cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Better vaccination strategies for better people

In this paper, we study the vaccination of graphs against the outbreak of infectious diseases, in the following natural model generalizing a model by Aspnes et al.: An infectious disease breaks out at a random node of the graph and propagates along the edges of the graph. Vaccinated nodes cannot be infected, nor pass on the infection, whereas all other nodes do. The decisions on which nodes get vaccinated must be made before the random outbreak location is known. There is a cost associated with vaccination and a different cost with getting infected.In this model, we provide two results. First, we improve the approximation guarantee for finding the best vaccination strategy from O(log1.5n) to O(log z) (where z is the support size of the outbreak distribution), by rounding a natural linear program with region-growing techniques. Second, we analyze the impact of autonomy on the part of the nodes: while a benevolent authority may suggest which nodes should be vaccinated, nodes may opt out after being chosen. We analyze the "Price of Opting Out" in this sense under partially altruistic behavior. Individuals base their decisions on their own cost and the societal cost, the latter scaled by some factor s. If the altruism parameter is s=0, it is known that the Price of Anarchy and Price of Stability can be Θ(n). We show that with positive altruism, Nash Equilibria may not exist, but the Price of Opting Out is at most 1/s (whereas the Price of Anarchy can remain at Θ(n)).
Volume increase of kernels of corn and sorghum accompanying absorption of liquid water

The linearity between weight and volume increases, which takes place when kernels of corn and sorghum are immersed in water, was established experimentally. The rate of volume increase was correlated according to an equation analogous to the diffusion equation. The coefficients of volume increase obeyed the Arrehenius equation. The results would be of practical value in designing steeping vessels, as well as of theoretical interest in elucidating the mechanism of water diffusion in cereal grains.
The Coevolutionary Period of Wolbachia pipientis Infecting Drosophila ananassae and Its Impact on the Evolution of the Host Germline Stem Cell Regulating Genes

The endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia pipientis is known to infect a wide range of arthropod species yet less is known about the coevolutionary history it has with its hosts. Evidence of highly identical W. pipientis strains in evolutionary divergent hosts suggests horizontal transfer between hosts. For example, Drosophila ananassae is infected with a W. pipientis strain that is nearly identical in sequence to a strain that infects both D. simulans and D. suzukii, suggesting recent horizontal transfer among these three species. However, it is unknown whether the W. pipientis strain had recently invaded all three species or a more complex infectious dynamic underlies the horizontal transfers. Here, we have examined the coevolutionary history of D. ananassae and its resident W. pipientis to infer its period of infection. Phylogenetic analysis of D. ananassae mitochondrial DNA and W. pipientis DNA sequence diversity revealed the current W. pipientis infection is not recent. In addition, we examined the population genetics and molecular evolution of several germline stem cell (GSC) regulating genes of D. ananassae. These studies reveal significant evidence of recent and long-term positive selection at stonewall in D. ananassae, whereas pumillio showed patterns of variation consistent with only recent positive selection. Previous studies had found evidence for adaptive evolution of two key germline differentiation genes, bag of marbles (bam) and benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn), in D. melanogaster and D. simulans and proposed that the adaptive evolution at these two genes was driven by arms race between the host GSC and W. pipientis. However, we did not find any statistical departures from a neutral model of evolution for bam and bgcn in D. ananassae despite our new evidence that this species has been infected with W. pipientis for a period longer than the most recent infection in D. melanogaster. In the end, analyzing the GSC regulating genes individually showed two of the seven genes to have evidence of selection. However, combining the data set and fitting a specific population genetic model significant proportion of the nonsynonymous sites across the GSC regulating genes were driven to fixation by positive selection. Clearly the GSC system is under rapid evolution and potentially multiple drivers are causing the rapid evolution.
Inositol Pyrophosphates Mediate the DNA-PK/ATM-p53 Cell Death Pathway by Regulating CK2 Phosphorylation of Tti1/Tel2

The apoptotic actions of p53 require its phosphorylation by a family of phosphoinositide-3-kinase-related-kinases (PIKKs), which include DNA-PKcs and ATM. These kinases are stabilized by the TTT (Tel2, Tti1, Tti2) cochaperone family, whose actions are mediated by CK2 phosphorylation. The inositol pyrophosphates, such as 5-diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate (IP7), are generated by a family of inositol hexakisphosphate kinases (IP6Ks), of which IP6K2 has been implicated in p53-associated cell death. In the present study we report an apoptotic signaling cascade linking CK2, TTT, the PIKKs, and p53. We demonstrate that IP7, formed by IP6K2, binds CK2 to enhance its phosphorylation of the TTT complex, thereby stabilizing DNA-PKcs and ATM. This process stimulates p53 phosphorylation at serine 15 to activate the cell death program in human cancer cells and in murine B cells.
Vapour phase growth and grain boundary structure of molybdenum disulphide atomic layers

Single-layered molybdenum disulphide with a direct bandgap is a promising two-dimensional material that goes beyond graphene for the next generation of nanoelectronics. Here, we report the controlled vapour phase synthesis of molybdenum disulphide atomic layers and elucidate a fundamental mechanism for the nucleation, growth, and grain boundary formation in its crystalline monolayers. Furthermore, a nucleation-controlled strategy is established to systematically promote the formation of large-area, single- and few-layered films. Using high-resolution electron microscopy imaging, the atomic structure and morphology of the grains and their boundaries in the polycrystalline molybdenum disulphide atomic layers are examined, and the primary mechanisms for grain boundary formation are evaluated. Grain boundaries consisting of 5- and 7- member rings are directly observed with atomic resolution, and their energy landscape is investigated via first-principles calculations. The uniformity in thickness, large grain sizes, and excellent electrical performance signify the high quality and scalable synthesis of the molybdenum disulphide atomic layers.
A frequency-controlled active phased array

A frequency-controlled active phased array is introduced for cost-effective base-station applications. The array realizes simple LO-controlled beam steering with a fixed RF frequency, but without phase shifter components. Primary beam squint and pattern distortions, often seen in typical frequency-controlled phased arrays, are substantially reduced by the use of our heterodyne-mixing scheme and new feed network structures. The MMIC amplifiers provide more than 20 dB gain for a desired RF signal at 20 GHz, and effectively suppress the unwanted sideband and spurious LO by more than 40 dB. The K-band transmitter array demonstrates up to 40 degree beam-steering within 0.5 degree scan error and less than 1.3 dB gain error during scanning.
pH-sensitive self-associations of the N-terminal domain of NBCe1-A suggest a compact conformation under acidic intracellular conditions.

NBCe1-A is an integral membrane protein that cotransports Na + and HCO3 - ions across the basolateral mem- brane of the proximal tubule. It is essential for maintaining a homeostatic balance of cellular and blood pH. In X-ray dif- fraction studies, we reported that the cytoplasmic, N-terminal domain of NBCe1-A (NtNBCe1-A) is a dimer. Here, bio- physical measurements show that the dimer is in a concentration-dependent dynamic equilibrium among three additional states in solution that are characterized by its hydrodynamic properties, molar masses, emission spectra, binding proper- ties, and stabilities as a function of pH. Under physiological conditions, dimers are in equilibrium with monomers that are pronounced at low concentration and clusters of molecular masses up to 3-5 times that of a dimer that are pronounced at high concentration. The equilibrium can be influenced so that individual dimers predominate in a taut conformation by lowering the pH. Conversely, dimers begin to relax and disassociate into an increasing population of monomers by elevat- ing the pH. A mechanistic diagram for the inter-conversion of these states is given. The self-associations are further sup- ported by surface plasmon resonance (SPR-Biacore) techniques that illustrate NtNBCe1-A molecules transiently bind with one another. Bicarbonate and bicarbonate-analog bisulfite appear to enhance dimerization and induce a small amount of tetramers. A model is proposed, where the Nt responds to pH or bicarbonate fluctuations inside the cell and plays a role in self-association of entire NBCe1-A molecules in the membrane.
Nucleotide oxidation mediated by naphthalimide excited states with covalently attached viologen cosensitizers.

Abstract The ground- and excited-state interactions of polymethylene-linked 1,8-naphthalimide–viologen dyads with calf-thymus DNA have been investigated. By virtue of the covalently attached viologen, the compounds represent the first example of linked chromophore/cosensitizer systems in the photooxidation of duplex DNA. The compounds associate strongly with DNA. Analysis of ground-state spectral changes yield binding constants of 0.7–2.5 × 106 M−1. Upon 355 nm pulsed irradiation of the compounds in the presence of calf-thymus DNA, reduced viologen is observed within the laser pulse. Photoproducts are not observed on this time scale in the absence of DNA. Since ground-state bleaching of the naphthalimide was not observed, the results suggest that DNA nucleobases are the species being oxidized. The quantum efficiency of radical production increases with the extent of binding to DNA. Under conditions where the compounds are bound predominantly to DNA, the quantum efficiencies were found to range from 0.02 t...
Isolation and characterization of circulating lymphatic endothelial colony forming cells.

Abstract Rationale The identification of circulating endothelial progenitor cells has led to speculation regarding their origin as well as their contribution to neovascular development. Two distinct types of endothelium make up the blood and lymphatic vessel system. However, it has yet to be determined whether there are distinct lymphatic-specific circulating endothelial progenitor cells. Objective This study aims to isolate and characterize the cellular properties and global gene expression of lymphatic-specific endothelial progenitor cells. Methods and results We isolated circulating endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) from whole peripheral blood. These cells are endothelial in nature, as defined by their expression of endothelial markers and their ability to undergo capillary morphogenesis in three-dimensional culture. A subset of isolated colonies express markers of lymphatic endothelium, including VEGFR-3 and Prox-1, with low levels of VEGFR-1, a blood endothelial marker, while the bulk of the isolated cells express high VEGFR-1 levels with low VEGFR-3 and Prox-1 expression. The different isolates have differential responses to VEGF-C, a lymphatic endothelial specific cytokine, strongly suggesting that there are lymphatic specific and blood specific ECFCs. Global analysis of gene expression revealed key differences in the regulation of pathways involved in cellular differentiation between blood and lymphatic-specific ECFCs. Conclusion These data indicate that there are two distinguishable circulating ECFC types, blood and lymphatic, which are likely to have discrete functions during neovascularization.
Cell Type-Specific Circuit Mapping Reveals the Presynaptic Connectivity of Developing Cortical Circuits.

The mammalian cerebral cortex is a dense network composed of local, subcortical, and intercortical synaptic connections. As a result, mapping cell type-specific neuronal connectivity in the cerebral cortex in vivo has long been a challenge for neurobiologists. In particular, the development of excitatory and inhibitory interneuron presynaptic input has been hard to capture. We set out to analyze the development of this connectivity in the first postnatal month using a murine model. First, we surveyed the connectivity of one of the earliest populations of neurons in the brain, the Cajal-Retzius (CR) cells in the neocortex, which are known to be critical for cortical layer formation and are hypothesized to be important in the establishment of early cortical networks. We found that CR cells receive inputs from deeper-layer excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons in the first postnatal week. We also found that both excitatory pyramidal neurons and inhibitory interneurons received broad inputs in the first postnatal week, including inputs from CR cells. Expanding our analysis into the more mature brain, we assessed the inputs onto inhibitory interneurons and excitatory projection neurons, labeling neuronal progenitors with Cre drivers to study discrete populations of neurons in older cortex, and found that excitatory cortical and subcortical inputs are refined by the fourth week of development, whereas local inhibitory inputs increase during this postnatal period. Cell type-specific circuit mapping is specific, reliable, and effective, and can be used on molecularly defined subtypes to determine connectivity in the cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mapping cortical connectivity in the developing mammalian brain has been an intractable problem, in part because it has not been possible to analyze connectivity with cell subtype precision. Our study systematically targets the presynaptic connections of discrete neuronal subtypes in both the mature and developing cerebral cortex. We analyzed the connections that Cajal-Retzius cells make and receive, and found that these cells receive inputs from deeper-layer excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons in the first postnatal week. We assessed the inputs onto inhibitory interneurons and excitatory projection neurons, the major two types of neurons in the cortex, and found that excitatory inputs are refined by the fourth week of development, whereas local inhibitory inputs increase during this postnatal period.
Computation of Flow over a High Performance Parafoil

The steady, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations along with the one equation SpalartAllmaras turbulence model were solved using a finite-volume flow solver to examine the flow field and forces on the central cross-section of a high performance parafoil. The parafoil surfaces were assumed to be impermeable, rigid and smooth. The parafoil flow field consists of a vortex just inside of the cell opening which effectively closes off the cell and diverts the flow around the leading edge. The flow about the parafoil experiences a rather bluff leading edge in contrast to the smooth leading of the baseline airfoil. The flow pattern also creates a separation bubble on the lower leading edge of the parafoil. The lift of the parafoil section increases linearly with the angle of attack up to 8.5 and the parafoil lift curve slope is about 8% smaller than the same for the baseline airfoil. The cell opening has a major effect on the drag prior to stall; the parafoil drag is at least twice the baseline airfoil drag. The minimum drag of the parafoil section occurs over the angle of attack range of 2.5 – 7.
Metabolism of aldosterone in dogs with renovascular hypertension

SummaryThe rate of metabolism of aldo-sterone was measured in seven normal dogs, 4 dogs with chronic renal hypertension and five dogs with malignant renal hypertension. Tritiated aldosterone was injected intravenously and the rate of disappearance of authentic aldosterone was determined. The disappearance curves were resolved into two exponential components and the plasma half-life was measured from the slow component which reflects the rate of metabolism of aldosterone. The half-life of aldosterone was essentially the same for the three groups of dogs. It is concluded, therefore, that the rate of aldosterone metabolism is normal in dogs with experimental renal hypertension.
Acoustic properties of composites containing multiple heterogeneities: micromechanics modelling

The acoustic properties of composites containing multiple distinct heterogeneities (spheres, platelets, voids, straight and/or wavy fibres, etc.) are predicted by a micromechanics modelling using a modified Mori-Tanaka and self-consistent methods. The influences of reinforcement geometries, elastic material properties and distinct acoustic properties of each constituent on the effective composite acoustic properties are investigated for tungsten/epoxy, tungsten/EPO-TEK 301 and alumina/EPO-TEK 301 composites. The influence of voids of dry entrained air on the acoustic properties of cements paste materials is also investigated. The predicted composite acoustic properties obtained from the current model agree reasonably well with experimental results from the literature.
A Physical and Mechanical Study of Prestressed Competitive Double Network Thermoplastic Elastomers

A new approach to prepare and characterize prestressed competitive double network elastomeric systems was investigated. A styrene−butadiene−styrene (SBS) triblock copolymer system containing physical cross-links was used to achieve a double network by additional chemical cross-linking using ultraviolet (UV) light. Properties measured from conventional monotonic tensile tests, stress relaxation, thermomechanical, hysteresis, and swelling analysis were investigated and related to their network structure. These double network elastomers show a transition between competitive and collaborative behavior in their mechanical properties at different strain regimes. These elastomers also show lower permanent set in both low and high strain regimes along with lower hysteresis. These networks exhibit lower modulus along with lower coefficient of thermal expansion, still showing lower swelling ratios, which results from a competition between the networks.
Constitutive activation of NF-κB in Ki-ras-transformed prostate epithelial cells

The signaling pathway responsible for the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) by oncogenic forms of Ras remains unclear. Both, the transactivation and DNA binding activities of NF-kappaB, were increased in 267B1 human prostate epithelial cells transformed by viral Kirsten-ras (267B1/Ki-ras cells) compared with those in the parental cells. This increased NF-kappaB activity was attributed to a heterodimeric complex of p50 and p65 subunits. Although the abundance of the inhibitor protein IkappaBbeta was higher in 267B1/Ki-ras cells than in 267B1 cells, an electrophoretic mobility-shift assay suggested that IkappaBalpha is responsible for the activation of NF-kappaB in the former cells. Consistent with this notion, the phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha appeared increased in 267B1/Ki-ras cells, and the proteasome inhibitor I abolished the constitutive activation of NF-kappaB in these cells. The expression of dominant negative mutants of either NIK (NF-kappaB-inducing kinase) or IKKbeta (IkappaB kinase beta) inhibited the activity of NF-kappaB in 267B1/Ki-ras cells. Furthermore, chemical inhibitors specific for Ras activation, sulindac sulfide and farnesytranferase inhibitor I, markedly reduced IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activation in the Ki-ras-transformed cells while transfection of these cells with NIK or IKKbeta counteracted the inhibitory effect on NF-kappaB activation. These results suggest that oncogenic Ki-Ras induces transactivation of NF-kappaB through the NIK-IKKbeta-IkappaBalpha pathway.
Discuss the details of the determination of urine iodine

Objective Through the determination of urine iodine,the details of the national standard method were discussed and summarized including preparation,experimental procedure and data processing.Method Determination of iodine in urine by As3 +-Ce4 + catalytic spectrophotometry.Results The result of lab internal quality control is satisfying.Conclusions It will give us certain guidance in the determination of urine iodine in the future.
Cofabrication: A Strategy for Building Multicomponent Microsystems

This Account describes a strategy for fabricating multicomponent microsystems in which the structures of essentially all of the components are formed in a single step of micromolding. This strategy, which we call “cofabrication”, is an alternative to multilayer microfabrication, in which multiple layers of components are sequentially aligned (“registered”) and deposited on a substrate by photolithography. Cofabrication has several characteristics that make it an especially useful approach for building multicomponent microsystems. It rapidly and inexpensively generates correctly aligned components (for example, wires, heaters, magnetic field generators, optical waveguides, and microfluidic channels) over very large surface areas. By avoiding registration, the technique does not impose on substrates the size limitations of common registrations tools, such as steppers and contact aligners. We have demonstrated multicomponent microsystems with surface areas exceeding 100 cm2, but in principle, device size is ...
Pedagogy and State: An Archaeological Inquiry into Classic Maya Educational Practice

Education is notoriously difficult to identify archaeologically, but crucial for understanding the inner workings of any society. Strikingly, in Mesoamerican archaeology, more seems to be known about the transmission of crafting skills than about practices of statecraft. Elsewhere in the ancient world, much evidence speaks to various social and institutional contexts in which specialized knowledge of histories, literacies, civics, and sciences was generated and taught as vital to state-making projects. Yet these same contexts among the Classic Period Maya (ad 200–900) remain poorly understood and under-theorized. Pulling from comparative research alongside recent work at the site of Xultun, Guatemala, this article explores how educational systems may have worked in Classic-era Maya polities—assessing evidence for educational loci, the different forms that education might assume, and the varied curricula that likely existed across different cities and particular demographics. Through this discussion, I seek to shed some light on the actors, gendered exclusions and diverse arrangements of pedagogy in Maya society, and grant further insight into how specialized bodies of knowledge (transmitted within formal educational institutions) were built into the very fabric of the Classic Maya states of which they were part.
When judges are theologians: adjudicating religious questions

In this chapter, I explore how judges—and, more generally, U.S. courts—deal with legal disputes when they must consider not only laws and facts, but also religion, or maybe even more precisely, theology. Indeed, in a wide range of circumstances, judges are confronted with cases where the outcome in some way or another requires them to issue a decision that is predicated, to varying to degrees, on a theological question upon which there is some debate. While in American law the ostensibly simple answer to this question is simply that the Constitution prohibits courts from adjudicating religious questions, the reality is far more complicated. Indeed, the justifications for the religious question doctrine are quite different when considered in the context of private law cases—such as cases involving the interpretation of religious terminology in commercial instruments—and public law cases—where courts are asked to apply the state’s regulatory infrastructure in circumstances that invariably require some sort of interrogation of religious doctrine or practice. In each sphere, the consequences of applying the religious question doctrine look different and may therefore encourage different strategies and outcomes. When judges dismiss private law cases that implicate theological questions, they often leave aggrieved parties without a remedy for legal wrongs that can have significant consequences, either financial or otherwise. When judges dismiss public law cases that implicate theological questions, they often limit the law’s reach and leave some spheres of the human condition beyond the scope of legitimate government regulation. These consequences highlight the need for U.S. courts to reconsider the contours of the constitutional limitations on their authority to engage matters of theology. In the discussion below, I identify why a number of jurisprudential approaches may provide courts with more flexibility in the private law context. This disparity derives from fundamental disagreements over the origins of and animating principles behind the religious question doctrine, disparities which I argue courts should take seriously so as to avoid too-freely renouncing their central duty of resolving disputes submitted on the courthouse doorstep.
The protective role of nitric oxide in hepatocytes during responses to inflammatory mediators and induction of apoptosis

The acute phase response (APR) has evolved in multicellular organisms as a result of their ever-changing surroundings. It refers to the alterations in cellular metabolism and genetic expression that have allowed organisms to maintain homeostasis and survive environmental stress. Frequently the APR is a systemic reaction to external stimuli, such as trauma, burn or infection; however it can also result from internal stimuli, such as neoplasia, pregnancy, or immunopathology [1]. The gross changes include: fever, somnolence, anorexia, thrombocytopenia, alterations in the hormonal milieu, and a net-negative nitrogen balance as the result of decreased protein synthesis [2]. Many of these changes are now understood to be the result of signalling cascades that act through inflammatory mediators, on individual cells, to produce organ specific responses.
Epitaxial engineering of polar ε-Ga2O3 for tunable two-dimensional electron gas at the heterointerface

We predict the formation of a polarization-induced two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the interface of e-Ga2O3 and CaCO3, wherein the density of the 2DEG can be tuned by reversing the spontaneous polarization in e-Ga2O3, for example, with an applied electric field. e-Ga2O3 is a polar and metastable ultra-wide band-gap semiconductor. We use density-functional theory (DFT) calculations and coincidence-site lattice model to predict the region of epitaxial strain under which e-Ga2O3 can be stabilized over its other competing polymorphs and suggest promising substrates. Using group-theoretical methods and DFT calculations, we show that e-Ga2O3 is a ferroelectric material where the spontaneous polarization can be reversed through a non-polar phase by using an electric field. Based on the calculated band alignment of e-Ga2O3 with various substrates, we show the formation of a 2DEG with a high sheet charge density of 1014 cm−2 at the interface with CaCO3 due to the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization in e-Ga2O3, which makes the system attractive for high-power and high-frequency applications.
Overqualified: How Does a Recruiter’s Perception Affect a Hiring Decision of Job Applicants?

This paper contributes to growing overqualification literature by exploring a recruiter evaluation of overqualified job applicants at the initial stage of a selection process. Drawing from information processing and social cognition literature, the paper argues that in the condition of ambiguity about an overqualified job applicant’s motivation in applying for a prospective job, a recruiter is more likely to fall on his or her heuristic bias in decision making. As such, a recruiter inference about an overqualified job applicant mobility and occupational identity is likely to play a major role in whether a recruiter processes an overqualified job applicant to the next stage of a selection process. The paper argues that limited information from bio data of an overqualified applicant is likely to be instrumental in a recruiter drawing inference about mobility and occupational identity of an overqualified job applicant.
Theory of Idealized Coal Devolatilization

The aerothermochemical interaction between a devolatilizing coal particle and its ambient is studied by means of an idealized model consisting of two solid-phase species, which thermally decompose to yield a single gas-phase species. Devolatilization is described by a classical linear theory involving both equilibrium and kinetic characteristics of each solid-phase species. The temperature history of the particle is treated in two different ways reflecting different experimental and applied situations. One simulates the direct heating of a particle, e.g., on a wire grid, so that the temperature history is prescribed. The second relates to injection of a cold particle into a hot ambient either under experimental conditions or in an entrained flow reactor. In the second situation both a frozen gas phase corresponding to devolatilization in inert ambients and equilibrium chemistry in the gas phase as described by a flame-sheet model are discussed. It is concluded that, despite the high degree of idealization involved in the analysis, a large number of thermochemical parameters, some with uncertain values, enter the description of particle behavior. It is difficult to determine kinetic data from direct heating experiments. The thermal response of a cold particle injected into a hot ambient is sensitive to the kinetics of devolatilization and to the heats of pyrolysis.
The Divisibility of Crime

Near the end of the Supreme Court’s 2012-2013 term, the Court decided Descamps v. United States, which concerned the application of the federal Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). The ACCA is a recidivist statute that vastly increases the penalties for persons convicted of federal firearms offenses if they have previously been convicted of certain qualifying felonies. Descamps represents the Court’s most recent word on the so-called categorical approach, which directs courts to consider the elements of a prior offense of conviction, rather than the underlying facts of the crime, in determining whether the prior conviction “counts” for purposes of applying the ACCA and other sentencing enhancements and for determining the immigration consequences of prior convictions. This Essay is the first scholarly work to track the immediate effects of Descamps and to explore its implications for the criminal law more broadly. It shows that the decision is indeed having a significant effect on criminal sentencing, resulting in a steady flow of sentencing reversals and prospectively narrowing the class of defendants eligible for sentencing enhancements based on prior convictions. But more broadly, Descamps has called attention to the statutory specificity that legislators are capable of and the adjudicative clarity that courts can promote, if there are incentives for doing so. Until now, the Court has done little to encourage either. Thus, the opinion may push courts and legislators to think more carefully and systematically about what facts must be established to constitute a particular criminal offense, how such facts are established and recorded in the context of an adjudicative proceeding, and the consequences that flow from greater or lesser specificity. Ultimately, this impact may be felt not only in the context of applying recidivist statutes and sentencing enhancements, but also in other contexts that require attention to the basis for a criminal conviction, including the doctrine governing what constituent facts of a crime require jury unanimity and claims under the Double Jeopardy Clause.
Modulation of Within-Wafer and Within-die Topography for Damascene Copper in Advanced Technology

A novel copper electroplating and CMP process was developed to effectively modulate the within-wafer and within-die nanoscale topography. The feasibility of this new metallization is demonstrated on a 64nm pitch product with an equivalent defect level, lower and tighter distribution in resistance and trench height. It's believed to be extendable to other advanced nodes for a sizable reduction in copper overburden which saves CMP polish cycle time from the plan-of-record time.
Building trust: Reflections of adults working with high-school-age youth in project-based programs

Abstract A program leader's ability to build trust with youth is critical in effective project-based programs that serve as interventions to support skill development. However, there is little empirical research on the trust-building process from the perspective of leaders. The current study explores trust-building through semi-structured interviews with twenty-five leaders from thirteen project-based programs serving high-school-age youth. Constant comparative analytic strategies identified four primary approaches to building trust: (1) respecting youth; (2) building rapport with youth; (3) being consistent; and (4) occupying a nuanced adult role in youth's lives. Despite facing some challenges to building trust, leaders believed they had successfully built trust when youth engaged in specific behaviors. These behavioral indicators of trust were: (a) youth asking more from leaders on their work or challenges in their personal life; (b) youth sharing more with leaders on their opinions, thoughts, or feelings; and (c) youth communicating they were willing to support the program's mission by going above and beyond program expectations. We conclude by discussing the theoretical implications of the findings and the practical implications as they relate to the youth development field.
Patients Who Take Home Their Surgical Pathology Specimens: A Preliminary Study.

Patients regularly request to take possession of their human tissues after they have become surgical pathology specimens. To date, few formal research studies have examined the prevalence of this p...
Misclassification of the actual causes of death and its impact on analysis: A case study in non-small cell lung cancer.

Abstract Objectives Cumulative incidence of lung cancer deaths (LC-CID) is an important metric to understand cancer prognosis and to determine treatment options. However, credible estimates of LC-CID rely on accurate cause-of-death coding in death certificates. Results from lung cancer screening trials estimated 15% under-reporting and 1% over-reporting of lung cancer deaths due to misclassification. This study investigated the impact of cause-of-death misclassification on the estimation of LC-CID. Materials and Methods Patients with stage I/II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry were included. LC-CID was estimated using the competing-risk approach in two ways: (1) reporting observed estimates that ignore potential cause-of-death misclassification and (2) correcting for plausible misclassification rates reported in the literature (15% under-reporting and 1% over-reporting). Bias was quantified as the difference between observed and corrected 10-year LC-CIDs: positive values indicated that observed LC-CID overestimated true LC-CID, whereas negative values indicated the opposite. Results Among 66,179 patients, the impact of over-reporting on 10-year LC-CID was negligible across all age groups. In contrast, under-reporting resulted in substantial underestimation of 10-year LC-CID. The biases increased as age increased due to higher LC-CIDs: 10-year LC-CIDs among stage I patients 18-44, 45-59, 60-74 and ≥75 years were 25%, 32%, 41%, and 50%, respectively, and the corresponding biases given the plausible misclassification rates were -4.4%, -5.6%, -7.1%, and -8.6%. Because the observed LC-CIDs among patients with stage II disease were higher than those with stage I disease, the biases were greater among stage II patients, up to -12.5% in the oldest age group. Conclusions In lung cancer, LC-CID may be severely underestimated due to under-reporting of lung cancer deaths, particularly among older patients or those with late-stage disease. Future studies that involve such subpopulations should present the corrected LC-CIDs based on plausible misclassification rates alongside the observed LC-CIDs.
Update on the pharmacogenomics of pain management

Pharmacogenomics is the study of genetic variants that impact drug effects through changes in a drug's pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Pharmacogenomics is being integrated into clinical pain management practice because variants in individual genes can be predictive of how a patient may respond to a drug treatment. Pain is subjective and is considered challenging to treat. Furthermore, pain patients do not respond to treatments in the same way, which makes it hard to issue a consistent treatment regimen for all pain conditions. Pharmacogenomics would bring consistency to the subjective nature of pain and could revolutionize the field of pain management by providing personalized medical care tailored to each patient based on their gene variants. Additionally, pharmacogenomics offers a solution to the opioid crisis by identifying potentially opioid-vulnerable patients who could be recommended a nonopioid treatment for their pain condition. The integration of pharmacogenomics into clinical practice creates better and safer healthcare practices for patients. In this article, we provide a comprehensive history of pharmacogenomics and pain management, and focus on up to date information on the pharmacogenomics of pain management, describing genes involved in pain, genes that may reduce or guard against pain and discuss specific pain management drugs and their genetic correlations.
Tax Administration Strength and Tax Efficiency in Emerging Europe: Lessons for Romania

Tax administration reform is a top priority to address large tax compliance gaps in emerging Europe. This paper uses an indicator based on objective criteria to assess the strength of Romania's tax...
Musculoskeletal morbidity following spinal cord injury: A longitudinal cohort study of privately-insured beneficiaries.

Abstract Background People living with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) experience motor, sensory and autonomic impairments that cause musculoskeletal disorders following the injury and that progress throughout lifetime. The range and severity of issues are largely dependent on level and completeness of the injury and preserved function. Objective High risk of developing musculoskeletal morbidities among individuals after sustaining a traumatic SCI is well known in the clinical setting, however, there is a severe lack of evidence in literature. The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of and adjusted hazards for musculoskeletal morbidities among adults with and without SCIs. Methods Privately-insured beneficiaries were included if they had an ICD-9-CM diagnostic code for SCI (n = 9081). Adults without SCI were also included (n = 1,474,232). Incidence estimates of common musculoskeletal morbidities (e.g., osteoporosis, sarcopenia, osteoarthritis, fractures, etc.) were compared at 5-years of enrollment. Survival models were used to quantify unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios for incident musculoskeletal morbidities. Results Adults living with traumatic SCIs had a higher incidence of any musculoskeletal morbidities (82.4% vs. 47.5%) as compared to adults without SCI, and differences were to a clinically meaningful extent. Survival models demonstrated that adults with SCI had a greater fully-adjusted hazard for any musculoskeletal morbidity (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 2.41; 95%CI: 2.30, 2.52), and all musculoskeletal disorders, and ranged from HR: 1.26 (1.14, 1.39) for rheumatoid arthritis to HR: 7.02 (6.58, 7.49) for pathologic fracture. Conclusions Adults with SCIs have a significantly higher incidence of and risk for common musculoskeletal morbidities, as compared to adults without SCIs. Efforts are needed to facilitate the development of improved clinical screening algorithms and early interventions to reduce risk of musculoskeletal disease onset/progression in this higher risk population.
Interdisciplinary treatment of posterior fossa dural arteriovenous fistulas.

Posterior fossa dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) are rare vascular lesions with variable risk of hemorrhage, mostly depending on the pattern of the venous drainage. While endovascular embolization is the mainstay treatment for most dAVFs, some posterior fossa lesions require a multidisciplinary approach including surgery. The goal of our study was to examine the outcome of an interdisciplinary treatment for posterior fossa dAVFs. A retrospective review of patients treated for posterior fossa dAVFs was conducted. A total of 28 patients with a mean age of 57.8 years were included. Patients presented with a Cognard grade I in 2 (7%), II a in 5 (18 %), II b in 7 (25%), II a + b in 5 (18%), III in 3 (11%), and IV in 6 (21%) cases. Hemorrhage was the initial presentation in 2 (22%) patients with Cognard grade IV, in 3 with Cognard grade III (33%), in 1 (11%) with Cognard II a + b, and 3 (33%) with Cognard II b. A complete angiographic cure was achieved in 24 (86%) patients—after a single-session embolization in 16 (57%) patients, multiple embolization sessions in 2 (7%), a multimodal treatment with embolization and surgical disconnection in 3 (11%), and with an upfront surgery in 3 (11%). Complete long-term obliteration was demonstrated in 18/22 (82%) at the mean follow-up of 17 months. Fistulas were converted into asymptomatic Cognard I lesion in 4 (14%) patients. Posterior fossa dAVFs represent a challenging vascular pathology; however, despite their complexity, an interdisciplinary treatment can achieve high rates of angiographic and symptomatic cure with low morbidity and mortality rates. Long-term surveillance is warranted as late recurrences may occur.
Development of variance rank initiated-unsupervised sample indexing for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis.

Abstract Traditional non-targeted chemometric workflows for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) data rely on using supervised methods, which requires a priori knowledge of sample class membership. Herein, we propose a simple, unsupervised chemometric workflow known as variance rank initiated-unsupervised sample indexing (VRI-USI). VRI-USI discovers analyte peaks exhibiting high relative variance across all samples, followed by k-means clustering on the individual peaks. Based upon how the samples cluster for a given peak, a sample index assignment is provided. Using a probabilistic argument, if the same sample index assignment appears for several discovered peaks, then this outcome strongly suggests that the samples are properly classified by that particular sample index assignment. Thus, relevant chemical differences between the samples have been discovered in an unsupervised fashion. The VRI-USI workflow is demonstrated on three, increasingly difficult datasets: simulations, yeast metabolomics, and human cancer metabolomics. For simulated GC-MS datasets, VRI-USI discovered 85–90% of analytes modeled to vary between sample classes. Nineteen out of 53 peaks in the peak table developed for the yeast metabolome dataset had the same sample index assignments, indicating that those indices are most likely due to class-distinguishing chemical differences. A t-test revealed that 22 out of 53 peaks were statistically significant (p
Factors Influencing Uptake of Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Screening Among Drug Misusing Adult Emergency Department Patients: Implications for Future HIV/HCV Screening Interventions

In this randomized, controlled trial among 957 English- or Spanish-speaking drug misusing adult emergency department (ED) patients, we determined if a tailored brief intervention (BI) increased uptake of rapid HIV/HCV screening, and identified factors associated with greater screening uptake. Rapid HIV/HCV screening uptake was greater in the control than the BI arm (45 vs. 38 %; p < 0.04). Screening uptake depended on elapsed study time and which research staff member offered testing. In the control arm, uptake was lowest for those spending <30 or ≥90 min in the study. In the BI arm, screening uptake generally increased over time. Tailored BI content specifically addressing participant HIV/HCV knowledge, HIV/HCV risk behaviors, or need for HIV/HCV screening was not associated with greater screening uptake. These study findings suggested factors that should be considered when designing future ED-based screening initiatives, such as elapsed study time, who offers testing, and the content of interventions.
How to keep your head above water while detecting errors

Today's distributed systems need runtime error detection to catch errors arising from software bugs, hardware errors, or unexpected operating conditions. A prominent class of error detection techniques operates in a stateful manner, i.e., it keeps track of the state of the application being monitored and then matches state-based rules. Large-scale distributed applications generate a high volume of messages that can overwhelm the capacity of a stateful detection system. An existing approach to handle this is to randomly sample the messages and process a subset. However, this approach, leads to non-determinism with respect to the detection system's view of what state the application is in. This in turn leads to degradation in the quality of detection. We present an intelligent sampling algorithm and a Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based algorithm to select the messages that the detection system processes and determine the application states such that the non-determinism is minimized. We also present a mechanism for selectively triggering computationally intensive rules based on a light-weight mechanism to determine if the rule is likely to be flagged. We demonstrate the techniques in a detection system called Monitor applied to a J2EE multi-tier application. We empirically evaluate the performance of Monitor under different load conditions and error scenarios and compare it to a previous system called Pinpoint.
Cytokines: Their Role in Stroke and Potential Use as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets

Inflammatory mechanisms both in the periphery and in the CNS are important in the pathophysiologic processes occurring after the onset of ischemic stroke (IS). Cytokines are key players in the inflammatory mechanism and contribute to the progression of ischemic damage. This literature review focuses on the effects of inflammation on ischemic stroke, and the role pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines play on deleterious or beneficial stroke outcome. The discovery of biomarkers and novel therapeutics for stroke has been the focus of extensive research recently; thus, understanding the roles of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines that are up-regulated during stroke will help us further understand how inflammation contributes to the progression of ischemic damage and provide potential targets for novel therapeutics and biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of stroke.