cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein Counting in Single Cancer Cells

The cell is the basic unit of biology and protein expression drives cellular function. Tracking protein expression in single cells enables the study of cellular pathways and behavior but requires methodologies sensitive enough to detect low numbers of protein molecules with a wide dynamic range to distinguish unique cells and quantify population distributions. This study presents an ultrasensitive and automated approach for quantifying phenotypic responses with single cell resolution using single molecule array (SiMoA) technology. We demonstrate how prostate specific antigen (PSA) expression varies over several orders of magnitude between single prostate cancer cells and how PSA expression shifts with genetic drift. Single cell SiMoA introduces a straightforward process that is capable of detecting both high and low protein expression levels. This technique could be useful for understanding fundamental biology and may eventually enable both earlier disease detection and targeted therapy.
Sub-Micron Contact Filling and Electromigration of Selfion-Enhanced Physical Vapor Deposited Aluminum Films

The electromigration resistance, the sub-micron contact area filling capability, the crystal structure, the preferred orientation, and the CMOS device characteristics of self-ion-enhanced physical vapor deposited aluminum metallizations have been studied. It has been found that optimal conditions can be achieved by increasing the deposition rate and by applying some ionization and acceleration of the aluminum particles.
Subdural hematomas: a clinicopathologic study of 100 cases.

When the physician suspects a subdural hematoma, he must decide quickly whether to observe the patient, undertake cerebral angiography, or explore the subdural space. In this series, 49 patients had angiograms, all of which were diagnostic.
Effect of Transplantation Timing on Efficacy of Myocardial Regeneration With Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells

Objective:To investigate the best tinting for intracoronary transplanlation of bone marrow mononuclear cells(BM-MNCs) after myocardial infarction. Methods:A 90-minute left anterior descending coronary artery ligation was undertaken to produce acute myocardial infarction and followed by reperfusion in 28 swine which were divided into 4 groups:2 hour transplantation group(n=7),2 hour control group(n=7),1 week transplantation group(n=7)and 1 week control group(n=7).(8-10)×10~7 BM-MNCs labeled with PKH26 previously in transplantation group or culture medium of the same volume in control group were intracoronarily infused into infarction-related arteries 2 hour and 1 week after tigation.Six weeks after ligation,histological characteristics and heart function were studied. Results:An the specimens of two transplantation groups,labeled cells were found in the infarcted region,lmmunochemical staining showed that factor Ⅷ and desmin were positive.The histological findings were similar between the two transplant ation groups.The hemodynamie parameters showed that left ventricular-dp/dt_(max) and cardiac output(CO)of the 2 hour transplantation group at 6 weeks after ligation were increased(P＜0.05)in comparison with those at 90 minutes after ligation,so did left ven- tricular end-diastolic pressure and CO of 1 week transplantation group.The echocardiographic parameters showed in 2 hour trans- plantation group,stroke volume and CO at 6 weeks after ligation were increased(P＜0.05)in comparison with those in the control group.In 1 week transplantation group,before and 6 weeks after ligation ejection fraction was significontly increased(P＜0.05)in comparison with that in 1 week control group.Between two treatment groups,no significant difference was found on hemodynamic parameters and echocardiographic parameters.The number of vessels of 1 week transplantation group was larger than that of 2 hour transplantation group(P＜0.01). Conclusion:Autologous BM-MNCs after being intracoronarily transplanted into ischemic region at 2 hours or 1 week after ligation could engraft,grow and differentiate into cardiomyogenic cells and endothelial cells,and have clinical potential in impro- ving heart function.Transplantation at 1 week after ligation can promote angiogenesis more effectively.
Application of Ergonomics for Design of Operation Field in Sanitary Train

Objective To investigate the specific application of ergonomics for design of operation field in sanitary train. Methods The use of ergonomics theory, the layout of operation field, personnel operating capacity, environmental comfort and operation security were analyzed, surveyed and discussed. Results The principles and guidelines for design of opera- tion field in sanitary train were proposed in order to make full development the efficiency of "operator-equipment-environ- ment" mode. Conclusion The application of ergonomics for design of operation field in sanitary train can be improved the rationality of the layout of field of operation, environmental comfort and work efficiency.
Breeding Two-line Medium Hybrid Rice Variety Guangliangyou 16 with High Yield and Good Quality

A new two-line medium hybrid rice variety Guangliangyou 16 was approved by Hubei crop variety approval committee in April 2013. Compared with CK(Yangliangyou 6) Guangliangyou 16 increased by 1.45% in two years test, with2 nd national high quality rice standards, the growth period of 140.1 days, rice blast resistance index 5.9 was better than 7.2of the CK. It is suitable in all regions Hubei province in except high altitude mountain area and in the middle and lower Yangtze River.
Rapid vesicle formation and aggregation in abnormal human biles: A time-lapse video-enhanced contrast microscopy study

Rapid nucleation of cholesterol crystals has previously been shown to provide a sharp discrimination between abnormal (cholesterol gallstone-associated) and normal human gallbladder bile. In the present study, we sought to further clarify the crystal nucleation process by time-lapse microscopy using a novel high-resolution video-enhanced microscopy technique. Using a previously described method for removal of particles from abnormal biles, we found a strikingly rapid rate of de novo formation of unilamellar vesicles, soon followed by massive vesicular aggregation, culminating in crystal formation. In normal biles, by contrast, this rapid aggregation process was not observed and the isolated unilamellar vesicles showed prolonged stability. Morphometric analysis of interval particle counts showed statistically significant differences. The process of cholesterol monohydrate crystal nucleation in supersaturated human bile is characterized by a sequential combination of vesicle formation, vesicle aggregation, and subsequent crystal formation. The primary distinction between abnormal and normal biles resides only in the consistent rapidity of onset and completion of these events in the abnormal biles.
Chromium and Cobalt Levels and Associated MARS MRI Findings in Previously Unreported Design of Chrome Cobalt Modular Neck

PURPOSE: Wright Medical has a long history of modular neck hip implants but had fracture issues with the original titanium necks. They subsequently changed to chrome cobalt modular necks. Direct contact between these dissimilar metal parts in the modular femoral component brings into consideration the possibility of similar adverse reactions of metal-on-metal articulations that have been previously described in other designs. METHODS: A retrospective review of 10 patients with Wright Medical chrome cobalt modular necks who were evaluated with chromium and cobalt metal ion levels as well as Metal Artifact Reduction Sequence (MARS) MRI9s was performed. Pseudotumors were classified by MRI based on wall thickness, T1/T2 signal, shape, and location and given a corresponding type of I, II, or III. For each patient, symptoms or lack thereof were recorded, and time since surgery noted. RESULTS: Of 10 patients tested, 9 were symptomatic, and 1 was asymptomatic. The patient that was asymptomatic at last clinical visit at 14 months post-op while symptomatic patients averaged 18 months since initial surgery before symptoms began. Those with metal-poly articulation had an average cobalt level of 1.6, ceramic-ceramic articulation had level of CONCLUSION: It appears that an unintended consequence of changing from titanium to chrome cobalt modular neck may be occurring secondary to corrosion at neck-stem junction. SIGNIFICANCE: This reaction does not appear to be design-specific as these findings are similar to our findings in Stryker Rejuvenate stems. Surgeons evaluating patients with these and other similar stems should be aware of this complication and consider ion testing and MARS MRI.
IgA-specific metalloendopeptidase

Publisher Summary This chapter covers the structural chemistry and the biological aspects of IgA-specific metalloendopeptidase. IgA-specific metalloproteinases are confined to streptococci that colonize the human oral cavity and the upper respiratory tract: Streptococcus sanguis, S. pneumoniae, S. oralis, S. mitis and several species of the genus Capnocytophaga. Other closely related streptococci cocolonizing these sites are IgA proteinase negative. The S. sanguis and S. pneumoniae IgA proteinases are single-chain proteins of about 200 kDa, and contain no cysteine residues. There is some size heterogeneity of the extracellullar enzyme among S. pneumoniae strains, but no clearly established autocatalytic processing similar to that of the serine-type enzymes. A detailed study of 13 genes isolated and sequenced from Streptococcus pneumoniae, S. oralis, S. mitis and S. sanguis strains showed that all coded for metalloproteinase with the HEMTH zinc-binding motif and all had the typical gram-positive cell anchor motif, LPNGT, near the N-terminus. Proteases in the culture medium had masses ranging from 130 to 200 kDa possibly because of post-translational autolysis at post-proline peptide bonds. The results point to horizontal gene transfer among the various strains.
Genetic diversity and population structure of castor (Ricinus communis L.) germplasm within the US collection assessed with EST-SSR markers

Castor is an important oilseed crop and although its oil is inedible, it has multiple industrial and pharmaceutical applications. The entire US castor germplasm collection was previously screened for oil content and fatty acid composition, but its genetic diversity and population structure has not been determined. Based on the screening results of oil content, fatty acid composition, and country origins, 574 accessions were selected and genotyped with 22 polymorphic EST-SSR markers. The results from cluster analysis, population structure, and principal component analysis were consistent, and partitioned accessions into four subpopulations. Although there were certain levels of admixtures among groups, these clusters and subpopulations aligned with geographic origins. Both divergent and redundant accessions were identified in this study. The US castor germplasm collection encompasses a moderately high level of genetic diversity (pairwise dissimilarity coefficient = 0.53). The results obtained here will be useful for choosing accessions as parents to make crosses in breeding programs and prioritizing accessions for regeneration to improve germplasm management. A subset of 230 accessions was selected and will be planted in the field for establishing a core collection of the US castor germplasm. Further evaluation of the US castor germplasm collection is also discussed.
Review: Scenes from the Suburbs by Spike Jonze; The Wilderness Downtown by Chris Milk

Spike Jonze director. Scenes from the Suburbs . Arcade Fire music video, Los Angeles, 2011, 30 min. http://www.arcadefire.com/videos; 6-min. version accompanies Arcade Fire's song "The Suburbs" Chris Milk director. The Wilderness Downtown . Arcade Fire music video featuring the song "We Used to Wait," http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com, uses Google Chrome technologies Despite popular opinion (or palaver as the case may be), feelings are not transhistorical phenomena, common to all people at all times. They emerge and evolve prompted by the constant reconfigurations of the infinite number of forces that shape affective life. New feelings, as a result, are useful distinguishing markers for understanding the complexion of these forces, their geometry, direction and power. The particular flavor of envy that architecture feels for certain types of media and their apparently greater currency and consequence, is one such feeling. Of course the general category of envy and its range of expressions from competitive rage to petty resentments is historically familiar. But the specifics of architecture's regard for media, touched as it is with lust and loathing in unequal measure and marked above all by architecture's frustrated sense of being behind, is a relatively recent phenomenon. And this is not only because the media in question, from TV to video games, are themselves relatively new, at least in comparison to architecture's much longer relationship to technology, but because the emergence of the new feeling required that the suburbs establish themselves, conceptually, as the new ground of life. The desire to keep up with the Joneses, the idiom that best encapsulates the affect I am describing, is one of the many byproducts of the suburban regime. The wish that your house were bigger than your neighbor's and the jealousy that they have a shinier gas grill than you or the horror that they were the first on the block to have a color TV or an Xbox Kinect is a precise type of desire that could only have been born of the particular alchemy produced by suburbia. It required the combination of closeness, independence, social mobility, acquisitiveness, and the promise of equality and fairness that …
Structure and Oxidation of Pyrrole Adducts Formed between Aflatoxin B2a and Biological Amines.

Aflatoxin B2a has been shown to bind to proteins through a dialdehyde intermediate under physiological conditions. The proposed structure of this adduct has been published showing a Schiff base interaction, but adequate verification using structural elucidation instrumental techniques has not been performed. In this work, we synthesized the aflatoxin B2a amino acid adduct under alkaline conditions, and the formation of a new product was determined using high performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The resulting accurate mass was used to generate a novel proposed chemical structure of the adduct in which the dialdehyde forms a pyrrole ring with primary amines rather than the previously proposed Schiff base interaction. The pyrrole structure was confirmed using 1H, 13C, correlation spectroscopy, heteronuclear single quantum correlation, and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation NMR and tandem mass spectrometry. Reaction kinetics show that the reaction is overall second order an...
Financing of Vaccine Delivery in Primary Care Practices.

Abstract Objective Vaccines represent a significant portion of primary care practice expenses. Our objectives were to determine among pediatric (Ped) and family medicine (FM) practices: 1) relative payment for vaccine purchase and administration and estimated profit margin according to payer type, 2) strategies used to reduce vaccine purchase costs and increase payment, and 3) whether practices have stopped providing vaccines because of finances. Methods A national survey conducted from April through September 2011 among Ped and FM practitioners in private, single-specialty practices. Results The response rate was 51% (221 of 430). Depending on payer type, 61% to 79% of practices reported that payment for vaccine purchase was at least 100% of purchase price and 34% to 74% reported that payment for vaccine administration was at least $11. Reported strategies to reduce vaccine purchase cost were online purchasing (81% Ped, 36% FM), prompt pay (78% Ped, 49% FM), and bulk order (65% Ped, 49% FM) discounts. Fewer than half of practices used strategies to increase payment; in a multivariable analysis, practices with ≥5 providers were more likely to use strategies compared with practices with fewer providers (adjusted odds ratio, 2.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.51–4.62). When asked if they had stopped purchasing vaccines because of financial concerns, 12% of Ped practices and 23% of FM practices responded ‘yes,' and 24% of Ped and 26% of FM practices responded ‘no, but have seriously considered.' Conclusions Practices report variable payment for vaccination services from different payer types. Practices might benefit from increased use of strategies to reduce vaccine purchase costs and increase payment for vaccine delivery.
Introduction: Incivility in Today’s World

This chapter introduces the topic of incivility, exploring its role in a variety of contexts, including workplace bullying, attacks on female gamers, and the 2016 presidential election. The roots of incivility are addressed, along with the casualties of incivility, which can harm people’s self-esteem and relationships or chill public debate. This overview shows how incivility has seeped into almost all aspects of human life. This sets the stage for the main focus of this book, which is how online incivility in news site comment streams influences public debate and political participation. This chapter provides a roadmap for the rest of the book and argues that comment streams have the potential to offer the type of discussions across disagreement vital in a democracy.
Quantitative evaluation of retrieved reverse total shoulder arthroplasty liner surface deviation and volumetric wear.

Polyethylene wear is a known complication in total joint arthroplasty, however, in vivo wear rates in reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) remain largely unknown. This study aimed to quantify volumetric and surface deviation changes in retrieved RTSA humeral liners using a novel micro-computed tomography (μCT)-based technique. After IRB-approval, 32 humeral liners (single manufacturer and model) with term-of-service greater than 90 days were analyzed. Clinical demographics and surgical data were collected via chart review. Unworn liners were used as geometric controls. Retrieved and unworn liners underwent μCT scanning. Retrieved liner volumes were isolated, co-registered to controls of matching geometry, and surface deviations of the articulation surface and rim were computed. Differences in total volume loss (TVL), volumetric wear rate (VWR), and surface deviation were reported. Semi-quantitative grading evaluated rim damage presence and severity. Mean term-of-service for all liners was 2.07 ± 1.33 years (range: 0.30-4.73). Mean TVL and VWR were 181.3 ± 208.2 mm3 and 114.5 ± 160.3 mm3 /year, respectively. Mean articulation and rim surface deviations were 0.084 ± 0.065 and 0.177 ± 0.159 mm, respectively. Articulation surface deviation was positively correlated to term-of-service. Rim damage was present on 63% of liners and correlated significantly to rim surface deviation. This study reports in vivo wear rates of retrieved RTSA implants. Our results demonstrate volumetric and articulation surface wear in select RTSA liners that is correlated to term-of-service. Calculation of in vivo wear rates can help bridge the gap between clinical outcomes and experimental models such as wear simulations and computational models. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:2007-2014, 2018.
Graphic Design Of “Green Mission” Education Game Using Software Based On Vector

Educational game is a digital game in its design using the elements of education and in it support teaching and learning by using technology that is interactive media. Generally an educational game has a fun look, an easy-to-use menu, as well as color combinations that are used that are GUI-based (Graphic User Interface) so as to create appeal to users. Because it is undeniable that the human brain tends to more quickly capture learning through visual images rather than writings. Therefore, graphic design of an educational game becomes one of the important points. Software applications become one of the solutions in making game design, one of which is a vector-based software applications. There are various software that can be used in accordance with the function and usefulness of each. But in general the way the software works almost same.
Security Certification Model for Mobile-Commerce

The most important technology in the mobile commerce based on mobile applications is to guarantee the certification and security of trading information exchange. Many technologies are proposed as a standard to support this security problem. M(Mobile)-commerce is a new area arising from the marriage of electronic commerce with emerging mobile and pervasive computing technology. The newness of this area and the rapidness with which it is emerging makes it difficult to analyze the technological problems that mcommerce introduces and, in particular, the security and privacy issues. This situation is not good, since history has shown that security is very difficult to retro-fit into deployed technology, and pervasive m-commerce promises to permeate and transform even more aspects of life than e-commerce and the Internet has. One of them is an XML (eXtensible Markup Language). This is used in various applications as the document standard for electronic commerce system. The XML security has become very important topic. In this paper, we propose the XML security model for mobile commerce services based electronic commerce system to guarantee the secure exchange of trading information. To accomplish the security of XML, the differences of XML signature, XML encryption and XML key management scheme respect to the conventional system should be provided. The new architecture is proposed based on unique characteristics of mobile commerce on XML. Especially the method to integrate the process management system need to the electronic commerce is proposed.
Iontophoretic delivery of amino acids and amino acid derivatives across the skin in vitro.

The effects of penetrant properties (lipophilicity and charge) and of vehicle pH on the iontophoretically enhanced delivery of amino acids and their N-acetylated derivatives have been examined in vitro. The penetrants were nine amino acids (five were zwitterionic, two positively charged, and two negatively charged) and four N-acetylated amino acids, which carry a net negative charge at pH 7.4. Iontophoresis at constant current (0.36 mA/cm2), using Ag/AgCl electrodes, was conducted across freshly excised hairless mouse skin. Iontophoretic flux of the zwitterions was significantly greater than passive transport. Delivery from the anode was greater than from the cathode for all zwitterions. The level of enhancement was inversely proportional to permeant octanol/pH 7.4 buffer distribution coefficient. Cathodal iontophoresis of the negatively charged amino acids and of the N-acetylated derivatives produced degrees of enhancement which were significantly greater than those measured for the “neutral” zwitterions. Furthermore, the enhanced flux reached a steady-state level within a few hours for the negatively charged species, whereas the transport of the zwitterions continued to increase with time. Anodal iontophoresis of histidine and lysine, the two positively charged amino acids studied, induced substantial enhancement which was sensitive to the pH of the delivery vehicle. For example, the flux of histidine from an applied solution at pH 4 (where the amino acid carries a net positive charge) was significantly greater than that from a vehicle at pH 7.4 (where histidine is essentially neutral). The behavior of lysine was more complex and suggested a certain degree of neutralization of the skin's net negative charge.
Sickness as Cultural Semantics: Issues for an Anthropological Medicine and Psychiatry

One of the chief contributions of several decades of anthropological research is the recognition that culture exerts its most powerful effect on health and sickness through the categories it creates to label and explain behavior (cf. Eisenberg, 1977; Fabrega, 1974; Good, 1977; Kleinman, 1977a). Those cultural categories guide the labeling of behavior as normal or deviant, and, if the latter, determine whether it is labeled medical or nonmedical deviance (Waxier, 1974). When a sickness label is affixed to a person’s behavior, cultural categories engender the distinctive conceptualizations the patient, his family, and his caregivers employ to name, valuate, and decide upon a treatment response, often in quite different and at times even conflicting ways. Indeed, much recent medical anthropological research demonstrates that the sick individual’s “illness behavior” reflects the influence of cultural categories on conceptions of the body and its functions, perception and expression of symptoms, the social sanctioning of a particular type of sick role, and the significance attributed to the sickness (Fabrega, 1974; Klein- man, 1977b).
Specific Ion Detection of Aryloxy Beta Blocking Drugs for Metabolic Fate Determinations-Applications to Alprenolol in Rats and Dogs

As the number of adrenergic beta-blocking drugs with potential usefulness in man rapidly increases, the need to expand our knowledge of these agents also increases. An improved insight into the biological fate of these drugs is necessary to be able to understand the actions they produce, both beneficial and maybe also toxic. It is known, for example, that several beta-blocking drugs produce pharmacologically active metabolites. A metabolites of propranolol with intact beta-blocking side-chain, 4-hydroxy- propranolol, is equipotent to propranolol as a beta-blocker in animals (1) and would appear to contribute to the effects of propranolol in man (2, 3). Other metabolites of propranolol, such as the glycollic and N-desalkylated metabolites, have also been shown to possess pharmacologic activity (4–6), metabolites which would be expected to be common to beta-blocking drugs in general.
Quantification of Liver Fat Content With Unenhanced MDCT: Phantom and Clinical Correlation With MRI Proton Density Fat Fraction.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between unenhanced CT liver attenuation values and MRI-derived proton density fat fraction (PDFF) for estimation of liver fat conte...
Application of Atmospheric Tracer Techniques for Determining Biogenic Hydrocarbon Fluxes from an Oak Forest

Sulfur hexafluoride tracer was used in a series of experiments to simulate isoprene emissions from an isolated oak forest. The measured tracer release rate and ambient concentrations of isoprene and SF6 observed along a downwind sample line were combined to determine the mass flux of isoprene from the forest. Results based only upon the maximum isoprene and SF6 concentrations observed along the downwind sample line were in good agreement with fluxes calculated from the crosswind concentration integrals of isoprene and SF6. The fluxes determined from the tracer data increased exponentially with temperature and were in close agreement with estimates determined from emission rates measured in a series of branch enclosure samples collected in the forest and a biomass factor taken at the midpoint of a range of available biomass factors. The results of this field study demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of simulating forest emissions as a tool for investigating turbulent transport in forested areas.
Inhibition of miR-22-3p reduces kidney disease associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract Cellular microRNAs (miRNA) have proven to be critical regulators of inflammatory gene expression across many pathways within autoimmunity. Circulating miRNAs serve as a new class of disease biomarkers. Nevertheless, the functional roles of miRNAs, particularly extracellular miRNAs, in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remain poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to link changes in extracellular miRNAs to lymphocyte gene regulation and the pathophysiology of SLE. Here, we demonstrate that circulating miR-22-3p levels are associated with SLE, and miR-22-3p regulates T and B cell function and SLE-associated kidney disease. Based on high-throughput small RNA sequencing and real-time PCR, extracellular miR-22-3p levels were found to be significantly increased in whole plasma in human SLE subjects. To determine the functional impact of miR-22-3p in SLE, miR-22-3p loss-of-function studies were performed in a mouse model of SLE (B6.SLE1.2.3). We found that in vivo administration of locked-nucleic acid inhibitors of miR-22-3p (LNA-22) reduced lymphocyte accumulation in both the spleen and lymph nodes compared to LNA scramble (LNA-Scr) control-treated mice. Strikingly, LNA-22-3p treatments reduced kidney disease pathology and glomerular IgG deposition compared to LNA-Scr treatments in SLE mice. Moreover, miR-22-3p inhibition reduced the proportion of T effector memory IFN-γ producing CD4+ T cells, suggesting that miR-22-3p regulates Th1 T cell differentiation. We also found that miR-22 inhibition in mice reduced STAT1 phosphorylation in the kidney which was correlated with loss of IFN-γ production by splenic CD4+ T cells. In conclusion, our findings suggest that miR-22-3p is a critical regulator of SLE-associated CD4+ T cell immunity and kidney disease. These results provide therapeutic potential for limiting splenic Th1 signaling and preventing the progression of lupus nephritis. Key Findings Extracellular miR-22-3p levels are significantly increased in plasma from human SLE subjects. Inhibition of miR-22-3p in vivo significantly reduced lymphocyte accumulation in both the spleen and lymph nodes in a mouse model of SLE, thus reducing splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. miR-22-3p inhibition significantly reduced IFN-γ expression and secretion from splenic T cell subsets. Inhibition of miR-22-3p in vivo resulted in decreased IgG deposition in the kidney, decreased STAT1 phosphorylation, and decreased kidney disease in a mouse model of SLE.
The RICO Verdict and Corrective Statements: Catalysts for Policy Change?

Objectives A federal court ruled tobacco companies violated racketeering laws and ordered them to publish corrective statements. This study assesses effects of exposure to the statements and related court findings on attitudes toward tobacco-related policies and tobacco company influences on policymaking. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of US adults (N = 2010) prior to publication of the statements. Participants were randomly assigned to the "unexposed" group (N = 1004), which answered attitude questions before reading the statements and court findings, or the "exposed" group (N = 1006), which answered attitude questions after reading the statements and court findings. Results The exposed group was less likely to think lawmakers should trust tobacco companies as much as other companies (β = -.24, p < .001) or that lawmakers should trust tobacco company lobbyists to provide accurate information (β = -.17, p = .019), compared to the unexposed group. The exposed group also was more likely to support requiring graphic warning labels (β = .15, p = .014) and point-of-sale quitline signs (β = .13, p = .028). Conclusions Exposure to the statements and court findings may aid tobacco industry denormalization and tobacco-related policy initiatives.
Identifying Combinations of Cancer Drivers in Individual Patients

Identifying the subset of genetic alterations present in individual tumors that are essential and collectively sufficient for cancer initiation and progression would advance the development of effective personalized treatments. We present CRSO for inferring the combinations of alterations, i.e., rules, that cooperate to drive tumor formation in individual patients. CRSO prioritizes rules by integrating patient-specific passenger probabilities for individual alterations along with information about the recurrence of particular combinations throughout the population. We present examples in glioma, liver cancer and melanoma of significant differences in patient outcomes based on rule assignments that are not identifiable by consideration of individual alterations.
Deep Space Observations of Sun Glints from Marine Ice Clouds

The Earth Polychromatic Camera (EPIC) onboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft takes images of the sunlit face of the earth from a million miles away. Earlier work showed that EPIC detected the specular reflection of sunlight (i.e., sun glint) from ice crystals floating in cold clouds over land; here we show that this phenomenon can also be detected over oceans. Furthermore, the results show that—using its observations at oxygen A-band absorption bands—EPIC can distinguish glints off marine ice clouds from those off the ocean surface. The analysis of more than two years of EPIC data reveals that the two kinds of glints are detected with comparable frequency. Glints off clouds are shown to be generally brighter but smaller in spatial extent. It is also demonstrated that glints off ice clouds have a discernible effect on the regional mean reflectance and that EPIC observations can help constrain the radiative contribution of oriented ice crystals.
How Dirac's Seminal Contributions Pave the Way for Comprehending Nature's Deeper Designs

Credible reasons are presented to reveal that many of the lingering century old enigmas, surrounding the behavior of at least an individual quantum particle, can be comprehended in terms of an objectively real specific wave function. This wave function is gleaned from the single particle energy-momentum eigenstate offered by the theory of space filling universal quantum fields that is an inevitable outcome of Dirac's pioneering masterpiece. Examples of these well-known enigmas are wave particle duality, the de Broglie hypothesis, the uncertainty principle, wave function collapse, and predictions of measurement outcomes in terms of probability instead of certainty. Paul Dirac successfully incorporated special theory of relativity into quantum mechanics for the first time. This was accomplished through his ingenious use of matrices that allowed the equations of motion to maintain the necessary first order time derivative feature necessary for positive probability density. The ensuing Dirac equation for the electron led to the recognition of the mystifying quantized spin and magnetic moment as intrinsic properties in contrast to earlier ad hoc assumptions. The solution of his relativistic equation for the hydrogen atom produced results in perfect agreement with experimental data available at the time. The most far reaching prediction of the celebrated Dirac equation was the totally unexpected existence of anti-particles, culminating in the eventual development of the quantum field theory of the Standard Model that reveals the deepest secrets of the universe known to date. Quanta 2019; 8: 88–100.
Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019: Navigating Non-Tariff Measures towards Sustainable Development

The past decade has seen remarkable changes in the trade policy postures of many countries. Some have moved towards protectionism, such as Indonesia in 2011–14, or towards the aggressive use of tra...
Mixed-methods analysis of science teacher educator professional development: a five-year longitudinal study

This investigation explored a learning community approach to professional development (PD) specifically catered to science teacher educators. It was designed to bolster faculty collaboration, help ...
The Portfolio Diversification Potential of Long VIX Futures and Options Strategies

It is well established that the VIX Index tends to be negatively correlated with equity markets. This suggests that VIX futures and options may have the potential to provide significant diversification benefits for traditional portfolios. However, since the term structure of VIX futures is generally upward sloping, long VIX futures positions can place a significant drag on portfolio performance. In this paper we consider the performance of strategies that buy VIX futures or VIX call options in a portfolio context in 2008 and 2016, as well as over a 10+ year period from 2006 to 2017. In addition, we consider alternative strategies including long S&P 500® protective put strategies and the dynamic S&P 500 plus VIX call buying strategy of the VXTH index. Meaningful portfolio diversification benefits for risk-averse investors are possible over particular time periods with small allocations to long VIX futures or call options, but there can be substantial portfolio drag if large allocations are made over long time periods during which there are flat to rising stock markets.
What Is Aging in Place? Confusions and Contradictions

Aging in place is a policy goal for many governments and a personal goal for numerous older people. But what does it mean? Drawing on both scholarly and gray literature, this article outlines seven...
Secularism, Religion, and Identification beyond Binaries: The Transnational Alliances, Rapprochements, and Dissent of German Turks in Germany

This article discusses the ways in which power-based socio-political shifts in Turkey during the AKP (Justice and Development Party) era transnationally influence the relations between and within the Muslim German Turkish communities and their organizations in Germany. Based on ethnographic field work, archival research and reflexive discourse analysis, this article takes DITIB (The Turkish Islamic Union of Religious Affairs) in Germany, which is the affiliate organization of Diyanet (The Presidency of Religious Organization) in Turkey, and analyses its relations with other German Turkish organizations such as Milli Gorus (The Islamic Community of National Vision) and the Gulen Movement in Germany. Such analysis reveals the dynamics of competition between secular and religious, as well as intra-religious, actors and how their members claim their religious and socio-political rights beyond binaries.
Matrisome Deregulation in Ovarian Cancer Metastasis

Background and Hypothesis: Over 75% of ovarian cancer (OC) patients present with metastasis upon initial diagnosis. Since most are treated for metastatic disease, it is crucial that developing therapies target metastasis. Our analysis of OC transcriptomic changes revealed key changes in the matrisome. Matrisome genes are associated with tissue modulus and disease progression, yet comprehensive understanding of many of their contributions to OC is lacking. We hypothesize that matrisomal OC genes will have clear impacts on clinical outcomes. Project Methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEG) in 11 paired OC primary tumors and metastases were identified using RNA-seq analysis. The DEG were compared with data from high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) cells seeded on an organotypic 3D culture model of omentum. The overlapping genes are deregulated during early metastasis and remain relevant in advanced metastasis in OC patients. Kaplan-Meier Plots were generated to identify gene relationships with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: 845 genes between metastases and primary tumors and 1,182 genes between early and advanced metastatic colonization were differentially expressed; 144 genes were shared. These 144 genes were compared with matrisome proteins differentially expressed between malignant and non-malignant HGSOC cell populations. 28 genes correlated with tissue modulus, 19 with disease score, and 17 with both. Of the 30 matrisome genes correlating with either, 21 decreased PFS and 24 decreased OS. Conclusion and Potential Impact: We have identified a matrisome signature sustained throughout metastatic tumor development. Many of these genes’ mechanisms contributing to OC metastasis and therapeutic relevance have yet to be determined. In addition to influencing cell-cell communications, mechanotransduction, and metastasis progression, the altered matrisome can affect drug delivery to tumors. Further studies may guide understanding of pathways in matrisome alteration during cancer progression and reveal future targets for chemotherapy or combination immunotherapies.
Buyer selection and service pricing in an electric fleet supply chain

Abstract Much attention has been focused on supplier selection in operations. There has been less research on the supplier selecting buyers in a two-echelon supplier-buyer chain, which we study for downstream taxicab vehicle fleets. We consider the problem of pricing infrastructure services by an electric vehicles (EVs) service provider (SP), which determines the group of taxicab companies (TCs) that will adopt EVs. We study SP’s pricing decisions in a decentralized supply chain under a general infrastructure cost function, multiple TCs, and symmetric information. We extend the modeling to the case with (i) endogenous demand and EV-taxicab end-consumer pricing and (ii) asymmetric information between SP and TC. We analyze the factors that influence SP’s profits and the set of participating TCs who adopt EVs. We find that when the fleet size of TCs increases, SP prefers to serve more low-mile TCs than the high-mile TCs and even removes some high-mile TCs in exchange for low-mile TCs, where low and high-miles correspond to average miles driven in a time period (shift). When the coefficient of variation of miles driven increases, SP prefers to serve more high-mile TCs than the low-mile TCs. In general, the set of TCs that adopt EVs cannot be simply characterized using inputs such as average miles driven by different TCs. This study provides a modeling framework and managerial implications for TC selection and pricing contracts by an EV infrastructure service provider.
Safety and efficacy of polydimethylsiloxane (Macroplastique®) in women with stress urinary incontinence: analysis of data from patients who completed three years follow-up.

This study aimed to report 3-year completed follow-up of the safety and efficacy of Macroplastique® (MPQ) in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD). This is a retrospective analysis of all women who completed 3-year follow-up post-MPQ injection(s) at ten medical centers. We used the ROSE registry data report of Macroplastique® [Macroplastique® Real-time Observation of Safety and Effectiveness (ROSE) registry P040050/PAS001 on 2017]. Subjective incontinence outcome and adverse effects were assessed. The study included all patients (n = 70) who completed 3-year follow-up after the last MPQ injection. Twenty-four of 70 (34%) patients had two injections; 21/70 (30%) patients reported Stamey grade 0 and 28/70 (40%) reported Stamey grade 1. The overall patient satisfaction was 68% who completed 3-year follow-up. The composite success rate (I-QoL, PGI-S, and Stamey grade improvement) was 51.4%. No serious adverse events (AE) were reported within the completed 3-year follow-up. MPQ was found to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of SUI secondary to ISD in women. The overall high satisfaction rate was sustained from baseline to 3 years post-injection. Most complications were minor and transient without sequelae.
Relativistic Bondi accretion for stiff equations of state

We revisit Bondi accretion - steady-state, adiabatic, spherical gas flow on to a Schwarzschild black hole at rest in an asymptotically homogeneous medium - for stiff polytropic equations of state (EOSs) with adiabatic indices Γ > 5/3. A general relativistic treatment is required to determine their accretion rates, for which we provide exact expressions. We discuss several qualitative differences between results for soft and stiff EOSs - including the appearance of a minimum steady-state accretion rate for EOSs with Γ ≥ 5/3 - and explore limiting cases in order to examine these differences. As an example, we highlight results for Γ = 2, which is often used in numerical simulations to model the EOS of neutron stars. We also discuss a special case with this index, the ultrarelativistic 'causal' EOS, P = ρ. The latter serves as a useful limit for the still undetermined neutron star EOS above nuclear density. The results are useful, for example, to estimate the accretion rate on to a mini-black hole residing at the centre of a neutron star.
Effect of Specimen Orientation on the Mechanical Performance of Diffusion Bonded 316 Stainless Steel for Hybrid Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers

Hybrid printed circuit heat exchangers (H-PCHE) consisting of plate and fin bonded to a microchannel heat-exchanger have been designed for generation IV nuclear power. This manuscript discusses the ability of 316 stainless steel (316SS) to be utilized as a candidate alloy for these H-PCHE’s. Sheets of 316SS were stacked together and diffusion bonded. The tensile behavior of this diffusion bonded 316SS composite was investigated in two orientations: tensile stress applied parallel and perpendicular to the sheet plane. Different mechanical properties were found for each orientation, which has implications for modeling of performance and creep lifetimes of H-PCHEs. Further, the effect of a post-bond heat treatment was found to increased the overall ductility of the bonded specimen.
Hippocampal volume and volume asymmetry prospectively predict PTSD symptom emergence among Iraq-deployed soldiers.

Background Evidence suggests a link between smaller hippocampal volume (HV) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there has been little prospective research testing this question directly and it remains unclear whether smaller HV confers risk or is a consequence of traumatization and PTSD. Methods U.S. soldiers (N = 107) completed a battery of clinical assessments, including structural magnetic resonance imaging pre-deployment. Once deployed they completed monthly assessments of traumatic-stressors and symptoms. We hypothesized that smaller HV would potentiate the effects of traumatic stressors on PTSD symptoms in theater. Analyses evaluated whether total HV, lateral (right v. left) HV, or HV asymmetry (right - left) moderated the effects of stressor-exposure during deployment on PTSD symptoms. Results Findings revealed no interaction between total HV and average monthly traumatic-stressors on PTSD symptoms b = -0.028, p = 0.681 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.167 to 0.100]. However, in the context of greater exposure to average monthly traumatic stressors, greater right HV was associated with fewer PTSD symptoms b = -0.467, p = 0.023 (95% CI -0.786 to -0.013), whereas greater left HV was unexpectedly associated with greater PTSD symptoms b = 0.435, p = 0.024 (95% CI 0.028-0.715). Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of considering the complex role of HV, in particular HV asymmetry, in predicting the emergence of PTSD symptoms in response to war-zone trauma.
Sexual Expression and Intimacy between Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: Balancing the Current Interests and Prior Values of Heterosexual and LGBT Residents

Nursing homes have difficulty dealing with intimacy and sex because they are central to life satisfaction and psychological well-being, but are also constricted by moral values and cultural expectations. This article focuses on the dilemma nursing homes face when the current wishes of the demented patient for an intimate relationship, expressed in words or behavior, conflict with the patient's prior values, such as fidelity to a nonresident spouse. In order to make the decision that is good for this person in the fullest sense, the nursing home must determine whether to follow the precedent values and advance directives of the patient or give priority to the current well-being and satisfaction the patient derives from the relationship. This article briefly reviews the philosophical and legal arguments supporting the use of substituted judgment, best interests, and functional competence approaches to decision-making for incompetents and then explains why a balancing test is the best approach when dealing with intimate relationships among demented residents. The article also addresses the advantages and disadvantages of using advance directives to control future sexual relationships in nursing homes and discusses the challenges facing nursing homes in ensuring that gay and lesbian elders are provided the same opportunities for sexual expression and intimacy as other residents in the home.