cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The abundance of unknots in various models of polymer loops

A veritable zoo of different knots is seen in the ensemble of looped polymer chains, whether created computationally or observed in vitro. At short loop lengths, the spectrum of knots is dominated by the trivial knot (unknot). The fractional abundance of this topological state in the ensemble of all conformations of the loop of N segments follows a decaying exponential form, ∼exp(−N/N0), where N0 marks the crossover from a mostly unknotted (i.e., topologically simple) to a mostly knotted (i.e., topologically complex) ensemble. In the present work, we use computational simulation to look closer into the variation of N0 for a variety of polymer models. Among models examined, N0 is smallest (about 240) for the model with all segments of the same length, it is somewhat larger (305) for Gaussian-distributed segments, and can be very large (up to many thousands) when the segment length distribution has a fat power-law tail.
Resistance and resilience of invertebrate communities to seasonal and supraseasonal drought in arid‐land headwater streams

SUMMARY 1. Climate change is expected to intensify drought in many regions, but ecological impacts on stream communities are poorly understood. Many arid-land streams are characterised by predictable seasonal cycles of wetting and drying, to which species are adapted, but unpredictable supraseasonal droughts may constitute extreme events that challenge resident biota. 2. In this article, we synthesise research conducted in arid-land streams of the Madrean Sky Islands (MSI) in Arizona, U.S.A, to evaluate the resistance and resilience of invertebrate communities to drying disturbances caused by normal seasonal drying and severe supraseasonal drought. We also highlight how spatial context (e.g. distance to perennial refuges) influences recovery patterns. 3. Invertebrate community structure changes predictably as habitat contraction progresses from loss of lateral connectivity to complete drying of MSI streams. When drying events are predictable (e.g. seasonal drying), post-drought community recovery is often rapid, since most MSI taxa possess life history traits conferring high resistance and/or resilience to stream drying. 4. Extreme supraseasonal droughts, in contrast, cause unprecedented transitions from perennial to intermittent flow in some MSI streams. While species richness may recover quickly following this flow regime shift, marked turnover in community structure can occur and may delay or preclude recovery to pre-drought conditions. In such cases, short-lived (<1 year) strong dispersers replace relatively long-lived (≥1 year) weak dispersers. As habitat isolation increases, the potential for community recovery from extreme drought decreases. 5. Many MSI aquatic species are threatened by extreme drought. Extinctions of endemic aquatic species due to habitat drying have already been observed in nearby deserts. Further studies are urgently needed to identify drought-sensitive species and understand how the loss of such species may affect stream ecosystem functioning.
Novel pH-Sensitive Hydrogels with Peg-Tethered Chains for Oral Delivery of Calcitonin

Major challenges in oral delivery of peptides include the need to overcome gastric and intestinal degradation. pH -Sensitive hydrogels are suitable candidates for oral drug delivery of peptides due to their ability to respond to their environment. We have developed a new type of hydrogel composed of poly(methacrylic acid) grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) which can be used as drug delivery carriers for salmon calcitonin. These hydrogels were prepared by free radical solution polymerization and were molecularly designed to contain poly(ethylene glycol) tethered chains promoting mucosal adhesion and providing calcitonin protection, as well as methacrylic acid moieties, which act as calcium binders leading to epithelial cell junction opening. Solutions of approximately 0.1 mg/ml of salmon calcitonin were used to load the protein into the gels at pH = 7 and constant ionic strength of 0.1 M. In vitro release studies were performed at pH=7 and 37 °C, while keeping an ionic strength of 0.1 M. Calcitonin release was achieved. The release behavior was explained in terms of diffusional theories.
Neural reactivation reveals mechanisms for updating memory

Our ability to remember new information is often compromised by competition from prior learning, leading to many instances of forgetting. One of the challenges in studying why these lapses occur and how they can be prevented is that it is methodologically difficult to "see" competition between memories as it occurs. Here, we used multi-voxel pattern analysis of human fMRI data to measure the neural reactivation of both older (competing) and newer (target) memories during individual attempts to retrieve newer memories. Of central interest was the following: (1) whether older memories were reactivated during retrieval of newer memories; (2) how reactivation of older memories related to retrieval performance; and (3) whether neural mechanisms engaged during the encoding of newer memories were predictive of neural competition experienced during retrieval. Our results indicate that older and newer visual memories were often simultaneously reactivated in ventral temporal cortex--even when target memories were successfully retrieved. Importantly, stronger reactivation of older memories was associated with less accurate retrieval of newer memories, slower mnemonic decisions, and increased activity in anterior cingulate cortex. Finally, greater activity in the inferior frontal gyrus during the encoding of newer memories (memory updating) predicted lower competition in ventral temporal cortex during subsequent retrieval. Together, these results provide novel insight into how older memories compete with newer memories and specify neural mechanisms that allow competition to be overcome and memories to be updated.
Dynamic implementation of network selection policies

The issue of efficiently selecting the best available wireless network by a mobile device is an area of active research. Many researchers have proposed several strategies and policies for selecting the appropriate network. These policies differ among each other due to various reasons. The state and load of networks, number and types of wireless networks considered, and preferences of users are some of the reasons that attribute to differences in those proposed policies. As a result, the applicability and efficiency of those policies depend upon certain situations and circumstances. We propose, in this paper, a new concept that will help in utilizing these various policies in a manner that will give better results in a longer run and in various kinds of situations. We have a pool of policies available, and our proposed method will select the policy that is most appropriate according to the current state of user. We modeled this problem as a Markov Decision Process. In the end we provide some heuristics to support our work.
Hospitalized infections in giant cell arteritis: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

Objective We aimed to assess the occurrence of infections requiring or acquired during hospitalizations in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Molecular dynamics simulations of uranyl adsorption and structure on the basal surface of muscovite

Anthropogenic activities have led to an increased concentration of uranium on the Earth's surface and potentially in the subsurface with the development of nuclear waste repositories. Uranium is so...
Indirect interaction between two native thistles mediated by an invasive exotic floral herbivore

Spatial and temporal variation in insect floral herbivory is common and often important. Yet, the determinants of such variation remain incompletely understood. Using 12 years of flowering data and 4 years of biweekly insect counts, we evaluated four hypotheses to explain variation in damage by the Eurasian flower head weevil, Rhinocyllus conicus, to the native North American wavyleaf thistle, Cirsium undulatum. The four factors hypothesized to influence weevil impact were variations in climate, weevil abundance, phenological synchrony, and number of flower heads available, either on wavyleaf thistle or on the other cooccurring, acquired native host plant (Platte thistle, Cirsium canescens), or on both. Climate did not contribute significantly to an explanation of variation in R. conicus damage to wavyleaf thistle. However, climate did influence weevil synchrony with wavyleaf flower head initiation, and phenological synchrony was important in determining R. conicus oviposition levels on wavyleaf thistle. The earlier R. conicus was active, the less it oviposited on wavyleaf thistle, even when weevils were abundant. Neither weevil abundance nor availability of wavyleaf flower heads predicted R. conicus egg load. Instead, the strongest predictor of R. conicus egg load on wavyleaf thistle was the availability of flower heads on Platte thistle, the more common, earlier flowering native thistle in the sand prairie. Egg load on wavyleaf thistle decreased as the number of Platte thistle flower heads at a site increased. Thus, wavyleaf thistle experienced associational defense in the presence of flowering by its now declining native congener, Platte thistle. These results demonstrate that prediction of damage to a native plant by an exotic insect may require knowledge of both likely phenological synchrony and total resource availability to the herbivore, including resources provided by other nontarget native species.
Modelling lubricated friction for dynamic contact systems

Multi-valued friction is often observed in lubricated contact systems operating under unsteady sliding conditions. In the past, this behaviour has been modelled using a measured time delay between changes in sliding velocity and resulting changes in friction. More recent work has revealed that fluctuations in normal separation are the principal cause of this deviation from steady friction behaviour. This paper demonstrates that tangential contact dynamics can result in apparent deviations from steady friction that can resemble true deviations found from fluctuations in normal separation. Two different dynamic models are considered. One model accommodates the tangential rider dynamics of a friction test apparatus. The other model considers the possibility of tangential dynamics associated with asperity contacts.
A new species of freshwater crab of the genus Microthelphusa (Brachyura: Pseudothelphusidae) from a remote isolated cloud forest on a tabletop mountain in western Guyana, South America

A new species of freshwater crab of the genus Microthelphusa Pretzmann, 1968, from Guyana, South America is described. Microthelphusa meansi , new species, was collected from a remote isolated cloud forest in the Wokomung Massif, a tabletop mountain ( tepui ) in western Guyana at over 1,000 m above sea level. The conspicuous horseshoe-like marginal lobe and the dome-like auxiliar cephalic lobe of the first gonopod clearly distinguish this species from all 12 congeners.
The lack of a non-communicable disease curriculum threatens the relevance of global public health education.

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, lung disease and diabetes are major public health challenges for emerging economies. However, Masters of Public Health (MPH) curricula in the USA do not provide germane coursework. Methods To assess the availability of global NCD courses in MPH curricula, we searched the websites of the 50 schools accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health as of 1 July 2013. Our questionnaire queried availability of a global or international health department or track, availability of an NCD track, and the presence of courses on NCD, NCD risk factors, CVD or global NCDs as well as global health infrastructure. Results All schools had online course coursework available. Thirty-one schools (62%) offered a global/international health track or certificate; 38 (76%) offered an NCD course but only 4 (8%) offered a global NCD course. Of the schools with a global health program, none required an NCD course but all offered courses on global health economics or infrastructure. Conclusion For public health schools to be aligned with global realities and to retain a leadership role, curricular initiatives that highlight the NCD epidemic and its societal complexities will need new emphasis.
A Century of Blue and Red

In honor of the centennial of the Gram stain method, a brief history of its discovery and subsequent development can be traced within the context of bacteriology at the time of the discovery. Gram's initial objective was to differentiate bacteria in tissue sections and dried preparations, but his method was only partially successful in that application. However, it evolved as a useful technique for the routine differentiation of bacteria. Over the years, the procedure has undergone some modifications, but remains basically as described by Gram. The significance of this simple staining procedure in clinical laboratory practice is self-evident. One hundred years after its introduction, the Gram stain remains one of the most common and useful methods in bacteriology.
Investigate report about a food posioning caused by 4C Shigella flexneri

Objective:To analyze the reason of food posioning by the epidemiological investigations and result detected in lab,and provide scientific basis for preventing emergency of public health.Methods: Defecation of children patients,surplus food,tableware,hand and sour of jobholder were detected referring to GB/T4789-2003.Results: 4C Shigella Flexneri was found positive in defecation and tableware,not in surplus food,hand and sour of jobholder.Conclusion: The food posioning was caused by poor controll in food processing,which lead to 4C Shigella Flexneri pollution.
Hypertension prevalence and influencing factors in migrants, Jiangxi Province

Objective To understand the prevalence of hypertension and its influencing factors in migrants of Jiangxi Province, and provide evidence for the targeted prevention strategies. Methods A multistage stratified sampling method by different trades was carried out, and migrants aged 18 years and above from five counties(districts) of Jiangxi Province were selected and investigated for chronic disease epidemic situations. Results The prevalence rate of hypertension was 16.80%, and the standardized rate was23.39%. There was a growing trend with increasing age. The prevalence in men was higher than women(χ2=16.383, P=0.000).Multi-factor unconditioned Logistic regression analysis indicated that high triglycerides, high cholesterol, age and high body mass index were negative factors of high blood pressure in migrants. Conclusions Although the prevalence rate of hypertension for migrants was lower than that for inhabitant in Jiangxi Province, the measures should still be taken actively. We should improve self-health care consciousness of migrants and change the dangerous behaviors related to hypertension. Thus we can gradually reduce the harm of hypertension.
Electrochemical Detection of Transient Cobalt Hydride Intermediates of Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production

A large variety of molecular cobalt complexes are used as electrocatalysts for H2 production, but the key cobalt hydride intermediates are frequently difficult to detect and characterize due to their high reactivity. We report that a combination of variable scan rate cyclic voltammetry and foot-of-the-wave analysis (FOWA) can be used to detect transient CoIIIH and CoIIH intermediates of electrocatalytic H2 production by [CoII(PtBu2NPh2)(CH3CN)3]2+ and CoII(dmgBF2)2(CH3CN)2. In both cases, reduction of a transient catalytic intermediate occurs at a potential that coincides with the CoII/I couple. Each reduction displays quasireversible electron-transfer kinetics, consistent with reduction of a CoIIIH intermediate to CoIIH, which is then protonated by acid to generate H2. A bridge-protonated CoI species was ruled out as a catalytic intermediate for CoII(dmgBF2)2(CH3CN)2 from voltammograms recorded at 1000 psi of H2. Density functional theory was used to calculate CoIII–H and CoII–H bond strengths for both c...
Management of fractures in children.

A clear understanding of the specific features of children’s fractures is necessary to provide care of good quality. These features—the anatomic, the biomechanical, and the physiologic—are thoroughly discussed, along with many examples. The author also describes the principles of fracture treatment and suggests how these principles can be applied in the management of commonly occurring fractures.
Diffraction pattern simulation of cellulose fibrils using distributed and quantized pair distances

Intensity simulation of X-ray scattering from large twisted cellulose molecular fibrils is important in understanding the impact of chemical or physical treatments on structural properties such as twisting or coiling. This paper describes a highly efficient method for the simulation of X-ray diffraction patterns from complex fibrils using atom-type-specific pair-distance quantization. Pair distances are sorted into arrays which are labelled by atom type. Histograms of pair distances in each array are computed and binned and the resulting population distributions are used to represent the whole pair-distance data set. These quantized pair-distance arrays are used with a modified and vectorized Debye formula to simulate diffraction patterns. This approach utilizes fewer pair distances in each iteration, and atomic scattering factors are moved outside the iteration since the arrays are labelled by atom type. This algorithm significantly reduces the computation time while maintaining the accuracy of diffraction pattern simulation, making possible the simulation of diffraction patterns from large twisted fibrils in a relatively short period of time, as is required for model testing and refinement.
Developing Mental Orthographic Representations in Refugee Spellers with Low Literacy: How Much Input Is Too Much?.

Background We used two principles of implicit learning, variability and complexity, to train mental orthographic representations in refugee English learners to improve spelling. Methods Twenty-eight refugees enrolled in a 10-week English class were trained on classroom words using stimuli designed to encourage implicit learning. We contrasted high-variability visual input combined with either high-linguistic or low-linguistic complexity, using a short (<5 minute) PowerPoint-based training. Participants were regularly tested on their spelling and were compared with themselves using single subject design. Individual effect sizes were aggregated across participants, and we used dependent measures t-tests to compare conditions. Results Participants learned significantly more treated words than control words in the high-variability/low-complexity condition, but not in the high-variability/high-complexity condition. Conclusions Refugees can benefit from interventions designed to promote implicit learning but can be overwhelmed by too much input.
Wnt5a promotes osteoblastic prostate cancer bone metastases through increasing osteoblastogenesis and invasion

464 Prostate cancer (PCa) frequently metastasizes to bone, resulting in osteoblastic metastases. We have previously shown that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) promote PCa osteoblastic activity, but upstream inducers of BMP expression in PCa are unknown. Wnts are mediators of osteogenesis. Thus, we investigated a potential role for Wnts in prostate cancer osteoblastic lesions. RT-PCR revealed that the PCa cell line C4-2B, derived from LNCaP cells, expressed multiple Wnts and their receptors. Wnt5a increased BMP4, 6, and 7 mRNA expression in C4-2B cells. Furthermore, Wnt5a activated the BMP 4 and 6 promoters. DKK-1, a Wnt inhibitor, diminished BMP4 and 6 promoter activity in C4-2B cells. Conditioned media (CM) from C4-2B cells induced pro-osteoblastic activity (increased alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin) in pre-osteoblast cells. DKK-1 diminished partially C4-2B CM-induced pro-osteoblastic activity. In addition to increasing osteoblastogenesis, Wnt5a also increased the invasive ability of C4-2B cell in vitro. This process was blocked partially by DKK-1, or Noggin, a BMP inhibitor. These observations indicate that Wnt5a promotes osteoblastic prostate cancer bone metastases, in part, through induction of BMP activity and their ability to induce osteoblastogenesis and invasion.
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Readers will find in Malika Wagner’s latest novel an innovative perspective on what it means to be the ‘Other’ in contemporary French society. Unlike the central protagonists of the 1980s Beur nove...
Granular-cell myoblastoma--an unusual rectal neoplasm. Report of a case.

A case of granular-cell myoblatoma of the rectum, heretofore undocumented in medical literature, is presented. The pathology, treatment and histogenesis are reviewed.
The Non-rhabdomyosarcoma Soft Tissue Sarcomas, Desmoid Tumor and Osteosarcoma

Soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) are a group of rare tumors diagnosed in children and adults that require multi-modality specialty care. The etiology of STS in children is largely unknown although they are among the tumor types associated with cancer predisposition syndromes and included in the differential of radiation-induced malignancies. STS include a broad variety of histologic subtypes, diverse presentations, and wide-ranging lethality. Evaluation and management of STS in pediatric patients has evolved based on knowledge derived from clinical trials performed in adults and more recently prospective studies performed exclusively with children. Surgery, irradiation modalities, and conventional chemotherapy have identified roles in the treatment of pediatric patients with current studies focused on toxicity reduction in low-risk patients, optimal sequencing of therapy and new agent testing in intermediate and high-risk patients, and systematic salvage strategies for patients that do not respond to front-line therapy.
Fortified Humanitarian Food-Aid Commodities

Many people in the world struggle to obtain sufficient sustenance for maintenance, growth, and health of the human body. Even though the global supply of food is adequate, zonal climatic events and natural disasters, wars and political turmoil, lack of resources and education, and poor environmental management repeatedly result in widespread hunger, malnutrition, and associated disease and mortality. As humanitarian D. John Shaw so succinctly stated, “The co-existence of hunger with the capacity to end it is one of the gravest paradoxes of our time” [1]. In the face of this paradox, human compassion, as well as political and economic considerations, has motivated organizations and governments to offer humanitarian assistance in cases of need.
How Representational Cognitivism Failed and is being replaced by Body/World Coupling

Reading Heidegger’s Being and Time and Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception suggested that Symbolic AI with its representations of meaningless facts about the world could not solve the frame problem, and that the best representation of the world is the world itself. Now GOFAI has failed, and Rondey Brooks boasts that his animats avoid the frame problem precisely by directly relating to the world. But Brook’s animates and all other versions of what some call Heideggerian AI have their own version of the frame problem, viz. that the program can’t update relevance. Fortunately, there is at least one model of how the brain could provide the causal basis of such an ability. Walter Freeman, a founding figure in neurodynamics and one of the first to take seriously the idea of the brain as a nonlinear dynamical system, has worked out an account of how the brain of an active animal can directly pick up and update what counts as significant in its world. But, to program Heideggerian AI, we would not only need a model of brain functioning such as Freeman’s; we would also need a model of our particular way of being embedded and embodied such that what we experience is significant for us in the particular way that it is. This shows the task of a Heideggerian AI to be overwhelmingly difficult and casts doubt on whether we will ever be able to accomplish it.
Ultrastructural Studies of Clq and of Complement-Membrane Interactions*

Publisher Summary This chapter explains the ultrastructural studies of Clq and of complement–membrane interactions. Clq, is the largest of the complement proteins and the key protein in the activation of the whole complement system. Physicochemical studies of Clq have shown the molecule to possess a molecular weight of 400,000 and to be composed of five or six noncovalently bonded subunits. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed two major protein bands having molecular weights of 70,000 and 52,000, respectively. The predominant band was of 70,000 molecular weight and semiquantitative measurements of the protein containing gels showed a ratio of 4–5 of this protein band to 1 of the protein band having a molecular weight of 52,000. Ultrastructural analysis has confirmed subunit structure for Clq. This result was found to be consistent with a molecular model consisting of five pentagonal subunits arranged symmetrically around a central pentameric subunit, the whole molecule thus assuming a disc-like form.
School Violence Prevention Testimony

Abstract : Nationally publicized school shootings have highlighted potential precursors of violence, such as persistent bullying. Although we lack substantial data on the long-term effects of being bullied, getting bullied or victimized by peers is now considered a warning sign of potentially violent students. Moreover, independent of high profile shooting incidents that have attracted recent attention, social scientists have consistently documented that bullying is (1) prevalent in schools and has detrimental effects on children, and (2) that schools can effectively reduce bullying and mitigate its harmful effects. However, many of the current violence prevention strategies (e.g., methods that focus solely on physical safety, zero-tolerance policies, and profiling of potentially violent students) are limited and may even backfire in the long run. The most promising model of violence prevention that focuses on bullying includes at least three interrelated components: (1) explicit anti-harassment school policy, (2) instruction for all students to help them understand the policy and develop conflict resolution skills, and (3) case-by-case staff mediation that reinforces both school policy and instruction.
Abstract 4476: Role of MAP-Kinase suppressor in IBD

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Endogenous suppressor of Mitogen Activated Kinase Pathway (MAPK) are considered cancer suppressors. In this regard , Sprouty (SPRY) proteins that are endogenous suppressor of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling are reported to be tumor suppressors in various cancers, whereas we discovered that SPRY2 augments Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in colorectal cancer (CRC) [Oncogene, 2016 Jun 16; 35(24): 3151-62]. Significance of SPRY proteins in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is not clearly understood. MATERIALS & METHODS: Biopsies from Crohn9s Colitis patients were assessed for SPRY, Beta-catenin, Occludin and ZO1 expression. Tight junction profiler was employed to assess expression of integrin proteins in CaCO2 colon cancer cell line. SPRY was suppressed in colon cancer cells by siRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 technology and changes were assessed by immunoblotting, real time PCR, phase-contrast and confocal microscopy. Spry1 and Spry2 floxed mice were utilized to dissect SPRY functions in mesenchymal cells. RESULTS: SPRY, E-cadherin, Beta-catenin and Occludin mRNA transcripts were significantly different in IBD patients (p CONCLUSIONS: SPRY expression in colonic epithelium regulates IBD. SPRY has prognostic value in IBD. Citation Format: Sharad Khare, Qiong Zhang. Role of MAP-Kinase suppressor in IBD [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4476.
The Text in Context: The Protocols and the Varieties of Antisemitism

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion rests on rumors. And that is also the case for hatred of the Jews: they killed Christ, poisoned wells and springs, profaned the Host, worshiped the pig, consorted with witches and devils, raped Christian girls, knowingly spread the plague and other diseases, replenished their blood (lost in menstruation by both men and women) with that of Christian children, and conspired sometimes with lepers, other times with freemasons, still other times with … The “wandering Jew” has no homeland: Like Cain, he is always the foreigner, always alien, always the Other. The rumors follow him wherever he goes. They are outlandish and they resist common sense. But they are resilient: where there is smoke there is fire.
War and Diplomacy in East and West: A Biography of Józef Retinger

The New York Times said of Jozef Hieronim Retinger that he was on intimate terms with most leading statesmen of the Western World, including presidents of the United States. He has been repeatedly acknowledged as one of the principle architects of the movement for European unity after the World War II, and one of the outstanding creative political influences of the post war period. He has also been credited with being the dark master behind the so-called "Bilderberg Group," described variously as an organization of idealistic internationalists, and a malevolent global conspiracy. Before that, Retinger involved himself in intelligence activities during World War II and, given the covert and semi-covert nature of many of his activities, it is little wonder that no biography has appeared about him. This book draws on a broad range of international archives to rectify that.
Metrics for the Evaluation of Tracking Systems for Virtual Environments

In this paper, we present three generalizable metrics by which tracking systems for virtual environments can be evaluated. These metrics include positional accuracy, rotational accuracy, and tracking resolution. Additionally, we present methods for acquiring these measurements using components commonly available at hardware and hobby shops. The methods are tested using a consumer-grade virtual reality system but are widely generalizable to most tracking systems, both professional-and consumer-grade.
Operative management of benign nonepithelial solid laryngeal tumors

Most benign tumors of the larynx are epithelial in origin, with nearly 85% being laryngeal papilloma. Nonepithelial laryngeal tumors are uncommon and more than 50% of these are malignant. Therefore, benign nonepithelial solid tumors of the larynx are quite rare. The management of these tumors varies based on the site of origin, specific pathology, tumor size, and risk for malignant transformation. Most are ultimately treated with complete surgical excision, although the potential response of the tumor to adjuvant therapy may play a role in decision making. In this article, general approaches to surgical excision of these benign nonepithelial laryngeal tumors is discussed.
Bilateral Macular Holes in Adult Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy

Purpose:This report describes a case of bilateral macular holes (MHs) in adult vitelliform macular dystrophy (AVMD).Methods:A retrospective case report of a patient with AVMD and sequential onset o...
Within-Person Variability in Firearm Carriage Among High-Risk Youth.

Introduction Youth who carry firearms—and peers that surround them—are at increased risk for violent injuries. Because firearm carriage behaviors can change over time within an individual, it is important to identify individual and social-contextual determinants that explain this within-person variability in carriage. Methods The authors identified individual and social-contextual determinants of firearm carriage in the past 6 months using multilevel logistic models on 5 waves of panel data from the Flint Youth Injury Study (n=597; ages 14–24 years), collected in 2009–2011 and analyzed in 2019. Results Regarding within-person effects, when an individual had more positive peer affiliations than their average, their odds of carrying a firearm decreased (OR=0.88; 95% CI=0.81, 0.96). Conversely, an individual's odds of carrying a firearm increased when they had more negative peer affiliations (OR=1.08, 95% CI=1.02, 1.14), experienced more victimization (OR=1.03, 95% CI=1.01, 1.05), perceived greater community violence (OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.05, 1.21), or exhibited greater retaliatory attitudes (OR=1.10, 95% CI=1.01, 1.19) than their average. Conclusions Peer affiliations, victimization, community violence perceptions, and retaliatory attitudes explain within-person variability in firearm carriage. Strategies for reducing carriage among youth should consider individual- and environmental-level interventions to address these individual and social-contextual determinants.
Treating Hematologic Malignancies During a Pandemic: Utilizing Telehealth and Digital Technology to Optimize Care

In late January 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) was reported as an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Within 2 months it became a global pandemic. Patients with cancer are at highest risk for both contracting and suffering complications of its resultant disease, Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19). Healthcare systems across the world had to adapt quickly to mitigate this risk, while continuing to provide potentially lifesaving treatment to patients. Bringing care to the home through the use of telehealth, home based chemotherapy, and remote patient monitoring technologies can help minimize risk to the patient and healthcare workers without sacrificing quality of care delivered. These care models provide the right treatment, to the right patient, at the right time, in the right place. Whether these patient-centered models of care will continue to be embraced by key stakeholders after the pandemic remains uncertain.
Salt intake impacts sympathetic neural control but not morning blood pressure surge in premenopausal women with a history of normal pregnancy

This is the first study to demonstrate that MBPS and ambulatory BP were not affected by salt intake despite a significant change in sympathetic outflow in healthy premenopausal women with a history...
Plant and Soil Drivers of Whole-Plant Microbiomes: Variation in Switchgrass Fungi from Coastal to Mountain Sites

Plant-associated microbial diversity is regulated by dispersal from local and regional species pools, as well as filtering by the environment and plant host. However, few studies have simultaneousl...
Characterizing prototypical musical instrument timbres with Timbre Trait Profiles

This paper offers a series of characterizations of prototypical musical timbres, called Timbre Trait Profiles, for 34 musical instruments common in Western orchestras and wind ensembles. These prof...
Determining the electrical conductivity of metals using the 2 MA Thor pulsed power driver.

We present the development of a pulsed power experimental technique to infer the electrical conductivity of metals from ambient to high energy density conditions. The method is implemented on Thor, a moderate scale (1–2 MA) pulsed power driver. The electrical conductivity of copper at elevated temperature (>4000 K) and pressure (>10 GPa) is determined, and a new tabular material model is developed, guided by density functional theory, which preserves agreement with existing experimental data. Minor modifications (<10%) are found to be necessary to the previous Lee–More–Desjarlais model isotherms in the vicinity of the melt transition in order to account for observed discrepancies with the new experimental data. An analytical model for magnetic direct drive flyer acceleration and Joule heating induced vaporization based on the Tsiolkovsky “rocket equation” is presented to assess sensitivity of the method to minor changes in electrical conductivity.
Calcium Transport in Specialized Dental Epithelia and Its Modulation by Fluoride

Most cells use calcium (Ca2+) as a second messenger to convey signals that affect a multitude of biological processes. The ability of Ca2+ to bind to proteins to alter their charge and conformation is essential to achieve its signaling role. Cytosolic Ca2+ (cCa2+) concentration is maintained low at ~100 nM so that the impact of elevations in cCa2+ is readily sensed and transduced by cells. However, such elevations in cCa2+ must be transient to prevent detrimental effects. Cells have developed a variety of systems to rapidly clear the excess of cCa2+ including Ca2+ pumps, exchangers and sequestering Ca2+ within intracellular organelles. This Ca2+ signaling toolkit is evolutionarily adapted so that each cell, tissue, and organ can fulfill its biological function optimally. One of the most specialized cells in mammals are the enamel forming cells, the ameloblasts, which also handle large quantities of Ca2+. The end goal of ameloblasts is to synthesize, secrete and mineralize a unique proteinaceous matrix without the benefit of remodeling or repair mechanisms. Ca2+ uptake into ameloblasts is mainly regulated by the store operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) before it is transported across the polarized ameloblasts to reach the insulated enamel space. Here we review the ameloblasts Ca2+ signaling toolkit and address how the common electronegative non-metal fluoride can alter its function, potentially addressing the biology of dental fluorosis.
How to Read a Moment: The American Novel and the Crisis of the Present: by Mathias Nilges, Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University Press, 2021, 242 pp., $34.95, ISBN 978-0-810-14342-5

For more than a decade, a mural on an exposed wall of the Kunsthaus Tacheles broadcast a question—or perhaps an existential sigh—over the streets of Berlin. ‘How Long is Now’ read the wall of the i...
New approaches to HIV vaccine development

Development of a safe and effective vaccine for HIV is a major global priority. However, to date, efforts to design an HIV vaccine with methods used for development of other successful viral vaccines have not succeeded due to HIV diversity, HIV integration into the host genome, and ability of HIV to consistently evade anti-viral immune responses. Recent success in isolation of potent broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs), in discovery of mechanisms of bnAb induction, and in discovery of atypical mechanisms of CD8T cell killing of HIV-infected cells, have opened new avenues for strategies for HIV vaccine design.
Responsiveness of Atmospheric CO2 to Anthropogenic Emissions: A Note

A statistically significant correlation between annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions and the annual rate of accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere over a 53-year sample period from 1959-2011 is likely to be spurious because it vanishes when the two series are detrended. The results do not indicate a measurable year to year effect of annual anthropogenic emissions on the annual rate of CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere.
Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases, Chemistry of

Cytochromes P450 monooxygenases represent a large superfamily of heme enzymes, which require a dioxygen molecule and two electrons supplied by a NAD(P)H-dependent protein redox partner to form catalytically active high-valent ferryl-oxo intermediate. These heme enzymes are found in most organisms from all biological kingdoms and catalyze various oxidative chemical transformations important for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, vitamins, signaling molecules, and many other compounds, as well as for the metabolism of xenobiotics.
Accelerated Aging in Schizophrenia Patients: The Potential Role of Oxidative Stress

Several lines of evidence suggest that schizophrenia, a severe mental illness characterized by delusions, hallucinations and thought disorder is associated with accelerated aging. The free radical (oxidative stress) theory of aging assumes that aging occurs as a result of damage to cell constituents and connective tissues by free radicals arising from oxygen-associated reactions. Schizophrenia has been associated with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, both of which also appear to reciprocally induce each other in a positive feedback manner. The buildup of damaged macromolecules due to increased oxidative stress and failure of protein repair and maintenance systems is an indicator of aging both at the cellular and organismal level. When compared with age-matched healthy controls, schizophrenia patients have higher levels of markers of oxidative cellular damage such as protein carbonyls, products of lipid peroxidation and DNA hydroxylation. Potential confounders such as antipsychotic medication, smoking, socio-economic status and unhealthy lifestyle make it impossible to solely attribute the earlier onset of aging-related changes or oxidative stress to having a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Regardless of whether oxidative stress can be attributed solely to a diagnosis of schizophrenia or whether it is due to other factors associated with schizophrenia, the available evidence is in support of increased oxidative stress-induced cellular damage of macromolecules which may play a role in the phenomenon of accelerated aging presumed to be associated with schizophrenia.
Toward Inclusion Across Disciplines: Understanding Motivation of Exceptional Students

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the integration of motivation research and the ﬁeld of special education. Both the motivation and special education ﬁelds involve a high degree of specialized knowledge and researchers do not usually have sufficient appreciation of both. Issues related to the measurement of motivation may also contribute to the typical practice of motivation researchers not including exceptional students in their research. The potential beneﬁts of including a relatively small number of students to the pool of participants may often not seem to outweigh the immediate concerns with reliability, validity, pragmatics, and inconsistency regarding student classiﬁcation. It is found that an intrinsic orientation is associated with the adaptive patterns of engagement and achievement. A review of the studies of students with mental retardation indicated that intrinsic motivation is associated positively with achievement. It is observed that on an average, students with learning disabilities were signiﬁcantly less intrinsically motivated than the students without disabilities.
Automated Model Based Design Process to Evaluate Advanced Component Technologies

To reduce development time and introduce technologies faster to the market, many companies have been turning more and more to Model Based Design. In Model Based Design, the development process centers around a system model, from requirements capture and design to implementation and test. Engineers can skip over a generation of system design processes on the basis of hand coding and use graphical models to design, analyze, and implement the software that determines machine performance and behavior. This paper describes the process implemented in Autonomie, a Plug-and-Play Software Environment, to design and evaluate component hardware in an emulated environment. We will discuss best practices and provide an example through evaluation of advanced high-energy battery pack within an emulated Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
Robotic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, is it Safer than Laparoscopic Bypass?

Background Along with the development of technology, robotic approach is being performed for laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Some literatures reported same or better peri-operative outcomes with the robotic procedure. The aim of this study is to compare our experience in robot-assisted LRYGB (RA-LRYGB) with LRYGB in terms of peri-operative outcomes.
Fast Parallel Exponentiation Algorithm for RSA Public-Key Cryptosystem

We know the necessity for information security becomes more widespread in these days, especially for hardware-based implementations such as smart cards chips for wireless applications and cryptographic accelerators. Fast modular exponentiation algorithms are often considered of practical significance in public-key cryptosystems. The RSA cryptosystem is one of the most widely used technologies for achieving information security. The main task of the encryption and decryption engine of RSA cryptosystem is to compute M E mod N. Because the bit-length of the numbers M, E, and N would be about 512 to 1024 bits now, the computations for RSA cryptosystem are time-consuming. In this paper, an efficient technique for parallel computation of the modular exponentiation is proposed and our algorithm can reduce time complexity. We can have the speedup ratio as 1.06 or even 2.75 if the proposed technique is used. In Savas-Tenca-Koc algorithm, they design a multiplier with an insignificant increase in chip area (about 2.8p) and no increase in time delay. Our proposed technique is faster than Savas-Tenca-Koc algorithm in time complexity and improves efficiency for RSA cryptosystem.
Parallel Discrete-Event Simulation

Parallel discrete-event simulation (PDES), sometimes simply referred to as parallel simulation, is concerned with the execution of discrete-event simulation on parallel computers. PDES has been recognized as a challenging field of research bridging modeling and simulation, and high-performance computing. By exploiting the potential parallelism in a simulation model, PDES can overcome the limitations imposed by sequential simulation, both in the execution time and the memory space. It has been demonstrated to be a viable technique for solving large-scale complex models. In this article, we provide a brief overview of the current state of PDES, identify its fundamental challenges, and discuss existing principal solutions resulting from three decades of intensive research in this field. Further, we report specific research advances in high-performance modeling and simulation of large-scale computer networks as an exemplar of typical PDES applications. Keywords: parallel simulation; PDES; conservative synchronization; optimistic synchronization; network simulation
Sacrificing Quantity for Quality: Better Focusing Prosecutors' Scarce Resources

This short essay responds to Adam Gershowitz’s and Laura Killinger’s article The State (Never) Rests: How Excessive Prosecutorial Caseloads Harm Criminal Defendants. The authors rightly argue that prosecutorial overwork harms justice in any number of ways: it delays cases, frustrates victims, makes it harder to spot and free innocent defendants, and impedes lowering punishments for sympathetic defendants. The root problem, however, is less about underfunding than about skewed priorities and metrics of success. Too often, prosecutors do not think strategically about using their discretion to proactively set priorities and focus on system-wide tradeoffs. Throwing money at the problem would only pour fuel on the fire, encouraging prosecutors to widen their nets in the inexhaustible sea of potential cases. A surer solution is to refocus on making the best use of limited money, to change from worshipping quantity to prizing quality. Prosecutors need to focus not just on what to do but also how to do it: fairly, respectfully, and effectively.