cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dissecting the Roles of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 Subunits in the Control of Skin Development

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is an essential regulator of cell physiology. Although there have been numerous studies on PRC2 function in somatic tissue development and stem cell control, these have focused on the loss of a single PRC2 subunit. Recent studies, however, have shown that PRC2 subunits may function independently of the PRC2 complex. To investigate the function of PRC2 in the control of skin development, we generated and analyzed three conditional knockout mouse lines, in which the essential PRC2 subunits embryonic ectoderm development (EED), suppressor of zeste 12 homolog (Suz12), and enhancer of zeste homologs 1 and 2 (Ezh1/2) are conditionally ablated in the embryonic epidermal progenitors that give rise to the epidermis, hair follicles, and Merkel cells. Our studies showed that the observed loss-of-function phenotypes are shared between the three knockouts, indicating that in the skin epithelium, EED, Suz12, and Ezh1/2 function largely as subunits of the PRC2 complex. Interestingly, the absence of PRC2 results in dramatically different phenotypes across the different skin lineages: premature acquisition of a functional epidermal barrier, formation of ectopic Merkel cells, and defective postnatal development of hair follicles. The strikingly different roles of PRC2 in the formation of three lineages exemplify the complex outcomes that the lack of PRC2 can have in a somatic stem cell system.
Staining of malarial parasites by the fluorescent antibody technic.

SummaryTwo species of malarial parasites have been stained by the fluorescent antibody technic. P. cynomolgi bastianellii was stained with antibodies obtained from convalescent Rhesus monkeys experimentally infected with the parasite. The erythrocytic stage of P. gallinaceum was stained with antibodies produced in rabbits by injections of the sporozoite stage of the organism.The authors thank Doctors William F. Cantrell and Don E. Eyles for their help and suggestions.
The ubiquitin system in immune regulation.

Abstract The ubiquitin system plays a pivotal role in the regulation of immune responses. This system includes a large family of E3 ubiquitin ligases of over 700 proteins and about 100 deubiquitinating enzymes, with the majority of their biological functions remaining unknown. Over the last decade, through a combination of genetic, biochemical, and molecular approaches, tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of how the process of protein ubiquitination and its reversal deubiquitination controls the basic aspect of the immune system including lymphocyte development, differentiation, activation, and tolerance induction and regulates the pathophysiological abnormalities such as autoimmunity, allergy, and malignant formation. In this review, we selected some of the published literature to discuss the roles of protein–ubiquitin conjugation and deubiquitination in T-cell activation and anergy, regulatory T-cell and T-helper cell differentiation, regulation of NF-κB signaling, and hematopoiesis in both normal and dysregulated conditions. A comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the ubiquitin system and immunity will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of immune regulation and at the same time will advance new therapeutic intervention for human immunological diseases.
Historical Scholarship and Literary History

“Literary history” is a phrase used so confidently one might think it neither problematical nor controversial, but it is in fact so particularly likely to lead the unwary into confusion as to deserve a chapter to itself. Indeed the last half-century has produced a cautionary series of attempts to bring order to this complexly recalcitrant topic.1 The first difficulty is the same found pretty generally throughout literary commentary: the failure to take account of the different senses in which a key term is used. One finds many an essay seeking to contrast literary history with criticism, or dividing it into types, or giving warnings about its pursuit, but few of these offer an explicit definition of the thing itself. As most often used, the term mixes together several distinct kinds of activity while pronouncing generalizations about the whole that properly apply to only one of these activities. Jerzy Pelc does not exaggerate when he comments that “literary history” has been variously used to mean “‘pure’ literary history, literary theory, the sociology of literature, the psychology of literature, the semiotics of literature, the methodology of literary history, the methodology of literary theory, elements of aesthetics, elements of the history of culture, elements of the philosophy of culture, elements of ethics, elements of such disciplines as sociology, linguistics, psychology, political and economic history, etc.” (90). Moreover, it has often meant one or another mixture of these.
SU‐D‐207B‐04: Morphological Features of MRI as a Correlate of Capsular Contracture in Breast Cancer Patients with Implant‐Based Reconstructions

Purpose: Capsular contracture (CC) is a serious complication in patients receiving implant-based reconstruction for breast cancer. The goal of this study was to identify image-based correlates of CC using MRI imaging in breast cancer patients who received both MRI and clinical evaluation following reconstructive surgery. Methods: We analyzed a retrospective dataset of 50 patients who had both a diagnostic MR and a plastic surgeon's evaluations of CC score (Baker's score) within a six month period following mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. T2w sagittal MRIs (TR/TE = 3500/102 ms, slice thickness = 4 mm) were used for morphological shape features (roundness, eccentricity, solidity, extent and ratio-length) and histogram features (median, skewness and kurtosis) of the implant and the pectoralis muscle overlying the implant. Implant and pectoralis muscles were segmented in 3D using Computation Environment for Radiological Research (CERR) and shape and histogram features were calculated as a function of Baker's score. Results: Shape features such as roundness and eccentricity were statistically significant in differentiating grade 1 and grade 2 (p = 0.009; p = 0.06) as well as grade 1 and grade 3 CC (p = 0.001; p = 0.006). Solidity and extent were statistically significant in differentiating grade 1 and grade 3 CC (p = 0.04; p = 0.04). Ratio-length was statistically significant in differentiating all grades of CC except grade 2 and grade 3 that showed borderline significance (p = 0.06). The muscle thickness, median intensity and kurtosis were significant in differentiating between grade 1 and grade 3 (p = 0.02), grade 1 and grade 2 (p = 0.03) and grade 1 and grade 3 (p = 0.01) respectively. Conclusion: Morphological shape features described on MR images were associated with the severity of CC. MRI may be important in objectively evaluating outcomes in breast cancer patients who undergo implant reconstruction.
Across the Curriculum and the Text

In this chapter, I discuss what specific strategies teachers might consider to promote the practice of critical literacies from global and multicultural perspectives. My focus is on the issues of the curriculum and the text. A major point of this section is about teaching that imagines students via a broader view of human beings whose self-understanding of being citizens is beyond a national identity. I review what teachers might consider to help students engage in critical literacy practice and promote global and multicultural perspectives across the curriculum, the text, and social and political issues.
An examination of the role whistle-blowing education plays in the whistle-blowing process

Abstract Research suggests that whistle-blowing education plays an important role in the whistle-blowing process. Despite this, only one article was found in the literature that examined the relationship between whistle-blowing education and actual whistle-blowing, and it was conducted over three decades ago. Moreover, no study was found that studied whistle-blowing education and retaliation. Consequently, the relationship between whistle-blowing education and both whistle-blowing and retaliation in federal agencies are explored in this paper. The results suggest that whistle-blowing education boosts whistle-blowing in general and is negatively associated with retaliation. However, whistle-blowing education appears to enhance internal whistle-blowing and not external whistle-blowing. These findings have important implications which are discussed in the article.
Preschool executive control and sleep problems in early adolescence.

Objective: Although numerous studies have documented the effects of sleep loss on executive control (EC) and related abilities, research examining the impact of early EC on subsequent sleep problems is lacking. Therefore, the current study reports on a longitudinal investigation of EC in preschool as a predictor of sleep–wake problems and daytime sleepiness in early adolescence. Participants: The participants were 141 children (48.6% female) recruited from the community for a longitudinal study spanning preschool through early adolescence, with an oversampling for high sociodemographic risk (34.1% based on eligibility for public medical insurance, free or reduced lunch status, or family income-to-needs below the federal poverty line). Methods: Participants completed a battery of developmentally appropriate tasks assessing major aspects of EC (working memory, inhibitory control, flexible shifting) during a laboratory visit at age 4 years, 6 months. Participants also completed a follow-up session in early a...
The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors. By Dan Jones. (New York, NY: Viking, 2014. Pp. xxiii, 392. $36.00.)

In this sequel to his The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England [2013], the author has continued the story of late medieval English politics. Following an introductory chapter...
Comparison of Constant-Posture Force-Varying EMG-Force Dynamic Models About the Elbow

Numerous techniques have been used to minimize error in relating the surface electromyogram (EMG) to elbow joint torque. We compare the use of three techniques to further reduce error. First, most EMG-torque models only use estimates of EMG standard deviation as inputs. We studied the additional features of average waveform length, slope sign change rate and zero crossing rate. Second, multiple channels of EMG from the biceps, and separately from the triceps, have been combined to produce two low-variance model inputs. We contrasted this channel combination with using each EMG separately. Third, we previously modeled nonlinearity in the EMG-torque relationship via a polynomial. We contrasted our model versus that of the classic exponential power law of Vredenbregt and Rau (1973). Results from 65 subjects performing constant-posture, force-varying contraction gave a “baseline” comparison error (i.e., error with none of the new techniques) of 5.5 ± 2.3% maximum flexion voluntary contraction (%MVCF). Combining the techniques of multiple features with individual channels reduced error to 4.8 ± 2.2 %MVCF, while combining individual channels with the power-law model reduced error to 4.7 ± 2.0 %MVCF. The new techniques further reduced error from that of the baseline by $\approx 15$ %.
The publication gender gap in US academic surgery

Terms such as “glass ceiling” and “sticky floor” are still commonly used to describe women’s role in academic surgery. Despite continued efforts to address disparities between men and women in the field, gender inequalities persist. In this investigation we highlight gender differences in published surgical literature by both quantity and impact. Websites for departments of surgery of three academic centers were reviewed to assess the bibliometrics of publications by gender over a two-week period. A one-way ANOVA showed a significantly higher H-index for men than women (p > .05). Further, one-way ANOVA showed significantly more articles published by men than women (p = .019). These differences are most dramatic at the rank of associate professor where the H-index for men is three times that of the women. The rank of full professor showed men had double the number of articles published. These findings align with the previous research that shows a disparity between males and females as they climb the academic ladder. Conducting and publishing research is a vital part of advancement in academic medicine. This study suggests that publication productivity may be a factor that hinders women from advancing within surgery compared to men. Continuing to explore and identify reasons for this gender difference in academic surgery may highlight ways to address the imbalance.
Silicon and Carbon Nanocomposite Spheres with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Full Cell Lithium Ion Batteries

Herein, facile synthesis of monodisperse silicon and carbon nanocomposite spheres (MSNSs) is achieved via a simple and scalable surface-protected magnesiothermic reduction with subsequent chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Li-ion batteries (LIBs) were fabricated to test the utility of MSNSs as an anode material. LIB anodes based on MSNSs demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 3207 mAh g−1, superior rate performance, and excellent cycling stability. Furthermore, the performance of full cell LIBs was evaluated by using MSNS anode and a LiCoO2 cathode with practical electrode loadings. The MSNS/LiCoO2 full cell demonstrates high gravimetric energy density in the order of 850 Wh L−1 with excellent cycling stability. This work shows a proof of concept of the use of monodisperse Si and C nanocomposite spheres toward practical lithium-ion battery applications.
Symptom progression and relation to physical and cognitive activities based on ecologic momentary assessment of patients following concussion

Objective To use ecologic momentary assessment to measure and compare daily reports of physical/cognitive activity and symptoms among youth for 2 weeks after sustaining a concussion. Design Prospective cohort study, with patients reporting to random prompts on a handheld 3 times daily and wearing an accelerometer. Setting Specialty concussion program within a large regional paediatric healthcare network. Participants 34 patients, ages 11–17 years with the diagnosis of concussion seen in the concussion program. Independent variables Measurements of daily physical activity (step count) and cognitive activity (composite score of texts sent, screen time minutes, reading minutes, school attendance). Outcome measures Daily symptoms on the Post Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS). Main results Study subjects were enrolled a median of 6 days post-injury (range 5–13 days). Numerous profiles were observed, including being initially highly (PSCC≥20) or less symptomatic (PSCC ≤ 10), initially highly (steps>6000) or less physically active (steps Conclusions We found evidence that initial levels of physical and cognitive rest vary greatly in the days immediately following a first visit, and over subsequent weeks, but most patients were asymptomatic after 4 weeks from injury. This protocol can be used in larger studies designed to fully test whether and how physical and cognitive rest and their timing following injury affect recovery. Competing interests None.
Diffusion-plus-drift models for the mass leakage from centrifugal magnetospheres of magnetic hot-stars

In the subset of luminous, early-type stars with strong, large-scale magnetic fields and moderate to rapid rotation, material from the star's radiatively driven stellar wind outflow becomes trapped by closed magnetic loops, forming a centrifugally supported, co-rotating magnetosphere. We present here a semi-analytic analysis of how this quasi-steady accumulation of wind mass can be balanced by losses associated with a combination of an outward, centrifugally driven drift in the region beyond the Kepler co-rotation radius, and an inward/outward diffusion near this radius. We thereby derive scaling relations for the equilibrium spatial distribution of mass, and the associated emission measure for observational diagnostics like Balmer line emission. We discuss the potential application of these relations for interpreting surveys of the emission line diagnostics for OB stars with centrifugally supported magnetospheres. For a specific model of turbulent field-line-wandering rooted in surface motions associated with the iron opacity bump, we estimate values for the associated diffusion and drift coefficients.
The Interplay Between Marijuana-Specific Risk Factors and Marijuana Use Over the Course of Adolescence.

Permissive attitudes and norms about marijuana use and perceptions of low harm from use are considered risk factors for adolescent marijuana use. However, the relationship between risk and use may be reciprocal and vary across development and socializing domains. We examined the bidirectional relationships between marijuana-specific risk factors in individual, parent, peer, and community domains and adolescent marijuana use. Longitudinal data came from a sample of 2002 adolescents in 12 communities. Controlling for sociodemographic covariates and communities in which the individuals resided, autoregressive cross-lagged models examined predictive associations between the risk factors and marijuana use. After accounting for concurrent relationships between risk and use and stability in behavior over time, early adolescence and the transition to high school were particularly salient developmental time points. Specifically, higher risk in all four domains in grades 7 and 9 predicted greater use 1 year later. Moreover, youth’s perception of lax community enforcement of laws regarding adolescent use at all time points predicted increases in marijuana use at the subsequent assessment, and perceived low harm from use was a risk factor that prospectively predicted more marijuana use at most of the time points. Finally, greater frequency of marijuana use predicted higher levels of risk factors at the next time point in most socializing domains throughout adolescence. Prevention programs should take into account developmental transitions, especially in early adolescence and during the transition to high school. They also should focus on the reciprocal relationships between use and risk across multiple socializing domains.
Quantification of methane emissions from latrines, septic tanks, and stagnant, open sewers in the world

Open sewers and on-site wastewater treatment systems, including latrines and septic sewage tanks around the world may be a significant methane (CH4) source that has previously received little attention.
First-Order Tableaus

In Section 2.2 we gave prefixed tableau rules for several propositional modal logics. Now we extend these to deal with quantifiers. But we have considered two versions of quantifier semantics: varying domain and constant domain. Not surprisingly, these correspond to different versions of tableau rules for quantifiers. Also not surprisingly, the rules corresponding to constant domain semantics are somewhat simpler, so we will start with them.
An Introduction to Hybrid Semantics: The Role of Cognition in Semantic Resources

This paper focuses on the problem of opening semantic technologies to a comprehensive cognitive modeling of information: assuming an unilateral focus on symbolic ‘representations’, in fact, spoils human knowledge processes of their peculiar ‘embodied’ features. We claim, conversely, that the mutual interlinks between static and dynamic cognitive structures should be adopted in semantic technologies to improve existing knowledge resources. In particular, in the process of ontology creation, a preliminary analysis of knowledge formation and cognitive structuring of conceptualization becomes a necessary module of semantic technologies.
Personal Adornment and Interlaced Identities at the Sherburne Site, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Items of personal adornment are an important class of material culture with great potential for understanding constructions of identity in the historical period. Archaeologically recoverable remains of dress—clothing and clothing fasteners, jewelry, hair accessories, and miscellaneous accessories—are included in this category of material culture. Performative aspects of identity construction, the presentation of a person as an individual and as a member of a socially defined group, and the centrality of the body in perception and self-perception are a means for examining the construction of identity along gender, class, age, and ethnicity lines. Personal adornment artifacts are the physical remains of the ways people inscribed the body as reflective of their alignment with individual and group identities and the performances of identity that were enacted through mundane daily acts and gestures in the past. Artifacts recovered at the Sherburne site in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, manifest these identities.
White matter changes in primary central nervous system lymphoma patients treated with high-dose methotrexate with or without rituximab.

e14038Background: White matter changes (WMC) can develop following systemic chemotherapy and may be associated with neurocognitive decline. High-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is the most commonly used...
Dietary Iron Deficiency Impaired Peripheral Immunity but Did Not Alter Brain Microglia in PRRSV-Infected Neonatal Piglets

During the postnatal period the developing brain is vulnerable to insults including nutrient insufficiency and infection that may lead to disrupted development and cognitive dysfunction. Since iron deficiency (ID) often presents with immunodeficiency, the objective of this study was to investigate peripheral viremia and inflammation as well as brain microglial phenotype and function when ID and respiratory infection occur simultaneously in a neonatal piglet model. On postnatal day 2 (PD 2) male and female piglets were assigned to one of four treatments and fed either control or ID milk replacer. On PD 8 half the pigs on each diet were inoculated with either vehicle or porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV; P-129). Blood samples were collected prior to inoculation (PD 7) and repeated once weekly. Rectal temperature, feeding score, and sickness behavior were measured daily until PD 28. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, and serum iron were reduced by ID but not PRRSV infection. PRRSV-infected piglets displayed viremia by PD 14; however, those fed control diet had lower viral titer on PD 28, while circulating virus remained elevated in those fed an ID diet, suggesting that ID either impaired immune function necessary for viral clearance or increased viral replication. ID piglets infected with PRRSV displayed reduced sickness behavior compared to those fed control diet on PD 13-15 and 18-20. While ID piglet sickness behavior progressively worsened, piglets fed control diet displayed improved sickness score after PD 21. Microglia isolated from PRRSV piglets had increased MHCII expression and phagocytic activity ex vivo compared to uninfected piglets. ID did not alter microglial activation or phagocytic activity. Similarly, microglial cytokine expression was increased by PRRSV but unaffected by ID, in stark contrast to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cytokine expression, which was increased by infection and generally decreased by ID. Taken together, these data suggest that ID decreases peripheral immune function leading to increased viremia, but immune activity in the brain is protected from acute ID.
Synergistic effect of sequential wash treatment with two different low-dosage antimicrobial washes in combination with frozen storage increases Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes reduction on wild blueberries

Abstract To increase the safety of fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, this study developed an efficient and practical treatment strategy that implements multiple antimicrobial wash “hurdles” using industrial realistic treatment times in combination with freezing (at −17 °C for 1 week) against Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium on blueberries. To note synergistic effects of the sequential antimicrobial washes, a portable conveyer belt equipped with a spraying system was used to spray multiple treatment solutions at low concentrations on blueberries. Bacterial enumeration was then subsequently conducted before and after freezing. The sequential spraying treatments with chlorine (100 ppm)-lactic acid (2%), and chlorine (200 ppm)-chlorine dioxide (15 ppm) resulted in reductions below the recoverable limit and ranged from 6.6 to 7.2 log reductions. Furthermore, every combination of treatment (chlorine (200 ppm)-chlorine dioxide (15 min), chlorine (100 ppm)- lactic acid (2%), chlorine (100 ppm)- ozone (5 ppm), chlorine dioxide (10 ppm) – lactic acid (2%), chlorine dioxide (10 ppm)- ozone (5 ppm), and lactic acid (2%)- ozone (5 ppm) followed by freezing for 1 week resulted in >4 log CFU/g reduction of both pathogens. Therefore, the food safety margin of frozen fruits and vegetables can be increased by incorporating this sanitation strategy into the existing processing protocols.
BOREAS AES Five-Day Averaged Surface Meteorological and Upper Air Data

The Canadian Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) provided BOREAS with hourly and daily surface meteorological data from 23 of the AES meteorological stations located across Canada and upper air data from 1 station at The Pas, Manitoba. Due to copyright restrictions on the full resolution surface meteorological data, this data set contains 5-day average values for the surface parameters. The upper air data are provided in their full resolution form. The 5-day averaging was performed in order to create a data set that could be publicly distributed at no cost. Temporally, the surface meteorological data cover the period of January 1975 to December 1996 and the upper air data cover the period of January 1961 to November 1996. The data are provided in tabular ASCII files, and are classified as AFM-staff data. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).
The impact of unprofitable customer management strategies on shareholder value

A significant proportion of many firms’ customers are unprofitable. The question of how unprofitable customers should be managed has recently received increasing research attention from the customer and manager angles, but the effects of unprofitable customer management (UCM) strategies on shareholder value is unknown. Using an event study methodology, we examine stock market reactions to disclosures of firms’ UCM strategy decisions. Results from a sample of UCM strategy disclosure events reveal an average short-term abnormal stock return of −0.53%. Drawing on signaling theory logic, we explore a number of signal (UCM strategy), signaler (firm engaging in UCM), and signaling environment characteristics that may affect the shareholder value effects of firms’ UCM approaches. Our analyses show that investors respond more favorably to indirect UCM strategies than to direct customer divestment strategies. We also find that particular types of indirect UCM strategy approaches and strategic intent in UCM strategy adoption, stronger firm marketing capabilities and, and positive publicity can help mitigate the generally negative abnormal stock returns observed. Overall, our findings have important implications for marketing theory and provide actionable new insights for managers into how to approach the management of unprofitable customers.
On the Coherency of Ocean and Land Surface Specular Scattering for GNSS-R and Signals of Opportunity Systems

An analysis of the coherency properties of specular scattering from ocean and land surfaces as observed in global navigation satellite system-reflectometry (GNSS-R) and signals of opportunity systems is presented. This analysis applies existing approximate models for the coherent and incoherent contributions. Approximate expressions are developed for when one component of the return is likely to dominate as a function of surface and observing system properties. The model developed is then applied for sea surface returns, and the relative contribution of the coherent term is expressed as a function of the receiver height, frequency, incidence angle, and wind speed. For L-band spaceborne measurements, it is shown that coherence is expected only for wind speeds less than 2–3 m/s, while for P-band spaceborne measurements, coherence can dominate returns for wind speeds up to 5–7 m/s. For land surface measurements from space, it is shown that the surface rms height needs to be sufficiently low for coherent components to dominate returns. Coherence dominates for roughness values not exceeding a range of 5–7 cm for the L-band and 15–30 cm for the P-band. For the L-band, these conditions over land are likely to be created primarily by inland water bodies. A model for the specular scattering from a water body, including earth curvature effects, is then developed to highlight the strong dependence of the resulting coherent field on the shape of the water body and any offset in its location from the specular point. These results further clarify the significant variability that should be expected in coherent scattering from inland water bodies.
Credibility Excess and Social Support Criterion

Berry, Daniels, and Ladin (2019) undermine putative empirical support for and raise substantial moral objections against the claim that social support is a tenable criterion for evaluating whether ...
Map-Based Localization Under Adversarial Attacks

Due to increasing proliferation of autonomous vehicles, securing robot navigation against malicious attacks becomes a matter of urgent societal interest, because attackers can fool these vehicles by manipulating their sensors, exposing us to unprecedented vulnerabilities and ever-increasing possibilities for malicious attacks. To address this issue, we analyze in-depth the Maximum Correntropy Criterion Extended Kalman Filter (MCC-EKF) and propose a weighted MCC-EKF (WMCC-EKF) algorithm by systematically, rather than in an ad-hoc way, inflating the noise covariance of the compromised measurements based on each measurement’s quality. As a conservative alternative, we also design a secure estimator by first detecting attacks based on \(\ell _0 (\ell _1)\)-optimization assuming that only a small number of measurements can be attacked, and then employ a sliding-window Kalman filter to update the state estimates and covariance using only the uncompromised measurements—the resulting algorithm is termed Secure Estimation-EKF (SE-EKF). Both Monte-Carlo simulations and experiments are performed to validate the proposed secure estimators for map-based localization.
Cervical Polyp Removal

Cervical polyps are a common finding on routine vaginal exams. This chapter explores the management of both symptomatic and asymptomatic cervical polyps in the office setting.
Reconceptualizing the U.S. Military’s Transition Assistance Program: The Success in Transition Model

This article describes and proposes the Success in Transition Model as a guiding framework for a reconceptualized Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to support U.S. military members as they leave the service. Key groups of veterans have ongoing difficulties adjusting to civilian settings after their time in the service. Even with recent changes, the current TAP has a narrow focus of primarily aiding members to prepare for finding post-military employment, education, and benefits. Little attention is given to other key areas of their functioning such as adjusting to their new work/educational/cultural settings, meeting family transition needs, financial management issues, procuring housing, dealing with trauma responses, or assuring that veterans truly obtain the benefits and support they need. This new model addresses key flaws with the current TAP and is grounded in human and military transition theories and research into optimal ways to foster improved outcomes for transitioning military members.
Crosslinked metallo-polyelectrolytes with enhanced flexibility and dimensional stability for anion-exchange membranes

High-performing anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) have attracted tremendous interest for applications in emerging energy storage and conversion devices. Here we present a strategy for the synthesis of crosslinked metallo-polyelectrolytes as mechanically flexible, dimensionally stable and ionically conductive AEMs. The water uptake and swelling ratio are suppressed remarkably by introducing a crosslinked polymeric network. The as-prepared membranes also exhibit excellent thermal stability. The phase-separated morphology allows rapid ion-transport with low water uptake at various temperatures. Specifically, a conductivity of 53.3 mS cm−1 at 80 °C was achieved with an ion exchange capacity of 1.07 mmol g−1 and a low swelling ratio of 13%.
Shingle-leaf climbers

Abstract The curious habit of shingle-leaf climbers – root-climbing plants whose leaves are closely adpressed to the phorophyte and often overlap like shingles – has attracted the attention of both botanists and horticulturists for more than a century. The habit has arisen in ten families, 22 genera, and at least 158 species and is especially common in several genera of Araceae and Marcgravia (Marcgraviaceae). Herein, the species are tabulated, and various hypotheses for the evolution of the habit are reviewed. Two hypotheses that emerge as having explanatory power for understory shingle-leaf climbers are 1) Trapping & Recycling CO2 and 2) Stemflow Nutrient Capture, but other hypotheses may also have support in some cases. Three hypotheses (Balancing Carbon Allocation, Avoiding Damage from Falling Objects, and Avoiding Herbivory) have some support for some species. One hypothesis (Protecting against Desiccation of Roots and Leaves) has some support for shingle-leaf climbers in exposed, sunny habitats (viz., Hoya, Dischidia, Cattleya cernua and other orchids). Different selective pressures may have led to convergence on the shingle-leaf habit in different habitats. Moreover, these hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Few hypotheses have been explicitly tested, and so the adaptive significance of the shingle-leaf climber habit remains uncertain.
Validation of Formula Student Race Car Simulation Environment and Parameter Sensitivity to Race Results

Formula Student is a competition series for university teams who build their own formula style race cars according to Formula SAE rules. Teams who participate in this event have to design and build a car, and they also have to create the financial background to build the car and get to the competition. Thus, Formula Student is a project management competition too.
Ainda fora da sala de aula: mulheres negras no ensino superior

Affirmative policies such as Law 12,711/2012 - known as quota law - and the black women’s presence in the labor market may suggest that race and gender discrimination are minimized. However, social and educational inequalities continue to show significant effects on black women. In this way, the present exploratory and qualitative approach were developed from the case study perspective addressing a black university teacher's professional career. The interviewee reveals that investing in education was a strategy used to overcome the barriers experienced, and university teaching became a professional objective after entering the graduate program. The teacher mentioned the racial discrimination episodes in the university environment and the constant need to demonstrate her competence in the professional spaces she occupies. In the academic context, black teachers’ presence is still seen with strangeness by society but valued by colleagues and afro-descendant students, establishing itself as a reference for other black professionals and students. She evaluates that her work at the university can enhance students’ reflection about the black population's presence and empowerment in different social contexts.
Assessment of Suicidal Intent in Self-directed Violence and Subsequent Care Received Among Military Veterans: A National Study of Gender Differences.

Background The Veterans Health Administration's system for documenting self-directed violence (SDV) requires that clinicians make a determination of the suicidal intent of the behavior (ie, "undetermined" intent vs. "suicide attempt") which contributes to the enhanced care offered. Past studies suggest clinicians' judgment of suicide risk is impacted by patient demographics regardless of clinical presentation. As women are less likely to die by suicide than men, women's SDV may be taken less seriously; they may be more likely to have their SDV classified as "undetermined" than men, which may impact the care received. Objectives This study examines whether women veterans' SDV is disproportionately classified as "undetermined" suicidal intent versus "suicide attempt" as compared with men veterans, and how one's classification and gender modifies the care received. Research design This was an observational, retrospective study of data from Veterans Health Administration administrative databases. We included all veterans with documented nonfatal "undetermined" SDV events and "suicide attempts" between 2013 and 2018 (N=55,878). Objectives were evaluated using mixed-effects logistic regression models. Results Women veterans were disproportionately more likely than men veterans to have SDV classified as "undetermined" (odds ratio=1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.27). Veterans who received an "undetermined" classification were significantly less likely to receive enhanced care. However, this relationship was not moderated by gender. Conclusions Gender may impact clinicians' determinations of intent of SDV, but more research is needed on the extent of classification biases and to understand causes. Further, classification of intent is critical, as there is a strong relationship between classification and enhanced care.
Financing Health Care Investments in Developing Countries: The Story of Debt and Equity

There is a significant problem of underinvestment in health care in developing countries. The main development instrument for promoting investment has been public debt which rarely reaches the majority private health care providers in developing countries. New instruments such as Advanced Market Commitments, the International Financing Facility for Immunizations and the Private Finance Initiative have been designed to engage the private sector in health care investment. But unlike recurrent financing which is well-researched, little is understood about the role of capital financing in health care - where there is a unique mix of public and private debt and equity instruments. The objectives are to contribute to filling this knowledge gap by examining the supply and demand of capital for financing health care investments in developing country contexts. Case studies in emerging markets will be presented that highlight the current challenges to capital financing and what the optimal capital structure mix is for firms under these conditions.
Chapter 8 The Connection of Padé Approximants with Stationary Variational Principles and the Convergence of Certain Padé Approximants

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the connection between Pade approximants and approximations derived from stationary variational principles by considering a particular case, the S-wave scattering of a single particle in nonrelativistic potential theory. It also presents several implications about the convergence of Pade approximant. The chapter shows that a sequence of approximants running parallel to the diagonal of the Pade table may be obtained by restricting the trial function in a variational principle to a particular sequence of finite-demensional subspaces, each one contained in the next. The chapter concludes by proving a new result about the convergence of Pade approximants to a certain class of entire functions. Pade approximants to a certain class of entire functions converge in measure within any given bounded domain of a complex plane.
Electronic house calls: high-tech medicine at your doorstep

The traditional healthcare system is characterized by hospital or clinic-based face-to-face contacts between the patient and care provides, which frequently occur at times and locations that are inconvenient or difficult for the patient. The healthcare delivery in the future needs to be provided in a distributed, patient-centered manner. The distributed diagnosis and home healthcare (D2H2) will benefit patients, particularly those with chronic disease, e.g., diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure, by improving the quality, convenience and efficiency of care, reducing the healthcare cost, and preventing medical errors, thus leading to increasing access to affordable and effective healthcare. There are many important components to make the D2H2 vision a reality: (1) physiological measurement and point-of-care diagnostic devices that can be used at the place where the patient is, e.g., home and nursing home, (2) a home-based controller, (3) communications and networking, (4) databases, Web servers and services, (5) biomedical informatics, (6) intelligent agents, and (7) system integration, reliability and security. We believe that the paradigm change from central, hospital-based to distributed, patient-centered, home-based healthcare delivery is inevitable. There are many opportunities for engineers and scientists to innovate and contribute to this 21st century healthcare system.
Restart Scheduling for Genetic Algorithms

In order to escape from local optima, it is standard practice to periodically restart heuristic optimization algorithms such as genetic algorithm according to some restart criteria/policy. This paper addresses the issue of finding a good restart strategy in the context of resource-bounded optimization scenarios, in which the goal is to generate the best possible solution given a fixed amount of time. We propose the use of a restart scheduling strategy which generates a static restart strategy with optimal expected utility, based on a database of past performance of the algorithm on a class of problem instances. We show that the performance of static restart schedules generated by the approach can be competitive to that of a commonly used dynamic restart strategy based on detection of lack of progress.
Wealthier But Not Much Healthier: Effects of a Health Insurance Program for the Poor in Mexico

In 2002 the Mexican government began a very large expansion of government-funded healthcare for the poor - specifically, people not employed in the formal sector. The program, Seguro Popular (SP), was rolled out sequentially across different areas in Mexico. This paper uses the variation in program intensity over time and space induced by the roll-out, comparing people in the informal sector (eligible for SP) to those in the formal sector (ineligible for SP), to measure the program's impacts. I find that the program substantially reduced out-of-pocket health expenditures of beneficiaries and caused them to shift from private to public providers. However, the program had a negligible effect on the health of beneficiaries, perhaps because the quality of care was low. The program also had no effect on labor force participation or earnings. One worry among policymakers is that Seguro Popular might induce workers to shift into the informal sector. I find no evidence of this effect. The low quality of care provided under SP, while reducing the welfare gains to beneficiaries, may have prevented the unintended consequence of encouraging movement into the informal sector.
Cryptanalysis of HFEv and internal perturbation of HFE

Hidden field equation (HFE) multivariable cryptosystems were first suggested by Patarin. Kipnis and Shamir showed that to make the cryptosystem secure, a special parameter D of any HFE cryptosystem can not be too small. Consequently Kipnis, Patarin and Goubin proposed an enhanced variant of the HFE cryptosystem by combining the idea of Oil and Vinegar construction with the HFE construction. Essentially they “perturb” the HFE system with some external variables. In this paper, we will first present a new cryptanalysis method for the HFEv schemes. We then use the idea of internal perturbation to build a new cryptosystem, an internally perturbed HFE cryptosystem (IPHFE).
Nanoelectronic devices: A unified view

Nanoscale electronic devices are of great interest for all kinds of applications like switching, energy conversion and sensing. The objective of this chapter, however, is not to discuss specific devices or applications. Rather it is to convey the conceptual framework that has emerged over the last twenty years, which is important not only because of the practical insights it provides into the design of nanoscale devices, but also because of the conceptual insights it affords regarding the meaning of resistance and the essence of all non-equilibrium phenomena in general. We present a unified description applicable to a wide variety of devices from molecular conductors to carbon nanotubes to silicon transistors covering different transport regimes from the ballistic to the diffusive limit, based on what we call the NEGF-Landauer approach.
Phantom sciatica. A case report.

Phantom limb pain, a well known phenomenon, was described originally by Ambroise Pare in the seventeenth century. Recent investigators have described the sensation in patients who have had amputation of a limb2,5,7,8. We are aware of at least one report of a patient with a transfemoral amputation who had a herniated disc between the fifth lumbar and first sacral vertebrae that caused pain in the stump6. Although pain in a stump most often results from the formation of a neuroma6, the patient in that report became symptom-free after a laminectomy and excision of the herniated disc. In an earlier report, two patients who had had an amputation of a limb were found to have a herniated lumbar disc that caused the perception of radicular pain distal to the level of the amputation4. After excision of the lumbar disc, the radicular pain was relieved in both patients. We report on a patient who had phantom pain in the distribution of the sciatic nerve three years after a segment of that nerve had been removed in the course of an excision of an intermediate-grade liposarcoma of the posterior aspect of the right thigh. Removal of the intervertebral disc between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae relieved the pain. A sixty-two-year-old woman was found to have an intermediate-grade liposarcoma in the posterior aspect of the right thigh in 1984. She was managed with one course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which included intra-arterial …
EFFICACY OF IN-FEED FORMULATION IVERMECTIN AGAINST PSOROPTES SP. IN BIGHORN SHEEP

Four Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) were experimentally inoculated with Psoroptes sp. of bighorn sheep origin by placing approximately 50 mites into each ear. Two sheep developed reproducing mite colonies and lesions consisting of alopecia, and exudative dermatitis with scabs on ears, face and neck. Three months after inoculation, all four sheep were treated with an in-feed formulation of ivermectin at a dosage of 1 mg/kg of body weight in a pelleted ration daily for seven consecutive days. Mites could not be detected on any of the sheep 1, 2, or 3 mo after treatment, and lesions on the affected sheep resolved within 6 to 8 wk after treatment. Thus, under these conditions, ivermectin was completely effective in eliminating the mites; it also was palatable and nontoxic. Use of ivermectin in pelleted feed for field treatment of psoroptic mange is encouraged.