cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-core programming in Java: conference tutorial

Multi-core computers are now ubiquitous. In order to make use of the full power of these systems, it is now imperative that we teach parallel programming techniques to all students. Despite the fact that the high-performance computing community has been programming parallel applications for many years, most programmers have only a cursory understanding of the issues involved in developing multi-core applications. As machines with 32 or more cores become commonplace, students must gain a working knowledge of how to develop parallel programs. It seems evident that students must be exposed to concurrency throughout the curriculum, beginning with the introductory CS sequence. Parallel processing can no longer be relegated to an upper-level elective, but it must be integrated in the entire curriculum. Most parallel programming courses are taught using MPI or OpenMP in C or Fortran. Since many students are learning Java as their principal language, it is desirable to introduce students to parallelism using that language. Java threads have the advantage of being a part of the language, making it useful for parallel programming on multi-core machines. Nonetheless, even though threads may be seen as a small syntactic extension to sequential processing, as a computational model, they are non-deterministic, and the programmer's task when using them is to "prune" that non-determinism. For C and Fortran, OpenMP allows for a higher level of abstraction, allowing a programmer to partition a program into serial regions and parallel regions (rather than a set of concurrently executing threads.) It also provides intuitive synchronization constructs. These help eliminate many of the pitfalls of non-determinism. For Java, similar mechanisms such as PJ, JOMP, and JaMP have been proposed. This tutorial will survey the parallel programming landscape, summarize how the OpenMP approach to multi-threading can be applied to Java, and illustrate how it can be used to introduce parallelism into the curriculum for novice and intermediate programming students.
Foaming Cyclo-Olefin Copolymers with Carbon Dioxide:

Cyclo-olefin copolymers (COC) based on ethylene-norbornene (E-NB) structures have been investigated with respect to their foamability. COC present interesting characteristics, such as extremely low water absorption, excellent water vapor barrier properties, high strength and very good electrical insulating properties. Varying the ratio of E versus NB monomers enables to tune the glass transition temperature (T g ) over a wide range. Due to the rigid ring structure of NB, the resin remains amorphous. This study presents basic information related to the foam processing of different grades of COC resins with T g varying between 80 and 130 °C, adding a special emphasis on process-relevant material characteristics: rheology, solubility and plasticization. CO 2 -laden COC sheets, where the gas sorption was obtained using high pressure autoclave, were foamed using a biaxial stretcher. The impact of selected processing parameters (temperature, time of pre-heating, speed of deformation, magnitude of stretching) on the microcellular foam morphology and density will be reported throughout this paper.
Estimating structured signals in sparse noise: A precise noise sensitivity analysis

We consider the problem of estimating a structured signal xo from linear, underdetermined and noisy measurements y = Ax 0 + z, in the presence of sparse noise z. A natural approach to recovering x 0 , that takes advantage of both the structure of xo and the sparsity of z is solving: x = arg min x ||y − Ax|| 1 subject to f(x) ≤ f(x 0 ) (constrained LAD estimator). Here, f is a convex function aiming to promote the structure of x 0 , say l 1 -norm to promote sparsity or nuclear norm to promote low-rankness. We assume that the entries of A and the non-zero entries of z are i.i.d normal with variances 1 and σ2, respectively. Our analysis precisely characterizes the asymptotic noise sensitivity ||x − x 0 ||2 2 /σ2 in the limit σ2 → 0. We show analytically that the LAD method outperforms the more popular LASSO method when the noise is sparse. At the same time its performance is no more than π/2 times worse in the presence of non-sparse noise. Our simulation results verify the validity of our theoretical predictions.
Hydrolysis of 8-(pinacolboranyl)quinoline: where is the 8-quinolylboronic acid?

The compound 8-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-quinoline was prepared and found to hydrolyze rapidly in air; however, the expected product (quinolin-8-yl)boronic acid was not observed. Instead, the (quinolinium-8-yl)trihydroxyborate zwitterion or an anhydride were observed depending on the conditions of hydrolysis. The two products are related to one another in the degree of hydration, and the two forms could be interconverted. Both hydrolysis products were structurally characterized. Additionally, a commercial sample of ‘8-quinolylboronic acid’ was actually found to be the anhydride. The results call into question whether monomeric (quinolin-8-yl)boronic acid can actually be isolated in the neutral Lewis base-free form.
A current review of doctor–patient computer-mediated communication

ABSTRACTBackground: Scholarship related to doctor–patient computer-mediated communication (CMC) has been relatively sparse, which is unsurprising given the evidence that seldom makes use of this mode of communication. Although scholars have made use of a number of methods to study CMC within this relational context, few have examined the ways in which CMC serves to fulfill relational functions; task-oriented communication seems to comprise the majority of such mediated discourse. However, CMC exchanges between doctors and patients often include relationship-oriented communication, though it is not frequently studied.Method: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Communication & Mass Media Complete to identify relevant articles. The search was supplemented by backward and forward reference checking as well as existing reviews.Results: The findings revealed a number of barriers that prevent the widespread use of CMC in doctor–patient communication, such as legal concerns, concerns ove...
Using Plant Biotechnology to Reduce Allergens in Food: Status and Future Potential

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the status and future potential of plant biotechnology in reducing allergens in food. Food allergic reactions affect 6-8% of children and 1-2% of the adult population. Many allergic reactions are to plant origin, including peanuts, soy, wheat, and tree nuts. Allergic reactions are typically elicited by a defined subset of proteins that are found in abundance in food. The increased prevalence of allergic reactions coupled with severe clinical symptoms has led many scientists to explore methods of reducing allergenicity of some crops. This chapter explores the potential of reducing the allergenicity of plants used as food crops by both traditionally breeding practices and genetic engineering methods. The chapter reviews how biotechnology began and progressed, the uses of biotechnology and points out its uses in decreasing levels of known allergens or their allergenicity. The characteristics of food allergens are first explored. Traditional plant breeding methods for reducing allergenicity are discussed. Use of genetic engineering to reduce allergenic potential is also described focusing on post-transcriptional gene silencing, reduction of disulfide bonds by thioredoxin, and modification of genes encoding allergens.
Reducing Inappropriate Lumbar Spine MRI for Low Back Pain: Radiology Support, Communication and Alignment Network

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of educational sessions on reducing lumbar spine MRI inappropriateness for uncomplicated low back pain and to present our institutional experience on the use of ACR's Radiology Support, Communication and Alignment Network (R-SCAN) program toward achieving appropriateness. Methods The R-SCAN web portal was accessed to register a project. Using order entry data, the number of lumbar spine MRI orders placed per month at three family medicine clinics was assessed over a 10-month period. After educational presentations were given at those three clinics highlighting the American College of Physicians and Choosing Wisely campaign imaging guidelines, the number of MRI orders placed was reassessed over an additional 10 months. For a subset of these exams, the ACR Appropriateness Criteria rating of the lumbar spine MRIs were compared between the pre- and posteducation periods. A P value Results The average number of monthly MRIs ordered from all three clinics combined was 6.3 during the posteducation period, which was significantly less than during the pre-education period of 10.0 ( P = .009). The combined average ACR Appropriateness Criteria rating made at all three clinics was 5.8 after educational sessions, which was significantly higher than the rating of 4.7 before educational sessions ( P = .014). Conclusion Clinician education, facilitated by R-SCAN, resulted in a reduced number of MRI lumbar spine studies performed for uncomplicated low back pain and improved appropriateness of those studies as measured by the ACR Appropriateness Criteria rating.
Negotiation and Lovesongs: Brokerage of Paradoxes in Creative Projects

Creative work is often advanced through projects that harness a constellation of specialized experts, resource gatekeepers, and users from across organizational and occupational boundaries. Brokers...
Improving Information Quality and Availability Through Interactions Between Government and Academic, and Industry Survey Research Sectors

My chapter is much more general than many of the others in this volume. I want to begin by discussing about what I believe is unique to surveys within the social science context, and focusing about where we are right now and then what the implication for whatever we – maybe we won’t even call them surveys but what survey like inquiries should be in my own opinions. My hope is that some of this will be provocative.
Pneumatic low-coherence interferometry otoscope to quantify tympanic membrane mobility and middle ear pressure

Pneumatic otoscopy to assess the mobility of the tympanic membrane (TM) is a highly recommended diagnostic method of otitis media (OM), a widespread middle ear infection characterized by the fluid accumulation in the middle ear. Nonetheless, limited depth perception and subjective interpretation of small TM displacements have challenged the appropriate and efficient examination of TM dynamics experienced during OM. In this paper, a pneumatic otoscope integrated with low coherence interferometry (LCI) was adapted with a controlled pressure-generating system to record the pneumatic response of the TM and to estimate middle ear pressure (MEP). Forty-two ears diagnosed as normal (n = 25), with OM (n = 10), or associated with an upper respiratory infection (URI) (n = 7) were imaged with a pneumatic LCI otoscope with an axial, transverse, and temporal resolution of 6 µm, 20 µm, and 1 msec, respectively. The TM displacement under pneumatic pressure transients (a duration of 0.5 sec with an intensity of ± 150 daPa) was measured to compute two metrics (compliance and amplitude ratio). These metrics were correlated with peak acoustic admittance and MEP from tympanometry and statistically compared via Welch’s t-test. As a result, the compliance represents pneumatic TM mobility, and the amplitude ratio estimates MEP. The presence of a middle ear effusion (MEE) significantly decreased compliance (p<0.001). The amplitude ratio of the OM group was statistically less than that of the normal group (p<0.01), indicating positive MEP. Unlike tympanometry, pneumatic LCI otoscopy quantifies TM mobility as well as MEP regardless of MEE presence. With combined benefits of pneumatic otoscopy and tympanometry, pneumatic LCI otoscopy may provide new quantitative metrics for understanding TM dynamics and diagnosing OM.
Grounding Zone Wedges on the Antarctic Continental Shelf, Ross Sea

Ross Sea is a broad embayment, approximately 1500 km wide and 900 km long, on the Antarctic coast (Fig. 1). Water depths range from less than 300 m to greater than 1200 m and average in excess of 500 m. A series of roughly northeast-southwest ridges and troughs dominate the bathymetry. The continental shelf is foredeepened; the inner shelf is deeper than the outer shelf due to a combination of enhanced glacial scour and isostatic loading. Repeated expansion of the East and West Antarctic ice sheets is interpreted to have modified the continental shelf. The records of the most recent glacial expansions are preserved in the surficial features and sedimentary deposits of the Ross Sea floor.
Anchoring and Empowering Children: A Child’s Right to Participation Within a Healthy Environment

I begin this chapter with the question, has the USA done enough to anchor all children living in the USA to the relationships, experiences, and opportunities vital to empowering them with the capacities necessary to exert their right to participation? With an estimated 13 million children living in poverty (Faas & Cauthen, 2008), 1.3 million living in homelessness (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP), 2007), 8.5 million without health insurance (National Center on Health Care (NCHC), 2009), 92,854 incarcerated males (OJJDP, 2008), and 25% not graduating from high school, (President Obama, 2009) the answer to this question appears to be a resounding no.
C7 Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy (PSO)

The cervicothoracic junction PSO is a safe and effective technique for the management of kyphotic deformity and fixed sagittal imbalance at the cervicothoracic junction (e.g., “chin-on-chest” deformity). It is important to measure cervical alignment parameters on preoperative 36-inch standing radiographs for appropriate surgical planning: C2–C7 lordosis, C2–C7 plumb line difference, chin-brow vertical angle (CBVA), and T1 slope.
A Comparative Analysis on the Perspective of Sunni Theology and Hindu Tradition Regarding Euthanasia: The Impact of Belief in Resurrection and Reincarnation.

The aim of this paper was to study the viewpoints of Sunni Islam and Hinduism on euthanasia to explore whether the Sunni tradition’s belief in the hereafter and the Hindu culture’s faith in reincarnation have any impact on these two religions’ positions on the rejection or justification of euthanasia. Examining these two theologies’ approaches demonstrated that Sunni Islam considers euthanasia suicide/homicide in light of the belief in the hereafter, whereas Hinduism can justify euthanasia through Gandhi’s interpretation of ahimsa, on the condition that all methods to alleviate the patient’s pain and suffering have been exhausted.
Big Data, Actionable Information, Scientific Knowledge and the Goal of Control

Big Data is control. Consider Technological “watching” (veillance). Whether it is lists of banned books, files and interrogation reports on arrested people, or algorithms searching massive databases, it isn’t about voyeurism, but instrumentalist power. Established distinctions between data, information, and knowledge from computer science are a helpful sorting device for understanding why some forms of Big Data are more effective for control than others. Political struggles and corporate hype over veillance Big Data obscures how unuseful it has been so far, and how different “data” of any sort is from actionable information (intelligence). Even then, action doesn’t promise effectiveness. Affordances, agency, network architectures, semantics and the political economy determine effective communication and control. Thls is clear from the role of Big Data in neuroscience, which is making great instrumentalist progress. Specific, rigorous knowledge is much more powerful, and dangerous, than data of any size or information, no matter its origin.
Comparison of Urban Off-Road Vehicle and Motorcycle Injuries at a Level 1 Trauma Center.

Abstract Background Recently, there has been an increase in the usage of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles in urban environments. Previously, it has been shown that crashes involving these urban off-road vehicles (UORVs) resulted in different injury patterns from crashes that occurred in rural environments. The aim of this study was to compare injury patterns of patients involved in crashes while riding UORVs versus motorcycles (MCs). Methods A retrospective review (2005-2016) of patients who presented to our urban level I trauma center as a result of any MC or UORV crash was performed. Patients who presented after 48 h from the time of accident were excluded. A P Results We identified 1556 patients who were involved in an MC or UORV crash resulting in injury (MC: n = 1324 [85%]; UORVs: n = 232 [15%]). Patients in UORV crashes were younger (26.2 y versus 39.6 y), less likely to be helmeted (39.6% versus 90.2%), required fewer emergent trauma bay procedures (28.4% versus 36.7%), and needed fewer operative interventions (45.9% versus 54.2%) (all P Conclusions Our data demonstrate that patients sustaining UORV injuries were younger and less likely to be helmeted but have a lower mortality rate after a crash, despite sustaining similar injuries as motorcyclists. This study provides an overview of how crashes involving UORV usage is a unique phenomenon and not entirely comparable to MC crashes.
Plasma-enhanced CVD of organosilicate glass (OSG) films deposited from octamethyltrisiloxane, bis(trimethylsiloxy)methylsilane, and 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane

Octamethyltrisiloxane (OMTS), bis(trimethylsiloxy)methylsilane (BTMS), or 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS) mixed with oxygen and argon produced organosilicate glass (OSG) films having high methyl content under pulse plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The hydrogen concentration in films deposited from OMTS, BTMS, and TMDS can exceed twice the maximum concentration in films grown from methylsilane precursors. However, the refractive indices and dielectric constants of the films grown from OMTS, BTMS, and TMDS were close to that of minimum values observed for the films grown from methylsilane precursors. This suggests that at high concentrations, methyl incorporation does not result in further reduction of film density. 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) resolves the complex differences in the structure of the OSG films that are not apparent from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and reveals that the stability of OSG materials is improved by eliminating M groups and favoring the incorporation of T groups. These films exhibit low dielectric constants in the range of 2.4–2.6.
Developing Visual-Spatial Thinking in Youth Using Sensorimotor Experiences: Approaches from a Piagetian Cognitive Framework.

Shaping OurSpace was an urban planning project asking children to propose plans for a housing project phased for redevelopment. Our primary aim was building visual-spatial thinking. McCormack’s (1988, 2011) hierarchical framework was used to operationalize visual-spatial thinking, and we believe that embodied cognition served as a vehicle for fostering visual-spatial thinking not only in rudimentary ways but also more conceptually. Thus, although our study did not depend on Piaget and Inhelder’s (1956) developmental approach to spatial reasoning, their work provides theoretical insight that supports assumptions underlying our work. We highlight two areas of connection between Piaget and Inhelder’s theory on spatial reasoning development and our methodology across the 2 phases of our project: 1) Piaget and Inhelder privilege sensorimotor experiences as the bases for spatial reasoning, and 2) Piaget and Inhelder argue that spatial reasoning occurs in 2 phases – via perception and via imagination and thought. We argue that Piaget and Inhelder’s arguments about spatial reasoning remain decidedly relevant in understanding how to potentially facilitate this reasoning in children.
The buzz on reform.

Mr. Bouchard bravely travels through the maze of lingo and anagrams spawned by recent attempts at healthcare reform. This comprehensive list of terminology and definitions, which provides considerable detail and analysis, will be invaluable to anyone trying to understand current trends.
Hidden Donors: The Censoring Problem in U.S. Federal Campaign Finance Data

Inferences about individual campaign contributors are limited by how the Federal Election Commission collects and reports data. Only transactions that exceed a cycle-to-date total of $200 are individually disclosed, so that contributions of many donors are unobserved. We contrast visible and "hidden" donors, i.e., small donors who are invisible due to censoring—and routinely ignored in existing research. We use the Sanders presidential campaign in 2016, whose unique campaign structure received money only through an intermediary/conduit committee. These are governed by stricter disclosure statutes, allowing us to study donors who are normally hidden. For Sanders, there were seven hidden donors for every visible donor, and altogether, hidden donors were responsible for 33.8% of Sanders' campaign funds. We show that hidden donors start giving relatively later, with contributions concentrated around early primaries. We suggest that as presidential campaign strategies change towards wooing smaller donors, more research on what motivates them is necessary.
Genomic determinants of nested variant urothelial carcinoma.

538Background: Nested variant urothelial carcinoma (NVUC) is a historically aggressive variant of bladder cancer with management reliant on radical cystectomy given unclear effectiveness of chemoth...
Inexpensive, versatile and open-source methods for SARS-CoV-2 detection

Author(s): Graham, Thomas GW; Dugast-Darzacq, Claire; Dailey, Gina; Nguyenla, Xammy; Dis, Erik Van; Esbin, Meagan; Abidi, Abrar; Stanley, Sarah; Darzacq, Xavier; Tjian, Robert | Abstract: Re-opening of communities in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has ignited a second wave of infections in many places around the world. Mitigating the risk of reopening will require widespread SARS-CoV-2 testing, which would be greatly facilitated by simple, rapid, and inexpensive testing methods. To this end, we evaluated several protocols for RNA extraction and RT-qPCR that are simpler and less expensive than prevailing methods. First, we show that isopropanol precipitation provides an effective means of RNA extraction from nasopharyngeal (NP) swab samples. Second, we evaluate direct addition of NP swab samples to RT-qPCR reactions without an RNA extraction step. We describe a simple, inexpensive swab collection solution suitable for direct addition, which we validate using contrived swab samples. Third, we describe an open-source master mix for RT-qPCR and show that it permits detection of viral RNA in NP swab samples. Lastly, we show that an end-point fluorescence measurement provides an accurate diagnostic readout without requiring a qPCR thermocycler. Adoption of these simple, inexpensive methods has the potential to significantly reduce the time and expense of COVID-19 testing.
Jane Eyre and Tess Durbeyfield at the Human/Animal Border

When one thinks of animals in Victorian or Edwardian fiction, one probably thinks first of children’s literature or fantasy genres: Alice in Wonderland (1865), The Water Babies (1863), The Jungle Books (1894), and the like, with their wonderfully playful animal characters. Indeed, the presence of animal characters might be conceived as a shibboleth dividing the mainstream of realist fiction from children’s or fantasy literature: if we encounter a talking animal, we know we’re in the latter, not the former. But one can also find animals throughout that mainstream of canonical Victorian fiction, albeit generally in marginalized positions—not quite “characters”—and not speaking. I argue that the Victorian novel participates in a process of dividing up the world into categories of human—those capable, ideally or supposedly, of becoming protagonists, or full-fledged “characters”—and nonhuman (things and animals, who fall below the threshold of the characterological). The category of what Fredric Jameson has recently, in The Antinomies of Realism (2013), dubbed “protagonicity” is significantly shaped, in the Victorian realist novel, by the marginal yet fundamental role of the animal, that being who defines the outer limit of who or what can count as a protagonist or even as a character. In this light, children’s and fantasy literature of the period can be read as a generic space in which a latent desire, within the realist novel, for nonhuman protagonicity can be freely indulged. In the course of the nineteenth-century novel, we begin to see greater and greater awareness of these dynamics—and also the beginnings of resistance to them.
A Complete SMOCkery: Daily Online Testing Did Not Boost College Performance

In an article published in an open-access journal, (Pennebaker et al. PLoS One, 8(11), e79774, 2013) reported that an innovative computer-based system that included daily online testing resulted in better student performance in other concurrent courses and a reduction in achievement gaps between lower and upper middle-class students. This article has had high impact, not only in terms of citations, but it also launched a multimillion-dollar university project and numerous synchronous massive online courses (SMOCs). In this study, I present a closer look at the data used in the Pennebaker et al. study. As in many cases of false claims, threats to internal validity were not adequately addressed. Student performance increases in other courses can be explained entirely by selection bias, whereas achievement gap reductions may be explained by differential attrition. It is hoped that the findings reported in this paper will inform future decisions regarding SMOC courses. More importantly, our field needs watchdogs who expose such unsupported extravagant claims-especially those appearing in pay-to-publish journals.
Telemedicine in International Cleft Care: A Systematic Review.

Background:Cleft lip and cleft palate (CLP) are among the world’s most common congenital malformation and has a higher prevalence in developing nations due to environmental and genetic factors. Glo...
Health Services Use by Children in the Welfare System Who Died by Suicide.

OBJECTIVES: To examine characteristics and health service use patterns of suicide decedents with a history of child welfare system involvement to inform prevention strategies and reduce suicide in this vulnerable population. METHODS: A retrospective matched case-control design (120 suicide decedents and 1200 matched controls) was implemented. Suicide decedents included youth aged 5 to 21 who died by suicide and had an open case in Ohio’s Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System between 2010 and 2017. Controls were matched to suicide decedents on sex, race, and ethnicity. Comparisons were analyzed by using conditional logistic regressions to control for matching between the suicide and control groups. RESULTS: Youth in the child welfare system who died by suicide were significantly more likely to experience out-of-home placements and be diagnosed with mental and physical health conditions compared with controls. Suicide decedents were twice as likely to access mental health services in the 1 and 6 months before death, regardless of the health care setting. A significantly higher percentage of suicide decedents used physical health services 6 months before their death or index date. Emergency department visits for both physical and mental health conditions were significantly more likely to occur among suicide decedents. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide decedents involved in the child welfare system were more likely to use both mental and physical health care services in the months before their death or index date. Findings suggest that youth involved in the child welfare system may benefit from suicide prevention strategies in health care settings.
Hadean geodynamics and the nature of early continental crust

Abstract Reconstructing Earth history during the Hadean defies the traditional rock-based approach in geology. Given the extremely limited locality of Hadean zircons, some indirect approach needs to be employed to gain a global perspective on the Hadean Earth. In this review, two promising approaches are considered jointly. One is to better constrain the evolution of continental crust, which helps to define the global tectonic environment because generating a massive amount of felsic continental crust is difficult without plate tectonics. The other is to better understand the solidification of a putative magma ocean and its consequences, as the end of magma ocean solidification marks the beginning of subsolidus mantle convection. On the basis of recent developments in these two subjects, along with geodynamical consideration, a new perspective for early Earth evolution is presented, which starts with rapid plate tectonics made possible by a chemically heterogeneous mantle and gradually shifts to a more modern-style plate tectonics with a homogeneous mantle. The theoretical and observational stance of this new hypothesis is discussed in conjunction with a critical review of existing proposals for early Earth dynamics, such as stagnant lid convection, sagduction, episodic and intermittent subduction, and heat pipe. One unique feature of the new hypothesis is its potential to explain the evolution of nearly all components in the Earth system, including the atmosphere, the oceans, the crust, the mantle, and the core, in a geodynamically sensible manner.
Keynote: United States Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin Delivers Remarks at the American University Business Law Review 2014 Symposium

We had warnings before 9/11. But we didn't act - at least not enough. The state of security of the Internet today is a rumbling storm in the distance. We need to be smart and work together, now, before a cyber-9/11 - before there's an attack or intrusion or exfiltration so big - and so devastating - we are forever changed.
Mediating Effects of Pain Interference on the Relationships Between Pain Intensity and Probable Major Depression Among Participants With Spinal Cord Injury.

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether pain interference mediates the relationship between pain intensity and probable major depression (PMD) among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), accounting for differences in the frequency of prescription medication use and resilience. Design Cross-sectional analysis using self-report assessment. Setting Medical university in the Southeastern United States. Participants There were a total of 4670 participants (N=4670), all of whom had traumatic SCI of at least 1-year duration, identified from the Southeastern Regional SCI Model System and 2 state-based surveillance systems. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to define PMD. Covariates included demographic and injury characteristics, pain severity, pain interference, and resilience. Separate sets of multistage logistic regression analyses were conducted for 3 levels of prescription pain medication use (daily, occasional/weekly, none). Results Pain intensity was related to a greater risk of PMD (odds ratio [OR]daily pain medication user, 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-1.35; ORoccasional/weekly pain medication user, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.16-1.36; ORnonpain medication user, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.33-1.56), but this relationship disappeared after consideration of pain interference (ORdaily pain medication user, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.90-1.04; ORoccasional/weekly pain medication user, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.84-1.05; ORnonpain medication user, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.95-1.20), which indicates pain interference was a mediator between pain intensity and PMD and there was no direct relationship between pain intensity and PMD. Resilience was protective of PMD in each model but was not a mediator. Conclusions Although pain intensity was associated with PMD, the relationship was mediated by pain interference. Resilience was an important protective factor. Therefore, clinicians should assess pain interference when screening for PMD and direct treatment at reducing pain interference. Building resilience may further reduce the risk of PMD.
Large Evolutionary Rate Heterogeneity among and within HIV-1 Subtypes and CRFs

HIV-1 is a fast-evolving, genetically diverse virus presently classified into several groups and subtypes. The virus evolves rapidly because of an error-prone polymerase, high rates of recombination, and selection in response to the host immune system and clinical management of the infection. The rate of evolution is also influenced by the rate of virus spread in a population and nature of the outbreak, among other factors. HIV-1 evolution is thus driven by a range of complex genetic, social, and epidemiological factors that complicates disease management and prevention. Here, we quantify the evolutionary (substitution) rate heterogeneity among major HIV-1 subtypes and recombinants by analyzing the largest collection of HIV-1 genetic data spanning the widest possible geographical (100 countries) and temporal (1981–2019) spread. We show that HIV-1 substitution rates vary substantially, sometimes by several folds, both across the virus genome and between major subtypes and recombinants, but also within a subtype. Across subtypes, rates ranged 3.5-fold from 1.34 × 10−3 to 4.72 × 10−3 in env and 2.3-fold from 0.95 × 10−3 to 2.18 × 10−3 substitutions site−1 year−1 in pol. Within the subtype, 3-fold rate variation was observed in env in different human populations. It is possible that HIV-1 lineages in different parts of the world are operating under different selection pressures leading to substantial rate heterogeneity within and between subtypes. We further highlight how such rate heterogeneity can complicate HIV-1 phylodynamic studies, specifically, inferences on epidemiological linkage of transmission clusters based on genetic distance or phylogenetic data, and can mislead estimates about the timing of HIV-1 lineages.
Disparities in COVID-19-related stressful life events in the United States: Understanding who is most impacted.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States have been exacerbated by pre-existing inequities in resources and opportunities, leaving the most vulnerable to face a multitude of hardships. The goal of the current study was to characterise COVID-19-related stressful life events in specific life domains and to identify the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals who are more likely to experience such events. Participants (n = 372, 57% female) in a follow-up study of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development completed the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory (June-August 2020) to assess COVID-19-related stressors. Sociodemographic factors (gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and wealth) were examined simultaneously as predictors of the number of stressful life events in separate categories of work/finances, home life, social activity, health and healthcare, adjusted for covariates (household size, community COVID-19 transmission risk). In negative binomial regression analyses, being female (vs. male) predicted a 31%, 64%, 13% and 94% increase in the number of stressful life events in domains of work/finances, home life, social activity and healthcare, respectively, whereas each one standard deviation increase in wealth predicted a 17%, 16% and 21% reduction in the number of stressful life events in domains of work/finances, COVID-19 infection and healthcare, respectively. Findings highlight the pronounced and far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women as well as the unique role wealth may play in lessening such impacts. This new knowledge may be leveraged to develop intervention and policy-related strategies to remediate impacts of COVID-19-related stressors on those most vulnerable.
The Impact of Women Top Managers and Directors on Corporate Environmental Performance

This paper contributes to theory on the impact of leader attributes on corporate behavior by exploring the relationship between gender composition in corporate leadership and environmental performance. Specifically, using a sample of 500 large US firms we examine a) the effects of women leadership on corporate environmental performance in general, b) the relative magnitude of these effects across the categories of women management and women board members, and c) the extent to which the impact of women in leadership exhibits threshold effects. We find that firms that incorporate women in their top management team and board of directors exhibit superior environmental performance, with the impact being greater for the board. Furthermore, the addition of women to a firm’s top management only impacts its environmental performance if the firm also has women on its board of directors. We discuss how these results contribute to research on upper echelons in general and female leadership of large corporations specifically.
The ENCU scoring system. A strategy for solving a class of single-locus genetic counseling problems.

A general rule is derived for calculating the conditional probability of a pedigree given that the consultand is a carrier. The method is designated the ENCU system. It is a generalization to accommodate all unilocal systems of inheritance with arbitrary penetrance operating independently in relatives of the ENSU system previously described (Murphy 1970a). The amount of information provided by the normal phenotypes of a person and his descendants is expressed in units of equivalent genotypically normal offspring (ENCUs). The method is applied to a typical genetic counseling problem, and it is shown that a considerable reduction in the quoted risk is obtained because the ENCU system takes into account the normal phenotypes of potential carriers of an incompletely penetrant gene.
Abstract 1112: Human rhomboid family-1 gene RHBDF1 assists trafficking of TGFa for GPCR-mediated transactivation of EGFR

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) can be transactivated by ligands of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). GPCR signaling pathways often involve the formation of clathrin-coated endosomes, which interact with endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi complex to form recycling endosome and secretion vesicles containing EGFR pro-ligands such as pro-TGFα, which is proteolytically processed and released on the cell surface to activate EGFR in an autocrine manner. We showed previously that human rhomboid family-1 gene RHBDF1 is essential for GPCR-EGFR transactivation by assisting the secretion of TGFα, a ligand of EGFR. We show here silencing the RHBDF1 with shRNA leads to inhibition of EGFR ligand-dependent transactivation induced by GPCR ligands such as gastrin release peptide (GRP) and sphingosine-1-phosphate. However, RHBDF1 is not involved in EGFR ligand-independent GPCR-EGFR transactivation induced by isoproterenol. Inhibitors of endosome formation and membrane trafficking such as chlorpromazine, nocodazole, and cytochalasin-D also inhibit GRP-induced EGFR phosphorylation. Inhibitors of endosome acidification such as chloroquine and BFA lessen the inhibitory effect of RHBDF1 shRNA on GRP-induced EGFR phosphorylation. The RHBDF1 protein localizes mainly to the endoplasmic reticulum with pro-TGFα and GRASP55 in starved, quiescent cancer cells, but is phosphorylated and translocated to the cell surface upon GPCR ligands stimulation. GPCR ligands also activate the intracellular signaling molecule Src which then co-translocates with RHBDF1 and clathrin to the plasma membrane. Src-clathrin interaction and co-localization to the cell surface are RHBDF1-dependent. These findings are consistent with the view that, in response to GPCR activation, RHBDF1 assists pro-TGFα trafficking to the cell surface through clathrin coated trafficking. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1112. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1112
The 2005 Benjamin Franklin medal in physics presented to Yoichiro Nambu

The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awarded the 2005 Benjamin Franklin medal in physics to Yoichiro Nambu for his seminal contributions which introduced the modern concept of broken symmetry to elementary particle physics, for his invention of the particle property called color which is the key to quark confinement, and for his ground-breaking work on the theory of string-like elementary particles.
Effect of Substitution Inert Metal Complexes on Calcineurin

Abstract As a substitute for M(H 2 O) 2+ 6 , Co(NH 3 ) 3+ 6 was found to activate calcineurin with para -nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate. Kinetics for calcineurin catalyzed hydrolysis of para -nitrophenyl phosphate at pH 7.0 with Mn 2+ , Mg 2+ , Co 2+ , and Co(NH 3 ) 3+ 6 were compared. Although k cat and K m were different with the metals, values of k cat / K m were nearly identical for Mn 2+ and Mg 2+ , but lower for Co 2+ and Co(NH 3 ) 3+ 6 . The concentration of each metal providing half-maximal activation, designated K act , was evaluated as 15.9 mM for Co(NH 3 ) 3+ 6 , compared to K act = 0.17 mM for Mn 2+ and Co 2+ and 6.3 mM for Mg 2+ , respectively. Comparing k cat / K cat showed that Co(NH 3 ) 3+ 6 was a 170-fold poorer activator of calcineurin than was Mn 2+ , but only 1.5-fold poorer than Mg 2+ . Activation by Co(NH 3 ) 3+ 6 indicated that activation of calcineurin by exogenous metal ions can proceed via an outer coordination sphere reaction mechanism with no requirement for the direct coordination of substrate by metal. Because Co(NH 3 ) 3+ 6 was found to support calcineurin activity, the related compound [Co-(ethylenediamine) 3 ] 3+ (or Co(en) 3+ 3 ) was tested as a possible activator. Co(en) 3+ 3 did not support calcineurin activity but did inhibit calcineurin. Co(en) 3+ 3 showed competitive inhibition kinetics with either Mn 2+ or pNPP as the varied ligand and the other at a fixed, subsaturating concentration. Inorganic phosphate was used as a known competitive inhibitor to pNPP (B. L. Martin and D. J. Graves, J. Biol. Chem. 261, 14545–14550, 1986) and showed uncompetitive inhibition with Mn 2+ as the varied ligand. These patterns are consistent with the mechanism of ligand binding to calcineurin being ordered with metal preceding substrate. Prior formation of a metal–substrate complex was not required for association with calcineurin.
Ultrasound Inverse Scattering Solutions From Transmission And/Or Reflection Data

Although historically the Born or Rytov linear approximations have received a great deal of attention, it is now more apparent that only a full nonlinear formulation of the inverse scattering problem, such as those we have developed, provide the accuracy for quantitative clinical ultrasound imaging. Our inverse scattering solutions have been developed to reconstruct quantitative images of speed of sound, density, and absorption using the exact Helmholtz wave equation without perturbation approximations. We have developed fast algorithms which are based upon Galerkin or moment discretizations and use various iterative solution techniques such as back propagation and descent methods. In order to reconstruct images with reflection-only scanner geometries we have extended our algorithms to include multiple frequency data. We have demonstrated a procedure for imaging inhomogeneous density distributions. We also discuss the significance and potential applications of these new methods.
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytochrome P450 system

Tuberculosis remains a leading cause of human mortality. The emergence of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent, that are resistant to the major frontline antitubercular drugs increases the urgency for the development of new therapeutic agents. Sequencing of the M. tuberculosis genome revealed the existence of 20 cytochrome P450 enzymes, some of which are potential candidates for drug targeting. The recent burst of studies reporting microarray-based gene essentiality and transcriptome analyses under in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo conditions highlight the importance of selected P450 isoforms for M. tuberculosis viability and pathogenicity. Current knowledge of the structural and biochemical properties of the M. tuberculosis P450 enzymes and their putative redox partners is reviewed, with an emphasis on findings related to their physiological function(s) as well as their potential as drug targets.
Arthroscopic partial shoulder resurfacing

The purpose of this study was to report patients’ clinical and subjective outcomes 2 years after arthroscopic-assisted partial resurfacing of the humeral head. In this prospective case series, 11 patients (4 females, 7 males; median age, 59 years; range 47–72) underwent arthroscopic-assisted partial shoulder resurfacing between April 2010 and March 2011. Clinical conditions and subjective assessments were evaluated before surgery and at 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, and then annually after surgery using the Constant score (CS), active range of motion (ROM), the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scale (ASES), and the subjective shoulder value (SSV). Radiological outcomes and major complications were monitored. The mean CS improved significantly from 54.6 ± 13.6 preoperatively to 72.9 ± 17.2 points 6 weeks postoperatively (P = 0.009). At the 2-year follow-up, the mean CS had further increased to 86.5 ± 14.3 points (P < 0.001). Trends towards increasing ROMs were detected. VAS, ASES, and SSV significantly improved from baseline to the first follow-up and maintained improvement after 2 years. One patient required revision surgery owing to a technical failure and two patients because of rapidly progressive osteoarthritis. Ten of 11 patients (91 %) claimed that they would undergo arthroscopic partial shoulder resurfacing again. Arthroscopic-assisted partial humeral head resurfacing, which has the advantages of bone stock preservation and the maintenance of an intact subscapularis tendon, allowed immediate postoperative mobilization and provided significant improvements in subjective outcomes, especially for pain relief in active patients without severe glenoid cartilage wear. Therapeutic case series, Level IV.