cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pyritization of iron in tropical coastal sediments: Implications for the development of iron, sulfur, and carbon diagenetic properties, Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles

Abstract Pore water chemistries and rates of pyritization in tropical coastal sediments were investigated in two semi-protected bays, Praslin Bay and Savannes Bay, along the eastern side of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Sediments were collected from deltaic, nearshore non-deltaic, and offshore environments and 210Pb-derived sedimentation rates ranged between 0.1 and 1.7 g/cm2/yr. Sediments were mixed carbonate-siliciclastic (2–44% CaCO3) and had higher average FeHR/FeT ratios (0.4–0.6) than either global averaged continental margin sediments (0.28) or local bedrock and soils (0.11–0.15). Organic carbon concentrations, C/N ratios, and δ13COC measurements demonstrated that the organic carbon in offshore Savannes Bay sediments was dominantly marine in origin while the nearshore Savannes Bay and offshore Praslin Bay sediments contained organic carbon from both marine and terrestrial sources. Organic matter in Praslin Bay deltaic sediments and in organic-rich storm deposits was mainly (61–100%) terrestrial in origin. In most sediments, Spy concentrations and DOP values increased from zero to 0.4–1.5 wt.% and 0.18–0.56, respectively, as FeD/FeT and C/S ratios decreased with depth despite limited net sulfate reduction, as marked by lower pore water SO4/Cl ratios and higher alkalinity values relative to overlying seawater. In the upper 15 cm of sediment, average DGT (diffusive gradients in thin-films)-sulfide fluxes were similar for all environments (5–8 nmol/cm2/d), except for Savannes Bay nearshore sediments, which had a much higher average flux (76 nmol/cm2/d). Average DGT-iron fluxes were 5–13 times average DGT-sulfide fluxes except in Savannes Bay nearshore sediments where the rates were comparable. Savannes Bay nearshore sediments were also notable for possessing the greatest organic carbon (22 mg/cm2/yr) and pyrite sulfur (9.7 mg/cm2/yr) burial rates and represented the only environment where FeDGT- and SDGT-based pore water compositions reached saturation with amorphous FeS or mackinawite. In all other environments, sulfide production and likely iron-sulfide formation preferentially occurred in microniche environments. Most δ34Spy values (− 22 and − 34‰ VCDT) indicated that the supply of sulfate was not limited during sulfate reduction, though much higher values (up to − 7.8‰) identified pyrite formed in relatively closed system conditions. Sediment burial time vs. ln (FeD/FeT) and C/S values showed that half-lives of FeD sulfidation were 71–159 years and that a normal marine C/S ratio of 2.8 was attained after 22–79 years. A comparison of net rates of pyritization with DGT-iron fluxes demonstrated that iron was recycled less than 1.9 times before final burial. Overall, pyrite sulfur burial rates correlated linearly with organic carbon burial rates, providing further evidence that pyrite formation was primarily controlled by the deposition of organic carbon.
A QUARTERLY ECONOMETRIC MODEL OF FACTOR DEMANDS IN REGIONAL MANUFACTURING

This paper presents a model of demand for factor inputs in regional manufacturing industry. Demands for labor and capital are distinguished from demands for factor services using a generalization of the disequilibrium adjustment framework of Nadiri and Rosen. The generalization allows for a richer variety of responses to external shocks and involves the distinction between systematic and error dynamics. The model is estimated for the period 1963:I-1980:I using data from the Cincinnati SMSA and appropriate econometric techniques. Substantial attention is paid to the dynamic response of the estimated equations.
Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection Occurring after Exposure to Mycobacterium marinum

Cutaneous infections caused by Mycobacterium marinum have been attributed to aquarium or fish exposure after a break in the skin barrier. In most instances, the upper limbs and fingers account for a majority of the infection sites. While previous cases of necrotizing soft tissue infections related to M. marinum have been documented, the importance of our presenting case is to illustrate the aggressive nature of M. marinum resulting in a persistent necrotizing soft tissue infection of a finger that required multiple aggressive wound debridements, followed by an amputation of the affected extremity, in order to hasten recovery.
A Neural Network Approach to Electromyographic Signal Processing for a Motor Control Task

A hybrid modeling structure composed of a one degree of freedom computational musculoskeletal model and a feedforward multi-layer perceptron neural network was used to effectively map electromyography (EMG) from a human exercise trial to muscle activations in a physiologically feasible and accurate fashion. Several configurations of the complete hybrid system were used to map four muscle surface EMGs from a ballistic elbow flexion to normalized muscle activations, estimated individual muscle forces and torque about the joint. The net joint torque was used to train the neural portion of the hybrid system to minimize kinematic error. The model allowed the estimation of the nonobservable parameters: normalized muscle activations and forces which was used to penalize the learning system. With these parameters in the learning equation, our system produced muscle activations consistent with the classic triphasic response present in ballistic movements.
Ahemeral Light Cycles and Protein Levels for Older Laying Hens

Variations in light:dark ratios and timing schedules of 26- and 28-hr ahemeral cycles were examined for their effects on shell quality and egg weight. In two experiments utilizing 2578 White Leghorn Laying hens, 16-week long ahemeral treatments were instituted abruptly late in the pullet laying season and again following a forced-molt production cycle. Ahemeral light-dark cycles of 28-hr length resulted in significantly heavier shell and egg weights as compared to 26-hr ahemeral cycles or the control 24-hr cycle. Ahemeral 26-hr cycles did not significantly increase egg weight compared to the 24-hr controls but did increase shell weight. Varying total light in 28-hr cycles from 20 to 10 hr with the light given in either one continuous period or interrupted by two intermediate dark periods and as either 18 or 16 hr of continuous light in the 26-hr cycles did not result in significant differences in shell or egg weight compared to the other treatments of the same cycle length. Rate of lay was lower for the hens given only 10 hr of interrupted light in a 28-hr cycle but was not otherwise affected by light treatment. Dietary protein levels of 15% (as compared to 17%) and 14% (as compared to 16 and 18%) consistently reduced egg weights (P less than .10 or less than .05) and tended to improve shell quality. These experiments further demonstrated the effectiveness of 26- and 28-hr ahemeral light-dark cycles in increasing shell weight as a method of extending the economic laying period of either older pullets or force-molted hens without a sacrifice in the number of eggs produced.
Criminal Identity Deception and Deception Detection in Law Enforcement

Criminals often falsify their identities intentionally in order to deter police investigations. In this paper we focus on uncovering patterns of criminal identity deception observed through a case study performed at a local law enforcement agency. We define criminal identity deception based on an understanding of the various theories of deception. We interview a police detective expert and discuss the characteristics of criminal identity deception. A taxonomy for criminal identity deception was built to represent the different patterns that were identified in the case study. We also discuss methods currently employed by law enforcement agencies to detect deception. Police database systems contain little information that can help reveal deceptive identities. Thus, in order to identify deception, police officers rely mainly on investigation. Current methods for detecting deceptive criminal identities are neither effective nor efficient. Therefore we propose an automated solution to help solve this problem.
Fast and Scalable Pattern Matching for Network Intrusion Detection Systems

High-speed packet content inspection and filtering devices rely on a fast multipattern matching algorithm which is used to detect predefined keywords or signatures in the packets. Multipattern matching is known to require intensive memory accesses and is often a performance bottleneck. Hence, specialized hardware-accelerated algorithms are required for line-speed packet processing. We present hardware-implementable pattern matching algorithm for content filtering applications, which is scalable in terms of speed, the number of patterns and the pattern length. Our algorithm is based on a memory efficient multihashing data structure called Bloom filter. We use embedded on-chip memory blocks in field programmable gate array/very large scale integration chips to construct Bloom filters which can suppress a large fraction of memory accesses and speed up string matching. Based on this concept, we first present a simple algorithm which can scan for several thousand short (up to 16 bytes) patterns at multigigabit per second speeds with a moderately small amount of embedded memory and a few mega bytes of external memory. Furthermore, we modify this algorithm to be able to handle arbitrarily large strings at the cost of a little more on-chip memory. We demonstrate the merit of our algorithm through theoretical analysis and simulations performed on Snort's string set
The effects of forskolin on cyclic AMP, intraocular pressure and aqueous humor formation in rabbits

Forskolin was used to study cyclic AMP-mediated regulation of aqueous humor dynamics in rabbits. Crystalline forskolin was solubilized in oil and its pharmacological effects were studied both in vitro and following topical ocular administration. In vitro, using cultured corneal epithelial cells, forskolin rapidly stimulated cyclic AMP production and in vivo increased cyclic AMP concentration in the aqueous humor 10-fold following topical administration. The effect of topical forskolin on intraocular pressure and aqueous humor formation was determined in vivo using pneumatonometry and fluorophotometry, respectively. Forskolin caused a prolonged reduction of intraocular pressure and decreased aqueous humor formation. The ability of forskolin to potentiate the ocular hypotensive effect of epinephrine was investigated. Forskolin in combination with epinephrine caused a decrease in intraocular pressure of longer duration than either 0.1% epinephrine or 1% forskolin administered separately. Forskolin caused a s...
Scientific visualization and computer vision

Visualization is the process of converting a set of numbers resulting from numerical simulations or experiments into a graphical image. However, the ultimate goal is to understand the underlying science. A crucial part is to identify, quantify and track important regions and structures (objects of interest). In this realm, the goals of visualization, computer vision and image processing coincide. Namely, the concern is to produce an image, automatically analyze and recognize objects in a field and reconstruct a model. In this paper, we present an overview of some important quantification/visualization operations and demonstrate how these operations incorporate ideas from computer graphics, image processing, computer vision, and mathematical morphology. >
Nutrient management in African sorghum cropping systems: applying meta-analysis to assess yield and profitability

Declining soil fertility and limited farmer access to inorganic fertilizer frequently cause sub-optimal grain yields throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Farm productivity is also at risk from extreme weather and future climate change. Significant uncertainty remains in predicting climate in Africa, increasing the challenge of planning for climate change adaptation. Sorghum is adapted to African climate patterns and is predicted to maintain widespread suitability across different African climatic zones under climate change. Sorghum’s drought tolerance and ability to withstand water logging make it an important crop for maintaining productive agroecosystems under a changing climate. Due to its status as a staple grain, improved sorghum management can provide smallholder farmers with stability in their household nutritional needs. We reviewed sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yield trends across nutrient management scenarios using meta-analysis. We compared yield across eight nutrient management practices: (i) N-only, (ii) P-only, (iii) N and P, (iv) N and P microdose, (v) legume management, (vi) manure addition, (vii) organic matter (OM) amendment, and (viii) mixed amendment. Our review demonstrated (1) yield improvement considering all scenarios averaged 66 % relative to no nutrient inputs, (2) yield under chemical fertilizer amendment increased by 47–98 % of control yield, (3) yield under organic nutrient amendment increased by 43–87 % of control yield, and (4) the profitability of a management scenario was not solely determined by the magnitude of yield increase. For example, due to the high cost of fertilizer, addition of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) generated the largest yield increase, but the lowest profit, in two of three countries analyzed. In contrast, an edible legume in rotation averaged 43 % yield improvement relative to no nutrient inputs and a net profit of US $146 to $263 per hectare. Facilitating access to both fertilizer inputs and diversified rotations has the greatest potential to increase grain yield in Africa.
The Paradoxes of Oklahoma’s Amazon Statute: Weak Duties, Expansive Coverage, Often Superfluous, Constitutionally Infirm

Oklahoma’s new Amazon law is a paradoxical statute. That law imposes a weak enforcement responsibility, namely, the obligation to post notices on websites, catalogs and invoices of consumers’ obligation to pay the Oklahoma use tax on internet and mail order purchases of tangible personal property. However, the Oklahoma law paradoxically imposes this tepid notification responsibility aggressively upon a broader class of internet and mail order retailers than is encompassed by New York’s or Colorado’s Amazon act. When the Oklahoma law imposes its use tax notification responsibility upon out-of-state sellers with no physical presence in Oklahoma, the law unconstitutionally contravenes the dormant Commerce Clause physical presence nexus test articulated in National Bellas Hess and Quill. When the Oklahoma act constitutionally compels its use tax notification duty upon firms which are physically present in the Sooner State, those firms are already obligated to collect Oklahoma use tax by virtue of the use tax statute’s agency provisions. Hence, the second paradox of the Oklahoma Amazon statute: When it is constitutional, the statute is superfluous; when it is innovative, Oklahoma’s Amazon law is unconstitutional. The ultimate responsibility for this unsatisfactory situation lies with Congress which has the authority to empower the states to impose sales and use tax collection responsibilities on all remote sellers. Federal legislation in this area is long overdue.
Using Information Flow Methods to Secure Cyber-Physical Systems

The problems involved in securing cyber-physical systems are well known to the critical infrastructure protection community. However, the diversity of cyber-physical systems means that the methods used to analyze system security must often be reinvented. The issues of securing the physical assets of a system, the electronics that control the system and the interfaces between the cyber and physical components of the system require a number of security tools. Of particular interest is preventing an attacker from exploiting nondeducibility-secure information flows to hide an attack or the source of an attack. This potentially enables the attacker to interrupt system availability.
High Precision Neural Decoding of Complex Movement Trajectories Using Recursive Bayesian Estimation With Dynamic Movement Primitives

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) are a rapidly progressing technology with the potential to restore function to victims of severe paralysis via neural control of robotic systems. Great strides have been made in directly mapping a user’s cortical activity to control of the individual degrees of freedom of robotic end-effectors. While BMIs have yet to achieve the level of reliability desired for widespread clinical use, environmental sensors (e.g., RGB-D cameras for object detection) and prior knowledge of common movement trajectories hold great potential for improving system performance. Here, we present a novel sensor fusion paradigm for BMIs that capitalizes on information able to be extracted from the environment to greatly improve the performance of control. This was accomplished by using dynamic movement primitives to model the 3-D endpoint trajectories of manipulating various objects. We then used a switching unscented Kalman filter to continuously arbitrate between the 3-D endpoint kinematics predicted by the dynamic movement primitives and control derived from neural signals. We experimentally validated our system by decoding 3-D endpoint trajectories executed by a nonhuman primate manipulating four different objects at various locations. Performance using our system showed a dramatic improvement over using neural signals alone, with median distance between actual and decoded trajectories decreasing from 31.1 to 9.9 cm, and mean correlation increasing from 0.80 to 0.98. Our results indicate that our sensor fusion framework can dramatically increase the fidelity of neural prosthetic trajectory decoding.
Effect on vehicle safety of nonexistent or silenced basic safety messages

In future vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs), Basic Safety Messages (BSMs) would be transmitted by all vehicles every 100ms in order to help prevent inter-vehicle crashes. At first not all vehicles would contain the hardware and software necessary to transmit BSMs; there would be an interval when only a percentage of vehicles would transmit. Further, even after all vehicles install the equipment, some privacy researchers recommend silent periods, spans of time during which vehicles deliberately cease transmissions. This is because BSMs may expose vehicle locations to wireless surveillance, and silent periods could thwart eavesdroppers. Whether due to lack of equipment or due to privacy protocols, silent periods would defeat safety provided by BSMs. This paper quantifies this tradeoff, presenting the Safety-Silence Tradeoff Equation, and showing an inverse exponential relationship between the proportion of vehicles transmitting BSMs and the proportion of potential collisions between vehicles unprotected by BSMs.
Classifying Row-reduced Echelon Matrices

Stewart Venit and Wayne Bishop, California State University, Los Angeles, CA One of the fundamental theorems of linear algebra states that the row-reduced echelon form of a given mX n matrix is unique. Yet, there are many row-reduced echelon forms associated with the set of all m X n matrices, for given m and n with n > 1. We shall characterize them and count their number. Recall that a matrix is said to be in row-reduced echelon form if the following conditions are all satisfied:
The Importance of Prey for Fecundity and Behavior in the Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Predator Calosoma sycophanta (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

The effect of prey type and abundance on the reproductive success and pre-ovipositional activity of the ground beetle Calosoma sycophanta L. was investigated to better understand their relationship with the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.). We obtained the numbers of ovipositing females, eggs per oviposition, and viable eggs for beetle pairs fed differing numbers of L. dispar and Galleria mellonella L. larvae for 6 wk after simulated emergence. Beetle pairs fed 10 L. dispar larvae at each feeding produced significantly higher numbers of eggs than those of any other treatment. Beetles fed G. mellonella were generally not reproductively successful, except when the diet also included adequate numbers of L. dispar . We monitored the post-emergence activity of beetles in similar feeding groups with a video camera recording 1 s of every 30 s for 2 wk. By the 2nd wk, male beetles were significantly more active than females in all groups except those receiving high numbers of L. dispar . These results indicate that abundant prey is critical and that L. dispar is important to the diet of C. sycophanta if successful reproduction is to occur. In particular, female beetle activity is related to prey type and availability.
Matrix Methods in the Solution of Algebraic Equations

(1942). Matrix Methods in the Solution of Algebraic Equations. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 310-315.
Experiments on the lens in amblystoma

The embryo of Amblystoma punctatum has been reported as one of those in which the ectoderm normally giving rise to the lens is dependent upon the continued influence of the optic vesicle to effect its differentiation.1 It was surprising, therefore, to find that in certain experiments, directed toward the study of the gills, lenses developed from the proper ectoderm when transplanted to regions far from the eye.There are obviously two ways of testing the independence of lens differentiation: one is to take away the eye rudiment as has been done in previous experiments (Spemann, Lewis, Le Cron); the other is to transplant the lens-forming ectoderm to another region of the embryo. The present experiments upon Amblystoma show that the results may be different in the two cases.Excision of the eye rudiment in the medullary plate stage is followed by suppression of the lens. Likewise, if the optic vesicle is removed immediately or shortly after closure of the medullary folds, the lens fails to develop, as shown ...
Activation of methane by Ru+: Experimental and theoretical studies of the thermochemistry and mechanism

Abstract The reaction of Ru+ with CH4 is studied using a guided-ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. Consistent with previous work, no reactivity is observed at thermal energies. As the collision energy is increased, dehydrogenation to form RuCH2+ + H2 is observed with a relatively low energy threshold. At higher energies, other products, RuH+, RuC+, RuCH+, and RuCH3+, are observed with RuH+ dominating the product spectrum. Modeling of the endothermic cross sections provides thresholds that agree well with thermochemistry determined previously, except in the case of RuC+ where a revised 0 K bond dissociation energy (BDE) of 5.43 ± 0.08 eV is measured here. The experimental BDEs of all products observed are in reasonable agreement with theoretical calculations at the B3LYP, QCISD(T), and CCSD(T,full) levels of theory using several different basis sets. Theory is also used to explore the potential energy surfaces associated with the reaction of Ru+ with methane, with some distinct differences found compared with previous computational results. These calculations reveal that this reaction proceeds through a H‐Ru+‐CH3 intermediate and requires crossing from the quartet spin of the reactants to a doublet spin intermediate, and possibly back to quartet in order to dehydrogenate. Further, both RuCH2+ and HRuCH+ geometries are nearly isoenergetic. Details of the various intermediates, transition states, and crossing points between surfaces are provided. Finally, reactions of Ru+ with methane are compared with those of the first and third-row congeners, Fe+ and Os+, and the differences in behavior and mechanism discussed.
Tunable helicity, stability and DNA-binding properties of short peptides with hybrid metal coordination motifs

Given the prevalent role of α-helical motifs on protein surfaces in mediating protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions, there have been significant efforts to develop strategies to induce α-helicity in short, unstructured peptides to interrogate such interactions. Toward this goal, we have recently introduced hybrid metal coordination motifs (HCMs). HCMs combine a natural metal-binding amino acid side chain and a synthetic chelating group that are appropriately positioned in a peptide sequence to stabilize an α-helical conformation upon metal coordination. Here, we present a series of short peptides modified with HCMs consisting of a His and a phenanthroline group at i and i + 7 positions that can induce α-helicity in a metal-tunable fashion as well as direct the formation of discrete dimeric architectures for recognition of biological targets. We show that the induction of α-helicity can be further modulated by secondary sphere interactions between amino acids at the i + 4 position and the HCM. A frequently cited drawback of the use of peptides as therapeutics is their propensity to be quickly digested by proteases; here, we observe an enhancement of up to ∼100-fold in the half-lives of the metal-bound HCM-peptides in the presence of trypsin. Finally, we show that an HCM-bearing peptide sequence, which contains the DNA-recognition domain of a bZIP protein but is devoid of the obligate dimerization domain, can dimerize with the proper geometry and in an α-helical conformation to bind a cognate DNA sequence with high affinities (Kd ≥ 65 nM), again in a metal-tunable manner.
The Birth of the Female Subject in The Crying of Lot 49

Oedipa Maas is not, in the traditional sense, a "character." But, as Helene Cixous observes, the notion of character is based on the concept of a single, unified self or identity (Conley 24) – the very ideological/cultural assumption Pynchon's novel calls into question. The concept of character is, in Cixous's opinion, an outmoded literary convention, to break up which is "a political gesture necessary to bring about social change" (Conley 24, 25).
Embryologic development of epidermal ridges and their configurations.

The configurations of epidermal ridges that comprise dermatoglyphic traits are, in many respects, a history of the developmental period during which the ridges form. In 1892 Sir Francis Galton [l] demonstrated that epidermal ridge configurations did not change throughout postnatal life. The fact that ridge configurations were not affected by environment or by age has been an important framework in genetic studies. In 1936, Cummins [2] reported the association of unusual dermatoglyphics with Down syndrome. Confirmation of his findings [3_ 51 demonstrated the potential value of dermatoglyphics in clinical medicine. While not diagnostic alone, dermatoglyphics have been a valuable aid when clinical diagnosis was in doubt. Unusual dermatoglyphics now have been associated with congenital defects of both genetic and environmental origin [6]. Schaumann and Johnson [7] have noted that dermatoglyphics associated with congenital defects are significant markers of prenatal events. Yet, at present little is known about the atypical developmental processes that have produced these associations. The precise configuration of epidermal ridges and minutiae is determined at a very early embryonic age, around 10 weeks postfertilization. Accordingly, an understanding of the prenatal morphogenesis of dermatoglyphic traits is fundamental to our interpretation of their variation and their relationship to birth defects. The developmental history of dermatoglyphic traits requires first a background in the normal developmental chronology of prenatal hand. Second, it includes an understanding’of the development of epidermal ridges, the basic building blocks of dermatoglyphic traits, and factors that may influence ridge configuration. The developmental basis of dermatoglyphic traits is fundamental to a better understanding of their variation and relationship to congenital defects.
The Evolving Role of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Management of Multidrug Resistant Infections

This article summarizes the current literature describing how antimicrobial stewardship interventions impact antimicrobial resistance. Discussion includes why we need stewardship, how to collaborate with team members, and the evidence of stewardship's impact on resistance.
Navigating the WordPress plugin landscape

WordPress includes a plugin mechanism that allows user-provided code to be executed in response to specific system events and input/output requests. The large number of extension points provided by WordPress makes it challenging for new plugin developers to understand which extension points they should use, while the thousands of existing plugins make it hard to find existing extension point handler implementations for use as examples when creating a new plugin. In this paper, we present a lightweight analysis, supplemented with information mined from source comments and the webpages hosted by WordPress for each plugin, that guides developers to the right extension points and to existing implementations of handlers for these extension points. We also present empirical information about how plugins are used in practice, providing guidance to both tool and prospective plugin developers.
Left-turn phasing decisions based on conflict analysis

The need to balance safety and operational efficiency at intersections requires special attention for accommodating left turn movements. Signalized intersections epitomise this need because unnecessary protection of left turns can significantly increase operational delay. Left turn protection however, increases safety and there is a need for proper balancing between the conflicting goals of safety and operations. The long time required to collect crash data to evaluate the use of existing warrants render them frequently ineffective and the need for a preliminary design tool to assist in left turn phasing decisions is needed. This research developed a quantitative safety assessment tool that predicts left turn related conflicts and uses them to determine the appropriate phasing scheme for left turns. The model was developed based on VISSIM micro-simulation software in conjunction with the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model. Language: en
Defining the Chance of Statistical Cure Among Patients with Extrahepatic Biliary Tract Cancer.

While surgery offers the best curative-intent treatment, many patients with biliary tract malignancies have poor long-term outcomes. We sought to apply a non-mixture cure model to calculate the cure fraction and the time to cure after surgery of patients with peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHCC) or gallbladder cancer (GBC). Using the Extrahepatic Biliary Malignancy Consortium, 576 patients who underwent curative-intent surgery for gallbladder carcinoma or peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma between 1998 and 2014 at 10 major hepatobiliary institutions were identified and included in the analysis. A non-mixture cure model was adopted to compare mortality after surgery to the mortality expected for the general population matched by sex and age. The median and 5-year overall survival (OS) were 1.9 years (IQR, 0.9–4.9) and 23.9 % (95 % CI, 19.6–28.6). Among all patients with PHCC or GBC, the probability of being cured after surgery was 14.5 % (95 % CI, 8.7–23.2); the time to cure was 9.7 years and the median survival of uncured patients was 1.8 years. Determinants of cure probabilities included lymph node metastasis and CA 19.9 level (p ≤ 0.05). The cure fraction for patients with a CA 19.9 < 50 U/ml and no lymph nodes metastases were 39.0 % versus only 5.1 % among patients with a CA 19.9 ≥ 50 who also had lymph node metastasis. Examining an “all comer” cohort, <15 % of patients with PHCC or GBC could be considered cured after surgery. Factors such CA 19.9 level and lymph node metastasis independently predicted long-term outcome. Estimating the odds of statistical cure following surgery for biliary tract cancer can assist in decision-making as well as inform discussions around survivorship.
Improving Avionics Fiber Optic Network Reliability and Maintainability Via Built-In Test

Significant work is ongoing to understand how the application of avionics fiber optic BIT technology can help reduce life cycle and total ownership cost in military aviation platforms. Operational availability enhancements via comprehensive supportability programs combined with keen attentiveness to reliability and maintainability metrics are driving the avionics fiber optic BIT value proposition. Future life cycle cost impact studies in fielded squadron aircraft are expected to validate the assertions put forth in this paper
Phenotypic and Functional Effects of Perifosine on Dendritic Cells.

Perifosine is a synthetic novel alkylphospholipid, a new class of antitumor agent which targets cell membranes and inhibits Akt activation. Perifosine inhibits multiple myeloma (MM) cell growth in vitro and in vivo mouse model. Currently perifosine is under the evaluation of phase II clinical trail in MM. Although perifosine has shown significant direct antitumor effects, its effect on immune system has not yet been clarified. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of perifosine on the activity of antigen presenting cells (APCs). Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) from normal human donors were used as the APCs, and mature DCs were obtained by the treatment of TNF-α and IL-1β. Perifosine was used at the concentrations of 2.5 uM, 5 uM and 10 uM for the treatment with DCs. We first evaluated the effect of perifosine on the survival of DCs. We observed that the perifosine treatment up to 48 hours had no effect on viability (>90%) of DCs, assessed by annexin V and PI staining. Alteration of phenotype by perifosine on DCs was further examined by flow cytometry. Our results demonstrated that with dose-dependent manner, perifosine led to a significant down-regulation of surface antigens on immature DCs at 24 and 48 hours, which associated to costimulation (CD40, CD80 and CD86), antigen presentation (HLA-ABC, HLA-DPQR) and maturation (CD83). However, we did not observed significant effect of perifosine on above surface markers on mature DCs. Since DCs play a crucial role on the regulation of Th1/Th2 immune responses by the production of IL-12, we next evaluated IL-12 secretion by DCs with and without perifosine treatment. Importantly, treatment with perifosine significantly decreased LPS-induced-IL-12 production, compared to untreated DCs (untrt vs. trt = 192.29 vs. 166.23 pg/ml (2.5uM), 111.19 pg/ml (5uM) and 44.886 pg/ml (10uM)) at 24 hours. To assess the effect of perifosine on DCs function on the regulation of T cell responses, we stimulated allogenic T cells with mature DCs with or without the pre-treatment of perifosine. The proliferation assay by 3 H-TdR incorporation and IFN-γ production by ELISA indicated perifosine-treated DCs had no significant effect on the regulation of T cells function. Taken together, these results showed that DCs function are influenced by the treatment of perifosine. Our pre-clinical data therefore indicates the need to monitor immune functions in patients under the Akt inhibitor treatment.
Shalom, bitches: Epistemic stance and identity work in an anonymous online forum

Abstract How individuals discursively identify themselves through digital media and augment their claims of knowledge and legitimacy is at the core of this study. This article draws on the tools of Conversation Analysis to show how participants discussing the approval of a Hebrew language charter school in an online community forum claim access to particular kinds of knowledge and expertise through linguistic and interactional means. We ask: given the particular constraints and affordances of an asynchronous, anonymous online forum, how do participants position themselves and others with regard to identity? Despite the asynchronous nature of the forum, we show how such identity work is accomplished interactionally through the use of online affordances, as participants position themselves and others to bolster their epistemic stance, or to weaken the epistemic claims of others.
Jejunoileal Bypass: Physiologic Ramifications of an Obsolete Procedure That Has Resurfaced in Oncologic Surgery

The jejunoileal bypass (JIB) is a malabsorptive operation that was designed to treat morbidly obese patients. The classic procedure initially described by Payne and colleagues bypasses 90% of the small bowel by transecting the jejunum about 15 in. distal to the ligament of Treitz and performing an end-to-side anastomosis to the distal ileum. Many variations of the JIB have been described, but all have the end effect of malabsorption. This surgery was the most effective weight loss operation at that time; however, it results in a number of metabolic complications, and thus has largely been abandoned in favor of less debilitating procedures. The specific adverse events associated with the JIB procedure include electrolyte abnormalities, liver insufficiency, biliary lithiasis, nephrolithiasis, bone disease, renal insufficiency, and intestinal complications. A potential increased risk of colorectal cancer is associated with this procedure, and specific management is warranted for this special consideration. The anatomy and ramifications of this operation are critical for the current surgeon to understand in order to manage these patients who are now presenting later in life with gastrointestinal malignancies requiring operation.
The strategic control of prospective memory monitoring in response to complex and probabilistic contextual cues

Participants use simple contextual cues to reduce deployment of costly monitoring processes in contexts in which prospective memory (PM) targets are not expected. This study investigated whether this strategic monitoring pattern is observed in response to complex and probabilistic contextual cues. Participants performed a lexical decision task in which words or nonwords were presented in upper or lower locations on screen. The specific condition was informed that PM targets ("tor" syllable) would occur only in words in the upper location, whereas the nonspecific condition was informed that targets could occur in any location or word type. Context was blocked such that word type and location changed every 8 trials. In Experiment 1, the specific condition used the complex contextual cue to reduce monitoring in unexpected contexts relative to the nonspecific condition. This pattern largely was not evidenced when the complex contextual cue was probabilistic (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 confirmed that strategic monitoring is observed for a complex cue that is deterministic, but not one that is probabilistic. Additionally, Experiments 1 and 3 demonstrated a disadvantage associated with strategic monitoring-namely, that the specific condition was less likely to respond to a PM target in an unexpected context. Experiment 3 provided evidence that this disadvantage is attributable to impaired noticing of the target. The novel findings suggest use of a complex contextual cue per se is not a boundary condition for the strategic, context-specific allocation of monitoring processes to support prospective remembering; however, strategic monitoring is constrained by the predictive utility of the complex contextual cue.
Algorithmic Value: Cultural Encoding, Textuality, and the Myth of “Source Code”

In this article, I provide a Spivakian analysis of computational algorithms. Building upon Gayatri Spivak’s claim that the value coding of late capitalism extends beyond the economic realm to the cultural and affective, I show that it seeps into the algorithmic as well. The recent proliferation of algorithmic applications has been met by an increased scholarly interest in their underlying mechanisms. Several critics of predictive algorithms, for instance, proceed as though the racial and gender discrimination that a given algorithm enacts upon execution can be positively attributed to -- and mitigated through a re-coding of – either its training data or its “source code.” There is little denying that the logic of computation undergirds much of our sociality. But, as I argue in this article, to concentrate the source of an algorithm’s action in its semiotic representations is to hide and legitimize the value codings that lend these representations their efficacy. My aim in this article is two-fold. First, to show how seemingly benign investments in algorithms can reproduce, in a larger network, the exploitative value systems that manage the worth of knowledge, epistemologies, labor, and bodies. Second, to raise a question of methodology: What antitechnocratic, nonhegemonic engagements with algorithms might feminists produce that do not privilege the algorithmic as a site of intervention
An Arctic development strategy? The North Slope Inupiat and the resource curse

Alaska’s North Slope region has been seen as an exception to the resource curse. Observers of the first 20 years of oil development have viewed its effects as positive for the local Indigenous comm...
Efficient estimation with panel data: An empirical comparison of instrumental variables estimators

Hausman and Taylor (1981) proposed an efficient instrumental variables estimator for panel data regression models where the individual effects may be correlated with some of the regressors. Amemiya and MacCurdy (1986) and Breusch, Mizon, and Schmidt (1986) have suggested instrumental variables estimators that are potentially more efficient than the Hausman and Taylor estimator. We address the empirical question of how large these efficiency gains might be. In our returns to schooling example noticeable efficiency gains are limited to the coefficients of time-invariant endogenous variables. This is important, however, since education does not vary over time in our sample.
Plant Genetic Assays to Evaluate Complex Environmental Mixtures

Higher plants possess a variety of well defined genetic end points that include the quantitative detection of chromosome damage and point mutations. Plant assays are the only higher eukaryotic system currently employed as in situ monitors of polluted air (Lower et al., 1978; Ma, 1981; Schairer and Sautkulis, 1982), polluted water (Heartlein et al., 1981; DeMarini et al., 1982; Klekowski, 1978), agricultural chemicals (Plewa and Wagner, 1981; Gentile et al., 1982; Plewa et al., 1984), municipal sewage sludges (Hopke et al., 1982; Plewa and Hopke, 1983; Hopke et al., in press), and nuclear power plants (Ichikawa, 1981). Review papers on the use of plant systems in genetic toxicology are available (Nilan, 1978; Klekowski, 1982).
Rethinking Measures of Democracy and Welfare State Universalism: Lessons from Subnational Research

Democracy and the welfare state are two of the most extensively studied concepts and themes in the field of comparative politics. Debate about how to best measure the two concepts has failed to con...
Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy as a Primary Treatment for Deep Inaccessible Gliomas.

BACKGROUND Treatment strategies for deep intracranial gliomas remain limited to stereotactic biopsy in many cases due to the morbidity of aggressive surgical resection. Since no cytoreductive therapy is offered, outcomes have been demonstrably poor compared to patients who are able to undergo primary surgical resection. OBJECTIVE To present our practice, in an effort to reduce morbidity and still offer cytoreductive treatment, of offering the possibility of laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) for the primary treatment of intracranial deep gliomas that would be otherwise unamenable for resection. METHODS From 2010 to 2017, 74 patients were identified from a single surgeon at a single tertiary care referral center who had been treated with LITT. We conducted an exploratory cohort study on patients (n = 6) who have undergone contemporaneous biopsy and laser ablation for the treatment of deep gliomas with a mean tumor volume of 10.9 cc (range 4.2-52 cc). RESULTS In our cohort, mean extent of ablation (EOA) was 98.5% on postoperative MRI; mean progression-free survival was 14.3 mo, and 5 patients (83%) remained alive at mean follow-up time of 19.7 mo without any complications. Additionally, there was a negative linear relationship between preoperative lesion size and EOA (P < .04) when analyzed with previously reported series. CONCLUSION Although our series is small, we suggest that LITT can be a safe alternative cytoreductive therapy for deep surgically inaccessible gliomas. Given the known benefit of near gross total resection for high-grade gliomas, we believe LITT may improve survival for these patients and complement adjuvant treatments if patients are appropriately selected.
Adding an avidin clearing agent improved MORF pretargeting of tumor

719 Objectives: This laboratory is successfully using MORF/cMORF pretargeting to accumulate radioactivity in tumor xenografts in mice but without benefit of a clearing agent. We have now investigated the improvement in pretargeting by injecting an avidin intermediate between the biotinylated MORF-antibody and the 99mTc labeled cMORF effector. As in all recent studies of pretargeting from this laboratory, a semiempirical prediction model was used to estimate the optimum dosages. Methods: After conjugating CC49 with both biotin and MORF, measuring gpm and confirming specificity for tumor cells, the MORF-CC49-biotin was used in a 3-step protocol in normal mice in which increasing dosages of avidin was added intermediate between the biotinylated antibody and 99mTc-cMORF. The dosages of antibody and cMORF were estimated using our semiempirical model from the pharmacokinetics of each injectate evaluated separately. Thereafter, a pretargeting protocol was designed and applied to LS174T tumored mice. Results: Under one set of variables (30 µg of MORF-CC49-biotin, 1 day pretargeting interval, 3 h clearing time, 1.2 µg of 99mTc-cMORF, and 3 h detection time), the clearance efficiency in normal mice was found to be about 60 % for avidin dosages greater than 20 µg. In tumored mice, the same set of variables was used to obtain the identical clearance efficiency. As predicted, tumor accumulation was unchanged at 6.30 %ID/g for tumors of 0.70 g, while the tumor/tissue ratios increased three fold for blood and less for other tissues. Conclusions: Using a semiempirical prediction model to simplify dosage selection, MORF/cMORF pretargeting of tumor was improved by adding an avidin clearance step.
TCT-610 Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement compared to Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in patients with prior Chest Radiation

Patients who have received mediastinal radiation therapy (XRT) and subsequently develop severe symptomatic aortic stenosis are at higher risk for post-operative complications with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an alternative therapy but
In the face of adversity: four physical educator’s experiences of resilience in high-poverty schools

Background: Emotional resilience can be vital to longevity in high-poverty school settings. Equally important to staying the course is the ability to remain motivated despite the unique challenges ...
Characteristics and Applications of Pulsed Laser-Induced Single-Event Effects

Carrier generation induced by pulsed-laser excitation has become an essential tool for the investigation of single-event effects (SEEs) of micro- and nano-electronic structures. The qualitative capabilities of this approach include, among others, sensitive node identification, radiation hardened circuit verification, basic mechanisms investigations, model validation and calibration, screening devices for space missions, and fault injection to understand error propagation in complex circuits. Recent effort has built upon the success enabled by these qualitative benefits, and has focused on putting the laser SEE approaches on a more quantitative basis. This chapter presents the basic principles associated with the single-photon and two-photon excitation processes, as well as numerous case studies.
Rechtsfolgen bei Pflichtverletzung

Ein zentraler Aspekt jeder Pflicht ist, wie sich ihre Nicht- oder Schlechterfullung auswirkt, welche Anspruche insbesondere daraus resultieren. Zu untersuchen ist daher, ob es einen Anspruch auf Erfullung der Dokumentationspflicht gibt, sowie ob ein Schadensersatzanspruch fur den Fall der Nicht- oder Schlechterfullung geltend gemacht werden kann. Weiterhin ist zu klaren, inwiefern bei einer unzutreffenden Dokumentation ein Anspruch des Dokumentationsglaubigers auf Berichtigung besteht.