cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Wnt/GSK3/β-catenin signaling pathway regulates CD8+ T cell effector functions

C187 Wnt proteins are a family of secreted glycoproteins with diverse developmental roles. Wnt signaling has been shown to play a critical role in T cell development. Activation of the Wnt signaling cascade, following the binding of Wnt ligands on Frizzled receptors (Fzd), results in the phosphorylation of the glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and the inhibition of its kinase activity. As a consequence, the β-catenin protein, which is constitutively phosphorylated by GSK3β and subsequently degraded, can accumulate in the cytoplasm and nucleus where it binds TCF family proteins and converts them into transcriptional activators. While this pathway is known to be crucial for proper T cell development, few studies have investigated the role of the Wnt signaling pathway within effector T cells. As a first approach to interrogate the influence of this pathway on effectors T cell function, GSK3β pharmacologic inhibitors (SB216763 and lithium) were utilized. Treatment of effector CD8+ T cells with these drugs resulted in decreased phosphorylation of β-catenin which was accompanied by accumulation of total β-catenin. These effects correlated with inhibition of IFN-γ secretion, while IL-2 secretion was relatively preserved. At the same time, cyclin D2 expression was decreased, as was the proliferation of CD8+ effector T cells. Interestingly, GSK3β inhibition by SB216763 also increased the expression of the CD62L molecule in a dose-dependant fashion, suggesting the reversion of T cells expressing higher β-catenin levels to a less differentiated central memory phenotype. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the expression of the Frizzled receptors Fzd5 and LRP6, the receptor and co-receptor of Wnt3A. Experiments exposing CD8+ effector T cells to Wnt3A-conditioned medium have shown significant accumulation of total β-catenin. Our results show that interventions which increase total β-catenin levels inhibit key effector functions by activated CD8+ T cells. As it has been shown that overexpression of Wnt ligands by tumor cells correlates with more aggressive disease, our data generate the hypothesis that activation of the Wnt signaling pathway could represent a novel mechanism for tumors to decrease the effector function of infiltrating CD8+ T cells and thus result in immune escape.
552. Transduction of Salivary Gland Acinar Cells in Rodents with Adeno Associated Viral Vectors Results in Persistent Exocrine and Endocrine Release of Recombinant Proteins

Salivary glands are secretory epithelial organs in the mouth that are important in oral health. Disorders affecting salivary glands such as Sjogren's syndrome and damage following radiation therapy for head and neck cancer result in significant lifestyle changes and oral discomfort in patients. Gene transfer studies to the salivary glands for therapeutic or physiology studies have been hampered by a lack of vectors for efficient long-term transduction of acinar cells within the gland. By using a combination of approaches we have identified AAV isolates able to efficiently transduce acinar cells. Membrane-Tomato floxed membrane-GFP transgenic mice in combination with AAV encoded CMV-CRE recombinase expression cassette were used to rapidly identify serotypes able to transduced acinar cells. Biodistribution beyond the salivary gland was measured using vectors encoding firefly luciferase and xenogen imaging. In order to study the secretory properties of transduced acinar cells we cannulated mouse parotid glands with AAV vectors encoding Gaussia Luciferase or recombinant parathyroid hormone containing a nerve growth factor signal peptide. We could observe that both proteins can be detected in blood and saliva for at least 1 month post cannulation. Moreover the ratio blood/saliva secretion could be altered by treatment with pilocarpine or isoproterenol offering a unique mechanism for regulating the release of recombinant proteins in the salivary gland.
Traumatic Facial Injuries Among Elderly Nursing Home Residents: Never Event or Frequent Occurrence?

Importance As the nursing home population continues to increase, an understanding of preventable injuries becomes exceedingly important. Although other fall-related injuries have been characterized, little attention has been dedicated to facial trauma. Objectives To estimate the incidence of facial trauma among nursing home residents and detail mechanisms of injury, injury characteristics, and patient demographic data. Design, Setting, and Participants The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was used to calculate a weighted national incidence of facial trauma among individuals older than 60 years from a nationally representative collection of emergency departments from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2015. Entries were screened for nursing home residents, and diagnosis, anatomical site, demographic data, and mechanism of injury were analyzed. Results There were 109 795 nursing home residents (median age, 84.1 years; interquartile range, 79-89 years; 71 466 women [65.1%]) who required emergency department care for facial trauma. Women sustained a greater proportion of injuries with increasing age. The most common injuries were lacerations (48 679 [44.3%]), other soft-tissue injuries (45 911 [41.8%]; avulsions, contusions, and hematomas), and fractures (13 814 [12.6%]). Nasal (9331 [67.5%]) and orbital (1144 [8.3%]) fractures were the most common sites. The most common injury causes were direct contact with structural housing elements or fixed items (62 604 [57.0%]) and transfer to and from bed (24 870 [22.6%]). Conclusions and Relevance Despite falls being considered a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services preventable never event in hospitals, our analysis in the nursing home setting found more than 100 000 facial injuries during 5 years, suggesting these underappreciated injuries contribute substantially to health care expenditures. Although structural elements facilitated the greatest number of falls, transfer to and from bed remains a significant mechanism, suggesting an area for intervention.
Small Angle Neutron Scattering Studies on Miscible Blends of Poly(styrene-ran-vinyl phenol) with Liquid Crystalline Polyurethane

The production of uniformly dispersed rigid-rod liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) molecules in a flexible amorphous polymer, with an experimentally accessible miscibility window, has become possible by modifying the architecture of the flexible polymer, so as to induce favorable inter-species hydrogen bonding. The conformation of LCP chains that are uniformly dispersed in a flexible coil matrix are examined by studying a system consisting of a liquid crystalline polyurethane (LCPU) and a copolymer containing 12% vinylphenol and deuterated styrene, utilizing small-angle neutron scattering. Intramolecular hydrogen bond interaction within the vinylphenol segments of the copolymer leads to the formation of a dynamically cross-linked structure, characterized by the large amount of scattering seen at low angle. Addition of the LCPU in the blend results in formation of hydrogen bonding interactions between the LCP and the copolymer; demonstrated by an initial reduction in the correlated size of the dynamic networ...
Synergistic effect of combined PI3K and PLK1 inhibition in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells.

e22205 Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the most aggressive thyroid cancer. Despite recent efforts aimed at defining its most common molecular alterations, there is still no effect...
Computer-generated reminders increased the use of advance directives

Source Citation Dexter PR, Wolinsky FD, Gramel-spacher GP, et al. Effectiveness of computer-generated reminders for increasing discussions about advance directives and completion of advance directi...
Conclusion: What Matters Most Sociologically

This chapter summarizes what can be understood in conclusion of this study, which documents what people actually do when they engage in the narrative-centered behaviors involved in sports-talk radio today. It explains how the previous chapters suggest that the narrative struggle of sports-talk radio—and of the broader hyper-mediated marketplace to which it contributes so vitally—is never to be resolved, and that the perpetual quality of that dynamic is ultimately the point that matters most sociologically.
Motherhood and the (In)vulnerability of the Imago Dei: Being Human in the Mystical-Political Cloud of Impossibility

Gandolfo draws on women’s diverse experiences of motherhood to argue that human beings are originally and inherently vulnerable, but that the imago Dei in every person is ultimately invulnerable. Maternal narratives give powerful witness to this fundamental invulnerability of the imago Dei, even as it is violated by injustice and violence within the tragic contours of vulnerable human existence. Gandolfo’s reimagining of Christian anthropology concludes that it is the invulnerable power of divine Love residing within us as imago Dei that can both bring us to mystical awareness of the human paradox, and return us to the blood-soaked crosses of history to protest violated vulnerability, seek global justice, and inhabit the shared vulnerability of all humanity with the powers of courage, peace, and compassion.
Labelling of the natural product D-threo-chloramphenicol with 14C at high specific activity

D-threo-chloramphenicol is a structurally unique natural product and has been labelled in the past with 14C. These earlier synthetic efforts were characterized by either low yield or low specific activity and likely scalability issues. We needed to prepare large amounts of [14C] D-threo-chloramphenicol over an extended period of time and required a robust synthetic process to accomplish this. Like several other past approaches, we also employed [14C] dichloroacetic acid as an intermediate but utilized a unique preparation of it based on non radioactive synthetic literature. We also devised an HPLC purification of [14C] D-threo-chloramphenicol for increased purity as well as optimized its storage conditions to minimize decomposition.
'No Pink Ribbons': How Women's Lived Experiences With Breast Atypia Inform Decisions Involving Risk-Reducing Medications.

Purpose Atypical hyperplasia (AH) is associated with a nearly 4-fold elevation of lifetime risk for breast cancer, and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is associated with a 7- to 8-fold risk. Women with AH/LCIS make numerous decisions in the course of treatment, including whether to take a risk-reducing medication, an option relatively few women pursue. We explored women's decision-making processes through patient narratives in an effort to inform decision supports for AH/LCIS. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 English-speaking women with AH/LCIS and no subsequent diagnosis of invasive breast cancer who had enrolled in the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research patient registry between April 5, 2012, and March 31, 2016. Interviews were audiotaped, professionally transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed using thematic qualitative content analysis. Results We identified three major narrative themes: 1) experiences with medical care; 2) decision-making; and 3) making sense of AH/LCIS. Each major theme had several subthemes, many of which map onto existing decisional theories and heuristics. Subthemes included the impact of life context on diagnosis meaning, emotional responses, changes in self-concept and body image, and understanding of the risk-benefit of risk-reducing medications. Conclusions This narrative analysis offers important insights into how lived experience may influence decision-making for women with AH/LCIS. Decision supports that focus not only on analytic decisional processes, but also patients' subjectivities and decisional heuristics, could prove useful for women and their health care providers.
Percolation defect nucleation and growth as a description of the statistics of electrical breakdown for gate, MOL and BEOL dielectrics

We show that gate, middle-of-line (MOL) and back-end-of-line (BEOL) dielectrics used in advanced Si technologies exhibit a common mechanism of breakdown involving the formation (nucleation) and growth of localized percolation defects. Consequently, industry standard reliability evaluations likely significantly underestimate dielectric reliability in circuit applications.
A NOTE ON PRODUCTS OF SPECTRAL MEASURES

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses products of spectral measures. The chapter presents a scenario in which a Hilbert space H and two projection-valued measure spaces (S, S, P) and (T, T, Q) are given, and where (S, S) and (T, T) are measurable spaces and P and Q are commuting, strongly countably additive measures whose values are projections on H. For any rectangle A × B, A ∈ S, B ∈ T, (PQ)(A × B) = P(A)Q(B) can be formed, a projection as P and Q commute. S. K. Beberian proves von Neumann's theorem that states that if P and Q satisfy some topological regularity conditions, then PQ is strongly countably additive.
Role of oral antifungal agents for the treatment of superficial fungal infections in immunocompromised patients.

Superficial fungal infections or tinea infections (also known as the dermatophytoses) are commonly encountered conditions in clinical practice, affecting the skin, hair, and nails. The most commonly prescribed modality to treat these infections is topical antifungal therapy. However, this method of treating tinea infections may be less convenient and efficacious in the immunocompromised patient. In such patients, skin infections are more difficult to treat because the disease is often more extensive and severe. Tinea infections of the hair and nails usually require oral therapy. Further, topical treatment is not as efficacious as oral antifungal therapy and, with the exception of the topical antifungal agent ciclopirox, is not indicated for the treatment of tinea unguium (onychomycosis). The 2 most frequently prescribed oral antifungal agents to treat onychomycosis are itraconazole and terbinafine. In the general population, both agents are effective in treating fungal nail infections; however, differences in the agents' mechanism of action and metabolic pathways result in differences in efficacy and drug-drug interaction potential. However, limited data exist on the use of these agents in immunocompromised patients for the treatment of onychomycosis and superficial tinea infections. The available efficacy data we have are limited to case reports or small pilot studies; thus, data supporting the efficacy of these agents for the treatment of tinea infections in the immunocompromised patient must be extrapolated from the general population. For safety issues, however, some postmarketing data exist supporting the safety of these agents in the diabetic and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients populations; indeed, both agents appear to be safe. However, one contrasting point between these 2 agents is drug interactions. Oral terbinafine, unlike itraconazole (a potent cytochrome P-450 [CYP] 3A4 inhibitor), has a relatively low potential for drug-drug interactions, making terbinafine a useful agent for the treatment of tinea infections in immunocompromised patients (e.g., those who are HIV positive and those with diabetes), who are likely to be receiving concomitant medications. Further, recently conducted studies of terbinafine for the treatment of tinea pedis, tinea cruris, and tinea corporis infections in these high-risk patient groups also support efficacy claims and reemphasize its relatively safe profile and low potential for drug interactions. Additional studies in other immunocompromised patient populations may be useful to confirm recent studies and expand the potential use for this agent.
Management of Fungal Infection in Neutropenic Patients with Fluconazole

Fluconazole is a new orally absorbed antifungal azole which is soluble in water. It has a half-life of 24–30 h in humans [1], and is being evaluated in the treatment of localized and systemic fungal infections using a simple once daily oral or intravenous dosing regimen. Early clinical results with fluconazole have demonstrated it to be effective in the treatment of candidosis of the oropharynx, oesophagus, urinary tract and a variety of deep tissue sites at a daily dosage of 50–100 mg/day [2–6]. There are also reports of efficacy in the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis [7–9]. The ready penetration of fluconazole into the CSF is highly relevant in this context [10].
Ectopic prostate: case report of a presacral mass presenting with obstructive symptoms.

○ We report the unusual case of a 78-year-old man who presented with obstructive bowel symptoms and a 2.5-cm presacral mass. The mass was excised and found on pathologic examination to be ectopic prostate tissue complete with a muscular stroma. Review of the literature revealed a number of case reports describing variably sized fragments of ectopic prostate tissue involving a variety of organs, including spleen, uterine cervix, bowel wall, pericolic fat, anal submucosa, seminal vesicle, testis, and urinary bladder. However, to our knowledge, this case is unique in that it presented as a relatively large, isolated presacral mass causing functional bowel impairment. The ectopic location can be related to the normal embryonic development of the prostate, rectum, and bladder.
Criteria for Generalized Monotonicity

Characterizations of different kinds of generalized monotonicity are surveyed for the following subclasses of maps: affine maps, differentiable maps, locally Lipschitz maps.
The Procedural Unconscious: Automatic Processing of Mechanical, Structural, and Semantic Data

As opposed to conscious episodic data processing which is governed by a single albeit complicated physiological sequence, unconscious procedural processing involves a variety of types of material each of which is processed through unique and characteristic mechanisms. Consequently the description of unconscious data processing involves not one but many different physiological systems.
Interchain and intrachain triplets in poly(3-thienylene vinylene) derivatives

We are reporting the optical study of two types of poly (3-thienylene vinylene) (PTV) derivatives with linear and bulk side chain configurations. The first one, poly(3-dodecylthienylenevinylene) with controlled regioregularity (PTV-CR) with an alkyl side group, showed a high degree of crystallinity, whereas the second one, imide-PTV with an electron deficient imide side group, is amorphous. Continuous wave-photoinduced absorption revealed different features of the long-lived triplet absorptions, with the geminately generated triplet–triplet pair in imide-PTV bearing more intrachain characteristics with fast recombination kinetics (<10 μs). On the other hand, the isolated triplet in PTV-CR generated by intersystem crossing had more interchain characteristics with slow recombination kinetics (ms). The decay of the triplet–triplet pair in imide-PTV is monomolecular even at a high pump intensity of 240 mW/cm2, whereas the isolated triplets in PTV-CR recombine bimolecularly at a very low pump intensity of 10 mW/cm2. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, doping induced absorption, and various dependences of the photoinduced absorption spectrum have corroborated the finding that reduced interchain interaction favors the formation of a correlated triplet–triplet pair, a precursor to two independent triplets formed via fission.
Characteristics of animal-related motor vehicle crashes in select National Park Service units-United States, 1990-2013.

Objectives: Nationally, animal–motor vehicle crashes (AVCs) account for 4.4% of all types of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). AVCs are a safety risk for drivers and animals and many National Park Serv...
Taking a Stance: An Account for Persons and Institutions

Certain commissive speech acts, such as “I forgive you,” “I’m in favor,” “Thank you” and “Sorry,” are often characterized as “expressives,” utterances whose primary function is to express a psychological state (so thanks expresses gratitude, apologies express remorse, and so on). In contrast, I argue here that such utterances are stance-takings: speech acts that commit the speaker to behave towards others in light of a normative position she accepts. I argue that stance-taking, as developed here, makes better sense of these utterances than the standard expressivist account, in terms of their meaning and the norms (both linguistic and moral) that govern their use. It also better accounts for how non-personal institutions – corporations, countries and courts, for example – can perform these utterances sincerely.
STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR OF A CORNER CRACK

The alternating method for elliptical crack analysis, which is based on the combined use of a pressurized crack solution and a free surface solution, has been limited in its application due to convergence difficulties in the iteration process. By prescribing appropriate fictitious pressure on the elliptical crack surface, which protrudes into the free space, numerical convergence of the iteration was improved. As a result, the pressurized crack solution involving a third-order polynomial pressure distribution with limited use was extended to part-elliptical problems. The improved alternating procedure is then used to determine stress intensity factors in corner flaws with aspect ratios of a/b = 0.98, 0.4, and 0.2 and subjected to uniform or linearly varying pressure distributions.
Localized electroporation with track-etched membranes

In PNAS, Cao et al. (1) employ track-etched membranes for the intracellular delivery of various molecular cargoes via electroporation in both adherent and suspended cells. While the concept of utilizing such membranes for electroporation is not novel (2, 3), its extension to suspended cells and the wide parametric space covered in the article are noteworthy. The objectives of this letter are to correct a minor lapse in the article’s introduction, as well as to put the results in a broader context. In ref. 1, the authors cite that the delivery efficiency of a plasmid, using track-etched membranes and localized electroporation (2), was less than 50% (reference 16 in ref. 1). However, an efficiency … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: espinosa{at}northwestern.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Collateral Subjects: The Normalization of Surveillance for Mexican Americans on the Border:

The U.S.-Mexico border has been of particular interest to the Trump administration in its ongoing efforts to restrict immigration. Though unauthorized immigrants are the purported targets of measur...
K-mer-Based Motif Analysis in Insect Species across Anopheles, Drosophila, and Glossina Genera and Its Application to Species Classification

Short k-mer sequences from DNA are both conserved and diverged across species owing to their functional significance in speciation, which enables their use in many species classification algorithms. In the present study, we developed a methodology to analyze the DNA k-mers of whole genome, 5′ UTR, intron, and 3′ UTR regions from 58 insect species belonging to three genera of Diptera that include Anopheles, Drosophila, and Glossina. We developed an improved algorithm to predict and score k-mers based on a scheme that normalizes k-mer scores in different genomic subregions. This algorithm takes advantage of the information content of the whole genome as opposed to other algorithms or studies that analyze only a small group of genes. Our algorithm uses k-mers of lengths 7–9 bp for the whole genome, 5′ and 3′ UTR regions as well as the intronic regions. Taxonomical relationships based on the whole-genome k-mer signatures showed that species of the three genera clustered together quite visibly. We also improved the scoring and filtering of these k-mers for accurate species identification. The whole-genome k-mer content correlation algorithm showed that species within a single genus correlated tightly with each other as compared to other genera. The genomes of two Aedes and one Culex species were also analyzed to demonstrate how newly sequenced species can be classified using the algorithm. Furthermore, working with several dozen species has enabled us to assign a whole-genome k-mer signature for each of the 58 Dipteran species by making all-to-all pairwise comparison of the k-mer content. These signatures were used to compare the similarity between species and to identify clusters of species displaying similar signatures.
A human mission to Mars: Predicting the bone mineral density loss of astronauts.

A round-trip human mission to Mars is anticipated to last roughly three years. Spaceflight conditions are known to cause loss of bone mineral density (BMD) in astronauts, increasing bone fracture risk. There is an urgent need to understand BMD progression as a function of spaceflight time to minimize associated health implications and ensure mission success. Here we introduce a nonlinear mathematical model of BMD loss for candidate human missions to Mars: (i) Opposition class trajectory (400–600 days), and (ii) Conjunction class trajectory (1000–1200 days). Using femoral neck BMD data (N = 69) from astronauts after 132-day and 228-day spaceflight and the World Health Organization’s fracture risk recommendation, we predicted post-mission risk and associated osteopathology. Our model predicts 62% opposition class astronauts and 100% conjunction class astronauts will develop osteopenia, with 33% being at risk for osteoporosis. This model can help in implementing countermeasure strategies and inform space agencies’ choice of crew candidates.
Engaging Internal Medicine Hospitalists in Antimicrobial Stewardship—a Systematic Review

The purpose of this article is to critically assess the literature on engaging internal medicine hospitalists in antimicrobial stewardship. Few studies exist that describe hospitalist-led antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. Most studies in this review employed quasi-experimental or quality improvement methods. Across the studies included in our analysis, those with interventions that focused on single disease processes (e.g., pneumonia, UTI, SSTI) had a more robust impact on their selected outcomes. In the reviewed literature, engaging internal medicine hospitalists in antimicrobial stewardship efforts resulted in improved antimicrobial appropriateness and decreased broad-spectrum antibiotic usage. Despite being identified as key stakeholders and potential leaders in antimicrobial stewardship efforts, there is a paucity of literature to guide the best incorporation of hospitalists in this work.
Future exploration of Ceres as an ocean world

Long believed to be a primitive body, Ceres is now an ocean world with deep brines at a regional and potentially global scale. Further studies at Ceres’s conditions and — above all — a follow-up mission are needed to study its evolution and potential habitability.
Digitally-Assisted Peak Detector for Periodic Signal

A high-precision digitally-assisted peak detector (PD) circuit is presented. While conventional analog PD circuits suffer from Process, Voltage, and Temperature (PVT) variation, as well as noise and device mismatch, resolution of the proposed PD is only limited by quantization noise of the digital tracking circuit. At startup, a binary search algorithm is employed to quickly find the signal amplitude. After an initial phase, the proposed digitally assisted PD switches to tracking mode in order to follow the peak of the input signal. Designed for periodic systems, such as Voltage Controlled Oscillators (VCOs) and Amplitude Modulation (AM) detectors, the proposed digitally assisted PD exhibits a total of 2 mVpkpk error. The proposed PD shows very low sensitivity to noise of the analog circuitry due to digital averaging. Moreover, calibration mechanisms have been proposed to detect and remove the offset of comparator circuits. In 0.18µm technology, the implemented peak detector consumes 438.5nW power in the analog section and the digital calibration part consumes 28.52µW.
The Acute Hemodynamic Unloading Effects of Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibition in Patients Receiving Intravenous Vasoactive Therapy

Purpose PIONEER-HF established the safety of the angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), sacubitril-valsartan (S/V), in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure after achieving hemodynamic stability. We have previously shown that transitioning patients in ADHF with low cardiac output directly from intravenous (IV) vasoactive (i.e. vasodilators or inotropes) drugs to ARNI can be done safely with tolerance to one-month follow-up. Here we further characterize the acute hemodynamic impact of ARNI therapy after patients have been optimized on IV vasoactive therapy. Methods A single-center, retrospective analysis of all patients with HFrEF (EF Conclusions ICU patients can be successfully bridged from vasoactive IV therapy to oral ARNI with sustained improvement in cardiac index garnered from vasoactive agents. We also observed improvement in PAPI along with maintenance of LV/RV unloading with ARNI. These encouraging findings merit prospective validation of ARNI compared to more commonly used oral vasodilators in ICU care.
External Fixation to Maintain Thumb-Web Space Release

Thumb adduction contractures result from a variety of conditions that cause either direct scarring or scarring secondary to ischemia and subsequent contracture in the thumb-web space. Severe or prolonged edema and reflex sympathetic dystrophy can generate or contribute to the problem.
A first look at perceived stress in southeastern university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Shelter-in-place and social distancing reduce the risk of infection spread, but evidence is appearing to support an unintentional spread of negative mental health effects. The aim of this study was to assess perceived stress in a sample of undergraduate students reflecting upon Spring 2020. Participants and methods: Undergraduate students (N = 312, 75% female, 88% white) completed an online survey assessing demographic information and stress assessed via Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale. Results: Student respondents averaged PSS scores of 21.31(7.54) with 82% of students classified as having moderate or high perceived stress. Females reported higher perceived stress scores compared to males (Z = 4.89, p < 0.01). Conclusions: With concerns about enrollment and financial viability of universities, funneling limited funds to student mental health services could be a utilization of universities' limited funds during Fall 2020.
Coparenting, Negative Educational Outcomes, and Familial Instability in Justice-involved Families.

Incarceration of a parent is associated with negative consequences for children, such as behavioral problems, the development of antisocial personality traits, and decreased educational attainment....
Speech Regulation by Algorithm

The rapid convergence of speech and technology on social media platforms means it is likely the case that, either now or soon, more expressive activity will be regulated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) than by any legislature, regulator, or other government entity. Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly told Congress and other audiences that AI is the key to resolving Facebook’s content moderation challenges, envisioning a moderation regime where algorithms detect and take down Facebook’s Community Standards-infringing speech ex ante—i.e., prior to its public posting and before it reaches other users. According to Zuckerberg, this would eventually replace its initial content moderation practices, which relied more on human moderators and user complaints than on automated detection and removal—a system that can be slow, inconsistently applied, and often subjects front-line moderators to harrowing emotional harms by exposing them to the worst of the Internet. This Essay argues that private parties’ speech-regulation-by-algorithm is itself protected speech. Government efforts to regulate the content moderation of platforms will thus necessarily be barred by the First Amendment, even if that moderation is automated via AI. Nor would users whose speech has been regulated by AI have any better speech-related claims against AI-informed platform moderation decisions than they have had against nonautomated moderation, for the same reason. However, automated front-end filtering of user speech via AI is in serious tension with several core tenets of First Amendment doctrine. Ex ante AI-based content moderation operates in much the same way as a prior restraint; like government prepublication censorship, it gives users no notice of takedowns ex ante, nor reasons for the takedown decision (at least reasons that a lay user would be capable of understanding). Additionally, it is already clear based on its current use and the necessities of machine learning processes that content-based speech regulation via AI is necessarily overinclusive, which is normally sufficient to find a law or regulation unconstitutional under the First Amendment—a problem that will only grow worse as AI moderates more speech. Given these concerns, this Essay advocates for many of the same robust notice and procedural rights for platform users whose speech is regulated via AI as the First Amendment compels of governments seeking to regulate private speakers.
A Multiport DC Transformer to Enable Flexible Scalable DC as a Service

The rapid adoption of new DC loads and sources, including photovoltaic arrays, DC fast charging of electric vehicle, battery energy storage and data centers, requires a large amount of DC power conversion. A majority of new deployments also necessitate the integration of multiple DC loads and sources at one site. The traditional approach to serve these new applications relies on multiple standard power converters, each dedicated to a source or load, and results in highly customized systems, with challenging control coordination, complex protection strategies, and poor scalability. Instead, this paper proposes the concept of a multiport DC transformer (MDCT) as a modular building block for realizing a flexible, scalable DC as a Service system and address this rapidly growing need. The MDCT uses the S4T to achieve very tight control of cycle-by-cycle energy exchange between multiple ports, with high efficiency. A single multiport converter replaces 4-6 distinct converters, integrates all energy flows and manages protection. A new layered control architecture is introduced to ensure stability and scalability of the MDCT, with multiple S4T power converter building blocks connected in parallel to realize a fully modular system and reach the target power levels.
Whither the Mature Market: An Empirical Examination of the Travel Motivations of Neo-Mature and Veteran-Mature Markets

Abstract The gerontological literature has consistently made note of the danger in using chronological age as the sole predictor of attitudes and behaviors of the elderly. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the mature market is defined primarily by age or whether other variables mediate the effects of age. Data from a tourism marketing study measuring the vacation travel motivations of older individuals living in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin were analyzed to examine the importance of 35 travel benefits (push factors) and 85 vacation attributes (pull factors) to mature market members. An elaboration model was used to determine if there were age differences within the mature market (?neo-mature? versus ?veteran-mature?) and whether these age differences were affected by income and retirement status. Factor analysis of the push factors revealed six underlying travel motives: escape, education, family, action, relaxation, and ego. Factor analysis of the pull factors identified n...
Associations between Plasma Antioxidant Capacity and Skeletal Muscle Antioxidant Gene Expression

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the etiology of nearly all chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In order to maintain redox homeostasis, exogenous antioxidants can be consumed in the diet and endogenous antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), can be produced within the cells. Antioxidant capacity is often measured in plasma, skeletal muscle, and other cellular compartments within the body. The purpose of this study was to assess associations between plasma antioxidant capacity and skeletal muscle antioxidant gene expression. This study recruited 15 healthy females (BMI=30.97 + 7.87, age=56.5 + 13.4 years) for cross-sectional analysis. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay (ORAC) was used to assess antioxidant capacity in the plasma. Gene expression of SOD1 and SOD2 was assessed in the skeletal muscle from the vastus lateralis using RT-PCR. The primary finding from this study was a positive association between plasma antioxidant cap...
Alterations in membrane transport properties by freezing injury in herbaceous plants: evidence against rupture theory.

Leakage of ions from a thawed tissue is a common phenomenon of freezing injury. This leakage is usually assumed to be due to loss of membrane semipermeability or membrane rupture by freezing injury. Freeze injured, yet living, onion (Allium cepa L.) epidermal cells were used to study alterations in cell membranes that result in leakage of ions. In spite of a large efflux of ions, freeze injured cells could be plasmolysed and they remained plasmolysed for several days just like the unfrozen control cells. Injured cells also exhibited protoplasmic streaming. Passive transport of KCl, urea and methyl urea across the cell membranes of injured and control cells was also studied. No difference could be detected for the transport rates of urea and methyl urea between control and injured cells. However, a dramatic increase in the transport rate of KCl was found for the injured cells. Depending upon the extent of initial freezing injury, an increase or a decrease in injury symptoms was found in the post-thaw period. During the progress of freezing injury, 10 days after thawing, a swelling of the protoplasm was seen in the irreversibly injured cells. In spite of this swelling, these cells could be plasmolysed. It appears that the high amount of K+ that leaks out into the extracellular water, due to freezing injury, causes protoplasmic swelling by replacing Ca2+ in the plasma membrane. We conclude that protoplasmic swelling is a sign of secondary injury. The results presented in this study show that membrane semipermeability is not completely lost and membrane rupture does not occur during the initial stage of freezing injury. In fact, the cells have the ability to repair damage depending upon the degree of injury. Our results show there are specific alterations in membrane semipermeability (e.g., transport of K+) which could be repaired completely depending on the degree of injury. These findings suggest that ion leakage due to freezing injury is due to alteration in the membrane proteins and not in the membrane lipids.
Risk Management in Long-Term Contracts

Long-term contracts are designed to manage risk. After a brief discussion of why it is unhelpful to invoke risk aversion for analyzing serious commercial transactions between sophisticated entities, this paper focuses on adaptation to changed circumstances. In particular, it considers the options to abandon and the discretion to change quantity. It then analyzes a poorly designed contract between Alcoa and Essex showing how the parties misframed their problem and designed a long-term contract that was doomed to fail.
Instrument development and evaluation of domestic preparedness training for first responders.

Introduction In the wake of domestic terrorists attacks on 11 September 2001 and subsequent bioterrorist events employing anthrax, there no longer can be any debate about the potential for attacks employing Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical (NBC)/Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). As one way of acknowledging this long-standing threat and, in a concerted effort to mitigate the effects of possible future domestic NBC/WMD terrorist attacks, the US Department of Defense (DOD) and other US governmental agencies already had mounted an effort to provide Domestic Preparedness Training for First Responders in urban centers throughout the USA. Methods A paper and pencil questionnaire specifically designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Domestic Preparedness Training for Emergency First Responders has been developed. An earlier version of this instrument was piloted with a convenience sample of firefighters and paramedics (n = 78) in a northwest state. Based on replies to the pilot questionnaire, a pool of 27 items based on the objectives and content of the NBC/WMD Domestic Preparedness Awareness and Operations courses (plus additional background and appraised competency items) were selected for inclusion in a Domestic Preparedness Questionnaire (DPQ). Results This paper first describes the essential psychometric properties of the DPQ based on replies from baseline and follow-up samples (n = 206 and n = 246 respectively) of urban firefighters and paramedics employed by a metropolitan city in a northwest state. The DPQ was employed to evaluate the outcomes of Domestic Preparedness training provided to a sample of urban fire-service personnel. The DPQ documented significant improvements in a group of "DP trained"-urban firefighters (n = 80) both in their awareness and operations content knowledge as well as in their perceived competencies to respond to acts of biological, chemical, or nuclear terrorism "in their own community" at four months post-training. A comparison group of "Not DP-trained" firefighters (n = 78) showed no statistically significant changes on these DPQ indices, suggesting that the documented improvements in the "DP-trained" firefighters on the DPQ were not due to "test reactivity" or to "historical" factors. Conclusion The findings suggest that the DPQ has adequate inter-item and test-retest reliability, possesses concurrent validity, and appears to be a sensitive measure of the Domestic Preparedness Training provided for urban firefighter and paramedic First Responders.
Small-scale manual multiple peptide synthesis system : application to phosphopeptide synthesis

A system for small-scale (ca. 10-50 mumol) manual multiple peptide synthesis assembled from commercially available solid-phase extraction apparatus is described. This system was used to prepare (on a 15 mumol scale) the five monophosphorylated isomers of the peptide ASTTVSKTE, a proteolytic fragment of the C-terminal region of rhodopsin. The peptides were assembled using serine or threonine active esters without hydroxyl protection at the positions of phosphorylation. Phosphate groups were introduced using postassembly phosphitylation/oxidation according to a published procedure [Andrews, D.M., Kitchin, J. & Seale, P.W. (1991) Int. J. Peptide Protein Res. 38, 469-475; Staerkaer, G., Jakobsen, M.H., Olsen, C.E. & Holm, A., Tetrahedron Lett. 32, 5389-5392; Perich, J.W. (1992) Int. J. Peptide Protein Res. 40 134-140]. The reported system provides a relatively inexpensive approach to multiple peptide synthesis, including synthesis of phosphopeptides, for laboratories whose synthesis requirements do not justify investment in an automated multiple peptide synthesis instrument.
Environmental testing of terrestrial flat plate photovoltaic modules

The Low-Cost Solar Array (LSA) Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has as one objective: the development and implementation of environmental tests for flat plate photovoltaic modules as part of the Department of Energy's terrestrial photovoltaic program. Modules procured under this program have been subjected to a variety of laboratory tests intended to simulate service environments, and the results of these tests have been compared to available data from actual field service. This comparison indicates that certain tests (notably temperature cycling, humidity cycling, and cyclic pressure loading) are effective indicators of some forms of field failures. Other tests have yielded results useful in formulating module design guidelines. Not all effects noted in field service have been successfully reproduced in the laboratory, however, and work is continuing in order to improve the value of the test program as a tool for evaluating module design and workmanship. This paper contains a review of these ongoing efforts and an assessment of significant test results to date.
Energy Deposition of Swift Alphas in Neon: An Electron Nuclear Dynamics Study

Abstract The time dependent variational principle is used to study energy deposition by swift ions in material targets. One important aspect of this process is charge exchange between the projectile and the target in single collisions. Preliminary results are reported for the model system He 2+ → Ne.
The Logic and Limits of Contract Bankruptcy

Neo-libertarian scholars prefer contract bankruptcy to corporate reorganization under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. These free market theorists contend that business bankruptcy legislation imposes net social costs - costs which voluntary contractual arrangements would avoid. Through application of a comparative institutional framework, the Article seeks to refute neo-libertarian theorists' claims that private action is preferable to business bankruptcy legislation. It finds the case for favoring contractual over legislative bankruptcy rules to be incoherent in at least three ways. First, neo-libertarian bankruptcy theorists' claim that appropriate ex ante incentives for corporate actors are best realized through private agreements confuses substance with form. A firm's incentives are more likely to be affected by the content of the bankruptcy rule than whether it is structured as legislative or contractual. Second, theorists' emphasis on the importance of individual autonomy is empty rhetoric. Many of the contractual bankruptcy resolutions offered by neo-libertarian theorists would covertly bind non-parties, a result completely contrary to principles of freedom of contract. Finally, despite assertions to the contrary, many of the proposed private-law bankruptcy substitutes would create immense decisionmaking costs, and all of the contract bankruptcy proposals would impose enforcement costs of a magnitude both substantial and comparable to the legislative rules these contracts are meant to replace. Accordingly, there is no basis for concluding that contract rules are always less expensive to implement and enforce than legislative ones.
Cancer survivorship: An insider's perspective

Abstract In 1977 at the age of nine, I was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma of the left fibula. At that time, the therapeutic strategy for Ewing sarcoma was being established. I was treated with multi-drug chemotherapy (Doxorubicin 490 mg, Vincristine 22.3 mg, Cyclophosphamide 10.8 g, and Dactinomycin 13,500 mcg), external beam radiation (54.0 Gy), and surgical excision (partial fibulectomy). This essay discusses the diagnosis and treatment of late effects of cancer therapy from a physician–patient's perspective. Six areas of clinical care and research are addressed: limb pain, systemic effects, hypothermia, pathology, genetics, and exercise.
Climate change: Creating conditions conducive to quality STEM undergraduate education

Lasting reform of STEM undergraduate education must engage stakeholders from the individual classroom and laboratory to the national policy level.