An imidazolium-based zwitterionic polymer for antiviral and antibacterial dual functional coatings

An imidazolium-based zwitterionic polymer is reported with dual functions of antivirus and antifouling with broad applicability.

The Counterfactual Definition of a Program Effect

Evaluators are often called upon to assess the effects of programs. To assess a program effect, evaluators need a clear understanding of how a program effect is defined. Arguably, the most widely used definition of a program effect is the counterfactual one. According to the counterfactual definition, a program effect is the difference between what happened after the program was implemented and what would have happened if the program had not been implemented, but everything else had been the same. Such a definition is often said to be linked to the use of quantitative methods. But the definition can be used just as effectively with qualitative methods. To demonstrate its broad applicability in both qualitative and quantitative research, I show how the counterfactual definition undergirds seven common approaches to assessing effects. It is not clear how any alternative to the counterfactual definition is as generally applicable as the counterfactual definition.

STREAMING SMALL SHARED SPACES: EXPLORING THE CONNECTEDNESS OF THE PHYSICAL SPACES OF MICROSTREAMERS AND THEIR AUDIENCE

This paper examines how microstreamers either intentionally or unintentionally share their intimate physical spaces with audiences. While most streaming research focuses on larger and/or monetized professional streamers, there is emerging research on ‘microstreaming’—streams whose audiences are often as low as single digits—and their importance as smaller, more intimate spaces. Given their casual nature, microstreamers are much less likely to have invested in professional level equipment, or to have dedicated streaming-specific areas of their homes. Some scholars have argued that streaming from intimate spaces such as bedrooms can be considered performative, yet our current research questions the broad applicability of such findings, especially with respect to microstreamers. One way to understand these shared spaces is through the lens of place. Streaming represents an event in which the barriers around the “first place” are intentionally removed, and spectatorship invited. Professional streamers navigate this knowingly and intentionally whereas microstreamers may not – the shared spaces of microstreamers can be understood as an unintentional “leaking” of one’s privately held backstage, made available for consumption by unknown others. In our observations of microstreamers, we note that 1) their environments are multi-purpose, unstaged, and shared with others, 2) these others often interrupt or modify the content of the stream in ways that leverage the space in generating increased authenticity, and 3) these streamers mimic more professionalized streams in amateur ways that again produce a sense of realism and endearment. These elements coalesce to provide a unique sense of authenticity and charm to microstreamer content.

Optimization of Critical Parameters for Carbodiimide Mediated Production of Highly Modified Chitosan

An optimization of the 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and hydroxy benzotriazole mediated conjugation of the polysaccharide chitosan with functional carboxylic acids was shown. Optimal parameters that enable resource-efficient synthesis of highly functionalized chitosan were identified. In particular, use of only catalytic instead of stoichiometric amounts of hydroxy benzotriazole and tight control of pH in reaction mixture resulted in highly efficient incorporation of the desired moieties as side chains in chitosan. As a result, the model reactant 4-azidobenzoic acid was incorporated resulting in a degree of substitution of over 30% with very high coupling efficacy of up to 90%. Similar results were obtained with other carboxylic acids such as methacrylic acid, 3-(2-furyl) propionic acid and 3-maleimido propionic acid, highlighting the broad applicability of our findings for the functionalization of chitosan.

Anomaly detection with convolutional Graph Neural Networks

We devise an autoencoder based strategy to facilitate anomaly detection for boosted jets, employing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to do so. To overcome known limitations of GNN autoencoders, we design a symmetric decoder capable of simultaneously reconstructing edge features and node features. Focusing on latent space based discriminators, we find that such setups provide a promising avenue to isolate new physics and competing SM signatures from sensitivity-limiting QCD jet contributions. We demonstrate the flexibility and broad applicability of this approach using examples of W bosons, top quarks, and exotic hadronically-decaying exotic scalar bosons.

DACBench: A Benchmark Library for Dynamic Algorithm Configuration

Dynamic Algorithm Configuration (DAC) aims to dynamically control a target algorithm's hyperparameters in order to improve its performance. Several theoretical and empirical results have demonstrated the benefits of dynamically controlling hyperparameters in domains like evolutionary computation, AI Planning or deep learning. Replicating these results, as well as studying new methods for DAC, however, is difficult since existing benchmarks are often specialized and incompatible with the same interfaces. To facilitate benchmarking and thus research on DAC, we propose DACBench, a benchmark library that seeks to collect and standardize existing DAC benchmarks from different AI domains, as well as provide a template for new ones. For the design of DACBench, we focused on important desiderata, such as (i) flexibility, (ii) reproducibility, (iii) extensibility and (iv) automatic documentation and visualization. To show the potential, broad applicability and challenges of DAC, we explore how a set of six initial benchmarks compare in several dimensions of difficulty.

ADR’s Place at the Justice Table

As alternative dispute resolution (ADR) innovations become institutionalized into the court system, ADR’s promise to humanize and personalize justice too often becomes co-opted by the more dominant values of the traditional legal system. Professor Menkel-Meadow refers to this co-opting as a “clash of two cultures.” This “clash” is actually the legal system’s ongoing acculturation of ADR, focusing on efficiency and settlement often at the expense of preserving the distinct qualitative benefits such innovations offer the justice system. Why does this co-opting happen? From a sociological perspective, it can also be understood to be an extension of the ongoing feminist struggle to gain voice and legitimacy within the legal system and within broader society. This comment invites the reader to re-examine the institutionalization of ADR innovations through this acculturation lens. Although the focus will be on the institutionalization of court annexed mediation programs, these lessons have broad applicability to many court annexed ADR innovations....

Applications of 3-Substituted 2-Alkoxy- and 2-Alkylthiopropenals in Organic Synthesis

: α-Functionally substituted α,β-unsaturated aldehydes belong to the highly reactive class of compounds. They are used as versatile building blocks in organic synthesis. Due to the presence of several reactive sites in their structure, α,β-unsaturated aldehydes are widely employed as precursors of various acyclic and heterocyclic compounds, as well as complex natural products. At the same time, the acrylic systems with heteroatomic substituents (OAlk, SAlk) in the α-position are poorly studied. Therefore, it is impossible to reliably establish the distribution of electron density and to evaluate the real reactivity of each new representative of this class of compounds. This minireview summarizes the works demonstrating the broad applicability of 3-substituted 2-alkoxy and 2-alkylthiopropenals in organic synthesis.

Multifunctional Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

Hydrogels are used for various biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, capacity to mimic the extracellular matrix, and ability to encapsulate and deliver cells and therapeutics. However, traditional hydrogels have a few shortcomings, especially regarding their physical properties, thereby limiting their broad applicability. Recently, researchers have investigated the incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) into hydrogels to improve and add to the physical and biochemical properties of hydrogels. This brief review focuses on papers that describe the use of nanoparticles to improve more than one property of hydrogels. Such multifunctional hydrogel nanocomposites have enhanced potential for various applications including tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound healing, bioprinting, and biowearable devices.