cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nephroureterectomy: rationale in the management of transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.

SUMMARY Radical nephroureterectomy including a bladder cuff is advocated as the surgical procedure of choice in the management of tumors of the upper urinary tract. The application of a standard pathologic staging system of upper urinary tract tumors should permit an improved understanding of the natural history of upper tract disease. Further, such a system would permit an evaluation of the role of specific therapeutic intervention, correlating survival and disease staging.
Activity of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in toad bladder: effects of 11-dehydrocorticosterone.

11 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-OHSD) transforms circulating glucocorticoids to their "biologically inert" 11-dehydro derivatives. Isoforms of 11 beta-OHSD with different cofactor req...
Electoral Engineering: Do Rules Matter? Structure versus Culture

From Kosovo to Kabul, the last decade has witnessed growing interest in “electoral engineering.” The end of the Cold War, the global spread of democracy, and new thinking about development spurred this process. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the flowering of transitional and consolidating “third wave” democracies around the globe generated a wave of institution building. International agencies such as the World Bank came to understand that good governance was not a luxury that could be delayed while more basic social needs were being met, like the provision of clean water, basic health care, and schooling. Instead the establishment of democracy was understood as an essential pre-condition for effective human development and management of poverty, inequality, and ethnic conflict. The donor community recognized that the downfall of many corrupt dictatorships in Latin America, Central Europe, Asia, and Africa created new opportunities for political development. Subsequent histories show that the process of deepening democracy and good governance has proved to be fraught with many difficulties, with little change to many repressive regimes in the Middle East, only fragile and unstable consolidation in Argentina and Venezuela, and even occasional reversions back to authoritarian rule, exemplified by Zimbabwe and Pakistan. International agencies have used a triple strategy to promote democracy. Institution building has been one priority, by strengthening independent judiciaries and effective legislatures designed to curb and counterbalance executive powers. Civic society has been another priority, with attempts to nurture grassroots organizations, advocacy nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and independent media.
Adelbert von Chamisso

(d.i. Louis Charles Adelaide de Chamisso de Boncourt) — Aus altlothringischem Adel; 1792 Flucht vor den Revolutionswirren, ab 1796 in Berlin; Page am preusischen Konigshof, franzosisches Gymnasium; 1798–1806 Militardienst (1801 Leutnant); Beschaftigung mit Philosophie und Literatur, 1803 Mitglied des Dichterkreises Nordsternbund, 1811 Mitgrunder der Christlich-deutschen Tischgesellschaft (um Brentano und Kleist); ab 1812 Botanikstudium in Berlin; 1815–1818 Weltumseglung als Naturforscher; 1832–1838 Redaktion des Deutschen Musenalmanachs; Erzahler, Lyriker, Botaniker.
Aftershock Imaging with Dense Arrays (AIDA) following the Mw 4.0 Waterboro earthquake of 16 October 2012 Maine, U.S.A.

Abstract Arrays of highly portable, exploration style seismographs were deployed following the 16 October 2012 M w 4.0 Waterboro, Maine, earthquake with the goal of improving hypocenter locations and source mechanisms of aftershocks, lowering the detection threshold for such aftershocks, and using the aftershocks as sources to image subsurface structure in the hypocentral volume. Based on the Aftershock Imaging with Dense Arrays (AIDA) experience following the Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of August 2011, the Maine deployment consisted of three complementary arrays totaling 110 stations: one array was for event detection and location, another for structural imaging, and a third for measuring regional attenuation. Although the arrays operated from day 3 through day 10 following the mainshock, only one aftershock was detected by the 43 stations that had been deployed at the time of the event. This aftershock was located at a focal depth of 6.9±0.15 km, with a horizontal uncertainty of ∼0.15 km. Although the strike‐slip focal mechanism for this aftershock differs from the thrust mechanism of the mainshock, both share an east–west maximum stress direction. Recordings of the aftershock from the high‐density portion of the deployment show possible upper‐ and lower‐crustal reflections that we attempt to image using vertical seismic profiling methods. However, the lack of redundant sources and the limited areal extent of the imaging arrays hinders any useful interpretation of the nature of the crustal reflections. Based on comparison with the Virginia experiment, in which numerous aftershocks were recorded, and from examining the signal‐to‐noise ratio of the single aftershock recorded, we believe the AIDA Maine deployment should have detected any aftershocks greater than magnitude m b of approximately −2.5. That only one aftershock was detected supports the observation that earthquakes in some intraplate areas are notable for their lack of aftershock activity down to this level.
Kafkas Proceß der Insinuation

Kafka arbeitet in seinem Roman mit einer raffinierten Technik der ›Insinuation‹, der Unterstellung, die durch metasprachliche Partikeln (ja, eben, also, naturlich, doch) fast unsichtbar realisiert wird.
Anything Lorenz Curves Can Do, Top Shares Can Do: Assessing the TopBot Family of Inequality Measures:

Newly precise evidence of the trajectory of top incomes in the United States and around the world relies on shares and ratios, prompting new inquiry into their properties as inequality measures. Cu...
How to build the supergrid.

The article discusses four steps that could be used to build an expanded electric transmission system or supergrid in the U.S. The steps include building of additional transmission lines, provision of higher voltages, long-distance, direct-current lines, and short lines to link isolated transmission regions. Benefits of a supergrid are said to include cheaper electricity, fewer blackouts, and the accommodation of remote wind and solar power installations. Action by the federal government may be needed to overcome local political obstacles.
Life cycle assessment standards

The newly emerging LCA standards provide an opportunity to review and improve upon the current LCA methodology. As more industrial practitioners enter the arena, the opportunity arises to not only demand environmental improvement from industrial service and product providers but also to fill LCA data gaps. A framework is suggested for improvement in the current LCA framework that focuses on the business relationships of the industrial practitioner. The framework seeks to promote environmental improvement from industrial sectors through the identification of state-of-the-art technologies used throughout a life cycle. Basing LCAs on the best performers in an industry will create a market for a high level of environmental performance, disperse the responsibility of inventory data gathering, and improve upon the advancements already anticipated through the widespread application of LCA.
Formaldehyde–isobutene Prins condensation over MFI-type zeolites

The liquid phase Prins condensation of formaldehyde with butenes on H-ZSM-5 (MFI) zeolite catalysts was investigated showing that reaction rates follow the order isobutene > 1-butene > cis-2-butene. The catalytic rates for medium-pore zeolite H-ZSM-5 were not only a larger than for H-beta, but also selective for 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol during formaldehyde condensation with isobutene. Isoprene forms, under the optimal reaction conditions, either in a second dehydration step of the unsaturated alcohol, or in a single step over H-ZSM-5 with optimal Si/Al ratio (Si/Al = 40). Mechanistic studies revealed that sequential Prins cyclization and hetero-Diels–Alder reactions of the desired products, forming six carbon species, occur only at slow rates over H-ZSM-5. Using DFT methods it was determined that the reaction follows a two-step mechanism: protonation of formaldehyde and electrophilic attack to the alkene, and deprotonation of the resulting intermediate carbocation. For isobutene and 1-butene, the electrophilic addition is coordinated with the protonation of the formyl group, but for cis-2-butene, it is coordinated with the proton back-donation step. The rate-limiting step switches from electrophilic addition for isobutene to proton elimination for the other two C4 isomers.
Exploring the Culture of Engagement for Liaison Librarians at a Research University

AbstractOutreach and engagement activities are increasingly central to the work of liaison librarians. This qualitative study explores the culture of engagement at the University of Illinois. Based on a series of interviews, the authors learned what types of outreach and engagement activities are happening across units, the barriers and motivations for undertaking these activities, how engagement is assessed, and the needs of librarians doing engagement in order to further their work. This research advocate for a broader culture shift in which professional values will better align with the practices of liaison librarians.
Microbiota-dependent IL-21 signaling regulates intestinal immune cell homeostasis and immunopathology to infection

Despite studies indicating a role for IL-21 in intestinal inflammation, how it precisely affects intestinal homeostasis and immunity to infection is not yet clear. In this study, we report a potent effect of commensal microbiota on the phenotypic manifestations of IL-21 receptor deficiency. IL-21 is expressed highly by CD4 T cells of Peyer’s patches (PPs) and small intestine lamina propria (LP) and strongly induced by co-housing with SFB-positive mice. Mice deficient in IL-21 receptor exhibit reduced numbers of GC B cells, B cell expression of AID, and IgA + B cell populations in PPs, consistent with the known roles for IL-21 in B cell function. Consequently, IL-21R KO mice show a significant reduction in IgA + plasmablasts and plasma cells in the small intestine LP. Interestingly, microbiota-dependent increases in RORgt + T cells and Treg cells are observed in the small intestine of IL21-R KO mice. Neither the Th1 nor RORgt + ILC populations are altered in the KO mice intestine compared to WT mice. Demonstrating a critical role of IL-21 signaling in immunopathology during Citrobacter rodentium infection, IL-21 receptor deficiency leads to strikingly reduced tissue pathology without affecting bacterial clearance. This reduced immunopathology likely results from dampened production of IFNg, IL-12, and IL-1b that promote severe immunopathology/lethality. Taken together, we demonstrate the regional and pleotropic effects of IL-21 signaling that fine-tunes intestinal mucosal immunity in a microbiota-dependent manner, which has significant implication for anti-IL-21 therapy to treat inflammatory bowel disease.
Infrastructure Challenges in an Information Assurance Education: An Implementation Case

This paper describes the infrastructure challenges in implementing an undergraduate information security program at a large Midwestern University. Efforts to overcome those challenges are summarized and future plans to improve the program over time are discussed. Some key challenges for this program have been physical location, inadequacy of the physical infrastructure, budget constraints and the lack of faculty with direct information security experience. Furthermore, this paper offers insight and lessons learned for institutions that may be planning on developing their own information assurance program.
Insight and the no‐self in deep brain stimulation

Ethical analyses of the effects of neural interventions commonly focus on changes to personality and behavior, interpreting these changes in terms of authenticity and identity. These phenomena have led to debate among ethicists about the meaning of these terms for ethical analysis of such interventions. While these theoretical approaches have different criteria for ethical significance, they agree that patients' reports are concerning because a sense of self is valuable. In this paper, I question this assumption. I propose that the Buddhist theory of no-self offers a novel approach to making ethical sense of patients' claims following deep brain stimulation. This alternative approach is based on the value of insight into patterns of cause and effect among mental states and actions.
Latex-safe: Children's center conversion

Abstract The paper describes how a tertiary children's medical center converted its pediatric-dominant operating rooms (ORs) to latex-safe environments without compromise in patient care or incurement of excessive costs. Latex sensitization and allergy continue to be problems especially with at-risk pediatric populations. Even when a latex allergy is identified for a patient, latex supplies still can be used mistakenly. Mayo Clinic used a methodical approach to identify the latex supplies used in the pediatric ORs, selected appropriate latex-free alternatives, and implemented a robust change management program to ensure a latex-safe environment for all pediatric surgical patients. After the change, the use of latex-containing supplies decreased by 93% in the pediatric ORs. This study showed not only that it is possible to convert to a latex-safe environment in a large medical institution but also that more work needs to be done to completely eliminate latex from the surgical environment.
Melissa Masters’s Response to “Imagining the Future of Medicine” Commentary

Ms. Masters is Director of Electrical, Software and Systems Engineering at Battelle and heads Battelle’s DeviceSecure Services. Ms. Masters has more than 15 years of experience in product development as a project manager, systems engineer and design engineer, serving as the project manager and lead systems engineer on medical device development and sustaining engineering programs. Ms. Masters is a voting member of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) working group on cybersecurity for medical devices and contributed to the vulnerability model for AAMI’s TIR 57. She has given conference presentations, been published and widely quoted on a variety of medical cybersecurity topics in AAMI Horizons, Mass Device, ExecutiveGov.com, and Fierce Medical Devices. In addition, Ms. Masters holds a Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) and has a working knowledge of domestic and international regulatory requirements for medical devices.
Isolation of Tissue Extracellular Vesicles from the Liver

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be released from many different cell types and detected in most, if not all, body fluids. EVs can participate in cell-to-cell communication by shuttling bioactive molecules such as RNA or protein from one cell to another. Most studies of EVs have been performed in cell culture models or in EVs isolated from body fluids. There is emerging interest in the isolation of EVs from tissues to study their contribution to physiological processes and how they are altered in disease. The isolation of EVs with sufficient yield from tissues is technically challenging because of the need for tissue dissociation without cellular damage. This method describes a procedure for the isolation of EVs from mouse liver tissue. The method involves a two-step process starting with in situ collagenase digestion followed by differential ultra-centrifugation. Tissue perfusion using collagenase provides an advantage over mechanical cutting or homogenization of liver tissue due to its increased yield of obtained EVs. The use of this two-step process to isolate EVs from the liver will be useful for the study of tissue EVs.
PCM and the thermal model in battery design

We report the effects in forced convection boundary condition to model the heat generated in Li-ion cell and the battery pack, using CFD technology (Computational Fluid Dynamics) in ANSYS fluent. The battery pack designs were analyzed and simulated on two different modes. One design is studied with and without insulation (superwool EST compression paper) between the cells, the other design is with and without PCM (phase change material). We look for better designs of battery pack in thermal management with phase change materials (PCMs) to the battery performance. The outcomes of this analytical model by the simulations have identified the heat dissipation. The achieved results show the comparison between the insulation and PCM that gives much more achievable satisfying thermal control, as PCM absorbs the heat and procrastinate to attain the defined maximum temperature with respect to time. The purpose of the design with PCM in battery is to limit the supply of heat, in time, to the PCM and thus extends the phase change duration and increase the heat transfer to the environment. A 0.32 mm-thick PCM is employed for the Li-ion cell, the temperature distribution becomes more uniform which is an important measure in battery thermal management.
Parental Criminal Justice Involvement

This chapter presents a review of the research on the experiences of families involved in the criminal justice system. We discuss parental incarceration and other forms of justice involvement through the lens of criminal justice system processing. We partition our essay into two stages: (1) an overview of the criminal justice system and its complexities, and (2) a description of criminal justice processing (i.e., arrest, charging and adjudication, and punishment) and the potential for effects on children, using policy interventions and reforms as salient examples. In so doing, we highlight the challenges families face prior to parental incarceration and shed light on the complexities of the criminal justice system that are often insufficiently appreciated in the research literature.
Determining superior first-line therapy in metastatic bladder cancer.

The ideal first-line treatment of cisplatin-ineligible patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) remains unknown pending results of randomized trials. Although mUC tumours are sensitive to chemotherapy, response durations are short. A new retrospective study provides data on the effectiveness of first-line PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors compared with carboplatin-based chemotherapy in this setting.
Dynamics of Magnus-dominated particle clusters, collisions, pinning, and ratchets

Motivated by the recent work in skyrmions and active chiral matter systems, we examine pairs and small clusters of repulsively interacting point particles in the limit where the dynamics is dominated by the Magnus force. We find that particles with the same Magnus force can form stable pairs, triples, and higher ordered clusters or exhibit chaotic motion. For mixtures of particles with opposite Magnus force, particle pairs can combine to form translating dipoles. Under an applied drive, particles with the same Magnus force translate; however, particles with different or opposite Magnus force exhibit a drive-dependent decoupling transition. When the particles interact with a repulsive obstacle, they can form localized orbits with depinning or unwinding transitions under an applied drive. We examine the interaction of these particles with clusters or lines of obstacles and find that the particles can become trapped in orbits that encircle multiple obstacles. Under an ac drive, we observe a series of ratchet effects, including ratchet reversals, for particles interacting with a line of obstacles due to the formation of commensurate orbits. Finally, in assemblies of particles with mixed Magnus forces of the same sign, we find that the particles with the largest Magnus force become localized in the center of the cluster, while for mixtures with opposite Magnus forces, the motion is dominated by transient local pairs or clusters, where the translating pairs can be regarded as a form of active matter.
Managers with Blank Checks: The Agency Problems of Corporate Philanthropy

Agency theory and profit maximization theory offer competing views on corporate philanthropic activities. Using hand-collected data, I evaluate these theories and find evidence more consistent with the agency theory. CEOs’ relation with nonprofit institutions, weaker alignment incentives of managers and weaker governance structure increase the likelihood and amount of corporate giving in general and foundation giving (which is a more stable source of donations) in particular. To analyze whether private benefits of corporate giving are optimally factored into CEO compensation, I develop an instrumental variable framework to address the direction of relation between compensation and firm donations. By using natural disasters as an instrument of corporate giving, I find that CEOs use firm donations to insulate their compensation particularly by supporting causes related to directors’ interests. Results also show that corporate giving reduces stock returns by lowering the marginal dollar value of cash. Lastly, negative stock price reaction to the news of unexpected firm donations further confirms the agency theory of corporate giving.
Electric Field Engineering to Extend Capability of NLDMOS from 70V to 90V Without Added Cost

In a given multipurpose BCD technology, the device implants are set by the main workhorse devices. Typically, doping levels are determined by optimizing Rsp and other key properties of the main devices, often settling with optimized Rsp-Bvdss trade-off. In some cases, HV applications (in particular automotive) require devices with higher Bvdss (breakdown) e.g. for level shifting to floating domains, switching external HV signals, protecting the IC against overstress, etc. This requires boosting the Bvdss of a given technology without adding cost or additional process steps. Moreover, the device architecture needs to be portable across many flavors of the core process, including e.g. SOI (Silicon On Insulator) version. This work outlines an architecture that increases operating voltage of NLDMOS device from 70V to 90V by electric field engineering. The proposed solution doesn’t require new layers and is portable to other technologies.
Second‐best pricing for incomplete market segments: Application to electricity pricing

Due to technological, political, or practical considerations, most price mechanisms are not fully differentiated by time, location, and contingency of delivery. Rate or tax designers then face a trade‐off between the costs and benefits of using more complex price schedules. This paper studies the second‐best problem of designing, for a given market segment, a linear pricing schedule with a limited number of distinct prices while facing exogenous constraints within a large and practically relevant family. Interestingly, we find that second‐best prices may be computed using simple machine learning techniques. As an illustration, we apply our framework to retail electricity pricing in California.
Efficacy of clobazam as add-on therapy in brain tumor-related epilepsy

Brain tumor-related epilepsy (TRE) is often resistant to currently available antiepileptic medications (AEDs). Clobazam was initially approved as adjunctive AED for patients with Lennox Gastaut syndrome but has been used in TRE, despite limited evidence in this context. This observational study aims to examine the effect of clobazam on seizure frequency on patients who have a primary CNS tumor and continued seizures despite their current AEDs. A retrospective review of patients with histologically-confirmed primary brain tumors seen in the neuro-oncology interdisciplinary clinic from April 2016–2019 was completed, and patients on clobazam were identified. Response to clobazam was defined as a greater than 50% reduction in seizure frequency. Additional data including patient and tumor characteristics, treatment course, tolerability, AEDs used prior to addition of clobazam, and AEDs concomitantly used with clobazam were collected. A total of 35 patients with TRE on clobazam were identified, with 2 patients unable to tolerate the medication due to side effects. Of the 33 remaining patients, a total of 31 (93.9%) of patients were deemed responders. Ten patients (30.3%) were seizure free within 6 months of clobazam initiation and 21 (63.6%) reported a significant reduction in seizure frequency. This reduction also allowed several patients to modify concurrent AEDs. Clobazam is an effective agent to use as add-on AED in TRE, with 94% of patients showing a significant response within 6 months. Furthermore, the addition of clobazam may yield a reduction in polypharmacy, as concomitant AEDs can be reduced and potentially withdrawn.
Effective Mentoring: A Guide for Mentors and Mentees

Mentoring is a dynamic and reciprocal relationship between the mentor and mentee. While mostly focused on career advancement, it has an enormous impact on personal growth and fulfillment of both individuals. Although the benefits of mentoring are well reported in the literature, many organizations and institutions have yet to implement mentoring programs. In this chapter, the need for mentoring, various styles of mentoring, and tips for becoming an effective mentor and mentee are discussed. A deep understanding of this concept and its effective execution can result not only in personal and professional development but also in increased performance and productivity, job satisfaction and retention, and increased morale, culture, and diversity within any organization.
What Has Dual Energy CT Taught Us About Gout

Dual energy computed tomography (DECT) scan has emerged as a useful diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of gout over recent years. Here, we review the role of DECT in the context of typical and atypical gout, including its role in identifying extra-articular monosodium urate (MSU) deposition. DECT has been found to be more accurate than ultrasound in detecting extra-articular MSU deposition in soft tissue. It has the ability to identify axial MSU deposition in gout patients with non-specific back pain. For individuals with no other clear etiology, this potentially implicates MSU as the cause of the pain. DECT also has the ability to detect vascular MSU deposition. This correlates with high coronary calcium scores and elevated Framingham cardiovascular risk. DECT continues to aid our understanding of articular and extra-articular MSU deposition, including the role of vascular MSU deposition on cardiovascular health. Not only does it allow quantification of urate burden but it can also potentially avoid invasive diagnostic procedures. The limitations and advantages of DECT are further explored in this article.
Abstract 845: Association of nut consumption with risk of total and specific cancers: Evidence from three large prospective cohort studies

Background The associations between nut consumption, especially specific types of nuts, and cancer risk have not been extensively investigated. Methods Nut consumption and other risk factors were assessed at baseline and updated every 2 to 4 years in the Nurses9 Health Study (1980 to 2014), the Nurses9 Health Study II (1991 to 2015), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986 to 2018). We examined the associations between the intake of total and specific types of nuts and the risk of total cancer, as well as common cancers with a high incidence including cancers of lung, colorectum, breast, bladder, and aggressive prostate cancer among participants who were free of cancer, heart disease, and stroke at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were used to obtain the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) in each cohort separately as well as pooled. To check the robustness of simply pooled HRs, we pooled the HRs in each cohort with meta-analysis using both random-effect model and fixed-effect model. We also added a 12-year lag period between nut-intake assessment and each follow-up period. Results During a median of 26.8 years of follow-up (1,015,834 person-years) in HPFS, 35.4 years (2,575,205 person-years) in NHS, 26.0 years (2,282,632 person-years) in NHSII, we documented 44,561 incidence cancer cases, including 3,972 lung cancer, 4,184 colorectal cancer, 1,588 bladder cancer, 10,936 breast cancer, and 1,171 aggressive prostate cancer cases. As compared to non-consumers, the pooled multivariable HRs of total nut consumption for five or more servings/week were 0.99 (95% CI: 0.94 to 1.04, P trend = 0.52) for total cancer, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.74 to 1.03, P trend = 0.16) for lung cancer, 1.08 (95% CI: 0.92 to 1.26, P trend = 0.87) for colorectal cancer, 0.90 (95% CI: 0.71 to 1.14, P trend = 0.64) for bladder cancer, 0.96 (95% CI: 0.85 to 1.08, P trend = 0.34) for breast cancer and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.92 to 1.51, P trend = 0.52) for aggressive prostate cancer. The associations between specific types of nuts and risk of total and specific cancers were also null. In the latency analysis, we did not observe any significant associations between nut consumption and 12-year latent risk of cancer in the pooled data. Conclusions In three large prospective cohorts of health professionals, frequent nut consumption was not associated with risk of total cancer and major individual cancers after adjustment for known or suspected risk factors. Citation Format: Zhe Fang, You Wu, Yanping Li, Xuehong Zhang, Walter Willett, A. Heather Eliassen, Bernard Rosner, Mingyang Song, Lorelei Mucci, Edward Giovannucci. Association of nut consumption with risk of total and specific cancers: Evidence from three large prospective cohort studies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 845.
Invited) Copper Electrodeposition for Catalysis and Devices

This talk discusses two aspects related to Cu electrodeposition.In the first area, we discuss our use of Cu electrodeposition to create very active catalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). We describe how using appropriate additives highly porous Cu and Cu-alloy surfaces can be created. We also show how electrodeposition can be used to incorporate polymers, the addition of which yields exceptionally active catalysts for ethylene production. The activity of these surfaces is interrogated using spectroscopy, which reports on the effect of oxides, pH, and alloy identity on product speciation.In the second area, we evaluate the effect of chain length for a series of alkyl sulfonic acid additives on Cu electrodeposition by using a combination of electrochemical and Raman spectroscopic methods. The spectroscopy reports on the relative degree of cis and trans character in adsorbed additives, which is correlated with activity.
Revisiting early structural findings of asymmetric information’s non-existence in health insurance

Abstract Cardon and Hendel (2001) presented the first structural model that studied adverse selection in the health insurance market—finding no evidence of informational asymmetries. More recent studies, however, have robustly demonstrated substantial evidence of adverse selection in health insurance markets. I demonstrate that once an error in the first-order condition of the maximization problem presented in Cardon and Hendel (2001) is corrected, while still not significant, the parameter capturing asymmetric information increases substantially.
Predictions of the Future of Humanity

The first person to realize that human activity has the potential to substantially change the world may well have been Thomas Jefferson.
Patterns of Failure After Definitive Chemoradiation for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Purpose/objective(s) Outcomes for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) treated with definitive chemoradiation (CRT) have largely remained stagnant in recent decades. To understand how best to improve outcomes for this population, we investigated patterns of failure after CRT for MIBC within the national Veterans Affairs' (VA) database. Materials/methods In the VA database, we identified patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2018 with urothelial histology, MIBC (T2-4a/N0-3/M0) who underwent CRT (defined as at least 50% of an intended definitive radiation regimen in conjunction with at least 1 cycle of chemotherapy). All patients' electronic health records were chart reviewed to obtain detailed clinical, pathologic, treatment (radiation dose, type of chemotherapy), and outcomes (dates and locations of recurrences, cause-specific death) data. Median times to recurrence are reported along with 25th-75th percentiles. Endpoints of local recurrence (LR, defined as recurrence in the bladder or upper tract), distant recurrence (DR, defined as recurrence beyond regional lymph nodes), overall mortality (OM), and bladder cancer-specific mortality (BCM) were evaluated in multivariable Cox and Fine-Gray models. Results Overall, 356 patients were included: median age 76, T2 disease 85%, lymph node positive (LN+) disease 5%. 12% of patients had carcinoma in situ, 32% had multifocal disease, and 33% had pretreatment hydronephrosis. Median follow up time was 77 months. 5-year OM was 69% (95% CI 64-74%) and 5-year BCM was 39% (95% CI 34-44%). 155 (44%) patients had no recurrence. In the 135 (38%) patients that developed DR, the median time to DR was 12.1 mo (8.0-23.4 mo). 106 (79%) patients of the DR group developed DR as a first recurrence with either DR only (n = 73) or DR and LR simultaneously (n = 33). In the 123 (35%) patients that developed LR, median time to LR was 11.1 mo (7.3-20.9 mo). Of the 92 patients who developed LR first without a simultaneous DR, 26 (28%) went on to develop DR. Median time from LR to DR in this group was 12.4 mo (3.0-27.0 mo). In multivariable models, LN+ disease, pretreatment hydronephrosis, and creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≤ 50 were associated with higher rates of DR, inferior OM, and inferior BCM. No patient, tumor, or treatment variables were associated with LR. Conclusion 44% of patients with MIBC treated with CRT had no recurrence while 35% developed LR and 38% developed DR. These results highlight the need for continued local surveillance after CRT as over a third of patients developed LR. Given the high proportion of DR and the advent of novel agents (antibody drug conjugates, immunotherapy, etc.) for advanced urothelial carcinoma, these data emphasize the need for clinical trials exploring such agents to improve outcomes for patients with MIBC undergoing definitive intent CRT. Our identified clinical markers (LN+ disease, hydronephrosis, decreased CrCl) as well as novel biomarkers (e.g., circulating tumor DNA) may help delineate populations most likely to benefit from additional therapy.
Numerical Methods for Asymptotic Solutions of Scattering Equations

The focus of our discussion is illustrated by Fig. 1, in which the radial extent of the scattering problem is divided into several regions a la Inokuti.(1) Inner Regia is the domain of hardy and resourceful individuals who are trained from birth to cope with such scourges as correlation and exchange. Outer Regia, in contrast, is a gentler clime of local potentials that are more easily controlled by its residents. These two kingdoms are so different that the rough folk of Inner Regia and the gentle folk of Outer Regia are forbidden to interact except at their common border.
Metal Abundances in the Hot ISM of Elliptical Galaxies

In elliptical galaxies, where most of the stars were formed at an early epoch, the total mass, spatial distribution, and relative abundances of metals are intimately connected to the galaxy formation process. Determinations of the hot interstellar medium metallicity from X-ray spectral analysis are more direct, less model-dependent, and more radially extensive than optical estimates based on broad-band colors or line indices, and provide a view into the nucleosynthetic histories of elliptical galaxies.
Growing momentum in the molecular study of ion channels

Long the sole domain of physiologists and electrical engineers, ion channel biophysics is going molecular, and with a vengeance. This summary of a recent meeting devoted to ion channel biophysics shows that the integration of techniques, reinforced by active communication among scientists of diverse backgrounds, is extremely potent.
Phylogenetic analysis of the hyperthermophilic pink filament community in Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park.

The phylogenetic diversity of a well-known pink filament community associated with the 84 to 88 degrees C outflow from Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park, was examined. Three phylogenetic types ("phylotypes"), designated EM 3, EM 17, and EM 19, were identified by cloning and sequencing the small subunit rRNA genes (16S rDNA) obtained by PCR amplification of mixed-population DNA. All three phylotypes diverge deeply within the phylogenetic domain Bacteria sensu Woese (C. R. Woese, O. Kandler, and M. L. Wheelis, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:4576-4579, 1990). No members of the Archaea or Eucarya were detected. EM 3 comprises a unique lineage within the Thermotogales group, and EM 17 and EM 19 are affiliated with the Aquificales. A total of 35 clones were examined, of which the majority (26 clones) were of a single sequence type (EM 17) closely related to Aquifex pyrophilus. In situ hybridization with clone-specific probes attributes the majority sequence, EM 17, to the pink filaments. Images
Multimodal imaging guided preclinical trials of vascular targeting in prostate cancer.

// James Kalmuk 1, 4 , Margaret Folaron 1, 2 , Julian Buchinger 1, 5 , Roberto Pili 3 , Mukund Seshadri 1, 2 1 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA 2 Department of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA 3 Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA 4 Current address: SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA 5 Current address: University at Buffalo – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA Correspondence to: Mukund Seshadri, e-mail: Mukund.Seshadri@roswellpark.org Keywords: multimodality imaging, vascular disrupting agents, angiogenesis, prostate cancer, androgen deprivation therapy Received: April 16, 2015 Accepted: June 19, 2015 Published: July 02, 2015 ABSTRACT The high mortality rate associated with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) underscores the need for improving therapeutic options for this patient population. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of vascular targeting in prostate cancer. Experimental studies were carried out in subcutaneous and orthotopic Myc-CaP prostate tumors implanted into male FVB mice to examine the efficacy of a novel microtubule targeted vascular disrupting agent (VDA), EPC2407 (Crolibulin™). A non-invasive multimodality imaging approach based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), bioluminescence imaging (BLI), and ultrasound (US) was utilized to guide preclinical trial design and monitor tumor response to therapy. Imaging results were correlated with histopathologic assessment, tumor growth and survival analysis. Contrast-enhanced MRI revealed potent antivascular activity of EPC2407 against subcutaneous and orthotopic Myc-CaP tumors. Longitudinal BLI of Myc-CaP tumors expressing luciferase under the androgen response element (Myc-CaP/ARE-luc) revealed changes in AR signaling and reduction in intratumoral delivery of luciferin substrate following castration suggestive of reduced blood flow. This reduction in blood flow was validated by US and MRI. Combination treatment resulted in sustained vascular suppression, inhibition of tumor regrowth and conferred a survival benefit in both models. These results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of vascular targeting in combination with androgen deprivation against prostate cancer.
Assessment of Fire Risk for Exterior Structural Members

The traditional fire exposure in fire tests used to evaluate the performance of construction materials is the standard time-temperature curve specified in ASTM Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials (E 119-80).There is growing concern that the severity of a fire defined by ASTM Method E 119-80 may not be representative of most fires which occur in buildings such as offices, schools, hotels, apartments, and other similar occupancies. Extensive research on postflashover conditions in building compartments supports this concern. However, the heating conditions in ASTM Method E 119-80 are not appropriate for exterior structural members. Therefore, research described in this paper provides a simple method for describing fire exposure of structural members located outside the enclosing walls of buildings. The following procedure establishes the intensity of the fire in the compartment under ventilation-controlled or free-burning conditions, the shape and size of the flame emerging from openings in exterior walls of the fire compartment, and the temperature of the flame, all of which are needed to calculate the heat transfer to structural members outlined by the American Iron and Steel Institute.
The Limits of Life

The geological perspective adopted and validated by the term Anthropocene brings into view an interesting quandary, as the term in the same gesture endorses anthropocentrism and yet calls the centrality of the human into question in relation to the geological span of the planet or the cosmic time of the galaxy. Therefore, I use the Anthropocene as a prompt for a critique of the anthropological conception of the human and of technology underlying this notion. It is symptomatic that the notion of the Anthropocene enters the calculus of geological time under the aegis of the threat of the irreversible tech-anthropic imprint on the planet. The geological and supra-planetary extent of this imprint, precisely by bringing into view the scope and the dangerous intensity of the changes brought about by human activity, opens the possibility of attending in a different key to reality, a new way of attending to and attaining being and living, human and non-human beings. The possibility of such a different key of rela...
Observability of the bulk Casimir effect: Can the dynamical Casimir effect be relevant to sonoluminescence?

The experimental observation of intense light emission by acoustically driven, periodically collapsing bubbles of air in water (sonoluminescence) has yet to receive an adequate explanation. One of the most intriguing ideas is that the conversion of acoustic energy into photons occurs quantum mechanically, through a dynamical version of the Casimir effect. We have argued elsewhere that in the adiabatic approximation, which should be reliable here, Casimir or zero-point energies cannot possibly be large enough to be relevant. (About 10 MeV of energy is released per collapse.) However, there are sufficient subtleties involved that others have come to opposite conclusions. In particular, it has been suggested that bulk energy, that is, simply the naive sum of (1) /(2) {h_bar}{omega}, which is proportional to the volume, could be relevant. We show that this cannot be the case, based on general principles as well as specific calculations. In the process we further illuminate some of the divergence difficulties that plague Casimir calculations, with an example relevant to the bag model of hadrons. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Right-indefinite half-linear Sturm-Liouville problems

We study the regular half-linear Sturm-Liouville equation -(p@f"r(y^'))^'+q@f"r(y)=@lw@f"r(y)on J=(a,b), where @f"r(u)=|u|^r^-^1u, r>0, p^-^1^r,q,w@?L(a,b), and p>0 a.e. on J. Let N(@l) denote the number of zeros in J of a nontrivial solution of the equation. Asymptotic formulas are found for N(@l) when w>=0 a.e. and w changes sign, respectively. As a consequence, the existence and asymptotics of real eigenvalues are established for the half-linear Sturm-Liouville problem consisting of the above equation and a separated boundary condition when w changes sign. Our results cover the work of Atkinson and Mingarelli on second-order linear equations as a special case. The generalized Prufer transformation plays a key role in the proofs.
Characterization, expression and function of DORMANCY ASSOCIATED MADS-BOX genes from leafy spurge

DORMANCY ASSOCIATED MADS-BOX (DAM) genes are related to AGAMOUS-LIKE 24 and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE genes of arabidopsis and are differentially regulated coordinately with endodormancy induction and release in buds of several perennial plant species. DAM genes were first shown to directly impact endodormancy in peach where a deletion of a series of DAM resulted in loss of endodormancy induction. We have cloned and characterized several MADS box genes from the model perennial weed leafy spurge. Leafy spurge DAM genes are preferentially expressed in shoot tips and buds in response to cold temperatures and day length in a manner that is relative to the level of endodormancy induced by various environmental conditions. Over-expression of one DAM gene in arabidopsis delays flowering. Additionally, we show that at least one DAM gene is differentially regulated by chromatin remodeling. Comparisons of the DAM gene promoters between poplar and leafy spurge have identified several conserved sequences that may be important for their expression patterns in response to dormancy-inducing stimuli.
Blebbistatin Delays Mitochondrial Depolarization and Asystole during Myocardial Ischemia, and Prevents Cell Death Upon Reperfusion

Myosin II inhibitor Blebbistatin is frequently used for heart immobilization during imaging experiments involving ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Here we investigated the extent to which Blebbistatin modulates critical events during I/R, such as mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization (ΔΨm), asystole, and infarction. Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts were subjected to 60-90 minutes of ischemia and 180 minutes of reperfusion in the absence (control) or in the presence of Blebbistatin (5.7 µM). We monitored ΔΨm depolarization using spectral analysis of confocal images yielded by cationic fluorescent dye TMRM. We detected the onset of sarcolemmal permeabilization (SP) in individual myocytes as a massive uptake of anionic dye DiBac4(3) or cell-impermeable nucleic acid dye YO-PRO1. Control hearts were briefly perfused with 20 mM potassium at 35 minutes prior to ischemia, and at 30 and 120 minutes of reperfusion to achieve immobilization necessary for confocal imaging. In control hearts, cessation of contraction permitted confocal imaging after 10-15 minutes of ischemia. Global and local bipolar electrograms monitored electrical activity. During ischemia, Blebbistatin significantly (p<0.01) and proportionally delayed both ΔΨm depolarization (50.5 minutes versus 24.0 minutes in control) and asystole (40.2 minutes versus 22.3 minutes in control). Upon reperfusion, a heterogeneous ΔΨm recovery was observed in both groups, but Blebbistatin largely prevented SP events observed on a massive scale in control hearts. Additionally, Blebbistatin almost completely prevented infarction in this model (1.9±3.2% versus 75.0±7.8% in control by tetrazolium chloride staining). Another electromechanical uncoupler, 2,3-Butanedione monoxime (20 mM), did not prevent SP and infarction despite efficient immobilization. Conclusions: (1) great caution has to be exercised with regard to interpretation of I/R events observed in the presence of Blebbistatin; (2) the mechanism(s) of prominent cardioprotection by Blebbistatin may not be fully explained by immobilization and deserve further study.
Nuclear levels of Ge74

Abstract By using gamma-ray scintillation spectrometry, radiations from Ga74 and As74 were studied. By means of coincidence techniques, previous level assignments were confirmed and new states were indicated. A decay scheme consistent with most of the results is proposed with levels at 0.598, 1.20, 1.47, 1.71, 2.18, 2.53, 2.95, 3.05, 3.16, 3.33, 3.41, 3.57 and 3.83 MeV. A measurement of the angular correlation between the 0.598 and 0.60 MeV gamma rays confirmed the predominantly E2 character of the 0.60 MeV (2+→2+) transition.