cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combination Therapy with Alemtuzumab and Pentostatin Is Effective and Has Acceptable Toxicity in Patients with T-Lymphoid Neoplasms.

The development of effective therapeutic strategies for T-lymphoid neoplasms has been difficult partly due to their rarity and paucity of clinical trials. These neoplasms are generally refractory to traditional chemotherapy regimens and novel therapeutic strategies are needed. Alemtuzumab and pentostatin have response rates of 50% to 65% when used individually to treat various T-cell leukemias and lymphomas. However, most responses are partial and of limited duration. Immunosuppression and risk of opportunistic infections are their principal overlapping toxicities. We have treated 17 patients with T-lymphoid malignancies (10 T-PLL, 1 ATL, 2 T-ALL, 2 γδ-T cell hepatosplenic lymphoma, 2 T-LGL) with a combination of alemtuzumab 30 mg IV, 3 times weekly for up to 3 months and pentostatin 4 mg/m 2 weekly × 4 followed by alternate weekly administration for up to 6 months. Prophylactic antibiotics including valacyclovir, fluconazole, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (or equivalents) were administered during the treatment and for 2 months after its completion. The median age of patients was 57 years (range 22 – 79 years), median white blood count was 54.1 × 10 9 /L (range 0.6 – 279.5 ×10 9 /L), and median serum β2M was 4.0 mg/L (range, 1.7 – 10.8 mg/L). Four patients had splenomegaly (1 to 5 cm), and 5 lymphadenopathy. Eleven had prior therapy (median 2, range 1 to 6 regimens). Eleven patients have responded (8 CR, 3 PR) for an overall response rate of 65% (including 8 of 10 T-PLL, 1 of 1 ATL, 0 of 2 T-ALL, 1 of 2 γδ-T cell hepatosplenic lymphoma and 1 of 2 T-LGL). Monoclonal T-cell receptor chain gene rearrangements were detected by PCR in 16 patients and became negative in 5 of 7 evaluable patients in CR. Median response duration has not been reached (range 0 to 78 weeks). Three patients have proceeded to allogeneic stem cell transplant, 4 (1 with ATL, 2 with T-PLL, and 1 with T-LGL) have died from disease progression after a response, and 6 were refractory to therapy. Opportunistic infections included reactivation of CMV in 6 patients (no disease), reactivation of HSV in 1 patient, recurrence of pre-existing Serratia pneumonia in 1 patient and Aspergillus pneumonia in 2 patients. Unexplained, marked and sustained pancytopenia occurred in 2 patients, 1 with T-LGL and 1 with T-PLL. Other toxicities were mainly grade 1 and 2 and included nausea, fever, fatigue, infusion reactions, edema, and shortness of breath. The combination of alemtuzumab and pentostatin is feasible and effective in T-cell neoplasms. Although infections including CMV reactivation are a concern, they may be minimized with adequate prophylactic antibiotic therapy.
Nested Buddy System: A New Block Address Allocation Scheme for ISPs and IaaS Providers

We propose a novel block address allocation method, called the nested buddy system, which can make use of wasted areas in the classical buddy system due to internal fragmentation. While achieving high utilization of address space, our new scheme supports efficient address matching for routers in packet forwarding and for network middleboxes in packet filtering. Specifically, the scheme uses just one prefix rule for each allocated address block in a packet routing/filtering table. We show by analysis and simulation that the increased address utilization can lead to significant reduction in the probability of a denial-of-service under bursty address allocation requests. In contrast, the classical buddy system requires the aggregation of many requests over time to smooth out demand, resulting in service delays undesirable to end users. Our solution is applicable to ISPs in serving mobile users carrying many network connected IoT devices and IasS providers in the cloud in serving tenants with dynamically varying demands for network addresses.
High Dose Gamma Radiation Selectively Reduces GABAA-slow Inhibition.

Studies on the effects of gamma radiation on brain tissue have produced markedly differing results, ranging from little effect to major pathology, following irradiation. The present study used control-matched animals to compare effects on a well characterized brain region following gamma irradiation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 60 Gy of whole brain gamma radiation and, after 24-hours, 48-hours, and one-week periods, hippocampal brain slices were isolated and measured for anatomical and physiological differences. There were no major changes observed in tissue appearance or evoked synaptic responses at any post-irradiation time point. However, exposure to 60 Gy of irradiation resulted in a small, but statistically significant (14% change; ANOVA p < 0.005; n = 9) reduction in synaptic inhibition seen at 100 ms, indicating a selective depression of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) slow form of inhibition. Population spike (PS) amplitudes also transiently declined by ~ 10% (p < 0.005; n = 9) when comparing the 24-hour group to sham group. Effects on PS amplitude recovered to baseline 48 hour and one week later. There were no obvious negative pathological effects; however, a subtle depression in circuit level inhibition was observed and provides evidence for 'radiomodulation' of brain circuits.
Prognostic Significance of Discharge Hyponatremia in Heart Failure Patients With Normal Admission Sodium (from the ESCAPE Trial).

Hyponatremia in acute decompensated heart failure (HF) is indicative of a poor prognosis and predicts morbidity and mortality. We explored the predictive utility of hyponatremia at the time of hospital discharge among HF patients with normal admission sodium (Na). Characteristics and outcomes of HF patients enrolled in the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness trial, who had normal Na on admission, were compared between those who were hyponatremic (Na <135 meq/L) or normonatremic on discharge. Three hundred six patients with normal admission Na had either hyponatremia (n = 86) or normal Na (n = 220) on discharge. Compared with patients with normal Na on discharge, hyponatremic patients were younger (p = 0.004), with lower discharge systolic (p <0.001) and diastolic (p = 0.004) blood pressure, higher discharge blood urea nitrogen (p = 0.011) despite similar creatinine (p = 0.566), lower ejection fraction (p = 0.007), and higher left ventricular end-diastolic (p = 0.028) and end-systolic (p = 0.007) dimensions. Despite comparable congestion on hospital admission, patients with discharge hyponatremia had a higher degree of decongestion throughout hospitalization evident in the significantly greater admission to discharge weight loss (p = 0.044) and admission to discharge reduction in inferior vena cava diameter (p = 0.014). Despite longer initial hospitalization (p = 0.004), total duration in hospital at 30 days (p = 0.004) and 6 months (p = 0.045), there were no significant differences between patients with discharge hyponatremia versus normal Na on discharge regarding rehospitalization (p = 0.386), all-cause mortality (p = 0.440), and composite of death, cardiac rehospitalization, and cardiac transplant (p = 0.799), all up to 6-month following randomization. Restricted cubic spline analysis also showed no significant relationships between discharge Na and the aforementioned 3 outcomes. Cox proportional hazards regressions showed that discharge hyponatremia did not significantly predict any of the 3 outcomes after adjustment for imbalances at baseline. Among patients with discharge hyponatremia, a poor outcome was more likely if they were also hyponatremic on admission: the composite end point occurred in 69.2% of those also hyponatremic on admission versus 51.2% of those with normal Na on admission but decreased Na on discharge (p = 0.045). Because the median discharge Na level in the discharge hyponatremia group was 132 meq/L, our findings suggest a benign nature of mild discharge hyponatremia in HF patients with normal admission Na.
Abstract 262: Deletion Of E2f1 Promotes Bone marrow Progenitor Cell Differentiation And Ischemic Cardiac Repair

Background: We have previously shown that knockout of E2F1 in mice enhances angiogenesis following induction of hind limb ischemia. Recent studies suggest that suppression of E2F1 enhances oxidative phosphorylation in a variety of cell types. Since an increase in oxidative phosphorylation in stem/progenitor cells is often associated with cell differentiation, we hypothesize that E2F1-deficiency may promote bone marrow (BM) progenitor cell differentiation thereby impact on ischemic cardiac repair. Methods and Results: We cultured bone marrow (BM) Lin- progenitor cells under hypoxic and normxic conditions for 24 h, then measured the expression of metabolism associated genes and evaluated cell proliferation and differentiation. We also performed adoptive BM transplantation to reconstitute BM of WT mice with E2F1-/- or WT BM, followed by surgical induction of myocardial infarction (MI), to compare the role of BM E2F1 in the cardiac repair in vivo. Notably, we found that the expression levels of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK)-4 and PDK2, two critical inhibitors of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, in the E2F1-/- BM Lin- progenitor cells is markedly lower than those in WT cells (P Conclusions: Genetic deletion of E2F1 in the BM progenitor cells enhances oxidative metabolism that may result in enhanced differentiation towards endothelial lineage and increased proliferation in the ischemic/hypoxic tissue environment. Therefore, inhibition of E2F1 in BM progenitor cells may improve the recovery from cardiac ischemic injury.
Childhood Brain Tumors: a Systematic Review of the Structural Neuroimaging Literature

Due to medical advances, a large portion of children survive brain tumor diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is important to identify the neuroanatomical and neurocognitive outcomes associated with survivorship. This review summarizes the specific regional structural neuroimaging findings, the broad structural findings, as well as the corresponding neurocognitive domains affected in brain tumor populations. Across studies, damage is commonly reported near the cerebellum, brain stem, and subcortical regions, as well as the frontal lobes. These results are consistent with the expected neuroanatomical damage following posterior fossa brain tumors, which was the most common tumor location of the studies in this review. Damage to these regions impacts a broad range of neurocognitive outcomes, as well as a number of specific neurocognitive domains. Damage to more ventral and subcortical brain regions correlated with lower motor speed, processing speed, attention, and memory. Relevant limitations and future directions are discussed with a focus on disentangling the complex and multifaceted factors associated with the consequences of brain tumor survivorship.
The nuclear weapons complexities [Spectral Lines]

In a sign that nuclear weapons remain vital technologically and militarily, the U.S. government has launched a multidecade "modernization" program for the nation's 4,571 nuclear weapons, at an estimated cost of up to US $1 trillion, $348 billion over the next 10 years alone. "An aging nuclear force...has forced the need for a modernization program," the Defense Science Board declared last December after President Barack Obama gained rare bipartisan support. The aim is ambitious: to refurbish or replace every aspect of America's land, sea, and air-based nuclear "triad," and to deter any moves by Russia, China, and rogue states like North Korea to threaten the American homeland.
Validation of Asarum rosei B.T.Sinn

It has come to my attention that the designation of the holotype in the protologue of Asarum rosei B.T.Sinn (Sinn, 2017) has been perceived by some to be ambiguous, and thus in conflict with Article 40.2 of the Code (McNeill et al. 2012). Here I validate the name by providing an unambiguous designation for the type.
Global awakening of cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters in Burkholderia thailandensis

Many bacteria encode biosynthetic proteins that produce a vast array of natural products. These compounds are often synthesized during host invasion as they function as virulence factors. In addition, such secondary metabolites have yielded numerous molecular scaffolds with pharmaceutical and clinical importance. The gene clusters that encode proteins responsible for synthesis of these compounds are typically silenced or “cryptic” under laboratory growth conditions, hampering discovery of novel lead compounds. We report here that MftR is a global repressor of secondary metabolite synthesis in Burkholderia thailandensis and that urate functions as a physiologically relevant inducer of gene expression. Biosynthetic gene clusters under MftR control include those associated with production of the antimicrobial bactobolins, the iron siderophore malleobactin, and the virulence factor malleilactone. MftR also controls additional genes associated with survival in a host environment, such as genes encoding compone...
‘Can I borrow your glasses?’: a prescription for learning to see the cultural roots of identity terms and implicit categories through others’ lenses

AbstractWhy is there so much confusion and conflict around common identity labels, a problem that extends well beyond any stereotypes that they may evoke? How do we escape the seeming paradox that ...
Have we really demonstrated the cardiovascular safety of anti‐hyperglycaemic drugs? Rethinking the concepts of macrovascular and microvascular disease in type 2 diabetes

A primary goal of the treatment of type 2 mellitus is the prevention of morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease; however, anti-hyperglycaemic drugs have the capacity to cause deleterious effects on the circulation, a risk that is not adequately reflected by the endpoints selected for emphasis in large-scale clinical trials that are designed to evaluate cardiovascular safety. The primary endpoint of the large-scale studies mandated by regulatory authorities focuses only on 3 to 4 events that depict only a limited view of the circulatory system. One of the most serious adverse effects of many glucose-lowering drugs is new-onset or worsening heart failure. Most antidiabetic drugs can aggravate heart failure because they exert anti-natriuretic actions, and possibly, adverse effects on the myocardium. In addition, certain anti-hyperglycaemic agents may worsen peripheral vascular disease and trigger cardiac arrhythmias that may lead to sudden death. Initiation of treatment with antidiabetic medications may also cause deterioration of the function of the kidneys, retina and peripheral nerves, which are typically regarded as reflecting microvascular disease. The current confusion about the cardiovascular effects of glucose-lowering drugs may be exacerbated by conceptual uncertainties about the classification of large and small vessel disease in determining the clinical course of diabetes. Physicians should not be falsely reassured by claims that a new treatment appears to have passed a narrowly defined regulatory test. The management of people with diabetes often carries with it the risk of important cardiovascular consequences, even for drugs that do not overtly increase the risk of myocardial infarction or stroke.
Abstract 15866: Relative Wall Thickness in Shockable vs. Non-shockable Sudden Cardiac Arrest in the Community

Introduction: Shockable initial rhythms (VT/VF) during sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) are associated with considerably better resuscitation outcomes than non-shockable rhythms (pulseless electrical activity [PEA] or asystole), but factors associated with these arrhythmias are poorly understood. By analyzing archived echocardiogram reports, we examined the potential role of relative wall thickness (RWT) as a determinant for shockable vs. non-shockable SCA. Methods: All SCA victims in a Northwest US metro region (population 1 million) were prospectively identified 2002 - 2015, and their medical records reviewed. 385 subjects with an echocardiogram performed prior to SCA, and with documented initial SCA rhythm available were included in the analysis. Association of RWT (2xPWd/LVEDD) and LV ejection fraction (EF) with initial rhythm was studied. Results: Initial rhythm was VT/VF in 178 (46%) and non-shockable (PEA/asystole) in 207 (54%) subjects. Subjects with VT/VF were younger (65.6±13.5 vs 68.6±13.4yrs, p=0.032) and more likely male (77.5% vs 59.9%, p 0.56). Conclusions: In the community, decreased RWT was strongly associated with VT/VF as the initial rhythm in SCA. These findings have mechanistic and clinical implications for improving resuscitation outcomes from SCA.
Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in feral cats in Massachusetts.

ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection and exposure in adult feral cats in Massachusetts, an endemic area for A phagocy...
Influence of second outcome on monetary discounting.

The rates that an outcome (e.g., money) loses value as delay increases or probability decreases are called delay and probability discounting, respectively. Discounting is typically studied by asking participants to make choices between two options that vary in amount and delay (e.g., $50 now vs. $100 in 3 months) or probability (e.g., 100% chance of $50 vs. 60% chance of $100). Little is known about how more complex options affect discounting. We asked participants (N = 56) to choose between two options that each resulted in two outcomes (e.g., getting $50 now and losing $1000 in 6 months vs. getting $100 in 3 months and losing $500 now). The second outcome varied across a range of delays and probabilities. Results indicated the probability of the second outcome had a greater influence on rates of discounting compared to the delay to the second outcome. Increasing the probability of the loss decreased rates of discounting the first outcome (i.e., increased preference for the larger-later alternative). Finally, a multiplicative model best described discounting of two, delayed-and-probabilistic outcomes. This suggests the value of two outcomes interact to influence rates of discounting.
Taxing Offshore Asset Protection Trusts: Icing on the Cake?

Income and transfer tax considerations that favor overseas asset protection trusts (OAPTs) compared to domestic asset protection trusts are contrary to sound tax policy. Tax laws should not operate to encourage taxpayers to move assets overseas to be beyond the reach of US creditors because doing so may undermine the tort system. To the extent asset protection is allowed, OAPTs should not be governed by rules more lenient than those faced by domestic trusts. Estate tax laws regarding creditor access should be interpreted to apply equally to domestic and foreign trusts.
Aqueous humor flow and flare in patients with myotonic dystrophy.

Purpose Myotonic dystrophy is an autosomal dominant form of muscular dystrophy associated with a mutation that affects a gene on chromosome 19. Extremely low intraocular pressure is one of a constellation of clinical signs that sometimes accompany this disorder. This study was performed to determine if the ocular hypotony can be explained by aqueous humor hyposecretion. Methods Seventeen persons with myotonic dystrophy and seventeen age-matched controls were studied. Intraocular pressure, light scattering (flare), fluorescein clearance at various times of day, and the response of the eye to the topical timolol were measured. Results Intraocular pressure was 40% lower in the persons with myotonic dystrophy (8.4 mm Hg vs 14.0 mm Hg) and flare was 50% higher (55.8 mg/dl albumin equivalent vs 37.1 mg/dl albumin equivalent). Fluorescein clearance in persons with myotonic dystrophy was indistinguishable from normal at all times of day. Myotonic eyes responded normally to topical timolol. The physiological data of this study are most consistent with the conclusion that the rate of aqueous humor flow is reduced approximately 9%, and the rate of inward leakage of light scattering proteins is increased approximately 37% in well-established myotonic dystrophy with ocular hypotony. Conclusions The reduced aqueous humor flow alone is insufficient to explain the ocular hypotony. We hypothesize that the hypotony is due primarily to atrophy of the ciliary muscle that increases fluid exchange between the anterior chamber and the anterior uvea with consequent enhancement of uveoscleral outflow.
Potential mechanism of vasomotor dysregulation after lung transplantation for primary pulmonary hypertension.

Background Vasomotor regulation in the lung is controlled by a dynamic balance between humoral factors and autonomic innervation. Lung transplantation is a unique clinical situation in which vasoregulation is dependent on humoral factors alone. Methods We illustrate the problem of vasomotor dysregulation with a lung transplant recipient in whom life-threatening hypoxemia was dramatically reversed with the administration of organic nitrates. The potential mechanism for this dysregulation was explored by exposing human endothelial cells to hypoxic conditions in vitro and analyzing the cells for the expression of pulmonary vasoconstrictor gene transcripts. Results The hypoxic microenvironment induced a tenfold increase in the transcription of the pulmonary vasoconstrictor genes endothelin-1 and platelet-derived growth factor within 24 hours. The addition of organic nitrates had a dramatic effect on decreasing the levels of vasoconstrictor transcripts within 30 minutes of exposure. Conclusion These findings suggest that a potential mechanism for the clinical effect of organic nitrates is the inhibition of vasoconstrictor synthesis by hypoxic endothelium.
Ordering the Global Field of Academic Science: Money, Mission, and Position.

ABSTRACTResearchers have identified the emergence of a global field of academic science. In order to understand the dynamics of this field, this study used latent profile and regression techniques ...
Do anti-bullying laws reduce in-school victimization, fear-based absenteeism, and suicidality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth?

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are at heightened risk for bullying and other forms of in-school victimization. Anti-bullying laws are a potential policy mechanism for addressing this issue, yet there has been little investigation of the impact of such policies for this population using generalizable samples or quasi-experimental designs. The current study explores whether the presence of state anti-bullying laws predicts lower likelihood of bullying victimization, fear-based absenteeism, in-school threats or injury with a weapon, and suicidality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning high school students in the United States. Based on Youth Risk Behavior Survey data across 22 states from 2005-2015, coupled with data about the presence of general and enumerated anti-bullying laws that include sexual orientation as a protected class, this study analyzes this topic using a quasi-experimental design (linear difference-in-difference models). The results indicate that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth (particularly boys aged 15 or younger) experienced less bullying victimization in states with general or enumerated anti-bullying laws. There was modest evidence of a reduction in fear-based absenteeism among boys in states with such laws. However, there was little evidence of a relationship between such policies and in-school threats or injuries or suicidality. Further, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning girls' likelihood of victimization, absenteeism, or suicidality was generally not related to the presence of anti-bullying laws. The results suggest that general and enumerated anti-bullying laws may help reduce bullying victimization for gay, bisexual, and questioning boys.
A Bistable Underactuated Finger with Reconfigurable Grasping Modes

This paper presents a bistable finger design for grasping, with the bistability property lending itself to reconfiguration from a preferred pinch grasp to a preferred power (enveloping) grasp. This allows selective triggering of the transition between these two grasp types to prevent loss of stable grasp. Design, analysis, simulation, and prototyping of the grasping mechanism are presented.
Direct Utilization of Organic Nitrogen by Phytoplankton and Its Role in Nitrogen Cycling Within the Southern California Bight.

The new production model attempts to quantify the amount of organic material exported from surface waters based on the form of nitrogen (N) being utilized. Dissolved organic N (DON) is rarely assessed during such investigations and even less is understood about the organisms involved in these different transformations within the complex N cycle. Stable isotope probing (SIP) and uptake activity measurements were combined to investigate the dynamics of new and regenerated production during the spring within the Southern California Bight (SCB). We examined the uptake and assimilation of several nitrogenous substrates at several depths to quantify these processes and identify the active communities across all three domains of life that are driving each transformation. Several reoccurring members closely related to the eukaryotic diatom Chaetoceros, dominated assimilation of NO3- and urea through the water column, and contributed greatly to the overall production. Prokaryotic growth was predominantly carried out through NH4+ assimilation with transitions from Flavobacteria to Rhodobacteraceae and Marine Group II Euryarchaeota to Marine Group I Thaumarchaeota with increasing depth for bacterial and archaeal clades respectively. Only urea uptake and SIP activity correlated with each other, likely demonstrating that cellular transport and incorporation of urea were coupled. SIP was therefore able to identify the organisms primarily responsible for urea cycling at each depth during this investigation. The role of diatoms within high nutrient areas are well defined but their part in DON cycling in highly stratified regimes is less well understood. Here we demonstrate their ability to efficiently scavenge urea in situ, allowing certain diatoms to outcompete the rest of the community. This diversion of DON away from the trophically inefficient microbial loop directly back into the larger, particle forming populations would alter the current view of microbial food webs. This proposed ‘phytoplankton shunt’ of organic material could potentially enhance the biological pump by mitigating losses due to trophic transfers while increasing DON flux due to ballasting. Our results provide unique biogeochemical and ecological insight into the dynamics and diversity of N cycling and the organisms involved within the surface waters of the SCB.
Geodatabase Development for Visualizing Obesity Risk Factors in New Mexico–Mexico Border Communities

Geospatial techniques can assist community health scientists developing interventions to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles in border communities, yet collaboration with geographers i...
Blood Flow Velocity of the Middle Cerebral Arteries: A Real-Time Measure of Attentional Load in the Laparoscopic Surgery Environment?:

Laparoscope (camera) rotations in laparoscopic surgery, and the resulting perceptual-motor distortions, increases the workload (attentional load) of surgeons. When attentional load is high, risks o...
Looking Back, Thinking Ahead: Reflections on our Five Years as Editors of the Journal of Public Deliberation

For the last five years, we have had the honor of serving as editors of the Journal of Public Deliberation. This issue marks the end of our editorial tenure, and we take this opportunity to both look back and think ahead. In this brief essay, we reflect on what we’ve seen during our time as editors. We begin by describing three important special issues that reflect the state of our field, then provide some details about how we have facilitated JPD’s growth over the past five years, including publication statistics and article download rates. We conclude by discussing where the journal is now and what we anticipate for its future.
REALM: Retrieval-Augmented Language Model Pre-Training.

Language model pre-training has been shown to capture a surprising amount of world knowledge, crucial for NLP tasks such as question answering. However, this knowledge is stored implicitly in the parameters of a neural network, requiring ever-larger networks to cover more facts. To capture knowledge in a more modular and interpretable way, we augment language model pre-training with a latent knowledge retriever, which allows the model to retrieve and attend over documents from a large corpus such as Wikipedia, used during pre-training, fine-tuning and inference. For the first time, we show how to pre-train such a knowledge retriever in an unsupervised manner, using masked language modeling as the learning signal and backpropagating through a retrieval step that considers millions of documents. We demonstrate the effectiveness of Retrieval-Augmented Language Model pre-training (REALM) by fine-tuning on the challenging task of Open-domain Question Answering (Open-QA). We compare against state-of-the-art models for both explicit and implicit knowledge storage on three popular Open-QA benchmarks, and find that we outperform all previous methods by a significant margin (4-16% absolute accuracy), while also providing qualitative benefits such as interpretability and modularity.
A Better Variant of Self-Critical Sequence Training.

In this work, we present a simple yet better variant of Self-Critical Sequence Training. We make a simple change in the choice of baseline function in REINFORCE algorithm. The new baseline can bring better performance with no extra cost, compared to the greedy decoding baseline.
Quality of Life in Adolescent and Young Adult Women With Dyspareunia and Endometriosis.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to quantify the prevalence of dyspareunia and its impact on quality of life (QOL) in adolescent and young adult women (AYA) diagnosed with endometriosis. Methods Eligible participants from the Women’s Health Study: From Adolescence to Adulthood, a longitudinal cohort study, were AYA 18–25 years who reported having had sexual intercourse. We included n = 151 AYA with a surgical diagnosis of endometriosis and n = 287 without known endometriosis. Participants completed a questionnaire including the Short Form-36 (SF-36) QOL survey, on which lower scores indicate impairment. Dyspareunia was defined as answering “yes” to having had pain during/within 24 hours following sexual intercourse. Normative-based scores for SF-36 subscales were calculated and compared between groups using linear regression adjusted for age, body mass index, educational level, and race. Results Participants with endometriosis experienced dyspareunia twice as often (79%) than AYA without endometriosis (40%, p Conclusions More than three quarters of AYA with endometriosis and two thirds without experience dyspareunia that negatively impacts both physical and mental health QOL scores. This impairment is stronger in those with endometriosis. Given the importance of relationships and peer engagement for identity formation during adolescence, dyspareunia could be particularly impactful. Clinicians should ask patients not only about contraception and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, but inquire about how dyspareunia may impact mental and physical well-being.
The Characteristics of Mass-Produced Original Paintings

Mass-produced original paintings are described, including where and how they are produced; their subject matter, artists, and buyers; outlets; and prices. The work of several well-known popular artists is described (e.g., Thomas Kinkade), as are the anonymous Chinese artists of Dafen village as well as internet artists. The justification for treating mass-produced paintings as originals is discussed.
Apocalypse Averted: The COVID-Caused Liquidity Trap, Dodd-Frank, and the Fed

In an article published in this journal in 2012, the author challenged the conventional wisdom that a major feature of Dodd‐Frank—the mandated clearing and required margining of OTC derivatives—could be expected to achieve a material reduction of the risk of another financial crisis In this article, the author views the dramatic financial fallout from the spread of COVID‐19 in March 2020, when the economic infrastructure of the U S was threatened by extreme disruptions in its stock and bond markets, as providing the first major test of this theory The author's main conclusion from this episode is that the very mechanism that advocates of Dodd‐Frank claimed would reduce systemic risk—the clearing of and imposition of margin requirements on derivatives—played a major role in this acute market dislocation by amplifying stresses on and dramatically reducing market liquidity One major implication of this analysis is that protecting important pieces of the system, such as clearinghouses, is not the same as protecting the entire system;indeed, these two goals are likely to prove to be antithetical under conditions of stress It was only massive injections of liquidity by the Federal Reserve, and not the autonomous operation of the market infrastructure mandated by Dodd‐Frank, that succeeded in stemming the crisis And as this case is meant to suggest, despite clearing mandates and other major regulatory changes designed to minimize systemic risk, the net effect has been to substitute possibly greater liquidity risks for credit risk As a consequence, the soundness of the U S financial system continues to depend on the prompt and effective intervention of the Fed as lender of last resort, with all the attendant moral hazard problems
Who Supports Using Cryptocurrencies and Why Public Education About Blockchain Technology Matters

In the decade following the introduction of blockchain distributed ledger technology and cryptocurrencies, adoption of the technology lags far behind its potential. Past research identifies knowledge-based trust and understanding as critical to the adoption of technological innovations, particularly in regard to individual willingness to use online financial instruments. Despite negative perceptions of technology identified as key barriers to individual adoption, to the best of our knowledge, little systematic research examines individual attitudes towards the use of blockchain technology or cryptocurrency. We utilize a survey experiment to examine how common discussion contexts surrounding cryptocurrencies influence openness to adoption in comparison to the US dollar. We find that an increased openness to cryptocurrency adoption is associated with messages reflecting (1) the independence of cryptocurrency from political or central bank management and (2) when information describing the security features of blockchain are included. This is consistent with prior research that the socio-technical complexity of a system requires process description in responses. A second important finding suggests that individuals most open to cryptocurrencies as a substitute for the dollar are those benefitting the least from the existing financial system.
Utilization of genetic diversity and population structure to reveal prospective drought-tolerant donors in rice

Abstract Fifty SSR markers were used to assess genetic diversity among 40 drought-tolerant, five moderately drought-tolerant, and three susceptible genotypes to identify new donors for drought tolerance in rice. Out of 50 SSR markers, 17 markers are reported to be linked to major grain yield QTLs under reproductive stage drought stress. 163 (97.7%) out of 167 alleles were found to be polymorphic. The PIC value ranged from 0 to 0.963 with an average of 0.795 per locus. The minor allele frequency varied from 0.312 (RM336) to 0.895 (RM530) with an average of 0.60. The genetic diversity ranged from 0.187 (RM530) to 0.739 (RM336) with an average of 0.51. The cluster analysis grouped all the genotypes into three major clusters at 50% level of genetic dissimilarity. Structure analysis identified two subpopulations among 48 rice genotypes. 81% and 19% of molecular variances were revealed within and among the subpopulations, respectively. The first three principal components explained over 88% of total genetic variation. Two genotypes, Kalakeri and RR-2-6 were identified as new drought-tolerant donors. Kalakeri contributes drought tolerance QTL, qDTY1.1, while RR-2-6 contributes QTLs, qDTY2.2, and qDTY2.3.
Chapter Five, International Humanitarian Law: Five Key Dynamics Shaping the Global Landscape, Security, and Freedom of Religion and the Way Ahead

This chapter addresses five key dynamics shaping the global landscape with regards to security, religious freedom and belief, whether state-sponsored, non-governmental origin, or of an interpersonal nature. It will surveys freedom of religion impacted by and impacting upon international law, specifically, International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), comparing and contrasting each, as sources of prescriptive rights and proscriptive responsibilities among nations and peoples. In particular, it will look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as the centerpiece of international concurrence on human rights, and the successor treaties that are being used to preserve, protect, and defend Christians’ religious freedom and belief, as well as the rights of other religious groups subject to restriction and oppression. In so doing, this chapter shows how and why ongoing recognition and respect can be accomplished for human rights for all citizens of the world, especially but not exclusively with respect to religious freedom and belief.
Imaging Techniques for Acoustic Microscopy of Microelectronic Circuits

Following the work of Lemons and Quate1, an 800 MHz acoustic microscope has been constructed, operating in the reflection mode for examination of microelectronic materials and devices. To aid in the interpretation of the acoustic images, a method has been developed which produces false color acoustic micrographs of high quality. This technique, along with derivative and logarithmic processing is applied to the acoustic examination of plated structures on organic/ceramic substrates. A standard optical microscope is operated in tandem with the acoustic microscope to allow convenient and absolute comparison between the optical and acoustic images.
Diagnostic Tools and Testing in the Sleepless and Restless Patient

Sleep diaries are valuable tools in assessing sleepless or restless patients (Fig. 9.1a). A sleep diary is designed to get the information about a patient’s sleep pattern. It has the potential of reducing recall or report bias. The patient self-monitors his/her sleep every night and records it. This helps in the initial assessment as well as in tracking treatment effect of different interventions. Actigraphy utilizes a wristwatch-like portable device which contains an accelerometer, a clock, internal memory, and a photo sensor. It records the rest/activity cycle which may correspond to the sleep/wake cycle. It may assist to determine the sleep patterns in normal healthy adult population, to evaluate patients suspected of advanced sleep phase syndrome (ASPS), delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), shift work sleep disorder, and other circadian sleep disorders including jet lag and non-24 h sleep/wake syndrome. It is used to determine the circadian rhythm patterns in patients with insomnia (including insomnia associated with depression) and hypersomnia.
Fate of Wastewater Bacteria and Viruses in Soil

Bacterial survival in soil is affected by moisture content, temperature, organic matter, and antagonism by soil microflora. In most instances the survival of bacterial pathogens in the soil is less than 2-3 months. Removal of bacteria from sewage during percolation through the soil is accomplished largely at the soil surface by straining, sedimentation, and adsorption. While relatively large numbers of bacteria and viruses appear to be removed through a few feet of soil under normal conditions, once they have gained entrance into the underground aquifer distances of travel as far as several hundred feet have been observed. Removal of viruses by soil occurs largely by adsorption. Salt concentration, pH, soil composition, organic matter, and the electronegativity of the virus and the soil may influence the degree of retention of viruses by the soil. Viruses attached to soil particles can become deadsorbed with changes in water quality, resulting in greater subsurface travel. Viruses survive at least as long as pathogenic bacteria in the soil.
The Materiality of Earnings Surprise

This study uses First Call Corp. earnings surprise data and market-adjusted stock returns for the seven-day period surrounding each of about 22,000 annual earnings announcements from 1992-1997 to address several questions recently posed by SEC officials. We find that mean and median stock returns of portfolios ranked on earnings surprise magnitudes typically have the same sign as the surprise, but have the opposite signs for about 45% of observations comprising each portfolio. We also find that for a given absolute surprise magnitude, absolute price response is inversely related to the dispersion of analysts' forecasts.
Catastrophic flooding from an orographic thunderstorm in the central Appalachians

[1] An orographic thunderstorm system in Pendleton County, West Virginia, produced 125–150 mm of rainfall in less than 1 hour on 9 August 2003. Rainfall and fluvial impacts were concentrated in the ungauged 2.1 km2 Saul's Run watershed. Despite the short duration of the event the flood produced significant fluvial impacts and abrupt changes in the extent of incision and channel widening. Hydrometeorological analyses of the storm are based on WSR-88D radar reflectivity observations and rain gauge observations. The small multicell thunderstorms that produced the Saul's Run flood were not markedly different from other storms in the central Appalachian region on 9 August 2003. Detailed surveys of high watermarks and channel/floodplain geometry are used for hydraulic analyses of the Saul's Run flood, including estimation of peak discharge at four locations. Peak discharge estimates at the 1 km2 scale cluster around 18 m3 s−1, placing this event on the flood envelope curve for the mid-Atlantic region. Observed rainfall, estimated peak discharge, and observer notes on timing of peak discharge are used along with a distributed hydrologic model to reconstruct hydrographs at multiple locations. Hydrologic modeling indicates that land use effects may have significantly influenced extreme flood response in Saul's Run. The wide range of fluvial impacts is consistent with patterns of boundary shear stress and unit stream power derived from a simulation of the Saul's Run flood using a 2-D depth-averaged hydraulic model.
A flexible method of minimizing harmonic distortion in force-commutated converters

Optimal force-commutated AC/DC and DC/AC converters with minimum input-current or output-voltage harmonics are proposed. This converter is able to produce leading or lagging power factors for either mode of operation. The minimization of rectifier input-current harmonics or inverter output-voltage harmonics is achieved through numerical solution of optimal firing and extinction angles for the switches. >
Propagation dynamics of ultrashort pulses in semiconductor laser amplifiers near 1550 nm

Summary form only given. We measure the spectral and temporal characteristics for 0.6-ps and 3.6-ps pulses propagating through a semiconductor laser amplifier (SLA) near 1550 nm. In addition to the spectral shifts reported, we observe strong temporal distortions for 0.6-ps pulses.
The structure of area-minimizing double bubbles

We show that the least area required to enclose two volumes in ℝn orS n forn ≥ 3 is a strictly concave function of the two volumes. We deduce that minimal double bubbles in ℝn have no empty chambers, and we show that the enclosed regions are connected in some cases. We give consequences for the structure of minimal double bubbles in ℝn. We also prove a general symmetry theorem for minimal enclosures ofm volumes in ℝn, based on an idea due to Brian White.
Simplified determination of serum iron and binding capacity by nitroso-R-salt without deproteinization.

Abstract Nitroso-R-salt (1-nitroso-2-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid-disodium salt) is used as the chromogenic agent in the determination of serum iron by an improved method in which a protein solubilizer and optimum molarity of an acetate buffer are used to effect improved kinetics and accuracy without prior removal of scrum proteins. Iron-binding capacity is measured by saturation of serum with ferric iron followed by removal of excess iron with magnesium carbonate. Reliability of the methods has been establislied by a separate study of the reaction parameters, replicate analyses, and recovery experiments
The occurrence of multiple endocrine neoplasia type IIb, in two children of an affected mother.

Two children with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome, Type IIb, (MEN IIb), whose natural mother died from complications of general anesthesia, due to undiagnosed bilateral pheochromocytomas, arc described. Of particular interest is the fact that the daughter presented with many stigmata of the syndrome, including the typical facies, while her brother had no obvious clinical manifestations of the syndrome. Both children to date have undergone total thyroidectomy, and pathology reports have confirmed the presence of medullary thyroid carcinoma.
Mapping of the gene for the cardiac sarcolemmal Na+Ca2+ exchanger to human chromosome 2p21–p23

Abstract The cardiac sarcolemmal Na + Ca 2+ exchanger is the primary mechanism for extrusion of calcium from the cardiac myocyte and therefore is important in regulating cardiac contractility. As part of an effort to determine whether the exchanger is associated with any genetic disorders of the heart or blood pressure, we have assigned the exchanger gene (designated NCX1) to human chromosome 2p21–p23 by analysis of a panel of mouse-human somatic cell hybrids and by in situ hybridization.
Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education in US Classrooms

Considerable attention has focused on the challenges of English language learners without age-appropriate formal education and first language literacy. They are viewed here as students with high-context learning experiences and expectations (Hall in Beyond culture, Anchor, New York, 1976), and a collectivistic orientation, with a pragmatic, rather than academic way of looking at the world, who are marginalized and disoriented in US classrooms. Building on Ibarra’s Beyond affirmative action: Reframing the context of higher education, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison (2001) “cultural dissonance” construct, the two learning paradigms are contrasted, and a third, the mutually adaptive learning paradigm, is posited as a pathway to academic success for this population.
Differences in pain perception between myofascial pain dysfunction patients and normal subjects: a signal detection analysis.

Abstract Patients suffering from a chronic psychophysiological orofacial pain disorder, Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome, were compared with normal control subjects in their reaction to tonic pain stimulation. A signal detection analysis of the data was employed to assess sensitivity and response bias in the perception of pain. The patient group had lower pain thresholds, were less able to discriminate varying intensities of pressure stimulation and demonstrated a greater tendency to report pain as compared to normal control subjects. Possible physiological and psychological mechanisms that could account for the results are discussed.