cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Origin, Internal Structure and Evolution of 4 Vesta

Asteroid 4 Vesta is the only preserved intact example of a large, differentiated protoplanet like those believed to be the building blocks of terrestrial planet accretion. Vesta accreted rapidly from the solar nebula in the inner asteroid belt and likely melted due to heat released due to the decay of 26Al. Analyses of meteorites from the howardite-eucrite-diogenite (HED) suite, which have been both spectroscopically and dynamically linked to Vesta, lead to a model of the asteroid with a basaltic crust that overlies a depleted peridotitic mantle and an iron core. Vesta’s crust may become more mafic with depth and might have been intruded by plutons arising from mantle melting. Constraints on the asteroid’s moments of inertia from the long-wavelength gravity field, pole position and rotation, informed by bulk composition estimates, allow tradeoffs between mantle density and core size; cores of up to half the planetary radius can be consistent with plausible mantle compositions. The asteroid’s present surface is expected to consist of widespread volcanic terrain, modified extensively by impacts that exposed the underlying crust or possibly the mantle. Hemispheric heterogeneity has been observed by poorly resolved imaging of the surface that suggests the possibility of a physiographic dichotomy as occurs on other terrestrial planets. Vesta might have had an early magma ocean but details of the early thermal structure are far from clear owing to model uncertainties and paradoxical observations from the HEDs. Petrological analysis of the eucrites coupled with thermal evolution modeling recognizes two possible mechanisms of silicate-metal differentiation leading to the formation of the basaltic achondrites: equilibrium partial melting or crystallization of residual liquid from the cooling magma ocean. A firmer understanding the plethora of complex physical and chemical processes that contribute to melting and crystallization will ultimately be required to distinguish among these possibilities. The most prominent physiographic feature on Vesta is the massive south polar basin, whose formation likely re-oriented the body axis of the asteroid’s rotation. The large impact represents the likely major mechanism of ejection of fragments that became the HEDs. Observations from the Dawn mission hold the promise of revolutionizing our understanding of 4 Vesta, and by extension, the nature of collisional, melting and differentiation processes in the nascent solar system.
Overcoming “Trial Fatigue”: A Strategy for Optimizing Patient Accrual Speed and Resource Utilization

Patient accrual in most clinical trials is characterized by a slow start during the ramp-up period, a steep mid-section, and a plateauing at the end of the accrual period. This non-linear patient accrual is costly to pharmaceutical companies. An effective measure to prevent this slowdown and to keep the accrual rate linear over time is the staggered enrollment of investigative sites in distinct waves. If the enrollment of successive waves is optimally spaced over time, the “trial fatigue” seen with each wave can be overcome, resulting in an overall linear accrual. Linear accrual can result in a steady rate of resource utilization as well as a steady rate of data retrieval over the life of a clinical trial. A clinical trial which used staggered waves is described.
Investigating Instructional Strategies for Using Social Media in Formal and Informal Learning

Despite the high popularity of personal use of online social media, a low percentage of students and instructors use them for educational purposes. This qualitative study explores the use of social media among faculty in the discipline of public administration in the United States. Eight instructors participated in telephone interviews about their experiences and perceptions of using social media for teaching and learning. Instructors perceive that informal learning using social media could be facilitated by instructors and integrated into formal learning environments for enriched discussions, increased engagement, and broad connections. This study provides qualitative empirical support for social learning theories while offering strategies for and examples of how social media can be used to connect formal and informal learning.
Glass Insulated Platinum Microelectrode

Microelectrodes for electrophysiological use have been prepared easily and quickly by electrolytically sharpening platinum iridium alloy wire and coating with molten glass. The desirable combination of the electrical characteristics and strength of the platinum iridium wire with the exceptional durability of glass insulation has long been known, but earlier methods of fabrication were difficult and tedious.
The irreducibility of consciousness

In this paper, by analyzing the Chalmers-Searle debate about Chalmers’ zombie thought experiment, I attempt to determine the implications that the irreducibility of consciousness has for the truth of materialism. While Chalmers claims that the irreducibility of consciousness forces us to embrace dualism, Searle claims that it has no deep metaphysical import and, in particular, that it is fully consistent with his materialist theory of mind. I argue that this disagreement hinges on the notion of physical identity in play in the discussion. Clarifying this notion in turn helps to clarify what it means to claim that consciousness is irreducible, and provides insight into the implications that the truth of this claim would have for the dualism-materialism debate. Ultimately, I suggest that the sort of irreducibility that can be motivated by the zombie thought experiment is not sufficient to require the rejection of materialism. The question of whether there can be a physical reduction of consciousness once seemed to rest largely on the plausibility of two nowfamiliar thought experiments — Frank Jackson’s Mary, the color scientist, and Thomas Nagel’s bat. More recently, the focus of the irreducibility debate has shifted to David Chalmers’ thought experiment about zombies, creatures who are physically indiscernible from humans but phenomenologically void. Confronted with this thought experiment, the materialist has appeared to have three options. She can reject the claim that zombies are conceivable, she can reject the claim that that the conceivability of zombies entails their possibility, or she can reject the claim that the possibility of zombies entails the irreducibility of consciousness. It has been generally assumed, however, that to accept all three of these claims — and thereby to accept the irreducibility of consciousness — would be to admit defeat. In this paper, I want to examine the merits of this assumption that the irreducibility of consciousness is incompatible with materialism. I will come to this issue by way of John Searle’s criticism of Chalmers’ thought experiment. Both Chalmers and Searle are proponents of the irreducibility of consciousness, but, interestingly, they disagree about
NOx from fuel nitrogen in two-stage combustion

Gaseous fuels simulating those produced by coal gasification have been burned in single-stage and in two-stage processes. The first stage consisted of a fuel-rich turbulent premixed jet flame; the second was produced by injection of dilution air into the hot primary products. Product gases were sampled. Fuel-lean mixtures and also fuel-rich mixtures of methane-free fuels burned readily; when methane was a fuel component, auxiliary pilot air jets were required for rich flames. Small quantities of NH 3 were incorporated into the fuel and fractions converted to NO x (yields) were measured. For single-stage burning of a fuel containing 1410 ppm of NH 3 and no CH 4 at an equivalence ratio (ER)=0.8 the yield was around 0.8; as the flame was made richer the yield grew progressively smaller until at the rich experimental limit it was around 0.1. When dilution air to produce a final ER=0.8 was injected into the hot rich products of CH 4 -free fuels there was only a slight increase in NO x ; thus the two-stage process reduced the yields of NO x by roughly a factor of 8. When dilution air was added in the same way to the rich primary products of CH 4 -containing fuels, the result depended strongly on the primary ER. For primary mixtures not too close to the rich limit the final yield of NO x was decreased only slightly; but near the rich limit, the final overall yield for ER=0.80 increased sharply. this is attributed to passage of unburned NH 3 through the primary flame; and it sets a lower limit on the attainable NO x levels.
Sulfuric acid nucleation: power dependencies, variation with relative humidity, and effect of bases

Abstract. Nucleation of particles composed of sulfuric acid, water, and nitrogen base molecules was studied using a continuous flow reactor. The particles formed from these vapors were detected with an ultrafine condensation particle counter, while vapors of sulfuric acid and nitrogen bases were detected by chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Variation of particle numbers with sulfuric acid concentration yielded a power dependency on sulfuric acid of 5 ± 1 for relative humidities of 14–68% at 296 K; similar experiments with varying water content yielded power dependencies on H2O of ~7. The critical cluster contains about 5 H2SO4 molecules and a new treatment of the power dependency for H2O suggests about 12 H2O molecules for these conditions. Addition of 2-to-45 pptv of ammonia or methyl amine resulted in up to millions of times more particles than in the absence of these compounds. Particle detection capabilities, sulfuric acid and nitrogen base detection, wall losses, and the extent of particle growth are discussed. Results are compared to previous laboratory nucleation studies and they are also discussed in terms of atmospheric nucleation scenarios.
Lipid and insulin concentrations in obese postmenopausal women: separate effects of energy restriction and weight loss.

The separate effects of energy restriction and weight loss on serum lipids were studied in 24 postmenopausal moderately obese women before and after weight loss of > 10 kg to normal weight. Fasting serum triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) and low-den- sity-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and insulin were measured at the end of four lO-d in-hospital phases, two before and two after weight loss: phase I, stable weight: phase II, 3350 kJ/d (800 kcal/d), followed by outpatient weight loss: phase III, 3350 kJ/ d (800 kcal/d); and phase IV, stable weight. Diet composition and exercise were constant the entire study. Energy-restriction effect was determined by comparing average values in stable- weight phases (I and IV) with low-energy phases (II and III): weight-loss effect was determined by comparing values in obese phases (I and II) with reduced-weight phases (III and IV). Energy restriction lowered TG, TC, LDL cholesterol, the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio, and insulin and raised HDL cholesterol (all P < 0.05). Weight loss lowered TO, TC, LDL cholesterol, and insulin (all P < 0.01) but did not change HDL cholesterol or the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio. The results suggest that reduc- tion to a weight-steady nonobese state significantly lowers TG, TC. and LDL cholesterol but does not improve I-IDL cholesterol or the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio. -lw J Cliii .\'utr 1992: 56:44-9.
High dietary calcium to phosphorus ratio and alkali-forming potential as factors promoting silica urolithiasis in sheep.

Sheep were used to study factors previously found to promote silica urolithiasis in a rat model. In addition to high silica, these dietary factors included elevated calcium, a high calcium to phosphorus ratio and alkali-forming effects. Wether lambs had ad libitum access to a diet of 50% of grass hay and 50% ground oats plus supplement. Diet analysis was 3.4% total SiO2, .29% calcium, .25% phosphorus, 11.3% CP and 28% ADF. Treatments (40 lambs/treatment) consisted of a control (C), limestone to increase dietary calcium to .6% (L), L + 1% sodium bicarbonate (LS) and L + 1% ammonium chloride (LA). After a 91-d experimental period followed by a 56-d postexperimental finishing period, silica kidney deposits were found in all treatments, and SiO2 made up 74% to 97% of the urolithic ash. Kidney urolith incidences in the four treatments were C, 7/40; L, 12/40; LS, 20/40; and LA, 9/40. A higher urolith incidence in LS (LS vs C, P less than .05) and a trend toward a higher incidence in L (L vs C, P less than .2), accompanied by elevated urine pH (L = LS greater than C greater than LA, P less than .01), lend support to the concept that high-silica diets having high calcium to phosphorus ratios and alkali-forming potentials contribute to silica urolithiasis.
May Children With Otitis Media With Effusion Safely Fly

This study addresses the question of whether patients who fly with otitis media with effusion (OME) are at risk for the development of barotitis. Fourteen patients with otitis media with effusion were followed before and after air travel. No ear with OME became symptomatic, though two contralateral, previously "normal" ears did become symptomatic. An analysis of the physiology of this phenomenon is presented.
Something New Under the Sun: Levinas and the Ethics of Political Imagination

Despite Emmanuel Levinas’ own ambivalent relationship to utopianism, Levinasian ethics and utopianism have much in common. First, I look at Levinas’ own remarks on utopianism, to underline the said ambivalence. It is clear that Levinas is concerned with utopia’s “totalitarian” potential. Then I turn to the utopian tradition and scholarship to argue that utopia ought to be properly understood precisely as a resistance to a given order, or totality. Utopia is a form of political imagination that positions itself against the dominant forces of its time, giving a voice to those who have “no place” in society. But there is an inherent danger to utopia as well. What if it lends itself to a dangerous “other”? I conclude by looking at Levinas’ politics and the importance of the Third, which politically keeps our singular ethical obligation in check by forcing us to think about our obligation to all other others.
Human papillomavirus, cervical cancer, and the vaccines. Commentary.

(2008). Human Papillomavirus, Cervical Cancer, and the Vaccines. Postgraduate Medicine: Vol. 120, No. 4, pp. 109-111.
Exploring new drugs for heart failure: the case of urocortin

Over the past decade, clinical development of natriuretic peptide analogues as drug therapy for acute heart failure has sparked a wide range of interests to seek other endogenous vasoactive peptide systems that are operative as adaptive responders in human heart failure. With rapid advances in the molecular understanding of heart failure pathogenesis, several novel neurohormonal systems have been identified and more are under study. Bringing a potential therapeutic concept from bench to bedside today often involves a prerequisite set of animal and human studies. However, much of the attention in recent years has focused on identifying what the best clinical end-points should be or what the sample size should be in order to power statistical significance. Sometimes the fundamental mechanisms of action are overlooked with the rush to clinical implications. Opportunities to refine our thinking in the exploitation of such neurohormonal agonists/antagonists can be easily missed. Davis and colleagues have extended our understanding of a new neurohormone and its pathophysiological role in heart failure1. Urocortin is actually a group of peptides belonging to the corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) family, with other members including urocortin 1, urocortin 2, and urocortin 3. It is interesting to point out that the urocortin system has been conserved throughout evolution in vertebrates all the way back to the amphibian sauvagine.2 Such evolutionary conservation usually suggests that the peptide subserves an important adaptive role. This system appears to release corticosteroids in response to stress, at the same time contributing to some ‘cardioprotective’ … *Corresponding author. Tel: +1 216 444-3410; fax: +1 216 636-0063. E-mail address: francig{at}ccf.org
A Review on Antiulcer Activity of Few Indian Medicinal Plants

Ulcer is a common gastrointestinal disorder which is seen among many people. It is basically an inflamed break in the skin or the mucus membrane lining the alimentary tract. Ulceration occurs when there is a disturbance of the normal equilibrium caused by either enhanced aggression or diminished mucosal resistance. It may be due to the regular usage of drugs, irregular food habits, stress, and so forth. Peptic ulcers are a broad term that includes ulcers of digestive tract in the stomach or the duodenum. The formation of peptic ulcers depends on the presence of acid and peptic activity in gastric juice plus a breakdown in mucosal defenses. A number of synthetic drugs are available to treat ulcers. But these drugs are expensive and are likely to produce more side effects when compared to herbal medicines. The literature revealed that many medicinal plants and polyherbal formulations are used for the treatment of ulcer by various ayurvedic doctors and traditional medicinal practitioners. The ideal aims of treatment of peptic ulcer disease are to relieve pain, heal the ulcer, and delay ulcer recurrence. In this review attempts have been made to know about some medicinal plants which may be used in ayurvedic as well as modern science for the treatment or prevention of peptic ulcer.
Brief Optimal induced l1-norm state feedback control

State feedback synthesis is considered for linear discrete-time systems to minimize an upper bound of the closed-loop induced l^1-norm. A sufficient condition, called Generalized Bounded Real Inequality (GBRI), is presented to establish such a bound. An algorithm similar to the Invariant Kernel Algorithm (Shamma, IEEE Trans. Automat. Control 41 (1996) 533-544) and the contractive set algorithm (Blanchini, IEEE Trans. Automat. Control 39 (1994) 428-433) reduces the analysis and synthesis problems to linear programming. If the problem is feasible, our algorithm gives a polyhedral set that induces a closed-loop Lyapunov function and leads to feasible control laws. An example is given for which the optimal induced l^1-norm achieved by a linear controller is achieved by our synthesis approach.
Lithium and Granulocytopenia During Induction Therapy of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia: Update of an Ongoing Trial

Administration of lithium carbonate to normal subjects and psychiatric patients causes increased production of granulocytes (Rothstein et al., 1978; Stein et al., 1978b). The administration of lithium carbonate to patients receiving cancer chemotherapy can attenuate neutropenia when regimens of moderate myelotoxicity are employed (Stein et al., 1977; Greco and Brereton, 1977). We have previously reported in preliminary form (Stein et al., 1978a) that lithium can limit the duration of the severe neutropenia associated with chemotherapy of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a situation in which effective therapy is associated with severe neutropenia. This report presents an update of that clinical trial.
Human Prostatic Acid Phosphatase in Prostate Carcinogenesis

Human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAcP) is classically known as a prostate epithelium-specific differentiation antigen and was used as a surrogate marker for detecting prostate cancer (PCa) and monitoring its progression until the availability of prostate-specific antigen. Mature human PAcP protein is a 100 kDa glycoprotein containing two subunits of approximately 50 kDa each. Classically, two forms of human PAcP proteins have been identified: the cellular form (cPAcP) and the secretory form (sPAcP). Recent studies reveal the existence of a transmembrane form (TM-PAcP). While the function of sPAcP and TM-PAcP in human remains under further investigation, cPAcP functions as a neutral protein tyrosine phosphatase in PCa cells and dephosphorylates human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2/ErbB-2/Neu) resulting in decreased cell growth as well as tumor suppression. Clinically, cPAcP levels decrease in PCa tissues and correlate with PCa progression, despite elevated levels of sPAcP in circulation. Data from xenograft animal models validate the tumor suppressor activity of cPAcP in prostate carcinomas. Further, activation of ErbB-2 upon knockdown of cPAcP expression results in a castration-resistant phenotype. Expression of PAcP is regulated by different factors in human PCa cells. PAcP is also a useful immunogen in PCa immunotherapy. Further investigation of the regulatory mechanism of cPAcP expression will likely provide valuable insights into novel PCa therapy.
Professional skills and local engagement: the challenge of Transition Design

AbstractThis paper focuses on two challenges that Transition Design poses for design educators: teaching appropriate skill sets and promoting professional identities. University-based degree programs in design are expected to prepare graduates for professional careers providing students with the skill sets and the habits of minds required to secure jobs in a commercial, market driven milieu. We must ask: Are these actually the skills and habits we should be teaching in order to promote Transition Design? The second challenge involves working through the implications of localism. Inherent in Transition Design is the belief that it involves a type of social engagement that frames projects within the context of long-term visions tailored to specific places and experiences. In contrast, design curricula at most universities have a cosmopolitan flavor often at odds with an appreciation of local situations and values. So the question emerges: how can we educate people to recognize what it means to be local and ...
Exploring Classroom Community: A Social Network Study of Reacting to the Past

In this exploratory social network study, we examined how student relationships evolved during three month-long Reacting to the Past (RTTP) role-playing games in a lower division honors course at a large US public university. Our purpose was to explore how RTTP games—and collaborative learning approaches more generally—impact classroom community in college courses. We found that both acquaintance and friendship ties between students increased dramatically during the game, eliminating student isolation without tending to create new cliques. These added ties made acquaintance and friendship networks simultaneously denser and more inclusive than they were before the game. We conclude by advancing a hypothesis about the network effects of intensive peer interaction. Collaborative learning approaches like RTTP, we suggest, produce high-density networks with limited clustering because structured peer interactions cut across existing or naturally occurring clique boundaries.
Biologic studies of the diphtheria bacillus

There has been considerable uncertainty evidenced concerning the variability of the morphologic characteristics of B. diphtheriae with refefence to Wesbrook's types. The general opinion appears to be that these types are to a great extent, at least, immutable. If a particular form is found it is assumed that the strain remains constantly of that type of morphology. It has, furthermore, been assumed that the solid staining forms, D2 and E2, are relatively avirulent strains, and are usually reported avirulent or even negative in diagnostic laboratory reports. The literature on the subject is not by any means in accord with these views. Almqvist and Koraen 1 report observations of one strain of diphtheria bacillus over several years, and they found no marked change in its morphology at any examination. However, Denny 2 found that strains of types C2 and D2 tend, on prolonged cultivation, to become clubbed and to stain irregularly; in other words, to approach the barred and granular forms in their staining properties. He concludes that the solid types are young forms. Wherry3 arrives at the same conclusion from a study of the retarded growth of the organism under conditions of lowered oxygen tension. When growth takes place under such conditions it is retarded, and only the solid staining forms are found, principally D2 and E2. However, if such a culture is allowed to grow at normal oxygen tension barred and granular types soon develop. In connection with other problems, the question of the specificity of the morphology arose and studies were consequently made to determine whether variations in morphology and staining properties were common and if so, under what conditions these changes take place. Accordingly, a detailed study has been made of a series of strains with reference to their morphologic characteristics, to determine the specific or nonspecific nature of their morphology and the
The Third Location

In addition to the two locative properties just discussed — spatial and temporal — there ‘exists’ (in a sense about which there is much disagreement) a third set of locative properties. According to many philosophers, any given particular is also located somewhere in the conceptual plenum and is present in some, while absent from other, possible worlds.
Neonatal Stroke Outcome

The clinical outcome of 17 children, 1 to 11 years of age, who experienced cerebral artery infarctions as neonates has been studied in the Depts of Pediatrics and Neurology, Univ of Kentucky Med Center, Lexington, Kentucky.
An efficient finite-difference frequency-domain scheme for low-frequency quasi-TEM applications

A detailed formulation is provided for an efficient finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) scheme which is applicable to low-frequency structures where the quasi-TEM approximation is valid. The FDFD scheme is applied to large cross-section low-frequency transmission line structures where both skin effect and proximity effect are present. Results are compared to measurements and other numerical methods.
Abstract 667: Regorafenib inhibits colorectal tumor growth through PUMA-mediated apoptosis

Regorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor targeting the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway, has recently been approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanisms of action of regorafenib in CRC cells have been unclear. We investigated how regorafenib suppresses CRC cell growth and potentiates effects of other chemotherapeutic drugs. We found that regorafenib treatment induces PUMA in CRC cells irrespective of p53 status through the NF-κB pathway following ERK inhibition and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) activation. Upregulation of PUMA is correlated with apoptosis induction in different CRC cell lines. PUMA is necessary for regorafenib-induced apoptosis in CRC cells. Chemosensitization by regorafenib is mediated by enhanced PUMA induction through different pathways. Furthermore, deficiency in PUMA abrogates the in vivo antitumor, antiangiogenic and chemosensitization effects of regorafenib. Our results demonstrate a key role of PUMA in mediating the anticancer effects of regorafenib in CRC cells. They suggest that PUMA induction can be used as an indicator of regorafenib sensitivity, and also provide a rationale for manipulating the apoptotic machinery to improve the therapeutic efficacy of regorafenib and other targeted drugs. Citation Format: Dongshi Chen, Liang Wei, Jian Yu, Lin Zhang. Regorafenib inhibits colorectal tumor growth through PUMA-mediated apoptosis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 667. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-667
How Can We Outlive Our Way of Life

In this paper I outline the rational, science-based arguments that question current wisdom of replacing fossil plant fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) with fresh plant agrofuels. This 1:1 replacement is absolutely impossible for more than a few years, because of the ways the planet Earth works and maintains life. After these few years, the denuded Earth will be a different planet, hostile to human life. I argue that with the current set of objective constraints a continuous stable solution to human life cannot exist in the near-future, unless we all rapidly implement much more limited ways of using the Earth’s resources, while reducing the global populations of cars, trucks, livestock and, eventually, also humans. To avoid economic and ecological disasters, I recommend to decrease all automotive fuel use in Europe by up to 6 percent per year in 8 years, while switching to the increasingly rechargeable hybrid and all-electric cars, progressively driven by photovoltaic cells. The actual schedule of the rate of decrease should also depend on the exigencies of greenhouse gas abatement. The photovoltaic cell-battery-electric motor system is some 100 times more efficient than major agrofuel systems.
Migração de enxames de vespas sociais: demonstração de um caminho químico

Resumo Vespas sociais da especie Polybia sericea, que foram forcadas a enxamear pela destruicao do seu ninho, foram atraidas pela secrecao de uma glândula exocrina que se localiza na margem anterior (base) do quinto esternito abdominal das femeas. Enxames emigrante seguiram filas de estacas tratadas com tal secrecao. O cheiro dessa secrecao e o principal estimulo para a orientacao de um enxame a um novo lugar de nidificacao. Este trabalho e a primeira demonstracao de um feromonio e sua fonte glandular numa vespa da subfamilia Polistinae.
“Family? … Not Just Blood”: Discursive Constructions of “Family” in Adult, Former Foster Children’s Narratives

ABSTRACTFramed by Relational Dialectics Theory, this study explores the ways adult, former foster children discursively construct meanings of “family.” Contrapuntal analysis of 24 interviews revealed two discourses as competing to constitute family: the Discourse of Family as Irreplaceable and Inescapable (Permanence) and the Discourse of Family as Performative Kinning (Performance). Permanence was constituted by themes of biology and historical connection, reifying normative understandings. Performance, comprised of role enactment, need for tolerance, and unconditional love, challenged the Permanence discourse. Throughout the narratives, Performance competed with Permanence for dominance, illustrating the cultural pervasiveness and power of Permanence yet, in some moments, privileging the marginalized Performance discourse. This discursive competition constructed meanings of family in narratives of life before, during, and after foster care. Overall, participant’s talk constructed complex webs of family ...
An end-of-life practice survey among clinical nephrologists associated with a single nephrology fellowship training program.

BACKGROUND Our nephrology fellowship requires specific training in recognition and referral of end-stage renal disease patients likely to benefit from palliative and hospice care. METHODS To identify end-of-life (EOL) referral barriers that require greater training emphasis, we performed a cross-sectional, 17-item anonymous online survey (August-October 2015) of 93 nephrologists associated with the program since 1987. RESULTS There was a 61% response rate (57/93 surveys). Ninety-five percent practiced clinical nephrology (54/57). Of these, 51 completed the survey (55% completion rate), and their responses were analyzed. Sixty-four percent were in practice >10 years; 65% resided in the Southern USA. Ninety-two percent felt comfortable discussing EOL care, with no significant difference between those with ≤10 versus >10 years of practice experience (P = 0.28). Thirty-one percent reported referring patients to EOL care 'somewhat' or 'much less often' than indicated. The most frequent referral barriers were: time-consuming nature of EOL discussions (27%); difficulty in accurately determining prognosis for <6-month survival (35%); patient (63%) and family (71%) unwillingness; and patient (69%) and family (73%) misconceptions. Fifty-seven percent would refer more patients if dialysis or ultrafiltration could be performed in hospice. Some reported that local palliative care resources (12%) and hospice resources (6%) were insufficient. CONCLUSIONS The clinical nephrologists surveyed were comfortable with EOL care discussion and referral. Patient, family, prognostic and system barriers exist, and many reported lower than indicated referral rates. Additional efforts, including, but not limited to, EOL training during fellowship, are needed to overcome familial and structural barriers to facilitate nephrologist referral for EOL care.
Selected Controversies of Radioiodine Imaging and Therapy in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

This article discusses the more controversial areas of the management of differentiated thyroid cancer, namely, the utility of pretherapy staging radioiodine scans; the prescribed activity for iodine-131 remnant ablation, adjuvant treatment, and distant metastases; preparation with thyroid hormone withdrawal versus recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone; and the classification of radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. The author reviews various aspects of the controversies, such as the recommendations of the 2015 guidelines of the American Thyroid Association, arguments for and against the various controversies, and selected references.
Algorithmic innovations and software for the dual decomposition method applied to stochastic mixed-integer programs

We present algorithmic innovations for the dual decomposition method to address two-stage stochastic programs with mixed-integer recourse and provide an open-source software implementation that we call DSP. Our innovations include the incorporation of Benders-like cuts in a dual decomposition framework to tighten Lagrangian subproblems and aid the exclusion of infeasible first-stage solutions for problems without (relative) complete recourse. We also use an interior-point cutting-plane method with new termination criteria for solving the Lagrangian master problem. We prove that the algorithm converges to an optimal solution of the Lagrangian dual problem in a finite number of iterations, and we also prove that convergence can be achieved even if the master problem is solved suboptimally. DSP can solve instances specified in C code, SMPS files, and Julia script. DSP also implements a standard Benders decomposition method and a dual decomposition method based on subgradient dual updates that we use to perform benchmarks. We present extensive numerical results using SIPLIB instances and a large unit commitment problem to demonstrate that the proposed innovations provide significant improvements in the number of iterations and solution times. The software reviewed as part of this submission has been given the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.998971 .
Proliferation of human aortic endothelial cells on Nitinol thin films with varying hole sizes.

In this paper, we present the effect of micron size holes on proliferation and growth of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Square shaped micron size holes (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 μm) separated by 10 μm wide struts are fabricated on 5 μm thick sputter deposited Nitinol films. HAECs are seeded onto these micropatterned films and analyzed after 30 days with fluorescence microscopy. Captured images are used to quantify the nucleus packing density, size, and aspect ratio. The films with holes ranging from 10 to 20 μm produce the highest cell packing densities with cell nucleus contained within the hole. This produces a geometrically regular grid like cellular distribution pattern. The cell nucleus aspect ratio on the 10–20 μm holes is more circular in shape when compared to aspect ratio on the continuous film or larger size holes. Finally, the 25 μm size holes prevented the formation of a continuous cell monolayer, suggesting the critical length that cells cannot bridge is between 20 to 25 μm.
Prestressed Bowstring Arch

General formula for arches with extensible suspension rods is derived from strain energy of structure; specific equations are then obtained; simplified membrane analogy method of solving bowstring arch is also introduced; results of laboratory investigation of 49 in. span aluminum models; experimental and analytical results were in good agreement.
Ecophenotypy, temporal and spatial fidelity, functional morphology, and physiological trade-offs among intertidal bivalves

Ecophenotypic variation in populations is driven by differences in environmental variables. In marine environments, ecophenotypic variation may be caused by differences in hydrodynamic conditions, substrate type, water depth, temperature, salinity, oxygen concentration, and habitat heterogeneity, among others. Instances of ecophenotypic variation in modern and fossil settings are common, but little is known about the influences of time averaging and spatial averaging on their preservation. Here we examine the shell morphology of two adjacent populations, both live collected and death assemblages, of the infaunal, suspension-feeding, intertidal bivalve Leukoma staminea from the well-studied Argyle Creek and Argyle Lagoon locations on San Juan Island, Washington. Individuals in the low-energy lagoon are free to burrow in the fine-grained substrate, while clams in the high-energy creek are precluded from burrowing in the rocky channel. Our results demonstrate variation in size and shape between the adjacent habitats. Lagoon clams are larger, more disk-shaped, and have relatively larger siphons than their creek counterparts, which are smaller, more spherical in shape, and have a relatively shallower pallial sinus. This ecophenotypy is preserved among death assemblages, although with generally greater variation due to time averaging and shell transport. Our interpretation is that ecophenotypic variation, in this case, is induced by differing hydrodynamic regimes and substrate types, cumulatively resulting in physiological trade-offs diverting resources from feeding and respiration to stability and shell strength, all of which have the potential to be preserved in the fossil record.
Heavy-tailed regression with a generalized median-of-means

This work proposes a simple and computationally efficient estimator for linear regression, and other smooth and strongly convex loss minimization problems. We prove loss approximation guarantees that hold for general distributions, including those with heavy tails. All prior results only hold for estimators which either assume bounded or subgaussian distributions, require prior knowledge of distributional properties, or are not known to be computationally tractable. In the special case of linear regression with possibly heavy-tailed responses and with bounded and well-conditioned covariates in d-dimensions, we show that a random sample of size O(d log(1/δ)) suffices to obtain a constant factor approximation to the optimal loss with probability 1-δ, a minimax optimal sample complexity up to log factors. The core technique used in the proposed estimator is a new generalization of the median-of-means estimator to arbitrary metric spaces.
Abstract 3707: PD-L1 antibody drug conjugate for cancer immune-chemo combination therapy

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are a new form of targeted therapy to cancer, consisting of an antibody, a conditionally stable linker, and a cytotoxic drug. Immune checkpoint molecule, such as programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) overexpressed in various solid tumors including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and it has a crucial role in tumor immune evasion. Blocking the interaction between PD-L1 and PD-1 (programmed death-1 receptor) resurrects tumor immune surveillance, resulting CD8+ cytotoxic T cells activation to attack the tumor cells. This is an emerging anticancer mechanism and more than four antibody inhibitors have been recently FDA approved against PD-1 or PD-L1 biomarker. Targeting PD-L1 in TNBC and NSCLC is an excellent approach for tumor immunotherapy. However, the major challenges of anti-PD-L1 therapy (Atezolizumab) are (i) the transient expression of PD-L1 in tumor microenvironment, (ii) development of anti-PD-L1 resistance, (iii) difficulty of tumor stroma penetration that retard its clinical outcome. To overcome these challenges, we chemically conjugated Atezolizumab (ATZ) with potent chemotherapeutic payload, such as Doxorubicin (Dox) through polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers. The role of Dox is to break the tumor stroma so that PD-L1 antibody can penetrate to the core of the tumor. Introduction of PEG-linker with high molecular weight ATZ (155 kD) has drastically improved the solubility of ADC and successful chemical conjugation of between ATZ and PEG-Dox was evaluated by MALDI-TOF analysis. Our data has revealed significantly tumor cell killing effect and induction of apoptosis in PD-L1-Dox treated MDA-MB-231 cells. The near infrared imaging of PD-L1 dye conjugate in TNBC and NSCLC patient derived xenograft (PDx) supports the selective tumor targetability. Based on the synergistic anticancer effect and selective tumor targetability demonstrated in this study build a strong rational of using PD-L1 ADC approach for cancer immune-chemo therapy and diagnosis. Citation Format: Samaresh Sau, Alex Petrovici, Hashem Alsaab, Arun K. Iyer. PD-L1 antibody drug conjugate for cancer immune-chemo combination therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3707.
Costs and benefits of internal control audits: evidence from M&A transactions

To inform the debate on the merits of internal control audits, we examine managers’ decisions to temporarily exempt newly acquired businesses from Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We document that managers are more likely to elect the exemption when expected compliance costs are higher, such as when acquisitions are larger and occur later in the year. We find only modest evidence that managers use the exemption to avoid scrutiny of value-destroying deals. Exemption use, however, is associated with negative post-acquisition outcomes, including lower return-on-assets and higher likelihoods of goodwill impairments and financial statement restatements. These results comport with compliance providing benefits by facilitating timely identification and correction of control problems in the newly acquired business. Finally, we document negative abnormal stock returns at the time exemption use is announced and over the subsequent 3 years, suggesting that investors view exemption use negatively and that their initial price reactions are incomplete.
On the architecture of mate choice decisions: preference functions and choosiness are distinct traits.

Mate choice is an important cause of sexual selection; it can drive the evolution of extravagant ornaments and displays, and promote speciation through the reproductive isolation generated by rapid...
Culture: an Anthropological View

La culture est definie comme une propriete humaine unique, basee sur une forme symbolique reliee au temps, de communication, de vie sociale, et sur la qualite cumulative de l'interaction humaine, ce qui permet ainsi que la culture materielle et la technologie s'accumulent dans les groupements humains.
Cross species multi-omics reveals cell wall sequestration and elevated global transcription as mechanisms of boron tolerance in plants

Boron toxicity is a worldwide problem for crop production, yet we have only a limited understanding of the genetic responses and adaptive mechanisms to this environmental stress in plants. Here we identified responses to excess boron in boron stress-sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana and its boron stress-tolerant extremophyte relative Schrenkiella parvula using comparative genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and ionomics. S. parvula maintains a lower level of total boron and free boric acid in its roots and shoots and sustains growth for longer durations than A. thaliana when grown with excess boron. S. parvula likely excludes boron more efficiently than A. thaliana, which we propose is partly driven by BOR5, a boron transporter that we functionally characterized in the current study. Both species allocate significant transcriptomic and metabolomic resources to enable their cell walls to serve as a partial sink for excess boron, particularly discernable in A. thaliana shoots. We provide evidence that the S. parvula transcriptome is pre-adapted to boron toxicity, exhibiting substantial overlap with the boron-stressed transcriptome of A. thaliana. Our transcriptomic and metabolomics data also suggest that RNA metabolism is a primary target of boron toxicity. Cytoplasmic boric acid likely forms complexes with ribose and ribose-containing compounds critical to RNA and other primary metabolic functions. A model depicting some of the cellular responses that enable a plant to grow in the presence of normally toxic levels of boron is presented.
Comparison of Respiratory Variations of Subclavian Vein and Inferior Vena Cava in Hospitalized Patients with Kidney Disease.

Background Accurate assessment of relative intravascular volume is critical for appropriate volume management of patients with kidney disease. Respiratory variations of inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter have been used and may correlate with those of subclavian vein (SCV) by bedside ultrasound. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between SCV and IVC respiratory variations by bedside ultrasound in a large group of hospitalized patients with acute and/or chronic kidney disease. Methods We compared 160 paired SCV and IVC bedside ultrasound studies from 102 semi-recumbent hospitalized adult patients with kidney disease. Patient encounters in which the SCV or IVC could not be clearly visualized were excluded. Collapsibility index=(Dmax-Dmin)/Dmax*100%; D=venous diameter. Results Relationships between SCV collapsibility index and IVC collapsibility index were not different for longitudinal and transverse views of the SCV. Correlation of SCV collapsibility index with IVC collapsibility index was 0.75 for mechanical ventilation (n=65, P 50% for hypovolemia corresponded to SCV collapsibility index cut-offs of 39%, respectively, for both mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing encounters. Using these cut-offs for SCV collapsibilities, assessment as hypervolemia versus not-hypervolemia had maximal sensitivity and specificity for predicting respective IVC collapsibility cut-offs of 88% for mechanical ventilation and 74% for spontaneous breathing, and assessment as hypovolemia versus not-hypovolemia had maximal sensitivity and specificity of 91% and 70%, respectively. Concordance, defined as agreement between assessment using SCV CI and assessment using IVC CI, was 85% for mechanical ventilation and 72% for spontaneous breathing when differentiating hypervolemia versus not-hypervolemia and was 89% and 71% respectively when differentiating hypovolemia versus not-hypovolemia. Conclusion Assessment using SCV collapsibility index in the semi-recumbent position has a reasonable concordance with assessment using IVC collapsibility index for both spontaneous breathing and mechanical ventilation, in a wide range of hospitalized patients with concurrent kidney disease, and may be a useful adjunct to assess relative intravascular volume in patients with kidney disease.