cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethics in Finance

This paper reflects on the role of ethics in field of finance. Excerpt UVA-F-1503 Version 4.0 ETHICS IN FINANCE The first thing is character, before money or anything else. —J. P. Morgan (in testimony before the U.S. Congress) The professional concerns himself with doing the right thing rather than making money, knowing that the profit takes care of itself if the other things are attended to. —Edwin LeFevre, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Integrity is paramount for a successful career in finance and business, as practitioners remind us. One learns, rather than inherits, integrity. And the lessons are everywhere, even in case studies about finance. To some people, the world of finance is purely mechanical, devoid of ethical considerations. The reality is that ethical issues are pervasive in finance. Exhibit 1 gives a list of prominent business scandals around the turn of the twenty-first century. One is struck by the wide variety of industrial settings and especially by the recurrent issues rooted in finance and accounting. Still, the disbelief that ethics matter in finance can take many forms. . . .
Compensation and Insider Selling During IPO

This study examines executives and directors’ motivation to sell their holdings during the IPO process. We find that a strong motivating factor that drive insider selling is consistent with their liquidity needs: insiders sell their shares when they are undercompensated, especially cash compensation. We find that the firms’ cash level directly impacts the executives’ level of cash compensation. In turn, cash compensation inversely impacts insider sales. Additionally, post-IPO lockups increases insider selling. This is consistent with selling based on insider liquidity needs.
Health policy: Reducing rheumatic heart disease in Africa -- time for action.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) key opinion leaders, health ministers, clinicians, and industry representatives gathered in Ethiopia in February 2015. The question: how to eradicate RHD in Africa. The response: the Addis Ababa communique, a practical document outlining seven major barriers to RHD control in Africa and seven strategies to address them.
Hemodynamics and blood volume in angiotensin II salt-dependent hypertension in dogs.

The sequential effects of an increased daily NaCl intake on hemodynamics, fluid electrolyte balances, and hormonal responses were evaluated in dogs (n = 7) with fixed circulating levels of angiotensin II (ANG II). During the control period, ANG II was infused at 3 ng.kg-1.min-1 while dogs were maintained on an 8 meq NaCl/day diet. Water intake was fixed at 700 ml/day. Continuously recorded (24 h/day) changes of total body weight (TBW) were used as an index of total body water. Cardiac stroke volume and arterial pressure were recorded, and each beat was digitized to provide hourly and 24-h average cardiac output (CO), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and total peripheral resistance (TPR). After three stable control days, daily salt intake was increased to 120 meq for 7 days. TBW increased gradually to 448 +/- 111 g (2.9%, P less than 0.05) above control by day 3. An 11% expansion of blood volume (P less than 0.05) was found (51CR-labeled red blood cells) on day 2 of high NaCl. CO rose 12% and MAP 20% (P less than 0.05) in parallel with TBW by day 4. By day 7, CO remained only 5% elevated, whereas MAP had stabilized at 20% above control levels. TPR remained significantly elevated from days 3 through 7. A positive Na balance averaging 91 +/- 8 meq (P less than 0.05) occurred on day 1. Plasma Na concentration was increased 2-3 meq/l above control throughout the period of high-salt intake. Plasma renin activity and aldosterone levels decreased to nearly undetectable levels, vasopressin rose slightly, and atrial natriuretic peptide levels increased significantly. Dogs maintained at 8 meq/day NaCl during the same infusion of ANG II showed no changes in MAP, CO, TPR, or TBW. In summary, the salt-induced hypertension was consistently related to small but significant fluid retention, blood volume expansion, elevations of cardiac output, and a gradual increase in TPR.
A Conceptual Model of Structured Support in Physical Education

Schools implement Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) as a way of meeting students' needs in classrooms. PBIS focuses on tiered instruction. Tiered instruction is a teaching strategy in which the educator implements incremental changes that increase supports based on students' needs—academic or behavioral. Yet, tiered instruction is not implemented on a wide scale in physical education. This article discusses how PBIS creates a positive climate, and how it works well with autonomy-supportive environments. It includes a review of research in physical education using tiered instruction or similar strategies. It presents a conceptual model illustrating the use of PBIS to identify and prioritize needs/supports of those students with the most challenging behaviors, and highlighting aspects of physical education that are uniquely different from the regular classroom.
What's New in Hand Surgery.

It is my privilege to provide an overview of some of the exciting developments that have taken place within the field of hand surgery in the past year. Before doing so, it would be remiss of me to not take this opportunity to sincerely thank Peter Amadio, MD, for his years of service in providing us with excellent “What’s New in Hand Surgery” Specialty Update articles. This review outlines some of the papers and publications that were presented at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), and the American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS) as well as scientific articles published within the literature. The management of distal radial fractures continues to be an area of much debate. In the past year, several prospective randomized studies were performed to determine the optimal treatment. Roh et al.1 conducted a prospective randomized study comparing volar-plate with external fixation in the management of seventy-four intra-articular AO type C2 and C3 distal radial fractures. Range of motion, grip strength, and Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ) scores were greater in the volar-plate group at three months but were similar between both cohorts at twelve months. Radiographic parameters, including volar tilt and radial inclination, were similar between the treatment groups, with those treated with a volar plate having improved radial height. Costa et al.2 reported on 461 adult patients with acute dorsally displaced distal radial fractures that were amenable to closed reduction. Patients were prospectively randomized to either percutaneous Kirschner-wire fixation or locking-plate fixation performed by 244 surgeons within eighteen centers across the United Kingdom. The primary outcome measure was Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) scores. At three, six, and twelve months of follow-up, there were no clinically significant differences in PRWE scores or …
Two thermodynamically stable states in SiO - and PN -

In contrast to the well-known CO and ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ molecules, isoelectronic SiO and PN form thermodynamically stable conventional (valence) and dipole-bound anion states upon attachment of an extra electron. According to the results of our high-quality ab initio calculations, binding energies of the electron in these states are 38 and 1.6 meV $({\mathrm{SiO}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}})$ and 76 and 1.0 meV $({\mathrm{PN}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}),$ respectively. Dissociation trends of the ${\mathrm{SiO}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ and ${\mathrm{PN}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ anions are discussed.
Effects of methoprene on Lycoriella mali (Diptera: Sciaridae)

Methoprene, a juvenile hormone analog, is widely used for control of larvae of the mushroom pest Lycoriella mali (Fitch) in compost. The effects of methoprene applied to the eggs. first instars, and fourth instars were investigated. Methoprene was slightly ovicidal to eggs 24 h old. Maximum inhibition of hatching was 27%. Eggs were most sensitive when <24 hold and became insensitive to methoprene 48 h after oviposition. Prolonged embryonic development of L. mali was not evident when methoprene was applied to any immature stage in the compost. However, concentrations about 17 times greater were required to inhibit adult emergence when methoprene was applied to first instars compared with fourth instars. Exposure of larvae to high concentrations of methoprene produced abnormalities in the genitalia and wings of surviving adults in a dose-dependent relationship. Morphologically abnormal adults were sterile. However, normal adults emerging from compost treated with methoprene did not differ in fertility and fecundity from control flies. Dosage-mortality data for first instars did not differ significantly from similar data taken before registration of methoprene. Resistance to this compound does not seem to be developing rapidly.
Numerical Study of Localized Electrochemical Deposition for Micro Electrochemical Additive Manufacturing

Abstract Electrochemical additive manufacturing (ECAM) is a novel non-thermal process capable of producing macro, micro and nanoscale metal parts by additive manufacturing. ECAM uses the principles of electrochemical deposition combined with the additive manufacturing technique to produce parts directly from three-dimensional computer models of the parts. The electrodeposition is localized by the use of ultra micro electrodes (UME) and low throwing power electrolytes, but plating is often seen accompanying the deposition, as the process is diffusion controlled near the UME, and kinetics controlled at the cathode away from the UME. In this study, the migration of the ionic species during deposition near the UME has been simulated and the diffusion characteristics were studied using numerical simulations to understand the effect of process parameters viz., tool size, inter-electrode gap, and voltage. The diffusion layer thickness and the width of the ion depletion region near the UME were studied under different voltage input characteristics. The findings of the simulation confirm the two different mechanisms of deposition, near and away from the UME. The findings reveal that the inter-electrode gap significantly affects the migration/diffusion controlled deposition process. Smaller gaps having higher current density but may result in inconsistent deposition due to the formation of a complete ion depletion region.
The Influence of Concentrations of Nutrients, Thiamin, and Biotin Upon Growth, and Formation of Perithecia and Ascospores By Chaetomium Convolutum

Chaetomium convolutum is deficient for both thiamin and biotin. In the presence of an optimum amount of one of these vitamins growth was proportional to the amount of the other vitamin in the mediu...
A critical role for topoisomerase IIb and DNA double strand breaks in transcription

Recent studies have indicated a novel role for topoisomerase IIb in transcription. Transcription of heat shock genes, serum-induced immediate early genes and nuclear receptor-activated genes, each required DNA double strands generated by topoisomerase IIb. Such strand breaks seemed both necessary and sufficient for transcriptional activation. In addition, such transcription was associated with initiation of the DNA damage response pathways, including the activation of the enzymes: ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), DNA-dependent protein kinase and poly (ADP ribose) polymerase 1. DNA damage response signaling was involved both in transcription and in repair of DNA breaks generated by topoisomerase IIb.
THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF SHS OF TiB_2

In the process of SHS (self-propagating high-temperature synthesis)fabrication of TiB_2 materials, variation of the initial temperature, amount of diluent and particle size of raw materials can change the adiabatic temperature, fraction of melted product and propagation rate of the combustion process, and finally affect the structure and properties of the synthesized materials. In this paper, theoretical calculation and analysis are made for the relationship mentioned above, The results will be useful and practical for the actual synthesis and processing.
Leveraging Structural Diversity and Allosteric Regulatory Mechanisms of Protein Kinases in the Discovery of Small Molecule Inhibitors

Protein kinases are versatile molecule switches that govern functional processes in signal transduction networks and regulate fundamental biological processes of cell cycle and organism development. The continuous growth of biological information and a remarkable breath of structural, genetic, and pharmacological studies on protein kinase genes have significantly advanced our knowledge of the kinase activation, drug binding and allosteric mechanisms underlying kinase regulation and interactions in signaling cascades.. Structural and biochemical studies of the genetic and molecular determinants of protein kinases binding with inhibitors have been the cornerstone of drug discovery efforts in clinical oncology leading to proliferation of effective anticancer therapies. Recent advances in understanding allosteric regulation of protein kinases have fueled unprecedented efforts aiming in the discovery of targeted and allosteric kinase inhibitors that can combat cancer mutants and are at the forefront of the precision medicine initiative in oncology. Despite diversity of regulatory scenarios underlying kinase functions, dimerization-driven activation is a common mechanism of allosteric regulation that is shared by many protein kinase families, most notably ErbB and BRAF kinases that play a central role in growth factor signaling and human disease. In this review, we focused on structural, biochemical and computational studies of the ErbB and BRAF kinases and discuss how diversity of the structural landscape for these kinase genes and dimerization- dependent mechanisms of their regulation can be leveraged in the design and discovery of kinase inhibitors and allosteric modulators of kinase activation. The lessons from this analysis could inform discovery of specific targeted therapies and robust drug combinations for cancer treatment.
An Unusual Cause of Monocular Vision Loss: A Case Report (P4.359)

Background: Transient monocular vision loss may have multiple vascular etiologies. Clinical history may aid in distinguishing visual loss due to flow failure from other causes. Case Details: A 64 year-old man with multiple vascular risk factors presented with episodes of transient monocular vision loss. He described graying of vision in his left eye provoked by standing up, exertion, and bright light. These episodes increased in frequency over 4 months and at the time of evaluation were occurring several times a day and lasting up to 5 minutes each time. MR angiography demonstrated critical stenosis of the proximal left internal carotid artery (ICA). Transcranial dopplers showed decreased flow velocities and blunted wave forms in the left terminal ICA with mildly impaired CO2 reactivity. There were no microembolic signals (MES). He underwent uncomplicated stent angioplasty of the left ICA. On post-operative evaluation visual symptoms had completely resolved. Discussion: Our patient with high-grade carotid stenosis demonstrated monocular vision loss due to hemodynamic failure of the ipsilateral retinal artery. Key historical features point to flow failure. Specifically, vision loss in bright light suggests unmet retinal metabolic demands and vision loss with position change suggests an orthostatic decrease in retinal perfusion pressure. The absence of MES makes an embolic etiology for the vision loss unlikely. Conclusion: Hemodynamic failure is an unusual cause of monocular vision loss, and may only be recognized by a detailed clinical history. Specific attention to position and settings of symptom occurrence can aid in correct diagnosis. Disclosure: Dr. Dunn has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kim has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rostanski has nothing to disclose. Dr. Willey has received personal compensation for activities with Heartier Incorporated.
Phloretin Prevents High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Improves Metabolic Homeostasis

Reactive oxygen species generated as a by-product in metabolism play a central role in the development of obesity and obesity-related metabolic complications. The objective of the current study is to explore the possibility to block obesity and improve metabolic homeostasis via phloretin, a natural antioxidant product from apple tree leaves and Manchurian apricot. Both preventive and therapeutic activities of phloretin were assessed using a high-fat diet-induced obesity mouse model. Phloretin was injected intraperitoneally twice weekly into regular and obese mice fed a high-fat diet. The effects of phloretin treatment on body weight and composition, fat content in the liver, glucose and lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance were monitored and compared to the control animals. Phloretin treatment significantly blocks high-fat diet-induced weight gain but did not induce weight loss in obese animals. Phloretin improved glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity and alleviated hepatic lipid accumulation. RT-PCR analysis showed that phloretin treatment suppresses expression of macrophage markers (F4/80 and Cd68) and pro-inflammatory genes (Mcp-1 and Ccr2) and enhances adiponectin gene expression in white adipose tissue. In addition, phloretin treatment elevated the expression of fatty acid oxidation genes such as carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a and 1b (Cpt1a and Cpt1b) and reduced expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (Mcp-1), de novo lipogenesis transcriptional factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ 2 (Pparγ2), and its target monoacylglycerol O-acyltransferase (Mgat-1) genes. These results provide direct evidence to support a possible use of phloretin for mitigation of obesity and maintenance of metabolic homeostasis.
God, Government, and Greenbelt: Lived Religion and the Cultural Politics of (In)Tolerance in the Social Engineering of a Cooperative New Deal Resettlement Town, 1937–1940

Greenbelt, Maryland, a 1937 federal suburban cooperative town planning experiment, was populated according to a series of quotas, including one focusing on the potential religious composition of the new community. Focusing on Greenbelt’s first three years, this chapter explores the sociopolitical forces—including the notion of “religiosity”—and the lived religion of federal bureaucrats, tenants, and clergy. These factors encouraged interfaith cooperation while at the same time sustaining tensions and divisions that would not be immediately overcome through socially-engineered religious diversity.
Peering vs. transit: Performance comparison of peering and transit interconnections

The economic aspects of peering and transit interconnections between ISPs have been extensively studied in prior literature. Prior research primarily focuses on the economic issues associated with establishing peering and transit connectivity among ISPs to model interconnection strategies. Performance analysis, on the other hand, while understood intuitively, has not been empirically quantified and incorporated in such models. To fill this gap, we conduct a large scale measurement based performance comparison of peering and transit interconnection strategies. We use JavaScript to conduct application layer latency measurements between 510K clients in 900 access ISPs and multi-homed CDN servers located at 33 IXPs around the world. Overall, we find that peering paths outperformed transit paths for 91% Autonomous Systems (ASes) in our data. Peering paths have smaller propagation delays as compared to transit paths for more than 95% ASes. Peering paths outperform transit paths in terms of propagation delay due to shorter path lengths. Peering paths also have smaller queueing delays as compared to transit paths for more than 50% ASes.
Low-cost authentication paradigm for consumer electronics within the internet of wearable fitness tracking applications

Nowadays, the consumer electronic (CE) market has grown to include smart devices for the Internet of Things. With increased adoption of these smart IoT devices, there is a high demand for safe and secure authentication for the purpose of maintaining effective access control. This paper addresses the concerns of authenticating consumer electronic devices using low-cost methods for implementation within customer healthcare frameworks. Our aim is not only to tackle the security issues related to the malicious behavior of supply chain counterfeit devices but also for establishing a secure architecture platform base for users to authenticate within a consumer electronic network. The proposed low-cost solution implements Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) for device verification and incorporates human behavioral characteristics (Biometrics) for user authorization as a comprehensive co-design method.
Total Syntheses of Bulgecins A, B, and C and Their Bactericidal Potentiation of the β-Lactam Antibiotics

The bulgecins are iminosaccharide secondary metabolites of the Gram-negative bacterium Paraburkholderia acidophila and inhibitors of lytic transglycosylases of bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis and remodeling. The activities of the bulgecins are intimately intertwined with the mechanism of a cobiosynthesized β-lactam antibiotic. β-Lactams inhibit the penicillin-binding proteins, enzymes also critical to cell-wall biosynthesis. The simultaneous loss of the lytic transglycosylase (by bulgecin) and penicillin-binding protein (by β-lactams) activities results in deformation of the septal cell wall, observed microscopically as a bulge preceding bacterial cell lysis. We describe a practical synthesis of the three naturally occurring bulgecin iminosaccharides and their mechanistic evaluation in a series of microbiological studies. These studies identify potentiation by the bulgecin at subminimum inhibitory concentrations of the β-lactam against three pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria and establish for the first t...
Physiology and Development of the Term and Preterm Neonate

Perinatal injury, prematurity, and/or congenital anomalies inflict profound long- and short-term physical, psychological, emotional, social, and financial stresses on survivors, their families, and society. Both the Annual Summary of Vital Statistics: 2007 and the National Vital Statistics Reports (April 30, 2010) list “disorders relating to short gestation and low birth weight” as the second leading cause (16–17 %) of infant death, second only to congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (19.7–21 %). In 2011, 11.7 % of the 3.95 million live births (or 462,570) were preterm (<37 weeks gestation), 8.1 % (320,241) were low birth weight (<2,500 g), and 1.44 % (56,932) were very low birth weight (<1,500 g) in the United States. In that year, two-thirds of the 23,910 infants who died (infant mortality was 6.05 per 1000 live births) died in the neonatal period, and 45 % died as a result of congenital or chromosomal abnormalities (21 %), preterm age or low birth weight (17 %), and sudden infant death syndrome (7 %). In 2006, 54 % of all infant deaths occurred in the ~2 % of infants born less than 32 weeks gestation; 36 % of infant deaths were “preterm related” (Heron M et al. Pediatrics 125(1): 4–15, 2010).
Functions of Random Variables

This chapter deals with functions of random variables including linear and power functions of one random variable, moments of functions of one random variable, sums of independent random variables, the maximum and minimum of two independent random variables, two functions of two random variables, laws of large numbers, the central limit theorem, and order statistics.
A posteriori analysis of an IMEX entropy-viscosity formulation for hyperbolic conservation laws with dissipation

Abstract This study considers adjoint based a posteriori estimation of the error in a quantity of interest computed from numerical solutions based on multistage implicit–explicit (IMEX) time integration schemes and an entropy-viscosity formulation for damped hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs). Hyperbolic systems are challenging to solve numerically due to the need to stabilize systems with discontinuous or nearly discontinuous solutions in an attempt to limit non-physical oscillations and provide accurate solutions. The goal of this effort is to provide error estimates based on adjoint operators, variational analysis and computable residuals. The error estimates quantify the total error as well as different contributions to the error arising from the time integration schemes and choices of numerical parameters in the numerical method.
Friends of Dusk and Dawn

The chapter deals with bohemians’ intimate friendships that take place beyond the bounds of nocturnal bohemia and entail an unusual amount of attention to same-sex romances and sexual relationships. The chapter analyzes the kinds of practices and discourses that thrive in these kinds of friendships and considers how they structure and are structured by the bohemian community as well as mainstream society. By reserving talk about same-sex sexuality to intimate moments among close friends, bohemians are able to realize a specific politics of queerness that allows them the opportunity to construct lives for themselves that are not over determined by a fixed sexual identity. The chapter underscores how these fringe moments of intimacy ultimately work to sustain the bohemian community’s queer form of cosmopolitan belonging.
Firm value and market liquidity around the adoption of common accounting standards

Abstract The adoption of common accounting standards generates both a precision effect and a network effect. When firms use common standards, investors can leverage their knowledge about the standards to process more financial reports. Embedding both effects into the economic framework of Baiman and Verrecchia (1995, 1996), we study the adoption’s effects on reporting precision, firm value, and liquidity of both the switcher and the early adopter. The model helps address the identification challenge and reconcile some existing results in the empirical literature on IFRS adoption. It also generates implications for standardizing disclosure and accounting methods.
Oxytocin in the tumor microenvironment is associated with lower inflammation and longer survival in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

Abstract Background Prior research demonstrates a protective role for oxytocin in ovarian cancer based on its anti-proliferative, anti-migratory, and anti-invasive effects in vitro and in vivo. However, the role of endogenous oxytocin has not been examined in ovarian cancer patients. Oxytocin also has anti-inflammatory properties that have not been examined in cancer. The purpose of this investigation was to examine relationships between endogenous oxytocin, tumor-associated inflammation (interleukin-6), and survival in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer patients. Methods Tumor microenvironment (ascites) and plasma oxytocin levels were analyzed via ELISA on extracted samples obtained from 79 patients. In vitro models were used to characterize oxytocin and oxytocin receptor expression in four ovarian cancer cell lines and to investigate direct anti-inflammatory effects of oxytocin on tumor cell secretion of interleukin-6. High and variable levels of oxytocin were observed in ascites, up to 200 times greater than in plasma. Higher levels of ascites oxytocin were associated with lower levels of systemic and tumor-associated interleukin-6, an inflammatory cytokine implicated in ovarian tumor progression. Oxytocin also attenuated interleukin-6 secretion from multiple ovarian tumor cell lines in vitro. Higher levels of ascites oxytocin were associated with a significant survival advantage and statistical mediation analyses suggested this effect was partially mediated by interleukin-6. Conclusions These data identify a previously unacknowledged hormone in the ovarian tumor microenvironment and provide initial evidence that oxytocin has protective effects in ovarian cancer via anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Future studies should examine the therapeutic utility of oxytocin.
Formation of defects and impurities in MoSx and their effect on electronic properties

The authors investigate the thermodynamic and electronic properties of few- and monolayer MoS2 using density functional theory. They calculate the formation energies of S vacancies and the doping effect of C and O under various chemical environments which are commonly observed during MoS2 deposition. The results show that in the oxidizing condition, O readily gets incorporated into the MoS2 layer and assists in C doping. They analyze the bandgap and density of states of MoS2 at different concentrations of defect. They find that the bandgap decreases as the defect concentration increases, wherein the ordering of S vacancies has a more significant influence than that of the other two defects. The S vacancy and C dopants generate deep acceptor gap states within the bandgap of MoS2, while O dopant states are delocalized. They also observe that the carbon dopants form penetrative dimers, which lead to shallow acceptor states. This work contributes to the understanding of defect/impurity incorporation during deposition and prediction of electronic behavior of deposited low-quality MoS2 materials.The authors investigate the thermodynamic and electronic properties of few- and monolayer MoS2 using density functional theory. They calculate the formation energies of S vacancies and the doping effect of C and O under various chemical environments which are commonly observed during MoS2 deposition. The results show that in the oxidizing condition, O readily gets incorporated into the MoS2 layer and assists in C doping. They analyze the bandgap and density of states of MoS2 at different concentrations of defect. They find that the bandgap decreases as the defect concentration increases, wherein the ordering of S vacancies has a more significant influence than that of the other two defects. The S vacancy and C dopants generate deep acceptor gap states within the bandgap of MoS2, while O dopant states are delocalized. They also observe that the carbon dopants form penetrative dimers, which lead to shallow acceptor states. This work contributes to the understanding of defect/impurity incorporation during de...
Association Between Water and Sanitation with Anemia in Preschool Children: Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA) Project (P10-087-19)

We aimed to assess the associations between water source and sanitation with anemia in preschool children (age: 6–59 months) in 16 population-based surveys. We analyzed data from the BRINDA project. Sixteen surveys, representing 15 countries (n = 25,214), that had measures of hemoglobin, household water source and sanitation, type of residence, and socioeconomic (SES) status were included in this analysis. Anemia was defined as altitude-adjusted hemoglobin concentration <110 g/L. Water source and sanitation were defined as improved household drinking water source and improved toilet facility, respectively. Bivariate analyses were done using Rao-Scott chi-square test (except for age, a continuous predictor using logistic regressions). Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to examine associations between anemia and water source and sanitation, adjusting for age, sex, rural-urban location, and SES. All analyses were conducted with SAS 9.4, accounting for complex survey design. The prevalence of anemia ranged from 20.0% in Nicaragua to 72.1% in Kenya 2010. The prevalence of improved water source and improved sanitation ranged from 44.1% in Laos to 98.4% in Bangladesh, and from 0.1% in Kenya 2007 to 93.7% in Ecuador, respectively. Improved water source alone was protective of anemia in two surveys. Improved sanitation alone was protective of anemia in three surveys. Improved water source alone was negatively associated with anemia in one survey. Improved water source and sanitation combined was protective of anemia in 4 out of 16 surveys, specifically Afghanistan (adjusted OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31–0.96), Azerbaijan (adjusted OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31–0.999), Bangladesh (adjusted OR = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.002–0.28), and Laos (adjusted OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.17–0.80). Improved household water source and sanitation was inversely associated with anemia in some settings. However, results were not consistent across surveys, and there may be thresholds at which water source and sanitation impacts anemia. Further research is warranted to evaluate the potential mechanisms that explain links between water source and sanitation with anemia. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Online Simulated Cases Assess Retention of Virtual Neighborhood Tour Curriculum

Background Learning to identify and address social determinants of health (SDH) is a crucial component of pediatric residency training. A virtual tour of an impoverished neighborhood previously demonstrated efficacy in increasing residents’ self-assessed knowledge and competence, but its impact on performance has not yet been reported. Online simulated cases are emerging as feasible assessment tools to measure trainees’ skills across various healthcare settings. We developed online simulated cases to evaluate residents’ retention of the virtual tour’s key SDH-related learning objectives 1 month after completing this curriculum. Methods Three online simulated cases with interpolated open-ended questions were created to assess residents’ ability to identify SDH, recommend appropriate resources, and display empathy. Scoring rubrics to objectively evaluate responses were developed and borderline scores were decided by a team of educators. Results 19 residents participated. Mean scores for all cases exceeded pre-established borderline scores (statistically significant in two of the three cases). More than 90% of residents identified relevant SDH in the primary care and emergency department cases. Ninety-five percent of residents recommended appropriate resources in all cases, and 89% displayed empathy. Discussion Residents’ performance in online simulated cases demonstrated retention and application of the virtual tour’s learning objectives, including recognizing SDH, offering appropriate resources, and displaying empathy, which supports the long-term effectiveness of the virtual tour curriculum to train pediatricians about SDH. Online simulated cases provided a standardized and cost-effective way to measure residents’ skills related to curricular uptake, suggesting that this assessment approach may be adapted to evaluate other educational interventions.
Effect of immunomodulation on cardiac remodelling and outcomes in heart failure: a quantitative synthesis of the literature

AIMS Immunomodulation in heart failure (HF) has been studied in several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with variable effects on cardiac structure, function, and outcomes. We sought to determine the effect of immunomodulation on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), LV end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD), and all-cause mortality in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) through meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses (TSAs) of RCTs. METHODS AND RESULTS PubMed, Embase®, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically reviewed to identify RCTs that studied the effects of immunomodulation in patients with HFrEF. The primary endpoint in this analysis was change in LVEF. Secondary outcomes were changes in LVEDD and all-cause mortality. TSA was used to quantify the statistical reliability of data in the cumulative meta-analyses. Nineteen RCTs with 1341 HFrEF subjects were eligible for analyses. The aetiology of HF, specific immunomodulation strategy, and treatment duration were variable across trials. Immunomodulation led to a greater improvement in LVEF [mean difference: +5.7% 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.0-8.5%, P < 0.001] and reduction in LVEDD (mean difference: -3.7 mm, 95% CI: -7.0 to -0.4 mm, P = 0.028) than no immunomodulation in meta-analyses and TSAs. We observed a non-significant decrease in all-cause mortality among those on immumomodulation (risk ratio: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.4-1.3, P = 0.234), but the Z-curve for cumulative treatment effect of immunomodulation in the TSA did not cross the boundary of futility. CONCLUSIONS Immunomodulation led to improved cardiac structure and function in patients with HFrEF. While these benefits did not translate into a significant improvement in mortality, our analysis suggests that larger studies of targeted immunomodulation are needed to understand the true benefits.
The legacy of C4 evolution in the hydraulics of C3 and C4 grasses

Most studies concerning the functional implications of C4 photosynthesis have focused on enhanced carbon fixation under high temperature, low atmospheric CO2, and/or water limitation, yet the biochemical and anatomical reorganization required for optimal C4 function should also impact plant hydraulics and water use. C4 grasses have increased bundle-sheath size and vein density, and these are thought to have been anatomical precursors for the evolution of C4 from C3 ancestors. Paradoxically, these traits should also lead to higher leaf capacitance and higher leaf hydraulic conductance, yet C4 photosynthesis lowers water demand and increases plant water use efficiency. Here, we use phylogenetic analyses, physiological measurements and photosynthetic modeling to examine the reorganization of hydraulic traits in C4 grass lineages and in closely-related C3 grasses. Evolutionarily young C4 lineages have higher leaf hydraulic conductance, capacitance, turgor loss point, and lower stomatal conductance than their C3 relatives. In contrast, species from older C4 lineages show decreased leaf hydraulic conductance and capacitance, indicating that over time, C4 plants have optimized hydraulic investments while maintaining their C4 anatomical requirements. The "overplumbing" of young C4 lineages lead to a reduced positive correlation between maximal assimilation rate and leaf hydraulic conductance, decoupling a key relationship between hydraulic traits and photosynthesis generally observed in vascular plants.
An accurate machine-learning calculator for optimization of Li-ion battery cathodes.

There is significant interest in improving the performance of batteries to increase electrification of transportation and aviation. Recently, performance improvements have been in large part due to changes in the composition of the cathode material family, LiNixMnyCo(1-x-y)O2 (e.g., 111-622-811). Despite the importance of these materials and tremendous progress with density functional theory (DFT) calculations in understanding basic design principles, it is computationally prohibitively expensive to make this problem tractable. Specifically, predicting the open circuit voltage for any cathode material in this family requires evaluation of stability in a quaternary phase space. In this work, we develop machine-learning potentials using fingerprinting based on atom-centered symmetry functions, used with a neural network model, trained on DFT calculations with a prediction accuracy of 3.7 meV/atom and 0.13 eV/A for energy and force, respectively. We perform hyperparameter optimization of the fingerprinting parameters using Bayesian optimization through the Dragonfly package. Using this ML calculator, we first test its performance in predicting thermodynamic properties within the Debye-Gruneisen model and find good agreement for most thermodynamic properties, including the Gibbs free energy and entropy. Then, we use this to calculate the Li-vacancy ordering as a function of Li composition to simulate the process of discharging/charging of the cathode using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. The predicted voltage profiles are in good agreement with the experimental ones and provide an approach to rapidly perform design optimization in this phase space. This study serves as a proof-point of machine-learned DFT surrogates to enable battery materials optimization.
Vulvar lichen sclerosus in women of reproductive age.

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (vLS) is an inflammatory skin condition that predominantly affects the vulvar and perianal regions. Approximately 50% of cases present prior to menopause; however, there is ...
Surface and subsurface characterization of laser-interference structured Ti6Al4V

Abstract Ti6Al4V specimens were exposed to high-energy laser pulses of 1.24 J/cm2 fluences per pulse using a two-beam optical configuration to attain laser-interference. In addition to the formation of periodic surface textures by laser-interference, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images demonstrated several microstructural changes on the surface processed. Moreover, the surface and subsurface of Ti6Al4V specimens were characterized for the as-received and laser-interference processed conditions using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The XPS data showed that this laser technique is effective at removal of surface contaminants for Ti6Al4V. The XPS analysis also revealed the formation of an oxy-nitride layer on the laser treated material. The microstructure analysis indicates that grain refinement, dendrite and twin structures were found near the surface due to laser processing.
Chameleons: Electrocardiogram Imitators of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

The imperative for timely reperfusion therapy for patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) underscores the need for clinicians to have an understanding of how to distinguish patterns of STEMI from its imitators. These imitating diagnoses may confound an evaluation, potentially delaying necessary therapy. Although numerous diagnoses may mimic STEMI, several morphologic clues may allow the physician to determine if the pattern is concerning for either STEMI or a mimicking diagnosis. Furthermore, obtaining a satisfactory history, comparing previous electrocardiograms, and assessing serial tests may provide valuable clues.
Roles of fimB and fimE in site-specific DNA inversion associated with phase variation of type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Evidence obtained with an improved in vivo assay of fimbrial phase variation in Escherichia coli supported a revised understanding of the roles of fimB and fimE in the site-specific DNA rearrangement with which they are associated. A previously proposed model argued that fimB and fimE play antagonistic, unidirectional roles in regulating the orientation of the invertible DNA element located immediately upstream of fimA, the gene encoding the major subunit of type 1 fimbriae. This conclusion, though, is based on an in vivo DNA inversion assay using recombinant plasmid substrates under conditions that, among other things, were incapable of detecting recombination of the fim invertible element from the on to the off orientation. Using a modified system that overcome this and several additional technical problems, we confirmed that fimB acts independently of fimE on the invertible element and that the additional presence of fimE results in the preferential rearrangement of the element to the off orientation. It is now demonstrated that fimE can act in the absence of fimB in this recombination to promote inversion primarily from on to off. In contrast to the previous studies, the effect of fimB on a substrate carrying the invertible element in the on orientation could be examined. It was found that fimB mediates DNA inversion from on to off, as well as from off to on, and that, contrary to prior interpretations, the fimB-associated inversion occurs with only minimal orientational preference to the on phase.
Concatenated Coding Using Linear Schemes for Gaussian Broadcast Channels With Noisy Channel Output Feedback

Linear coding schemes have been the main choice of coding for the additive white Gaussian noise broadcast channel (AWGN-BC) with noiseless feedback in the literature. The achievable rate regions of these schemes go well beyond the capacity region of the AWGN-BC without feedback. In this paper, a concatenated coding design for the $K$ -user AWGN-BC with noisy feedback is proposed that relies on linear schemes as inner codes to achieve rate tuples outside the no-feedback capacity region. The boundary of an achievable rate region of purely linear coding schemes for noiseless feedback is shown to be arbitrarily closely approached by the concatenated coding scheme for sufficiently small feedback noise levels. Then, a linear coding scheme for the $K$ -user symmetric AWGN-BC with noisy feedback is presented and optimized for use in the concatenated coding scheme. For noiseless feedback, the presented linear coding scheme achieves the optimal sum-rate of linear-feedback coding. An upper bound on the inner code blocklength needed to achieve a sum-rate above no-feedback sum-capacity is derived.
MALEBRANCHE AND LEIBNIZ ON THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS

In this article I explore Leibniz's claim in the Theodicy that on the essential points Malebranche's theodicy “reduces to” his own view. This judgment may seem to be warranted given that both thinkers emphasize that evils are justified by the fact that they follow from the simple and uniform laws that govern that world which is worthy of divine creation. However, I argue that Leibniz's theodicy differs in several crucial respects from Malebranche's. I begin with a qualified endorsement of Charles Larmore's recent claim that remarks in Malebranche's correspondence with Leibniz indicate that their theodicies rely on incompatible conceptions of the moral rationality of divine action. I also attempt to go beyond Larmore's discussion in highlighting further differences concerning the sort of freedom involved in the divine act of creation. My conclusion is that these differing conceptions of divine morality and divine freedom reveal that in contrast to the case of Leibniz, Malebranche's theodicy not only does not require that God create anything at all, but also is compatible with the result that the world he decides to create is not uniquely the best possible.
The effect of wind on burning rate of wood cribs

Wood cribs are often used as ignition sources for room fire tests. A wood crib may also apply to studies of burning rate in wildland fires, because wildland fuel beds are porous and three dimensional. A unique aspect of wildland fires is the ubiquitous presence of wind. However, very little is known about what effect the increased ventilation has on the burning rate of cribs in either the densely- or loosely-packed regime. Experiments were performed with seven cribs designs with a range of porosities and two fuel element sizes: 0.64 cm and 1.27 cm. These cribs were burned in a wind tunnel with wind speeds ranging from 0 m/s to 0.7 m/s. Changes in the observed flame structure and burning patterns with wind are noted and discussed. The effect of wind on the burning rate was seen to depend on the fuel thickness. At the highest wind speed tested, cribs built with the 1.27 cm sticks showed a 6.5% to 61.5% increase in burning rate depending on porosity. Cribs built with the 0.64 cm sticks showed a decrease of 36.7% to 60.6% that was relatively constant with wind speed. Possible mechanisms of these changes are discussed. Future work will include further testing to clarify the causes of these trends.