cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
If I had a magic wand....Wish list of a dermatologist (Conference Presentation)

Challenges in dermatology that can be addressed by photonics research will be explored. Non-invasive, real-time diagnosis of skin lesions would eliminate biopsy risks, minimize patient anxiety by providing more rapid answers and allow diagnosis and treatment in a single visit. Multiple approaches have been tried, but significant limitations of current technologies make them impractical for routine clinic implementation. Photonics can also be used for treatment assessment to determine if intervention is adequate or if further treatment is needed. Ideal feedback should be non-invasive, rapid and accurate. Monitoring for potential adverse effects can greatly improve treatment safety, allowing clinicians to push the limits of therapy while preventing serious complications. Light based therapies can also be improved by increasing photon penetration and selectivity for targeted cells or skin structures. Current light based treatments are in many cases limited by photon penetration. In addition, we often seek to damage a specific chromophore but are not able to distinguish between targeted disease and non-targeted normal structures such as the cells of a melanoma and normal melanocytes and port wine stain versus normal vasculature. Scientist and clinician collaboration can address these and other issues and greatly improve patient care.
Charactertics of deaths from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases among Shanghai residents

Objective To understand the occupation, education and age specific mortality distribution and comorbidity prevalence for deaths of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Data from census in year 2000 and medical records for death population in 2003 were employed in analysis. Among the occupation-specific mortalities, the highest was the workers related to agriculture, forestry, fishing and pasturage and the lowest was the governmental chief officers. Population with a higher education level had a lower mortality. All age-specific mortalities for male were higher than those for female. For cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes and end-stage-renal-diseases were commen comorbidities. [Conclusion] Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases which have been the primary causes of death for Shanghai residents that much attention should be paid for their prevention.
Time-delay Estimation for Random Amplitude Polynomial Phase Signals

Time-delay estimation problem for a class of nonstationary signals with random amplitude polynomial phase signals is explored.Imposing higher order cyclostationarity of these signals,a novel approach of time-delay estimation based on higher order cyclic-moment is proposed.The method is easy to implement,and yield precise estimation.The algorithms are theoretically tolerant to a large class of noises including additive stationary non-Gaussian and Gaussian noise.Simulation examples supporting the theory are provided.
Lost in the Details: Market Consequences of Disaggregating Items with Homogeneous Characteristics

While prior research generally concludes that there are significant benefits to increased earnings disaggregation within earnings announcements, we document adverse market consequences associated with the disaggregation of line items with similar characteristics. Specifically, we find significantly greater excess volume that is unproductive in terms of changing prices or providing information content (‘unproductive volume’) at the time of the earnings announcement for firms with greater operating earnings disaggregation. Our results highlight an important distinction for managers or regulators considering whether to increase disaggregation: while increasing the disaggregation of dissimilar items may be associated with favorable market outcomes (as documented in prior research), increasing the disaggregation of similar items can lead to unfavorable market outcomes. In short, more disaggregation is not always better.
Powered instrumentation in orbital and optic nerve decompression.

Powered instrumentation in orbital and optic nerve decompression is a helpful adjunct to performing safe, functional, and complete surgery. The microdebrider and the drill are the powered instruments most often used. Combined with endoscopic visualization, these tools provide appropriate drainage and decompression whether for orbital abscesses, Grave’s ophthalmopathy, or optic nerve injury.
Combined Glaucoma Tube Shunt (Ahmed) and Fluocinolone Acetonide (Retisert™) Implantation Compared to Ahmed Alone in Uveitic Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a known complication of uveitis, and may require glaucoma tube shunt implantation for intraocular pressure (IOP) control. The success of glaucoma tube shunt implantation in the setting of a local ocular steroid depot in uveitic glaucoma remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients who underwent combined glaucoma tube shunt (Ahmed) and fluocinolone acetonide (Retisert™, Bausch + Lomb, Bridgewater, NJ, USA) implantation have superior outcomes compared to patients with Ahmed implants only in the setting of uveitic glaucoma. All participants were studied retrospectively and underwent Ahmed implantation alone or with existing/concurrent Retisert implantation (combined group) at a single academic institution. The main outcome measures were IOP, visual acuity (VA), number of IOP-lowering medications, and adverse events at 6 months after Ahmed implantation. Secondary outcome measures included adverse events and surgical success at 6 months after Ahmed implantation. Mean IOP at 6 months after Ahmed implantation was 15.3 ± 4.8 and 15.1 ± 4.9 mm Hg in the Ahmed only group (n = 17) and the combined group (n = 17), respectively (p = 0.89). The mean number of IOP-lowering medications at 6 months after Ahmed implantation was 1.7 ± 1.0 and 1.8 ± 1.0 in the Ahmed only group and the combined group, respectively (p = 0.86). Mean VA at 6 months after Ahmed implantation was 0.35 ± 0.29 and 0.42 ± 0.33 log mean angle of resolution in the Ahmed only group and the combined group, respectively (p = 0.50). No significant differences in surgical success or adverse events were noted between the two groups. At 6 months, no significant differences in mean IOP, mean number of IOP-lowering medications, VA, surgical success, or adverse events were noted between Ahmed implantation alone or combined Ahmed and Retisert implantation in patients with uveitic glaucoma.
A low cost linear AlGaAs/GaAs HBT MMIC power amplifier with active bias sensing for PCS applications

A dual RF input high linearity power amplifier for PCS bands from 1850 to 1910 MHz has been developed for TDMA/CDMA applications. It features on die, input switching, active bias sensing and regulation, 50/spl Omega/ input matching and power down control. A single positive supply voltage is required. This amplifier is packaged in a low cost plastic super small SSOP-16 package. In digital operation adjacent channel power rejection is better then 30 dBc at 800 mW and 22 dB of gain. Maximum output power is 2 W. Typical high power added efficiency (PAE) is 40%.
Butterflyfishes exhibit species-specific responses to changes in Pacific coral reef benthic communities

Many butterflyfish species exhibit feeding preferences for scleractinian corals that represent a continuum from facultative to obligate strategies, and which affect their predicted responses to temporal and spatial changes in coral community structure. Less frequently studied are interactions between butterflyfishes and soft corals, even though the latter represent significant habitat and energetic resources on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. Changes to the benthic community structure of three disjunct back-reef communities on the leeward side of Guam were monitored over two decades, from 1994 to 2014. These communities include a reef that has remained stable and relatively pristine through time, a reef that is significantly impaired but has remained stable over time, and a reef that has experienced significant changes in response to anthropogenic and natural disturbances during this period. Density and behavior of six species of butterflyfishes, including an obligate hard corallivore, two soft corallivores, and three generalists of varied dietary breadth, were recorded at each of the sites in 1994, 2004, and 2014. The populations of butterflyfishes varied through time and space, and there were significant changes in foraging behaviors, largely associated with changes in the soft coral community. Moreover, the soft corallivores exhibited differential prey preferences, some of which were directly attributable to their ability to handle soft coral chemical defenses, while others appeared to be more opportunistic. Given this tight coupling between butterflyfishes and soft corals, this resource needs to be a focus of future studies.
An Introduction to the Natural History, Genetic Mapping, and Clinical Spectrum of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder affecting muscle tone and function, primarily in children. Disease onset varies from in utero to adult, and its progression and severity differ significantly among individuals. Clinicians have documented and categorized the disease for over a century, but no cure has been found to date. Recent breakthroughs in the understanding of the disease’s genetic underpinnings and mechanism have ushered in the promise of new treatments for the first time.
Conclusion: The Far East

Returning to the “aesthetic of diversity” and “simultaneous contrasts” attributed to avant-garde orientalism, the conclusion also breaks new ground by applying insights developed in preceding chapters to additional works about countries of the so-called high or Far East. These works—by Victor Segalen, Henri Michaux, and Roland Barthes—focus on either China or Japan, though others works by Marguerite Duras, Susan Sontag, Angela Carter, Gary Snyder, Michael Herr, Pico Iyer, Paul Theroux, Alex Garland, and Michel Houellebecq warrant inclusion in future surveys of similar experimental writings.
Subcellular Energetics and Metabolism: A Cross-Species Framework.

Abstract Although it is generally believed that oxidative phosphorylation and adequate oxygenation are essential for life, human development occurs in a profoundly hypoxic environment and "normal" levels of oxygen during embryogenesis are even harmful. The ability of embryos not only to survive but also to thrive in such an environment is made possible by adaptations related to metabolic pathways. Similarly, cancerous cells are able not only to survive but also to grow and spread in environments that would typically be fatal for healthy adult cells. Many biological states, both normal and pathological, share underlying similarities related to metabolism, the electron transport chain, and reactive species. The purpose of Part I of this review is to review the similarities among embryogenesis, mammalian adaptions to hypoxia (primarily driven by hypoxia-inducible factor-1), ischemia-reperfusion injury (and its relationship with reactive oxygen species), hibernation, diving animals, cancer, and sepsis, with a particular focus on the common characteristics that allow cells and organisms to survive in these states.
Public Response to Obamacare on Twitter.

Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called “Obamacare,” is a controversial law that has been implemented gradually since its enactment in 2010. Polls have consistently shown that public opinion of the ACA is quite negative. Objective: The aim of our study was to examine the extent to which Twitter data can be used to measure public opinion of the ACA over time. Methods: We prospectively collected a 10% random sample of daily tweets (approximately 52 million since July 2011) using Twitter’s streaming application programming interface (API) from July 10, 2011 to July 31, 2015. Using a list of key terms and ACA-specific hashtags, we identified tweets about the ACA and examined the overall volume of tweets about the ACA in relation to key ACA events. We applied standard text sentiment analysis to assign each ACA tweet a measure of positivity or negativity and compared overall sentiment from Twitter with results from the Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll. Results: Public opinion on Twitter (measured via sentiment analysis) was slightly more favorable than public opinion measured by the Kaiser poll (approximately 50% vs 40%, respectively) but trends over time in both favorable and unfavorable views were similar in both sources. The Twitter-based measures of opinion as well as the Kaiser poll changed very little over time: correlation coefficients for favorable and unfavorable public opinion were .43 and .37, respectively. However, we found substantial spikes in the volume of ACA-related tweets in response to key events in the law’s implementation, such as the first open enrollment period in October 2013 and the Supreme Court decision in June 2012. Conclusions: Twitter may be useful for tracking public opinion of health care reform as it appears to be comparable with conventional polling results. Moreover, in contrast with conventional polling, the overall amount of tweets also provides a potential indication of public interest of a particular issue at any point in time. [J Med Internet Res 2017;19(5):e167]
North American Border Challenges: terrorists/drugs/trade & American Indians

The goals for expanding economic trade within North America while fighting drug and human trafficking, as well as attempting to secure the common borders against terrorism – North America (Canada, Mexico, United States of America), under leadership of the USA, has created an environment that clearly favors capitalism often at the expense of the culture and tradition of indigenous Americans. Intended or not, the autonomy and free movement of indigenous peoples has been greatly compromised since the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on January 1, 1994 and further restricted following the terrorists attacks on the USA on September 11, 2001.
WIF-1 silencing due to promoter hypermethylation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines

1621 Aberrant activation of Wingless-type (Wnt) signaling pathway plays a critical role in oncogenesis of various human cancers. Wnt inhibitory factor-1 (WIF-1) is a secreted antagonist of Wnt signaling and acts through direct binding to Wnt in the extracelllular space. Recently, we had reported the pivotal role of Wnt signaling in non-small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, colorectal cancer, melanoma, and leukemia. Besides, we revealed WIF-1 silencing due to promoter hypermethylation in lung cancers. However, little is known regarding the Wnt signaling and WIF-1 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we found constitutive activation of Wnt signaling and WIF-1 silencing in three NPC cell lines. Furthermore, by utilizing methylation-specific PCR and sequence analysis, we demonstrated frequent hypermethylation of WIF-1 promoter correlates with WIF-1 silencing in NPC cell lines. Our results indicate aberrant Wnt signaling linked with WIF-1 silencing is, at least in cell lines, a common event in NPC carcinogenesis. Strategies targeting these molecules should be potentially promising in treating NPC.
Effect of near infrared lasers and glycated chitosan on myofibroblast differentiation and contraction

The ability to modulate myofibroblast phenotype will have an impact in wound healing, aging, cancer, and Dupuytren’s contracture development. Our project focused on investigating the effect of 808 nm laser wavelength on the presence of myofibroblast and contraction using anchored delayed release collagen lattice models. Fibroblast cells were cultured and suspended in collagen lattices in the presence or absence of glycated chitosan (GC) to mimic a wound healing environment in-vitro. The cells were allowed to generate maximum tension for 6 days followed by laser light stimulation. The total number of cells and presence of fibroblast proliferation and differentiation into myofibroblasts was determined using immunostaining followed by fluorescent microscope photography. Lattice tension generation was assessed by releasing the lattices from their anchorage and measuring their diameters. Control lattices contracted more than GC lattices. Myofibroblast differentiation was slightly higher in the control group. Repeats of the experiment are needed to confirm our results to determine if near infra-red laser radiation can be applied to treat open wounds and study tumor stromas.
Decreasing an Offloading Device’s Size and Offsetting Its Imposed Limb-Length Discrepancy Lead to Improved Comfort and Gait

OBJECTIVE Patient adherence is a challenge in offloading diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) with removable cast walkers (RCWs). The size and weight of an RCW, changes to gait, and imposed limb-length discrepancies may all discourage adherence. This study sought to determine whether RCW size and provision of a contralateral limb lift affected users’ comfort and gait. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty-five individuals at risk for DFUs completed several 20-m walking trials under five footwear conditions: bilateral standardized shoes, a knee-high RCW with shoe with or without an external shoe lift contralaterally, and an ankle-high RCW with shoe with or without an external shoe lift contralaterally. Perceived comfort ratings were assessed through the use of visual analog scales. Spatial and temporal parameters of gait were captured by an instrumented walkway, and plantar pressure was measured and recorded using pedobarographic insoles. RESULTS The bilateral shoes condition was reported to be most comfortable; both RCW conditions without the lift were significantly less comfortable ( P P P P P = 0.01), but it also reduced offloading in multiple forefoot regions of the offloaded foot (3.7–6.0%; P CONCLUSIONS Improved comfort and gait were associated with the ankle-high RCW and contralateral limb lift. Providing this combination to patients with active DFUs may increase offloading adherence and subsequently improve healing.
Stability Analysis of Double-Diffusive Convection in Porous Enclosures

The stability of double-diffusive convection and finite-amplitude flows, due to opposing gradients of temperature and solute, in an inclined rectangular porous enclosure are studied analytically and numerically. The Darcy model and Boussinesq approximations are adopted to describe the double-diffusive convective flows within the enclosure. The governing equations are solved numerically using a finite element method. A closed-form analytical solution is derived on the basis of the parallel flow approximation within an infinite porous layer subject to constant fluxes of heat and solute. To study the linear stability of the diffusive state and of the fully-developed flows, a numerical technique is derived on the basis of the finite element method. The thresholds for subcritical, oscillatory, and monotonic convection are determined as functions of the governing parameters for different thermal and solutal boundary conditions and inclination angles. In a confined enclosure, the threshold for stationary convection depends on the solutal Rayleigh number, the inclination angle, and the thermal and solutal boundary conditions type. The threshold for oscillatory convection shows a strong dependence on all the governing parameters. For an infinite layer, the wavelength was found to be a function of the governing parameters. Within the overstable regime, traveling waves are also possible in horizontal and vertical enclosures, especially when the enclosure is subject to Dirichlet thermal and solutal boundary conditions. Below the threshold of overstability, subcritical convective flows were found to exist. Far from criticality, the threshold for Hopf bifurcation, which characterizes the transition from steady to oscillatory flows, is predicted. Multiple confined steady and unsteady states are found to coexist for a given set of the governing parameters. Within the parallel flow approximation, good agreement is found between the analytical results and the numerical solution of the full governing equations.
Portable Programming with RAPID

As the hardware found within data centers becomes more heterogeneous, it is important to allow for efficient execution of algorithms across architectures. We present RAPID, a high-level programming language and combined imperative and declarative model for functionally- and performance-portable execution of sequential pattern-matching applications across CPUs, GPUs, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and Micron’s D480 AP. RAPID is clear, maintainable, concise, and efficient both at compile and run time. Language features, such as code abstraction and parallel control structures, map well to pattern-matching problems, providing clarity and maintainability. For generation of efficient runtime code, we present algorithms to convert RAPID programs into finite automata. Our empirical evaluation of applications in the ANMLZoo benchmark suite demonstrates that the automata processing paradigm provides an abstraction that is portable across architectures. We evaluate RAPID programs against custom, baseline implementations previously demonstrated to be significantly accelerated. We also find that RAPID programs are much shorter in length, are expressible at a higher level of abstraction than their handcrafted counterparts, and yield generated code that is often more compact.
Hepatic mitochondrial adaptations to physical activity: impact of sexual dimorphism, PGC1α and BNIP3-mediated mitophagy.

Key points Hepatic mitochondrial adaptations to physical activity may be regulated by mitochondrial biogenesis (PGC1α) and mitophagy (BNIP3). Additionally, these adaptations may be sex-dependent. Chronic increase in physical activity lowers basal mitochondrial respiratory capacity in mice. Female mice have higher hepatic electron transport system protein content, elevated respiratory capacity, lowered mitophagic flux, and emit less mitochondrial H2 O2 independent of physical activity. Males require chronic daily physical activity to attain a similar mitochondrial phenotype compared to females. In contrast, females have limited hepatic adaptations to chronic physical activity. Livers deficient in PGC1α and BNIP3 display similar mitochondrial adaptations to physical activity to those found in wild-type mice. Abstract Hepatic mitochondrial adaptations to physical activity may be regulated by biogenesis- and mitophagy-associated pathways in a sex-dependent manner. Here, we tested if mice with targeted deficiencies in liver-specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC1α; LPGC1α+/- ) and BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa protein-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3)-mediated mitophagy (BNIP3-/- ) would have reduced physical activity-induced adaptations in respiratory capacity, H2 O2 emission and mitophagy compared to wild-type (WT) controls and if these effects were impacted by sex. Male and female WT, LPGC1α+/- and BNIP3-/- C57BL6/J mice were divided into groups that remained sedentary or had access to daily physical activity via voluntary wheel running (VWR) (n = 6-10/group) for 4 weeks. Mice had ad libitum access to low-fat diet and water. VWR reduced basal mitochondrial respiration, increased mitochondrial coupling and altered ubiquitin-mediated mitophagy in a sex-specific manner in WT mice. Female mice of all genotypes displayed higher electron transport system content, displayed increased ADP-stimulated respiration, produced less mitochondrially derived reactive oxygen species, exhibited reduced mitophagic flux, and were less responsive to VWR compared to males. Males responded more robustly to VWR-induced changes in hepatic mitochondrial function resulting in a match to adaptations found in females. Deficiencies in PGC1α and BNIP3 alone did not largely alter mitochondrial adaptations to VWR. However, VWR restored sex-dependent abnormalities in mitophagic flux in LPGC1α+/- . Finally, BNIP3-/- mice had elevated mitochondrial content and increased mitochondrial respiration putatively through repressed mitophagic flux. In conclusion, hepatic mitochondrial adaptations to physical activity are more dependent on sex than PGC1α and BNIP3.
Unusual complication of a percutaneous gastrostomy tube

Percutaneous Gastrostomy (PEG) tube is an endoscopic-guided procedure to provide enteral nutrition, medications and/or fluids to patients with oral or esophageal pathologies. PEG tubes are a relatively safe intervention but commonly known to have complications like insertion site infection, tube leakage, and tube blockage. This was an unusual case in which the PEG tube was discovered to be obstructing the third part of the duodenum after migration resulting in mechanical gastric obstruction with septic shock and severe hemodynamic instability. PEG induced gastric obstruction is often misdiagnosed during a triage due to the atypical presentation of this condition leading to aggressive management, testing and consultations. PEG dependent patients have rapidly increased over the years and a complete physical examination of the PEG site should be performed by all physicians in order to prevent related complications.
Seals, Empires and Mass Politics: The 1893 Fur Seal Arbitration

The 1893 Paris Arbitration sought to resolve an ecological crisis in the North Pacific Fur Seal population that had become an economic and political crisis. Overlapping webs of capital, identity an...
Plastic-Energy Dissipation in Pressure-Dependent Materials

AbstractA thermodynamics-based energy analysis approach for pressure-dependent materials is presented. Formulation of plastic free energy and plastic dissipation for the nonassociated Drucker-Prage...
Advection diffusion model for gas transport within a packed bed of JSC-1A regolith simulant

Abstract The advection diffusion model was evaluated for gas transport within a packed bed of lunar JSC-1A regolith simulant at low to medium total pressures over three flow regimes: (1) the slip flow (2) transition and (3) Knudsen regimes. These regimes are pertinent to the design of H2O extraction devices for in-situ resource utilization, sampling missions, and surface science. Experiments were conducted over a range of average pressures of 100 to 25,000 Pa, corresponding to Knudsen numbers between 0.01 and 100 at ambient temperature with Ar and N2. Non-condensing gases were evaluated to isolate key flow properties as a first step towards evaluating more complex H2O flows. Experimental results were coupled to physical models, and key properties were evaluated to assess the model fit. The experimental results in the transition regime followed the expected behavior based on similar work for microchannel flow and showed that advection is not negligible for transition regime flows. The advection diffusion model in the transition regime fit the results for Knudsen numbers less than unity, and showed the need to further develop gas slip models for Knudsen numbers greater than unity. Parameters necessary to define were the porosity, tortuosity, wall diameter of the regolith medium, and the gas slip parameter was key in determining the gas-specific transport rate.
Two Muslim converts to Catholicism in Arabic sources, 1656-1667

This paper examines Arabic documents about the conversion of two Muslim captives between 1656 and 1667: Muḥammad al-Tāzī (Baldassare de Mandes) and Bil-Ghayth al-Drāwī (Francesco Medici). They show...
Online Planning for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Performing Information Gathering Tasks in Large Subsea Environments

We present an anytime Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) algorithm to generate real-time, near-optimal search paths in large subsea environments. The MCTS planner continuously builds a tree of the search space until either the allowed time per move is reached or the budget constraint for the search mission is met. In order to improve the performance of the MCTS planner, we propose a novel heuristic action selection policy to determine the value of a leaf node. The proposed heuristic is tailored to problems where making a turn incurs a higher cost than moving straight, such as the case on autonomous underwater vehicles. Through extensive simulations, we show that our heuristic yields a significant performance improvement over a lawnmover path planner – a commonly employed approach in subsea search applications – and over a simple MCTS planner where actions are selected uniformly at random. In our numerical illustrations, we use a real data set abstracted from sonar measurements acquired from the Boston Harbor.
Building from the Inside Out: Librarians as Nodes in Digital Scholarship Collaboratories

This chapter discusses the challenges confronting librarians in their efforts to collaborate with humanities and social science scholars in data-driven research. Describing her own recent work in training initiatives, Green sets out strategies that librarians can use to reconceptualize their roles in the contemporary research lifecycle.
Internally quenched fluorogenic probe provides selective and rapid detection of cathepsin L activity

Cathepsin L (CTL) is a cysteine protease that demonstrates upregulated activity and/or altered trafficking during disease states such as cancer. The overlapping substrate specificity of cathepsin family members makes selective detection of activity from a single cathepsin difficult, and CTL activity is particularly difficult to parse from its close homologue CTV and the ubiquitous CTB. Despite this, screening campaigns have explored the extended chemical space in the cathepsin binding sites and identified unique substrate structures that offer selectivity for one enzyme over others. In this vein, we present CTLAP, a fluorogenic probe that is rapidly activated by CTL and displays good selectivity over CTB and CTV, the closest competing analytes for CTL activity probes. CTLAP exhibits intrinsically low background fluorescence, which we attribute to possible self-quenching mechanisms. CTLAP demonstrates markedly higher turn-on ratios (24-fold) and moderately improved enzyme selectivity compared to Z-FR-AMC (10-fold turn-on ratio), a commercially available CTL-selective probe commonly used to detect CTL activity in mixed samples. Optimum selectivity for CTL is achieved within 10 min of incubation with the enzyme, suggesting that CTLAP is amenable for rapid detection of CTL, even in the presence of competing cathepsins.
Insiders' Stories: Coping with Newsroom Stress: An Historical Perspective

Abstract Journalists often complain about stress, but stress in the newsroom is not new. Earlier generations of journalists also endured it and received no help for it. This study explores how early journalists coped with stress through an historical analysis of autobiographies, biographies, and magazine articles written by and about early U.S. newspaper reporters and editors. Results reveal that early journalists blamed nine factors for their stress and responded to the stress in four primary ways.
Novel Machine-Learned Approach for COVID-19 Resource Allocation: A Tool for Evaluating Community Susceptibility

Abstract Despite worldwide efforts to develop an effective COVID vaccine, it is quite evident that initial supplies will be limited. Therefore, it is important to develop methods that will ensure that the COVID vaccine is allocated to the people who are at major risk until there is a sufficient global supply. Herein, I developed a machine-learning tool that could be applied to assess the risk in communities based on social, medical, and lifestyle risk factors. As a “proof of concept,” I modeled COVID risk in the Massachusetts communities using 29 risk factors, including the prevalence of preexisting comorbid conditions like COPD and social factors such as racial composition. Of the 29 factors, 14 were found to be significant (p
T Cells Actively Infiltrate the White Matter of the Aging Monkey Brain in Relation to Increased Microglial Reactivity and Cognitive Decline

Normal aging is characterized by declines in processing speed, learning, memory, and executive function even in the absence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). In normal aging monkeys and humans, neuronal loss does not account for cognitive impairment. Instead, loss of white matter volume and an accumulation of myelin sheath pathology begins in middle age and is associated with cognitive decline. It is unknown what causes this myelin pathology, but it likely involves increased neuroinflammation in white matter and failures in oligodendrocyte function (maturation and repair). In frontal white matter tracts vulnerable to myelin damage, microglia become chronically reactive and secrete harmful pro-inflammatory cytokines. Despite being in a phagocytic state, these microglia are ineffective at phagocytosing accruing myelin debris, which directly inhibits myelin sheath repair. Here, we asked whether reported age-related increases in pro-inflammatory markers were accompanied by an adaptive immune response involving T cells. We quantified T cells with immunohistochemistry in the brains of 34 cognitively characterized monkeys and found an age-related increase in perivascular T cells that surround CNS vasculature. We found a surprising age-related increase in T cells that infiltrate the white matter parenchyma. In the cingulum bundle the percentage of these parenchymal T cells increased with age relative to those in the perivascular space. In contrast, infiltrating T cells were rarely found in surrounding gray matter regions. We assessed whether T cell infiltration correlated with fibrinogen extravasation from the vasculature as a measure of BBB leakiness and found no correlation, suggesting that T cell infiltration is not a result of passive extravasation. Importantly, the density of T cells in the cingulum bundle correlated with microglial reactivity and with cognitive impairment. This is the first demonstration that T cell infiltration of white matter is associated with cognitive decline in the normal aging monkey.
Welfare Implications in Intermediary Networks

Competitive pressures have forced many traditional companies to evolve into a platform-based business model. Trade commissions and even supreme courts recognize the need for economic analysis as th...
Rheological variability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

A current trend in biofilm research uses viscoelasticity to evaluate biological mechanisms used to adapt to environmental changes. However, due to un-quantified variability in mechanical properties, it is difficult to make comparisons between different growth conditions, strains, or species. To interpret biofilm viscoelasticity requires understanding its statistical variance divorced from experimental technique. In this work, 23 P. aeruginosa biofilms at air/water interfaces are characterized using an interfacial rheometer. This provides the least disturbance to the biofilm, allowing a truer sense of biological variability. Experiments were conducted in 3 sets in 2 different labs. Moduli varied 1 order of magnitude within a single set. Statistical analysis confirms that under seemingly identical growth conditions, viscoelastic moduli were different based on experiment location, which is attributed to minor changes in ambient conditions. Understanding this variance will lead to a better evaluation and comparison of biofilm formation in future studies.
Audit Committee Accounting Expertise and Audit Quality – the Case of Going-Concern Opinions

This study examines whether audit committee accounting expertise and other audit committee characteristics promote or deter the likelihood of receiving going-concern reports from the auditors and whether such characteristics shield auditors from dismissals after the issuance of a going-concern report. The study finds no significant association between the likelihood of a going-concern report and audit committee accounting expertise or other audit committee characteristics. No significant association is also found for auditor dismissals following going-concern reports and audit committee accounting expertise. These results contrast with prior literature that examined data preceding the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (hereafter SOX) or the period immediately thereafter. Additional analysis shows that audit committee accounting expertise is found to improve the information in going-concern audit opinions by reducing Type I errors, however. Overall, these findings shed light on the evolving role of audit committees in overseeing the auditors and have implications for regulators interested in improving audit quality and investors interested in improving the effectiveness of audit committees.
Voices from the rooms and programs: recovery capital speaks

People recovering from substance use disorders have a variety of options from which to choose to help them achieve their goal of sobriety. Often, they seek the assistance of peer- run 12-step progr...
Single-cell sequencing of the Drosophila embryonic heart and muscle cells during differentiation and maturation

The developing Drosophila heart consists of cardioblasts that differentiate into different types of cardiomyocytes and pericardial cells. A large body of work has identified numerous genes and pathways involved in heart specification and differentiation, downstream of cardiac transcription factors, such as Tinman (NKX2-5) and Dorsocross1/2/3 (TBX5). The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) technology allowed us for the first time to describe the transcriptome of different cardiac cell types in the Drosophila model at high resolution. Here, we applied scRNAseq on sorted cells of late-stage Drosophila embryos expressing a cardiac GFP reporter. We find distinct expression profiles of cardioblasts as they mature to cardiomyocytes, as well as discretely clustering pericardial cells, including a set expressing Tinman that potentially assist in heart morphogenesis. In addition, we describe other cell types that were sequenced as by-catch due to low but distinct extracardiac expression of the GFP reporter. Our studies on wildtype cardioblasts will be the foundation for investigating developmental profiles in mutant backgrounds and for generating gene regulatory networks at single-cell resolution during cardiogenesis.
Two Mechanisms of Scapular Winging Visualized in a Patient With Parsonage-Turner Syndrome.

A 29-year-old man presented 4 months after acute onset of pain followed by bilateral shoulder weakness (video 1). He was undergoing intense police academy training at the time of onset. Left shoulder/cervical MRIs shortly after symptom onset were normal. EMG at 4 months showed widespread reinnervation changes of the proximal right upper extremity, pronounced in the serratus anterior. There were widespread reinnervation changes of the proximal left upper extremity, pronounced in the trapezius. Fourteen months after the onset of symptoms, and following intensive physical therapy, the patient showed significant improvement in bilateral shoulder function but still notable right medial scapular winging.1,2
Household Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation is Associated With Higher Fruit and Vegetable Consumption.

Abstract Objective Examine whether differences were present by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation in dietary patterns, achievement of dietary recommendations, and food security for children (aged 7–18 years) receiving free/reduced-price school meals. Methods Cross-sectional study. Caregiver–child dyads at a pediatric clinic completed validated surveys. Food security, dietary patterns, and achievement of dietary recommendations were compared between child SNAP participants/nonparticipants. Results Among 205 caregivers, 128 (62.4%) reported SNAP participation. Percentages of child SNAP participants/nonparticipants meeting recommendations were largely nonsignificantly different and overwhelmingly low. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants reported higher mean daily servings of vegetables (P = 0.01) and fruits (P = 0.01) than nonparticipants. Caregiver-reported household food security was not significantly different between SNAP participants and nonparticipants (P = 0.44). Conclusions and Implications In this study, child-reported fruit/vegetable intakes were significantly higher among SNAP participants than nonparticipants, suggesting child SNAP participants may experience small but noteworthy benefits related to fruit/vegetable consumption. Additional supports are needed to achieve dietary recommendations.
Art After Property

“Property” is not a term commonly invoked in art, an odd rhetorical absence given the prevalence of appropriation, practices that exploit the fictive quality of authorship via the readymade and ephemeral strategies supplanting objects of art for administrative paperwork. Among artist activists, calls abound for greater control over their works once transferred or sold, yet these desires are rarely named property rights. Where the term “property” does appear, it is often with suspicion or antagonism, leaving the articulation of artists’ interests conflicted, and other desired forms of “ownership” underexplored. Property theory does little better in its account of art. In legal writing, artworks and artistic labour are referenced as examples of unresolvable paradoxes under common law. Art can be revered as a public good, and yet can also run wild as a speculative commodity just like any other form of private property benefitting private interest. Artists participate in the alienation of their work via transfer and sale, and yet they are also granted exceptional legal protections that allow for some continued involvement in its future, rendering them categorically outside of any standard rubric of the relationship between sellers, owners and their things. But perhaps the incommensurability of “art” and “property” reveals more than any clear relationship could. At the very least, their mutually impassioned incompatibility indicates that the fraught ideas of art and of property for either field might lead us towards other frameworks for resisting and reconsidering their accepted norms. This article examines these concerns in the work of artists Kenneth Pietrobono and Charles Simonds.
On the Implicit Biases of Architecture & Gradient Descent.

Do neural networks generalise because of bias in the functions returned by gradient descent, or bias already present in the network architecture? Por qu\'e no los dos? This paper finds that while typical networks that fit the training data already generalise fairly well, gradient descent can further improve generalisation by selecting networks with a large margin. This conclusion is based on a careful study of the behaviour of infinite width networks trained by Bayesian inference and finite width networks trained by gradient descent. To measure the implicit bias of architecture, new technical tools are developed to both analytically bound and consistently estimate the average test error of the neural network--Gaussian process (NNGP) posterior. This error is found to be already better than chance, corroborating the findings of Valle-P\'erez et al. (2019) and underscoring the importance of architecture. Going beyond this result, this paper finds that test performance can be substantially improved by selecting a function with much larger margin than is typical under the NNGP posterior. This highlights a curious fact: minimum a posteriori functions can generalise best, and gradient descent can select for those functions. In summary, new technical tools suggest a nuanced portrait of generalisation involving both the implicit biases of architecture and gradient descent. Code for this paper is available at: https://github.com/jxbz/implicit-bias/.
Reflective course construction: An analysis of student feedback and its role in curricular design

This study uses formal and informal student feedback as a source for understanding the impact of experimental course elements. Responses were used to develop a codebook, which was then applied to the entire dataset. The results inform our understanding of student’s conceptions of professional identity, learning styles and curriculum design. The study found that professional identity (both their own and peers/instructors) is a lens through which students view course content and structure. In turn, this study found that this lens was useful in understanding feedback related to curricular content and structure. It also found that the coding process provided a mechanism to explore student learning style preferences even though students rarely overtly statements regarding their learning styles. The study generated a coding framework that can be applied to a wide range student feedback and used this framework to bring together formal (e.g. end of term) and informal (e.g. recurring weekly but unstructured) feedback.
New Horizons: Cognitive and Narrative Approaches to US Ethnic and Postcolonial Film, Animation, Graphic Novel, and the Arts

Introduction on issue 'New Horizons in the Analysis of US Ethnic and Postcolonial Film and Animation Narrative'.
Electric Breakdown in Semiconductors

The sections in this article are 1 Zener Breakdown and Zener Diode 2 Breakdown in Junction Transistors 3 Breakdown Devices
Controlled Formation of Self-assembled Nanostructures with Desired Geometries: Robust Dynamic Paths to Robust Desired Structures

Abstract This paper discusses the design principles underlying the controlled formation of nanostructures with desired geometries through a hybrid top-down and bottom-up approach: top-down formation of the physical domains with externally-imposed controls and bottom-up self-assembly of the nanoscale particles to form the desired structure. We propose a two-phase approach for this design problem. The first phase guarantees a robust desired structure, and the second allows the desired structure to be reachable from any initial particle distribution in the physical domain. Both phases require the solution of combinatorially-constrained quadratic optimization problems. The dynamics of the self-assembly process is described through a multiresolution view of the system. Crucial to the achievement of the design goals is the need to break the ergodicity of the system.
Looking back at the service delivery models of sex education in the United States: Adults with visual impairments report on their experiences:

This study investigated the sex education experiences of adults with visual impairments who attended either an itinerant or residential service delivery model during their school age years in the U...
G. Heinsohn and O. Steiger's Ownership Economics: On the Foundations of Interest, Money, Markets, Business Cycles and Economic Development

Frank Decker provides an introduction to the vast work of Gunnar Heinsohn and Otto Steiger in this first English edition. Ownership Economics (Eigentumsokonomik) is a condensed version of Heinsohn and Steiger’s Ownership, Interest and Money: Unresolved Mysteries in Economic Theory (Eigentum, Zins, und Geld: Ungeloste Probleme der Wirtschaftswissenschaft). As such, it is perhaps best suited for those academics unfamiliar with the arguments of Heinsohn and Steiger.