cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Copy Number Variant Detection Using Next-Generation Sequencing

Copy number variation refers to imbalanced structural variation resulting in gain or loss of genomic DNA in a region ranging from tens to millions of bases long. Copy number variants (CNVs) are a critical class of genetic variation in clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) due to their wide-ranging impacts in human disease. The variety and complexity of methods used to detect CNVs in NGS data can be daunting. This chapter will summarize general approaches to CNV detection from NGS data, application of such methods across diverse clinical NGS applications, and screening of CNVs to identify causal variants in human disease. We briefly describe the origins and the functional significance of CNVs and review non-NGS CNV detection technologies. Considerations of CNV screening across various clinical NGS contexts are discussed, including candidate gene, exome, whole genome, and cell-free DNA sequencing applications. The main conceptual approaches to CNV discovery in NGS data are reviewed in detail, including mate pair alignment, relative depth of coverage, and direct assembly or sequence-based evidence from split reads. CNV detection methods are highly design- and platform-dependent, requiring customization and trade-offs for specific approaches. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different CNV detection approaches in the context of both capture-based and whole genome sequencing platforms, highlighting considerations for germline DNA, tumor tissue, and cell-free tumor or fetal DNA. We discuss the availability of reference standards for benchmarking CNV detection by NGS methods. Finally, we cover orthogonal validation technologies toward the goal of incorporating clinically actionable NGS-based CNV detection for patient care.
The Evolution of Health Care Facility Protocols

The view that life-sustaining treatments are elective is a profound challenge to patients, the medical profession, and to health care facilities. For pa­tients, the term elective is a query that requires an answering commitment to pursue or decline this treatment, at this time, in these circumstances. For health care professionals, elective implies something quite unlike the view that treatment decisions are about medical “indications,” a language that speaks of technical duties that follow a professional discernment. For a health care facility with a mission to respect life, an elective view of treat­ment transforms the presumption in favor of treatment into an interim safeguard to be ratified by an individual choice so that patient care serves personal needs, not public rhetoric.
Hormones and Memory

Neurobiological evidence from animal models suggests that sex hormones, such as estradiol and testosterone, modify the structure and function of the memory system. Several natural and disease-related conditions in humans significantly affect sex hormones throughout the life span. This article reviews the complexities of human studies of hormone effects. Reviewed here are recent findings that suggest that fluctuating sex hormones across the menstrual cycle in young women do not affect memory and that loss of estrogen and replacement at menopause may affect memory and risk for memory impairment from neurodegenerative disease, but only when the loss is abrupt and only if replaced within a narrow timeframe. Finally, testosterone loss and replacement do modify memory in older men and are associated with risk for neurodegenerative diseases of the memory system.
Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Determination of Arsenite in Water Samples by Graphite Furnace After Extraction with Ammonium sec-Butyldithiophosphate

Il est possible de doser des concentrations d'arsenic aussi faible que 100 ng. Application a l'analyse d'eau de riviere
Synopsis of Parts II and III

The foregoing chapters and appendices comprise the first part of three. In the last complete revision of the entire treatise, summarizing captions, corresponding to the marginal summaries of this volume, were annexed throughout. This appendix brings those captions together in order as a summary of the expected contents of Parts II and III. What follows will have to suffice as text for the advance references scattered across this volume, and may incidentally give interested readers some idea of where I am going. Since I cannot anticipate all of the revisions I may have to make in preparing Parts II and III for publication, these “contents” are only provisional.
Revising the formulization of the Narayanaswamy equation using the Adam-Gibbs theory

Abstract Hodge's formulization of the Tool-Narayanaswamy-Moynihan (TNM) equation from the Adam-Gibbs (AG) theory was re-evaluated. The non-linearity parameter (x) and the apparent activation energy (Δh*) of the TMN equation were re-derived. Compared with the original derivations, the revised values of x and Δh* were better correlated with experimental results. Of particular importance, the revised theoretical x correctly predicts the experimental trend of x for the cooling rate of polystyrene, whereas the original derivation predicted an opposite trend. Furthermore, the new derivation establishes a strong relationship between the fragility coefficient (m) and the x of a material. The relationship correlates well with the experimental values for a wide range of materials. Ultimately, the revised equations for x and Δh* more precisely reveal the theoretical foundation of the phenomenological TNM equation, as it relates to structural relaxation of polymeric materials.
An algorithm for intersections in ℙ2[N]

ABSTRACTWe provide an explicit algorithm for computing intersection numbers between basis elements of complementary codimension in the Hilbert scheme of N points in the projective plane.
“Apple: Good Business, Poor Citizen”: A Practitioner’s Response

This paper was written in response to Etzioni’s “Apple: Good Business Poor Citizen” (J Bus Ethics, 2016, doi: 10.1007/s10551-016-3233-4 ). It argues that Etzioni is correct in seeing the recent conflict between Apple and the FBI over cracking the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone as requiring that considerations of national security be balanced against the rights of those it might impact. There are nonetheless critical questions about one must still ask: whose rights are curbed, to what degree, and how does a society decide which side to favor? More attention needs to be paid to the privacy of other iPhone users and, importantly, the burden that hacking the phone might impose on Apple, either impairing its brand value or compromising its business potential. Finally, by asking ‘who judges the balance?’, it questions whether labeling Apple a poor citizen is premature, as they had only begun challenging the FBI’s judgment through the judicial process.
‘Dangerously Small Things’: Response to Iris van der Tuin

ABSTRACTThis essay responds to Iris van der Tuin’s, ‘Microaggressions as New Political Material for Feminist Scholars and Activists: Perspectives from Continental Philosophy, the New Materialisms, and Popular Culture’, by situating her interrogation as a performative intervention on the psychologisation of microaggression research. Her intervention thus expands the potential for feminist critical practice, and opens up the discourse to emergent political materials. In this vein, I offer two additional, but ‘small’, materials. First, because language plays a role in the exclusionary cuts through which all entities emerge, I encourage material feminism not to abandon linguistic entities as political materials. Second, by interrupting the false choice between individual and collective political action, I suggest a re-scaling of feminist political action for our neoliberal times.
Health Behavior Change: A Guide for Practitioners

Compliance with medications and treatment regimens is recognized as a major component in obtaining positive outcomes with patients. Compliance failure can contribute to a lack of success in getting patients to treatment goals and result in unnecessary costs in the delivery of health care. Today, we
Teaching concurrency

Idit Keidar invited me to submit a note to a distributed computing column in SIGACT News devoted to teaching concurrency. In an introduction, she wrote that my note “takes a step back from the details of where, what, and how, and makes a case for the high level goal of teaching students how to think clearly.” What does it say about the state of computer science education that one must make a case for teaching how to think clearly?
Uses of Precipitation-Based Climate Indices in Drought Characterization

AbstractThe standardized precipitation index (SPI) is widely used in meteorological drought classification on a monthly or seasonal scale. A new monthly drought classification scheme using daily pr...
Quality of Life and Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Proton Radiation Therapy: A Systematic Review.

Background As costs of cancer care rise, the importance of documenting value in oncology increases. Proton beam radiotherapy (PBT) has the potential to reduce toxicities in cancer patients, but is relatively expensive and unproven. Evaluating quality of life (QOL) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is essential to establishing PBT's "value" in oncologic therapy. The goal of this systematic review was to assess QOL and PROs in patients treated with PBT. Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-guided systematic searches were conducted. The PubMed search engine was the primary data source, along with publications found from references of selected articles, and articles known to the authors published through 2017. Seventeen original investigations were found to have sufficient focus and relevance to be incorporated into the systematic review. Results Studies of skull base (n = 1), brain (n = 1), head/neck (n = 1), lung (n = 1), breast (n = 2), prostate (n = 8), and pediatric (n = 3) malignancies treated with PBT that met eligibility criteria were included. QOL did not deteriorate during PBT for skull base and after PBT for brain tumors, respectively. PROs were higher for PBT than photon-based radiotherapy for both head/neck and lung cancer. Patient-reported breast cosmesis was appropriate after PBT and comparable to photon modalities. PBT in various settings of prostate cancer displayed an expected post-therapy decline; one study showed improved PROs (rectal urgency, bowel frequency) for PBT, and two others showed PROs/QOL comparable with other modalities. Pediatric studies demonstrated improvements in QOL during therapy, with additional increases thereafter. Conclusions Based on limited data, PBT provides favorable QOL/PRO profiles for select brain, head/neck, lung, and pediatric cancers; measures for prostate and breast cancers were more modest. These results have implications for cost-effective cancer care and prudently designed QOL evaluation in ongoing trials, which are discussed. Future data could substantially change the conclusions of this review.
Apparent sixth sense in theropod evolution: The making of a Cretaceous weathervane.

Objective Two separate and distinctive skills are necessary to find prey: Detection of its presence and determination of its location. Surface microscopy of the dentary of albertosaurines revealed a previously undescribed sensory modification, as will be described here. While dentary “foramina” were previously thought to contain tactile sensory organs, the potential function of this theropod modification as a unique localizing system is explored in this study. Method Dentary surface perforations were examined by surface epi-illumination microscopy in tyrannosaurine and albertosaurine dinosaurs to characterize their anatomy. Fish lateral lines were examined as potentially comparable structures. Result In contrast to the subsurface vascular bifurcation noted in tyrannosaurines (which lack a lateral dentary surface groove), the area subjacent to the apertures in albertosaurine grooves has the appearance of an expanded chamber. That appearance seemed to be indistinguishable from the lateral line of fish. Conclusion Dentary groove apertures in certain tyrannosaurid lines (specifically albertosaurines) not only have a unique appearance, but one with significant functional and behavior implications. The appearance of the perforations in the dentary groove of albertosaurines mirrors that previously noted only with specialized neurologic structures accommodating derived sensory functions, as seen in the lateral line of fish. The possibility that this specialized morphology could also represent a unique function in albertosaurine theropods for interacting with the environment or facilitating prey acquisition cannot be ignored. It is suggested that these expanded chambers function in perceiving and aligning the body relative to the direction of wind, perhaps a Cretaceous analogue of the contemporary midwestern weathervane.
A Protest of the Poor: On the Political Meaning of the People

In this chapter, Seikaly engages an uprising against neoliberal reform on18–19 January 1977 in Egypt. By mapping the role that food played in protestors’ and government strategies and demands, she examines how basic needs function as a trigger of social upheaval as well as a vehicle of political containment. Seikaly explores how government officials, journalists, and protestors defined and ultimately contained the “poor” and the “hungry.” By attending to how protestors narrate and represent themselves and the tools they use to make their claims, this chapter troubles the construction of the “people.”
Immunofluorescence deconvolution microscopy and image reconstruction of human defensins in normal and burned skin.

Objective: The aim of this study was visualization and localization of the human antimicrobials human beta defensins 1, 2, and 3, neutrophil defensin alpha (human neutrophil peptide), and the cathelicidin LL-37 in normal and burned skin, and determination of the cell types in which these antimicrobials were localized. Methods: Tissue sections were probed with antimicrobial antibodies, tagged with fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies, and subjected to fluorescence deconvolution microscopy and image reconstruction. Images were generated by stacking multiple-section scans, which were then volume rendered by rotating stacks 360° about an axis, or modeled in 3 dimensions. Results: This technique yields a definitive image, providing a rapid basis for further quantification and manipulation from a full 3-dimensional aspect. In normal skin, human beta defensin-1 was localized to the perinuclear region of keratinocytes; human beta defensin-2 was primarily localized to the stratum germinativum; human beta defensin-3 was found in dendritic cells of the stratum spinosum; human neutrophil peptide was randomly distributed in the papillary dermis; and LL-37 was concentrated in the stratum corneum and along ducts. In burned skin, in which keratinocytes are lost or destroyed, human beta defensin-1 was present in dermal glandular structures including hair shafts; human beta defensin-2 and human beta defensin-3 were found in the remaining keratin layers and glands of the lower dermis; human neutrophil peptide was primarily localized to hair shafts, though visible in residual keratin layers; and LL-37 was evident in very high concentrations in the epithelium of sweat ducts. Conclusion: We conclude via this technique that cells in the lower dermal and subdermal regions of burned skin synthesize antimicrobials after burn injury, and maintain something of a barrier against infection. This methodology is discussed and explained in this article.
Kolsky Compression Bar Experiments at Intermediate Strain Rates

Most Kolsky bars characterize dynamic material properties at strain rates between 5×02 and 1×104 s-1. On the other hand, quasi-static material testing machines operate under closed-loop control at strain rates below 1 s-1. However, many applications require stress-strain data around the intermediate strain-rate range of 5×101 - 5×102 s-1, where data is scarce for any material. This chapter describes designs of Kolsky bars to conduct dynamic experiments at strain rates below 102 s-1, which is the upper limit of modified quasi-static methods. The overlap in strain rates achieved by the modified Kolsky bar and quasi-static techniques bridges the gap in the intermediate strain-rate range, which also facilitates the system-error examination between the quasi-static and dynamic testing methods.
The Environment and Reproduction: Endocrine Disruption, Reproductive Impairment, and Epigenetics

This chapter reviews the evidence that environmental factors have a role in the etiology of reproductive abnormalities. The actions of hormonally active agents, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals, that may alter the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, or elimination of natural hormones are highlighted. This chapter also highlights the need for and organized collection of data to further analyze the involvemnet of environmental factors in reproductive anomalies.
Abstract 3854: Antizyme inhibitor editing modulates nuclear localization but not antizyme binding: Implications for prostate cancer

The endogenous antizyme inhibitor (AZIN) binds to, and is a key regulator of, the cell cycle suppressor antizyme. Antizyme itself is a key regulator of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the rate-limiting enzyme in the polyamine synthesis. We have measured the expression and localization of AZIN in 202 prostate cancer specimens, along with 26 adjacent benign samples, and found that nuclear localization of AZIN is dramatically associated with worse outcome. Upregulation and nuclear localization of AZIN have been observed in several cancers, as has editing of the AZIN1 mRNA. Other have hypothesized that the RNA- edited AZIN (edAZIN) may have an increased affinity to antizyme and that could explain the association of edAZIN to the various cancers. We have studied the mechanism behind the nuclear localization of AZIN and found the single base pair substitution caused by RNA editing is sufficient to result in nuclear localization of the protein in all cell types tested. To determine if the nuclear localization might result from increased antizyme-edAZIN affinity, we developed fluorescent protein FRET sensor for protein-protein interaction using Clover-AZIN and antizyme-mRuby2 fusion proteins. Unexpectedly, we found that the editing event decreases edAZIN affinity for antizyme, notwithstanding increased interaction in vivo. Thus, the data indicate that the change in protein localization to the nucleus may be more important to oncogenic function than the actual degree of binding to antizyme. Other functional differences between edAZIN and AZIN might be explained by altered kinetics of binding, by the contribution of an additional adapter protein that modulates the intracellular antizyme:AZIN complex, or by competition for AZIN binding by other partners whose interaction is affected by the editing event. Therefore, we plan to identify AZIN and edAZIN interacting proteins by using proteomic analysis and later study the interaction between AZIN or edAZIN with their binding partners in more detail. Furthermore, our validated FRET assays can be used to identify antagonists of AZIN-antizyme binding (no antagonists are currently known). Given the important role of AZIN in tumor growth, discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of AZIN should lead to antitumor therapies. Citation Format: James M. Rice, Aram Ghalali, Liangzhe Wang, Amanda Kusztos, Finith Jernigan, Chin Lee Wu, Bruce Zetter, Michael S. Rogers. Antizyme inhibitor editing modulates nuclear localization but not antizyme binding: Implications for prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3854.
CNS metastasis and colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

e15055Background: Long-term survival in metastatic colorectal cancer has improved with current treatment strategies. Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are rare and poorly characterized, and m...
Methods for Detecting N -Acyl Homoserine Lactone Production in Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii cell-cell signaling is mediated by production and release of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), primarily N-(3-hydroxydodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-hydroxy-C12-HSL). The secretion of this signal can be readily assessed via simple plate-based or thin-layer chromatography-based assays utilizing an Agrobacterium tumefaciens traG-lacZ containing biosensor. In this chapter, we describe methods to assay for secreted N-acyl homoserine lactone production in Acinetobacter baumannii.
Novel MINLP formulations for flexibility analysis for measured and unmeasured uncertain parameters

Abstract In this paper, we formulate the flexibility analysis with measured and unmeasured parameters as a rigorous multilevel optimization problem. First, we propose to recursively reformulate the inner optimization problems by the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions and with a mixed-integer representation of the complementarity conditions to solve the resulting multilevel optimization problem. Three types of problems are addressed and solved with the proposed strategy: 1) linear programming problem, 2) nonlinear programming problem with monotonic variation of unmeasured uncertain, and finally 3) nonlinear programming problem. We illustrate the new formulation with a heat exchanger network problem with uncertain heat capacity flowrates.
Tetralogy of Fallot: risk stratification is straightforward. Or is it?

Purpose of review Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) carries a long-term risk of arrhythmias and sudden death after surgical repair. Risk stratification is still less accurate than desired. Recent findings Several factors have been studied as risk predictors for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. Clinical parameters include age at surgery, time since repair, types of previous surgeries, and symptoms such as syncope and palpitations. Electrocardiographic parameters that have been studied include QRS interval, ventricular arrhythmias assessed with Holter monitors, signal averaged ECG, QRS fragmentation, QRS vector magnitude, and microvolt T-wave alternans. Exercising testing has been shown to have prognostic significance. Ventricular function assessment with imaging studies including echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a significant role. Invasive hemodynamic and electrophysiologic studies, in addition to assessment for inducible tachycardia, can provide information regarding the electroanatomic substrate of VT. Summary Risk stratification for TOF has improved over the last years with several clinical, electrocardiographic, imaging, and invasive electrophysiologic findings showing promise, but there still a lack of uniformity in approach between various investigators and reproducibility of findings is difficult in larger populations. With use of a combination of factors, a more informed decision can be made.
The Lessons of 1919

One hundred years ago, the Supreme Court embarked on its first serious consideration of the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech. In 1919, the Court upheld four federal criminal convictions over First Amendment defenses. Three of the majority opinions were written by Justice Holmes. In the fourth, he offered a classic dissent. Two of the cases, Frohwerk v. United States and Debs v. United States, are of middling significance. The other two, Schenck v. United States and Abrams v. United States, are iconic. From these cases have sprung an expansive and complex jurisprudence of free speech. The author elaborates on these historical cases, and their significance to freedom of speech doctrine and jurisdiction.
Testing four hypotheses to explain partial migration: balancing reproductive benefits with limits to fasting endurance

Seasonal migration is ubiquitous in animals, and yet its underlying cause(s) remain poorly known. Species exhibiting short-distance altitudinal migration and intraspecific variation in migratory behavior (partial or differential migration) are ideal study systems for examining the selective pressures that affect individual migratory decisions. We used an individually marked population of yellow-eyed juncos, breeding along a 1000-m elevational gradient and migrating up and down that gradient, to examine the morphological, behavioral, and reproductive traits associated with migratory behavior. We tested the four most well-known hypotheses proposed to explain partial migration: the thermal tolerance, fasting endurance, dominance, and arrival time hypotheses. Our results indicate that: (1) limits to juncos’ fasting endurance constrain their ability to overwinter at high elevations, in support of the fasting endurance hypothesis, (2) differences in body size mediate fasting ability and are associated with variation in migratory behavior and overwinter apparent survival, (3) migratory behavior interacts with reproductive success, in partial support of the arrival time hypothesis, and (4) additional mechanisms that are not captured by the four well-known hypotheses might better explain individual variation in migratory behavior. Less migratory females achieved greater nesting success the following breeding season. Among males, nesting success influenced migratory tendency the following winter. Successful males may either migrate to a more benign winter climate without paying reproductive costs, or high levels of parental effort might physiologically constrain their ability to overwinter in harsh climates. Migration is a costly behavior, so migration must yield fitness benefits, at least for some individuals. Species in which migratory behavior varies among individuals in the same population provide an under-utilized opportunity to understand the costs and benefits that mediate individual migratory decisions. By marking and tracking a population of yellow-eyed juncos, we found that larger individuals were less likely to migrate, and this held true even within a sex class (males). Smaller individuals were not only more likely to migrate but also had lower apparent survival, and these differences were driven by size-related differences in fasting ability. Less migratory females accrued reproductive benefits, but males with the highest reproductive success were not less likely to migrate as predicted by the arrival time hypothesis. Our study demonstrates that migratory decisions balance the potential reproductive benefits and survival risks of overwintering on high-elevation breeding grounds.
Diálogo Constitucional e Estado de Direito

DIALOGO CONSTITUCIONAL E ESTADO DE DIREITO Resumo: Neste artigo, o juiz Palmer esboca uma concepcao descritiva do dialogo constitucional. Enriquece concentrando-se no que e constitucional de verdade e considerando quao alto e em que linguas os ramos do governo se engajam no dialogo. Como questao normativa, ele sugere que e importante para o Estado de Direito que os poderes do governo falem em diferentes linguas e tenham perspectivas sistemicamente diferentes. Caso contrario, nao seria a lei que governa; seria a cultura "governante". Palavras-chaves: Constituicao. Poderes Publicos. Estado de Direito. Dialogo. CONSTITUTIONAL DIALOGUE AND THE RULE OF LAW Abstract: In this article, Judge Palmer outlines a descriptive conception of constitutional dialogue. It enriches itself by focusing on what is truly constitutional and considering how high and in what languages the branches of government engage in dialogue. As a normative issue, he suggests that it is important for the rule of law that the powers of government speak in different languages and have systemically different perspectives. Otherwise, it would not be the law that governs; would be the "ruling" culture Keywords: Constitution. Public Powers. Rule of law. Dialogue. Data de submissao: 17/08/2019 Data de aprovacao: 17/01/2020
From Knowing to Understanding: Revisiting Consent.

Dickert et al. (2020) effectively address how factors such as time limitations, stress, and illness severity in acute conditions warrant a deeper evaluation of how current consent processes serve p...
Pathogenesis of COVID-19 from the Perspective of the Damage-Response Framework.

ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) presents the medical community with a significant challenge. COVID-19 is an entirely new disease with disparate clinical manifestations that are difficult to reconcile with a single pathogenic principle. Here, we explain how the flexible paradigm of the “damage-response framework” (DRF) of microbial pathogenesis can organize the varied manifestations of COVID-19 into a synthesis that accounts for differences in susceptibility of vulnerable populations as well as for differing manifestations of COVID-19 disease. By focusing on mechanisms of host damage, particularly immune-mediated damage, the DRF provides a lens to understand COVID-19 pathogenesis and to consider how potential therapies could alter the outcome of this disease.
Wireless 5G Radiofrequency Technology — An Overview of Small Cell Exposures, Standards and Science

5G small cell antenna systems are among the latest technologies that support wireless communications by the transmission of radiofrequency (RF) signals. Coded RF signals in the range of 0.6 to 47 GHz from fixed small cell antennas supplement wireless communications from 3G and 4G wireless systems. This paper describes the propagation of RF signals from a pole-mounted 5G antenna and how the signal strength declines with distance for a representative installation operating at 39 GHz. The far field exposure from the antenna is compared to those from multiple natural and man-made RF sources. In the United States, RF exposure standards are issued by the Federal Communications Commission. We review the history and derivation of these standards in relation to other national and international standard-setting bodies. Some have raised concern as to whether sufficient health and safety studies have been performed on RF from 5G systems, but the commonality of RF frequencies up to 300 GHz enables health agencies and standard-setting bodies to assess the potential for effects across this frequency spectrum. A 5G RF signal does not have a different mode of action than a lower frequency communication signal; both involve tissue heating at sufficient field strengths. The key difference for 5G frequencies above 6 GHz is that the body's electrical properties better limit energy deposition to a shallow depth, largely confined to superficial layers of the skin. Research to date has not provided a reliable scientific basis to conclude that RF communication signals at 5G or other frequencies will cause or contribute to adverse health effects.
Use of a Digital Monitoring Platform to Improve Outcomes in Infants With a Single Ventricle.

Background:Despite advances, infants with single ventricle heart disease continue to have high morbidity and mortality in the first year of life. Home monitoring programs (HMPs) have reduced mortal...
Patients with geographic barriers to health care access are prescribed a higher proportion of drugs with pharmacogenetic testing guidelines

Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing may be particularly beneficial in medically underserved populations by reducing the number of appointments required to optimize drug therapy and increasing the effectiveness of less expensive off-patent drugs. The objective of this study was to identify patient populations with poor health care access and assess prescribing trends for drugs with published PGx testing guidelines. We used electronic health record data from 67,753 University of Florida Health patients, geographic access scores calculated via the 2-step floating catchment area method, and a composite measure of socioeconomic status. Comparing the poorest (Q4) and greatest (Q1) access score quartiles, poor geographic access was significantly associated with fewer prescriber encounters (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-0.91), fewer total unique drugs (IRR 0.92, 95% CI 0.9-0.95), and fewer PGx guideline drugs (IRR 0.94, 95% CI 0.9-0.99). After correcting for number of unique drugs, patients in low-access areas were prescribed a greater proportion of PGx guideline drugs (IRR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.13). We detected significant interactions between Black race and access score. Compared to Q1, Black patients with Q4 access scores were disproportionately affected and had fewer encounters (IRR 0.76, 95% CI 0.7-0.82) and a higher proportion of PGx drugs (IRR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13-1.41), creating further disparity. Overall, these results suggest that improved geographic access to PGx testing may allow prescribers to make more efficient use of limited opportunities to optimize therapy for drugs with PGx testing guidelines.
Acute reduction of visual acuity and visual field after Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 2nd dose: a case report.

Long-term and rare adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines are unknown. Hence, it is important to report them to improve the safety profile of the vaccines and enhance their use worldwide. Here, we describe a case of acute visual impairment after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine second dose.
Does a bottom-up mechanism promote hypoxia in the Mississippi Bight?

Abstract The Mississippi Bight, east of the Mississippi River, is a complex coastal ecosystem that, like the better-known Louisiana Shelf to the west, experiences seasonal bottom water hypoxia. However, input of allochthonous nutrients from the Mississippi River to the Mississippi Bight appears to be limited, begging the question of what drives seasonal hypoxia in this system. Prior research has suggested submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) could be an overlooked component of the Mississippi Bight biogeochemical system. We thus examined the hypothesis that SGD provides a “bottom up” driver for seasonal hypoxia in this area. We used a multi-tracer approach based on known SGD indicators (dissolved Ra, Ba, Si, methane) to: i) demonstrate the presence of SGD as a constituent contributor to Bight bottom waters, ii) constrain the SGD flux of macronutrients, and, iii) investigate the hypoxia-SGD linkage. We found excess SGD tracers in saline bottom waters relative to surface waters, suggesting a bottom source. Examination of other sources for the constituent enrichments besides SGD (e.g., rivers, produced waters from oil wells) appear inadequate to close the bottom water chemical mass balances. Additionally, inverse correlations between DO and SGD indicators in bottom waters support a common mechanism supplying dissolved Ra, Ba, and Si, and decreasing DO concentrations in these waters. Two different approaches to modeling the bottom water Ra distribution both suggest a seepage rate of ~0.055 m3 m−2 d−1, in line with previous estimates in similar systems. Our more complex model, involving four mass balances, suggests that as much as 10–20% of the bottom water in the Bight circulates through the underlying permeable sediments on a time scale of ~10 days. This circulated water emerges as SGD with completely altered chemistry. More specifically, SGD appears in some cases to be the dominant contributor of nutrients to Bight bottom waters. Additionally, the potential oxygen demand of reduced species within SGD likely contributes significantly to the development of seasonal hypoxia in Bight bottom waters. Further work is needed to better resolve sources of nutrients and additional reduced species within the Mississippi Bight SGD as well as the variability and pathways of this supply. Nonetheless, the bottom-up influence of SGD on the Mississippi Bight appears to be a significant and overlooked aspect of this system. We suggest that such a bottom-up influence may be a generally important feature of coastal ecosystems.
Control of Water Boundary Layer Stability and Transition by Surface Temperature Distribution

The strong variation of water viscosity with temperature makes surface heating a powerful mechanism for boundary-layer control. Previous numerical investigations by the present authors and others have examined the effects of heating, with constant surface temperature, on the stability and transition of water boundary layers. These computations indicated that the Reynolds numbers corresponding to neutral stability and predicted transition are both increased significantly by relatively moderate uniform temperature differences between surface and free stream.
Note on the Effect of Hydrogen/Carbon Ratio of Fuel on the Validity of Mollier Diagrams for Internal Combustion Engines

T possibility of using a Mollier diagram or its equivalent in investigating the various cycles of internal combustion engines has recently been pointed out. Like the steam engineer, the automotive engineer can, by the use of graphs representing the thermodynamic properties of the working fluid in the engine at any state, solve many problems in internal combustion engines without going into the tedious computations which formerly characterized these solutions.
REPEAL OF PROHIBITION: A BENEFIT‐COST ANALYSIS

In spite of an estimated increase in annual alcohol-related motor vehicle costs of $2.767 billion (1947 dollars), the net social benefit of repeal of alcohol Prohibition amounts to $432 million per annum in 1934–1937, about 0.33% of gross domestic product. Total benefits of $3.25 billion consist primarily of increased consumer and producer surplus, tax revenues, and reduced criminal violence costs. A Monte Carlo simulation shows the probability of negative net benefits is 16%. The estimated price elasticity of demand for spirits, beer, and wine are –.60, −.56, and –.51 respectively, which is consistent with the modern literature. (JEL D61, I18, K420, I120)
Project Characteristics, Organizational Structure, and Managerial Incentives

We develop a model to show how agency conflicts between shareholders and managers, information processing and learning about project quality, manager synergies and bargaining power interact to affect a firm's internal organizational structure and the incentive compensation structures of its managers. Our theory provides a novel explanation for two empirical regularities; firms typically have pyramidal organizational forms; and the pay-performance sensitivities of managers increase with their hierarchical level. We also derive a number of implications that relate the risk and profitability of a firm's pool of projects to its internal organization and the incentives of its managers. (i) The optimal breadth of a firm's organization increases with the risk of the firm's projects. (ii) The optimal height of the organization declines with risk and increases with profitability. (iii) The pay-performance sensitivities of top managers increase with profitability. (iv) The optimal height and breadth decrease with managerial bargaining power. Broadly, our study contributes to the literature on the theory of the internal organization of firms by providing insights into the organization of managers or decision-makers within firms, and the design of their incentives.
Conflicto armado en Colombia: análisis de las causas económicas, sociales e institucionales de la oposición violenta

This paper offers a review of the literature dealing with the causes of the Colombian armed conflict. Its key objective is to discuss why the reduction of the levels of the conflict-related violence was unequal in various parts of the country between 2003 and 2010. The author addresses economic, institutional, and social causes as well as embraces the ongoing theoretical debates on the issue. The paper affirms that it is precisely the diversity of the causes that makes the Colombian conflict such a complex one, and that any related study must address all of the causal variables and perpetuating factors involved.
Adenosine 5'-triphosphate-glucose and phosphoenolpyruvate-glucose phosphotransferase activities of liver microsomal glucose 6-phosphatase.

Abstract Adenosine 5'-triphosphate-glucose and phosphoenolpyruvate-glucose phosphotransferase activities of rat liver microsomes have been studied. Evidence for the common identity of these activities with classical d-glucose 6-phosphate phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.3.9) is presented. All activities were equally susceptible to mild heating. Both phosphate compounds inhibited the hydrolysis of glucose 6-phosphate competitively, and Ki values thus assessed agreed closely with Km values for these relatively abundant high energy phosphate compounds functioning as phosphoryl donors in their respective synthetic reactions. The pH optima for both phosphotransferase activities, approximately 4.5 in the absence of detergent, were significantly shifted towards neutrality by the cationic detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (cetrimide) and by palmityl coenzyme A. Kinetic studies at pH 5.5 revealed that Km (and Ki) values for phosphate substrates (but not glucose) were quite markedly altered by variations in ionic strength or cetrimide concentrations. In contrast, Vmax values were little affected. Responses of levels of ATP-glucose phosphotransferase activity to experimental diabetes, insulin or cortisone therapy, adrenalectomy, and acute fasting were studied with fresh microsomal suspensions and with such preparations to which deoxycholate had been added. The patterns of response observed were in all instances fully comparable with those previously noted with inorganic pyrophosphate-glucose phosphotransferase activity. Relative levels of the subject activities were compared with other hydrolytic and synthetic activities of the enzyme. It is concluded that physiologically significant roles for these activities are feasible, but because of the comparatively low levels of activities with ATP and phosphopyruvate and their acid pH optima, such roles, if manifest, are likely to be highly specialized.
Is African manufacturing skill-constrained?

Total factor productivity has been low in most Sub-Saharan Africa. It is often said that the binding constraint on African industrial development is the inadequate supply of technologically capable workers. And many cross-country studies imply that the low level of human capital in Africa is an important source of low growth in per capita income. The results of the authors' study do not necessarily conflict with this view. They indicate that in non-competitive industrial sectors, with little inflow of new technology, the contribution of technological abilities, however it is measured, is limited. If liberalization of the economy generated greater competition, or if export growth were accelerated --permitting the import of inputs embodying new technology - local skills could contribute significantly more in raising output. The experience of other countries also suggests that as the economy opens to flows of international knowledge - whether through technology transfers or through informal transfers from purchasers of export - the technological capacity of local industry becomes important. The policy implications of this analysis are clear: Without the prospect of a more competitive environment, continued efforts to develop high-level industrial skills may be wasteful. But the absence of such skills may limit the benefits to the industrial sector from future liberalization, as a result of which the supply response to improved incentives may be weak.
NADPH oxidase is required for NMDA receptor‐dependent activation of ERK in hippocampal area CA1

Previous studies have shown that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation results in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in hippocampal area CA1. In addition, application of ROS to hippocampal slices has been shown to result in activation of ERK in area CA1. To determine whether these events were linked causally, we investigated whether ROS are required for NMDA receptor-dependent activation of ERK. In agreement with previous studies, we found that treatment of hippocampal slices with NMDA resulted in activation of ERK in area CA1. The NMDA receptor-dependent activation of ERK was either blocked or attenuated by a number of antioxidants, including the general antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine (L-NAC), the superoxide-scavenging enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), the membrane-permeable SOD mimetic Mn(III) tetrakis (4-benzoic acid) porphyrin (MnTBAP), the hydrogen peroxide-scavenging enzyme catalase, and the catalase mimetic ebselen. The NMDA receptor-dependent activation of ERK also was blocked by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI) and was absent in mice that lacked p47phox, one of the required protein components of NADPH oxidase. Taken together, our results suggest that ROS production, especially superoxide production via NADPH oxidase, is required for NMDA receptor-dependent activation of ERK in hippocampal area CA1.
Free Speech and 'Democratic Persuasion': A Response to Brettschneider

Liberalism’s hallmark is its endorsement of certain basic freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of association. Yet the content of some speech, religious doctrines, and criteria of association are inconsistent with liberalism’s tenets. Speech might advocate restrictions on speech as well as the abolition of democracy, the expulsion of religious and racial groups, and so forth. So might religious doctrines. And associations might require various “illiberal” conditions for membership and might seek to advance various “illiberal” goals. I shall refer to illiberal speech, religion, and association as “illiberalism” for short. What should be the liberal state’s response to illiberalism? If it outlaws illiberalism, its credentials as a liberal state appear to be undermined. If it permits illiberalism, it licenses Robert Frost’s derogatory quip that liberalism can’t take its own side in an argument. Either way, liberalism appears self-contradictory and incoherent. It must either betray its principles or betray itself (and thereby betray its principles). Liberalism both appears to be possible — we’ve seen it done — and impossible (it can’t be done). That is, in brief, the paradox of liberalism. Elsewhere, I have diagnosed the problem as one that stems from the impossible-to-realize idea of evaluative neutrality that defines the liberal freedoms. I there argued that the paradox was real and insoluble. Corey Brettschneider believes he can avoid the paradox. He thinks the key is government speech and subsidies. I believe he is mistaken. The paradox remains.
The PC and its influence on robot controllers

For 20 years, discussion of the challenges in robot controller design has centered on mass, motion, vibration, and programmability. These factors, while still important and still receiving attention, have been overshadowed by the impact of the information age. The evolution of the PC has and will continue to dramatically impact the way that robot controllers are designed. In order to understand these effects, it is important to understand the factors that characterize the robot and PC environments, how robot controllers have already been influenced and the possibility of further changes to better meet the needs of the market place.