cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Large-Scale Screening and Identification of Novel Ebola Virus and Marburg Virus Entry Inhibitors

Filoviruses are highly infectious, and no FDA-approved drug therapy for filovirus infection is available. Most work to find a treatment has involved only a few strains of Ebola virus and testing of relatively small drug libraries or compounds that have shown efficacy against other virus types. Here we report the findings of a high-throughput screening of 319,855 small molecules from the Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository library for their activities against Marburg virus and Ebola virus. Nine of the most potent, novel compounds that blocked infection by both viruses were analyzed in detail for their mechanisms of action. The compounds inhibited known key steps in the Ebola virus infection mechanism by blocking either cell surface attachment, macropinocytosis-mediated uptake, or endosomal trafficking. To date, very few specific inhibitors of macropinocytosis have been reported. The 2 novel macropinocytosis inhibitors are more potent inhibitors of Ebola virus infection and less toxic than ethylisopropylamiloride, one commonly accepted macropinocytosis inhibitor. Each compound blocked infection of primary human macrophages, indicating their potential to be developed as new antifiloviral therapies.
DC Natural Contamination Test Station’s Role on the HVDC External Insulation Contamination Evaluation and Its Application Prospect

The research works are summaried based on the Lufeng Natural Contamination Testing Station built up for the Yunnan-Guangdong UHVDC project. The main results include the contamination level evaluation of the future converter station near by, the ESDD ratio between the DC post insulator and common AC post insulators, the accumulated contamination (ESDD and NDD) comparison on the deep rib type insulator under two conditions of on-load DC power and off-load DC power. In addition, the set of natural contamination test equipment developed by China Southern Power Grid is introduced.
Mechanisms of Cellular Membrane Reorganization to Support Hepatitis C Virus Replication

Like all positive-sense RNA viruses, hepatitis C virus (HCV) induces host membrane alterations for its replication termed the membranous web (MW). Assembling replication factors at a membranous structure might facilitate the processes necessary for genome replication and packaging and shield viral components from host innate immune defenses. The biogenesis of the HCV MW is a complex process involving a concerted effort of HCV nonstructural proteins with a growing list of host factors. Although a comprehensive understanding of MW formation is still missing, a number of important viral and host determinants have been identified. This review will summarize the recent studies that have led to our current knowledge of the role of viral and host factors in the biogenesis of the MWs and discuss how HCV uses this specialized membrane structure for its replication.
Faecal bile acids are natural ligands of the mouse accessory olfactory system

The accessory olfactory system (AOS) guides behaviours that are important for survival and reproduction, but understanding of AOS function is limited by a lack of identified natural ligands. Here we report that mouse faeces are a robust source of AOS chemosignals and identify bile acids as a class of natural AOS ligands. Single-unit electrophysiological recordings from accessory olfactory bulb neurons in ex vivo preparations show that AOS neurons are strongly and selectively activated by peripheral stimulation with mouse faecal extracts. Faecal extracts contain several unconjugated bile acids that cause concentration-dependent neuronal activity in the AOS. Many AOS neurons respond selectively to bile acids that are variably excreted in male and female mouse faeces, and others respond to bile acids absent in mouse faeces. These results identify faeces as a natural source of AOS information, and suggest that bile acids may be mammalian pheromones and kairomones.
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Synchronous Facebook Communication: Native and Non-Native English Speakers

The purpose of this research was to study language with a focus on online communication between native speakers (NSs) and non-native English speakers (NNSs) in an international study consultancy Facebook group. This communication has proven unique and is important to study for two specific reasons. First, the popularity of social networking sites and their use by second language learners both amongst themselves and with NSs makes it important to investigate. Second, the analysis of these types of conversations is essential to understand how power and identity work in online interaction between NSs and NNSs. The study addressed the questions of what type of discourse are these highly contextualized groups of English speakers using to communicate online and how does the online environment shape NNSs’ power relation and identity shifting when interacting with NSs on Facebook. The study findings revealed that there are pedagogical implications in the interactional collaboration between NSs and NNSs in online interaction on Facebook. In the context of second language learning (L2), scaffolding was not only offered by collaborating with peers and interacting with more knowledgeable others, but also by the friendly environment of the social networking sites and the meaning negotiation strategies.
Digital implementation of constant power load (CPL), active resistive load, constant current load and combinations

Cascaded converters need to be tightly regulated to have better system performance and faster dynamic response. One of the major issues in cascaded converters is that they behaves as a constant power load (CPL) when tightly regulated. The current through a CPL decreases/increases with the increase/decrease of voltage across it, respectively. As a result, a CPL has negative incremental impedance, which causes a destabilizing effect. In order to study the converter's behavior with constant power load, a novel digital implementation of constant power load is proposed which emulates a DC/DC converter as a CPL. The digital implementation is controlled by a DSP which has the ability to be configured as a CPL, an active resistor load, constant current load or combinations. Further, the load can be dynamically changed.
In vivo interactions between α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α: Implication for nicotine dependence.

Chronic tobacco use dramatically increases health burdens and financial costs. Limitations of current smoking cessation therapies indicate the need for improved molecular targets. The main addictive component of tobacco, nicotine, exerts its dependency effects via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Activation of the homomeric α7 nAChR reduces nicotine's rewarding properties in conditioned place preference (CPP) test and i.v. self-administration models, but the mechanism underlying these effects is unknown. Recently, the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor type-α (PPARα) has been implicated as a downstream signaling target of the α7 nAChR in ventral tegmental area dopamine cells. The present study investigated PPARα as a possible mediator of the effect of α7 nAChR activation in nicotine dependence. Our results demonstrate the PPARα antagonist GW6471 blocks actions of the α7 nAChR agonist PNU282987 on nicotine reward in an unbiased CPP test in male ICR adult mice. These findings suggests that α7 nAChR activation attenuates nicotine CPP in a PPARα-dependent manner. To evaluate PPARα activation in nicotine dependence we used the selective and potent PPARα agonist, WY-14643 and the clinically used PPARα activator, fenofibrate, in nicotine CPP and we observed attenuation of nicotine preference, but fenofibrate was less potent. We also studied PPARα in nicotine dependence by evaluating its activation in nicotine withdrawal. WY-14643 reversed nicotine withdrawal signs whereas fenofibrate had modest efficacy. This suggests that PPARα plays a role in nicotine reward and withdrawal and that further studies are warranted to elucidate its function in mediating the effects of α7 nAChRs in nicotine dependence.
Exploring Strategies to Enhance the Presentation of Information in Print DTCA to Improve Consumers’ Recall of Information

This study examines how best to present information in an antidepressant print DTCA. The objectives of this study are to: (1) modify an antidepressant print advertisement to enhance consumers’ understanding of the presented information, (2) create a questionnaire to measure consumers’ recall of the information presented in an antidepressant print advertisement and (3) pilot test the study instruments by comparing consumers’ recall of the information in the antidepressant print advertisement between those who view the original advertisement and those who view the modified advertisement. Modifications of the advertisement were based on the Explanatory Structure Building Model, findings from previous studies, and literature pertaining to the enhancement of the readability and comprehension of written health information. Data collection was conducted in three stages using mixed methods. This study details potential techniques that can be used to enhance the presentation of information in print DTCA in order to improve consumers’ recall of the information. Furthermore, this study shows that strategies to improve the presentation of information in print DTCA exist and that the strategies are feasible to apply. Conflict of Interest This research study was supported by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Population Health Dissertation Grants sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sonderegger Research Center Dissertation Research Grants. Type: Original Research
When States Appease: A Comparative Analysis of British and American Appeasement in the 1930s

When do states appease their foes? In this paper, we argue that governments are most likely to favor appeasing a foreign threat when their top leaders are severely cross-pressured: when the demands for increased security conflict sharply with their domestic political priorities. We develop this argument through a comparative analysis of British and American appeasement in the 1930s. We show that Neville Chamberlain and Franklin Roosevelt grappled with the same basic political problem: how to reduce the risk of German expansionism at a time when they faced acute partisan and electoral incentives to invest resources at home. In Chamberlain’s and Roosevelt’s hands, appeasement was a means for reconciling the demands for increased security with what they were trying to achieve domestically. We conclude by discussing the implications of the analysis for theorizing about appeasement and about how leaders make grand strategy more generally.
ASSISTing with STEM Education: Promoting Argument-based Strategies for STEM Infused Science Teaching

Science teachers are faced with an ever increasing list of requirements in helping students develop true science literacy. In addition to focusing on developing conceptual understanding, use of science and engineering practices, communication skills, and an appropriate view of the nature of science, STEM initiatives now encourage teachers to integrate mathematics, engineering, and technology into their science instruction. The Argument-based Strategies for STEM-Infused Science Teaching (ASSIST) approach attempts to provide both an overall framework and practical tools to help science teachers accomplish the many goals associated with engaging students in effective science learning environments. In this article, we present a brief description of the research supported ideas that provide the framework supporting the approach, as well as an overview of some of the tools we have developed with teachers to help them implement the approach. We conclude by describing some initial reactions from these in-service teachers with whom we have worked in professional development activities. These reactions are included as a way to highlight benefits and challenges associated with the approach, as well as suggest future work.
Right Hepatic Lobectomy: Intrahepatic Glissonian Approach

Right hepatic lobectomy is indicated for either a primary hepatic tumor or well selected metastatic cancer localized to the right lobe of the liver. This chapter describes indications, essential steps, variations, and complications of this procedure. It provides a detailed template operative note for the procedure.
Spelling It Out, One por Uno: Patterns of Emergent Bilinguals in a Dual Language Classroom

The extant research literature on emergent bilingual spelling focuses on developmental patterns and the interference of first language with second language. The purpose of this article is to provide teachers with an alternate view of emergent bilingual spelling in an effort to influence spelling instruction in the classroom. Writing samples produced by second-grade students in a dual language program were analyzed to gain insight into the spelling development of emergent bilinguals. Strikingly, there was an inverse relationship between Spanish-influenced errors and English approximations as the school year progressed. In other words, as fluency in English orthography increased, Spanish-influenced errors decreased. Furthermore, emergent bilinguals committed vowel spelling errors throughout the school year. The researchers discuss implications for classroom instruction in the form of a process that teachers can use to teach English spelling. Additionally, a list of common spelling errors is provided. The authors maintain that spelling errors are not a result of interference but are part of the developmental process in learning English that can be addressed through individualized and/or group instruction.
Impaired Renal Function Should Not Be a Barrier to Transplantation in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis

Background Previous studies have demonstrated an association between pretransplantation renal dysfunction (PRD) and increased mortality after lung transplantation (LT). The purpose of this study was to determine whether PRD impacts survival after LT in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods We queried the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database to identify all adult (≥18 years) recipients with CF who underwent isolated LT from May 4, 2005 to December 31, 2014. We separated recipients into those with and those without PRD (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] ≤60 mL/min). We excluded patients who required dialysis before transplantation. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess unadjusted survival differences. Cox proportional hazards modeling was then performed across 26 variables to assess the risk-adjusted impact of PRD on 1-, 3-, and 5-year mortality. Results Isolated LT was performed on 1,830 patients with CF; 17 patients were excluded because of pretransplantation dialysis. Eighty-two of 1,813 patients (4.5%) had PRD (GFR ≤60 mL/min). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no survival differences between PRD and non-PRD groups at 1 year (85.3% versus 89.5%; log-rank p = 0.23), 3 years (71.0% versus 72.5%; p = 0.57), or 5 years (63.3% versus 59.8%; p = 0.95). After risk adjustment, PRD was not independently associated with an increased hazard for mortality at 1 year (hazard ratio [HR], 1.38 [95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74–2.58]; p = 0.31), 3 years (HR, 1.44 [95% CI, 0.92–2.24]; p = 0.11), or 5 years (HR, 1.30 [95% CI, 0.86–1.94]; p = 0.29). Conclusions Although PRD has historically served as a relative contraindication to LT, our study is the first to suggest that among CF recipients, PRD was not associated with increased hazard for mortality out to 5 years after LT.
Rethinking Collaborative Filtering: A Practical Perspective on State-of-the-art Research Based on Real World Insights

A decade has passed since the seminal Netflix Prize competition and Collaborative Filtering (CF) models are still at the forefront of Recommender System research. Significant progress has been achieved over this time, yet key aspects of the basic problem formulation have not been seriously challenged. Most state-of-the-art models still assume a supervised model in which the ultimate goal is to predict future user-item interactions based on the generalization of historical data.We wish to initiate a discussion on some key assumptions behind much of the mainstream research: What is the difference between predicting future user actions and optimizing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)? Does a trade-off between accuracy and diversity really exist? Is supervised CF based on historical data still relevant in the age of modern reinforcement learning models such as contextual bandits? What evaluation metrics can be used prior to online experimentations and what are their limitations? Our main thesis is that at the core of all these issues lies a gap between most Collaborative Filtering models and the true objective of industry systems.
Collaborative Writing and Lyric Interchange in Philip Sidney's Old Arcadia

This essay looks to a scene of collaborative writing between Pamela and Musidorus which has been undervalued. The lovers escape to the woods and declare their love in poetry through a variety of inscriptive and ephemeral modes. The scene ends as she sleeps and he composes a poem and a verse blazon which nearly insights him to rape. While the ethical complexities of the end of the scene have been analyzed, less attention has been given to the collaborative terms with which it begins. The start of the scene presents shifts in the material and social terms of lyric production which resonate with contemporary literary practice. Using variations on public inscription and miscellany compilation, the scene represents the social phenomenology of lyric and its ability to constitute intersubjective agents. In so doing, it assesses not just what subjectivities given genres allow, but how modes of production shape the relationship between genre and subjectivity. The scene's reworking in the printings of the 1590s downplay its intersubjective claims while its representation of collaborative practice bears ironic witness to the reification of single authorship promoted in the printed revisions.
Global decisions and local realities - priorities and producers' upgrading opportunities in agricultural global production networks

As certification is proving ever more popular as a particular manifestation of economic, social and environmental upgrading activities, this paper seeks to explore the socio-economic, commercial and environmental priorities which shape stakeholder certification choices in global production networks (GPNs), and the implications which upgrading intentions entail for smallholders’ development outcomes. The paper argues that there is a need to problematize firstly the diverging socio-economic, environmental and commercial priorities which different stakeholders associate with the implementation of sustainability standards, and secondly to unpack the assumed automatism of upgrading activities entailing benefits for producers at the local level. The paper introduces a malleable approach, the ‘constellation of priorities’, that enables systematic assessment of drivers across stakeholders, thus providing agency to all GPN participants. The paper presents two agricultural global production networks as case-studies, the production of fresh fruit and vegetables in Kenya and the cocoa sector in Nicaragua. The case-studies explore the complexities of the tensions between stakeholders’ socio-economic, commercial and environmental priorities, highlighting that priorities projected through stakeholders’ power and embeddedness relations affect how local outcomes, positive and negative, materialise for farmers.
POSSIBLE INTERPRETATION OF THE GAS DISCHARGE STRUCTURE IN A ROD/PLANE GAP

It is shown that the experimental positive charge distribution remaining in a rod-plane gap after completion of an arrested discharge can be accounted for by a simple theory involving diffusion of charges generated by a system of travelling sources. The data by Waters et al. are used for comparison and it is further demonstrated that the potential distribution appropriate to such a system of sources calculated from Laplace's equation shows the same basic pattern as the potential due to the residual charges in Waters' experiment. We conclude that, in general, the Laplacian field yields an adequate description of the potential distribution, provided a single constant “screening” factor be applied.
Masker Envelope Fluctuation and Binaural Masking Release

The present study attempted to relate the effect of remote energy on NoSπ detection to the fluctuation properties of the masking noise. We investigated conditions where energy distal to the signal frequency was comodulated with the on-signal masking band, where the distal energy had no fluctuation, and where the distal energy had a random fluctuation with respect to the fluctuation pattern of the on-signal band. The results obtained were consistent with interpretations that across-frequency comparison processes similar to those contributing to monaural CMR may contribute to NoSπ detection, and that the detrimental effect of remoteenergy on NoSπ detection may be related to the across-frequency envelope properties of the masker.
TREATMENT OF PLUTONIUM- AND URANIUM-CONTAMINATED OIL FROM ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY SITE

A removal method for plutonium and uranium has been tested at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). This alternative treatment technology is applicable to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) organics (mainly used pump oil) contaminated with actinides. In our studies, greater than 70% removal of the actinides was achieved. The technology is based on contacting the oil with a sorbent powder consisting of a surface modified mesoporous material. The SAMMS (Self-Assembled Monolayers on Mesoporous Support) technology was developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for removal and stabilization of RCRA (i.e., lead, mercury, cadmium, silver, etc.) and actinides in water and for removal of mercury from organic solvents [1, 2]. The SAMMS material is based on self-assembly of functionalized monolayers on mesoporous oxide surfaces. The unique mesoporous oxide support provides a high surface area, thereby enhancing the metal-loading capacity. The testing described in this report was conducted on a small scale but larger-scale testing of the technology has been performed on mercury-contaminated oil without difficulty [3].
Evidence for a Relationship Between 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate-Depleted Red Blood Cells, Slow Oxygen Release and Myocardial Ischemia

Following the reports of Chanutin and Curnish (1) and Benesch and Benesch (2) in 1967, numerous reports have emerged extending our knowledge of the molecular physiologic and clinical aspects of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG). Some of these molecular findings may now be tested physiologically using an animal model. The first part of this paper will consider the molecular basis for oxygen release from the red cell while the second will deal with a physiologic model and the question of whether a decrease in the rate of release of oxygen from the red cell can induce myocardial ischemia in the dog.
On the Capacities of Discrete Memoryless Thresholding Channels

In this paper, we study the channel capacity of discrete memoryless thresholding channels (DMTCs) that are used in Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) for LED free-space transmissions. Although capacities of discrete memoryless channels (DMC) are well-studied and can be determined by various algorithms, the capacity of a DMTC is less explored and its capacity is more difficult to obtain. This is due to the fact that, unlike a typical DMC channel whose the capacity is a function input distribution, the capacity of a DTMC channel is a function of both input distribution and decision thresholds. To resolve this problem, we propose an algorithm for finding the channel capacity of a DMTC. Both theoretical and numerical results are provided to verify our approach.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie... Are Courts Paving the Way Around DirectorExculpation Statutes and the Business Judgment Rule

This Note discusses Chancellor Chandler's 2005 Disney decision to examine the current state of the Business Judgment Rule, Director Exculpation, and Fiduciary Duties in Delaware. It goes on to argue that Courts are hinting at a willingness to utilize good faith as a judicial doctrine to circumvent Director Exculpation under section 102(b)(7) - or exculpation statutes in other states. It argues that in the case of a board being adequately informed deference is due, as deciding when the information is adequate is itself a business judgment.
Conference on Learning Theory 2016: Preface

These proceedings contain the 63 papers accepted to and presented at the 29th Conference on Learning Theory (COLT), held in New York, USA on June 23-26, 2016. These papers were selected by the program committee with additional help from external expert reviewers from 199 submissions. Of the 63 papers, 18 were given a 20-minute presentation, the remaining 45 a 10minute presentation. These proceedings also contain the 6 submissions to the Open Problems session. Selection of the submissions was handled by the Open Problem Chair, Shai Shalev-Shwartz. In addition to the papers and open problems published in these proceedings, the conference program also included two invited talks: “Randomized Algorithms in Linear Algebra” by Ravi Kannan (Microsoft Research), and “Testing properties of distributions over big domains” by Ronitt Rubinfeld (MIT and Tel-Aviv University). The paper “Multi-scale Exploration of Convex Functions and Bandit Convex Optimization” by Sebastien Bubeck and Ronen Eldan received the Best Paper Award, and the paper “Provably Manipulation-resistant Reputation Systems” by Paul Christiano received the Best Student Paper Award. The local arrangements chairs were Daniel Hsu and Satyen Kale, and the publication chair was Ohad Shamir. We would like to express our gratitude to the entire program committee and to the external reviewers for their invaluable contributions to the success of conference. Finally, we would like to thank our generous sponsors: Two Sigma; Engineers Gate; Microsoft; Baidu Research; Facebook, Columbia University Data Science Institute; Google; Amazon; and Springer’s Machine Learning Journal.
Toward a highly sensitive polymer waveguide fiber Fabry-Pérot ultrasound detector.

In recent times, there has been extensive research on fiber-optic imaging devices in order to enable imaging/sensing at a size scale inaccessible to other modalities. The design for fabrication of a highly sensitive fiber-optic ultrasound detector is proposed. The transducer employs a polymer Fabry-Perot resonator for ultrasound detection. To enhance acoustic sensitivity, a method is proposed for fabricating a self-aligned polymer waveguide within the cavity to improve the resonator quality factor (Q-factor). Simulation studies were conducted to evaluate feasibility and quantify the improvement in Q-factor for different transducer configurations. Results show that with dielectric mirrors and a waveguide, Q-factor can approach the order of 10,000. Additional simulation studies are presented to analyze the effect of cavity shape on the device performance, drawing out the importance of a flat mirror for waveguided devices. Subsequently, results from optical testing of the first iteration of fabricated devices are presented, highlighting the main drawback of this method-the nonideal shape of the waveguiding pillar. Finally, initial results from the second iteration of devices that overcome this drawback are presented, demonstrating the feasibility of creating straight self-aligned polymer waveguides on gold-coated fibers, followed by a discussion on the implications of this work and future steps.
Topological Mapper for 3D Volumetric Images.

Mapper is a topological construction similar to a Reeb graph, and is used to summarize the shape of a dataset as a (generalized) graph. Formally, mapper can be constructed for any connected space and algorithms have been developed to compute mapper for point clouds and 2D images. In this paper, we extend mapper to 3D volumetric images. We use our algorithm to compute mapper for scans of barley generated using computed tomography. We demonstrate the flexibility of the construction by highlighting different aspects of the morphology through different choices of starting parameters. Applying mapper to this type of data provides an integrated means of visualization, segmentation and clustering, and can thus be used to study the topology of any 3D object.
Is knowledge really power? Characteristics contributing to social status during group work in physical education

Background and purpose: Perceptions of social status can marginalize and exclude students participating in educational group work. In physical education, students may alter interactions based on th...
Validation of Newly Developed Surveys to Evaluate Patients' and Providers' Satisfaction with Telehealth Obstetric Services

Background: Patient and/or provider satisfaction and experience are among the most important indicators for quality assurance of health care services, including telehealth. Validated surveys should be used for this purpose to provide reliable information for a program evaluation. Objective: To validate the newly developed satisfaction surveys, report patient, and provider satisfaction with Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning Systems (ANGELS) telehealth services. Methods: Two self-administered paper surveys were developed by a multidisciplinary team. The surveys were validated among obstetric patients who received telehealth services in 2016 and providers in Arkansas from July to August 2017. Psychometric testing was performed to establish reliability and validity of both the surveys. Descriptive statistics was performed to describe patient and provider satisfaction. Results: A total of 89 patient- and 66 provider surveys were analyzed. Construct validity and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α >0.7) were confirmed on both the surveys. The majority of patients were highly satisfied with telehealth services and reported positive perceptions toward future use of services. In the past 12 months, telehealth (78.6%) was the most used ANGELS service by providers. Finally, >90% of the providers reported high satisfaction and rated telehealth services as "excellent." Conclusions: The newly developed patient and provider telehealth surveys were reliable and valid. The surveys also demonstrated that the telehealth services were well-accepted and highly valued in a sample of obstetric patients and providers. As both surveys are short, they can be used in routine evaluation of patient and provider satisfaction with similar telehealth programs in the country.
Fixed-combination topical anti-hypertensive ophthalmic agents

Fixed-combination glaucoma medications have altered the paradigm of ocular hypertension and glaucoma treatment and are in widespread use today. A comprehensive review of fixed-combination medicatio...
Cellular- and Acellular-Based Therapies: Skin Substitutes and Matrices

Recalcitrant wounds pose a challenge to the dermatologist. In recent years, many skin substitutes have been developed and are broadly classified as either acellular or cellular. These skin substitutes are to be used in concert with standard of care to provide the stalled wound with a scaffold and key elements such as cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix substances. Skin substitutes help initiate and accelerate wound healing through granulation, cell migration, re-vascularization, and re-epithelialization. Wounds of varying etiologies have been shown to benefit from the multitude of acellular and cellular skin substitutes that are available. This chapter provides clinically relevant background and practical guidance about skin substitutes to allow dermatologists to effectively incorporate these powerful tools into their wound healing armamentarium.
Automated Design Using Numerical Optimization

Numerical optimization concepts are described with limited technical detail. The purpose is to provide the nonspecialist with sufficient information to judge the applicability of these methods to his particular design problem. The concepts are first described in physical terms to give a basic understanding of the iterative procedure employed by these methods. Next, the typical engineering task is presented and converted to a form ammenable to solution by numerical optimization. Basic algorithms for solving this problem are identified. Numerous applications are referenced, emphasizing the structural design discipline. The state of the art allows for the routine solution of nonlinear design problems of approximately 20 independent variables subject to 100 or more constraints. In many applications, much larger design problems may be solved. Selected references are provided which describe the methods and applications in more detail.
Proceedings of the 26th International Stroke Genetics Consortium Workshop: St. Louis, MO

The 26th workshop of the International Stroke Genetics Consortium (ISGC) was held at the Four Seasons Hotel on November 2–4, 2019 in St. Louis, MO, and was hosted by Jin-Moo Lee, MD, PhD and Carlos Cruchaga, PhD, and co-hosted by Stephanie Debette, MD, PhD. The ISGC is an international collaboration of physicians and scientists who have agreed to pool resources and expertise in an effort to unravel the genetic basis of stroke and its comorbidities. Founded in 2007 by a small group of stroke genetics investigators, the ISGC has grown to over 200 members representing over 50 countries in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia. ISGC workshops are held semi-annually and provide a forum for ISGC investigators to report on progress of ongoing scientific projects and discuss new ideas that help advance the ISGC's research mission. The ISGC nurtures junior investigators by offering several travel awards to young investigators interested in stroke genetics. Many abstracts in these Proceedings reflect the contributions of active junior investigators. Herein, we present the Proceedings and official published abstracts of the 26th ISGC Workshop.
Watching a Trainwreck Feminism

Despite larger perceptions of comedy as a “boys’ club,” in recent years feminist comedians such as Amy Schumer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Awkwafina, Issa Rae, Mindy Kaling, Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer,...
The Irish Expatriate Novel in Late Capitalist Globalization

This study of contemporary Irish expatriate fiction offers a boldly original world-facing rather than nation-focused overview of the contemporary Irish novel. Chapters examine how Irish narrative deals with the United States in a time of declining global hegemony, a rising China and Asia, a thwarted and turbulent Global South, and a European Union that has decisively reshaped Ireland in the last half century. The author argues that in a late capitalist world defined by volatile economic and cultural globalizations, the Irish novel is struggling to imagine new ways to narrate the country's relationship to the world capitalist system and to find new place for Irish writing in the world literary system. Looking at a rapidly-changing Ireland in a rapidly-changing international order, Joe Cleary offers new readings of novels by Colm Toibin, Anne Enright, Joseph O'Neill, Deirdre Madden, Mary Costello, Naoise Dolan, Aidan Higgins, Colum McCann, Ronan Sheehan and Ronan Bennett.
Association between STAT3 gene and children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Objective To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphism(SNPs) (rs1053005 and rs744166 ) and expression level of STAT3 gene and the susceptibility to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Chinese children. Methods A case-control study was performed, and 184 children with ALL and 377 healthy children as controls were recruited.The genotypes of 2 SNPs were detected by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.And the expression level of STAT3 gene was detected by using real-time PCR; All the data were analyzed by using SPSS 16.0 software. Results (1) In this study, the genotypes (GG, AG, AA) of rs1053005 had a significant difference between the ALL group and control group (χ2=6.737, P=0.034). Compared with control group, the A allele had a higher frequency in ALL group and A allele was a risk factor(χ2=5.853, P=0.016). But, there was no difference in frequency of genotype rs744166 between the 2 groups(χ2=1.866, P=0.393). (2) There was no significant association between genotypes and risk degree among 3 groups (high risk group, medial risk group and standard risk group)(χ2=0.335, P= 0.987). (3) The expression level of STAT3 gene in patients with AA genotype was lower than that of the patients with GG genotype(t=4.758, P=0.009); and compared with patients of the standard risk group, high risk patients had a lower expression level of STAT3 gene (t=5.284, P=0.007). Conclusions The polymorphism of SNP rs1053005 was associated with ALL, with A allele being a risk factor; and the expression level of STAT3 gene maybe associated with the risk degree in ALL patients. Key words: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; STAT3 gene; Polymorphism; Child
Hereditary sensory neuropathy: A clinical and ultrastructural study☆☆☆★

Abstract The clinical features and the pathological findings from sural nerve biopsies of 2 sisters with chronic, distal, symmetrical sensory neuropathy with dissociated sensory loss are reported. Clinical evaluation, electrophysiological determinations and histological and histochemical studies, as well as phase and electron microscopic observations were carried out. In biopsies from both girls the findings were substantially the same. The most prominent findings were limited to the intrafascicular contents which were composed of longitudinally-oriented collagen, many unmyelinated nerve fibers, and fibroblasts with a unique vacuolated appearance of their cytoplasm. Myelinated nerve fibers were absent except for rare axons whose appearance was normal. Neither products of nerve fiber degeneration nor Schwann cell degeneration was noted. The vacuolated endoneurial fibroblasts observed in the biopsies of these 2 sisters appear to be unique, but their role, if any, in the pathogenesis of the sensory neuropathy is unclear.
STEM attrition among high-performing college students in the United States: scope and potential causes

Postsecondary education plays a critical role in building a strong workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The U.S. postsecondary education system, however, frequently loses many potential STEM graduates through attrition. An increasing portion of STEM leavers are top performers who might have made valuable additions to the STEM workforce had they stayed in STEM fields. Using data from the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), this study tracks a cohort of beginning bachelor’s degree students over 6 years, providing a close look at STEM attrition among a group of high-performing college students. Capitalizing on the transcript data collected through BPS:04/09, this study also examines STEM coursetaking, detailing how participation and performance in undergraduate STEM coursework are associated with students’ departure from STEM fields. The study finds that about a quarter of high-performing beginning bachelor’s degree students entered STEM fields (i.e., declared a STEM major) during their enrollment between 2003 and 2009, and a third of these entrants had left STEM fields by spring 2009. The results of multinomial probit regression analysis indicate that students’ intensity of STEM coursework in the first year and their performance in STEM courses may have played an important role in their decisions to switch majors out of STEM fields.
Epidermal growth factor: I. The stimulation of protein and ribonucleic acid synthesis in chick embryo epidermis

Abstract In cultures of epidermis derived from the chick embryo, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates the net accumulation of protein and RNA with no detectable net accumulation of DNA. Under a variety of conditions, EGF stimulates the incorporation of labeled precursors into the protein and RNA fractions. The results of experiments with actinomycin D and puromycin suggest that the stimulation of RNA synthesis is secondary to the effect of EGF on protein synthesis.
The Discovery of Mankind: Atlantic Encounters in the Age of Columbus – By David Abulafia

Extensively researched, painstakingly argued, and constantly true to the words of the explorers themselves, this work chronologically follows and analyzes various encounters between Europeans and i...
Linear-programmed thermal degradation methane chemical-ionization mass spectrometry: II. Defined compounds and lipid-containing envelope constituents from Salmonella

Abstract Studies of temperature-resolved pyrolysis are reported for lipid preparations cell envelope fractions, and whole cells from Salmonella typhimurium TA-100, and lipopolysaccharides from S. abortus equi, S. enteritidis, S. minnesota , and S. typhimurium . Related and model compounds were examined as well; these included the fatty acids: caproic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid; phospholipids and related compounds: dl -α-glycerophosphate (disodium salt), l -α-glycerophosphoryl ethanolamine, l -α-glycerophosphoryl choline, dipalmitoyl dl -α-phosphatidyl ethanolamine, palmitoyl l -α-lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine, palmitoyl l -α-lysophosphatidyl choline, lauroyl l -α-lysophosphatidyl choline, stearoyl l -α-lysophosphatidyl choline, oleoyl l -α-lysophosphatidyl choline; and the lipopolysacchoride constituent 3-deoxy- d -manno-octulosonic acid. Results indicate that certain of the ions appearing in the fingerprints of cell wall components of gram-negative bacteria are present in spectra of related compounds.
Kinematics of $AdS_{5}/CFT_{4}$ Duality

We review the construction of the unitary supermultiplets of the ${\cal{N}}=8$ d=5 anti-de Sitter (AdS_5) superalgebra SU(2,2|4), which is the symmetry group of the type IIB superstring theory on $AdS_5 \times S^5$, using the oscillator method.
Thioredoxins in Cyanobacteria: Structure and Redox Regulation of Enzyme Activity

Thioredoxin is a small disulfide-containing redox protein that reduces disulfide bonds in other proteins. It can act both as a modulator of enzyme activity by reducing structurally important disulfide bonds in a target protein and also as a reducing agent. Unlike other eubacteria, the cyanobacteria have two distinct thioredoxins with approximately 39% amino acid identity. One of the thioredoxins (T1) is similar to bacterial thioredoxins both in structure and general redox activity. The other protein (T2) is relatively unstable and seems to be unique to cyanobacteria. Several enzymes in cyanobacteria are regulated by a disulfide redox mechanism that can be effected by either T1 or T2, including enzymes for CO2 fixation, carbon catabolism and nitrogen metabolism. In addition, cyanobacterial thioredoxins can function as reducing agents in the phosphoadenosine phosphosulfate reductase and ribonucleotide reductase reactions. Thioredoxins, in turn, are reduced by the products of PS I, thus providing a biochemical link between light reactions and regulation of metabolism. An attempt to inactivate the Tl gene in Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 did not succeed in producing thioredoxin-minus mutants which implies that T1 performs some essential function in photosynthetic organisms that cannot be efficiently substituted by T2 or other redox systems. Although its role in regulating carbon metabolism seems to be most crucial for photoautotrophic growth, definitive evidence for the in vivo functions of thioredoxin in cyanobacteria is still lacking.
Anorectal rings in infancy: incidence and significance.

Anorectal rings were found in 13.8% of 1,716 consecutive newborn infants. The anorectal ring was detected in four times as many females as males. Anorectal rings of the grades discovered in this study dilated spontaneously and did not require treatment. The incidence of constipation, colic, blood in the stool, excessive straining, distention, tear of the anal skin, and crying with defecation was the same in a group of 168 infants with anorectal rings as it was in a group of 160 infants in whom the anorectal ring was absent. A thick, fibrous anorectal ring which does not dilate spontaneously may cause obstructive symptoms and require treatment. This type of anorectal ring did not occur in this group of 1,716 infants.
CMIP5 simulaciones de clima: implicaciones para la hidrología

En este articulo se senala a traves de las simulaciones climaticas del centro nacional de la investigacion atmosferica (NCAR) que, para finales del s. XXI, habra un incremento de la temperatura del 3.3°C y en algunas areas hasta de 7-8°C. Este cambio repercutira sobre la produccion agricola y la mortalidad de los seres humanos. El nuevo enfoque que integra las ciencias sociales con las ciencias fisicas busca manejar el problema de adaptacion al cambio climatico y, asimismo, influir en la toma de decisiones para afrontar la vulnerabilidad y los retos que impone la adaptacion al cambio climatico.
Reaction kinetics of GeCl4 on Si(111)7 × 7

Abstract GeCl4 may be useful for the deposition of germanium or the growth of Si1−xGex heterostructures on silicon surfaces. To explore the interaction of GeCl4 with silicon surfaces, the adsorption and desorption kinetics on Si(111)7 × 7 were studied using laser-induced thermal desorption (LITD) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. Following GeCl4 adsorption, TPD experiments monitored SiCl2 and atomic Ge as the desorption species at approximately 920 and 1200 K, respectively. SiCl2 was also observed at all coverages in LITD product yields. The SiCl2 desorption products indicate that the incoming chlorine atoms on GeCl4 transfer from Ge to the silicon surface. TPD experiments following multiple GeCl4 adsorption/desorption cycles also monitored GeCl2 desorption at ~ 875 K. LITD measurements were used to determine the initial reactive sticking coefficient of GeCl4 on Si(111)7 × 7. The initial sticking coefficient was larger than previously measured sticking coefficients for chlorosilanes and alkylsilanes on Si(111)7 × 7. The sticking coefficient was S0 ≈ 1.0 at 150 K and decreased to S0 ≈ 0.1 at 700 K. The temperature dependence of the initial sticking coefficient was consistent with a precursor-mediated adsorption model. LITD measurements determined that the chlorine surface coverage saturated after large GeCl4 exposures and the saturation coverage was independent of surface temperature. This self-limiting behavior should be useful for the controlled deposition of germanium on silicon surfaces. Isothermal LITD studies of SiCl2 desorption revealed second-order kinetics with an activation barrier of Ed = 81 ± 3 kcal/mol and a preexponential factor of vd = 1.2 × 104±0.2cm2/s. These measured surface reaction kinetics for GeCl4 on Si(111)7 × 7 should help to determine the conditions for atomic layer growth of Ge or Si1−xGex on silicon surfaces.
A NOTE ON EXCITON MULTIPLICITIES

A case in which a singlet exciton state lies below a triplet state is discussed with reference to Tekeuti's position that such a case would be a violation of Hund's Rule. (M.C.G.)