cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
N-terminal protein characterization by mass spectrometry after cyanogen bromide cleavage using combined microscale liquid- and solid-phase derivatization.

A sample preparation method for protein N-terminal peptide isolation from cyanogen bromide (CNBr) protein digests has been developed. In this strategy, the CNBr cleavage was preceded by protein α- and e-amine acetylation and carboxyamidomethylation in a one-pot reaction scheme. The peptide mixture was adsorbed on ZipTipC18 pipette tips for reaction of the newly generated N-termini with sulfosuccinimidyl-2-(biotinamido) ethyl-1, 3-dithiopropionate. In the subsequent steps, the peptides were exposed in situ to hydroxylamine for reversal of potential hydroxyl group acylation, followed by reductive release of the disulfide-linked biotinamido moiety from the derivatives. The selectively thiol group-functionalized internal and C-terminal peptides were reversibly captured by covalent chromatography on activated thiol-sepharose, leaving the N-terminal fragment in the flow-through fraction. The use of the reversed-phase support as a venue for postcleavage serial modification proved instrumental to ensure throughput and completeness of derivatization. By this sequence of solid-phase reactions, the N-terminal peptide could be recognized uniquely in the MALDI-mass spectra of unfractionated digests by its unaltered mass signature. The use of the sample preparation method was demonstrated with low-picomole amounts of model protein. The N-terminal CNBr fragments were retrieved selectively from the affinity support. The sample preparation method provides for robustness and simplicity of operation using standard equipment available in most biological laboratories and is anticipated to be readily expanded to gel-separated proteins.
Other youths: Italian cultural changes through Pasolini, Giordana, Petraglia and Rulli

AbstractPasolini warned that petit bourgeoisie ideas were forming a new Italian youth characterized by nihilism, violence and self-destructiveness. Revisiting Pasolini pessimism by The Best of Youth, Giordana, Petraglia and Rulli show how an Italian generation coped with petit bourgeoisie culture and education.
Visual Cues of Object Properties Differentially Affect Anticipatory Planning of Digit Forces and Placement

Studies on anticipatory planning of object manipulation showed initial task failure (i.e., object roll) when visual object shape cues are incongruent with other visual cues, such as weight distribution/density (e.g., symmetrically shaped object with an asymmetrical density). This suggests that shape cues override density cues. However, these studies typically only measured forces, with digit placement constrained. Recent evidence suggests that when digit placement is unconstrained, subjects modulate digit forces and placement. Thus, unconstrained digit placement might be modulated on initial trials (since it is an explicit process), but not forces (since it is an implicit process). We tested whether shape and density cues would differentially influence anticipatory planning of digit placement and forces during initial trials of a two-digit object manipulation task. Furthermore, we tested whether shape cues would override density cues when cues are incongruent. Subjects grasped and lifted an object with the aim of preventing roll. In Experiment 1, the object was symmetrically shaped, but with asymmetrical density (incongruent cues). In Experiment 2, the object was asymmetrical in shape and density (congruent cues). In Experiment 3, the object was asymmetrically shaped, but with symmetrical density (incongruent cues). Results showed differential modulation of digit placement and forces (modulation of load force but not placement), but only when shape and density cues were congruent. When shape and density cues were incongruent, we found collinear digit placement and symmetrical force sharing. This suggests that congruent and incongruent shape and density cues differentially influence anticipatory planning of digit forces and placement. Furthermore, shape cues do not always override density cues. A continuum of visual cues, such as those alluding to shape and density, need to be integrated.
Despite Federal Legislation, Shortages Of Drugs Used In Acute Care Settings Remain Persistent And Prolonged.

Early evidence suggests that provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012 are associated with reductions in the total number of new national drug shortages. However, drugs frequently used in acute unscheduled care such as the care delivered in emergency departments may be increasingly affected by shortages. Our estimates, based on reported national drug shortages from 2001 to 2014 collected by the University of Utah’s Drug Information Service, show that although the number of new annual shortages has decreased since the act’s passage, half of all drug shortages in the study period involved acute care drugs. Shortages affecting acute care drugs became increasingly frequent and prolonged compared with non–acute care drugs (median duration of 242 versus 173 days, respectively). These results suggest that the drug supply for many acutely and critically ill patients in the United States remains vulnerable despite federal efforts.
A Law Comprehensive Analysis on Chinese Agriculture Environmental Monitoring

The legal status and actual working conditions of current agricultural environmental monitoring were briefly described.The environmental monitoring work in agriculture needed to resolve the lack of legal basis,overlapping functions of environmental protection and agricultural sector,unclear right and duty,and other issues.The consideration of legislation was taken for agricultural environmental monitoring in whole country.The agricultural environmental monitoring was important part in agricultural environment.It was important and necessary for China to legislate the agricultural environmental monitoring.
Managing the U.S. health care workforce: creating policy amidst uncertainty.

Managing the health care workforce will have important implications for costs, quality, and access. Factors influencing supply include the production of new professionals, their relative effort, and rates of retirement. Demand will depend upon the development of new diseases, new drugs, and technologies, as well as the growth of managed care, which uses fewer physicians, fewer specialists, and more midlevel practitioners. There is a general consensus that there are too many physicians, especially specialists. Reducing the number of residency positions would reduce supply, predominantly by slowing importation of international physicians. Obstacles to workforce reform include a distrust of supply projections, skepticism about governmental planning, conservatism of established institutions, and the reality that some hospitals would lose positions and resources.
Celecoxib Versus Placebo in Tonsillectomy: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objectives:Celecoxib is a cyclooxygenase-2-specific inhibitor indicated to treat acute pain and pain secondary to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Surgical models of acute pain have demonst...
First-Person Knowledge and Authority

Let us call a thought or belief whose content would be expressed by a sentence of subject-predicate form (by the thinker or someone attributing the thought to the thinker) an ‘ascription’. Thus, the thought that Madonna is middle-aged is an ascription of the property of being middle-aged to Madonna. To call a thought of this form an ascription is to emphasize the predicate in the sentence that gives its content. Let us call an ‘x-ascription’ an ascription whose subject is x, that is, an ascription such that the subject of the sentence which would express its content is x. Let us call a ‘self-ascription’ an ascription whose subject is identical with the ascriber.
An Introduction to the Mechanical Properties of Ceramics: Effect of structure on elastic behavior

In the last chapter, the formal description of linear elasticity was introduced. It was shown that knowledge of the elastic constants for a particular material allows one to describe the strains produced by any arbitrary state of stress. In materials science one is often interested in ‘controlling’ a material property and, thus, this chapter is concerned with the influence of structure on the elastic constants. At the most basic level, the elastic constants reflect the ease of deformation of the atomic bonds but it will be shown that other levels of structure can be very important, especially with the use of composite materials. Relationship of elastic constants to interatomic potential In Section 2.1, linear elasticity was considered from the perspective of a single atomic bond. It was shown that the elastic constant was related to the shape of the interatomic potential, notably the curvature of the potential in the vicinity of the equilibrium spacing. For example, consider the interatomic potentials shown in Fig. 3.1 that are typical of the extremes for (a) ionic and (b) covalent ceramics . The strong directional bonding associated with covalency leads to a deep potential well. For atomic interactions acting over similar distances this would lead to a sharper curvature at the potential minimum, compared to the purely ionic case.
Evidence for reduced charge recombination in carbon nanotube/perovskite-based active layers

Abstract Using impedance spectroscopy and computation, we show that incorporation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the bulk of the active layer of perovskite-based solar cells reduces charge recombination and increases the open circuit voltage. An ∼87% reduction in recombination was achieved when MWCNTs were introduced in the planar-heterostructure perovskite solar cell containing mixed counterions. The open circuit voltage (Voc) of perovskite/MWCNTs devices was increased by 70 mV, while the short circuit current density (Jsc) and fill factor (FF) remained unchanged.
Molecular Pathways Leading to the Clinical Phenomenology of Frontotemporal Dementia

Abstract Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a disorder featuring profound, early personality and behavioral changes caused by neurodegeneration in the frontal and temporal lobes. FTD represents an umbrella term for three clinically defined syndromes that affect behavior, motor production of speech, or semantic knowledge. These syndromes result from underlying frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). About 10–20% of FTLD cases are estimated to be genetic, caused by a single autosomal dominant gene, and up to 40% have a family history of at least one family member with dementia or other related disorder. Three main autosomal dominant gene mutations cause genetic FTLD by different pathophysiological mechanisms leading to coinciding neuroanatomical patterns of degeneration: MAPT , GRN , and C9ORF72 . Mutations in each of these genes results in different clinical syndromes and can lead to different underlying pathology in the brain at autopsy. In this chapter, we will first explore the known genetic and molecular mechanisms causing genetic FTLD, review the neuroanatomical circuits associated with each gene, and finally examine how disruptions in specific brain networks provide insight into understanding clinical syndromes. This discussion will highlight important and as-yet unanswered questions in the field, including why neuropathologies arising from different molecular mechanisms converge on the same brain circuitry. Conversely, we will examine what features of the cell populations underlying the brain circuits vulnerable in FTD constitute their vulnerability to multiple but selective pathological mechanisms.
A brief introduction to ACRL's information literacy framework and how it may impact technical services

This article will provide a synopsis of the new guiding document on information literacy from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and discusses how it pertains to today's techn...
Residual Isocyanates in Medical Devices and Products: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment

We conducted a pilot qualitative and quantitative assessment of residual isocyanates and their potential initial exposures in neonates, as little is known about their contact effect. After a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stockroom inventory, polyurethane (PU) and PU foam (PUF) devices and products were qualitatively evaluated for residual isocyanates using Surface SWYPE™. Those containing isocyanates were quantitatively tested for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) species, using UPLC-UV-MS/MS method. Ten of 37 products and devices tested, indicated both free and bound residual surface isocyanates; PU/PUF pieces contained aromatic isocyanates; one product contained aliphatic isocyanates. Overall, quantified mean MDI concentrations were low (4,4‘-MDI = 0.52 to 140.1 pg/mg) and (2,4‘-MDI = 0.01 to 4.48 pg/mg). The 4,4‘-MDI species had the highest measured concentration (280 pg/mg). Commonly used medical devices/products contain low, but measurable concentrations of residual isocyanates. Quantifying...
Non-Communicable Disease Preventive Screening by HIV Care Model.

Importance The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic has evolved, with an increasing non-communicable disease (NCD) burden emerging and need for long-term management, yet there are limited data to help delineate the optimal care model to screen for NCDs for this patient population. Objective The primary aim was to compare rates of NCD preventive screening in persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) by type of HIV care model, focusing on metabolic/cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer screening. We hypothesized that primary care models that included generalists would have higher preventive screening rates. Design Prospective observational cohort study. Setting Partners HealthCare System (PHS) encompassing Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and affiliated community health centers. Participants PLWHA age >18 engaged in active primary care at PHS. Exposure HIV care model categorized as infectious disease (ID) providers only, generalist providers only, or ID plus generalist providers. Main Outcome(s) and Measures(s) Odds of screening for metabolic/CVD outcomes including hypertension (HTN), obesity, hyperlipidemia (HL), and diabetes (DM) and cancer including colorectal cancer (CRC), cervical cancer, and breast cancer. Results In a cohort of 1565 PLWHA, distribution by HIV care model was 875 ID (56%), 90 generalists (6%), and 600 ID plus generalists (38%). Patients in the generalist group had lower odds of viral suppression but similar CD4 counts and ART exposure as compared with ID and ID plus generalist groups. In analyses adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates and clustering within provider, there were no significant differences in metabolic/CVD or cancer screening rates among the three HIV care models. Conclusions There were no notable differences in metabolic/CVD or cancer screening rates by HIV care model after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. These findings suggest that HIV patients receive similar preventive health care for NCDs independent of HIV care model.
Waste disposal—An attractive strategy for cancer therapy

Targeted therapies for cancer are typically small molecules or monoclonal antibodies that act by inhibiting the activity of specific proteins that drive tumor growth. Although many of these drugs are effective in cancer patients, the response is often not durable because tumor cells develop resistance to the drugs. Another limitation of this strategy is that not all oncogenic driver proteins are "druggable" enzymes or receptors with activities that can be inhibited. Here we describe an alternative approach to targeted therapy that is based on co-opting the cellular quality-control machinery-the ubiquitin-proteasome system-to remove specific cancer-causing proteins from the cell. We first discuss examples of existing cancer drugs that work by degrading specific proteins and then review recent progress in the rational design and preclinical testing of small molecules that induce selective degradation of specific target proteins.
States With Prescription Drug Monitoring Mandates Saw A Reduction In Opioids Prescribed To Medicaid Enrollees

Prescription drug monitoring programs are promising tools to use in addressing the prescription opioid epidemic, yet prescribers’ participation in these state-run programs remained low as of 2014. Statutory mandates for prescribers to register with their state’s program, use it, or both are believed to be effective tools to realize the programs’ full potential. Our analysis of aggregate Medicaid drug utilization data indicates that state mandates for prescriber registration or use adopted in 2011–14 were associated with a reduction of 9–10 percent in population-adjusted numbers of Schedule II opioid prescriptions received by Medicaid enrollees and amounts of Medicaid spending on these prescriptions. This effect was largely associated with mandates of registration, which were comprehensive in all adopting states, and not with mandates of use, which were largely limited in scope or strength before 2015. Our findings support the use of mandates of registration in prescription drug monitoring programs as an e...
Causes of dacryocystorhinostomy failure: External versus endoscopic approach.

ObjectivesTo compare the causes of failure between external and endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) techniques for the treatment of lacrimal obstruction.Study DesignA retrospective cohort study....
Impact of air exposure and surface chemistry on Li–Li7La3Zr2O12 interfacial resistance

Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is a promising solid-state electrolyte that could enable solid-state-batteries (SSB) employing metallic Li anodes. For a SSB to be viable, the stability and charge transfer kinetics at the Li–LLZO interface should foster facile plating and stripping of Li. Contrary to these goals, recent studies have reported high Li–LLZO interfacial resistance which was attributed to a contamination layer that forms upon exposure of LLZO to air. This study clarifies the mechanisms and consequences associated with air exposure of LLZO; additionally, strategies to minimize these effects are described. First-principles calculations reveal that LLZO readily reacts with humid air; the most favorable reaction pathway involves protonation of LLZO and formation of Li2CO3. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the surface and subsurface chemistry of LLZO as a function of relative humidity and exposure time. Additionally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the Li–LLZO interfacial resistance as a function of surface contamination. These data indicate that air exposure-induced contamination impacts the interfacial resistance significantly, when exposure time exceeds 24 h. The results of this study provide valuable insight into the sensitivity of LLZO to air and how the effects of air contamination can be reversed.
Optimization of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration in Polluted Streams Using Instream Aeration

Abstract A discrete-time mathematical model derived from the modified Streeter-Phelps equation is used to describe the evolution of the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in a polluted stream. An optimal strategy is determined for the stochastic model to control the DO level in the polluted stream by means of instream aeration. The optimal control in the feedback form is so determined that a well-defined quadratic cost criterion is minimized. For the realization of the optimal controller an optimal estimator is constructed; it is also used for the estimation of some unknown parameters. The optimization scheme can be implemented in a small computer. The approach is illustrated by a numerical example.
Small Group Reading Instruction: Activities for Teaching Phonemic Awareness, the Alphabetic Principle, and Phonics in a Tier 2 Setting

Explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, and phonics are critical for children who are struggling to read words. Further, it is the responsibility of the...
The preadolescent acne microbiome: A prospective, randomized, pilot study investigating characterization and effects of acne therapy.

Background/Objectives Acne, a common pediatric disease, tends to be more comedonal in preadolescents, whereas older individuals are more likely to have inflammatory lesions in addition to comedones. Thus the microbiome of preadolescents may be different. In this pilot study we aimed to characterize the preadolescent acne microbiome, compare the microbiome in preadolescents with and without acne, and investigate changes in the microbiome after topical treatment with benzoyl peroxide or a retinoid in a small cohort of preadolescents. Methods Participants were 7-10 years of age with (intervention group) or without (control group) acne and were recruited during routine outpatient dermatology visits. Baseline questionnaires, physical examination, and pore strip application were performed for all participants. Intervention group participants were randomized to receive topical therapy with benzoyl peroxide 5% gel or cream or tretinoin 0.025% cream. Participants with acne were followed up 8-10 weeks later and pore strip application was repeated. Results Preadolescents with acne were colonized with a greater diversity of cutaneous bacteria than controls and the most commonly identified bacterium was Streptococcus. The number of bacterial species and phylogenetic diversity decreased after treatment with benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin. Conclusion The predominant bacteria in microbiome studies of adult acne is Propionibacterium, whereas in this pediatric population we saw a lot of Streptococcus bacteria. After treatment, the microbiomes of intervention group participants more closely resembled those of control group participants.
A Gaussian-mixture-model-based visual feature matching scheme for small-object detection from RGB-D data

This paper presents a new method for small-object recognition from RGB-D data. The method uses a group of trained Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) to find SIFT feature matches for object recognition. To save computational time, SIFT features are extracted from a number of isolated image blocks of the image (instead of the entire image). A 2-step approach is employed to produce the image blocks that might contain the target object. First, the saliency of each image pixel is used to extract the salient image blocks. If the target object is found in one of the blocks by the GMM object detector, the method succeeds. Otherwise, the range data is processed to extract the major planar surfaces whose image counterparts are removed from the image to produce isolated image blocks. The GMM-based SIFT matching process is then repeated on these image blocks to detect the target object. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can detect a target object or an object-type with a high reliability. The GMM-based method is scalable and has good parallelism for real-time implementation.
Democracy and sovereignty vs international human rights: reconciling the irreconcilable?

ABSTRACTDeveloping friendly relations among nations founded on the ‘principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples’ and ‘sovereign equality of all its Members’ and encouraging ‘respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms’ are two purposes of the United Nations. Human rights are often understood to be ‘universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated’, but with hundreds of different peoples in the world how can that be? Democracy is another ‘universally recognised ideal’ and ‘core value’ usually understood to mean that a sovereign people through a democratic-majority-rule system of governance decide the rules of law by which they live. Are these concepts reconcilable? The tension between human rights and democracy is not isolated to Europe where states in the ECtHR system often object to human rights decisions by the court. A meta-narrative of constitutionalisation and judicialisation is offered to explain a complex global political context of human rights jurisprudence. How th...
Growth Factor Signaling Pathways and Targeted Therapy

Abstract Aberrant growth factor signaling plays an important role in tumorigenesis and has significant implications for the treatment of brain tumors. In adult astrocytic tumors, platelet-derived growth factor receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are amplified in proneural and classical glioblastoma subtypes, respectively. Unfortunately, clinical trials utilizing inhibitors for these receptors failed to prolong patient survival. The application of inhibitors to oncogene-addicted EGFR-mutated brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer, as well as those from HER2 + breast carcinoma, has resulted in some sporadic responses but long-term tumor control remains elusive. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is also important for tumor angiogenesis and immune suppression, and anti-VEGF antibody is successful in prolonging progression-free survival but not overall survival in glioblastoma patients. In contrast, majority of the pediatric low-grade astrocytomas are driven by oncogenic BRAF in the RAF-MEK-ERK pathway and the application of a MEK inhibitor yielded objective responses. Other oncogene-addicted tumors in the central and peripheral nervous systems, including BRAFV600E-mutated papillary craniopharyngioma and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, also responded to BRAF inhibitors. Therefore, oncogene-addicted tumors in the adult and pediatric population appear to respond to targeted therapies while sporadic nononcogene-addicted adult glioblastomas do not. Lastly, a small number of targeted therapies can modulate the immune system and their efficacy against brain tumors may be synergized with immunotherapies or other anticancer treatments.
Antigens and Immunogens

The term antigen was originally employed to describe any substance capable of stimulating a specific immune response. However, its usage has been broadened in recent years to include any substance which may not by itself be able to produce immunity but is capable of reacting specifically with antibodies or immune lymphocytes present naturally or stimulated by a closely related antigen. The term immunogen, on the other hand, characterizes materials able to cause specific immunity in an appropriate host. Since these definitions are operational and depend on the response of a lymphoid system which encounters an immunogen rather than on intrinsic molecular properties of the substance itself, it is not surprising that antigens share very few properties. In fact, the only truly common property may be that there exists in the DNA code of some host information capable of dictating the synthesis of a protein capable of combining specifically with each antigen. Most antigens are naturally occurring macromolecules, especially proteins and polysaccharides, although antibodies reacting with lipids and nucleic acids do occur. However, much of the work carried out during the past 15–20 years on the nature of the immune response has employed small snythetic molecules since the specificity of the immune reactions to such compounds can be studied more precisely. These small nonimmunogenic haptens are capable of stimulating the production of specific antibody if they are covalently linked to an immunogen.
Bridging phylogenetics and population genetics with gene tree models

Current gene tree models, developed and used by population geneticists for research on natural selection, can also be used to ask questions about the formation of species. When these gene tree models are joined with a null model of speciation, a research plan emerges that shows promise of revealing the extent to which genetic variation between populations contributes to the formation of species. The empirical element of this research plan requires that multiple DNA sequences be collected from each of the species investigated, and that these data come from multiple loci. Examples of these models and their application to recent data on the Drosophila melanogaster species complex are given.
Transactivation of Cellular Genes by Human Retroviruses

Discovery of the link between human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and adult T-cell leukemia, and the emergence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, in association with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has led to intense investigation of underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis and retroviral gene regulation. In contrast to avian and murine RNA viruses previously studied, the human oncogenic retroviruses HTLV-I/II, as well as the Lentivirus family, represented by HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV, demonstrated genomes of increased complexity, encoding multiple mRNA species in contrast to the simpler avian/murine species. “Simple” retroviruses generally encode two mRNA species, unspliced gag/pol, and singly spliced env mRNA, while additional splicing events result in as many as eight identifiable mRNA species for HTLV-1, encoding at least two, and potentially up to five, additional proteins (Myers and Pavlakis 1991). For HIV-1, an exceptionally complex pattern of transcripts is observed, resulting in up to 20 different mRNAs and ten or more different proteins (Myers and Pavlakis 1991; Schwartz et al. 1990). Several of the proteins encoded by the novel spliced mRNAs in HTLV-I/II and HIV-1/HIV-2 act as regulators, both transcriptional and posttranscriptional, of viral gene expression. By definition, these trans-acting regulatory proteins interact with both cis-acting viral sequences, as well as with cellular regulatory machinery to alter viral gene expression. Researchers have therefore focused attention on possible cellular regulatory consequences of retro-viral gene expression.
Genetic Differences in “g” and Real Life

Despite the author’s substantial agreement with the spirit of presentations by Professors Eysenck and Humphreys, arguments about the extremity of their views and their certainty are presented. In the author’s research on twins and adopted children, there are important age differences in the effects of home environments and important differences in the effect of environments on tests of academic achievement, aptitude, and IQ. The confident claims that there is one important general ability and one figure for the heritability of intelligence are disputed.
Nucleic Acids: Environmental Chemistry, Structures and Interactions as Revealed by Computational Studies

A rigorous analysis of results obtained from the recent high-level theoretical calculations and experimental measurements on nucleic acid fragments, especially nucleic acid bases and base pairs are reported. It is well-known that environmental factors such as metal cations and water molecules are essential for the proper physiological structure of nucleic acids. Variation in degree of hydration or metal cation concentration can change the structure (conformation) of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Nucleic acid bases are endowed with high photostability and such property is attained due to the ultrashort excited state lifetimes, which is in the order of subpicosecond. The extremely small excited state lifetime, which is a consequence of the ultrafast nonradiative deactivation, does not allow enough time for photoreaction. The high-level theoretical calculations show that electronic singlet excited state geometries of nucleic acid bases are generally nonplanar. The excited state geometrical distortion along certain bonds leads to conical intersections between the excited and ground state potential energy surfaces, and thus facilitate the ultrafast nonradiative deactivation. There is one more environmental factor that due to the fast development of a new type of technology – nanotechnology – becomes vital for the society and its well-being. It has been speculated that airborne nanoparticles may cause allergic reactions or lead to asbestosis type of disease upon prolonged exposure. Several investigations have suggested that fullerene derivatives can induce nucleotide chain cleavage mainly at the guanine site of DNA. Nanomaterials can bind to DNA, protein, and different receptor sites, and thus can travel to those sites, which might be usually unaccessible. Therefore, a rigorous toxicological analysis of nanomaterials will be needed before widespread commerical application.
Relational Equality and Disability Injustice

People with disabilities suffer from pervasive inequalities in employment, education, transportation, housing, and health care compared to those who are not disabled. Moreover, people with disabilities are often subject to unjustified stigma and pity. In this paper, I will explain why these disadvantages violate relational egalitarian principles of justice. As I will show, my argument can account for both kinds of inequality that disabled people face.
Capturing Small Molecule Communication Between Tissues and Cells Using Imaging Mass Spectrometry

Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) has routinely been applied to three types of samples: tissue sections, spheroids, and microbial colonies. These sample types have been analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to visualize the distribution of proteins, lipids, and metabolites across the biological sample of interest. We have developed a novel sample preparation method that combines the strengths of the three previous applications to address an underexplored approach for identifying chemical communication in cancer, by seeding mammalian cell cultures into agarose in coculture with healthy tissues followed by desiccation of the sample. Mammalian tissue and cells are cocultured in close proximity allowing chemical communication via diffusion between the tissue and cells. At specific time points, the agarose-based sample is dried in the same manner as microbial colonies prepared for IMS analysis. Our method was developed to model the communication between high grade serous ovarian cancer derived from the fallopian tube as it interacts with the ovary during metastasis. Optimization of the sample preparation resulted in the identification of norepinephrine as a key chemical component in the ovarian microenvironment. This newly developed method can be applied to other biological systems that require an understanding of chemical communication between adjacent cells or tissues.
Assessing daylight performance in atrium buildings by using Climate Based Daylight Modeling

Abstract This research focuses on daylight assessment in office buildings with different atrium types, proportions and roof aperture designs. The goal is to assess and optimize atrium type and proportions to improve energy efficiency of atrium buildings. This paper investigates daylight metrics in central, attached and semi-enclosed atrium types with different proportions and roof aperture designs, such as monitor and horizontal skylight. Daylight performance is measured based on the proportions of an atrium that are defined by Well Index (WI), used to characterize atria. Climate-Based Daylight Modeling (CBDM) is applied as the assessment strategy with U.S Climate Zone 3 as the climatic setting. Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) and Annual Solar Exposure (ASE) are adopted as the dynamic daylight metrics to compare the results. This study also validates DIVA for Rhino as the simulation tool by comparing daylight results of the computer simulation with the same scale-model. This research applies both scale-model and computer simulation methods to assess daylight and energy performance in atrium buildings based on Well Index. This paper then employs DIVA simulation tool to assess daylight performance based on the Well Index. The results demonstrate that Well Index is a reliable indicator to characterize atrium proportion and confirm that Well Index works with (CBDM). Having assessed the impact of design parameters, such as climate, building thickness, material reflectance, material transmittance, furniture and monitor roof glazing height, the study potentially provides architects with an atrium design database for U.S. Climate Zone 3. This database compares daylight metrics for Well Index of 0.5, 1 and 2 in central, attached and semi-enclosed atrium types using different roof aperture designs.
Measuring Happiness Behavior in Functional Analyses of Challenging Behavior for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This two-experiment study assessed the utility of measuring happiness behavior (e.g., smiling and/or laughing) within functional analyses (FA) of challenging behavior, and using results to inform interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In Exp. 1, we concurrently measured happiness behavior within the trial-based FA's of challenging behavior of four children with ASD. Results showed differentiation for both challenging behavior in test trials and happiness behavior within controls. In Exp. 2, we compared interventions based on challenging and happiness behavior from FA results for three of the participants, using a multiple-baseline across-participants design, with embedded reversals. Results suggested that interventions derived from measures of the children's happiness behavior led to reductions challenging behavior that were similar to interventions informed by challenging behavior, and were also associated with increased happiness behavior. Taken together, these two experiments suggest that the measurement of children's happiness behavior in FA of challenging behavior appears to be helpful in determining interventions for children with ASD.
Pilot randomized trial of brief school-based mentoring for middle school students with elevated disruptive behavior.

We report a pilot study of a brief (i.e., 10 sessions) goal-focused mentoring program for middle school students with elevated disruptive behavior. Students with high levels of school misconduct (n = 67) were randomly assigned to the program or school as usual. We collected multi-informant emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning assessments pre- and postintervention. Results indicate that the program produced significant positive changes in school behavioral infractions, math grades, students' report of emotional symptoms, and school problems. Mentors found the curriculum acceptable, understood the material from the manual, found implementing the curriculum feasible, and felt the program was congruent with the school mission. Mentors of less impaired students indicated that they desired additional support implementing the manual, perhaps indicating the program is overengineered for students with higher levels of impairment. The manuscript concludes with a discussion of considerations for future research and implementation, including the importance of integrating mentoring programs into existing support systems (e.g., multitiered systems of support) within the school context.
Chapter 16 – Carboranes in Medicine

The rapidly expanding role of carboranes and metallacarboranes in biomedical applications is outlined, with particular attention focused on the development of carborane-based drugs, boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), and carboranes as agents in molecular imaging and radiotherapy. Advances in the design of carborane-bearing pharmacophores, including estrogen, androgen, retinoid, and transthyretin receptor agonists and antagonists, HIV protease inhibitors, anticoagulants, and antitumor agents are described. Various methods are discussed for the delivery of boron to tumors for BNCT via small-molecule and high molecular weight agents, including the use of nucleosides, nucleotides, porphyrins, phthalocynanines, dendrimers, lipoproteins, liposomes, nanoparticles, and nanotubes. Other topics covered include boron neutron capture synvectomy (BNCS), photodynamic therapy, and radiotherapy/radioimaging techniques such as radiohalogenation, radioastatination, and radiometal labeling, and others.
The selective dorsal rhizotomy technique for spasticity in 2020: a review

This review looks at the advances in the surgical technique, selective dorsal rhizotomy, used for the management of spasticity in children.
Prospective Evaluation of a Citrate-Based Biomaterial Wedge for a Modified Maquet Procedure in the Treatment of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture in Dogs.

Objective The aim of this study was to describe short- and mid-term outcomes, complications, implant bioabsorption and owner satisfaction for a modified Maquet procedure (MMP) in which a novel bioabsorbable citrate-based implant is used as the wedge component to treat cranial cruciate ligament rupture in client-owned dogs. Study Design Prospective clinical study of dogs (n = 13) undergoing MMP (n = 15). Intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, clinical follow-up using a 5-point lameness score and radiographs at 8 weeks and 6 months postoperatively were obtained. Mid-term outcome was assessed via physical examination, radiographs, canine orthopaedic index and owner satisfaction questionnaires. Results No catastrophic complications occurred. Major complications occurred in 3/15 stifles. All were surgical site infections and one case required implant removal. Minor complications occurred in 9/15 stifles. Non-displaced cortical hinge fractures were the most common minor complication, and these occurred intraoperatively (4/15) or postoperatively (2/15). Three dogs achieved full function, eight dogs acceptable function and the outcome was unacceptable in two dogs. Most owners were satisfied with the procedure (11/13). Complete implant bioabsorption was not confirmed on mid-term radiographs. Conclusion The described MMP with a citrate-based implant can produce satisfactory mid-term results. However, the long-term outcome of this procedure must be evaluated and technical modifications need to be implemented prior to larger-scale use of this implant.
Exploring the Complexity of the L2 Intonation System: An Acoustic and Eye-Tracking Study

Phonological research has demonstrated that English intonation, variably referred to as prosody, is a multidimensional and multilayered system situated at the interface of information structure, morphosyntactic structure, phonological phenomena, and pragmatic functions. The structural and functional complexity of the intonational system, however, is largely under-addressed in L2 pronunciation teaching, leading to a lack of spontaneous use of intonation despite successful imitation in classrooms. Focusing on contrastive and implicational sentence stress, this study explored the complexity of the English intonation system by investigating how L1 English and Mandarin-English L2 speakers use multiple acoustic features (i.e., pitch range, pitch level, duration, and intensity) in signaling contrastive and implicational information and how one acoustic feature (maximum pitch level) is affected by information structure (contrast), morphosyntactic structure (phrasal boundary) and a phonological phenomenon (declination) in L1 English and Mandarin-English L2 speakers’ speech. Using eye-tracking technology, we also investigated (1) L1 English and Mandarin-English L2 speakers’ real-time processing of lexical items that carry information structure (i.e. contrast) and typically receive stress in L1 speakers’ speech; (2) the influence of visual enhancement (italics and bold) on L1 English and Mandarin-English L2 speakers’ processing of contrastive information; and (3) L1 English and Mandarin-English L2 speakers’ processing of pictures with contrastive information. Statistical analysis using linear mixed-effects models showed that L1 English speakers and Mandarin-English L2 speakers differed in their use of acoustic cues in signaling contrastive and implicational information. They also differed in the use of maximum pitch level in signaling sentence stress influenced by contrast, phrasal boundary, and declination. We did not find differences in L1 English and Mandarin-English L2 speakers’ processing of contrastive and implicational information at the sentence level, but the two groups of participants differ in their processing of contrastive information in passages and pictures. These results suggest that processing limitations may be the reason why L2 speakers did not use English intonation spontaneously. The findings of this study also suggested that Complexity Theory (CT), which emphasizes the complex and dynamic nature of intonation, is a theoretical framework that has the potential of bridging the gap between L2 phonology and L2 pronunciation teaching.
On Reflexivity: Tribute to Catherine Kohler Riessman

This paper is a tribute to Catherine Kohler Riessman, whose imprint on the field of narrative studies is legendary. It draws on some of her most influential publications to highlight her enduring commitment to and practice of researcher “reflexivity” and how her scholarship has influenced my work. I draw upon several of Cathy’s most influential publications to highlight her model of reflexivity in practice—a tacking back and forth between research questions, the literature, the data we collect and interpretations we make, our intellectual biographies, politics, personal experiences, and research relationships. We can look to Cathy’s scholarship for the power of revisiting, re-feeling, revising and re-envisioning our data. Her brand of feminist scholarship serves as a guide for bringing intellectual labour; historical, political and theoretical change; and personal lives into closer relation.
Wildfire Smoke Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Cardiorespiratory Emergency Department Visits in Alaska.

Alaskan wildfires have major ecological, social, and economic consequences, but associated health impacts remain unexplored. We estimated cardiorespiratory morbidity associated with wildfire smoke (WFS) fine particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) in three major population centers (Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley) during the 2015-2019 wildfire seasons. To estimate WFS PM2.5, we utilized data from ground-based monitors and satellite-based smoke plume estimates. We implemented time-stratified case-crossover analyses with single and distributed lag models to estimate the effect of WFS PM2.5 on cardiorespiratory emergency department (ED) visits. On the day of exposure to WFS PM2.5, there was an increased odds of asthma-related ED visits among 15-65 year olds (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.16), people >65 years (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.31), among Alaska Native people (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.09, 1.23), and in Anchorage (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.15) and Fairbanks (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.07, 1.17). There was an increased risk of heart failure related ED visits for Alaska Native people (Lag Day 5 OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.25). We found evidence that rural populations may delay seeking care. As the frequency and magnitude of Alaskan wildfires continue to increase due to climate change, understanding the health impacts will be imperative. A nuanced understanding of the effects of WFS on specific demographic and geographic groups facilitates data-driven public health interventions and fire management protocols that address these adverse health effects.