cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alteration of large intestinal electrolyte transport by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in the rat.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) alters fluid and electrolyte movement in the small intestine. These studies were designed to evaluate the effect of VIP on Na and Cl transport across isolated large intestinal epithelia of the rat under short-circuited conditions since some evidence suggests that this intestinal hormone may not affect colonic ion transport. An increase in short circuit current and potential difference was produced by the addition of VIP to the serosal media at concentrations as low as 10-9 m , and maximal increments were observed at 10-7 m . In control mucosa JnetNa was 4.93 ± 0.52 μEq per hr ∙ cm2. The addition of VIP (6 × 10-7 m ) resulted in a decrease in JnetNa (0.87 ± 0.46 μEq per hr-cm2), a reversal of CI absorption to CI secretion (–2.42 + 1.12 μEq per hr • cm2), and an increase in short circuit current. Decreases in Jms were the predominant changes in unidirectional Na and Cl fluxes. The changes produced by VIP were identical with those induced by 10 mm theophylline. Furthermore, the effect of VIP plus theophylline on Jnft and short circuit current were undistinguishable from those of VIP alone and theophylline alone. VIP also increased mucosal cyclic AMP content. These studies indicate that VIP alters large intestinal ion transport; these changes are most likely mediated by increased mucosal levels of cyclic AMP.
Cytokines in immune function and sleep regulation

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a mechanistic explanation for sleep homeostasis and addresses the issues of the cellular mechanisms leading to sleep. The chapter discusses sleep-regulatory substances (SRS) that are linked to host defense and focuses on interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferons (IFNs). The chapter also discusses how sleep is part of the acute-phase response (APR) induced by viral challenge. The accumulation of SRSs in cerebrospinal fluid during prolonged wakefulness (W) provides very strong support of the hypothesis that sleep is regulated, in part, by humoral agents. Detailed discussion of involvement of IL-1β, TNF-α and other cytokines in sleep regulation are presented. Injection of exogenous low doses of IL-1β or TNF-α enhances nonrapid eye movement sleep (NREMS). Conditions that enhance endogenous production of IL-1β or TNF-α, for example, excessive food intake or infectious disease, promote NREMS. Conversely, inhibition of endogenous IL-1β and TNF-α, using antibodies or endogenous inhibitors such as their soluble receptors, inhibits spontaneous sleep. These inhibitors of IL-1β and TNF-α also inhibit sleep rebound after sleep deprivation. Brain level of IL-1β mRNA and IL-1 and plasma level of IL-1β vary with the sleep–wake cycle with highest levels correlating with high sleep propensity.
Survival is not enough: The effects of microclimate on the growth and health of three common urban tree species in San Francisco, California

Urban forest managers must balance social, economic, and ecological goals through tree species selection and planting location. Ornamental trees are often popular in tree planting programs for their aesthetic benefits, but studies find that they have lower survivability and growth compared to larger shade trees. To maximize ecosystem services within these aesthetic preferences, it is important to select species carefully based on their ability to grow in each particular climate. However, little locality-specific and species-specific data exist on urban trees in many regions. This study examines the growth, survival, and vigor of three common ornamental street trees in San Francisco’s three different microclimate zones after over 16 years since planting. While we found over 70% survival for all three species throughout the city, there were significant differences in health and vigor among microclimates for each species, likely due to differences in drought-tolerance. While Arbutus had the greatest proportion of healthy trees in the Fog Belt and Sun Belt zones, Prunus cerasifera had the greatest proportion in the Sun Belt, and Prunus serrulata had the greatest proportions in the Transition and the Sun Belt zones. This species-specific and climate-specific information will better equip urban foresters to target both planting and tree-care of these popular species appropriately to maximize the benefits provided by these street trees while still maintaining a diverse canopy. Finally, we argue that simple survival calculations can mask more complex differences in the health and ability of different urban tree species to provide ecosystem services.
An appreciation of posterior instability of the shoulder.

Posterior instability of the shoulder represents one of the more perplexing problems confronting orthopedic surgeons today. Most cases of this disorder are amenable to nonsurgical care. In those few instances in which surgical treatment may be necessary, optimal results may be achieved by careful attention to patient assessment, instability categorization, determination of the presence of co-existent ligamentous laxity, and appropriate surgical technique.
Disputes Concerning Frozen Embryos

This article is an edited transcript from a symposium focusing on assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and the disposition of frozen embryos upon divorce. The article reviews the current jurisprudence on embryo disposition and observes that courts have uniformly favored the party wishing to avoid procreation in deciding cases involving disputes over frozen embryos. Preference for the right to avoid procreation fails to take into account the equally important right to engage in procreation. This article suggests that courts view an ART pregnancy as a process rather than a conclusion for purposes of deciding embryo disposition cases, reinstating the woman’s control over the early embryo that she enjoys under current constitutional analysis of the rights surrounding pregnancy and abortion.
Introduction: The State of Ethics of War

There has been a resurgence of interest in the ethics of war at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The obvious reason for this is that the September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon Building in Washington, D.C., were followed by the declaration of a “Global War on Terror (GWOT)” by the United States administration of President George W. Bush. The GWOT began with the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan where Al-Qaeda was based. Under the Bush Doctrine that was officially formulated in 2002,1 the United States invaded Iraq, a country halfway around the globe that had not attacked America. In neither case were the leaders of the countries attacked directly responsible for the terrorist acts carried out by a non-state terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden and based in the remote mountains on the Afghan border with Pakistan. Critics of the GWOT have argued that the distraction of the Iraq occupation, and the resentment among Muslims who saw the war as an attack on Islam, had reinforced bin Laden’s claim to legitimacy as a defender of the Muslim world against Western aggression and afforded him time to regroup and plan further attacks on Western targets.2
Structure of the Myelinated Axon

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the molecular ultrastructure of myelin with a focus on normal function and pathological changes that result from myelin disease. Myelinated axons form a complex structure that exemplifies functional cell-cell interactions. The myelin internode can be divided into two domains, compact myelin and noncompact myelin. Compact myelin comprises the majority of the myelin internode that appears by TEM as a lamellar structure of alternating dark and light lines that spiral around the axon. Nonompact myelin provides cytoplasmic continuity between myelin forming cells and various regions of the myelin internode. Myelin promotes rapid and repetitive communication between neurons, and it modulates the maturation and survival of axons. Compact and noncompact myelin membranes are contiguous with each other and with the plasma membrane of myelin-forming cells. However, they differ ultrastructurally and have distinct, nonoverlapping protein compositions. Furthermore, electron microscopy continues to be an essential and irreplaceable tool for elucidating the function of individual molecules and may help identify novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of human myelin disease.
The Continuing Reinvention of Content-Based Retrieval: Multimedia Is Not Dead

In reviewing how content-based retrieval has evolved over the years, the authors argue that the next grand challenge for the multimedia community will be understanding and formally modeling the flow of life around us, over many modalities and scales. This will require supplementing generic signal/sensor-based retrieval with syntactical, semantic, and pragmatics-based approaches. To determine whether a data-driven approach supports their observations regarding the evolution of content-based retrieval, the authors examine the types of research reported at the ACM International Conference on Multimedia from 2005 to 2015.
Partnership Systems to Manage Post-disaster Recovery

Different partners, both national and international, should collaborate in synergy for recovery planning, financing and technical assistance in order to assure effective management. Risk and complexity are higher in this case as it is necessary to operate in an environment where services, infrastructure and related systems are damaged and urgent management response is critical. In this case, past disaster recovery management experience was fundamental for the creation of more structured future management systems.
Origin–destination synthesis for aviation network data: examining hub operations in the domestic and international US markets

Summary Hub-and-spoke networking is a key feature of current aviation markets in which hubs, as connecting points, function to consolidate and redistribute flows. This indicates that observation of traffic on a segment does not necessarily convey information about the origin to destination routing of passenger journeys because of the unavoidable detours in the system. This paper examines the heterogeneity of the flow composition in domestic and international US markets, which in turn allows us to observe the variation of operations across major hubs. A modified Route Flow Estimator for origin–destination synthesis (or origin–destination matrix estimation) is designed to decompose the segment traffic into itinerary-based passenger trips. Several public and commercial databases, which are easily accessible, are exploited (and reconciled) for the model in order to (i) generate possible trip itineraries using those segment markets, and (ii) link data-driven operational conditions with the underlying segment flows. The results are validated with US domestic trip observations and empirical knowledge related to the air transportation system. Then, the variability of the hub operations is examined based on sensitivity tests using the model parameters. From the resolution of itinerary-based estimates, we observe that major airports' hub operations are spatially uneven, particularly with respect to domestic and international connecting passengers. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sentence Repetition in Typical and Atypical Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers Who Are English Language Learners

Limitations in phonological working memory are frequent in children with primary language impairment (PLI) across several languages. Nonword repetition and sentence repetition have been evaluated in bilingual children exposed to a variety of language pairs. Nonword repetition tasks assist in the identification of bilingual Spanish-English children with language disorders when both languages are considered. This study investigates the clinical diagnostic accuracy of Spanish and English sentence repetition tasks for Latino Spanish-speaking preschoolers who are English language learners. Associations between language ability and phonological working memory measures are also explored.
Parent and Child Trauma Symptoms During Child–Parent Psychotherapy: A Prospective Cohort Study of Dyadic Change

Five randomized controlled trials have shown that child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) improves trauma symptoms in children. Less is known about parent symptoms or moderators of symptom change. In a sample of 199 parent (81% biological mother; 54% Latina/o) and child (aged 2 to 6 years; 52% male; 49% Latina/o) dyads who participated in an open treatment study of CPP, this study investigated whether parent and child symptoms similarly decreased during treatment and whether improvement was moderated by parent, child, and treatment characteristics. Parents completed baseline and posttreatment interviews regarding exposure to traumatic events, posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS), and other mental health indices. Latent difference score analysis showed that PTSS significantly decreased by more than 0.5 SD for parents and children. The PTSS improvement in parents was associated with reductions in child avoidance, r = .19, p = .040, and hyperarousal, r = .33, p < .001. Girls showed a greater reduction than boys in reexperiencing, β = -.13, p = .018, and hyperarousal, β = -.20, p = .001. Contrary to expectations, parent and child improvement in PTSS was greater for those with fewer parental lifetime stressors, βrange = .15 to .33, and for those who participated in fewer treatment sessions, βrange = .15 to .21. The extent of improvement in parent PTSS varied based on clinician expertise, β = -.20, p = .009. Significant reductions in parent and child PTSS were observed during community-based treatment, with CPP and symptom improvement varying according to child, parent, and treatment characteristics.
Affine Lie algebras: the realization (case k=2 or 3). Application to the classification of finite order automorphisms

Here we describe a realization of the remaining, “twisted” affine Lie algebras. This turns out to be closely related to the Lie algebra of equivariant polynomial maps from it ℂX to a simple finite-dimensional Lie algebra with the action of a finite cyclic group. As a side result of this construction we deduce a nice description of the finite order automorphisms of a simple finite-dimensional Lie algebra, and, in particular, the classification of symmetric spaces.
From Dungeons to Classrooms: The Evolution of MUDs as Learning Environments

The history of MUDs (multiuser domains or dungeons) goes back to the 1970s. Primarily this is a history of role-playing games and textbased virtual realities. As the decades have passed, MUDs increasingly have been developed and deployed for a wide range of applications in education and the Science of Learning. As opposed to an historical recounting of the development of MUDs, this chapter describes the evolution of MUDs as they have influenced education and learning, from simple meeting and discussion places, to simulated learning spaces, to the current state of the art, which is Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) for Education.
Prevention of Tobacco Use

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Although tobacco related disease takes its toll among adults, tobacco use begins early in life. Nearly 90 percent of smokers smoke their first cigarette by the age of 18, and half of smokers try their first cigarette by the age of 14 years [1, 2]. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. David Kessler has called tobacco use and the nicotine dependence which sustains it a "pediatric disease" [3]. Because tobacco use starts early in life, tobacco prevention efforts must focus on children and adolescents.
Construction of efficient BDDs for bounded arithmetic constraints

Most symbolic model checkers use BDDs to represent arithmetic constraints over bounded integer variables. The size of such BDDs can be exponential on the number and size (in bits) of the integer variables in the worst case. In this paper we show how to construct linear-sized BDDs for linear integer arithmetic constraints. We present basic constructions for atomic equality and inequality constraints and extend them to handle arbitrary linear arithmetic formulas. We also present three alternative ways of handling out-of-bounds transitions, and discuss multiple bounds on integer variables. We experimentally compare our approach to other BDD-based symbolic model checkers and demonstrate that the algorithms presented in this paper can be used to improve their performance significantly.
Respiratory Viruses and Other Relevant Viral Infections in the Lung Transplant Recipient

As advances occur in surgical technique, postoperative care, and immunosuppressive therapy, the rate of mortality in the early postoperative period following lung transplantation continues to decline. With the improvements in immediate and early posttransplant mortality, infections and their sequel as well as rejection and chronic allograft dysfunction are increasingly a major cause of posttransplant mortality. This chapter will focus on infections by respiratory viruses and other viral infections relevant to lung transplantation, including data regarding the link between viral infections and allograft dysfunction.
The many acid–base manifestations and consequences of hypoxia

Hypoxia evokes a spectrum of acid–base changes from alkalosis to acidosis and alters many responses to hypoxia at non-genomic and genomic levels, in part via altered hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) metabolism. Healthy people at altitude and persons hyperventilating to non-hypoxic stimuli can raise arterial pH as high as 7.7. In these circumstances, alkalosis reduces sympathetic tone, blunts hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and cerebral vasodilation, and increases hemoglobin-oxygen affinity. With severe hypoxia owing to profoundly low arterial O2 content (hypoxemia) or poor perfusion (ischemia), metabolic and hypercapnic acidosis develops along with considerable lactate formation with pH falling to below 6.8. Although acidoses are considered deleterious to cell function and survival, they can be cytoprotective by various anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic mechanisms. Attempts to correct acidosis under these circumstances concurrent with re-oxygenation efforts may be ill advised. This so-called ‘pH paradox’ or permissive acidosis may offer therapeutic possibilities. Rapidly growing cancers often outstrip their oxygen and nutrient delivery and metabolic waste disposal, thus limiting growth and metastatic potential. However, their excessive glycolysis and lactate formation may not necessarily represent oxygen insufficiency, but an attempt to provide sufficient amounts of small carbon intermediates to supply many synthetic pathways of cellular proliferation. In either case, there is expression and upregulation of many genes involved in acid–base homeostasis, in part by HIF-1α and HIF-2α signaling. Inhibition of these proteins or gene suppression may have important therapeutic application in cancer therapy.
Surfactant addition to enhance bioavailability of bilge water in single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs).

Abstract Effective remediation of bilge water, a shipboard oily liquid waste, is important for both commercial and military vessels due to the domestic and international regulations. In this study, bilge water was used as a substrate for exoelectrogenic bacteria and biodegradation of bilge water and concurrent electricity generation were investigated using Pseudomonas putida ATCC 49128 in single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs). To enhance bioavailability of the bilge water, two types of surfactants were added (100 ppm) into the oily wastewater containing 0.1% standard bilge mix (SBM) and their impacts on electricity production were evaluated under various conditions. Anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) addition increased soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) by forming micelle, producing maximum power density of 225.3 ± 3.2 mW m−2. However, the MFC with nonionic surfactant (Triton X-100) produced only 2.3 ± 0.1 mW m−2 due to no enhancement on biodegradable SCOD. A high NaCl concentration (100–500 mM) adversely affected power production due to decrease in available SCOD caused by emulsion coalescence. This is a first study to use surfactants to enhance bioavailability of non-biodegradable oily wastewater in a single chamber MFC.
Adherence to Recommended Inpatient Hepatic Encephalopathy Workup

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is characterized by altered sensorium and is the most common indication for hospitalization among patients with cirrhosis. Liver societal guidelines for inpatient HE revolve around identification of potential precipitants. In this retrospective study, we aimed to determine adherence to societal guidelines for evaluation of HE in 78 inpatients. The adherence rate to societal recommended guidelines for workup of HE was low, with only 17 (22%) patients having complete diagnostic workup within 24 hours of admission. Notably, 23 (30%) patients were not subjected to blood culture analysis, 16 (21%) were missing urinalysis, and 15 (20%) were missing chest radiograph. In patients with ascites (N = 34), 26 (77%) did not have a diagnostic paracentes is to exclude spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. In contrast, serum ammonia determination, a laboratory test not endorsed by societal guidelines for workup of HE, was ordered in 74 (95%) patients. These findings underscore the limited adherence to societal guidelines in hospitalized patients with HE.
Stress-fit applications to experimental shell analyses

The stress-fit method is a procedure for determining complete stress distribution in shells from experimental data. Displacement, slope and shearing-force distributions may also be calculated. The method is applicable to all shell configurations for which closed-form solutions have been formulated and may be applied to certain asymmetrically loaded shells as well as those loaded axisymmetrically. Application to cylindrical and spherical shells is discussed in detail, and the procedure is shown to be verfied experimentally.
The Time Is Now: Uncovering the Value of Pediatric Readiness in Emergency Departments.

* Abbreviations: ED — : emergency department QI — : quality improvement STEMI — : ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction More than 80% of families depend on community, rural, and remote emergency departments (EDs) to care for their children who are sick and injured.1 In the great majority of cases, similar to in adult cases, a child’s straightforward illness or injury is easily managed, and the child is discharged from the hospital to his or her family.2 However, unlike adults, when a child presents with a critical illness or injury, most EDs are unprepared to quickly stabilize that child. In this issue of Pediatrics , Ames et al3 evaluate the potential impact of this gap in the study “Emergency Department Pediatric Readiness and Mortality in Critically Ill Children.” On the basis of a national self-assessment of pediatric readiness, EDs commonly lack ≥1 critical elements, including pediatric patient safety and clinical care policies, quality improvement (QI) processes to monitor pediatric emergency care delivery, oversight to ensure that pediatric needs are met and integrated into all aspects of emergency care, and maintenance of pediatric competencies.1,4–6 The National Pediatric Readiness Project, a national QI collaborative formed … Address correspondence to Katherine E. Remick, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, 4900 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723. E-mail: kate.remick{at}gmail.com
Transfer of Thymidine Kinase to Cells Lacking This Enzyme by Infection with Ultraviolet Irradiated Herpes Simplex Virus

Summary L cells which lack the ability to synthesize thymidine kinase (Ltk minus cells) are able to acquire this function due to infection with ultraviolet irradiated Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). The thymidine kinase (TK) made by these cells is similar to the TK activity induced by a lytic HSV infection of Ltk minus cells and different from the TK activity in Ltk plus cells. These data support the hypothesis that HSV is able to transfer its TK gene to Ltk minus cells (Munyon et al. [41).
The Australasian tektite source crater: Found at last?

In PNAS, Sieh et al. (1) present the best candidate yet for the long-sought source crater of the Australasian tektite strewn field. Unlike the other 4 or so tektite strewn fields, each of which can be traced back to a large impact crater, the Australasian field’s source has yet to be definitively located. While this proposal does not fully prove the case, it offers strong evidence implicating a ∼15-km-diameter impact crater in Laos that has been hiding in plain sight beneath a mass of younger volcanic rocks. From here, it is clear that the next step in proving its parentage must be drilling through the volcanic rocks into the putative impact rocks below. Tektites are centimeter-scale black or green blobs of glass that have long fascinated humans (2). Moldavites, an Eastern European variety, were found interred with the much more famous Venus of Willendorf, dating back to 30,000 BCE, possibly reflecting our ancestors’ interest in unusual rocks as well as female deities. Individual tektites occur in widely strewn fields of which about 4 are currently known (there are other candidate strewn fields). Each of these fields, which extend over hundreds to thousands of kilometers, is associated with a meteorite impact crater—except one, the biggest of them all, the Australasian strewn field. It ranges south from Southeast Asia, across Australia then south of Tasmania to East Antarctica, with a western extension that crosses over Madagascar and an eastern extension into the western Pacific Ocean, covering about 10% of Earth’s surface. The tektites in this enormous field have been intensively studied using modern analytical methods. They are divided into a number of distinct types, ranging from meter-scale irregular masses of black glass called Muong Nong … [↵][1]1Email: jmelosh{at}purdue.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Grain-Size-Dependent Grain Boundary Deformation during Yielding in Nanocrystalline Materials Using Atomistic Simulations

While the advantageous mechanical properties of nanocrystalline (NC) materials have stimulated numerous studies over the past decade, fewer studies have looked at the onset of yielding and deformation and the role of grain boundaries (GBs) prior to plastic flow. In this computational study, Ni microstructures with grain size between 6 nm and 20 nm were studied to elucidate the role of GBs during yielding. Residual strain was quantified by relaxing to zero stress during loading and calculating the resulting evolution of strain accommodation. The results of this work reveal the accumulation of plastic strain in GBs and how microplasticity changes with grain size, leading to the initiation of macroscopic yielding. Microplasticity accumulates homogeneously within large grain microstructures, then becomes localized with decreasing grain size. The resulting microstructural strain accommodation helps understand changes in the onset of dislocation plasticity and yielding behavior in NC materials and may have broader implications for their continual plastic deformation.
Deep brain stimulation of hypothalamus for narcolepsy-cataplexy in mice.

Abstract Background Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1, narcolepsy with cataplexy) is a disabling neurological disorder caused by loss of excitatory orexin neurons from the hypothalamus and is characterized by decreased motivation, sleep-wake fragmentation, intrusion of rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) during wake, and abrupt loss of muscle tone, called cataplexy, in response to sudden emotions. Objective We investigated whether subcortical stimulation, analogous to clinical deep brain stimulation (DBS), would ameliorate NT1 using a validated transgenic mouse model with postnatal orexin neuron degeneration. Methods Using implanted electrodes in freely behaving mice, the immediate and prolonged effects of DBS were determined upon behavior using continuous video-electroencephalogram-electromyogram (video/EEG/EMG) and locomotor activity, and neural activation in brain sections, using immunohistochemical labeling of the immediate early gene product c-Fos. Results Brief 10-s stimulation to the region of the lateral hypothalamus and zona incerta (LH/ZI) dose-responsively reversed established sleep and cataplexy episodes without negative sequelae. Continuous 3-h stimulation increased ambulation, improved sleep-wake consolidation, and ameliorated cataplexy. Brain c-Fos from mice sacrificed after 90 min of DBS revealed dose-responsive neural activation within wake-active nuclei of the basal forebrain, hypothalamus, thalamus, and ventral midbrain. Conclusion Acute and continuous LH/ZI DBS enhanced behavioral state control in a mouse model of NT1, supporting the feasibility of clinical DBS for NT1 and other sleep-wake disorders.
Gender pronoun use in the university classroom: A post-humanist perspective

Background: This article explores the political impact of using gender neutral pronouns in the university classroom. Aim: We explore how the gender neutral pronoun ‘they’ denaturalises essentialist models of gender identity. We follow ‘they’ toward a consideration of the gender neutral pronoun ‘it.’ ‘It’ advances – at the same time that it problematises – the political project of non-binary communities to denaturalise gender by challenging an anthropocentric model of equal rights. Setting: We examine the latent humanism of pronoun use through our contrasting approaches to gender pronoun use in our writing courses. Methods: First we discuss the role of genderneutral pronouns in building a more inclusive classroom environment for gender non-conforming students. We then consider our respective pedagogical approaches to pronoun use. Andrew avoids pronoun use in the classroom, addressing his students by their first names instead, while Marcos makes pronoun use and gender identity a central part of his course curriculum. We then consider the pronoun ‘it’ from a posthumanist perspective, arguing that ‘it’ might help to overcome the violent legacy of humanism by building a more inclusive classroom environment for gender-nonconforming students. Results: The analysis of ‘it’ as a gender neutral pronoun has revolutionary potential. Deconstructing our conceptions of equal rights from a posthumanist perspective can transform higher education for the better. Conclusion: The article concludes that college educators should consider discussing the significance of the pronoun ‘it.’ Given its dehumanising potential, this discussion should be presented in light of the posthumanist critique of anthropocentrism, and must affirm students’ existing identifications.
Reading Grand Theft Auto: Improvisational Urban Literacy:

This article relies on nonrepresentational narrative research to consider improvisational urban literacy. The author uses narrative to theorize the choice to teach Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in ...
Magnetic Resonance-guided Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: Final Results on Patient-reported Outcomes of a Prospective Phase 2 Study

Abstract Background The recent introduction of magnetic resonance-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) has allowed improved treatment planning and delivery of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in prostate cancer (PC). The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes using this novel approach are important in shared decision making for patients. Objective To report HRQoL using both patient- and clinician-reported outcomes at 1 yr following stereotactic MRgRT for patients with localized PC. Design, setting, and participants A prospective phase 2 trial included 101 patients with localized PC. Intervention All patients received 36.25Gy in five fractions of MRgRT delivered within 2 wk. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis HRQoL was prospectively assessed at baseline, at the last fraction, at 6 wk, and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 mo after treatment, by patient-reported outcome measures using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-PR25 questionnaires, and International Prostate Symptom Score. At the same time points, clinicians reported on symptomatic adverse events (AEs). Effect sizes for changes in HRQoL were calculated with repeated measures analysis of variance. Results and limitations Availability of HRQoL data exceeded 95% at all study time points. From both questionnaires and the recorded AEs, the largest treatment effects on urinary and bowel symptoms were recorded in the first 6 wk of follow-up. Thereafter, all symptoms decreased and returned to baseline values at 12 mo. No grade ≥3 toxicity was reported. No patient reported any relevant limitation due to urinary symptoms, and only 2.2% of patients reported a relevant impact on daily activities due to bowel problems at 1 yr. The majority of patients had intermediate- or high-risk PC for which androgen deprivation therapy (83.2%) was prescribed, thereby precluding study of MRgRT on sexual function. Longer follow-up is awaited in order to evaluate the oncological outcome. Conclusions Delivery of MRgRT for SBRT resulted in low toxicity at 1 yr. Patient summary All patients completed magnetic resonance-guided radiation therapy, which was well tolerated with only transient early urinary and bowel symptoms, which resolved 1 yr after treatment, as confirmed by patient-reported outcome measures.
Can Court Diversion Improve School Attendance among Elementary Students? Evidence from Five School Districts

We examined the effect on attendance of a truancy court-diversion program for elementary students. Truancy court-diversion programs represent a shift from a law-and-order approach toward a public h...
Kin-State Politics: Causes and Consequences

This article situates the development of the kin-state politics literature within the context of post-Cold War scholarship on ethnicity, nationalism, and conflict. It outlines how an increasingly mature literature emerged around the domestic political and foreign policy drivers of kin-state politics as scholars drew from a number of perspectives, from the literature on irredentism to that on diaspora politics and transborder nationalism. The article then evaluates scholarship on the drivers and impacts of kin-state politics, with a focus on the consequences of kin-state politics for the cultural and political landscape of external kin communities and the impact on regional security and stability. While a rich and nuanced literature has helped to contextualize the tensions and complexities of the former, I argue that the latter needs to be developed further. Careful work needs to be done to more precisely establish the conditions under which kin-state politics constitute a security threat. Future scholarship should bring together a more ground level perspective of how kin-state policies are perceived, utilized, and/or instrumentalized by their intended subjects with a critical understanding of how the “game” of kin-state politics is played within the home state and the kin-state.
Recent progress of uncertainty quantification in small-scale materials science

Abstract This work addresses a comprehensive review of the recent efforts for uncertainty quantification in small-scale materials science. Experimental and computational studies for analyzing and designing materials in small length-scales, such as atomistic, molecular, and meso levels, have emerged substantially over the last decade. With the advancement in computational resources, uncertainty quantification has started to garner interest in the community. The effects of uncertainties have been found to be critical in numerous studies as they lead to significant deviations on the expected material response and alter the component performance. In the field of small-scale materials science, typical resources of the uncertainties are classified as: (i) inherent material stochasticity (aleatoric uncertainty) associated with processing; (ii) modeling and algorithmic variations (epistemic uncertainty) that arise from the lack of knowledge on the systems/models. The present work reviews the recent efforts in the field and categorize according to various aspects: (i) types of uncertainties, (ii) types of uncertainty quantification problems, (iii) algorithms that are used to study the uncertainties, and (iv) length-scales in different applications. The extensive discussion covers the state-of-the-art and promising future techniques and applications, including the integration of the uncertainty quantification, design, optimization and reliability methods, and uncertainty quantification in advanced manufacturing.
Heterogeneous Electronic and Photonic Devices Based on Monolayer Ternary Telluride Core/Shell Structures.

Device engineering based on the tunable electronic properties of ternary transition metal dichalcogenides has recently gained widespread research interest. In this work, monolayer ternary telluride core/shell structures are synthesized using a one-step chemical vapor deposition process with rapid cooling. The core region is the tellurium-rich WSe2-2 x Te2 x alloy, while the shell is the tellurium-poor WSe2-2 y Te2 y alloy. The bandgap of the material is ≈1.45 eV in the core region and ≈1.57 eV in the shell region. The lateral gradient of the bandgap across the monolayer heterostructure allows for the fabrication of heterogeneous transistors and photodetectors. The difference in work function between the core and shell regions leads to a built-in electric field at the heterojunction. As a result, heterogeneous transistors demonstrate a unidirectional conduction and strong photovoltaic effect. The bandgap gradient and high mobility of the ternary telluride core/shell structures provide a unique material platform for novel electronic and photonic devices.
The Case for Optimizing the Frequency of Periodic Data Movements over Hybrid Memory Systems

Application performance improvements in emerging systems with hybrid memory components, such as DRAM and Intel’s Optane DC persistent memory, are possible via periodic data movements, that maximize the DRAM use and system resource efficiency. Similarly, predominantly used NUMA DRAM-only systems benefit from data balancing solutions, such as AutoNUMA, which periodically remap an application and its data on the same NUMA node. Although there has been a significant body of research focused on the clever selection of the data to be moved periodically, there is little insight as to how to select the frequency of the data movements, i.e., the duration of the monitoring period. Our experimental analysis shows that fine-tuning the period frequency can boost application performance on average by 70% for systems with locally attached memory units and 5x when accessing remote memory via interconnection networks. Thus, there is potential for significant performance improvements just by cleverly selecting the frequency of the data movements apart from choosing the data itself. While existing solutions empirically set the duration of the period, our work provides insights into the application-level properties that influence the choice of the period. More specifically, we show that there is a correlation between the application-level data reuse distance and migration frequency. Future work aims to solidify this correlation and build a profiling solution that provides users with the data movement frequency which dynamic data management solutions can then use to enhance performance.
Examining the Relationship between Land Values and Credit Availability

Increased credit availability facilitates land acquisition, but higher land values also hinder it. We investigate the impact of credit availability on land values, after regulatory changes in the lending system. We build an index of increased credit availability using Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation data. County-level panel fixed effects estimations are performed controlling for land value determinants, credit availability, and county-level macroeconomic factors. We find that estimating the effects of credit availability separately masks its total effect. Results show a 0.1 change in the index for increased credit availability is associated with 1.64–1.96% increase in land values.
Analytical characterization of multi-state effective discharge rates for bus-only lane conversion scheduling problem

Abstract An accurate quantification of traffic flow characteristics with and without bus-only lane is important for determining transit priority strategies. Examinations of real-world vehicle trajectory data, like those from the NGSIM dataset, found that an effective discharge rate may be discounted when merging or lane-changing behaviors are observed. To deal with this, this manuscript analytically derives the effective discharge rate of a roadway segment by considering multi-stage merging behavior and vehicular traffic kinematics near a side entrance, for optimal bus-only lane conversion. The classic fluid-based approximation model by Newell that characterizes the queuing and dissipation process is extended to a multi-state queuing analysis framework. Three effective discharge rate discount factors are explicitly derived, for bus-only lane, general-purpose lane, and mixed-traffic lane, respectively. The derived effective discharge rates are represented by mathematically-simple expressions in a closed-form, and correctly account for the effects of demand inputs, such as arrival rate and the ratio of vehicles of different types, vehicular performance (such as acceleration rate), and traffic flow characteristics (such as backward wave speed and jam density). The bus-only lane conversion scheduling problem is then formulated as an optimization model to minimize total traffic delay. Validation, using NGSIM data, showed that our model reduced the effective discharge rate estimation error significantly on both arterials and freeways. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the optimal bus-only lane scheduling time varied in response to traffic demand and vehicle ratios, and the developed optimization model was always beneficial when compared with the demand-oriented strategy.
Helminth infections in the US military: from strongyloidiasis to schistosomiasis.

BACKGROUND Helminth infections caused by parasitic worms, including nematodes (roundworms), cestodes (tapeworms) and trematodes (flukes), can cause chronic symptoms and serious clinical outcomes if left untreated. The US military frequently conducts activities in helminth-endemic regions, particularly Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, the military does not currently screen for these infections, and to date, no comprehensive surveillance studies have been completed to assess the frequency of helminth diagnoses in the military personnel and their families. METHODS To determine the burden of helminth infections in the US Military Health System (MHS), we conducted a retrospective analysis of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9/10 diagnosis codes from all medical encounters in the MHS Data Repository (MDR) from fiscal years (FY) 2012 to 2018. Chart reviews were conducted to assign ICD diagnoses as incorrect, suspected, probable or confirmed based on the laboratory results and symptoms. RESULTS Abstraction of MHS data revealed over 50 000 helminth diagnoses between FY 2012 and FY 2018. Of these, 38 445 of diagnoses were amongst unique subjects. After chart review, we found there were 34 425 validated helminth infections diagnosed amongst the unique subjects of US military personnel, retirees and dependents. Nearly 4000 of these cases represented infections other than enterobiasis. There were 351 validated strongyloidiasis diagnoses, 317 schistosomiasis diagnoses and 191 diagnoses of cysticercosis during the study period. Incidence of intestinal nematode infection diagnoses showed an upward trend, whilst the incidence of cestode infection diagnoses decreased. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrate that helminth infections capable of causing severe morbidity are often diagnosed in the US military. As helminth infections are often asymptomatic or go undiagnosed, the true burden of helminth infections in US military personnel and dependents may be higher than observed here. Prospective studies of US military personnel deployed to helminth-endemic areas may be indicated to determine if post-deployment screening and/or empirical treatment are warranted.
High Risk Status for Stage I Palliation Increases Mortality Following Stage II But Not Stage III.

Abstract Background High risk (HR) factors have been shown to have increased rates of mortality following Stage 1 palliation (S1P) for single ventricle physiology. It remains unclear how initial HR status affects longitudinal outcomes following subsequent Stage 2 (S2P) and Stage 3 (S3P) palliation. Methods Single ventricle patients undergoing S1P between July of 2004 and October of 2018 at a single institution were included. Patients having ≥ 1 HR factor were considered HR status, with all others classified as low risk (LR). Longitudinal survival stratified by risk status was compared following each palliative stage, in addition to re-admission and length of stay (LOS). Proportional hazard modeling was used to determine risk factors for longitudinal mortality. Results Of 132 patients presenting during the study for S1P, 57 (43.2%) were classified as HR. Overall 10-year survival was decreased in the HR cohort (p=0.001). HR patients were at significantly increased risk of death during Interstage I (p=0.01) and Interstage II (p=0.01), but survival was similar to LR patients following S3P (p=0.31). Re-admission rates following S2P were higher among HR patients (41.9% vs 22.5%, p=0.029), but were similar following S3P. LOS was increased in the HR cohort following S2P (median 11 vs 9 days, p=0.024) but similar to the LR group following S3P. Prematurity was the risk factor most consistently associated with increased mortality following all stages. Conclusions HR status for patients undergoing S1P portends a higher risk of mortality, LOS, and re-admission following S2P. HR patients enjoy similar survival to low-risk patients following S3P.
Harmonious graphs from α-trees

Two of the most studied graph labelings are the types of harmonious and graceful. A harmonious labeling of a graph of size m and order n , is an injective assignment of nonnegative integers smaller than m , such that the weights of the edges, which are defined as the sum of the labels of the end-vertices, are distinct consecutive integers after reducing modulo m . When n = m + 1 , exactly two vertices of the graph have the same label. An α -labeling of a tree of size m is a bijective assignment of nonnegative integers, not larger than m, such that the labels on one stable set are smaller than the labels on the other stable set, and the weights of the edges, which are defined as the absolute difference of the labels of the end-vertices, are all distinct; this is the most restrictive type of graceful labeling. Even when these labelings are significantly different in their definitions of the weight, for certain kinds of graphs, there is a deep connection between harmonious and α -labelings. We present new families of harmoniously labeled graphs built on α -labeled trees. Among these new results there are three families of trees, the k th power of the path P n , the join of a graph G and t K 1 where G is a graph that admits a more restrictive type of harmonious labeling and its order is different of its size by at most one unit. We also prove the existence of two families of disconnected harmonius graphs: K n , m ∪ K 1, m − 1 and G ∪ T , where G is a unicyclic graph and T is a tree built with α -trees. In addition, we show that almost all trees admit a harmonious labeling.