifestations, sites of involvement, and imaging features of histiocytosis are described in this review and a multimodality approach is used, with emphasis on 18F-FDG PET/CT evaluation. ©RSNA, 2021.
Liberalism and liberal muslims

Three central ideas in contemporary liberal political philosophy include: 1) liberty and equality represent the most basic political values; 2) legitimate political authority must be exercised on the basis of moral reasons that are compatible with liberty and equality; and 3) the burden of justification for political authority is on the state, not the individuals subject to the state’s coercive authority. Notwithstanding many different interpretations of liberalism that range from libertarian, egalitarian, and social democratic formulations, liberal political philosophers base their various positions on these fundamental ideas.[i] Religious freedom, toleration, and a guarantee of equal treatment under law are among the widely shared convictions endorsed by liberal political philosophers. In this paper I propose an approach to thinking about religion and politics that should inform how we think about liberalism and religion. I also consider how the conception of political authority defended by the prominent Muslim public intellectual Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im[ii] is a paradigm example of liberalism. In Part I I consider two approaches to religion and politics. According to the reductionist view, whether values that are central to a religious tradition can be reconciled to liberalism is more a matter of doctrine than practice. By contrast a non-reductionist approach emphasizes that the relationship between political and religious values is influenced by a number of variables in addition to religious doctrine, including ethnicity, historical memory, political economy, and local politics. On this view, the path between religious and political convictions is anything but a straight line. In Part II I examine central arguments in An-Na’im’s work that are central to his version of liberalism, with a focus on liberty of conscience and religious freedom. To illustrate An-Na’im’s liberalism I focus on examples of claims about morality and theology, politics, and history. I conclude in Part III by considering how An-Na’im’s position is one example of what we would expect from a non-reductionist understanding of religion and politics. Key words: liberalism, religion, politics, secularism, Muslims.
Considerations when Conducting Violence Risk Assessments in Immigrant Youth: The Roles of Acculturation Stress and Criminal Attitudes

Violence risk assessment tools are often criticized, particularly when administered to ethnic minorities for whom the measure was not originally developed, partly because they fail to consider unique contextual and individual factors that could potentially lead to erroneous conclusions and deleterious effects on the individuals, society, and the legal system. This study examined the concurrent validity of a risk assessment tool (i.e., Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth; SAVRY) in relation to self-reported and caregiver-reported conduct problems, such as delinquent behavior (SDQ; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) in a sample of recently immigrated youth in the USA. Additionally, it examined the role of unique individual factors, criminal attitudes, and acculturation stress, while predicting conduct problems through the SAVRY. Results showed significant associations between the SAVRY and the SDQ only when conduct problems were self-reported. Acculturation stress and individual risk factors significantly contributed to the prediction of conduct problems. Finally, the possible effects of the demographic heterogeneity of the sample are discussed, as well as other limitations of the study, which should be considered, particularly in terms of the generalizability of the results. Despite these limitations, this study adds important data to the field and supports the need for modified risk assessments when assessing recently immigrated youth.
An asymptotic Green's function method for the wave equation

Abstract We present an effective asymptotic Green's function method for propagating the waves through the linear scalar wave equation. The wave is first split into its forward-propagating and backward-propagating parts. Following that, the method, which combines the Huygens' principle and the geometrical optics approximations, is designed to propagate the forward-propagating and backward-propagating waves, where an integral with Green's functions that is based on the Huygens' principle is used to propagate the waves, and the Green's functions are approximated by the geometrical optics approximations. Upon obtaining analytic approximations for the phase and amplitude in the geometrical optics approximations through short-time Taylor series expansions, a short-time propagator for the waves is derived and the resulting integral can be evaluated efficiently by fast Fourier transform after appropriate lowrank approximations. The short-time propagator can be applied repeatedly to propagate the waves for a long time. In order to restrict the computation onto a bounded domain of interest, the perfectly matched layer technique with complex coordinate stretching transformation is incorporated. The method is first-order accurate, and has complexity O ( t ϵ N log ⁡ N ) per time step with N the number of spatial points and t ϵ the low rank for a prescribed accuracy requirement ϵ > 0 . Numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the proposed method.
Beyond Reform: The Four Basic Virtues of a Trans-formational Prosecutor

The term "progressive prosecutor" has lost its meaning. While we should be encouraged by the growing number of elected prosecutors committed to reducing mass incarceration and tackling systemic racism, more and more are merely cloaking themselves in the language of change or grabbing at low-hanging fruit. This paper seeks to push both movement and scholarship beyond "progressivism" or "reform" and instead define a transformational prosecutor. First, we posit that the virtues of a transformational prosecutor must be easy to understand, applicable across political geographies, and bold. Second, we choose four virtues that fit those criteria: (1) a numerical decarceration pledge; (2) radical transparency; (3) lobbying for transformation; and (4) actively shrinking the criminal justice system, including their own office. These virtues are intentionally un-tethered to policy specifics. Instead, they are meant to identify the kind of prosecutor who is so deeply committed to trans-formational change that they will deploy whatever policies necessary to get us there. Particularly as the nation takes to the streets demanding law enforcement accountability and potential divestment of police, this quantum leap in our approach to prosecution must happen simultaneously.