cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Ambulation and Nondependent Transfers on Vital Signs in Patients Receiving Norepinephrine

PURPOSE To assess the safety of mobilizing patients receiving low-dose norepinephrine (0.05 μg/kg per min) by examining mean arterial pressure and heart rate before and after activity with parameters set by the physician. BACKGROUND Norepinephrine is a peripheral vasoconstrictor administered for acute hypotension. During activity, blood flows to the periphery to supply muscles with oxygen, which may oppose the norepinephrine vasoconstriction. The safety of mobilizing patients receiving norepinephrine is unclear. METHODS Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, norepinephrine dose, and activity performed were extracted retrospectively from charts of 47 cardiothoracic surgery patients during the first patient transfer to chair or ambulation with norepinephrine infusing. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were compared before and after physical therapy (paired t tests). Differences among norepinephrine doses and physical activity levels were evaluated (Kruskal-Wallis test). RESULTS Forty-one of the 47 patients (87%) tolerated the activity within safe ranges of vital signs. The change in patients' mean arterial pressure from before to after activity was not significant (P = .16), but a significant increase in heart rate occurred after activity (P < .001). A Kruskal-Wallis test showed no significant difference in the norepinephrine dose and activity level (χ2 = 6.34, P = .17). No instances of cardiopulmonary or respiratory arrest occurred during any physical therapy sessions. CONCLUSIONS Infusion of low-dose norepinephrine should not be considered an automatic reason to keep patients on bed rest.
CD5+ Chronic B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders Could Contain a Novel Disease Entity.

Abstract Background : The biology, pathology and clinical course of CD5+ chronic B cell lymphoproliferative disorders (CD5+ B-CLPD) excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are poorly defined. These patients could either have a leukemic variant of a known B cell malignancy or a novel disease entity. Objective : To define the clinical features and pathology of CD5+ B-CLPD, compare these features to CLL, and test the hypothesis that at least some of these patients have a unique B cell malignancy. Methods : The study was conducted with Institutional Review Board permission. We studied 231 patients evaluated in the Division of Hematology at Mayo Clinic Rochester between 1996 and 2008 who had CD5+ monoclonal B cell population in the peripheral blood and/or bone marrow, and in whom CLL and MCL was not diagnosed after flow cytometry, histology and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) examinations. Data were abstracted from patient records and from the Mayo Clinic CLL database. Statistical analysis: To compare differences in characteristics between CD5+ and CLL patients, χ2 statistics were used for qualitative variables (gender, treatment, vital status) and t-tests were used for quantitative variables (age). We performed survival and time to treatment analyses with results displayed using Kaplan-Meier curves and p-values calculated using a log-rank test. Results : We analyzed data on 231 CD5+ B-CLPD patients diagnosed between 7/1/1976 and 5/2/2008 and 1572 CLL patients diagnosed in the same time period. Median follow-up from diagnosis was 2.5 years (range 0 to 25.1 years) for the CD5+ patients and 5.2 years (range 0 to 29.9 years) for CLL patients. CD5+ B-CLPD patients had a median age at diagnosis of 68 years (range 30–94 years) with male predominance (61.5%). One hundred and nine of 231 (52.4%) patients received treatment for their CD5+ B-CLPD and 162 (70.1%) patients were alive at the time of last follow-up. As a group, CD5+ B-CLPD patients had a similar male predominance to CLL but were older at diagnosis. CD5+ B-CLPD patients required their first treatment significantly sooner than CLL patients (median 2.0 years vs. 6.8 years, (p Conclusions : In this large series of CD5+ B-CLPD patients we found that a large subset did not meet diagnostic criteria for known B-cell malignancies and could have a novel disease. This will need to be investigated further. We reviewed the pathology of all available archived tissue and intend to examine additional clinical and prognostic information including molecular prognostic markers. Our data provide a clinical rationale for the careful differentiation between patients with CLL and CD5+ B-CLPD.
From 'Too Small to Notice' to 'Too Big to Fail': The Rapid Growth of Daily Fantasy Sports and DFS Efforts to Change Illinois Gambling Laws

These introductory remarks serve as a summary of my conversation at the DePaul Law Review Symposium on daily fantasy sports. The topics discussed in this article include the following: (1) a brief overview of the daily fantasy sports marketplace; (2) an overview of the legal status of daily fantasy sports under Illinois law; (3) an analysis of the Illinois Attorney General letter determining that daily fantasy sports violate Illinois state law; and (4) an explanation and critical evaluation of the Illinois bill that sought to legalize daily fantasy sports. This article ends with some general remarks about the overall state of the daily fantasy sports industry.
Influence of contrast-enhanced ultrasound administration setups on microbubble enhancement: a focus on pediatric applications

In pediatrics, contrast-enhanced ultrasound offers high-quality imaging with an excellent safety profile. To investigate the effects of varying intravenous administration setups on in vitro enhancement and concentration of two commercially available ultrasound contrast agents, taking into consideration potential pediatric applications. We quantified in vitro enhancement using a flow phantom (ATS Laboratories, Bridgeport, CT) and Acuson S3000 ultrasound system (Siemens Healthineers, Mountain View, CA) with a 9L4 probe in Cadence pulse sequencing mode. We determined microbubble concentration with an LSRII flow cytometer (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA). We investigated Optison (GE Healthcare, Princeton, NJ) and Lumason (Bracco, Geneva, Switzerland) ultrasound contrast agents. The ultrasound (US) contrast agent was injected via a 1 mL syringe and flushed with 5 mL of saline through a 22-gauge diffusion catheter (BD Medical, Franklin Lakes, NJ) with the following variations: in-line injection through a 3-way stopcock with and without a neutral displacement connector (ICU Medical, San Clemente, CA), perpendicular through a 3-way stopcock with and without a connector, and without a 3-way stopcock. We also conducted injections through a 22-gauge standard angiocatheter. Injection through the connector and perpendicular injection via the 3-way stopcock resulted in significant decreases in enhancement for both ultrasound contrast agents (P 0.24) nor use of a pediatric diffusion catheter (P>0.28) affected the enhancement. Ultrasound contrast agent enhancement depends on the administration route, although some effects appear to be specific to the ultrasound contrast agent used. To avoid loss of enhancement, neutral displacement connectors and perpendicular injection should be avoided.
Nonempirical Semilocal Free-Energy Density Functional for Matter under Extreme Conditions

Realizing the potential for predictive density functional calculations of matter under extreme conditions depends crucially upon having an exchange-correlation (XC) free-energy functional accurate over a wide range of state conditions. Unlike the ground-state case, no such functional exists. We remedy that with systematic construction of a generalized gradient approximation XC free-energy functional based on rigorous constraints, including the free-energy gradient expansion. The new functional provides the correct temperature dependence in the slowly varying regime and the correct zero-T, high-T, and homogeneous electron gas limits. Its accuracy in the warm dense matter regime is attested by excellent agreement of the calculated deuterium equation of state with reference path integral Monte Carlo results at intermediate and elevated T. Pressure shifts for hot electrons in compressed static fcc Al and for low-density Al demonstrate the combined magnitude of thermal and gradient effects handled well by this functional over a wide T range.
Reshaping relations to fit justice aims

Legislative developments like the 2012 EU Directive on rights of the victim have an important role in recalibrating a citizenry’s understandings of and commitments to key aspects of its justice aim...
The Future of Memory: Archiving Astronomical Information

The function of astronomers is to capture and create information and send it into the future. The vehicle for this transmission of knowledge is the archive. The digital revolution is quickly rendering our paper and glass archives obsolete; great challenges exist in creating archive systems for digital data. We can only meet these challenges by substantial shared effort.
Fiber-Wrapped Mandrel Microphone for Low-Noise Acoustic Measurements

A low-noise fiber optic microphone has been developed using a fiber-wrapped mandrel as the acoustic transducer. The microphone has an average sensitivity of 0.206 rad/Pa between acoustic frequencies of 50 Hz and 16 kHz and a minimum detectable pressure as low as 3 μPa/Hz1/2. The noise floor of the microphone approaches the thermal limit set by the length of fiber used in the system. Performance of the microphone is comparable to a current state-of-the-art condenser microphone. The design is small, lightweight, and readily packaged into multiplexed systems, making it an ideal candidate for use in acoustic sensor array systems.
The Civic Lessons and Immigrant Youth (CLAIY): Implications for Teacher Education.

In this article, we draw from the Civic Lessons and Immigrant Youth study to present key issues and implications related to teachers' work with immigrant youth. This synthesis draws on data and ana...
Treating the family with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the entire family system. Almost all healthcare efforts, however, are focused on the MS patient. Because the family is the primary source of care for the patient, it makes good clinical sense to expand treatment efforts to include the whole family. This is difficult in a busy clinic in which health care providers rush from one patient to another. Key issues affecting families are presented along with practical and simple ways to treat the family.
Pediatric/Adolescent Stroke

The evaluation and management of stroke in children is conceptually similar to adult stroke; whereas the basic pathophysiology, residual functional deficits, and rehabilitative strategies share common concepts; however, there are many important details that differ significantly, making the management of pediatric stroke a distinct area of expertise. Common causes of childhood stroke include congenital heart disease, clotting disorders, metabolic disorders, mitochondrial disorders, sickle cell disease, and focal arteriopathy. In the acute management of stroke, the dietitian’s main goal is to ensure optimal nutrition in order to promote healing and prepare the child for physical rehabilitation. Nutritional management in the rehabilitation or chronic phase targets long-term effects of stroke including swallowing problems, immobility, spasticity, limited physical activity, cognitive and behavior changes, limited weight-bearing through the lower extremities, pressure sores, constipation, and gastroesophageal reflux. Nutrition support is typically provided enterally rather than parenterally unless the gastrointestinal tract is compromised. An interdisciplinary approach is the most effective method of evaluation of long-term feeding, nutrient intake, and growth monitoring. Obtaining accurate growth parameters can be challenging, especially in children with long-term disability. In children with disabilities, triceps and subscapular skinfolds as well as arm-fat area may be better indicators of undernutrition than the standard weight/length or body mass index (BMI)/age chart. Children’s limited food preferences are often one of the biggest challenges for clinicians. Optimal nutritional management of the pediatric stroke patient requires knowledge of childhood-specific nutritional requirements, as well as normal and disease-specific growth and development considerations and cannot be based on adult standards or practices.
Experimental Induction of Reduced Ovarian Reserve in a Nonhuman Primate Model (Macaca fascicularis)

Chronic diseases including coronary heart disease and osteoporosis represent a substantial health burden to postmenopausal women, yet the initiation of these conditions and their relationships with reproductive aging remain poorly understood. This situation is due, in part, to the lack of animal models reflecting ovarian and hormonal characteristics of peri- and postmenopausal women. Ovaries of women approaching menopause are nearly depleted of primordial follicles but retain a pool of larger developing follicles and androgen-producing stroma, a condition known as reduced ovarian reserve (ROR). The long-term goal of the research presented here was to create a monkey model of reproductive aging, beginning with ROR and progressing to perimenopause and finally postmenopause. Here we sought to develop a method to reduce primordial follicles in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) and document hormonal changes associated with follicle reduction or ROR. At 30 d after surgical placement of a biodegradable fiber containing approximately 200 mg of 4-vinlycyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) next to one ovary in each of 8 monkeys, primordial follicles were reduced by approximately 70%, with a corresponding decrease (83%) in antimullerian hormone (AMH, a serum marker of ovarian follicle numbers). At 4 mo after VCD-treatment of both ovaries in 29 monkeys (approximately 200 mg VCD per ovary), AMH was reduced 56% from baseline, testosterone was unchanged, and follicular phase estradiol was slightly increased. These data indicate that VCD treatment markedly reduced primordial follicles while preserving larger estradiol- and testosterone-producing follicles and ovarian stroma, a condition that mimics ROR in women.
Extracellular Mitochondrial DNA and N-Formyl Peptides in Trauma and Critical Illness: A Systematic Review.

Objectives:Extracellular mitochondrial DNA and N-formyl peptides released following tissue damage may contribute to systemic inflammation through stimulation of the innate immune system. In this review, we evaluate existing in vivo human data regarding a role for mitochondrial DNA and N-formyl pepti
In-Home Sleep Apnea Severity Classification using Contact-free Load Cells and an AdaBoosted Decision Tree Algorithm

We present a method for automated diagnosis and classification of severity of sleep apnea using an array of non-contact pressure-sensitive sensors placed underneath a mattress as an alternative to conventional obtrusive sensors. Our algorithm comprises two stages: i) A decision tree classifier that identifies patients with sleep apnea, and ii) a subsequent linear regression model that estimates the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), which is used to determine the severity of sleep disordered breathing. We tested our algorithm on a cohort of 14 patients who underwent overnight home sleep apnea test. The machine learning algorithm was trained and performance was evaluated using leave-one-patient-out cross-validation. The accuracy of the proposed approach in detecting sleep apnea is 86.96%, with sensitivity and specificity of 81.82% and 91.67%, respectively. Moreover, classification of severity of the sleep disorder was correctly assigned in 11 out of 14 cases, and the mean absolute error in the AHI estimation was calculated to be 3.83 events/hr.
Early repair of ventral incisional hernia may improve quality of life after surgery for abdominal malignancy: a prospective observational cohort study.

Recent work has shown that over 40% of patients undergoing surgery for abdominal malignancy develop ventral incisional hernias (VIH) within 2 years. We hypothesized that early repair of VIH for cancer survivors could improve long-term quality of life (QoL). All patients presenting with a history of surgery for abdominal malignancy and a VIH were prospectively enrolled. QoL was assessed at baseline and 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-up using abdominal wall-specific (HerQLes) and cancer-specific (FACT-G) instruments. At the study’s conclusion, patients were divided into 2 groups—those that underwent VIH repair during the study’s course (Repair Group) and those that did not (Control Group). Categorical variables were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-square and continuous variables with Wilcoxon rank sum test. Eighty-four patients were enrolled. Overall, 46 patients (55%) underwent VIH repair, with 36 repairs (78%) occurring within 3 months of initial evaluation. Sixty-six (79%) had complete 1-year follow-up data, and 30 (36%) had 2-year data, with a median follow-up duration of 15.6 months. At baseline, both groups were similar with respect to demographics, cancer stage, and HerQLes/FACT-G scores. Compared to the Controls, the Repair Group showed greater improvements over baseline HerQLes Summary Scores at the 3-, 6-, 12-, and 18-month time points (median increase, 37 vs. 26 points), and in FACT-G total scores at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month time points (median increase, 6 vs. 4 points). Repair of VIH after surgery for abdominal malignancy may improve abdominal wall-specific and cancer-specific QoL, making post-resection abdominal wall reconstruction an important aspect of cancer survivorship.
Assimilation and Contrast Effects in Product Performance Perceptions: Implications for Public Policy

Marketplace deception depends in large part on whether consumers assimilate or contrast exaggerated promotional claims following direct product experience. This paper develops a theory specifying t...
Abstract TP198: Urban Versus Rural Stroke Death Rates From 2005-2015 in the United States

Introduction: After 4 decades of decline in the stroke death rate in the United States, from 2013-2015 the rate increased 2.5% per year. Hypothesis: Given that the stroke death rate has historicall...
Hypoxia-Associated Factor (HAF) Mediates Neurofibromin Ubiquitination and Degradation Leading to Ras–ERK Pathway Activation in Hypoxia

Low oxygen or hypoxia is a feature of all solid tumors and has been associated with aggressive disease. Here, we describe a novel mechanism for the hypoxia-dependent degradation of the Ras-GTPase-activating protein neurofibromin, by hypoxia-associated factor (HAF). We have previously characterized HAF as an oxygen-independent ubiquitin ligase for HIF-1α. Here, we show that HAF promotes neurofibromin ubiquitination and degradation independently of oxygen and pVHL, resulting in Ras-ERK pathway activation. Hypoxia enhanced HAF:neurofibromin binding independently of HAF-SUMOylation, whereas HAF knockdown increased neurofibromin levels primarily in hypoxia, supporting the role of HAF as a hypoxia-specific neurofibromin regulator. HAF overexpression increased p-ERK levels and promoted resistance of clear cell kidney cancer (ccRCC) cells to sorafenib and sunitinib in both normoxia and hypoxia. However, a greater-fold increase in sorafenib/sunitinib resistance was observed during hypoxia, particularly in pVHL-deficient cells. Intriguingly, HAF-mediated resistance was HIF-2α-dependent in normoxia, but HIF-2α-independent in hypoxia indicating two potential mechanisms of HAF-mediated resistance: a HIF-2α-dependent pathway dominant in normoxia, and the direct activation of the Ras-ERK pathway through neurofibromin degradation dominant in hypoxia. Patients with ccRCC with high HAF transcript or protein levels showed significantly decreased overall survival compared with those with low HAF. Thus, we establish a novel, nonmutational pathway of neurofibromin inactivation through hypoxia-induced HAF-mediated degradation, leading to Ras-ERK activation and poor prognosis in ccRCC. IMPLICATIONS: We describe a novel mechanism of neurofibromin degradation induced by hypoxia that leads to activation of the prooncogenic Ras-ERK pathway and resistance to therapy.
On the Relative Sensitivity of a Tropical Deep Convective Storm to Changes in Environment and Cloud Microphysical Parameters

AbstractMonte Carlo and Morris screening techniques are used to examine the relative sensitivity of deep convective simulations to changes in initial conditions (IC) versus changes to microphysical...
Towards an integrated experimental and computational framework for large-scale metal additive manufacturing

Abstract Using the Metal Big Area Additive Manufacturing (MBAAM) system, a thin steel wall was manufactured from a low carbon steel wire. The wall was then characterized comprehensively by high-throughput high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and in-situ HEXRD tensile tests. With the predicted temperature histories from the finite element-based additive manufacturing process simulations, the correlations between processing parameters, microstructure, and properties were established. The correlation between the final microstructure with the predicted temperature history is well explained with the material's continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram calculated based on the composition of the low carbon steel wire. The final microstructure is dependent on the cooling rate during austenite to ferrite/bainite transformation during initial cooling and the subsequent reheating cycles. Fast cooling rate resulted in small ferrite grain size and fine bainite structure at the location closest to the base plate. Slower cooling rate at the side wall location and repeated reheating cycles to the ferrite-pearlite regions resulted in all allotriomorphic (equiaxed) ferrite with medium grain size with small amount of pearlite. With no reheating cycles, the top location has the slowest cooling rate and a large grained allotriomorphic ferrite and bainitic structures. The measured mechanical strength is then related to the microstructural feature size (grain or lath size) observed in those locations. A good correlation is found between the mechanical properties, microstructure features and the temperature history at various locations of the printed wall.
4.5 GHz Lithium Niobate MEMS Filters With 10% Fractional Bandwidth for 5G Front-Ends

This paper presents a new class of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) C-band filters for 5G front-ends. The filter is comprised of resonators based on the first-order asymmetric Lamb wave (A1) mode in thin-film lithium niobate. Two filters have been demonstrated at 4.5 GHz with sharp roll-off, flat in-band group delay, and spurious-free response over a wide frequency range. The first design shows a 3-dB fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 10%, an insertion loss (IL) of 1.7 dB, an out-of-band (OoB) rejection of −13 dB, and a compact footprint of 0.36 mm2, while the second design shows a 3-dB FBW of 8.5%, an IL of 2.7 dB, an OoB rejection of −25 dB, and a footprint of 0.9 mm2. The demonstrations herein mark the largest FBW achieved for acoustic-only filters at 5G frequencies. [2019-0083]
Urbanization alters belowground invertebrate community structure in semi-arid regions: A comparison of lawns, biofilters and sage scrub

Abstract As the proportion of the human population living in cities continues to increase, understanding the factors affecting urban biodiversity is crucial to enhancing conservation efforts, urban ecosystem function, and human wellbeing. Here we present the results of the first comparative study of belowground invertebrate communities in urban soils (lawns and biofilters) and remnant patches of native coastal sage scrub (CSS) in a semi-arid urban environment. Among 12 sites sampled in La Jolla, California, USA, invertebrate community composition was most homogeneous among lawns, which differed significantly in composition from both biofilters and CSS. In almost all other aspects of invertebrate community diversity metrics (richness, evenness, diversity) as well as environmental factors (moisture, organic matter, plant cover and richness), lawns differed significantly from native CSS habitats, but biofilters were intermediate and not significantly different from other habitat types. Lawn soil invertebrate evenness and diversity were significantly lower, but density was highest in lawns, with higher densities of oligochaetes (Megadrilacea, Enchytraeidae), fly larvae (Sciaridae, Chironomidae), mites (Oribatida, Mesostigmata), and springtails (Poduromorpha, Symphypleona) in lawns relative to CSS. Differences in soil moisture, organic matter, and plant, tree, and building cover explained 40–62% of the variability in invertebrate density, richness, diversity, and evenness among sites. These findings suggest a shift in belowground invertebrate community structure that may be common among urbanizing semi-arid environments. The amendment of urban dryland soils with organic matter and moisture alters the presence and population density of several invertebrate taxa, and may cause a transition toward dominance by desiccation-intolerant litter transformers.
Recent progress in treating advanced prostate cancer.

Purpose of review Summarize recent advances in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Recent findings Recent randomized data suggest a survival advantage to early use of novel androgen receptor inhibitors in combination with androgen deprivation therapy both in the setting of hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer and nonmetastatic castration-resistant disease. While ongoing analyses examine optimal sequencing of existing agents for treatment of advanced prostate cancer, additional research focuses on expanding treatment options through development of novel genomically targeted therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, and immune therapy combinations. Summary In this review, we summarize the recent data supporting the early use of novel androgen receptor inhibitors in advanced prostate cancer and aim to also frame how these drugs may fit within the existing context of docetaxel and abiraterone. We present recent series examining sequencing of approved therapies while searching for predictive biomarkers. Finally, we examine trials evaluating novel agents that target certain biological pathways to highlight the likely future directions for progress in the clinical management of advanced prostate cancer.
Revealed Preference Implications of Backward Induction and Subgame Perfection

Consider a decision-maker (DM) who must select an alternative from a set of mutually exclusive alternatives but must take this decision sequentially. If the DM's choice correspondence over subsets of alternatives satisfies the weak axiom of revealed preference (WARP), then the subgame perfect Nash equilibrium (SPNE) and backward induction (BI) strategies coincide. We study the relation between the SPNE and BI strategies when the DM's choice correspondence fails to satisfy WARP. First, Sen's axiom alpha is necessary and sufficient for the set of SPNE strategies to be a subset of the set of BI strategies; moreover, a mild strengthening of Sen's axiom β is necessary and sufficient for the set of BI strategies to be a subset of the set of SPNE strategies. These results extend to multiplayer games.
When Science Challenges Our Long-Held Assumptions About the Robustness of Evidence for Standard of Care.

In this issue of the Journal, we publish two letters pertaining to the article "Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents" by Uhre et al.1 Their protocol employed the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions to evaluate risk of bias (selection, performance, detection, attrition, and reporting biases) in the included 25 trials, contacting trial authors to obtain missing data where possible. They controlled for random errors owing to sparse data or multiple testing using Trial Sequential Analysis and evaluated the certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation approach. They concluded that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (versus no intervention) is effective for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but that the certainty of evidence was low or very low for all outcomes and that moderator analyses could often not be completed for lack of data. The authors made the point that blinding is always possible, even in CBT trials.
The impact of the quality of early mathematics instruction on mathematics achievement outcomes

The examination of teaching quality in mathematics in relation to student learning outcomes has become increasingly important following the research reports indicating that early mathematics teaching and learning experiences are critical contributors to students’ learning and later achievement in mathematics and other content areas. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the quality of early mathematics instruction and students’ mathematics learning outcomes in 73 Pre-K to 3rd grade classrooms in an urban public schools system. The results suggested that the quality mathematics instruction varies across observed classrooms but mostly mediocre. Limited but significant associations between instructional quality and mathematics achievement were also documented at the classroom level. More specifically, there was a positive significant interaction between quality of mathematics teaching and students’ mathematics achievement at the end of the school year in classrooms where ratings of the instructional quality was identified as “high,” after controlling for students’ pre-test scores and gender.
Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and placental abnormalities.

Objectives Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) may be associated with placental abnormalities including placenta previa, umbilical cord abnormalities, and placental abruption. Our study evaluates the relationship between ART and placental abnormalities compared with spontaneously conceived controls. Methods An IRB-approved cohort study was conducted including women who delivered between January 2013 and December 2018. We excluded delivery prior to 23 weeks and known fetal anomalies. Patients were matched with controls (2:1) for parity, age, and mode of delivery. Controls were women who had spontaneously conceived and delivered immediately preceding and following the index delivery. The primary outcome was placental abnormalities found on both antenatal ultrasound and pathology in ART gestations compared with spontaneously conceived gestations. Results There were 120 ART pregnancies and 240 matched control pregnancies identified. The groups were similar for parity, BMI, comorbidities, number of multiples, mode of delivery, and female newborns. The ART group had a higher maternal age (37.1±5 y vs. 30.0±5 y; p<0.001), greater preterm birth (29 vs. 6%; p<0.001), and lower BW (2,928±803 g vs. 3,273±586 g; p<0.001). The ART group had a higher incidence of placenta previa on ultrasound (4.0 vs. 0.4%, p=0.01), adherent placentas at delivery (3 vs. 0% p=0.014), placental abruption (2 vs. 0%; p=0.04), as well as an increased rate of velamentous cord insertion (12 vs. 3%, p<0.001) and marginal cord insertion (28 vs. 15%, p=0.002). ART demonstrated a two-fold likelihood of abnormal placental pathology. Conclusions ART is associated with increased rate of placental abnormalities, including abnormal umbilical cord insertion and increased rates of adherent placentation. This information may be beneficial in planning and surveillance in patients with ART pregnancies.
Urinary phthalate metabolites and alternatives and serum sex steroid hormones among pre- and postmenopausal women from NHANES, 2013-16.

Abstract Background Exposure to phthalates is ubiquitous across the United States. While phthalates have anti-androgenic effects in men, there is little research on their potential impacts on sex hormone concentrations in women and that also take into account menopausal status. Methods Cross-sectional data on urinary phthalate metabolites, serum sex hormones, and relevant covariates were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–14 and 2015–16. Women over the age of 20 who were not pregnant or breastfeeding and had not undergone oophorectomy were included (n = 698 premenopausal, n = 557 postmenopausal). Weighted multivariable linear and Tobit regression models stratified by menopausal status were fit with natural log-transformed phthalate concentrations and sex hormone outcomes adjusting for relevant covariates. Results Phthalate metabolites were associated with differences in sex hormone concentrations among postmenopausal women only. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was associated with lower serum estradiol and bioavailable testosterone concentrations. Specifically, a doubling of DEHP concentrations was associated with 5.9% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.2%, 11.3%) lower estradiol and 6.2% (95% CI: 0.0%, 12.1%) lower bioavailable testosterone concentrations. In contrast, 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid di-isononyl ester (DINCH) was associated with higher free testosterone, bioavailable testosterone, and free androgen index. Finally, di-2-ethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHTP) was associated with a higher testosterone-to-estradiol ratio. None of these results retained statistical significance when adjusted for multiple comparisons. Conclusions DEHP, DINCH, and DEHTP were associated with differences in serum sex hormone concentrations among postmenopausal women, highlighting the need for further research into the safety of these chemicals.
The National Historic Preservation Act: Preserving History, Impacting Foreign Relations?

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is a remarkable statutory success story, properly lauded for protecting American historic properties since its passage in 1966. But there is another, more intricate story to the NHPA. Congress added a unique extraterritoriality provision to the NHPA in 1980, implementing U.S. obligations under the World Heritage Convention (WHC), a treaty that protects properties of cultural and natural heritage worldwide. This provision requires federal agencies to take into account the effect of any undertaking outside the United States on the applicable nation’s equivalent National Register. Its proper scope and jurisdiction were unclear - until recently. A federal district court ruled against the Department of Defense (DoD) in Dugong v. Gates, a case involving the relocation of a U.S. military base in Okinawa - and in which the court broadly interpreted the NHPA to protect a wild animal in the sovereign territory of Japan. The decision downplayed foreign policy considerations that have historically constrained U.S. courts from adjudicating cases in other sovereign nations. It stands in sharp contrast to the traditional role of the judiciary exercising caution in cases affecting foreign relations when looking to apply U.S. laws overseas, most recently reaffirmed in the Supreme Court’s ruling in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Company. After Dugong, the NHPA may no longer be considered as a mere domestic statute protecting historic physical properties within the confines of the United States. Instead, the NHPA stands alone as a statute protecting the human environment held to apply in another sovereign nation’s territory. Dugong, a district court opinion, has little precedential force in its own right - but its broad application of the NHPA could have significant consequences for the U.S. military if more widely adopted. And it is of increased importance as a plausible vehicle to litigate extraterritorial environmental claims in light of the limited jurisdiction of other U.S. environmental statutes and the Court’s ruling in Kiobel limiting the Alien Tort Statute’s extraterritorial application. Further, the U.S. military has a growing footprint in Asia, including to countries whose historic registers, like Japan’s, provide broad protections to wildlife and cultural resources. The article surveys American historic preservation law and explains how the NHPA evolved organically from - and should be viewed in the context of - that broader preservation tradition. As the NHPA’s scope and jurisdiction are effectively unfastened from its initial beginnings, this article concludes by arguing that Congress should re-anchor the NHPA and clarify its proper scope and jurisdiction, thereby mitigating any broader foreign relations impacts.
Pu-239 Accumulation in E. Coli and P. Putida Grown in Liquid Cultures.

ABSTRACT Understanding of the behavior and effects of plutonium (Pu) in the environment is an important aspect of developing responsible and effective strategies for remediation and environmental stewardship. This work studies the sorption and uptake of 239Pu by common environmental bacteria, Escherichia coli DH10β and Pseudomonas putida KT-2440. Plutonium was directly incorporated into growth media prior to inoculation (0.12 kBq mL-1), and samples from the liquid cultures of E. coli and P. putida were analyzed over a 15-d growth period through liquid scintillation counting (LSC) of plutonium in cell pellets and cell culture media following centrifugation. To improve its solubility in the liquid cultures, Pu was complexed with citrate prior to inoculation. P. putida cultures were also grown without citrate to examine potential impact of P. putida's ability to use citrate as a food source. The accumulation of Pu in P. putida cells was found to increase both with and without citrate complexation for the first 5 d and then plateau until the end of the study period (15 d). A higher activity concentration of Pu was found in P. putida cells grown with citrate complexation than without. The activity concentration of plutonium in E. coli cells was greater than that in P. putida cells, which may be the result of a stronger complexing agent made by E. coli for the purpose of iron uptake. There are a variety of factors that influence Pu behavior in bacterial systems, and results confirm that even in a simple system, multiple mechanisms are at play.
Prediction models for urban flood evolution for satellite remote sensing

Abstract Accurate and timely flood forecasts are critical for protecting people and infrastructure in a changing climate. Satellite remote sensing provides the necessary wide area coverage and period revisits to measure episodic heavy precipitation and resultant urban floods. We propose two methods to assimilate satellite-observed precipitation into hydrologic models in real time to update flood forecasts, bypassing two previous barriers in this technology: infrequent satellite overpasses and long model run times. Constellations of small satellites overcomes the first barrier by providing frequent flights over an area of interest; however, these constellations require coordination and planning to capture precipitation data where it is most needed to inform flood forecasts. The primary purpose of this paper is to address the second barrier – that is high computational costs that make it infeasible to run flood forecast models on-board these satellites so that they can re-orient to measure where most needed. We develop a simple regression-based approach and a machine learning framework (Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models) to provide reliable flood forecasts using satellite-observed precipitation at a fraction of the computational cost of physics-based hydrologic models. We apply these approaches to a test case for the Atlanta metropolitan region using the Weather Research and Forecasting model hydrologic modeling system (WRF-Hydro) to simulate flooding across the model domain for several precipitation events. We compare the accuracy of our proposed approaches to the WRF-Hydro model using different spatial extents and temporal frequencies of precipitation observations to examine different plausible satellite constellation scenarios. The LSTM approach trades performance accuracy and adaptability for computational efficiency, which can be important in a time and resource constrained scenario. The LSTM model reduces total error up to 38% from an initial flood forecast. Additionally, this approach correctly classified flooding to within one flood magnitude category in ∼90% of cases. These new forecasting algorithms can be used onboard constellations of small satellites to observe ongoing flood events, update short term predictions, and schedule observations to maximize useful measurements and thereby improve flood warning systems for protecting residents and properties.
Mixed SDP/SOCP moment relaxations of the optimal power flow problem

Recently, convex “moment” relaxations developed from the Lasserre hierarchy for polynomial optimization problems have been shown capable of globally solving many optimal power flow (OPF) problems. The moment relaxations, which take the form of semidefinite programs (SDP), generalize a previous SDP relaxation of the OPF problem. This paper presents an approach for improving the computational performance of the moment relaxations for many problems. This approach enforces second-order cone programming (SOCP) constraints that establish necessary (but not sufficient) conditions for satisfaction of the SDP constraints arising from the higher-order moment relaxations. The resulting “mixed SDP/SOCP” formulation implements the first-order relaxation using SDP constraints and the higher-order relaxations using SOCP constraints. Numerical results demonstrate that this mixed SDP/SOCP relaxation is capable of solving many problems for which the first-order moment relaxation fails to yield a global solution. For several examples, the mixed SDP/SOCP relaxation improves computational speed by factors from 1.13 to 18.7.
Profit, rent and the terms of trade: A reply

Abstract Andrews (1985) investigates the theoretical coherence and policy relevance of our (1982) model and concludes, contrary to our own findings, that a positive rate of profit is not necessary to obtain a two-signed derivative of the profit rate with respect to agriculture's terms of trade. She characterizes the model as ‘Neo-Ricardian’ on the grounds that the technology is the ‘culprit’ and also questions the empirical relevance of our ‘fixed profit equilibrium’ or ‘land-price treadmill’. We show here that if a viability condition stated in our original paper holds, parameter values of the model must yield a positive rate of profit if the profit rate is to fall following an improvement in the terms of trade. We then contrast our model with a more neoclassical one in which the sign of the derivative does strictly depend on the ‘technology’, that is, upon factor intensities. Finally, we present empirical evidence from a detailed study of the U.S. economy based on our original model. These data support the existence of a land-price treadmill in agriculture, especially for countries in which workers are successful in defending a given real wage.
Music and the Poetics of Production in the Bolivian Andes

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Henry Stobart Year: 2006 Pages: 358 Publisher: Ashgate Publishing ISBN: 0 7546 0489 6 (hard cover). Prices: $99.95 USD(hard cover).
The Boxer Rebellion: The Struggle for Power, Influence and Territory

The Boxer Rebellion originated in the northwest region of China’s Shantung peninsula at turn of the twentieth century. In many ways it represented the reaction of a nation desperately trying to avoid becoming the object of imperialism. From the “Opium Wars” to the “Sino-Japanese War” China had suffered humiliation from foreign nations for more than half a century. A path of concession seemed to be the only choice available for Chinese officials wanting to minimize the human casualties of war. However, the price of concession would eventually presume the elimination of China’s orthodox religious traditions as a result of the unabated proselytizing by the Catholic Church. This potentiality finally united a number of Chinese officials with members and sympathizers of the “Spirit Boxers” who launched the infamous “Boxer Rebellion”. The origin of this rebellion appears to be inextricably linked to the social, economic and religious conditions that have historically shaped the entire Shantung region, making it the starting point of this investigation.
Touch and Go

“Oh, to be remembered—isn’t that what this is all about?” (216). This, claims historian, actor, radio and television pioneer Terkel, is the source of his success as an oral historian: logorrhea—the...
Programming in Hybrid Constraint Languages

We present a language, Hybrid cc, for modeling hybrid systems compositionally. This language is declarative, with programs being understood as logical formulas that place constraints upon the temporal evolution of a system. We show the expressiveness of our language by presenting several examples, including a model for the paperpath of a photocopier. We describe an interpreter for our language, and provide traces for some of the example programs.
Performance of DSS 13 26-m antenna at X-band

The X-band low-noise antenna (XLA) measurement feedcone was operated on the DSS 13 26-m antenna at Goldstone, California, during June 1975 to evaluate, primarily, the overall system efficiency. Radio sources were selected, commonly accepted values of flux density established, and measurements completed, and some conclusions were drawn. The antenna system presently suffers from poor pointing stability. On the other hand, the previously welded and rebolted main reflector has remained quite stable over a period of approximately 5 years.
Technical Classification System for Soil Survey Interpretation

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the principles and procedures of technical classification system for soil survey interpretation. Technical classification is a scheme for grouping together things that are similar. Early attempts at developing a technical classification system for interpreting soil surveys were centered on characterizing the crop-producing capacity of the soil. The diversity of uses of the soil survey supports the importance of the basic natural soil classification as a point of departure for interpretations. It is possible to prepare a variety of interpretations, and to develop new ones as the need arises, from the same soil survey. The seemingly high cost of the soil survey is justified on the basis of its flexibility and its ability to meet future demands as both the science and the art of land use change. Many of the properties that influence the behavior of soils in construction or other applications in engineering and, conversely, most of the properties that influence the growth of plants are related to soils as natural bodies. This relationship provides the key for translating natural soil bodies into groups of soils that behave alike within specified uses.
Short Run Cost Curves

The short run is defined as that period of time during which at least one input in production is fixed and cannot be changed. Keywords: production function; fixed costs; variable costs
Towards noise robustness in optimal quantum control experiments

Optimal control operates in the presence of noise. Enhancement of the signal to noise ratio through optimized control is demonstrated for two condensed phase systems: the concept was demonstrated for second harmonic generation (SHG) in a nonlinear optical crystal and stimulated emission pumping (SEP) in a dye solution. Management of inherent control noise in the manipulation of quantum system is a subject of basic concern in virtually all applications of manipulating quantum dynamics phenomena. The cases of SHG and SEP in this work serve as illustrations of this capability. For control lasers operating at a kHz repetition rate, readily available electronics can handle this data stream.