cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of L‐Ascorbyl 6‐Palmitate in Bread Using Reverse‐Phase High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Electrochemical (EC) Detection

L-Ascorbyl palmitate (AP) was stable for up to 5 hr at 25°C in an extracting medium consisting of 90% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) with 0.12% metaphosphoric acid and 0.05% L-ascorbic acid (AA). When the DMSO-acid medium was used with reverse-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine 0.6–4.8 mg AP/g dry dough or bread, AP was base-line resolved on the chromatograms. Reverse-phase HPLC with electrochemical detection was also used to obtain base-line resolution of AA extracted from bread using 3% aqueous metaphosphoric acid. Fresh bread after cooling 1 hr retained 50.7% of AP and 58.1% of AA added at the dough stage (150 mg of AP or 63.8 mg of AA per 100g flour). During storage of the bread in polyethylene bags at 25°C, AA was lost approximately three times faster than AP. AA could not be detected in the bread after 10 days, whereas 30% AP remained. Bread baked with 0.15% AP in the formula retained 9% of the adult RDA for vitamin C after 3 days of bagged storage, and 6% RDA after 10 days; in a nitrogen atmosphere the bread retained 90% AP after 5 days.
ENDOCRINE CONTROL OF LIFE-CYCLE STAGES: A CONSTRAINT ON RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENT?

Abstract Most organisms live in seasonal environments that fluctuate on a predictable schedule and sometimes unpredictably. Individuals must, therefore, adjust so as to maximize their survival and reproductive success over a wide range of environmental conditions. In birds, as in other vertebrates, endocrine secretions regulate morphological, physiological, and behavioral changes in anticipation of future events. The individual thus prepares for predictable fluctuations in its environment by changing life-cycle stages. We have applied finite-state machine theory to define and compare different life-history cycles. The ability of birds to respond to predictable and unpredictable regimes of environmental variation may be constrained by the adaptability of their endocrine control systems. We have applied several theoretical approaches to natural history data of birds to compare the complexity of life cycles, the degree of plasticity of timing of stages within the cycle, and to determine whether endocrine con...
Amino Acid Analysis and Sequencing — What is State-of-the-Art?

Based on analyses and surveys completed by as many as 112 protein chemistry laboratories, an average of nearly 100 picomoles of protein is needed to sequence the first 15 or more residues while a total of about 4 μg protein is sufficient to carry out a triplicate hydrolysis/analysis that will give an amino acid composition with about 86% compositional accuracy. On average, approximately 700 picomoles protein is required in order to isolate and sequence a 15 residue tryptic peptide.
Smokeless tobacco extracts modulate exogenous gene expression in early passage cultured human oral epithelial cells: An in vitro system to study chemical and viral enhancer/promoter interaction

The increased risk for cancers of the oral cavity from smokeless tobacco use may reflect the interaction of tobacco with genetic factors, such as oncogenes, and other exogenous factors, such as viruses. An in vitro system was developed based on expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene to study interactions of chemical treatments with viral enhancer/promoters in early passage cell cultures of oral cavity-derived epithelial cells. Expression of CAT in transfected cells was significantly greater with CAT under the control of the cytomegalovirus immediate early enhancer/promoter (pCEP4/CAT) compared to the Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat enhancer/promoter (pRSV-cat) and the simian virus 40 (SV40) early promoter (pSV2-cat). No CAT expression was detected using corresponding control plasmids without the CAT reporter gene. Using this system, smokeless tobacco extracts prepared from either dry snuff or moist snuff delayed maximum CAT expression from Day 4 to Day 5, with sustained, significantly increased CAT expression at 12 days compared to the declining CAT expression observed in untreated control cells. Smokeless tobacco extracts can modulate intracellular gene expression. This system provides an in vitro model to test specificity of toxic agents on enhancer/promoter activity and the interaction on exogenous gene expression.
Accountants, attorney-client privilege, and the kovel rule: Waiver through inadvertent disclosure via electronic communication

Under certain circumstances, a lawyer may shield a non-testifying accountant or other business expert under the Kovel rule. This rule extends the attorney-client privilege to accountant-client communications and to work product when the accountant is hired to help in rendering legal services. The party claiming the privilege bears the burden of proving the existence of the factors required to sustain it. Various protective measures reviewed in this article are vital to preserve the extension of the privilege to accountants and other business experts.
Mitochondrial stress-induced p53 attenuates HIF-1α activity by physical association and enhanced ubiquitination

Retrograde signaling is a mechanism by which mitochondrial dysfunction is communicated to the nucleus for inducing a metabolic shift essential for cell survival. Previously, we showed that partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion in different cell types induced mitochondrial retrograde signaling pathway (MtRS) involving Ca+2-sensitive Calcineurin (Cn) activation as an immediate upstream event of stress response. In multiple cell types, this stress signaling was shown to induce tumorigenic phenotypes in immortalized cells. In this study we show that MtRS also induces p53 expression, which was abrogated by Ca2+ chelators and short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of CnAβ mRNA. Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by mitochondrial ionophore, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone and other respiratory inhibitors, which perturb the transmembrane potential, were equally efficient in inducing the expression of p53 and downregulation of MDM2. Stress-induced p53 physically interacted with hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and attenuated the latter's binding to promoter DNA motifs. In addition, p53 promoted ubiquitination and degradation of HIF-1α in partial mtDNA-depleted cells. The mtDNA depleted cells, with inhibited HIF-1α, showed upregulation of glycolytic pathway genes, glucose transporter 1-4 (Glut1-4), phosphoglycerate kinase 1 and Glucokinase but not of prolyl hydroxylase isoforms. For the first time we show that p53 is induced as part of MtRS and it renders HIF-1α inactive by physical interaction. In this respect, our results show that MtRS induces tumor growth independent of the HIF-1α pathway.
Improving Fast Dual Ascent for MPC - Part II: The Embedded Case

Recently, several authors have suggested the use of first order methods, such as fast dual ascent and the alternating direction method of multipliers, for embedded model predictive control. The main reason is that they can be implemented using simple arithmetic operations only. However, a known limitation of gradient-based methods is that they are sensitive to ill-conditioning of the problem data. In this paper, we present a fast dual gradient method for which the sensitivity to ill-conditioning is greatly reduced. This is achieved by approximating the negative dual function with a quadratic upper bound with different curvature in different directions in the algorithm, as opposed to having the same curvature in all directions as in standard fast gradient methods. The main contribution of this paper is a characterization of the set of matrices that can be used to form such a quadratic upper bound to the negative dual function. We also describe how to choose a matrix from this set to get an improved approximation of the dual function, especially if it is ill-conditioned, compared to the approximation used in standard fast dual gradient methods. This can give a significantly improved performance as illustrated by a numerical evaluation on an ill-conditioned AFTI-16 aircraft model.
Controversies in the Management of Mesh-Based Complications: A Urology Perspective

Since the introduction of the synthetic midurethral sling, several transvaginal mesh delivery systems have been developed for treating stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Widespread use of these "kits" has introduced a new dilemma of mesh-specific complications that female pelvic surgeons must manage. Differing treatment techniques have been described and controversy exists as to which method is preferred for vaginal mesh extrusion, mesh perforations, pelvic pain, and dyspareunia. This article addresses the differing management strategies for mesh complications after reconstructive surgery and highlights the available literature on the success of each option.
College Is Not Enough: Higher Education Does Not Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Wealth Gaps

Differences in college and post-graduate degree attainment alone explain less than half of Black-White and Hispanic-White wealth gaps in a standard wealth regression. Differences in family structure and measures of luck such as income windfalls and inheritances explain even less. Measures of financial decisionmaking, such as the share of housing in total assets and debt ratios, are much more important.
Determinants of successful patent applications to combat financial fraud

Finding out the characteristics of patent applications that lead to successful grants is an important and yet under-investigated topic in the scientometric literature. Using data from financial fraud-related patent applications submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), this study aims to determine which factors that can be influenced by inventors relate to successful patent grants. A descriptive statistical model is proposed to estimate the likelihood of a patent document being granted by the USPTO based on a number of explanatory variables. The following factors are among the notable statistically significant determinants for the studied patent sample: number of drawings, drafting aggressiveness, proportion of granted patent prior art references, proportion of web-based non-patent literature references, subclass specialization, and representation by a patent attorney or agent. The implications of these empirical findings are discussed in the context of entrepreneurship.
Comprehensive analysis of line-edge and line-width roughness for EUV lithography

Pattern transfer fidelity is always a major challenge for any lithography process and needs continuous improvement. Lithographic processes in semiconductor industry are primarily driven by optical imaging on photosensitive polymeric material (resists). Quality of pattern transfer can be assessed by quantifying multiple parameters such as, feature size uniformity (CD), placement, roughness, sidewall angles etc. Roughness in features primarily corresponds to variation of line edge or line width and has gained considerable significance, particularly due to shrinking feature sizes and variations of features in the same order. This has caused downstream processes (Etch (RIE), Chemical Mechanical Polish (CMP) etc.) to reconsider respective tolerance levels. A very important aspect of this work is relevance of roughness metrology from pattern formation at resist to subsequent processes, particularly electrical validity. A major drawback of current LER/LWR metric (sigma) is its lack of relevance across multiple downstream processes which effects material selection at various unit processes. In this work we present a comprehensive assessment of Line Edge and Line Width Roughness at multiple lithographic transfer processes. To simulate effect of roughness a pattern was designed with periodic jogs on the edges of lines with varying amplitudes and frequencies. There are numerous methodologies proposed to analyze roughness and in this work we apply them to programmed roughness structures to assess each technique’s sensitivity. This work also aims to identify a relevant methodology to quantify roughness with relevance across downstream processes.
Influence of ligand shell ordering on dimensional confinement of cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) perovskite nanoplatelets

The perovskite cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) has emerged as an attractive thermally and chemically robust alternative to hybrid lead perovskite halides and analogues of this material show excellent tunability of exciton binding energies, high absorption cross-sections, and intense photoluminescence. Dimensional reduction, particularly in proximity of the Bohr exciton radius, allows for substantial tunability of the photophysical properties of this material as a result of quantum confinement. The use of surface passivating ligands, particularly alkylammonium cations, has been developed as a means of inducing directional growth and facilitates dimensional confinement of the obtained perovskite nanocrystals. Here, we demonstrate that the crystalline order of the ligand-shell assembly, as dictated by the length of the alkyl chains, the degree of branching, the reaction temperature, and ligand concentration, strongly influences the extent of dimensional confinement attainable for the perovskite nanoplatelets. The spatial extent of the ligand shell and the degree of ordering of ligand molecules greatly impact the diffusion and addition of monomeric species. The interplay between enthalpic stabilization from crystalline packing and entropic loss from loss of configurational degrees of freedom provides substantial opportunity to tune the parameter space as a function of ligand structure and reaction variables. Mechanistic understanding of thermodynamic and kinetic regimes provides a means to rationally optimize synthetic parameters to obtained desired dimensionality and thus allows for control over nanocrystal thickness in precise increments.
The Benefits and Challenges of International Education: Maximizing Learning for Social Change

This chapter examines several prominent rationales for funding international scholarships in light of a changing global higher education landscape. Drawing on existing studies of international scholarship programs and learning abroad research that illuminate individual-, institutional-, and societal-level outcomes, it affirms the potential of immersive international learning experiences to play a significant role in advancing social change. At the same time, it argues that existing research challenges some of the assumptions that have traditionally undergirded support for international scholarships—particularly for students from the Global South—and calls for re-envisioning the role of international universities and the design of scholarship programs to maximize their contributions to social change.
Phosphorene in ultrafast laser field

We study numerically interaction of phosphorene monolayer with a strong femtosecond-long optical pulse. For such a short pulse, the electron dynamics is coherent and can be described by the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation. Strong optical field of the pulse causes redistribution of electrons between the conduction and valence bands. Such interband dynamics is highly irreversible, i.e., the conduction band population after the pulse is large and comparable to the maximum conduction band during the pulse. The conduction band population distribution in the reciprocal space shows high contrast hot spots, which are due to large interband coupling at the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point. The optical pulse also causes the net charge transfer through the phosphorene monolayer. The direction of the transfer is the same as the direction of the field maximum.
Impact of Size Dispersity, Ligand Coverage, and Ligand Length on the Structure of PbS Nanocrystal Superlattices

Understanding self-assembly is a critical step toward controlling structure at the nanometer length scale. Furthermore, small changes in nanoscale morphology can have large impacts on the performance of nanomaterial devices. In this work, we experimentally explore how the physical properties of lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals, such as the surface ligands and core size dispersity, affect the ability of these nanocrystals to self-assemble. We quantified the self-assembly quality by monitoring grain size and the percentage of nanocrystals with coherent alignment of their atomic planes. We found that the ensemble size dispersity plays a large role in superlattice formation and that even small improvements in size distribution led to shorter neighbor-to-neighbor distances in superlattices (more efficient packing), larger grain sizes, and increased nanocrystal alignment. Additionally, the ligand coverage on nanocrystal surfaces had a significant influence on the self-assembly, and excess precipitation steps wer...
A CMOS-Based Bidirectional Brain Machine Interface System With Integrated fdNIRS and tDCS for Closed-Loop Brain Stimulation

A CMOS-based bidirectional brain machine interface system with on-chip frequency-domain near infrared spectroscopy (fdNIRS) and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is designed to enable noninvasive closed-loop brain stimulation for neural disorders treatment and cognitive performance enhancement. The dual channel fdNIRS can continuously monitor absolute cerebral oxygenation during the entire tDCS process by measuring NIR light's attenuation and phase shift across brain tissue. Each fdNIRS channel provides 120 dBΩ transimpedance gain at 80 MHz with a power consumption of 30 mW while tolerating up to 8 pF input capacitance. A photocurrent between 10 and 450 nA can be detected with a phase resolution down to 0.2°. A lensless system with subnanowatt sensitivity is realized by using an avalanche photodiode. The on-chip programmable voltage-controlled resistor stimulator can support a stimulation current from 0.6 to 2.2 mA with less than 1% variation, which covers the required current range of tDCS. The chip is fabricated in a standard 130-nm CMOS process and occupies an area of 2.25 mm2.
An Ecological Study on the Spatially Varying Relationship between County-Level Suicide Rates and Altitude in the United States

Suicide is a serious but preventable public health issue. Several previous studies have revealed a positive association between altitude and suicide rates at the county level in the contiguous United States. We assessed the association between suicide rates and altitude using a cross-county ecological study design. Data on suicide rates were obtained from a Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), maintained by the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). Altitude data were collected from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). We employed an ordinary least square (OLS) regression to model the association between altitude and suicide rates in 3064 counties in the contiguous U.S. We conducted a geographically weighted regression (GWR) to examine the spatially varying relationship between suicide rates and altitude after controlling for several well-established covariates. A significant positive association between altitude and suicide rates (average county rates between 2008 and 2014) was found in the dataset in the OLS model (R2 = 0.483, p < 0.001). Our GWR model fitted the data better, as indicated by an improved R2 (average: 0.62; range: 0.21–0.64) and a lower Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) value (13,593.68 vs. 14,432.14 in the OLS model). The GWR model also significantly reduced the spatial autocorrelation, as indicated by Moran’s I test statistic (Moran’s I = 0.171; z = 33.656; p < 0.001 vs. Moran’s I = 0.323; z = 63.526; p < 0.001 in the OLS model). In addition, a stronger positive relationship was detected in areas of the northern regions, northern plain regions, and southeastern regions in the U.S. Our study confirmed a varying overall positive relationship between altitude and suicide. Future research may consider controlling more predictor variables in regression models, such as firearm ownership, religion, and access to mental health services.
The Drivers of Collaborative Success Between Rural Economic Development Organizations

The nonprofit literature has directed attention to exploring how features of the broader structure of exchanges within regional collaboration networks impact the dynamics and outcomes of a single p...
A Novel Gait Recognition System Based on Hidden Markov Models

The advances in computing power, availability of large- capacity storage devices and research in computer vision have contributed to recent developments in gait recognition. The ease of acquiring human videos by low cost equipments makes gait recognition much easier and less intrusive than other biometric systems. In this paper, a gait recognition system using a space-model-based approach is proposed. The proposed mechanism is able to detect moving object of interest, while track them and analyzing their gait for recognition. The system captures videos of subjects in front a stationary camera. The identification module makes use of the shape and dynamics of the system using HMM. Then it models the gait properties by accepting the feature vectors as input and model the dynamics through state transitions and observation probabilities. The experimental results show that the proposed gait recognition system successfully recognizes humans using their gait.
Expression of Beta 2 Microglobulin on the Surface of Mononuclear Cells in Patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Aids-Related Complex (ARC)

Beta 2 microglobulin (B2-m) is a low molecular weight protein of 11,800 daltons and contains 100 amino acids. It was originally isolated from human urine and has been found in all body fluids (1–3). B2-m shows a homology with CH3 domain of immunoglobulin molecules and is associated with class I major histocompatibility complex molecules. B2-m is present on the surface of and synthesized by virtually all somatic cells. In vitro, both normal and malignant human cell lines and activated normal lymphocytes synthesize B2-m (4, 5). B2-m has been shown to play a role in T cell response to mitogens, soluble antigens and alloantigens (6–12). Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is characterized by several defects of T cell functions and clinically manifested by opportunistic infections and/or Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) (13–16). Recently, increased plasma levels of B2-m in patients with AIDS and hemophilia have been described (17–19). In this study we have examined the expression of surface B2-m on the mononuclear cells (MNC) from patients with AIDS and AIDS-related complex (ARC), using a monoclonal antibody and fluorescence- activated cell sorter analyzer (20).
Retinal responses inNautilus

Electrical responses (ERG) were recorded from the retinal surface of the eye ofNautilus pompilius. Brief light flashes and step changes in intensity were used to explore linear and nonlinear response properties. The linear responses could be fitted well with cascaded exponential decay processes and a time delay. Nonlinear phenomena included a saturating amplitude of response with increased light intensity, and shape changes induced by adaptation and by background illumination.
Immunomodulation of EAE: Altered Peptide Ligands, Tolerance, and Th1/Th2

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model for human multiple sclerosis (MS). The disease is initiated by myelin-specific T cells, but mediated by cells of both the adaptive and innate immune system. Therefore, strategies targeting either lymphocytes or myeloid cells can be effective in modulating EAE. In this chapter, we will review some of the strategies that have been developed to treat or prevent EAE. Our emphasis will be on those strategies that are still in the developmental stage, but may have the potential to be used in the clinic in the future
How does discharge status impact suicide risk in military veterans

ABSTRACTLittle is known about over 125,000 veterans who received non-honorable military discharges since 2001, even though these veterans face substantial barriers to obtaining services and are likely to be at high risk for negative mental and behavioral health outcomes including suicide. Seven-hundred twenty-two veterans living the in the San Francisco Bay Area participated in the study. The sample comprised honorably discharged (n = 508) and non-honorably discharged veterans (n = 214). T-tests were used to compare means on predictors of suicide risk including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol use, somatic symptoms, and physical disability. A series of regression models tested relationships between predictors, discharge status, and suicide risk. Non-honorably discharged veterans demonstrated higher mean scores than honorably discharged veterans on all predictors. In regression models, somatic symptoms (β = 0.22, p < 0.001), physical disability (β = 0.16, p < 0.05), and discharge s...
Proton therapy for skull base tumors: A review of clinical outcomes for chordomas and chondrosarcomas.

Background Skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas are rare tumors traditionally treated by surgical resection and adjuvant radiation therapy (RT). We will discuss data evaluating clinical outcomes of proton therapy in the treatment of skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas. Methods A literature review was performed using a MEDLINE search from January 1990 to January 2017. Results The published data suggest that the dose intensification allowed by proton therapy has resulted in good clinical outcomes and a tolerable toxicity profile. Conclusion Proton therapy is a modern RT technique that has demonstrated improved preliminary clinical outcomes in the treatment of skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas compared to conventional radiotherapy, and comparable to other advanced photon-based RT techniques.
Designing Compassion Cultivating Interactions for New Mothers

This paper describes a research project that aims to examine an unexplored design space-compassion cultivation for wellness. This project seeks to understand the components of compassionate interactions between new mothers and their proximate and primary supporters-partners -- to inform the design of compassion cultivating interventions for maternal wellness. A discussion of research activities undertaken thus far and preliminary results are presented.
NMR STUDIES OF THE INTERACTION OF CATECHOLAMINES AND RELATED PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS WITH PNVP POLYMERS USED IN ANALYTE SELECTIVE MICROELECTRODES

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses NMR studies of the interaction of catecholamines and related phenolic compounds with PNVP polymers used in analyte selective microelectrodes. To facilitate the clinical and scientific studies of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, considerable effort has been directed to the development of microelectrodes for the measurement of catecholamine levels in vivo. The desired properties of the polymer are that the analyte of interest is selectively preconcentrated at the electrode surface while interfering metabolites are excluded. Poly (N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PNVP) has been used to enhance the electrochemical signal for catechol while attenuating that of ascorbate. To better understand the fundamental reasons for the selectivity of the polymer, NMR studies of the interactions of catecholamines and related phenolic compounds with PNVP were undertaken. The results suggest that the mode of interaction is with the polymer moieties being situated above and below the aromatic ring of the analytes of interest via the hydrophobic interaction.
Empirical Analysis of Drivers and Obstacles for Collaborative Consumption: A Cross-Cultural Comparison on Fashion Renting and Swapping

Over-consumptionand a throwaway culture contribute to increased textile waste, which is agrowing environmental concern. Collaborative Consumption, which is based on theshared usage of underutilized or unwanted products, encourages people to focuson product usage rather than ownership. Renting and swapping, two forms of CC,have been suggested as alternative sources of revenue for industry while alsoextending the life and use frequency of clothing products. Given the limitedliterature on the cross-cultural comparisons of CC in the apparel industry,this study was designed to empirically identify the motivations and barriersfor fashion renting and swapping and to compare the intention towards CCbetween consumers in the US and in China. A convenience sampling strategy wasemployed for data collection in both the United States and China. Data cleaninggenerated 452 usable samples in the US and 321 usable responses in China.Multi-item scales were used to evaluate thevariables, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. The results indicated thatsignificant differences exist between American and Chinese consumers in termsof perceived risks and enjoyment of CC as well as attitude toward CC.Furthermore, the study identified that American consumers’ intention to rentclothing or to attend swapping events was significantly influenced by perceivedenjoyment and social risk; while Chinese consumers’ intention to rent clothingwas significantly impacted by social risk, performance risk, and financialrisk. Differently, Chinese consumers’ intention to swap clothing wassignificantly influenced by perceived enjoyment, social risk, performance risk,psychological risk, and financial risk.
Lost in Transplantation: The Supreme Court's Post-Prudence Jurisprudence

This essay is an invited response to Fred Smith's Vanderbilt Law Review article "Undemocratic Restraint." Smith critiques an important trend in the Supreme Court's decisions on standing: the transformation of concepts that had been viewed as judicially-created "prudential" limits on a party's standing to sue into concepts grounded in positive law, such as federal statutes or the Constitution. This essay uses two Supreme Court decisions, which coincidentally came down weeks after Smith's article was published, to highlight some questions and concerns regarding two areas of standing doctrine that Smith examines. One subject of doctrinal transplantation has been the "zone of interests" test. In its 2013 decision in Lexmark International, Inc. v. Static Control Components, Inc., the Supreme Court declared that the zone-of-interests inquiry is a feature of statutory interpretation rather than prudential standing. In its 2017 decision in Bank of America Corp. v. Miami, the Court revisited the zone-of-interests test. By a 5-3 vote, it held that the City of Miami—which sued Bank of America for Fair Housing Act (FHA) violations that led to lost tax revenues and additional municipal expenses—fell within the FHA's zone of interests. A potential future candidate for transplantation is the adverseness requirement. Several Justices (though never a majority) have argued that adverseness is not merely a prudential consideration; rather it is constitutionally mandated by Article III. In its 2017 decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker, the Supreme Court considered whether appellate courts could review a district court’s refusal to certify a class action where the lead plaintiffs—following the denial of class certification—stipulated to a voluntarily dismissal of their individual claims. The majority in Microsoft found a lack of appellate jurisdiction on statutory grounds. According to a three-Justice concurrence, however, there was an appealable "final decision" for statutory purposes but a lack of adverseness placed the appeal outside the bounds of Article III.
Granulomatous Mastitis: Comparison of Novel Treatment of Steroid Injection and Current Management

Abstract Background Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a rare entity of benign origin. Multiple treatment strategies, including surgical procedures, can have sequelae of recurrence, nonhealing wounds, and protracted pain. Even after GM is diagnosed, the best management strategy remains controversial. We sought to evaluate intralesional steroid injection as a potential treatment for GM. Materials and methods Electronic medical records from 2003 to 2017 of patients diagnosed with benign breast lesions were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with pathologically confirmed GM were identified. All treatment methods were documented, which included observation, oral steroids, methotrexate, steroid injection, and surgical excision. Primary outcome was time to resolution. Effectiveness was based on relief of symptoms along with duration of symptoms from initial time of diagnosis to full relief. Analysis of variance was used to compare outcomes between groups. Results Of the 49 patients with confirmed GM diagnoses, 57% had observation only, 24% had steroid injection, and 19% had surgical resection. The average time to resolution differed significantly among the three groups (11.5 mo from the start of observation, 2.0 mo from the time of steroid injection, and 0.5 mo from the time of surgical excision, P Conclusions Intralesional steroid injection is an effective treatment of GM. Selective management is appropriate for patients with GM, and surgical resection is not required for most patients.
Farmers markets: Working with community partners to provide essential services during COVID-19

Klisch et al discuss the partnership between farmer's markets and their community partners to provide essential services during COVID-19 in the US The COVID-19 pandemic has led to income loss for many individuals and households, which increases their risk of food insecurity and related poor health outcomes CalFresh is one of the largest and most effective tools at reducing food insecurity while stimulating economic activity, particularly during economic downturns However, there is evidence that these benefits do not reach low-income qualifying households equitably A 2018 study found that CalFresh participation among farmworkers in California was disproportionately low compared to other regions and documented that Latino farmworker immigrants in all regions studied are 40% less likely to participate in SNAP than comparable households headed by non-Latinos CalFresh is a federally funded food assistance program
Adverse Childhood Experiences in relation to drug and alcohol use in the 30 days prior to incarceration in a county jail.

Purpose: To characterize the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance use among people incarcerated in a county jail. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was administered to 199 individuals incarcerated in a Southwest county jail as part of a social-epidemiological exploration of converging co-morbidities in incarcerated populations. Among 96 participants with complete ACEs data, the authors determined associations between individual ACEs items and a summative score with methamphetamine (meth), heroin, other opiates, and cocaine use and binge drinking in the 30 days prior to incarceration using logistic regression. Findings: People who self-reported use of methamphetamine, heroin, other opiates, or cocaine in the 30 days prior to incarceration had higher average ACEs scores. Methamphetamine use was significantly associated with living with anyone who served time in a correctional facility and with someone trying to make them touch sexually. Opiate use was significantly associated with living with anyone who was depressed, mentally ill, or suicidal; living with anyone who used illegal street drugs or misused prescription medications; and if an adult touched them sexually. Binge drinking was significantly associated with having lived with someone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic. Originality: Significant associations between methamphetamine use and opiate use and specific adverse childhood experiences suggest important entry points for improving jail and community programming. Social Implications: Our findings point to a need for research to understand differences between methamphetamine use and opiate use in relation to particular adverse experiences during childhood, and a need for tailored intervention for people incarcerated in jail.
Ukraine and the Evaporating Hyphen of Market-Democracy

This post is part of the series Lessons for Liberalism from the “Illiberal East” Information wars, fake news, kompromat: surprised Ukrainians have found their lexicon for foreign interference spread as loan-words across a putative new Cold War. Narratives of hegemony long familiar in Ukraine have metastasized, and their protagonists—troll hordes, political technologists, the Paul Manaforts and Victoria Nulands—have been set loose far beyond Ukrainian borders. For those who are anxious that liberalism is stumbling into traps laid by foreign intelligence, stuck trading off with fascism and socialism or otherwise in crisis, Ukraine’s recent history portends an ominous global future.
A novel treatment for Parkinson's disease and ALS: Combined cell and gene therapies

Abstract Stem cell and gene therapy approaches for diseases of the brain are rapidly evolving. This chapter describes how one approach moved from basic lab studies into clinical trials for Parkinson's and ALS. Pioneering work using human fetal tissue in Parkinson's disease laid the foundations for stem cell approaches where there was better control of the cellular product. Astrocytes proved more realistic in transplantation studies and the ability to engineer them to release powerful growth factors such as ALS using gene therapy vectors increased their efficacy. The final closing sections move the reader through the FDA process and describe a full clinical trial that has recently completed.
Optimal self-stress determination of tensegrity structures

Abstract In traditional methods for self-stress determination of a tensegrity structure, member grouping, which highly relies on geometric simplicity of the structure, is a key component. For this reason, these methods are not efficient to handle complex or irregular tensegrity structures. In addition, most of optimization algorithms used in traditional methods are based on gradients. Therefore, exponential increase of computational effort is inevitable for self-stress determination of large-scale tensegrity structures. To resolve those issues, a new method called the stochastic fixed nodal position method is developed for self-stress determination of tensegrity structures. This method utilizes a derivative-free stochastic algorithm in numerical optimization with the starting point being obtained by solving a linear system of equations, so that the computation cost is reduced, and member grouping is no longer required. The proposed method is suitable for large-scale, complex, and irregular tensegrity structures. The proposed method is applied to self-stress determination of a planar tensegrity structure, a spatial four-way tensegrity grid, and an irregular tensegrity structure in the simulation. Results show that the proposed method can handle both regular and irregular tensegrity structures, and has a low computational cost, a super linear rate of convergence, and high accuracy.
Covid-19 and its impact on venture pitching competitions in higher education: a case study

For the last several years, many institutions of higher learning annually have conducted venture pitch competitions. The competition allows students to experience a taste of entrepreneurship. Quite...
Analysis of sentiment optimization on social networks based on statistical data

As technology is much more developed, it has already merged with the daily life of people. Because of the characteristic of the network— no limitation, part of people believe that they are closer to their family and friends, while it makes people feel lonelier since companions are virtual. Therefore, it is easier to cause negative emotions and then lead to a more serious downside such as depression if those emotions cannot be alleviated or even eliminated on time. In this paper, the author focuses on the analysis of how to minimize the negative emotions so that to avoid more serious problems. All data are collected from COVID-19 Real World Worry Dataset which is related to Twitter. The author utilizes the comparison of P-value for each variable and Stepwise. Selection method to identify the most effective factor for causing negative emotions (anxiety, worry, fear, anger, disgust, and sadness). The author found that the frequency of participants on Twitter is the most influential variable. In other words, it is important to study ways to relieve negative emotions from Twitter emotions cannot be alleviated or even eliminated on time.
The Economic Survival of Black Owned Small Businesses: Building Resiliency in Urban Communities

This research project is developed to understand the historic complexity of black owned small businesses as to why black owned businesses have continued to struggle from start-up to expansion, the make-up of black owned small businesses, and the importance for black owned small businesses to exist in urban communities. The research project will serve as a blueprint across the country to help improve disadvantaged communities by providing investment models for black small businesses to have equal resources and social economic standards while preventing gentrifying communities. The models and outcomes proposed in the project seeks to place government institutional programs under a microscope to assess and reevaluate if the continued recycled program(s) today really assist black owned small businesses and measure if whether its’ enough for the black small businesses to survive after a health pandemic that is going to send the US economy through multiple stages of inflations before it stabilizes.
Molecular computing with deoxyribozymes.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the molecular computing with deoxyribozymes. Silicomimetic molecular computing is based on an idea that individual molecules can perform basic logical operations and make simple decisions based on the presence or absence of multiple factors in solution. Using deoxyribozymes, nucleic acid catalysts made of DNA, and recognition regions for oligonucleotides—stem-loops—a so-called “full set of molecular logic gates,” was constructed in the study described in the chapter, which allowed for the combination of individual gates into more complex circuits. These gates and their circuits analyze the sets of oligonucleotides as inputs and produce changed substrate oligonucleotides as outputs. The chapter describes the initial efforts to integrate molecular computing devices with more traditional approaches to nanomedicine, such as those using nanoparticles for drug-delivery. This approach opens possibilities to increase the functional complexity of delivery systems. A three-layer cascade is described, in which microscopic particles coordinate their activity without any direct physical contact. The elementary unit of a network of microparticles is a single particle covered with a DNA computing or sensing element. Individual bead senses the presence of an input stimulus (or multiple stimuli) in solution, and, according to a set of rules encoded on this bead by computing elements, it releases an oligonucleotide signal as an output through a catalytic process.
ELF rotating magnetic fields: Prenatal exposure and adult behavior

In three separate experiments, adult male rats that had been exposed continuously during their prenatal development to a 0.5 Hz, 3 to 30 gauss rotating magnetic field (RMF), emitted significantly (p<0.01) fewer lever presses in a free operant avoidance situation than rats that had been prenatally exposed to control conditions. This difference was apparently due, in large part, to the RMF-exposed rats' relatively low response rate within response bursts following a shock. However, RMF-exposed rats did not differ significantly from control rats in the number of shocks received.
The Spatial, the Legal and the Pragmatics of World-Making: Nomospheric Investigations

1. Welcome to the Nomosphere 2. Nomospheric Situations 3. Nomospheric Settings 4. Nomoscapes 5. Nomospheric Projects 6. Nomospheric Techniques
The Cray X-MP/Model 24: A Case Study in Pipelined Architecture and Vector Processing

Overview of the Cray X-MP/Model 24.- The control section.- The scalar section.- The address section.- Vectors and vector operations.- Memory access.- Interprocessor communication and multitasking.
Issues on hypoglycemia prediction and detection

Current guidelines in the treatment of diabetes stress the importance of tight glycemic control in order to avoid long term complications. At the same time, the intensive approach to maintaining euglycemia increases the incidence of hypoglycemia. Continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) have led to the possibility of predicting and detecting hypoglycemic episodes, and alerting the user to take action. We use an optimal estimation theory approach to hypoglycemia detection and prediction. We demonstrate the effect of measurement sampling frequency, threshold level, and prediction horizon on the sensitivity and specificity of the prediction of hypoglycemia. For characteristic glucose changes we first show the inherent limitation in sensor performance at predicting future glucose values. We then discuss how optimal estimators can be tuned to trade-off the false alarm rate with the rate of missed predicted hypoglycemic episodes. We also suggest the use of different alarm levels as a function of current and future estimates of glucose and the hypoglycemic threshold and prediction horizon.
Effects of corticotropin-releasing factor on food intake and brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in rats

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) has been administered into the third ventricle of rats in acute and chronic experiments. Following a single 5-micrograms injection of CRF, there was an acute reduction in food intake at 30 and 60 min that was no longer significant at 3 h. Guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP) binding to mitochondria from interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) of 21-h deprived rats was significantly increased 30 min after the acute infusion of 5 micrograms of CRF. Serum corticosterone was elevated in both groups but was significantly higher in the group treated with CRF. Serum glucose was unchanged. During a 7-day infusion of CRF (4.8 micrograms/day) into the third ventricle, the treated animals showed a slight, but significant, decrease in food intake but a progressive decline in body weight of 53 g over 7 days. Mitochondrial GDP binding was increased in the ad libitum-fed rats chronically treated with CRF. Serum corticosterone levels, although significantly higher than controls, were lower than following acute administration of CRF. These data show that CRF can acutely reduce food intake and increase sympathetic activity and that chronically it reduces body weight and may increase sympathetic activity without any consistent decrease in food intake.
Characteristics of MS-CMOS logic in sub-32nm technologies

This paper explores the characteristics of Monotonic-Static CMOS and its potential applications in gate leakage reduction in a hypothetical 22nm Bulk-Si technology with significant gate leakage currents. Using test circuits consisting of NAND and NOR logic gates, we performed a comparison among static, monotonic static and domino logic in terms of various properties including power, delay, noise margin and area. Comparisons were done over a wide range of possible transistor widths to fully characterize the tradeoffs for each circuit type. Experimental results show that MS-CMOS has potential advantages in terms of stand-by power, evaluation speed and noise margin in such a technology.
Varicella pneumonia in an immunocompetent adult

A30-year-old woman presented with a 3-day history of fever, chills, cough, chest pain on coughing and deep breathing, and shortness of breath on exertion. She also had a vesicular skin rash that had started a week before her presentation. Her 10-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with mild