cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Continuous epidural block for pain control in bladder exstrophy: report of a case and description of technique.

SUMMARY We describe in a neonate an unusual epidural technique for pain control after the surgical correction of bladder exstrophy.
Overcoming a Legacy of Conflict: The Repercussive Effects of Stress and Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma Among Vietnamese Americans

ABSTRACTThe modern narrative of Vietnamese people is often strongly associated with events of the 20th century, such as the Vietnam War, but a legacy of strife in Southeast Asia spans many centuries. Enduring stress and trauma has pernicious psychological and physiological repercussions that have affected first and later generations of Vietnamese American refugees. To contextualize the present-day narrative, we review the history of Vietnam and the contemporary refugee experience in the United States. We then examine more proximal spheres of influence, including community and family. Finally, we review individual experiences of stress and trauma. We present recommendations to inform individual, group, family, and community-based counseling interventions, as well as recommendations for future research.
Integral equation methods for vesicle electrohydrodynamics in three dimensions

Abstract In this paper, we develop a new boundary integral equation formulation that describes the coupled electro- and hydro-dynamics of a vesicle suspended in a viscous fluid and subjected to external flow and electric fields. The dynamics of the vesicle are characterized by a competition between the elastic, electric and viscous forces on its membrane. The classical Taylor–Melcher leaky-dielectric model is employed for the electric response of the vesicle and the Helfrich energy model combined with local inextensibility is employed for its elastic response. The coupled governing equations for the vesicle position and its transmembrane electric potential are solved using a numerical method that is spectrally accurate in space and first-order in time. The method uses a semi-implicit time-stepping scheme to overcome the numerical stiffness associated with the governing equations.
HIV-1 Biology at the Protein Level

The study of HIV-1 proteins has been critical to our understanding of HIV-1 biology. This review provides a primer on HIV-1 biochemistry, its evolution, its results, and the proteins, both viral and cellular in HIV-1 particles. The importance and roles of virion proteins in HIV-1 replication are summarized. In addition to viral proteins, HIV-1 virions contain cellular proteins that can provide clues to important virus-host interactions and lead to antiviral therapies. This review discusses practical issues in the study of cellular proteins that are incorporated into HIV-1 virions.
Voice, speech, and language: selected papers from APCAM

ABSTRACTThis special issue features selected papers from the 13th annual Auditory Perception, Cognition, and Action Meeting (APCAM). APCAM is a unique meeting in its focus on the perceptual, cognitive, and behavioural aspects of audition. The meeting is held each year just before the Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society.
The science of consciousness must include its more advanced forms

Morsella et al. argue that science should not focus on high forms of consciousness. We disagree. An understanding of high forms of consciousness is invaluable to the scientific study of consciousness. Moreover, it poses challenges to the passive frame theory. Specifically, it challenges the notions that conscious thoughts are not connected and that consciousness serves skeletomotor conflict only.
Adaptive velocity particle filtering for tracking of targets in noisy environment

Particle Filter (PF) is considered as an extension of the Kalman filter to deal with non-Gaussian non-linear dynamic systems. The key idea is to construct a posterior probability by a set of hypotheses representing a potential state of the system. Sample impoverishment is the flaw of the PF techniques in the case of noisy observations. Recently, evolutionary algorithms are added to PF based methods to improve their functionality in noisy environments. A new PF based method called Adaptive Velocity Particle Filter (AVPF) is introduced to overcome this flaw of the PF. The experimental results show that the proposed method has a superior performance in relation to other evolutionary PF in cases of noisy observations.
Epigenetic Regulation of Neurogenesis by microRNAs

The specification of multipotent stem cells to defined cell types requires complex integrations of genetic pathways. During neurogenesis—the process of generating functional neurons from neural progenitor cells (NPCs)—many epigenetic processes play a critical role in regulating genes that control the proliferation and differentiation of NPCs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role upstream of neurodevelopmental processes through chromatin regulation. During neural development, miRNAs, particularly brain-enriched miR-9/9* and miR-124, modulate neurogenesis by targeting many key epigenetic pathways that affect the transcriptional accessibility of chromatin regions as well as mRNA processing. Importantly, ectopic expression of miR-9/9* and miR-124 in human fibroblasts induces the cells to adopt a neuronal fate. Direct conversion of a nonneuronal somatic cell to a functional neuron by brain-enriched miRNAs not only emphasizes the essential role of miRNAs in neurogenesis, but also provides new strategies for modeling human neurodegenerative diseases and regenerative medicine.
The evolutionary landscape of SBST: a 10 year perspective

A key indicator of the health and quality of any evolutionary algorithm is the landscape of its search. By analyzing the landscape one can determine the peaks (local maxima) where significant solutions exist. In this paper we examine the landscape for the history of the International Workshop on Search-Based Software Testing (SBST) within the context of the broader field of search-based software testing. We study the evolution of the field, highlighting key advances during three phases of its ten year history. In 2008 the focus of SBST was inner looking, with advances in existing search techniques, improvements to individual generation techniques, and methods to transform the problem space for search effectiveness. However, diverse seeds of new ideas (such as automated program repair) were already being injected into the population. A few SBST tools existed, but the engineer still required skill and expertise to effectively apply search based approaches. During the middle years, open source tools were created and released, whole test suite generation appeared, and searches hybridized. Tool competitions began and industry started to play a stronger role. As we move to the most recent workshop years and look towards the future, more sophisticated techniques such as those that incorporate hyper-heuristics via learning, and/or balance multiple objectives at once are now common. SBST has become a mainstream topic in the testing community, tools are being commercialized and these tools often hide their inner workings, leading to a future that is optimized towards SBST for all.
Toward Human Parity in Conversational Speech Recognition

Conversational speech recognition has served as a flagship speech recognition task since the release of the Switchboard corpus in the 1990s. In this paper, we measure a human error rate on the widely used NIST 2000 test set for commercial bulk transcription. The error rate of professional transcribers is 5.9% for the Switchboard portion of the data, in which newly acquainted pairs of people discuss an assigned topic, and 11.3% for the CallHome portion, where friends and family members have open-ended conversations. In both cases, our automated system edges past the human benchmark, achieving error rates of 5.8% and 11.0%, respectively. The key to our system's performance is the use of various convolutional and long-short-term memory acoustic model architectures, combined with a novel spatial smoothing method and lattice-free discriminative acoustic training, multiple recurrent neural network language modeling approaches, and a systematic use of system combination. Comparing frequent errors in our human and machine transcripts, we find them to be remarkably similar, and highly correlated as a function of the speaker. Human subjects find it very difficult to tell which errorful transcriptions come from humans. Overall, this suggests that, given sufficient matched training data, conversational speech transcription engines are approximating human parity in both quantitative and qualitative terms.
First Report of Tuberose mild mottle virus Infecting Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) in the United States

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) is a bulbous ornamental plant in the family Agavaceae native to Mexico. In September 2016, five P. tuberosa potted plants, originally from Miami, Florida, were received at the Division of Plant Industry in Gainesville, FL. The leaves of the plants showed mild mottle and mosaic symptoms. Similar symptoms have been described from tuberose plants in New Zealand, China, Taiwan and India and were identified as a viral disease caused by Tuberose mild mottle virus (TuMMoV; family Potyviridae, genus Potyvirus) (Lin et al., 2004), Kulsherstha et al. 2005). Initial serological testing for the presence of a potyvirus using broad-spectrum lateral flow immunoassays and antigen-coated plate ELISA (Agdia, Elkhart, IN), both of which are based on a monoclonal antibody (PTY 1) yielded positive results. To further identify the possible potyvirus, total RNA was extracted using an RNeasy® Plant Mini kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) from one symptomatic leaf and reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR was p...
A self-powered harmonic sensor based on simple graphene circuit and hybrid-fed antenna

We present a self-powered, low-profile harmonic sensor consisting of a frequency-modulated graphene sensor and a hybrid-fed circular patch antenna. We demonstrate that a fully-passive frequency modulator based on graphene transistors may achieve a chemically-sensitive frequency doubling effect, possible only with unique electronic properties of graphene. The nonlinear graphene sensor can be integrated with new types of compact hybrid-fed antenna for realizing continuous and power-efficient monitoring with wearable and implantable tags.
Twenty-seven modes of reproduction in the obligate lichen symbiosis

Fungi exhibit some of the greatest reproductive diversity across Eukaryotes. In addition to sexual and asexual reproduction, fungi engage in parasexual (mitotic recombinatorial) processes to acquire new genetic variation. Reproduction has been studied extensively in numerous free-living fungi but comparatively less knowledge exists for lichenized fungi, which are assumed to reproduce only through sexual spores, asexual conidia, and specialized asexual lichen propagules. We present a new conceptual framework describing reproductive modes in lichens that includes sexual and asexual processes as well as accommodating the possibility of parasexual reproduction. To support the plausibility of some of these modes of reproduction, we reviewed data spanning more than 200 years of anatomical investigation. We recovered evidence supporting the possibility of 22 of 27 possible modes of reproduction and found no counter-evidence to suggest the remaining five do not occur in nature. This conceptual framework allows for a greater plurality of reproductive processes than previously acknowledged in lichens, exceeding that of their non-lichenized relatives.
Sequential probability ratio test for multiple-objective ranking and selection

In this paper, we introduce a sequential procedure for the Multi-Objective Ranking and Selection (MORS 2) an indifference-zone-free formulation, the new procedure eliminates the necessity of indifference-zone parameter; 3) asymptotically optimality, the GSPRT achieves asymptotically the shortest expected sample size among all sequential tests; 4) general distribution, the procedure uses the empirical likelihood for generally distributed observation. A numerical evaluation demonstrates the efficiency of the new procedure.
Correction to: Gene therapy knockdown of VEGFR2 in retinal endothelial cells to treat retinopathy

The article "Gene therapy knockdown of VEGFR2 in retinal endothelial cells to treat retinopathy", written by "Aaron B. Simmons, Colin A. Bretz, Haibo Wang, Eric Kunz, Kassem Hajj, Carson Kennedy, Zhihong Yang, Thipparat Suwanmanee, Tal Kafri and M. Elizabeth Hartnett", was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 05 May 2018 without open access. With the author(s)' decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 20 June 2018 to © The Author(s) 2018 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.
Society's values, fears support health care's noble cause.

Considers the values that sustain our culture's view of medicine and learn what physicians must do to preserve the noble profession. Comments Reprinted from The Physician Executive, Volume 28, Issue 3, June 2006, pages 8-10. This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/gse_pubs/45
Developments in Direct Recordings from Epileptogenic Regions in the Surgical Treatment of Partial Epilepsies

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses developments in direct recordings from epileptogenic regions in the surgical treatment of partial epilepsies. The two factors that permit the identification of seizure foci are direct recording from deep cortical regions of the brain that are difficult of access and continuous monitoring by radiotelemetry with ample time and under favorable conditions to examine interictal, preictal, and ictal periods. The ictal electroencephalogram (EEG) signal is characteristic activity in its wave-form and propagation pattern when it occurs in several epileptogenic regions. Ultimately, it leads to repetitive, high-amplitude spike discharges. The method has the disadvantages that it interposes a surgical diagnostic operation into the patient's treatment and introduces possibilities of infection or bleeding. The preliminary results of recording the ictal EEG signal by surveying several possible epileptogenic zones by means of indwelling electrodes and EEG radiotelemetry are useful in instances of partial epilepsy that are drug-resistant.
Anion-Sensitive H+-ATPases from Higher Plant Cells: The Role of Chloride in Stimulating Proton Transport

The appearance of several reports demonstrate that there is now general agreement that an anion-sensitive H+-ATPase is present in the vacuolar membrane of higher plant cells (Bennett et al., 1984; Dupont et al., 1982b; Mandala et al., 1982; Walker and Leigh, 1981). The term “anion-sensitive” is appropriate in describing this H+-ATPase since anions can both stimulate and inhibit H+-ATPAse activity. Stimulatory anions, in decreasing order of effectiveness, are Cl-> Br-> acetate-> HCO3 -> SO4 - and inhibitory anions are SCN-> NO3 - (Bennett et al., 1984; O’Neill et al., 1983; Walker and Leigh, 1981). Since ion Stimulation of ATPase activity may reflect direct involvement of the ion in transport, substantial interest has been directed towards understanding the mechanism of anion Stimulation of the tonoplast H+-ATPase (Bennett et al., 1983; Churchill et al., 1983; Stout and Cleland, 1982). In this paper I will review the evidence supporting a dual role for Cl- in stimulating H+ transport catalyzed by the anion-sensitive H+-ATPase.
Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning in Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease with high associated morbidity and mortality despite the development of novel therapies. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary field focused on optimization of quality of life and overall supportive care for patients and their families in the setting of life-limiting illness. Although the benefits of palliative care in oncology are well described, there are few studies regarding the timing and involvement of palliative care in PH patients. In this paper, we describe the importance of longitudinal advance care planning, including suggestions for addressing difficult topics such as end-of-life care, and the role of palliative care providers in helping guide these discussions throughout the course of the illness.
“Living off the Land”: How Subsistence Promotes Well-Being and Resilience among Indigenous Peoples of the Southeastern United States

AbstractIndigenous peoples of the United States tend to experience the most severe social, behavioral, and physical health disparities of any ethnic minority. This critical ethnography uses the fra...
“The stress is indescribable”: self-reported health implications from child welfare supervisors

Using data from a state-wide survey of frontline supervisors from a state child welfare agency, this study qualitatively examined how stress from their positions may have affected their perceived h...
Learning link-probabilities in causal trees

A learning algorithm is presented which given the structure of a causal tree, will estimate its link probabilities by sequential measurements on the leaves only. Internal nodes of the tree represent conceptual (hidden) variables inaccessible to observation. The method described is incremental, local, efficient, and remains robust to measurement imprecisions.
Neurobiology of organophosphate-induced seizures

This review summarizes the efforts of our laboratories to develop a mechanism-based therapy for the treatment of organophosphate (OP) nerve agent-induced seizures. Organophosphate poisoning can occur during warfare and terrorist attacks and in the civilian sphere because of intentional or unintentional poisoning. Persons exposed to OPs experience seizures. We developed animal models of OP poisoning and then evaluated the effects of OP on excitatory α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor-mediated glutamatergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus using patch-clamp electrophysiology. Organophosphate agents enhance glutamatergic transmission by enhancing neurotransmitter release. M1 muscarinic receptors mediate this effect, at least in part. Muscarinic receptors exert this action by inhibiting specific KCNQ2/3 potassium channels, which mediate the M-current. Flupirtine, a drug that open channels, is effective against OP-induced seizures. This article is part of the Special Issue"Proceedings of the 7th London-Innsbruck Colloquium on Status Epilepticus and Acute Seizures".
A landscape solution to the SUSY flavor and CP problems

In a fertile patch of the string landscape which includes the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) as the low energy effective theory, rather general arguments from Douglas suggest a power-law statistical selection of soft breaking terms (m(soft)^n where n=2n_F+n_D-1 with n_F the number of hidden sector F-SUSY breaking fields and n_D the number of D-term SUSY breaking fields). The statistical draw towards large soft terms must be tempered by requiring an appropriate breakdown of electroweak (EW) symmetry with no contributions to the weak scale larger than a factor 2-5 of its measured value, lest one violates the (anthropic) atomic principle. Such a simple picture of stringy naturalness generates a light Higgs boson with mass m_h~ 125 GeV with sparticles (other than higgsinos) typically beyond LHC reach. Then we expect first and second generation matter scalars to be drawn independently to the tens of TeV regime where the upper cutoff arises from two-loop RGE terms which drive third generation soft masses towards tachyonic values. Since the upper bounds on m_0(1,2) are the same for each generation, and flavor independent, then these will be drawn toward quasi-degenerate values. This mechanism leads to a natural mixed decoupling/quasi-degeneracy solution to the SUSY flavor problem and a decoupling solution to the SUSY CP problem.
Thin-film bidirectional transducers for haptic wearables

Abstract We have designed, fabricated, and characterized a flexible electrostatic transducer (FET) for potential use as a wearable haptic actuator. This transducer both generates motion through the vibration of a curved electrode and measures the displacement of the same curved electrode to act as a displacement sensor. The transducer was analyzed through theory, simulation, and experiment to determine its displacement and sensing performance. It was found that a transducer with a footprint of 25 mm × 12.5 mm was able to generate displacements between 0.1 mm and 3.2 mm of displacement when operated at voltages between 25 V and 150 V. It was also capable of audible actuation at frequencies anywhere between 0.01 Hz and 10 kHz, including at target frequencies relevant to haptic communication. The transducer was able to sense changes to its shape through a change of capacitance, with a signal change of around 10% during maximum displacement. This sensing allows for both bidirectional communication and automatic displacement control through self-sensing. Simulation and theoretical results provide insight into the mechanism of actuation for the actuation and sensing systems, including predictions of displacement for a given voltage. User studies were also conducted, where it was found that the transducer generated perceivable and comfortable vibrations at both 26 Hz and 260 Hz, with 260 Hz being perceivable at lower amplitudes. The present work describes and characterizes a promising transducer for haptic communication.
Benefits of linking civil registration and vital statistics with identity management systems for measuring and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 indicators.

A complete civil registration and vital statistics system is the best source of data for measuring most of the Sustainable Development Goal 3 indicators. However, civil registration does not include migration data, which are necessary for calculating the actual number of people living in a given area and their characteristics such as age and sex. This information is needed to facilitate planning, for example, for school places, health care, infrastructure, etc. It is also needed as the denominator for the calculation of a range of health and socioeconomic indicators. Obtaining and using these data can be particularly beneficial for measuring and achieving universal health coverage (Target 3.8), because civil registration can help to identify persons in need of health care and enable decision-makers to plan for the delivery of essential services to all persons in the country, including the most disadvantaged populations. By assigning unique identification numbers to individuals, for example, at birth registration, then using these numbers to link the individuals’ data from civil registration, national identification, and other functional registers, including registers for migration and health care, more accurate and disaggregated population values can be obtained. This is also a key to improving the effectiveness of and access to social services such as education, health, social welfare, and financial services. When civil registration system in a country is linked with its national identification system, it benefits both the government and its citizens. For the government, having reliable and up-to-date vital events information on its citizens supports making informed program and policy decisions, ensuring the accurate use of funds and monitoring of development programs at all levels. For individuals, it makes it easier to prove one’s identity and the occurrence of vital events to claim public services such as survivor benefits or child grants.
Use of Viable Cryopreserved Umbilical Tissue for Soft Tissue Defects in Patients With Gas Gangrene: A Case Series.

Introduction Gas gangrene is a rapidly progressive bacterial infection leading to necrosis that usually develops as a result of trauma or postoperative complications. This condition requires early diagnosis with immediate surgical intervention. With a poor prognosis, a high incidence of amputation, and comorbidities such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, patients with gas gangrene are put at further risk for surgical complications. Objective This case series reports the clinical outcomes of using a commercially available viable cryopreserved umbilical tissue (vCUT) in the surgical management of 10 patients (9 males, 1 female) with acute lower extremity gas gangrene. Materials and methods All 10 patients had aggressive debridement and irrigation, followed by an intraoperative application of vCUT to cover the large, complex wounds with exposed bone, tendon, and soft tissue, which was fenestrated and sutured to the surrounding skin edges. Results The average wound size following debridement was 45.9 cm2 (range, 8 cm2-105 cm2). Average percent area reduction of the wounds at 4 weeks post-vCUT application was 68.4% (range, 49%-99.5%). The average length of hospital stay was 9 days (range, 2-16 days), and postdischarge patients were treated with negative pressure wound therapy and standard of care (nonadherent dressing, dry gauze, and mild compression) until wound closure was achieved (average, 3.3 months [range, 1.25-4.5 months]). With a 1-time application of vCUT, all patients reached complete wound closure with decreased time to closure, fewer complications, and a shorter duration of hospitalization as compared with traditional inpatient management of gas gangrene (incision and drainage with staged procedures). Conclusions The positive clinical outcomes indicate that vCUT may be an effective aid as an intraoperative application to cover wounds following aggressive debridement in the presence of gas gangrene.
EFFICACY OF REMOTE PULMONARY ARTERY HEMODYNAMIC MONITORING SYSTEM IN REDUCING HOSPITAL ENCOUNTERS IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are prone to heart failure (HF) exacerbations and have difficult to manage volume status. Remote pulmonary artery (PA) hemodynamic monitoring device has shown to decrease HF admissions. To study efficacy of remote PA hemodynamic monitoring with CardioMEMS
Muscle Sentry® has No Effect on Total Work Performed and Estimated MVO 2 after High Intensity Short Duration Resistance Training.

Supplements are widely used in recreational and professional participants; however, their claimed benefits are hardly to test. This study compared the total lifted numbers and post-exercise estimated MVO2 while subjects were treated with either Muscle Sentry® (MS) or placebo (PL), in a 7-day washout period. Participants (11 women, 10 men, 20-24 years) performed 3 sets to failure chest and leg press exercises at 8 RM with 2 min rest between sets. Each exercise was performed four times (2 × MS, 2 × PL) at the same time of the day separated by 48 h. The supplementation was ingested 40 min prior to perform the exercise. Prior to the exercise and immediately after each set, both HR and BP were obtained. The rate pressure product (RPP) was then calculated to determine estimated MVO2. Daily RPP and total weight lifted (chest + leg) for each supplementation were averaged. Normalized RPP was the ratio of averaged RPP and averaged total weight lifted. No treatment effect on chest, leg and total lift numbers, normalized post RPP (NPRPP), normalized RPPdiff (NRPPdiff) (p=0.94, 0.86, 0.87, 0.87, 0.43 respectively); No treatment effect on total lift numbers, NPRPP, NRPPdiff for gender (p=0.87, 0.95, 0.96 respectively). Ingestion of Muscle Sentry® 40 min prior to do 3 sets to failure of both chest and leg presses had no effect upon either total lift numbers or estimated MVO2. This suggests that, in some instances, the benefits of Muscle Sentry® are less than those claimed by the manufacturer.
The use of medical modeling in microvascular free tissue transfer reconstruction with osseointegrated implantation in complex midface defects.

Abstract Osseointegrated implants in conjunction with microvascular free tissue transfer reconstruction has been increasingly adopted in our head and neck cancer population. However, the majority of the literature on dental rehabilitation in free flaps have been for mandibular defects. Midface and maxillectomy defects are challenging defects for reconstruction. The utilization of medical modeling technology has allowed for improved efficiency and accuracy of microvascular free tissue transfer reconstruction of these midface defects and opened the possibility of immediate osseointegrated implant placement. Medical modeling in microvascular free tissue transfer reconstruction with immediate dental rehabilitation in complex midface defects will be discussed. A review of the literature as well as our experience in the surgical management of these patients is provided.
Are Exchange-Traded Notes Predictable? An Empirical Investigation of Commodity ETNs

Exchange-traded notes (ETNs) are exchange-traded products similar to exchange-traded funds that track performances of some market indices. ETNs are traded throughout the trading hours on organized exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange. In this article, the author studies a sample of ETNs issued by Barclays Bank PLC that tracks commodity futures indices. Using daily data spanning over the past 10 years up to 2018, the author investigates the relationship between premiums and returns for a sample of ETNs issued. Within a panel vector autoregression framework, the author tested several hypotheses to uncover the link between premiums and returns. The hypotheses focus on noise trading and return predictability and their impact on the informational efficiency in the ETN markets. TOPICS:Exchange-traded funds and applications, commodities, futures and forward contracts, performance measurement Key Findings ▪ There are noise traders in the ETN market. These uninformed traders surge market volume and liquidity but diminish the ability of the market to respond to new information. ▪ ETN premiums consistently and significantly predict future premiums. The results recommend that premiums might reflect some unique information about future ETN returns. ▪ The ETN market is not efficient, and tracking premiums might help investors to predict future ETN returns.
A Visual Interactive Narrative Intervention (VINI) for aphasia education: Can digital applications administer augmented input to educate stroke survivors with aphasia?

Abstract Objective Persons with aphasia (PWA) face additional barriers to proper healthcare due to inadequate patient education by health professionals unequipped to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The current study examines a digital application that evokes and sustains health information processing through AAC specifically aimed at increasing comprehension with augmented input (AI). Methods A digital application designed to educate PWA about their health condition was compared to a video-recorded doctor providing oral-only education. Sixteen PWA received both education interventions in a crossover manner. Health information processing was assessed through heart rate (HR) and skin conductance levels (SCL), which were collected continually during each administration of education interventions. Results PWA demonstrated greater cognitive processing of health information via HR and SCL indices during the digital application compared to the typical oral-only education intervention. The oral-only intervention led PWA to disengage with health information. Conclusion By combining visuographic materials and adapted language into a customizable narrative structure, digital applications can utilize AI to educate PWA about basic health information (i.e., diagnosis and prognosis). Practice Implications The current study’s AAC requires minimal training and can be used as an aided support in conjunction with other techniques that increase PWA’s access to health information.
Treatment of Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer

Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is the most common malignancy diagnosed in women of childbearing age and is increasing in frequency as the average age of pregnancy rises. Outcomes for PABC are similar to age- and stage-matched controls. In this review, we discuss current treatment recommendations for PABC. Treatment of PABC involves complex coordination by a multi-disciplinary team of providers including surgical, radiation, and medical specialists. The timing and administration of these therapies must be tailored to account for the pregnancy in order to keep both woman and fetus safe. Additional data is needed on the safety of newer breast cancer therapies during pregnancy. With close oversight, breast cancer therapy can be delivered effectively for the patient and safely for the developing fetus.
Prebiotic access to enantioenriched glyceraldehyde mediated by peptides.

A prebiotically plausible route to enantioenriched glyceraldehyde is reported via a kinetic resolution mediated by peptides. The reaction proceeds via a selective reaction between the L-peptide and the L-sugar producing an Amadori rearrangement byproduct and leaving D-glyceraldehyde in excess. Solubility considerations in the synthesis of proline–valine (pro–val) peptides allow nearly enantiopure pro–val to be formed starting from racemic pro and nearly racemic (10%) ee val. (ee = enantiomeric excess = (|D − L|)/(D + L)) Thus enantioenrichment of glyceraldehyde is achieved in a system with minimal initial chiral bias. This work demonstrates synergy between amino acids and sugars in the emergence of biological homochirality.
He Says it Didn’t Happen: Rob Porter, Donald Trump, and How We Treat Abuse Allegations

We want to believe the denials of men who are accused of doing bad things, particularly bad things against women. A glance at several high profile celebrity domestic violence cases illustrates the prevalence of this attitude. To accept denial as a final word on any claim is, first and foremost, a bad way to assess its truthfulness. But to accept a denial as proof of an alleged perpetrator’s innocence also perpetuates the dynamics of domestic abuse, and discourages people from taking responsibility for their actions. We can no longer allow denials to be the end of the story when it comes to domestic violence. We can start by taking the testimonies of survivors at least as seriously as the defenses of their alleged abusers.
Spontaneous and targeted mutations in the decapping enzyme enhance replication of modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) in monkey cells

Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) was derived by repeated passaging in chick fibroblasts, during which deletions and mutations rendered the virus unable to replicate in most mammalian cells. Marker rescue experiments demonstrated that the host range defect could be overcome by replacing DNA that had been deleted from near the left end of the genome. One virus isolate, however, recovered the ability to replicate in monkey BS-C-1 cells but not human cells without added DNA suggesting it arose from a spontaneous mutation. Here we showed that variants with enhanced ability to replicate in BS-C-1 cells could be isolated by blind passaging MVA and that in each there was a point mutation leading to an amino acid substitution in the D10 decapping enzyme. The sufficiency of these single mutations to enhance host range was confirmed by constructing recombinant viruses. The D10 mutations occurred at N- or C-terminal locations distal from the active site, suggesting an indirect effect on decapping or on another previously unknown role of D10. Although increased amounts of viral mRNA and proteins were found in BS-C-1 cells infected with the mutants compared to parental MVA, the increase was much less than the one to two logs higher virus yields. Nevertheless, a contributing role for diminished decapping in overcoming the host range defect was consistent with increased replication and viral protein synthesis in BS-C-1 cells infected with an MVA engineered to have active site mutations that abrogate decapping activity entirely. Optimal decapping may vary depending on the biological context. IMPORTANCE Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is an attenuated virus that is approved as a smallpox vaccine and is in clinical trials as a vector for other pathogens. The safety of MVA is due in large part to its inability to replicate in mammalian cells. Although, host-range restriction is considered a stable feature of the virus, we describe the occurrence of spontaneous mutations in MVA that increase replication considerably in monkey BS-C-1 cells but only slightly in human cells. The mutants contain single nucleotide changes that lead to amino acid substitutions in one of the two decapping enzymes. Although the spontaneous mutations are distant from the decapping enzyme active site, engineered active site-mutations also increased virus replication in BS-C-1 cells. The effects of these mutations on the immunogenicity of MVA vectors remain to be determined.
Interactive remote interviews during emergency remote teaching

The COVID-19 pandemic has made conducting in-person research a health risk for interviewers and participants. Near the start of the pandemic, many universities pivoted to emergency remote teaching where courses were delivered remotely in observance of safety guidelines. The safety guidelines also necessitated that research be done remotely. We designed a remote interview protocol for a computational physics based qualitative interview. Using Zoom's features, we created an interview that allowed participants many modes of interacting with the interviewer and the interview task materials. We present the interview methods and evaluate the utility of remote interviews. We then generalize the experiences from designing and conducting remote interviews for contexts outside of computational physics and describe how task design choices were influenced by technology. We find that conducting interactive remote interviews can be an effective method for physics education researchers even outside of the pandemic.
Denver Papillae Protocol for Objective Analysis of Fungiform Papillae.

The goal of the Denver Papillae Protocol is to use a dichotomous key to define and prioritize the characteristics of fungiform papillae (FP) to ensure consistent scoring between scorers. This protocol builds off of a need that has arisen from the last two decades of taste research using FP as a proxy for taste pore density. FP density has historically been analyzed using Miller & Reedy’s 1990 characterizations of their morphology: round, stained lighter, large, and elevated. In this work, the authors forewarned that stricter definitions of FP morphology needed to be outlined. Despite this call to action, follow up literature has been scarce, with most studies continuing to cite Miller & Reedy’s original work. Consequently, FP density reports have been highly variable and, combined with small sample sizes, may contribute to the discrepant conclusions on the role of FP in taste sensitivity. The Genetics of Taste Lab explored this apparent inconsistency in counting and found that scorers were individually prioritizing the importance of these characteristics differently and had no guidance for when a papilla had some, but not all, of the reported qualities of FP. The result of this subjectivity is highly variable FP counts of the same tongue image. The Denver Papillae Protocol has been developed to remedy this consequence through use of a dichotomous key that further defines and prioritizes the importance of the characteristics put forth by Miller & Reedy. The proposed method could help create a standard way to quantify FP for researchers in the field of taste and nutritional studies.
A Follow-Up Community Survey of Knowledge and Beliefs About Cancer and Genetics

The purpose of this study is to assess changes since the launch of the US Surgeon General’s campaign in the public’s beliefs about the role of genetics in the etiology of cancer, as well as changes in recording family health history. We conducted a survey of 480 Western New York adults, assessing: (1) experiences with cancer, (2) beliefs about cancer and genetics, and (3) practices of recording family health history. Most respondents were aware of the importance of family history. The sample also showed increased knowledge about cancer and genetics compared with a previous survey. However, only 7 % kept written records that included medical conditions, which was not different from a previous survey. Time constraints, apathy, and reluctance to find out negative health information were the most reported barriers. Results suggest a need for continued education of the public, with increased emphasis on written family health records.
Ia-Restricted interaction between normal lymphoid cells and SJL lymphoma (RCS) leading to lymphokine production: I. Enhancement and suppression of antibody formation to TI antigens by supernatants and cells from cocultures of RCS and lymphoid cells

Abstract Addition of γ-irradiated reticulum cell sarcoma (RCS) cells causes suppression of the antibody response of trinitrophenyl (TNP)-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)-primed syngeneic SJL spleen cells to TNP-polyacrylamide (PAA) in vitro. The response of anti-brain antigen (BAT) + C-treated spleen cells is not suppressed by γ-RCS, but is suppressed by cells from 48-hr SJL lymph node or thymus + γ-RCS cultures. Addition of as few as 2.5 × 105 cultured (anti-I-A + C treated to remove γ-RCS) cells causes significant inhibition of the responses of both syngeneic and allogeneic spleen cells. Treatment of γ-RCS-induced suppressor cells with anti-BAT + C reduces their suppressive activity. In contrast to the cells, supernatants (SN) from (lymph node (LN) + γ-RCS) cultures greatly enhance, in an antigen-dependent fashion, the responses of untreated or anti-BAT + C-treated Sephadex G 10-passed spleen cells to TNP-PAA, TNP-SIII polysaccharide, or TNP-Ficoll, but not as much to TNP-KLH. Addition of SN as late as Day 3 of culture still causes about half as much enhancement as leaving SN in throughout the culture period, but it has no effect if left with the spleen cells for only the first day of culture. SN contains high levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ; absorption with cells from an IL-2-dependent cytotoxic T-cell line removes the enhancing activity, while treatment with pH 2 to remove the IFN-γ has no effect. SN from an IL-2-producing T-cell line (LBRM-33) has a similar effect on antibody production to TI antigens as does SN of (LN + γ-RCS). The results suggest a marked dependency of PFC responses to TI antigens on IL-2 in all strains examined, including SJL, LAF1, DBA/2Ha, and CBA/N, probably through a direct activation of B cells. The findings also suggest that suppressor T cells, induced by γ-RCS in syngeneic lymphoid cells, absorb the IL-2 needed for responses to TI antigens in vitro.
Clostridium perfringens in apheresis platelets: an unusual contaminant underscores the importance of clinical vigilance for septic transfusion reactions (CME).

Background Posttransfusion sepsis is typically caused by aerobic bacteria in apheresis platelets (PLTs) that escape detection by routine quality control cultures performed on every donation before components are distributed. We report the first case to implicate an anaerobic isolate, Clostridium perfringens, in apheresis PLTs and investigate its detection in vitro by approved tests. Study Design and Methods The C. perfringens strain was inoculated at high (10-100 colony-forming units [CFUs]/mL) or low (1-10 CFUs/mL) concentrations into apheresis PLTs and evaluated for growth over 5 to 7 days by qualitative plate cultures, culture-based assays (BacT/ALERT 3D), and rapid (PLT PGD) tests. Results C. perfringens grew in only 3 of 8 apheresis PLT units after inoculation at either high (2 units) or low (1 unit) concentrations. The PGD test detected the isolate after 5 days in 1 unit with 4.7 × 105 CFUs/mL but failed at five other time points in units with greater than 105 CFUs/mL. Conclusion C. perfringens demonstrated variable growth in spiked PLTs and was not consistently detected by a rapid test even when high levels of contamination were present. The case underscores the importance of direct observation during transfusion, appropriate clinical management, and immediate reporting of suspected septic reactions to the blood center.
Closure of defunctioning loop ileostomy is associated with considerable morbidity

Aim An elective defunctioning ileostomy is commonly employed to attenuate the morbidity that may arise from distal anastomotic leakage. The magnitude of risk associated with subsequent ileostomy closure is difficult to estimate as many of the data arise from small series. This study looked at the rate of complications and predictive factors in a large series of patients. Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for patients who had an elective closure of ileostomy between 2005 and 2010. Patient demographics, preoperative risk factors and operative variables were recorded. The primary outcome was occurrence of major (mortality, sepsis, return to the operating room, renal failure, major cardiac, neurological or respiratory episode) or minor (wound infection, urinary tract infection) complications within 30 days. Univariate and multivariate regression was used to evaluate the effect of these clinical factors on the complication rate. Results In total, 5401 patients underwent closure of ileostomy, of whom 502 (9.3%) patients had major complications. The incidence of minor complications was 8.4% (452 patients). There were 32 (0.6%) deaths. American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, functional status, prolonged operative time, history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dialysis and disseminated cancer were independent predictors of major complications. There was no significant increase in complication rates in patients over the age of 80. Major complications were associated with a significant increase in postoperative stay (13.9 vs 4.7 days, P < 0.0001). Conclusion Closure of ileostomy is associated with a significant complication rate. It may use as many resources as the primary surgery and is not a minor follow-up operation.
Evidence for barrierless auger recombination in PbSe nanocrystals: a pressure-dependent study of transient optical absorption.

We report rates of Auger recombination (AR) in zero-dimensional (0D) PbSe nanocrystals as a function of energy gap (${E}_{g}$) by using applied hydrostatic pressure to controllably shift ${E}_{g}$ according to the bulk deformation potential. Our studies reveal that the rate of AR in nanocrystals is insensitive to energy gap, which is in contrast with bulk semiconductors where this rate shows exponential dependence on ${E}_{g}$. These measurements represent the first direct experimental evidence that AR in 0D nanomaterials is barrierless, in distinction from bulk semiconductors.
Electric space propulsion systems

Active development of electric thrustors began 10 years ago. Today, several kinds of thrustors have achieved efficiencies above 90 % and lifetimes of several thousand hours. The following article derives the basic theory of electric thrust production at constant exhaust velocity, and at variable exhaust velocity programmed for optimum vehicle performance. Electrothermal or arcjet; electrostatic or ion; and electrodynamic or plasma thrustors are described. At the present time, ion thrustors of the electron bombardment and of the surface ionization types are the most promising systems. Electric power in space may be generated by solar cells or nuclear-electric generators. It is expected that the incore thermionic converter will eventually be the preferred system. A variety of missions with electric propulsion systems appear feasible and highly desirable, among them orbital station keeping, attitude control, planetary probes, solar and out-of-the-ecliptic probes, deep-space probes, and manned Mars and Venus exploration. For each mission, a careful systems-design study must be made, which will provide the optimum selection of thrustor type, thrust level, exhaust velocity, thrust program, power source, trajectory, and flight plan.