cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advances in surface-light-scattering instrumentation and analysis: noninvasive measuring of surface tension, viscosity, and other interfacial parameters.

A new generation of vibration-mitigating surface-light-scattering instrumentation has been designed and built. The computational application of an instrument function derived by use of Fourier optics is presented. This instrument and its accompanying suite of analysis software allow us to easily make accurate and noninvasive measurements of the interfacial tension, volume viscosity, and other interfacial parameters of fluids. We derived the necessary surface response function algorithms to study both simple fluids and binary fluids at their wetting transition and near their critical points. These developments can be applied to study systems with liquid–vapor and liquid–liquid interfaces, including spread monolayers, whenever optical access for a laser beam is available.
Superoxide dismutases and their impact upon human health

Superoxide dismutases (SOD), a group of metal-containing enzymes, have a vital anti-oxidant role in human health, conferred by their scavenging of one of the reactive oxygen species, superoxide anion. Three types of SODs are known in humans, with the most abundant being cytosolic SOD1, identified by its Cu, Zn-containing prosthetic group. The presence of these metals and the coordination to certain amino acids are essential for function. SODs are among the first line of defense in the detoxification of products resulting from oxidative stress. Here, we describe the importance of SOD function, and the need for coordination with other ROS-scavenging enzymes in this pathway of detoxification. The impact of metal-deficient diets (copper or zinc) or incorrect metal ion incorporation (copper chaperone for SOD) onto nascent SOD, are also examined. Finally, human pathologies associated with either SOD dysfunction or decreased activity are discussed with current progress on the development of novel therapies.
Limiting Cutoff Rate for Phase-Only Modulation on a Slow-Fading Rician Channel

We consider the limiting channel cutoff rate for memoryless phase-only modulation operating on the slow-fading Rician channel for large alphabet size, M. Previous work has considered evaluation of the cutoff rate, R/sub 0/, in bits/channel use, for multiple phase-shift keyed (MPSK) modulation with fixed M as a function of the channel parameters, as well as system implementation details such as whether or not interleaving/deinterleaving or channel state information (CSI) is used. Here we evaluate the limiting R/sub 0/ when the restriction of a fixed alphabet size, M, is removed but the transmitted signal is restricted to utilize memoryless phase-only modulation. Results are provided under the assumptions of ideal interleaving/deinterleaving both with perfect and no CSI. In the case of no CSI we show that there exists a maximum useful signaling rate which depends only upon the ratio of specular-to-diffuse energy.
The Cys-Rich Region of Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 1 Is Required for Binding of Hepatitis A Virus and Protective Monoclonal Antibody 190/4

The hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 1 (HAVcr-1) cDNA codes for a class I integral membrane glycoprotein, termed havcr-1, of unknown natural function which serves as an African green monkey kidney (AGMK) cell receptor for HAV. The extracellular domain of havcr-1 has an N-terminal Cys-rich region that displays homology with sequences of members of the immunoglobulin superfamily, followed by a Thr/Ser/Pro (TSP)-rich region characteristic of mucin-like O-glycosylated proteins. The havcr-1 glycoprotein contains four putative N-glycosylation sites, two in the Cys-rich region and two in the TSP-rich region. To characterize havcr-1 and define region(s) involved in HAV receptor function, we expressed the TSP-rich region in Escherichia coli fused to glutathione S-transferase and generated antibodies (Ab) in rabbits (anti-GST2 Ab). Western blot analysis with anti-GST2 Ab detected 62- and 65-kDa bands in AGMK cells and 59-, 62-, and 65-kDa bands in dog cells transfected with the HAVcr-1 cDNA (cr5 cells) but not in dog cells transfected with the vector alone (DR2 cells). Treatment of AGMK and cr5 cell extracts with peptide-N-glycosidase F resulted in the collapse of the havcr-1-specific bands into a single band of 56 kDa, which indicated that different N-glycosylated forms of havcr-1 were expressed in these cells. Treatment of AGMK and cr5 cells with tunicamycin reduced binding of protective monoclonal Ab (MAb) 190/4, which suggested that N-glycans are required for binding of MAb 190/4 to havcr-1. To test this hypothesis, havcr-1 mutants lacking the N-glycosylation motif at the first site (mut1), second site (mut2), and both (mut3) sites were constructed and transfected into dog cells. Binding of MAb 190/4 and HAV to mut1 and mut3 cells was highly reduced, while binding to mut2 cells was not affected and binding to dog cells expressing an havcr-1 construct containing a deletion of the Cys-rich region (d1− cells) was undetectable. HAV-infected cr5 and mut2 cells but not mut1, mut3, d1−, and DR2 cells developed the characteristic cytoplasmic granular fluorescence of HAV-infected cells. These results indicate that the Cys-rich region of havcr-1 and its first N-glycosylation site are required for binding of protective MAb 190/4 and HAV receptor function.
“The Conflation of Productivity and Efficiency in Economics and Economic History”: A Comment

In a recent article, Edward Saraydar (1989) takes economists and economic historians to task for equating productivity and efficiency in comparative economic analysis. Although I found his thesis interesting, I was a bit surprised to see selected remarks from my article on firm size in nineteenth-century France (Nye,1987) used to frame his criticism of productivity comparisons as a means of making prescriptive statements. The passages selected may mislead the reader as to the nature of my arguments. Let me quote Saraydar on this: … I argue that … the problem with equating productivity with efficiency is that from the neoclassical standpoint this strongly suggests a prescriptive view - a view that things should be or should have been different - and thereby frees the analyst from the need to justify the utility costs that might be or might have been required to make things different. Thus, in the French industrialization debate, for example, Nye points out that evidence that smaller family firms were less productive would support the conclusion “that nineteenth-century French firms were too small (for whatever reasons) and that consequently French industry suffered from inefficiency” (Nye, 1987, pp. 667–68). Suppose the evidence to which Nye refers to existed . [My emphasis] Distributive considerations aside, in neoclassical economics a more Pareto-efficient state by its very nature is to be preferred to a less efficient one. Therefore, the implication is that family firms should have been larger and more productive. However, suppose also that the plethora of small family firms in nineteenth-century France, in fact, constituted a longstanding, widely accepted, socially imbedded institution. Clearly, the traditionalist thought-experiment and conclusion would ignore the potential costs in utility or satisfaction to owners of factors of production, a utility loss that may well have been required to make the “more efficient.” transformation to a relatively few large-scale industrial firms. That potential utility loss cannot be ignored and should be part of the analysis. (Saraydar, 1989, p. 56)
A new timeframe for the diversification of Japan’s mammals

Aim The main Japanese islands are land-bridge islands divided by the biogeographic division Blakiston’s Line and represent two natural laboratories for studying land-bridge diversification. Colonization of the current mammal fauna has been dated to the middle to late Pleistocene using fossil evidence. The purpose of this paper is to apply a molecular clock to the genetic divergences between Japanese mammalian taxa and their sister mainland taxa to test the late Pleistocene land-bridge colonization hypothesis. Location The main Japanese islands (Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and Hokkaido). Methods I used mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b) and a species tree approach to estimate the divergence times of 24 Japanese non-volant terrestrial mammal taxa and their mainland sister taxa using the program *beast. I then tested for evidence of non-simultaneous divergence among these taxon-pairs by controlling for expected coalescent stochasticity using the program MsBayes. Results Divergence events between taxa on Japan and their mainland sister taxa were significantly older than expected under the current paradigm, which is based on fossil data. Consistent with the land-bridge colonization hypothesis, there was evidence of multiple divergence events. Main conclusions These results implicate a colonization timeframe that is older than posited by the current paradigm based on fossil evidence. However, these results are still consistent with the land-bridge colonization hypothesis. Multiple periods of land-bridge connectivity may account for the current mammalian fauna in Japan. In addition, half of the divergence time estimates in the Honshu–Shikoku–Kyushu region were clumped around 2.4 Ma, which might suggest a dramatic interchange period, concordant with a period of significant global cooling, when the first land bridge may have connected Japan to the mainland.
Words Are Wonderful: Interactive, Time‐Efficient Strategies to Teach Meaning Vocabulary

Vocabulary is important, yet instruction in word meaning is often tedious and ineffective. This article presents motivating and time-efficient strategies for introducing and practicing the meaning vocabulary students will encounter across subject areas and texts in school. In the “Semantic Impressions” word-introduction strategy, students write a story using words that will later be presented in published text. In the “Word Expert Cards” introductory activity, each student prepares a few word cards and then teaches them to peers. Because words are learned gradually, review is important. Four game-like review strategies are also suggested. In the quick-paced “Anything Goes,” the teacher points to words and asks students to reply to questions about meaning, part of speech, or use in a sentence. In “Connect Two,” the teacher displays two columns of words and asks students to find similarities across columns. In the game “Two in One,” students are asked to put two or more words into one sentence. Finally, in”Find That Word,” students must find and record examples of words as they are used in books, speech, or the media.
L' Art des Cavernes en Pays‐Basque: Les Grottes d'Ekain et Altxerri; Journey through the Ice Age; L'Art des Origines au Yemen

L' Art des Cavernes en Pays-Basque: Les Grottes d'Ekain et Altxerri. Jesus Altuna. Paris: Seuil Publishers, 1996.200 pp. Journey through the Ice Age. Paul G. Bahn and Jean Vertut. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.240 pp. L'Art des Origines au Yemen. Michel-Alain Garcia and Madiha Rachad. Paris: Seuil Publishers, 1997.99 pp.
Role of Tet1/3 Genes and Chromatin Remodeling Genes in Cerebellar Circuit Formation

Although mechanisms underlying early steps in cerebellar development are known, evidence is lacking on genetic and epigenetic changes during the establishment of the synaptic circuitry. Using metagene analysis, we report pivotal changes in multiple reactomes of epigenetic pathway genes in cerebellar granule cells (GCs) during circuit formation. During this stage, Tet genes are upregulated and vitamin C activation of Tet enzymes increases the levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) at exon start sites of upregulated genes, notably axon guidance genes and ion channel genes. Knockdown of Tet1 and Tet3 by RNAi in ex vivo cerebellar slice cultures inhibits dendritic arborization of developing GCs, a critical step in circuit formation. These findings demonstrate a role for Tet genes and chromatin remodeling genes in the formation of cerebellar circuitry.
Studies on Sensitization. VI. Specific Desensitization of Rabbits Sensitized to Protein Mixtures

It is generally believed that while it is possible to desensitize rabbits injected with a purified protein such as crystalline egg albumin, it is not possible to desensitize these animals when injected with a complex mixture of proteins such as serum or egg white. On reinvestigating this problem, it was found that rabbits can be readily desensitized to serum and egg white, the desensitization, however, being of short duration. In the early experiments, large quantities, such as 10 or 20 cc. of these proteins were injected intravenously to produce desensitization. Later experiments indicated that relatively small amounts, such as 1 cc. or 0.5 cc. per kg. of body weight of rabbits, were sufficient to desensitize.Table I illustrates desensitization in 2 rabbits, sensitized to human serum that had previously been heated for 30 min. at 56° C. Rabbit 173 had a skin sensitivity titer of 1,000, but no serum precipitins. By injecting intravenously 0.5 cc. of human serum per kg. of body weight, the skin sensitivity...
Strained Ionic Interfaces: Effect on Oxygen Diffusivity from Atomistic Simulations

The role of materials’ interfaces/grain boundaries on enhancing anion conductivity is an intensely debated issue that has exposed limited understanding on point-defect energetics at interfaces. Using static atomistic simulations on ZrO2 | CeO2 and ThO2 | CeO2 interfaces, we disentangle key interface issues, i.e., oxygen vacancy migration barriers at interfaces in the absence and presence of dopants, and oxygen vacancy-dopant binding energies at interfaces. The results show that, while pure, strained interfaces indeed possess very low oxygen migration barriers, the segregated dopants counteract and significantly raise the barriers. In addition, the dopants bind oxygen vacancies much more strongly at the interfaces than in the bulk, thereby further lowering oxygen diffusivity at interfaces. From our simulations, we conclude that the concept of strained interfaces to enhance anion conductivity prevails primarily in the absence of segregated dopants, and strategies that prevent dopant segregation need to be c...
Numerical Investigations on the Effects of the Declining Back-Edge of MVG

Due to the background in the mixed compression engine inlets, the Shock wave/ Turbulent Boundary Layer Interaction (STBLI) problem has been one of the concerns of the aerodynamic industry. Shock-induced separation and the corresponding interaction make the flow losing its quality and reduce inlet total pressure recovery. Various flow-control methods have been tried and investigated by lots of researchers, such as passive controls like vortex generators and active controls like bleeding. Recently, micro vortex generators (MVGs) are paid upon more and more attention as the remarkable experimental ewsults obtained by Barbinsky [1] . The MVG is different from its conventional counterpart by possessing a height of the 20~60% width of the boundary layer, while the height of the conventional one is the same order of the width. The basic idea of MVG is to generate the counter-rotating streamwise vortices, which bring the high momentum fluid from the outer flow to the inner boundary; meanwhile the weak jets-like streamwise vortices has the ability to push away the unfavorable flow gradient. When MVGs are put before the separation region, it is possible to reduce the size of separation and make the boundary layer more “healthy” by means of parameters like the shape factor. Because MVGs are often used in supersonic flows, MVG can produce series of disturbing waves as well. What’s more, due to the existence of a solid body in the flow, a momentum deficit region was found to be superimposed between the pair of the streamwise vortices. As mentioned by Barbinsky [1] , this implies larger drag, which is unfavorable to the engineers. In order to investigate the influence of the geometry of MVG to the low momentum deficit, MVGs with different back-edge declining angle are investigated numerically in this work. Two declining angle are selected as 70o and 45o. The former is more vertical and similar to the shape used by Barbinsky, the latter declines relatively slowly and smoothly. The sketches of the geometry are shown as following:
The humoral response to DNCB: its detection by different techniques.

SummaryAntibodies in the sera of guinea pigs immunized with DNCB were detected by Ouchterlony-type analyses and were estimated in weight units by the mABC procedure. Assays of these sera by means of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, passive he-molysis, or the ABC-33 antigen-binding technique were essentially negative. The validity of the mABC analyses was established by comparison of results obtained in quantitative precipitation studies with sera of guinea pigs immunized with DNP · BGG. In these instances, also, the ABC-33 assays failed to detect all the anti-DNP immuno-globulins.
Hypercoagulability and Thrombosis

Increased knowledge about basic physiology of hemostasis, the identification of new blood protein defects leading to thrombosis, coupled with development of new, simple, readily available laboratory testing techniques now allows the cause of thrombosis to be identified in most patients. Because of this, clinicians and laboratory scientists must not only be familiar with blood protein defects associated with thrombosis, but must evaluate patients in a cooperative manner. Identification of the etiology will depend on both clinical and laboratory evaluation and assumes major importance for designing appropriate therapy.
A closed-loop analysis of the tubuloglomerular feedback mechanism.

The tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) mechanism is of importance in the regulation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A second mechanism of potential importance is the change in proximal pressure c...
On Export Negotiation Credit and Its Legal Nature

The author point out that export engotiation credit is an important method of settlement of the goods price.Yet in practice,there still exist certain ambiguousness in understanding of its legal nature,and it is frequently taken as a pledge and(or) a loan by some financial institutions.Consequently,there may exist difficulties in settlement of the disputes arising in L/C negotiation due to the distortion and contradiction in legal issues.Hence,based on the provisions of relevant laws,this paper tries to have a legal analysis of the nature of export negotiation credit in the hope of rendering an improved view of its legal relationships and lessening the disputes in international settlement.
Proton relaxation enhancement associated with iodinated contrast agents in MR imaging of the CNS.

PURPOSE To study the effects of iodinated radiographic contrast agents on proton relaxation in MR imaging. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two patients were evaluated after the intrathecal administration of an iodinated nonionic contrast agent (Isovue) and five subjects with cranial tumors following the intravenous administration of an iodinated ionic contrast medium (Renografin). RESULTS Both patients with subarachnoid iodinated contrast media demonstrated a relative reduction in T1 and/or T2 times using a spin-echo sequence, while four of five of the subjects with intracranial tumors (one glioma, one dural metastasis, three meningiomas) and intravenous enhancement revealed a visible MR effect. Confirmation of these in vivo observations was obtained by in vitro measurement of T1 and T2 while varying the concentration of the contrast media in saline. All iodinated contrast media showed progressively reduced relaxation times (T1 and T2) as the concentration of the agent was increased. The largest contributing relaxation mechanism is probably due to the binding and exchange of the surrounding water with the contrast molecules. CONCLUSION The observed T1/T2 effects suggest that administration of iodinated contrast media in the period immediately prior to MR scanning may be contraindicated in selected cases due to the demonstrated alteration of MR signal intensity that may lead to diagnostic inaccuracies.
The Evolution of Legal Systems: Response to Helena Baldina, Andreas Bruns, and Johannes Müller-Salo

Helena Baldina, Andreas Bruns, and Johannes Muller-Salo write of the “Haack-Holmes Conception of Law.” Flattering as this is, I should begin by saying plainly that what I mean by calling my (still-developing) legal philosophy “neo-classical legal pragmatism” is that it calls on ideas not only from Holmes, but also from C. S. Peirce, from John Dewey, and from William James—to whom I owe the marvelously Janus-faced concept of a pluralistic universe. And it bears emphasizing that I accept these pragmatist ideas not because they are pragmatist, but because, so far as I can tell, they are true.
Sampling of Microbial Aerosols at Various Locations in Fluid Milk and Ice Cream Plants

Potential sources of aerosol contamination and dairy products' containers in four commercial dairy plants (fluid milk and ice cream) were sampled for microorganism-containing particles and residual bacterial count (RBC), respectively, over a 3- month period. Microbiological analyses included total aerobes (TA), staphylococci (ST), and yeasts and molds (YM). The Biotest RCS sampler was used for air sampling. All aerosol sources sampled in this study indicated significant increase in the microbial content of the air when compared to air in plants without processing activity. However, when comparisons are made between exit air from the ventilation system (filtered air) and other aerosols sampled during processing activity, only the drains, water spraying, and personnel activity were associated with significant increases in TA and ST. Half and/or whole gallon retail containers were sampled 2 to 3 times per d in four plants. The RBC of containers from each of the four plants did not exceed one CFU per ml of capacity.
THE UV/BLUE EFFECTS OF SPACE WEATHERING MANIFESTED IN S-COMPLEX ASTEROIDS. I. QUANTIFYING CHANGE WITH ASTEROID AGE

Evidence for the manifestation of space weathering in S-complex asteroids as a bluing of the UV/blue reflectance spectrum is extended using high resolution CCD reflectance spectra of 21 main-belt, 1 Mars-crossing, and 3 near-Earth asteroids covering a wavelength range of 320–620 nm. Demonstration of the transition of iron-bearing materials from volume scattering to surface (Fresnel) scattering is apparent as an abrupt downturn at wavelengths just short of 400 nm in reflectance spectra of fresh asteroid surfaces. The weathering away of this downturn is demonstrated by its absence in reflectance spectra of mature S-complex asteroids, consistent with an increase in npFe0 on the material's surface. Modeling of the effects of the addition of small amounts of npFe0 to particles from both a hypothetical mineral and a terrestrial basalt shows that evidence of the addition of 0.0001% npFe0 affects the reflectance at UV/blue wavelengths, while the addition of 0.01% is required to see the visible/near-infrared reddening and diminution of absorption features. Thus, the UV/blue reflectance characteristics allow earlier detection of the onset of space weathering effects. Combining UV/blue spectral characteristics of asteroids and ordinary chondrite meteorites with estimated ages of the young Datura family, we establish a method of dating asteroid surface ages during the early stages of space weathering. We demonstrate by dating the surface of NEA 163249 2002 GT to be 109 (±18) to 128 (±10) Kyr.
Examining evolving performance on the Force Concept Inventory using factor analysis

Factor analysis of student Force Concept Inventory responses shows greater alignment with an expert's interpretation on post-test compared to pretest.
A Triple Movement? Parsing the Politics of Crisis after Polanyi

Today’s crisis resembles that of the 1930s, as described by Karl Polanyi in his book The Great Transformation. Now, as then, a relentless push to extend and deregulate markets is everywhere wreaking havoc—destroying the livelihoods of billions of people, trashing habitats and despoiling nature across the globe. Now, as then, attempts to commodify nature, labour and money are destabilizing society and economy. Now, as then, the result is a crisis in multiple dimensions—not only economic and financial but also ecological and social. How can we best explain the decidedly non-Polanyian character of the political landscape in the twenty-first century, and how should we evaluate the present constellation? Are we dealing here with political mistakes—with failures of leadership, defects of analysis and errors of judgement?
Cofinality, the Generalized Continuum Hypothesis, and Cardinal Arithmetic

As we promised in the last section we now take up the problem of computing cardinal powers.
Strain specific effects of low level lead exposure on associative learning and memory in rats

Exposure to lead (Pb) remains a significant public health concern. Lead exposure in early life impairs the normal development of numerous cognitive and neurobehavioral processes. Previous work has shown that the effects of developmental Pb exposure on gene expression patterns in the brain are modulated by various factors including the developmental timing of the exposure, level of exposure, sex, and genetic background. Using gene microarray profiling, we previously reported a significant strain-specific effect of Pb exposure on the hippocampal transcriptome, with the greatest number of differentially expressed transcripts in Long Evans (LE) rats and the fewest in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The present study examined the extent to which this differential effect of Pb on hippocampal gene expression might influence behavior. Animals (males and females) were tested in a trace fear conditioning paradigm to evaluate effects of Pb exposures (perinatal (PERI; gestation to postnatal day 21) or early postnatal (EPN; postnatal day 1 to day 21)) on associative learning and memory. All animals (Pb-exposed and non-Pb-exposed controls) showed normal acquisition of the conditioned stimulus (tone)-unconditioned stimulus (footshock) association. Long Evans rats showed a significant deficit in short- and long-term recall, influenced by sex and the timing of Pb exposure (PERI or EPN). In contrast, Pb exposure had no significant effect on memory consolidation or recall in any SD rats. These results further demonstrate the important influence of genetic background to the functional outcomes from developmental Pb exposure.
Structure and evolution of the ankle bones in pterosaurs and other ornithodirans

ABSTRACTThe ankle bone assembly of pterosaurs has received little attention, even though it is critical for understanding the functional morphology of the leg and the foot and has far-reaching implications for interpretations of stance and gait in ornithodirans in general, as well as for any role the leg may have had in the flight of pterosaurs. Of particular importance are the distal tarsal bones, which are seldom preserved clearly. Their concave proximal facets articulate with the medial and lateral condyles (comprising the astragalus and, at least basally, the calcaneum) of the tibiotarsus. Distally, they articulate with metatarsals II–IV, and the relatively large metatarsal V articulates on the distolateral side of the lateral distal tarsal. The homology of these bones in pterosaurs can be established with reference to other early-branching ornithodirans, and the morphology of the bones implies similar functional roles and ranges of motion. The medial distal tarsal is likely the fusion of distal tarsa...
Some Fundamental Epistemic Problems and Questions in General Information Theory

The theory of info-statics defines the initial epistemic conditions for the construct of the theory of info-dynamics. In other words, it initializes the dynamics of information as an inseparable property of matter and energy.
Evaluating Food Policy Councils Using Structural Equation Modeling

At least 282 Food Policy Councils (FPCs) are currently working to improve access to healthy foods in their communities by connecting food system sectors, gathering community input, and advising food policy. Empirical research on FPCs is limited. This study empirically evaluates FPCs to better understand the relationships between Organizational Capacity, Social Capital, and Council Effectiveness by testing a FPC Framework adapted from Allen and colleagues (2012). Members of all FPCs in the U.S., Canada, and Native American Tribes and First Nations were invited to complete the Food Policy Council Self-Assessment Tool (FPC-SAT). Structural equation modeling was used to test the FPC Framework. Three hundred and fifty-four FPC members from 95 councils completed the FPC-SAT. After slight modification, a revised FPC Framework was a good fit with the data (χ2 = 40.085, df = 24, p-value = .021, comparative fit index = 0.988, Tucker Lewis index = 0.982, root mean squared error of approximation = 0.044, p-close = .650). A moderation analysis revealed that community context influences the relationship between Social Capital and Council Effectiveness within the FPC Framework. The FPC Framework can guide capacity building interventions and FPC evaluations. The empirically tested framework can help FPCs efficiently work toward achieving their missions and improving their local food system.
Addressing discordant quantitative urine buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine levels: Case examples in opioid use disorder.

Abstract Introduction Urine adulteration is a concern among patients treated for opioid use disorder. Quantitative urine testing for buprenorphine (B) and norbuprenorphine (NB), and the appropriate interpretation of B and NB levels, can facilitate constructive conversations with patients that may lead to modifications in the treatment plan, and strengthening of the patient-provider relationship. Case summary Three cases are presented in which discordant urine B and NB levels were recognized. Each patient was submerging buprenorphine/naloxone strips in their urine to mask ongoing illicit drug use. The authors used an approach to addressing intentional adulteration of urine samples that adheres to the principles of harm-reduction, the centrality of the patient-provider relationship, and the acknowledgment that ongoing illicit drug use and subsequent dishonesty about disclosure may be common among persons with substance use disorders. Each of the three patients ultimately endorsed diluting their urine, which allowed for strengthening of the patient-provider relationship and modifications to their treatment plans. Two of the three patients stabilized and achieved abstinence, while the third was eventually referred to a methadone treatment program. Conclusion Providers should routinely monitor B and NB levels, rather than qualitative screening alone, and discordant levels should elicit a timely conversation with the patient. The authors use of a nonjudgmental approach to address urine adulteration, including giving patients an opportunity to reflect on potential solutions, has been effective at helping patients and providers to reestablish a therapeutic alliance and maintain retention in treatment.
New Frames: A Pastiche of Theoretical Approaches to Examine African American and Diasporic Communication

African American and Blacks across the African Diaspora have a rich history of communication strategies. Scholars sometimes face challenges in attempts to examine African American and African Diasporic communication through the lens of existing theoretical foundations. Some of the approaches used to examine communication phenomenon have included Afrocentricity, critical race theory, critical cultural studies, or social cognitive theory as application to communication processes across the African Diaspora. In this chapter, I examine a synthesis of existing theoretical approaches that could chart a path to gain a better understanding of communication strategies for African Americans and across the African Diaspora. I borrow from the French term pastiche to examine how the use of existing theoretical work can create an expansive palette for addressing communication issues. The theoretical approaches listed are used because they are grounded in different disciplines such as legal studies, African American studies, communication, psychology, and cultural studies, but are interdisciplinary in nature and often used across disciplines during scholarly inquiry. My argument is based on—the pastiche—the blending of scholarly work, which offers the opportunity and possibility to analyze communication messages that occur in a multiplicity of settings with an array of cultural influences.
THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF PORNOGRAPHY

Most people are familiar with Justice Stewart's now classic statement that while he cannot describe pornography, he certainly knows it when he sees it. We instantly identify with Justice Stewart. Pornography is not difficult to recognize, but it does elude description. This is because traditional attempts at description are attempts that seek to explain at either an abstract or empirical level rather than at the level that accounts for experience in its totality. Justice Stewart's lament represents the need to understand the subjective experience of pornography and cease trying to explain it in purely objective terms. Much feminist literature in general and Catharine MacKinnon's work in particular seeks to do just this. MacKinnon argues that pornography should not be explained in familiar First Amendment freedom-of-expression terms, but rather in terms of the actual sexual abuse it constitutes in experience. Then, and only then, are we able to select the appropriate legal remedy. This essay suggests that MacKinnon's position not only needs the support of a non-traditional philosophical approach, but has one readily available in the phenomenology of philosopher Edmund Husserl.
Human Factors Questionnaire measurement of engineer decision frequency

The University of Virginia Center for Rail Safety-Critical Excellence (CRSCE) has developed a questionnaire for measuring railroad engineers’ beliefs regarding the frequency of unusual action decisions based upon scenarios encountered during a daily work schedule. The questionnaire is designed to collect responses via a secure web-based interface. Scenarios describe railroad conditions such as work zones, temporary speed restricted zones, control point signal aspects, and emergency braking. Engineers are given the correct response according to rulebook regulations. Given these conditions, engineers are asked to rate the frequency of unusual action decisions of a hypothetical crew, based upon performance-shaping factors of fatigue, broad and specific experience, training, and attention. Engineers respond to categories of Never, Once in 50 years, Once in 20 years, Once in 5 years, Once in a year, Once in a month, or Regularly. Psychometric analyses include the estimation of probabilities of an action, given the scenario conditions and behavioural shaping factors. Item characteristics relating scenario-action rarity, and engineer response characteristics related to background experience, training, and work satisfaction are specified in the study design. Results will indicate the relative importance of work conditions and performance conditions towards predicting unusual action frequency so that railroad transportation safety and human decision-making is better understood.
Private and Public Values of Higher Education in Developing Countries: Guidelines for Investment

This paper argues that while scientific and technical “knowledge ” is an international public good, the conversion of knowledge to inventions and innovations is not. Knowledge conversion is affected by natural (soil, climate) and economic (prices, wages) conditions. This means that the conversion of knowledge to economic growth production is quite location specific. Knowledge conversion is also subject to high technology “mastery” requirements. Technology mastery also requires specialization by field of technology. These knowledge conversion conditions place a high premium on applied science and engineering skills. The “price of admission” to the economic growth club is high. This, in turn, means that Higher Education programs creating these skills have a “public” externality value that is much higher than the private value of these skills in labor markets. This public value is high enough to justify investments in foreign degree training and in programs to create graduate programs in the invention/innovation fields in many African universities. Resume
Evaluating Public Health Interventions: 8. Causal Inference for Time-Invariant Interventions

We provide an overview of classical and newer methods for the control of confounding of time-invariant interventions to permit causal inference in public health evaluations. We estimated the causal effect of gender on all-cause mortality in a large HIV care and treatment program supported by the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, between 2004 and 2012. We compared results from multivariable modeling, three propensity score methods, inverse-probability weighting, doubly robust methods, and targeted maximum likelihood estimation. Considerable confounding was evident, and, as expected by theory, all methods considered gave the same result, a statistically significant approximately 20% increased mortality rate in men. In general, there is no clear advantage of any of these methods for causal inference over classical multivariable modeling, from the point of view of either bias reduction or efficiency. Rather, given sufficient data to adequately fit the multivariable model to the data, multivariable modeling will yield causal estimates with the greatest statistical efficiency. All methods can adjust only for well-measured confounders-if there are unmeasured or poorly measured confounders, none of these methods will yield causal estimates.
Efficient tunnel junction contacts for high-power semipolar III-nitride edge-emitting laser diodes

We demonstrate high-power edge-emitting laser diodes (LDs) with tunnel junction contacts grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Under pulsed conditions, lower threshold current densities were observed from LDs with MBE-grown tunnel junctions than from similarly fabricated control LDs with ITO contacts. LDs with tunnel junction contacts grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) were additionally demonstrated. These LDs were fabricated using a p-GaN activation scheme utilizing lateral diffusion of hydrogen through the LD ridge sidewalls. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements of the [Si] and [Mg] profiles in the MBE-grown and MOCVD-grown tunnel junctions were conducted to further investigate the results.
A Distributed Hierarchical SGD Algorithm with Sparse Global Reduction.

Reducing communication in training large-scale machine learning applications on distributed platform is still a big challenge. To address this issue, we propose a distributed hierarchical averaging stochastic gradient descent (Hier-AVG) algorithm with infrequent global reduction by introducing local reduction. As a general type of parallel SGD, Hier-AVG can reproduce several popular synchronous parallel SGD variants by adjusting its parameters. We show that Hier-AVG with infrequent global reduction can still achieve standard convergence rate for non-convex optimization problems. In addition, we show that more frequent local averaging with more participants involved can lead to faster training convergence. By comparing Hier-AVG with another popular distributed training algorithm K-AVG, we show that through deploying local averaging with fewer number of global averaging, Hier-AVG can still achieve comparable training speed while frequently get better test accuracy. This indicates that local averaging can serve as an alternative remedy to effectively reduce communication overhead when the number of learners is large. Experimental results of Hier-AVG with several state-of-the-art deep neural nets on CIFAR-10 and IMAGENET-1K are presented to validate our analysis and show its superiority.
Decoupling of zircon U–Pb and trace-element systematics driven by U diffusion in eclogite-facies zircon (Monviso meta-ophiolite, W. Alps)

Zircon is widely used to date metamorphic processes, particularly due to slow cation diffusion under crustal conditions. Here, we present laser-ablation depth profiling data that demonstrate rapid U diffusion in partially altered, high-pressure zircon. The zircons are hosted in metagabbros that underwent eclogite-facies (~ 550 °C, ~ 2.6 GPa) recrystallization during subduction of the Monviso meta-ophiolite. One metagabbro contains only newly grown zircons (50.2 ± 1.1 Ma); two coarser-grained samples exhibit thin metamorphic rims on igneous cores. Most profiles in the coarse-grained samples record discrete PbC-rich and Pb*-, U-, Th-, and trace-element poor rims in the outermost ≤ 5 µm of each grain, but U shows apparent diffusion profiles that extend ~ 10–15 µm into zircon crystals and correlate with U–Pb date resetting. The data define three populations (cores, diffusively reset rims, and newly precipitated rims) that form two two-component mixtures, indicating that recrystallization was everywhere coupled with U addition. Data from fully equilibrated rims form a single age population (51.1 ± 0.4 Ma) within error of the newly grown zircon and compatible with ~ 1 My fluid–rock interaction timescales. We interpret the U profiles as evidence of inward U diffusion associated with fluid-induced resorption, and systematically exclude other mechanisms for their formation. However, calculated diffusivity estimates are > 20 orders of magnitude faster than predicted by experiments. The absence of zircon lattice damage, and the propagation of diffusion inward of a reaction front, indicates a link between fluid-saturated zircon alteration and fast U diffusion in zircon. Our results emphasize that–-even at low temperature–-zircon U–Pb systematics may be affected by parent and/or daughter diffusion over length scales large enough to affect laser-ablation or ion microprobe spot analyses.
Abstract 2644: Oncostatin M in pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment

The Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumor microenvironment (TME) is comprised of numerous cell types. Among those, cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play roles in tumor development, drug resistance, fibrosis and inflammation. GP130 cytokines, including Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Leukemia Inhibitory Factor in the TME are implicated in pancreatic cancer progression and drug resistance, but less is known of the other cytokines in this family. Oncostatin M (OSM) enhances tumorigenicity, regulates tissue remodeling, and activates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer; however, the functions of OSM in the pancreatic cancer TME and relevant phenotypes in PDAC patients have not been fully elucidated. Staining of murine tumor tissue revealed staining of OSM in tumor cells, and its receptor, OSMR, in tumor cells and fibroblasts. To model the effects of OSM in the TME, we used a spheroid culture system with patient-derived tumor cells (Pa03C cells) and patient-derived pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts (CAF3 and CAF19) treated with rhOSM. In vitro, OSM promoted activation and proliferation of CAF monocultures, but had no effect on tumor cells. In co-cultures, OSM caused clustering of CAFs, resulting in a denser and more fibrotic spheroid with a network of CAFs clustered tightly around tumor cells. There was no effect of OSM on tumor cells in monoculture, suggesting the effects of OSM are mediated on and through fibroblasts. To study OSM in human PDAC, we used TCGA for expression and correlative gene analysis. OSM expression in tumors did not correlate with survival. In contrast, high expression of OSMR correlated with decreased patient survival (p=0.051). This effect was sex-specific–the top quartile of OSMR expressing tumors associated with median overall survival (OS) of 600 days, while the bottom three quartiles showed OS of 1100 days (p=0.0047). There was no correlation with OSMR expression and survival in female patients. Tumor OSM and OSMR expression were not different between the sexes, however. For OSM, 504 genes correlated positively with r>0.03. For OSMR, 5962 genes correlated with |r|0.3, with OSM identified as an upstream regulator (Z-score 5.770). The top upstream regulators identified in common between the OSM and OSMR correlated genes were lipopolysaccharide (Z-scores 8.408 and 8.556 for OSM and OSMR respectively), TGFB1 (7.562 and 8.799), and TNF (7.397 and 6.813), linking inflammation to fibrosis in the TME. Taken together with data from our functional studies, these data suggest that OSM and OSMR modulate the PDAC tumor microenvironment and disease outcomes in PDAC. More functional investigation is warranted for this important pathway. Citation Format: Daenique H. Jengelley, Melissa L. Fishel, Michael Ostrowski, Teresa A. Zimmers. Oncostatin M in pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 2644.
Total debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair with elephant trunk insertion technique.

Abstract We report successful total debranching thoracic endovascular aortic repair using the elephant trunk insertion technique without hypothermic circulatory arrest for a 56-year-old man who developed aortic arch dissection and ascending aortic aneurysm. In the first step, an elephant trunk graft was inserted into the ascending aorta under cardiopulmonary bypass, and a branched prosthetic graft was attached to the ascending aorta. The left common carotid artery and brachiocephalic artery were sequentially anastomosed to the branched graft. The second step was thoracic endovascular aortic repair covering the elephant trunk to the distal arch. Postprocedure digital subtraction angiography showed no endoleaks or false lumen.
A Fully Pexiderized Variant of d’Alembert’s Functional Equations on Monoids

We solve the functional equation $$f(xy) + g(\sigma (y)x) = h(x)k(y)$$ for complex-valued functions f, g, h, k on groups or monoids generated by their squares, where $$\sigma $$ is an involutive automorphism. This contains both classical d’Alembert equations $$g(x + y) + g(x - y) = 2g(x)g(y)$$ and $$f(x + y) - f(x - y) = g(x)h(y)$$ in the abelian case, but we do not suppose our groups or monoids are abelian. We also find the continuous solutions on topological groups and monoids.
Do Nonrefunding Provisions Constrain Corporate Behavior? Evidence from Calls

I examine corporate call policy for nonrefundable debt. Nonrefundable bonds purportedly cannot be called with funds from lower-interest-cost debt. However, firms tend to call nonrefundable debt following interest rate decreases. The calling firms typically issue lower-interest-cost debt around the time of the call and do not identify the source of funds used to call the debt. These actions show the weakness of the constraints imposed by the nonrefunding provision on firms' call policies and may have led to the abandonment of the provision in the early 1990s and the adoption of potentially superior contracting mechanisms.