cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Range Compression with ProteoMiner™: Principles and Examples

One of the main challenges in proteomics investigation, protein biomarker research, and protein purity and contamination analysis is how to efficiently enrich and detect low-abundance proteins in biological samples. One approach that makes the detection of rare species possible is the treatment of biological samples with solid-phase combinatorial peptide ligand libraries, ProteoMiner. This method utilizes hexapeptide bead library with huge diversity to bind and enrich low-abundance proteins but remove most of the high-abundance proteins, therefore compresses the protein abundance range in the samples. This work describes optimized protocols and highlights on the successful application of ProteoMiner to protein identification and analysis.
A Population-Centric COIN Strategy

This chapter serves to outline a counterinsurgency strategy that builds from the work of earlier theorists as well as research by both academicians and practitioners that has developed in the wake of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It offers a plausible framework for democracies to succeed in future counterinsurgency conflicts. The strategy outlined here will assume a certain type of insurgency—one in a foreign country in which the host government is being assisted by, or occupied by, a democratic country. This assumption is made because most counterinsurgency endeavors undertaken by democratic governments in recent decades have been of this type and it is the most likely form of insurgency to challenge democratic regimes in the future.
Effect of Hypothermia and Targeted Temperature Management on Drug Disposition and Response Following Cardiac Arrest: A Comprehensive Review of Preclinical and Clinical Investigations

Targeted temperature management (TTM) has been shown to reduce mortality and improve neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) patients and in neonates with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). TTM has also been associated with adverse drug events in the critically ill patient due to its effect on drug pharmacokinetics (PKs) and pharmacodynamics (PDs). We aim to evaluate the current literature on the effect of TTM on drug PKs and PDs following CA. MEDLINE/PubMed databases were searched for publications, which include the MeSH terms hypothermia, drug metabolism, drug transport, P450, critical care, cardiac arrest, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics between July 2006 and October 2015. Twenty-three studies were included in this review. The studies demonstrate that hypothermia impacts PK parameters and increases concentrations of cytochrome-P450-metabolized drugs in the cooling and rewarming phase. Furthermore, the current data demonstrate a combined e...
Novel oncolytic viral therapies in patients with thoracic malignancies

Oncolytic virotherapy is the use of replication-competent viruses to treat malignancies. The potential of oncolytic virotherapy as an approach to cancer therapy is based on historical evidence that certain viral infections can cause spontaneous remission of both hematologic and solid tumor malignancies. Oncolytic virotherapy may eliminate cancer cells through either direct oncolysis of infected tumor cells or indirect immune-mediated oncolysis of uninfected tumor cells. Recent advances in oncolytic virotherapy include the development of a wide variety of genetically attenuated RNA viruses with precise cellular tropism and the identification of cell-surface receptors that facilitate viral transfer to the tissue of interest. Current research is also focused on targeting metastatic disease by sustaining the release of progeny viruses from infected tumor cells and understanding indirect tumor cell killing through immune-mediated mechanisms of virotherapy. The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate recent evidence on the clinical development of tissue-specific viruses capable of targeting tumor cells and eliciting secondary immune responses in lung cancers and mesothelioma.
Preparation of Highly Dispersed Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Amine-Modified SBA-15

Silica-supported iron oxide nanoparticles are prepared by precipitation within the pores of amine-functionalized SBA-15 silica. The loading of the iron oxide possible by this method is at least 11 wt%. STEM and TEM images show that the supported particles have a uniform diameter (average ∼ 4.0 nm) and are well dispersed. The supported iron oxide nanoparticles are amorphous after calcination at 300°C and, consistent with their nanoscale dimensions, are superparamagnetic at room temperature.
Issues and conclusions

Abstract The USA demonstrated the feasibility of molten salt reactors (MSRs) with the Aircraft Reactor Experiment (1954) and the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (1965–69). Liquid fuel MSRs can avoid many of the problems of light-water reactors (LWRs): fuel manufacture, fuel lifetime, refueling shutdowns, core melt (TMI accident), steam explosion (Chernobyl accident), hydrogen explosion (Fukushima Daichi accident), and long-lived radioactive (actinide) waste disposal. Thorium fuel can be converted into U-233 fuel, instead of using U-235 from enrichment of natural uranium. One ton of ThO 2 can generate as much energy as 293 tons of U 3 O 8 , and thorium is four times as abundant in the Earth’s crust as uranium. Solid fuel MSRs could be similar to LWRs with molten salt coolant instead of water, so they could be developed quickly, but would lack the advantages of liquid fuel, which include no manufacture of fuel pellets, no fuel melt hazard, fuel burnup not limited by radiation damage, continuous refueling, actinide recycling, and fission product removal. The fuel processing plant must be developed to separate uranium, thorium, actinides, and fission products in a highly radioactive environment. Actinides generated by LWRs could be burned in MSRs, instead of being treated as radioactive waste requiring geological disposal. Research on MSRs and thorium energy is underway in 23 countries, and reactor designs from several companies are described in this book.
Characters Who Speak Their Minds: Dialogue Generation in Talk of the Town

The Expressive Intelligence Studio is developing a new approach to freeform conversational interaction in playable media that combines dialogue management, natural language generation (NLG), and natural language understanding. In this paper, we present our method for dialogue generation, which has been fully implemented in a game we are developing called Talk of the Town . Eschewing a traditional NLG pipeline, we take up a novel approach that combines human language expertise with computer generativity. Specifically, this method utilizes a tool that we have developed for authoring context-free grammars (CFGs) whose productions come packaged with explicit metadata. Instead of terminally expanding top-level symbols — the conventional way of generating from a CFG — we employ an unusual middle-out procedure that targets mid-level symbols and traverses the grammar by both forward chaining and backward chaining, expanding symbols conditionally by testing against the current game state. In this paper, we present our method, discuss a series of associated authoring patterns, and situate our approach against the few earlier projects in this area.
Latent hardening within the elasto-plastic self-consistent polycrystal homogenization to enable the prediction of anisotropy of AA6022-T4 sheets

Abstract Slip system hardening behavior of a given slip system is influenced more by shearing on another slip system known, as latent hardening, than by shearing on itself, known as self-hardening. This paper extends a recently developed dislocation-based hardening law within the elasto-plastic self-consistent polycrystal plasticity model to incorporate the latent hardening effects for predicting anisotropic response of polycrystalline face-centered cubic metals. In doing so, a new approach to overcome singularities associated with the self-consistent Eshelby solution procedure is proposed. The new approach is validated using a regularized Schmid law, where the singularity in Eshelby tensor calculation is intrinsically suppressed. Moreover, the solution procedure for single crystal stress increment is advanced to be based on a methodology involving the singular value decomposition to solve for shear increments. It is found that modeling crystallographic texture evolution and latent hardening successfully captures the anisotropic behavior of polycrystalline AA6022-T4 alloy. The model is subsequently successfully applied to predict large strain cyclic deformation of the same material. The implementation and insights from these predictions are presented and discussed in this paper.
Letter: Modeling reactive shock waves in heterogeneous solids at the continuum level with stochastic differential equations

A new paradigm is introduced for modeling reactive shock waves in heterogeneous solids at the continuum level. Inspired by the probability density function methods from turbulent reactive flows, it is hypothesized that the unreacted material microstructures lead to a distribution of heat release rates from chemical reaction. Fluctuations in heat release, rather than velocity, are coupled to the reactive Euler equations which are then solved via the Riemann problem. A numerically efficient, one-dimensional hydrocode is used to demonstrate this new approach, and simulation results of a representative impact calculation (inert flyer into explosive target) are discussed.
Comparative analysis of low-Earth orbit (TROPOMI) and geostationary (GeoCARB, GEO-CAPE) satellite instruments for constraining methane emissions on fine regional scales: application to the Southeast US

Abstract. We conduct Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) to compare the ability of future satellite measurements of atmospheric methane columns (TROPOMI, GeoCARB, GEO-CAPE) for constraining methane emissions down to the 25 km scale through inverse analyses. The OSSE uses the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model ( 0.25 ∘ × 0.3125 ∘ grid resolution) in a 1-week simulation for the Southeast US with 216 emission elements to be optimized through inversion of synthetic satellite observations. Clouds contaminate 73 %–91 % of the viewing scenes depending on pixel size. Comparison of GEOS-Chem to Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) surface-based methane column observations indicates a model transport error standard deviation of 12 ppb, larger than the instrument errors when aggregated on the 25 km model grid scale, and with a temporal error correlation of 6 h. We find that TROPOMI ( 7×7 km 2 pixels, daily return time) can provide a coarse regional optimization of methane emissions, comparable to results from an aircraft campaign (SEAC 4 RS), and is highly sensitive to cloud cover. The geostationary instruments can do much better and are less sensitive to cloud cover, reflecting both their finer pixel resolution and more frequent observations. The information content from GeoCARB toward constraining methane emissions increases by 20 %–25 % for each doubling of the GeoCARB measurement frequency. Temporal error correlation in the transport model moderates but does not cancel the benefit of more frequent measurements for geostationary instruments. We find that GeoCARB observing twice a day would provide 70 % of the information from the nominal GEO-CAPE mission preformulated by NASA in response to the Decadal Survey of the US National Research Council.
Replication of the First Step to Success Model: A Multiple-Case Study of Implementation Effectiveness

The First Step to Success program was implemented with 22 kindergartners who showed early signs of developing antisocial behaviors, and it was completed by 16 of the children. All 16 children showed significantly increased levels of academic engaged time after completing the program, with follow-up levels generally maintained at acceptable levels. Overall behavioral improvement, as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), was significant but variable. The improvement shown on the CBCL by the first cohort of 6 students failed to maintain to the 1-year follow up. Teacher and parent perceptions of effectiveness were generally positive with several exceptions. The authors discuss evidence pointing to possible factors that influenced the program's effectiveness.
Electrical Singular Filaments in the Heart Wall

Thus Homer first described a graphic recording from a normal, healthy ventricular wall, presumably ending with fibrillation 3500 years ago during the siege of Bronze-Age Troy by bloodthirsty heroes from Mycenaean Greece.
Chapter 14 – Evolutionary Algorithms Applied to Electronic-Structure Informatics: Accelerated Materials Design Using Data Discovery vs. Data Searching

We exemplify and propose extending the use of genetic programs (GPs) – a genetic algorithm (GA) that evolves computer programs via mechanisms similar to genetics and natural selection – to symbolically regress key functional relationships between materials data, especially from electronic structure. GPs can extract structure–property relations or enable simulations across multiple scales of time and/or length. Uniquely, GP-based regression permits “data discovery” – finding relevant data and/or extracting correlations (data reduction/data mining) – in contrast to searching for what you know, or you think you know (intuition). First, catalysis-related materials correlations are discussed, where simple electronic-structure-based rules are revealed using well-developed intuition, and then, after introducing the concepts, GP regression is used to obtain (i) a constitutive relation between flow stress and strain rate in aluminum, and (ii) multi-time-scale kinetics for surface alloys. We close with some outlook for a range of applications (materials discovery, excited-state chemistry, and multiscaling) that could rely primarily on density functional theory results.
Modeling Sentiment Polarity in Support Ticket Data for Predicting Cloud Service Subscription Renewal

In the cloud based service provisioning industry, one of the main challenges that providers face involves keeping existing tenants engaged while attracting new ones. To address this, providers need to gain insights about customer satisfaction. In that regards, support ticket data, understood as the main way of communication between both parties, can be mined to obtain an estimation of customer satisfaction by means of the polarity of the sentiment extracted from the report descriptions. To that end, in this work we propose a model which can learn a feature representation for sentiment polarity changes, from the sequence of tickets emitted by a given customer during the period associated with the service subscription term. Then, that resulting feature representation, combined with other handcrafted features related to contract and ticket data, is passed to a classifier which estimates the likelihood of service subscription renewal by the customer. Experiment results using real data from a service provider shows that learned representation of sentiment polarity changes from support ticket data in combination with other handcrafted features improves the accuracy in predicting subscription renewals. Moreover, our architecture is flexible enough incorporate and integrate several feature representations and give more expressive power to the prediction.
Interpersonal And Organizational Dynamics Are Key Drivers Of Failure To Rescue

Failure to rescue—mortality following a major surgical complication—is a key driver of variation in postoperative mortality. However, little is known about the impact of interpersonal and organizat...
Incorporating Kinematic Properties into Fused Deposition Toolpath Optimization

The most widely used methods for toolpath planning in fused deposition 3D printing slice the input model into successive 2D layers in order to construct the toolpath. Unfortunately slicing-based methods can incur a substantial amount of wasted motion (i.e., the extruder is moving while not printing), particularly when features of the model are spatially separated. In recent work we have introduced a new paradigm that constructs the toolpath in 3D and prints local features to minimize wasted motion. Our algorithm is based on a local search and we have demonstrated substantial improvements in the efficiency of the resulting toolpaths. Our approach is amenable to incorporating physical constraints of the 3D printing process, and, in this paper we extend our approach to incorporate kinematic properties into toolpath optimization. With an accurate kinematic model of the extruder, our algorithm is able to model the rea1-world fabrication time of the model with a high degree of accuracy. To our knowledge, this toolpath optimization algorithm is the first to encode real-world fabrication time as the objective function. We demonstrate the real-world improvement in fabrication time that is possible with our algorithm on a benchmark of almost 600 models. We find improvement in nearly every toolpath generated for our benchmark set (with a mean of 3.2%), but substantially larger improvements for some models. To rationalize these results, we introduce a metric for model characterization that we call “oriented compactness” and show that it correlates positively with our observations. We believe this metric can be an important tool in the setup of fabrication (e.g., by guiding an orientation search of the model).
NEONATAL OUTCOME IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY IN A TERTIARY NEONATAL UNIT IN CENTRAL INDIA

Introduction: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are an important cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes inbabies born to hypertensive mothers as compared to normotensive mothers. Materials and methods: This was a prospective case-control study, conducted in a tertiary neonatal unit in central India over a period of one year. Eighty-twosingleton babies of hypertensive pregnancies as cases and 164 singleton babies of normotensive pregnancies as controls were recruited. Baseline clinical and sociodemographic profile of mother was recorded. Clinical outcomes including anthropometric profile of neonates were noted and compared between hypertensive and normotensive pregnancies. Results: Most common hypertensive disorder was preeclampsia (52.44%). Total stillborn among hypertensive mothers were 9 (10.98%) as compared to 2 (1.22%) in normotensive mothers. Neonatal complications like intrauterine growth retardation (44.83% vs 16.67%), respiratory distress syndrome (23.17% vs 3.70%) and meconium aspiration syndrome (13.42% vs 4.42%) are significantly more common in hypertensive pregnancies.Significant correlationwas found between maternal B.P and birth weight, head circumference, chest circumference & ponderal index (P.I), but not with length. Conclusion: Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy remains an important cause of neonatalmortality, morbitiesand reduced anthropometric parameters in central India.
Quorum sensing between bacterial species on the skin protects against epidermal injury in atopic dermatitis

Colonization of the skin by Staphylococcus aureus is associated with exacerbation of atopic dermatitis (AD), but any direct mechanism through which dysbiosis of the skin microbiome may influence the development of AD is unknown. Here, we show that proteases and phenol-soluble modulin α (PSMα) secreted by S. aureus lead to endogenous epidermal proteolysis and skin barrier damage that promoted inflammation in mice. We further show that clinical isolates of different coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) species residing on normal skin produced autoinducing peptides that inhibited the S. aureus agr system, in turn decreasing PSMα expression. These autoinducing peptides from skin microbiome CoNS species potently suppressed PSMα expression in S. aureus isolates from subjects with AD without inhibiting S. aureus growth. Metagenomic analysis of the AD skin microbiome revealed that the increase in the relative abundance of S. aureus in patients with active AD correlated with a lower CoNS autoinducing peptides to S. aureus ratio, thus overcoming the peptides’ capacity to inhibit the S. aureus agr system. Characterization of a S. hominis clinical isolate identified an autoinducing peptide (SYNVCGGYF) as a highly potent inhibitor of S. aureus agr activity, capable of preventing S. aureus–mediated epithelial damage and inflammation on murine skin. Together, these findings show how members of the normal human skin microbiome can contribute to epithelial barrier homeostasis by using quorum sensing to inhibit S. aureus toxin production.
The Impact of Religiosity on Political Participation and Membership in Voluntary Associations Among Black and White Americans

While a number of factors have been shown to help predict political participation among Black and White Americans, to date the role of religiosity in relation to that participation has been largely unexamined by researchers. For Americans in general, denominational affiliation has been found to relate to party identification and to the probability of voting. But, the impact of religiosity-commitment to religion-has received little attention. Also, the independent effects of religiosity, apart from related class and status factors, have not been assessed. So far, too, the literature has looked at religion as a phenomenon independent of race factors even though the role of church in political behavior may vary for Blacks and Whites. Perhaps one of the reasons why the existence of a relationship between religiosity and political participation has been relatively unexplored lies in the American ethic of separation of church and state. However, given the role that religion has played in recent years in shaping public opinion on several public policy issues and the special historical role that the church has played in the life of Black Americans, the relationship between religiosity and political participation should be more fully examined. The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between religiosity and both (a) political participation (voting and protest demonstrations), and (b) membership in voluntary associations
Computational Network Analysis Identifies Evolutionarily Conserved miRNA Gene Interactions Potentially Regulating Immune Response in Bovine Trypanosomosis

Bovine trypanosomosis is a devastating disease that causes huge economic loss to the global cattle industry on yearly basis. Selection of accurate biomarkers are important in early disease diagnosis and treatment. Of late, micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are becoming the most useful biomarkers for both infectious and non-infectious diseases in humans but this is not the case in animals. miRNAs are non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression through binding to the 3’-, 5’-untranslated regions (UTR) or coding sequence (CDS) region of one or more target genes. The molecular identification of miRNAs that regulates the expression of immune genes responding to bovine trypanosomosis is poorly defined, as well as the possibility that these miRNAs could serve as potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and treatment currently unknown. To this end, we utilized in silico tools to elucidate conserved miRNAs regulating immune response genes during infection, in addition to cataloguing significant genes. Based on the p value of 1.77E-32, we selected 25 significantly expressed immune genes. Using prediction analysis, we identified a total of 4,251 bovine miRNAs targeting these selected genes across the 3’UTR, 5’UTR and CDS regions. Thereafter, we identified candidate miRNAs based on the number of gene targets and their abundance at the three regions. In all, we found the top 13 miRNAs that are significantly conserved targeting 7 innate immune response genes, including bta-mir-2460, bta-mir-193a, bta-mir-2316 and bta-mir-2456. Our gene ontology analysis suggests that these miRNAs are involved in gene silencing, cellular protein modification process, RNA-induced silencing complex, regulation of humoral immune response mediated by circulating immunoglobulin and negative regulation of chronic inflammatory response, among others. In conclusion, this study identifies specific miRNAs that may be involved in the regulation of gene expression during bovine trypanosomosis. These miRNAs have the potential to be used as biomarkers in the animal and veterinary research community to facilitate the development of tools for early disease diagnosis/detection, drug target and the rational design of drugs to facilitate disease treatment.
Economic growth through entrepreneurship: Determinants of self-employed income across regional economies

Knowledge of the determinants of self‐employment income is critical to entrepreneurial development strategies if the development goal is to increase incomes not just employment. Using American Community Survey data, unconditional quantile regression is used to investigate differences in the relationship between entrepreneurial income and an array of individual, industry, and regional characteristics across the self‐employment income distribution. Personal attributes, such as education, race, age, and gender, both explain differences in self‐employment income and vary in importance across the income distribution. Regional agglomerative effects are significantly positive and stronger at the upper end of the self‐employed income distribution. El conocimiento de los determinantes de los ingresos del trabajo por cuenta propia es fundamental para las estrategias de desarrollo empresarial cuando el objetivo de desarrollo es aumentar los ingresos y no solo el empleo. Se utiliza la regresion de cuantiles incondicionales con datos de la Encuesta de la Comunidad Estadounidense para investigar las diferencias en la relacion entre los ingresos empresariales y una serie de caracteristicas individuales, industriales y regionales de la distribucion de los ingresos del empleo por cuenta propia. Los atributos personales, como la educacion, la raza, la edad y el genero, explican las diferencias en los ingresos del trabajo por cuenta propia y su importancia varia en toda la distribucion de los ingresos. Los efectos de aglomeracion regionales son significativamente positivos y mas fuertes en el extremo superior de la distribucion de los ingresos de los trabajadores por cuenta propia. 成長目標が、雇用だけでなく所得も増加させることである場合、アントレプレナーの成長戦略では、個人事業主の所得の決定要因に関する知識が非常に重要となる。アメリカン・コミュニティ・サーベイ (American Community Survey)のデータを用いて、無条件分位点回帰法により、アントレプレナーの所得と、個人事業主の所得分布全体における個人、産業、地域の特性との関連性における相違を検討する。学歴や人種、年齢などの個人特性および性別のどちらによっても個人事業主の所得の差を説明することができ、所得分布全体ではこれらの重要性は様々である。地域における集積効果は、有意にプラスであり、個人事業主の所得分布の上位において強力である。
Genderizing fisheries: Assessing over thirty years of women's participation in Alaska fisheries

Abstract This study examines the dynamics of women's engagement in Alaska commercial fisheries including their roles within fishing families, the evolution of women's participation, perceptions of equity and access, and the effects of gender traditionalism. Such gendered effects of changes in ecological, social, economic, and management conditions need to be understood in order to mitigate biases and unintended consequences. Women's engagement in Alaska fisheries was examined using a combination of quantitative analysis of 30 years of harvest data, and qualitative analysis of 7 focus groups. Women's participation in Alaska commercial fisheries parallels trends and influences documented around the world. This participation is highly responsive to and bound by family conditions and is influenced by gender stereotypes, taboos, norms, and harassment. Although study participants perceived that opportunities for women had increased in Alaska fisheries, examination of harvest data showed men continue to dominate the industry. Women play the key adaptive role in fishing families, entering and exiting fisheries in response to changing conditions, especially when having children. This responsiveness may marginalize women in fisheries as the increasing institution of catch share and limited entry programs entitles a set of participants usually on the basis of fishing history and often increases the price of entry into those fisheries. Moreover, fisheries earnings for women are highly concentrated in salmon, which exacerbates their economic vulnerabilities in the face of decreasing diversification opportunities. Thus the dynamics of women's fisheries participation is an important lens for evaluating potential policy effects and is one that necessitates continued research.
Interpretation on specialists consensus on pediatric clinical application of recombinant human interferon-α1b

In order to improve rational useage of inerferon in clinic, this article elaborate the background of this ″Specialists consensus on pediatric clinical application of recombinant human interferon-α1b″, the differences of various subtypes of interferon, the envidence and method of interferon-α1b clinical application, the satety and the adverse reaction monitoring issues in this article. Key words: Interferon-α1b; Pediatrics; Consensus
Augmenting Evidence-Based Care With a Texting Mobile Interventionist: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and clinical utility of training intensive psychiatric community care team members to serve as “mobile interventionists” who engage patients i...
Cleavable comonomers enable degradable, recyclable thermoset plastics

Thermosets—polymeric materials that adopt a permanent shape upon curing—have a key role in the modern plastics and rubber industries, comprising about 20 per cent of polymeric materials manufactured today, with a worldwide annual production of about 65 million tons1,2. The high density of crosslinks that gives thermosets their useful properties (for example, chemical and thermal resistance and tensile strength) comes at the expense of degradability and recyclability. Here, using the industrial thermoset polydicyclopentadiene as a model system, we show that when a small number of cleavable bonds are selectively installed within the strands of thermosets using a comonomer additive in otherwise traditional curing workflows, the resulting materials can display the same mechanical properties as the native material, but they can undergo triggered, mild degradation to yield soluble, recyclable products of controlled size and functionality. By contrast, installation of cleavable crosslinks, even at much higher loadings, does not produce degradable materials. These findings reveal that optimization of the cleavable bond location can be used as a design principle to achieve controlled thermoset degradation. Moreover, we introduce a class of recyclable thermosets poised for rapid deployment. A method of endowing thermoset plastics with a degree of recyclability and reprocessability by incorporating cleavable chemical linkages in the strands of the polymer, rather than in the crosslinks, is presented.
The role of the plastic surgeon in wound repair after spinal surgery

Abstract Background Wound complications, including dehiscence and surgical site infections, following spinal surgery have the potential to be devastating both to the patient and to the hospital system. Complications can occur in a wide range of patients including diabetics, those of low or high BMI and those of old age. Obese patients and those with increased subcutaneous fat are at particularly high risk for wound complications, which may be mitigated through use of local flap reconstruction by a Plastic Surgeon. Case Description A 28 year-old female with morbid obesity presents with multiple lumbar transverse process fractures and complex sacral and pelvic fractures requiring closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of the pelvic ring followed by posterior spinal fusion. The patient was closed tension-free by the neurosurgery team and ultimately dehisced requiring consultation and management by Plastic Surgery. Outcome The patient underwent debridement and reconstruction with a gluteus maximus myocutaneous flap advancement without complication. Conclusions Wound management after spinal surgery is a complex problem, which may be prophylaxed through early identification of high-risk patients and preoperative consultation of Plastic Surgery. Patients with increased thickness of subcutaneous fat are at particularly high risk for postoperative complications, including infection and dehiscence, secondary to increased tissue manipulation and necrosis.
Review of Integrating the Visual Arts Across the Curriculum: An Elementary and Middle School Guide

For her entire academic life, Julia Marshall has been dedicated to researching art integration in K–16 classrooms. Marshall’s books (Marshall, 2019; Marshall & Donahue, 2014), book chapters (Marsha...
Association of usual self-reported dietary intake with ecological momentary measures of affective and physical feeling states in children.

Abstract Background: Little is known about the relationship between dietary intake and affective and physical feeling states in children. Purpose: The current study used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to examine how usual dietary intake is cross-sectionally associated with both average affective and physical feeling state ratings and rating variability in children. Methods: Children (N = 110, mean age = 11.0 ± 1.2 years, 52.5% male, 30.1% Hispanic/Latino) completed EMA measures of affective and physical feeling states 3–7 times per day for a full or partial day (weekday evenings and weekend days and evenings) over a 4-day period. Usual intake of pre-selected dietary components was measured prior to the EMA measurement period using the Block Kids Food Screener. Statistical analyses included mixed models and mixed-effects location scale models. Results: Greater usual fiber intake was cross-sectionally associated with higher average positive affect (PA) ratings, lower variability of NA ratings, and higher variability of physical fatigue ratings. Lower usual glycemic load of diet was cross-sectionally associated with lower variability of NA ratings. Lower usual added sugar intake was cross-sectionally associated with higher average physical energy ratings and lower variability of NA ratings. Conclusions: Although temporal precedence was not established by these findings, they indicate that characteristics of children's usual dietary intake are cross-sectionally associated with both the average and variability of affective and physical feeling states. EMA offers a promising avenue through which to explore the associations between affective states and diet and has the potential to provide insight into nuances of this relationship.
GPR101, an orphan G-protein coupled receptor, with roles in growth, puberty, and possibly appetite regulation

Abstract We recently described X-linked acrogigantism (X-LAG) in sporadic cases of infantile gigantism and a few familial cases of acromegaly in the context of the disorder known as familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). Both X-LAG and FIPA cases with early onset (in infancy or toddlerhood) gigantism shared copy number gains (CNG) of the distal long arm of chromosome X (Xq26). In all patients described to date with Xq26 CNG and gigantism and/or acromegaly, the only coding gene sequence shared by all chromosomal defects was that of GPR101, a class A, rhodopsin-like orphan guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptor with an as-yet unidentified endogenous ligand. We review what is known about GPR101, specifically its expression profile and animal models, putative causation of X-LAG and other growth hormone-secreting lesions, and we provide an update on the efforts to both understand its function in growth, puberty, and appetite regulation, as well as to identify potential ligands, such as gonadotropin releasing hormone pentapeptide analogs and most recently N-3 docosapentaenoic acid-derived resolvin D5.
SOX11 Inhibitors Are Cytotoxic in Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

Purpose: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a fatal subtype of non–Hodgkin lymphoma. SOX11 transcription factor is overexpressed in the majority of nodal MCL. We have previously reported that B cell–specific overexpression of SOX11 promotes MCL pathogenesis via critically increasing BCR signaling in vivo. SOX11 is an attractive target for MCL therapy; however, no small-molecule inhibitor of SOX11 has been identified to date. Although transcription factors are generally considered undruggable, the ability of SOX11 to bind to the minor groove of DNA led us to hypothesize that there may exist cavities at the protein–DNA interface that are amenable to targeting by small molecules. Experimental Design: Using a combination of in silico predictions and experimental validations, we report here the discovery of three structurally related compounds (SOX11i) that bind SOX11, perturb its interaction with DNA, and effect SOX11-specific anti-MCL cytotoxicity. Results: We find mechanistic validation of on-target activity of these SOX11i in the inhibition of BCR signaling and the transcriptional modulation of SOX11 target genes, specifically, in SOX11-expressing MCL cells. One of the three SOX11i exhibits relatively superior in vitro activity and displays cytotoxic synergy with ibrutinib in SOX11-expressing MCL cells. Importantly, this SOX11i induces cytotoxicity specifically in SOX11-positive ibrutinib-resistant MCL patient samples and inhibits Bruton tyrosine kinase phosphorylation in a xenograft mouse model derived from one of these subjects. Conclusions: Taken together, our results provide a foundation for therapeutically targeting SOX11 in MCL by a novel class of small molecules.
Challenges of managing harmful algal blooms in US drinking water systems

Inland freshwater harmful algal blooms are a growing threat to drinking water worldwide. Here we present the results of a national survey of how drinking water managers experience and perceive both nuisance harmful algal blooms and toxic harmful algal blooms (TABs) (N = 335) in the United States. We find that previous experience with harmful algal blooms increases drinking water systems’ planning and preparation. However, unexpectedly, we also find that (1) water managers who experienced TABs rate them as more difficult to manage than do those with no previous TAB experience, and (2) managers in systems that experience TABs become increasingly reliant on internal resources to respond to TABs once they occur rather than reaching out for external sources of information and technology. This turn towards self-reliance could make the effective dissemination of state-of-the-art information and solutions more difficult among water systems and further isolate some vulnerable systems. Proper management to mitigate and avoid algal blooms in drinking water is dependent on expertise. This study surveyed water managers across the United States to assess how knowledge is formed and disseminated, or how it is not.
Computer simulation of sliding hydroxylated alumina surfaces

A molecular dynamics simulation is performed to investigate the frictional force and energy transfer dynamics associated with sliding hydroxylated alumina surfaces. The calculated coefficient of friction is in good agreement with a recent experimental study. The dynamics of energy transfer from the interface of the sliding surface is investigated by calculating the surface–surface intermolecular potential and the energy in surface hydroxyl groups. The simulations indicate the experimental friction force arises from energy relaxation. A transition from stick–slip to smooth sliding is observed as the sliding velocity is increased.
Evidence of a Local Incumbency Advantage

Incumbents are highly likely to win reelection at all levels of government, but scholars continue to debate the extent to which serving in office has a causal effect on winning. For city council elections it is unclear whether or not we should predict a causal effect at all. City councilors may not regularly seek reelection, and any apparent advantage could be entirely attributable to preexisting qualities rather than incumbency. This article uses a regression discontinuity design to provide evidence that city council incumbents are more likely to run and win their next elections because they served a term in office.
Identification of toxS, a regulatory gene whose product enhances toxR-mediated activation of the cholera toxin promoter.

Abstract We describe the cloning of the toxS gene from Vibrio cholerae E1 Tor strain E7946. This gene lies downstream from the toxR gene, which encodes the transcriptional activator for the cholera toxin (ctx) operon in V. cholerae. We show that ToxS acts in conjunction with ToxR to activate expression of the ctx operon in Escherichia coli. The classical strain 569B, which is attenuated for virulance but which synthesizes high levels of cholera toxin in vitro, carries a deletion of 1.2 kilobase pairs of DNA, downstream from the toxR gene, which removes toxS. We present evidence that toxS is the downstream gene in an operon with toxR.
Development of an alanine dosimeter for gamma dosimetry in mixed environments

L-{alpha}a-Alanine, a nontoxic polycrystalline amino acid, has been investigated for use in high-precision, high-level absorbed-dose measurements in mixed neutron/photon environments such as research and test reactors. The technique is based on the use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to determine the extent of free radical production in a sample exposed to ionizing radiation, and has been successfully used for photon absorbed-dose measurements at levels exceeding 10{sup 5} Gy with high measurement precision. Application of the technique to mixed environments requires knowledge of the energy-dependent response of the dosimeter for both photons and neutrons. Determination of the dosimeter response to photons is accomplished by irradiations in {sup 60}Co and bremsstrahlung sources and by calculations of energy-dependent photon kerma. Neutron response is determined by calculations in conjunction with CaF{sub 2}:Mn thermoluminescence dosimeters and by calculations of energy-dependent neutron kerma. Several neutron environments are used, including the ACRR and SPR-III reactors.
Ureteroscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in patients with Lynch Syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome)

Objectives To report our experience with ureteroscopic laser ablation of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in patients with Lynch Syndrome (LS), as defined by a documented germline mutation in the MSH-2 gene. To increase awareness among urologists about UTUC in this unique patient population and refer to genetic counselling when appropriate. Patients and Methods Demographic, clinical and pathological data on 13 consecutive patients with UTUC and documented MSH-2 mutation comprising 15 involved renal units were retrospectively collected. Ureteroscopic evaluations involved biopsy and laser treatment with combination holmium/neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) lasers. Tumours were graded from 1 to 3 according to the 1973 World Health Organisation classification by a single pathologist evaluating cell block preparations. Results The mean patient age at initial presentation was 56.5 years, with six of 13 patients having metachronous bilateral UT disease. The mean follow-up was 59 months with a mean number of surveillances of 12. Of 15 affected renal units, 10/15 (67%) of initial tumours involved the ureter with mean lesion size of 17.5 mm, while five of 15 (33%) involved the intrarenal collecting system with mean lesion size of 25 mm. Ureteroscopy cleared 13/15 (87%) lesions and four of those 13 (31%) needed staged procedures. Renal preservation rate was 14/15 (93%) with one nephroureterectomy and one segmental ureterectomy performed. One patient developed metastatic UTUC after 40 months surveillance. No patient presented with bladder tumours but seven of the 13 (54%) developed them within 10 months of the initial ureteroscopy. Conclusions Patients with LS who develop UTUC present at younger ages and appear to be more likely to have bilateral UT disease over their lifetimes vs sporadic UTUC patients. Ureteroscopic laser ablation offers a good renal preservation rate with reasonable cancer control in patients willing to undergo endoscopic surveillance. Development of new bladder tumours is common.
Bayesian tree-structured image modeling

Wavelet-domain hidden Markov models have proven to be useful tools for statistical signal and image processing. The hidden Markov tree (HMT) model captures the key features of the joint statistics of the wavelet coefficients of real-world data. One potential drawback to the HMT framework is the need for computationally expensive iterative training (using the EM algorithm, for example). In this paper, we propose two reduced-parameter HMT models that capture the general structure of a broad class of grayscale images. The image HMT (iHMT) model leverages the fact that for a large class of images the structure of the HMT is self-similar across scale. This allows us to reduce the complexity of the iHMT to just nine easily trained parameters (independent of the size of the image and the number of wavelet scales). In the universal HMT (uHMT) we take a Bayesian approach and fix these nine parameters. The uHMT requires no training of any kind. While simple, we show using a series of image estimation/denoising experiments that these two new models retain nearly all of the key structures modeled by the full HMT. Based on these new models, we develop a shift-invariant wavelet denoising scheme that outperforms all algorithms in the current literature.
Should Management Earnings Guidance be Pooled? Classifying Management Earnings Guidance into Capital Market, Opportunistic, and Disclose or Abstain Rationales: Implications for Research

Prior studies identify several motives for why firms release management earnings forecasts (MFs). A common feature of such studies is they pool MFs when drawing inferences about a specific motive. By ignoring the heterogeneous rationales managers have to issue MFs, pooling could lead to biased inferences. To address the issue, we develop an approach that classifies MFs into one of the three rationales: capital market incentives, compliance with Rule 10b-5 to disclose material nonpublic information or abstain from trading, or managerial opportunism. Our classification scheme indicates that 65% of MFs are released for capital market incentives, 22% are issued to comply with Rule 10b-5, and 13% are opportunistic. Four sets of empirical tests provide construct validity for the classification scheme. Such tests include replications of earlier studies where we find that our MF classification scheme increases power and changes prior inferences regarding MFs. Classifying MFs into our three categories will aid future researchers in constructing better specified and more powerful tests of the economic determinants and consequences of management's decision to issue MFs.