cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wendell Berry and the Limits of Populism

For decades the Kentucky writer and farmer Wendell Berry has offered wide-ranging comments on how people ought to live on land, particularly in working landscapes dominated by farms and forests. In his diagnosis of contemporary land-use and environmental problems Berry points his finger chiefly at American culture and at institutions that reflect today's prevailing, flawed cultural values. Berry is rightly viewed as the preeminent figure in an important strand of conservation writing increasingly known as agrarianism (defined in a way quite different from the radical, land redistribution meaning that the term once conveyed). This essay is drawn from the first wide-ranging study of Berry's thought, edited by English professor Jason Peters and recently published by the University Press of Kentucky. It compares Berry's thought with three significant strands of political and cultural criticism - Marxism, civic republicanism, and the economic liberalism known as Jacksonian democracy. Berry's writing features strong similarities with these three bodies of thought yet he deviates significantly from them by rejecting their respective theories of progress. The difficulty with Berry's work is that, while perceptive in his cultural criticism, he has no plausible theory by which beneficial change might take place, particularly in institutions. He sees needs for institutional change yet offers no advice on how it might happen. In that regard, Berry's thinking offers clear parallels with Populist thought in late nineteenth-century America, before the coming of the more narrowly focused, politically successful reform efforts labeled as Progressivism.
The Politics of Pleasure: Female Sexual Appetite in the Hippocratic Corpus

Foucault was mistaken to view the ancient Greek expectation of female sexual behavior along the lines he developed for their expectation of male sexual behavior. To the Greek mind one of the main dangers to a man's health was too much sexual activity. For women the threat tended to lie in too little intercourse, which could cause her womb to dry out and wander to more moist parts of her anatomy. On the surface this theory looks like a completely male-derived strategy to ensure that women acceded to intercourse even if they felt no desire for it. However, in the context of ancient Greece, where it was acceptable for a married man to have several different sexual outlets, it could also serve to allow a wife to insist on sexual attention from her husband without herself appearing lascivious.
Polynucleotide ligase activity in adenovirus-infected human embryonic kidney cell cultures.

SummaryCell-free extracts prepared from human embryonic kidney (HEK) cultures after infection with adenovirus 2 or 12 had a decreased ability to repair single-strand breaks in the HEK cell DNA substrate. The apparent loss of polynucleotide ligase activity found in infected cells may be related to the adenovirus-induced inhibition of HEK cell DNA synthesis.
Comparison of the P300 and Other Workload Assessment Techniques in a Simulated Flight Task

Emerging cockpit technologies, such as graphical weather information systems, frequently shift perceptual demands from auditory to visual channels. Establishing methods of comparing the mental workload required by visual versus auditory displays within multitask environments is critical to maintaining aviation safety. Toward this end, the current investigation used a secondary task paradigm to compare physiological (i.e. peak amplitude and peak latency of the P300 ERP component), subjective and behavioral performance measures of mental workload required by a visual and auditory flight task. Participants flew a simulated flight path scenario while responding to either single or multiple auditory and text-based ATC commands and performing a visual or auditory detection task. Results indicate the P300 component, detection accuracy, response time and TLX ratings were sensitive to the presence or absence of the primary flight task. Accuracy and response time distinguished between single and multiple task comma...
Drag Prediction for Supersonic Hydrogen-Fueled Airliners

Improved payload ratio more than compensates for the drag penalty associated with the low density of liquid hydrogen for supersonic airliner operation, if this factor is included at the conceptual design stage. With rising costs of hydrocarbon fuels, and carbon emissions, and the dramatic changes in the demographics and economics of global demand for longdistance air travel, supersonic hydrogen-fueled airliners are becoming viable. Conservative arguments suggest that with a suitable cruise Mach number and altitude, hydrogen-fueled airliners can achieve seat-mile costs. The fleet size and number of routes are much larger than those projected in the 1980s when the market was restricted to western hemisphere transoceanic executive travel. Radically different configurations may be appropriate. Estimation of cruise wave drag is a crucial but cumbersome step in the conceptual design iteration for such configurations. A convenient alternative is sought for wave drag optimization, by integrating popular computer-aided design software with the drag estimation process. As a first step the paper uses Mach cone intersections rather than the classical technique of integrating over flat planes at different orientations. This method is validated against classical results for non-lifting bodies and then against wing-body configurations, and shown to yield accuracies similar to those of the classical flat Mach plane method, with substantially lower cost and effort.
A Presumed Wild Hybrid Baldpate × Eurasian Wigeon

A drake wigeon with characters intermediate between those of the Baldpate or American Wigeon (Anas americana) and the Eurasian Wigeon (A. penelope) was obtained in Florida by George N. Lawrence in 1845 and became part of the Smithsonian Institution collection (USNM 10376) in 1858. No further data are available for the specimen, but it was presumably a wild bird. This historically important specimen has been mentioned at least five times in the North American literature. When collected it was probably the second North American record of a Eurasian Wigeon but was never so reported. The first American specimen was shot on Long Island in 1842 and may not have been preserved (G. N. Lawrence reported to Giraud, 1844: 309). The Florida specimen was described as a typical "Mareca penelope" by Baird et al. (1860: 785), but Figure 2, plate 91 (plate 14 of original 1858 edition) was apparently colored from a proper penelope "specimen in Mus. Phila. Acad." according to the hand-written annotation in Baird's personal copy in the Smithsonian Institution. Its americana-like characters were mentioned briefly without comment by Baird et al. (1884: 518). It was cited as a Florida distributional record by Hasbrouck (1944) and by Howell (1932: 135) who was later quoted by Sprunt (1954: 65). The Baldpate and Eurasian Wigeon are closely related. The drakes look superficially alike except for head color. Some females are very difficult to separate. The characters of the intermediate drake are compared with those of A. americana and A. penelope drakes in Table 1. The intermediacy of the Florida bird suggests that it may be of hybrid origin. If so, and if it was wild, this constitutes only the second known wild hybrid between these two species. The cross is frequently produced in captivity and the hybrids are fertile (Gray, 1958: 18) but Bailey's (1919) presumed hybrid drake from Virginia is apparently the only other wild hybrid recorded. Both A. americana and A. penelope vary individually in head color and amount of gray on the axillaries. Out of 44 male Baldpates examined in the U. S. National Museum, 3 have a suggestion of buffish or cream on the cheeks or forehead. One drake A. americana taken in Currituck Sound, Virginia in 1931 (USNM 325414) approaches the Eurasian Wigeon in having both crown and cheeks cream, the latter very lightly speckled with black, and heavy black markings on the throat. It has the broad green
ERCC1 expression affects outcome in metastatic pancreatic carcinoma treated with FOLFIRINOX: A single institution analysis.

// Antonia Strippoli 1 , Sabrina Rossi 1 , Maurizio Martini 2 , Michele Basso 1 , Ettore D’Argento 1 , Giovanni Schinzari 1 , Rosalba Barile 1 , Alessandra Cassano 1 , Carlo Barone 1 1 Department of Medical Oncology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy 2 Department of Pathology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy Correspondence to: Sabrina Rossi, e-mail: sbrn.rossi85@gmail.com Keywords: metastatic pancreatic cancer, oxaliplatin sensitivity, ERCC1, survival, response to treatment Received: March 02, 2016 Accepted: April 10, 2016 Published: April 27, 2016 ABSTRACT Introduction: No clinically useful predictive factor has been yet identified for treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC). It is noteworthy that FOLFIRINOX, despite its high toxicity, is effective only in some patients. We retrospectively analyzed expression of excision repair cross-complementing group-1 (ERCC1) - involved in the repair of platinum induced damage - in patients affected by mPC treated with FOLFIRINOX in order to evaluate its predictive role. Results: FOLFIRINOX resulted more effective in patients with normal ERCC1 levels than in those with ERCC1 hyper-expression. Median progression free survival (PFS) was 11 vs. 4 months (HR 0.26; 95% CI 0.14-0.50; p<.0001), median overall survival (OS) 16 vs. 8 months (HR 0.23; 95% CI 0.12-0.46; p<.0001) and disease control rate (DCR) 93% vs. 50% (p=0.00006). The advantage was confirmed at univariate and multivariate analysis. Patients and Methods: 71 patients with histologically proven mPC and treated with FOLFIRINOX as first-line therapy were considered eligible. mRNA ERCC1 expression was determined using RT-PCR analysis. Discussion: ERCC1 might be an effective predictor of response to FOLFIRINOX in mPC. Patients overexpressing ERCC1 should be excluded by this often toxic therapy and referred to an alternative treatment.
Anti-oxidative effect of the mixed Powder of Marine Collagen Peptides and soybean peptides

Objective To investigate the anti-oxidative effect of the powder of marine collagen peptides and soybean peptides in aging mice.Methods Healthy female aging mice were divided into five groups randomly:negative group,vitamin E control group,low dose group,middle dose group and high dose group(12 mice in each group).0.833 g/kg BW,1.667 g/kg BW and 2.500 g/kg BW of this powder was given to the mice in low,middle,high dose group respectively.vit E 0.2 g/kg BW and double distilled water were given to the mice in vitamin E control group and negative control groups respectively.After 30 days,animal weight,the level of malondialdehyde(MDA) in 1% hemolytic blood,protein carbonyl in serum were measured;the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) in liver,glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) in 1% hemolytic blood,glutathion(GSH) in serum and liver were also determined.Results After given this mixed powder for 30 days,the animal weight in all groups had no remarkable change(P0.05);the content of MDA in middle and high dose group decreased significantly(P0.01);the protein carbonyl in high dose group decreased(P0.05);the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in low dose group increased evidently(P0.05),the level of GSH had no difference in all the groups with different doses(P0.05).Conclusions The powder of marine collagen peptides and soybean peptides can enhance anti-oxidative ability in mice.
In vitro fertilization, culture, and transfer of rabbit ova.

Ovulated rabbit oocytes were fertilized in vitro in chemically defined media supplemented with bovine serum albumin and either cultured up to the expanding blastocyst stage or transferred to recipients after varying periods of culture. Embryos transferred after up to 72 hours of in vitro culture were born as viable young. Oocytes from young virgin does were superior to oocytes from nonvirgin does for the purpose of in vitro fertilization (54% versus 26% fertilized, P
Performance Assessment, Policy, Privatization, and Professionalization in English Teacher Education

This chapter addresses the intersection of professionalization, policy, performance assessment, and privatization in English teacher education, beginning with the development of content area and professional standards in English language arts. Following this historical contextualization, a brief review of performance assessment in English language arts leads into a discussion of the affordances and constraints of performance assessment in English teacher education, highlighting the tensions that arise at the intersection of policy, privatization, and professionalization, as exemplified in the initial efforts to implement the edTPA in response to state mandates. Beyond addressing the impact of mandated performance assessment in English teacher education, the author examines the ways in which expectations of preservice teachers in teacher preparation programs also affect curriculum and pedagogy (and ultimately students) across a wide range of classroom contexts.
Hawthorne's life

Born on the Fourth of July in 1804, Nathaniel Hawthorne ranks with Herman Melville, Henry James, and Mark Twain among the best nineteenth-century American male novelists. Hawthorne grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, and Puritan history provided him with the background for many of his later fictional works, such as “The Gentle Boy” (1832), “Alice Doane's Appeal” (1835), “Young Goodman Brown” (1835), “The May-Pole of Merry Mount” (1836), “The Man of Adamant” (1837), “Endicott and the Red Cross” (1838), and of course The Scarlet Letter (actually set in Boston during the 1640s). In this novel of a Puritan community's marking and punishing of Hester Prynne, Hawthorne provided us with a reference point for understanding many twentieth-century examples of scapegoating and social ostracism. Hawthorne's sea-captain father died at sea when he was only four, and he was raised by his mother and her family, the Mannings. When his mother moved to Raymond, Maine, in 1819, he stayed in Salem with his uncle's family and did not see her for two years. He entered Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in the fall of 1821 at the age of seventeen. He was not a stellar student. Shortly after his matriculation, he wrote his uncle William that the “Laws of the College are not at all too strict, and I do not have to study near so hard as I did in Salem” (15: 155). Hawthorne did find some rules “repugnant” – especially those involving religion.
Bacteriophage T4 Infection of Stationary Phase E. coli: Life after Log from a Phage Perspective.

Virtually all studies of phage infections investigate bacteria growing exponentially in rich media. In nature, however, phages largely encounter non-growing cells. Bacteria entering stationary phase often activate well-studied stress defense mechanisms that drastically alter the cell, facilitating its long-term survival. An understanding of phage-host interactions in such conditions is of major importance from both an ecological and therapeutic standpoint. Here, we show that bacteriophage T4 can efficiently bind to, infect and kill E. coli in stationary phase, both in the presence and absence of a functional stationary-phase sigma factor, and explore the response of T4-infected stationary phase cells to the addition of fresh nutrients 5 or 24 hours after that infection. An unexpected new mode of response has been identified. “Hibernation” mode is a persistent but reversible dormant state in which the infected cells make at least some phage enzymes, but halt phage development until appropriate nutrients become available before producing phage particles. Our evidence indicates that the block in hibernation mode occurs after the middle-mode stage of phage development; host DNA breakdown and the incorporation of the released nucleotides into phage DNA indicate that the enzymes of the nucleotide synthesizing complex, under middle-mode control, have been made and assembled into a functional state. Once fresh glucose and amino acids become available, the standard lytic infection process rapidly resumes and concentrations of up to 1011 progeny phage (an average of about 40 phage per initially-present cell) are produced. All evidence is consistent with the hibernation-mode control point lying between middle mode and late mode T4 gene expression. We have also observed a “scavenger” response, where the infecting phage takes advantage of whatever few nutrients are available to produce small quantities of progeny within 2 to 5 hours after infection. The scavenger response seems able to produce no more than an average of one phage per originally-available cell, and few if any further progeny are produced by cells in this mode even if fresh nutrients are made available later.
Mesothelioma from asbestos exposures: Epidemiologic patterns and impact in the United States

Mesothelioma, a rare tumor, is highly correlated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma, similar to all asbestos-related diseases, is dose/intensity dependent to some degree, and studies showed the risk of mesothelioma rises with cumulative exposures. Multiple processes occur in an individual before mesothelioma occurs. The impact of mesothelioma in the United States has been continuous over the last half century, claiming between 2,000 and 3,000 lives each year. Mesothelioma is a preventable tumor that is more frequently reported as associated with asbestos exposure among men than women. However, the rate of asbestos-associated mesothelioma is on the rise among women due to better investigation into their histories of asbestos exposure. It is of interest that investigators detected asbestos-associated cases of mesothelioma in women from nonoccupational sources-that is, bystander, incidental, or take-home exposures. It is postulated that asbestos-associated mesotheliomas, in both men and women, are likely underreported. However, with the implementation of the most recent ICD-10 coding system, the correlation of mesothelioma with asbestos exposure is expected to rise to approximately 80% in the United States. This study examined the demographic and etiological nature of asbestos-related mesothelioma.
Dental observations in Gaucher's disease: Review of the literature and two case reports with 13- and 60-year follow-ups*

Gaucher's disease is a genetically determined inborn error of metabolism in which acid β-glucosidase or one of its cofactors is absent or diminished in macrophage cells and cause an accumulation of glucosylceramide in these cells. These Gaucher cells accumulate in the organs of the reticuloendothelial system and cause varying degrees of splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and encroachment of the marrow cavity of bones. Dental radiographs often reveal consistent bony changes that result from this encroachment. In cases where visceral signs are not apparent, dental radiographs can detect the presence of the disease. Because therapy is available, early recognition of this disorder may reduce overall morbidity. A review of the dental radiographic changes over as many as 60 years shows the effects of oral surgery procedures on bone degeneration and regeneration. The effects of mannose lectin acid β-glucosidase, alglucerase on bone deposition are discussed. Finally, a literature review shows that the changes in the dental radiograph of patients with Gaucher's disease are very specific. Currently, this disorder and its associated molecular genetics are a prototype for research of new treatments such as allogenic bone marrow transplantation and molecularly engineered enzymes.
The Global Rise of Personalized Politics: It's Not Just Dictators Anymore

No one would dispute that power in Russia today lies firmly in the hands of President Vladimir Putin. But his command over the political system was not always so sweeping. When Putin assumed power ...
Music Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress in Adults: A Theoretical Review.

Music therapy has been employed as a therapeutic intervention to facilitate healing across a variety of clinical populations. There is theoretical and empirical evidence to suggest that individuals with trauma exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition characterized by enduring symptoms of distressing memory intrusions, avoidance, emotional disturbance, and hyperarousal, may derive benefits from music therapy. The current narrative review describes the practice of music therapy and presents a theoretically-informed assessment and model of music therapy as a tool for addressing symptoms of PTSD. The review also presents key empirical studies that support the theoretical assessment. Social, cognitive, and neurobiological mechanisms (e.g., community building, emotion regulation, increased pleasure, anxiety reduction) that promote music therapy’s efficacy as an adjunctive treatment for individuals with posttraumatic stress are discussed. It is concluded that music therapy may be a useful therapeutic tool to reduce symptoms and improve functioning among individuals with trauma exposure and PTSD, though more rigorous empirical study is required. In addition, music therapy may help foster resilience and engage individuals who struggle with stigma associated with seeking professional help. Practical recommendations for incorporating music therapy into clinical practice are offered along with several suggestions for future research.
Advanced photovoltaic inverter control development and validation in a controller-hardware-in-the-loop test bed

Penetration levels of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation on the electric grid have increased in recent years. In the past, most PV installations have not included grid-support functionalities. But today, standards such as the upcoming revisions to IEEE 1547 recommend grid support and anti-islanding functions-including volt-var, frequency-watt, volt-watt, frequency/voltage ride-through, and other inverter functions. These functions allow for the standardized interconnection of distributed energy resources into the grid. This paper develops and tests low-level inverter current control and high-level grid support functions. The controller was developed to integrate advanced inverter functions in a systematic approach, thus avoiding conflict among the different control objectives. The algorithms were then programmed on an off-the-shelf, embedded controller with a dual-core computer processing unit and field-programmable gate array (FPGA). This programmed controller was tested using a controller-hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) test bed setup using an FPGA-based real-time simulator. The CHIL was run at a time step of 500 ns to accommodate the 20-kHz switching frequency of the developed controller. The details of the advanced control function and CHIL test bed provided here will aide future researchers when designing, implementing, and testing advanced functions of PV inverters.
Motility in the L3 stage is a poor phenotype for detecting and measuring resistance to avermectin/milbemycin drugs in gastrointestinal nematodes of livestock.

Motility is a commonly used in vitro phenotype for assessing anthelmintic activity of candidate compounds, and for detecting anthelmintic resistance in nematodes. Third-stage larvae (L3) of parasitic nematodes are commonly used in motility-based assays because L3 are simple to obtain and can remain viable in storage for extended periods. To improve the measurement of motility of microscopic stages of nematodes, our laboratory developed the Worminator, which quantitatively measures motility of parasites. Using the Worminator, we compared the dose-response characteristics of several avermectin/milbemycin (AM) compounds using L3 from both AM-susceptible and AM-resistant Cooperia spp. (abamectin, doramectin, eprinomectin, ivermectin, moxidectin) and Haemonchus contortus (eprinomectin, ivermectin, moxidectin). Concentrations tested with the Worminator ranged from 0.156 to 40 μM. Differences in EC50 between AM-susceptible and AM-resistant isolates of Cooperia spp. and Haemonchus contortus were small, with resistance ratios ranging from 1.00 to 1.34 for Cooperia spp., 0.99 to 1.65 for Haemonchus contortus. Larval migration inhibition assays were conducted using the same isolates and were equally ineffective for detection of resistance with resistance ratios less than 2.0. These results contrast with those of the Larval Development Assay where we obtained a resistance ratio of 16.48 using the same isolates of Haemonchus contortus. Moreover, even at the highest concentration tested (40 μM), 100% inhibition of motility was never achieved and EC50 for Worminator assays were more than 100× higher than peak plasma levels achieved in vivo following treatment. These data demonstrate that dose-response characteristics for inhibition of motility in L3 of gastrointestinal nematodes of livestock do not significantly differ for AM-susceptible and AM-resistant isolates. These data challenge the suitability of motility as a phenotype for detecting and measuring resistance to AM drugs in gastrointestinal nematodes of livestock.
Smart apparatus for fire evacuation — An IoT based fire emergency monitoring and evacuation system

According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 14,500 highrise fires occur every year causing 40 deaths and 520 injuries per year on average [1]. Many of these deaths and injuries can presumably be avoided if evacuees had knowledge of the location of the fire and a solid exit strategy. In an age of IoT devices, there are no such commercial products available to address this problem. We have developed a technology that can be used as a smart fire defense guidance system. The goal is to inform occupants and emergency services of the location of the fire and provide a real-time safe path of evacuation. It proposes to use a mesh network of smart fire alarms and path planning algorithms to provide these essential services.
Multiple Acquisitions of Pathogen-Derived Francisella Endosymbionts in Soft Ticks

Bacterial endosymbionts of ticks are of interest due to their close evolutionary relationships with tick-vectored pathogens. For instance, whereas many ticks contain Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs), others transmit the mammalian pathogen Francisella tularensis. We recently sequenced the genome of an FLE present in the hard tick Amblyomma maculatum (FLE-Am) and showed that it likely evolved from a pathogenic ancestor. In order to expand our understanding of FLEs, in the current study we sequenced the genome of an FLE in the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata and compared it to the genomes of FLE-Am, Francisella persica-an FLE in the soft tick Argus (Persicargas) arboreus, Francisella sp. MA067296-a clinical isolate responsible for an opportunistic human infection, and F. tularensis, the established human pathogen. We determined that FLEs and MA067296 belonged to a sister taxon of mammalian pathogens, and contained inactivated versions of virulence genes present in F. tularensis, indicating that the most recent common ancestor shared by FLEs and F. tularensis was a potential mammalian pathogen. Our analyses also revealed that the two soft ticks (O. moubata and A. arboreus) probably acquired their FLEs separately, suggesting that the virulence attenuation observed in FLEs are not the consequence of a single acquisition event followed by speciation, but probably due to independent transitions of pathogenic francisellae into nonpathogenic FLEs within separate tick lineages. Additionally, we show that FLEs encode intact pathways for the production of several B vitamins and cofactors, denoting that they could function as nutrient-provisioning endosymbionts in ticks.
Everything could be different : The principles of mechanics and the limits of physics

In his lectures on “Science as a Vocation” Max Weber portrays the scientist as an ascetic whose heroism is one of self-denial.
High-performance silicon imagers and their applications in astrophysics, medicine and other fields

Abstract: This chapter briefly describes some elements of physics and materials that constitute the essential criteria for producing high-performance silicon imagers. In particular, the chapter discusses back illumination and passivation of surface states as a key approach for enabling high performance in silicon imagers, independent of their electronic readout structure. The chapter provides a brief review of silicon imaging arrays, applications in planetary exploration and astronomy, as well as a brief mention of specific cases in the commercial and medical fields.
The Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis for Crime and Delinquency

Understanding how applied behavior analysis pertains to crime and delinquency requires more than familiarity with the conceptual system of contemporary behaviorism or with the basic principles of behavior, or with specific behavioral procedures and programs. That understanding requires appreciation of a set of specific dimensions that reflect both a scientific concern with empirical analysis and humanistic considerations regarding improved personal and social conditions of daily life. More specifically, these dimensions represent a means for interweaving contemporary behaviorism, basic behavior principles, and applied behavioral procedures and programs with theory and practice in crime and delinquency. Finally, the dimensions present useful criteria for evaluating a wide range of correctional interventions, from traditional clinical therapy to large-scale program implementations, whether those interventions are behavioral in nature or not. In describing the dimensions of applied behavior analysis in this chapter, we hope to provide unifying themes for the behavioral applications presented throughout the rest of this book.
Physical and Chemical Structural Analysis of Pistachio Shells

Pistachio shells were examined to determine structure and chemical composition. Structural analysis was completed using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), polarized light microscopy (PLM) and environmental scanning microscopy (ESEM). Chemical composition was quantified with Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) for organic components and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis for inorganic matter. The shells were found to have a layered, porous structure. Triglyceride fat and cellulose sugar accounted for most of the natural polymers present. The amount of fats increased inversely to the proportion of sugar closer to the outside surface of the shell, possibly accounting for the transport of nutrients into the shell as opposed to the strength needed from cellulose on the inside edge. Understanding the structure and its elemental derivatives will help in the future quantification of physical and mechanical properties.
Transport Properties of Perfluorosulfonate Membranes Ion Exchanged with Cations

In this work, the properties of univalent, that is, Li+, Na+, NH4+, and TEA+ form perfluorosulfonate (PFSA) membranes are studied and compared to the properties of H+ form materials. Properties of these polymer membranes including water uptake, density and conductivity, were investigated for membranes exposed to various water activity levels. The water uptake by the membranes decreased in the order H+ > Li+ > Na+ > NH4+ > TEA+, the same order as the hydration enthalpy (absolute values) of cations. Conductivity values did not strictly follow this order, indicating the importance of different factors besides the hydration level. The partial molar volume of water is derived from the density data as a function of water content for the various membrane forms. This provides further insight into the water, cation, and polymer interactions. Factors that contribute to the conductivity of these membranes include the size of cations, the electrostatic attraction between cations and sulfonate group, and the ion-dipole and hydrogen bonding interactions between cations and water. NH4+ transport is surprisingly high given the low water uptake in NH4+ form membranes. We attribute this to the ability of this ion to develop hydrogen bonded structures that helps to overcome electrostatic interactions with sulfonates. Pulsed-field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to measure the diffusion coefficient of water in the membranes. FT-IR spectroscopy is employed to probe cation interactions with water and sulfonate sites in the polymer. Overall, the results reflect a competition between the strong electrostatic interaction between cation and sulfonate versus hydration and hydrogen bonding which vary with cation type.
IT'S NOT A TUMOR: CYANOTIC HEART DISEASE PRESENTING AS A BRAIN MASS

Cyanotic heart disease with central right-to-left shunt predisposes patients to paradoxical embolus, which can lead to development of brain abscess. Early detection is key to reduction of morbidity and mortality. A 39-year-old Ethiopian male without prior medical history presented with five days
Materials for biointegrated electronic and microfluidic systems

This article provides an overview of emerging directions in the materials science of biointegrated electronic and microfluidic systems, as defined by technologies that are capable of supporting long-term, intimate, physical interfaces to living organisms. Here, deterministic hard/soft composite structures, including those that leverage concepts in fractal mathematics, serve as the materials foundations for diverse devices of this type. Examples of “epidermal” or skin-like electronic systems for biophysical tracking of patient conditions that range from stroke to hydrocephalus illustrate the engineering maturity and operational sophistication that is now possible. Recent ideas in soft, skin-mounted, microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems extend the capabilities of such platforms to include biochemical assessments of physiological status via capture, storage, manipulation, and in situ detection of biomarkers in microliter volumes of sweat, collected as it emerges from the surface of the skin. The article concludes with a description of mechanically guided assembly schemes that provide access to three-dimensional, open-mesh constructs, as a frontier area of materials development in this broader area of biointegrated systems.
Cultural Humility of Religious Communities and Well-Being in Sexual Minority Persons:

Cultural humility has been shown to enhance cross-cultural relationships, but little research has explored how individuals perceive the cultural humility of a salient group. In the current study, w...
Telehealth and texting intervention to improve HIV care engagement, mental health and substance use outcomes in youth living with HIV: a pilot feasibility and acceptability study protocol.

Introduction Youth and young adults living with HIV (YLWH) experience worse clinical outcomes than adults and high rates of behavioural health challenges that impact their engagement in care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. This study in the San Francisco Bay area aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary clinical outcomes of a 12-session telehealth counselling series provided to 80 YLWH, including education, motivational enhancement and problem-solving around HIV care, mental health, substance use and other challenges. Findings will provide information about benefits and challenges of telehealth counselling for YLWH and will guide the development of new technology-based strategies for care. Methods and analysis The Youth to Telehealth and Text to Improve Engagement in Care study is a pilot randomised, crossover trial examining the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth counselling intervention consisting of twelve 20–30 min weekly sessions focused on identifying and problem-solving around barriers to HIV care access and adherence and on addressing mental health, substance use and/or other issues. Participants also receive text messages for check-ins, appointment reminders and to improve engagement. Participants complete quantitative online surveys at baseline, 4 and 8 months and qualitative exit interviews. Clinical outcomes, including plasma HIV RNA and CD4+ cell count, are collected from medical records. Study staff will explore outcomes of the intervention using quantitative and qualitative methods. Ethics and dissemination This study and its protocols have been approved by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Institutional Review Board. Study staff will work with the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies’ Community Engagement Core and the Youth Advisory Panel to disseminate results to the community, participants and the academic community. Trial registration NCT03681145.
Charles J. Esdaile, Napoleon, France and Waterloo: The Eagle Rejected

Charles J. Esdaile, Napoleon, France and Waterloo: The Eagle Rejected. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2017. 257pp. ISBN 9781473870826 (hardback). £25.
Modeling and simulation functional needs for molten salt reactor licensing

Abstract The modeling and simulation functional needs to license and design molten salt reactor concepts were assessed and an evaluation methodology was developed using a licensing-focused approach considering the modeling and simulation components that contribute to a molten salt reactor safety analysis report. These functional needs were prioritized by identifying the relationships between functional needs and using a quantitative weighting method to identify the most critical components to build a licensing case. This novel weighting method provided a list of functional needs prioritized relative to key advanced reactor licensing outcomes. In addition, functional need inputs were ranked to reveal those that feed the most modeling and simulation components. The findings from this prioritization effort were used to inform the modeling and simulation goals of the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Molten Salt Reactor campaign. Modeling and simulation needs were grouped into three main categories: (1) source term definition, material accountancy, and radiological consequences, (2) safety analysis, and (3) steady-state neutronics and thermal hydraulics. Five near-term goals were identified among these focus areas that add value: (1) deploying a systems and safeguards analysis computational tool, (2) defining source terms for molten salt reactor analysis and interfacing with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission on accident progression analysis, (3) developing point designs for liquid-fueled thermal-spectrum and fast-spectrum molten salt reactors, (4) building safety analysis specifications and reference solutions for Molten Salt Reactor Experiment transients, and (5) interfacing with the thermophysical and thermodynamic salt chemistry databases.
Black lesions in the oesophagus

A 69-year-old Trinidadian woman with a past medical history of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) presented with a 2-week history of dysphagia. Physical examination did not reveal any cutaneous or mucocutaneous lesions. Neurological exam also was normal. There were no laboratory abnormalities. A CT scan showed circumferential wall thickening and moderate patulous proximal oesophagus without any distal oesophageal findings or abnormal findings in the chest or abdomen. A barium oesophagram revealed severe oesophageal dysmotility and GERD. Given the dysphagia and CT findings, an oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was performed. The EGD revealed pigmented mucosa in the lower third …
Hyperglycemia Activates the CD27-CD70 Axis on Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Obesity is now strongly associated with chronic low-grade inflammation that, without intervention, contributes to the development of pre-diabetes and eventually Type 2 diabetes. While the exact mechanism that inflammation plays in the pathogenesis from obesity to Type 2 diabetes is unclear, activated immune cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines have been found in the adipose tissue of Type 2 diabetics, implicating their role in the disease process. The CD27-CD70 pathway provides a crucial inflammatory co-stimulatory signal, with CD70 being expressed on activated antigen presenting cells, and CD27 expressed on lymphocytes. While the CD27-CD70 axis is being explored in other models of chronic inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis and colitis, the role played in Type 2 diabetes remains unknown. Here we report the downregulation of CD27 on CD4 T cells when co-cultured with dendritic cells primed in increasing concentrations of glucose, indicating an effector phenotype of these T cells. Importantly, we also highlight that CD70 is concurrently upregulated on dendritic cells primed in high concentrations of glucose, resulting in increased production of IFN-γ and TNF-α by the CD70 expressing dendritic cells, when compared to dendritic cells primed in a lower concentration of glucose. These results reveal a novel role for CD27-CD70 interactions in the pathogenesis of Type 2 diabetes and provide support for future investigations into this pathway. Additionally, CD27 could be analyzed as a way to further stratify pre-diabetic patients and guide diagnosticians towards the most efficient therapy.
More than Metaphor: Settler Colonialism, Frontier Logic, and the Continuities of Racialized Dispossession in a Southwest U.S. City

Human geographers have long noted the colonial tropes and frontier imaginaries used to stimulate investment and normalize predatory property speculation within North American cities. Drawing on the...
A Simple Bandgap Reference Based on V GO Extraction with Single-Temperature Trimming

This paper presents a simple structure to extract V GO , the silicon bandgap voltage at zero Kelvin. Based on a traditional Kuijk structure, a third diode with a temperature constant current is used to extract the curvature TlnT term. A novel Gm cell-based voltage summer is proposed to perform the curvature correction. A single temperature trimming method is implemented to trim out PTAT errors and calibrate the gain of the summer. The bandgap reference circuit is simulated in the UMC 65nm process. With the proposed trimming method, a temperature coefficient less than 10 ppm/°C from −40 °C to 125 °C can be achieved.
Serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations and predictors of exposure among pregnant African American women in the Atlanta area, Georgia

Abstract Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been associated with adverse health outcomes, especially when exposure occurs within sensitive time windows such as the pre- and post-natal periods and early childhood. However, few studies have focused on PFAS exposure distribution and predictors in pregnant women, especially among African American women. We quantified serum concentrations of the four most common PFAS collected in all 453 participants and an additional 10 PFAS in 356 participants who were pregnant African American women enrolled from 2014 to 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia, and investigated the sociodemographic predictors of exposure. Additional home environment and behavior predictors were also examined in 130 participants. Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were detected in >95% of the samples with PFOS having the highest concentrations (geometric mean (GM) 2.03 ng/mL). N-Methyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetic acid (NMeFOSAA), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) were found in 40–50% of the samples, whereas the detection frequencies for the other six PFAS were below 15%. When compared to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants matching sex, race, and age with this study, our results showed similar concentrations of most PFAS, but higher concentrations of PFHxS (GM 0.99 ng/mL in this study; 0.63 and 0.4 ng/mL in NHANES, 2014–2015 and 2016–2017 cycles). A decline in concentrations over the study period was found for most PFAS but not PFPeA. In adjusted models, education, sampling year, parity, BMI, tobacco and marijuana use, age of house, drinking water source, and cosmetic use were significantly associated with serum PFAS concentrations. Our study reports the first PFAS exposure data among pregnant African American women in the Atlanta area, Georgia. The identified predictors will facilitate the setting of research priorities and enable development of exposure mitigation strategies.
A Systems-based Approach to Reduce Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in Trauma Patients

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) in trauma patients carries significant morbidity and mortality. We previously described how titrating enoxaparin dosing by anti-Xa trough levels was associated with a lower VTE rate. We combined this strategy with a higher initial enoxaparin dose for a majority of patients and modified the electronic medical record (EMR) to encourage immediate dosing. We sought to determine if this systems-based approach was associated with a decrease in VTE rate. A retrospective review was conducted of all trauma patients on prophylactic enoxaparin at an academic, Level I Trauma Center from 01/2013 to 05/2014 (PRE) and 06/2015 to 02/2018 (POST). The patients in PRE were prescribed enoxaparin 30 mg twice daily without dose adjustments. The patients in POST received 40 mg twice daily unless exclusion criteria applied, with doses titrated to maintain anti-Xa trough levels between 0.1 and 0.2 IU/mL. There were 478 patients in the PRE and 1306 in the POST. Compared to PRE, POST patients were of similar age and were as likely to present after blunt trauma, although POST patients had lower injury severity scores (10 vs. 9, p < 0.01). The overall VTE rate was lower in POST (6.9% vs. 3.6%, p < 0.01). The adjusted risk of VTE (AOR 0.61, adjusted p = 0.04) was lower in POST and POST was independently protective for VTE (AOR 0.54; p = 0.01). By implementing system changes to improve enoxaparin dosing after trauma, a significant reduction in VTE rate was observed. Wider application of this strategy should be considered.
Metabolic liver disease - what's in a name?

Owing to the strong association of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with obesity and cardiometabolic disease, in 2020 experts controversially proposed to rename this condition as ‘metabolic associated fatty liver disease’. Additional studies have elucidated new genetic and dietary modifiers of this disease. This knowledge is essential to improve diagnosis, risk-stratification and treatment.
Social Decision Functions

The idea of a social decision function or social decision mechanism, M, is that of a rule to determine for each state of each society S the action that society S will take when its state s obtains. The Majority Rule, the Unanimity Rule, the Maximin Principle, and the Borda Count, considered in Chapter 3, are examples of the notion of what we will call indistinctly social decision function or social decision mechanism.