cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender-Based Differences and Barriers in Skin Protection Behaviors in Melanoma Survivors

Purpose. Skin protection behaviors and environmental exposure play a crucial role in the development and subsequent management of melanoma. This study investigates gender-based differences in skin protection behaviors after melanoma treatment. Methods. Patients diagnosed and surgically treated for cutaneous melanomas over the last six years in a geographically high risk area were surveyed over telephone using a standardized script. Results. Of 150 survey results obtained, there were 82 males and 68 females. Overall, 87% of participants reported skin self-examination for abnormal markings more often and 94% reported wearing skin protective clothing more often, with females being more than males. Females limited outdoor activity more often than males, 79% to 54%, p < 0.05. When outside, females sought shade more often than males, 75% to 56%, p < 0.05. However, males wore a wide brim hat more often than females, 52% to 28%, p < 0.05. Interestingly, 60% of participants reported wearing SPF 30 sunscreen less often, p < 0.05. Conclusion. Larger percentage of females adopted behavioral changes to prevent future melanoma. Those living in high risk areas and with outdoor occupations need particular attention to skin care. Population based screening should be adopted to deal with this rising public health crisis.
Increased survival and exocytosis of toxic primary granules by neutrophils in an in vitro model of Cystic Fibrosis airway disease (INC6P.310)

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) lung disease is characterized by the massive recruitment of neutrophils (PMNs) into the bronchiolar lumen. Extracellular neutrophil elastase (NE) that is released from PMN primary granules, is a strong predictor of lung function and survival in CF patients. However, the process by which CF airway PMNs exocytose HNE is not well understood and not reproduced in animal models of CF airway disease. Methods: We used a surface collagen-coated 3D porous polystyrene scaffold (Alvetex) to mimic the airway lamina propria and grew human bronchiolar H441 cells at air-liquid interface on top. In the transepithelial migration assay, blood PMNs were placed on the basal side and allowed to migrate towards to CF airway fluid placed apically, after which PMNs were analyzed by flow cytometry for rate of migration, survival, and degranulation. Results: Using this model we show that (i) CF airway fluid induces rapid transepithelial migration and survival of neutrophils, (ii) live PMNs actively release of primary granules upon exposure to CF airway fluid, and (iii) migration towards CF airway fluid induces PMN reprogramming allowing for the activation of the inflammasome and pinocytosis. Conclusions: These results suggest a primary role for the CF microenviroment in inducing increased survival and phenotypic reprogramming of PMNs and establish our model as a robust platform for deconstructing CF airway PMN dysfunction and developing new therapies for CF inflammation.
Chasing Wraiths: A Life on the Edges

Sitting down to re-view Miller Mair's Another Way of Knowing: The Poetry of Psychological Inquiry—or “The Book,” as he ambivalently called it—I admit to feeling utterly bewildered. Where to begin w...
Suicidal ideation and hopelessness in PTSD: spiritual well-being mediates outcomes over time

There is an increased interest in understanding the mechanisms through which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relates with hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Spiritual well-being could help e...
Age-dependent interaction between sex and geographic ultraviolet index in melanoma risk.

Background Ultraviolet (UV) exposure may not affect melanoma development equally in different sexes and ages. Whether and how these factors interact with each other in relation to melanoma risk is unknown. Objective This study attempts to estimate interactions among UV index (UVI), sex, and age in melanoma risk. Methods Melanoma incidence data were collected from 42 cancer registries. Geographic UVI was collected from local satellite stations. Negative binomial regression models were used to estimate the impact of each risk factor and their interactions. Results Sex, UVI, and age, as well as interactions between any 2 of these factors, were significantly associated with melanoma risk. In younger age groups, female sex is an independent risk factor for melanoma that is not affected by ambient UV exposure. In older age groups, however, female sex interacts with UV exposure as a risk factor, exhibiting a protective effect. The switching age category is 45 to 49, which correlates with dramatic hormonal changes. Limitations The interaction between sex and UVI is measured at an ecologic level. Conclusions The interaction between sex and UVI is age dependent. Female sex is an independent risk factor for early-onset melanoma, but female sex also protects against UV-associated melanoma in older age groups.
Cardiovascular complications in diabetics.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses cardiovascular complications in diabetics. Patients with diabetes mellitus tend to suffer unduly from premature and severe atheromatosis. Some evidence suggests that by the time diabetes is first diagnosed, the patient has already developed an increased tendency to develop coronary artery disease. In a study described in the chapter, diabetics suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular accidents, and intermittent claudication (IC) were evaluated. All diabetics manifested a decidedly increased incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease regardless of the type of treatment followed. In both sexes, the percent of excess risk was most pronounced for IC. Mean serum cholesterol levels were no higher in diabetic men but were slightly higher in diabetic women than in the total study group. The mean prebeta–lipoprotein fraction in diabetics was substantially elevated in both sexes. Blood pressure was found to be significantly higher than in the population as a whole. Relative weight was also considerably higher in diabetics of both sexes. The abnormal percentage for most parameters in both men and women was higher in diabetics than in the controls, and the disparity tended to be more apparent in women than in men.
Functional Interactions Between MMPs and TGF-β in Normal and Tumor Tissue

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and TGF-β play a crucial role not only in regulating growth and development, tissue maintenance, and wound healing, but also in pathological processes like fibrosis and tumor development, progression, and metastases. Expression and activation of MMPs and TGF-β are tightly regulated. Interestingly, MMPs are involved in proteolytic activation of TGF-β, and TGF-β regulates expression levels in MMPs. Here, we discuss the functional interactions of MMPs and TGF-β in normal and tumor tissues.
Interaction of Pulsed Laser Beams with Solid Surfaces: Laser Heating and Melting

Experiments on laser interaction with solid surfaces have been performed since the development of laser sources. It was readily recognized that heat was efficiently generated within an absorption depth from the surface. In this way extremely high temperature could be generated with little energy, leading to melting, evaporation and ultimately ionization of thin layers. These phenomena are exploited in a great variety of ways in many fields of science and technology. Laser cutting and drilling and surface heat treatment find growing industrial applications. Laser annealing of semiconductors has opened new possibilities in the fabrication of highly controlled high speed electronic components. Rapid resolidification (thermal quenching) after pulsed laser melting of metals and compounds has provided a mean of obtaining new exotic materials. This field of studies has taken full advantage of progress in ultrashort laser pulse generation, high temporal resolution being mandatory in separating these effects occurring in a wide range of time scales.
Concomitant Thyroid Cancer in Patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 Undergoing Surgery for Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Background: Compared to those with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (SPHP), multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (MPHP) typically require more ex...
Fabrication of a myocardial patch with cells differentiated from human-induced pluripotent stem cells.

Abstract The incidence of cardiovascular disease represents a significant and growing health-care challenge to the developed and developing world. The ability of native heart muscle to regenerate in response to myocardial infarct is minimal. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches represent one promising response to this difficulty. Here, we present methods for the construction of a cell-seeded cardiac patch with the potential to promote regenerative outcomes in heart muscle with damage secondary to myocardial infarct. This method leverages iPS cells and a fibrin-based scaffold to create a simple and commercially viable tissue-engineered cardiac patch. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can, in principle, be differentiated into cells of any lineage. However, most of the protocols used to generate hiPSC-derived endothelial cells (ECs) and cardiomyocytes (CMs) are unsatisfactory because the yield and phenotypic stability of the hiPSC-ECs are low, and the hiPSC-CMs are often purified via selection for expression of a promoter-reporter construct. In this chapter, we describe an hiPSC-EC differentiation protocol that generates large numbers of stable ECs and an hiPSC-CM differentiation protocol that does not require genetic manipulation, single-cell selection, or sorting with fluorescent dyes or other reagents. We also provide a simple but effective method that can be used to combine hiPSC-ECs and hiPSC-CMs with hiPSC-derived smooth muscle cells to engineer a contracting patch of cardiac cells.
Repeater-enhanced distributed quantum sensing based on continuous-variable multipartite entanglement

A quantum repeater based on noiseless linear amplifiers is introduced and applied to an entanglement distribution setting used for sensing applications. The enhanced quantum sensor is a concrete application of quantum repeaters and can be implemented with current technology.
Adaptive instruction and learner interactivity in online learning: a randomized trial

The purpose of this study was to evaluate two online instructional design features, namely adaptation to learner prior knowledge and use of questions to enhance interactivity in online portrayals of physician–patient encounters, in the context of instructing surgical specialists to deliver perioperative tobacco interventions. An online learning module on perioperative tobacco control was developed, in formats incorporating permutations of adaptive/non-adaptive and high/low interactivity (i.e., 2 × 2 factorial design). Participants (a national sample of US anesthesiology residents) were randomly assigned to module format. Primary outcomes included tobacco knowledge, time to complete the module, and self-efficacy in delivering tobacco interventions. One hundred fourteen residents completed the module, which required a median of 60 min (interquartile range 49, 138). The difference in post-module tobacco knowledge score was similar for adaptive and non-adaptive formats [mean difference 0.3 of 10 possible (95% CI − 0.3, 1.0), p = 0.25] but time was shorter for the adaptive format [− 7 min (95% CI − 14, 0), p = 0.01] and knowledge efficiency (knowledge score divided by time) was higher [0.08 units (95% 0.03, 0.14), p = 0.004]. The level of interactivity had no significant effect on self-efficacy [− 0.1 on a 5-point scale (95% CI − 0.3, 0.1), p = 0.50] in delivering tobacco interventions (both outcomes using 5-point scales). Adapting online instruction to learners’ prior knowledge appears to improve the efficiency of learning; adaptation should be implemented when feasible. Adding features that encourage learner interaction in an online course does not necessarily improve learning outcomes.
Tofacitinib in the management of active psoriatic arthritis: patient selection and perspectives

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). It provides an alternative option for patients who have had an inadequate response and tolerance to other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). It has demonstrated comparable efficacy to biologics, is effective in the management of treatment resistant disease, and is reported to improve enthesitis, dactylitis, and radiographic progression. Tofacitinib is also associated with an increased risk of serious infections, malignancy, and laboratory abnormalities. There is currently a large armamentarium of therapies for psoriatic arthritis, and choosing among treatments can be challenging. Due to this wide selection, a thorough assessment of psoriatic disease phenotype, patient preference, disease presentation, and comorbidities is critical. This review addresses key considerations in patient selection for the treatment of PsA with tofacitinib.
Research note: Shout-out survey for quantifying reasons for trail use

Abstract Gathering data about why people use greenway trails (e.g., health, recreation, transportation) requires interaction with trail users who typically do not want to stop for a survey; runners and bicyclists are particularly challenging. We placed a series of signs along trails asking users to shout out their answer to a simple question as they passed a surveyor, who also recorded observational data. In a feasibility study along greenway trails in Raleigh, NC, USA, we counted 541 users, 66% of whom shouted out whether they were using the trail for recreation or transportation. Of all users who passed, 45% were on bicycles and 55% on foot. Of those who responded, 11% were using the trail for transportation and 89% for recreation; 86% of transportation users were bicyclists. This method is generalizable and offers a way to collect additional information as individuals pass surveyors who might otherwise collect only observational data.
eVoices: a website supporting outreach by attracting target groups to computer science through culturally relevant themes

A popular approach to introducing students to computer science is to engage middle-school students in fun programming activities. One challenge in such a program is attracting students who are not already positively predisposed to computing. In order to attract a wider audience, we designed and implemented a website that integrates culturally relevant activities to appeal to parents and children of target groups.
Echocardiography reporting of pulmonary hypertension and subsequent referral to a specialty clinic

Introduction Echocardiography is commonly performed in the evaluation of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The report summary often serves to guide the future evaluation of these patients. Our aim was to explore the relationship between the echocardiography reports of patients with PH and referral to a PH specialty clinic. Methods A random sample of 500 echocardiographic reports of patients with an estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) greater than 40 mm Hg between 2006 and 2014 was selected from the institutional database of a single academic center. Referral to the PH clinic was determined by evaluating the electronic medical record. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify characteristics associated with referral. Results Pulmonary hypertension was mentioned in 31% of the report summaries, and only 4.6% were referred to the PH clinic. Variables associated with referral were younger age, indication for echocardiography, higher right atrial and ventricular (RV) systolic pressures, RV dilatation, mention of PH in the summary, and higher left ventricular ejection fraction. Mention of PH in the summary was the variable most strongly associated with referral (adjusted odds ratio 4.6, 95% CI 1.5-14.2). Conclusion Pulmonary hypertension was infrequently mentioned in the summary of echocardiography reports of patients with RVSP >40 mm Hg. Referral to the PH clinic was rare but occurred more often following the mention of PH in the summary. Explicit mention of the presence of PH in the echocardiography report summary may facilitate referral to a specialty clinic and allow more comprehensive evaluation of PH.
Team-based suicide prevention: lessons learned from early adopters of collaborative care

Suicide prevention in clinical settings requires coordination among multiple clinicians with expertise in different disciplines. We aimed to understand the benefits and challenges of a team approach to suicide prevention in primary care, with a particular focus on Veterans. The Veterans Health Administration has both a vested interest in preventing suicide and it has rapidly and systematically adopted team-based approaches for primary care interventions, including suicide prevention. We conducted eight focus groups and eight in-depth interviews with primary care providers (PCPs), behavioral health providers and nurses located in six regions within one Veterans Administration Catchment Area in the northeast of the US. Transcripts were analyzed using simultaneous deductive and inductive content analysis. Findings revealed that different clinicians were thought to have particular expertise and roles. Nurses were recognized as being well positioned to identify subtle changes in patient behavior that could put patients at risk for suicide; behavioral health providers were recognized for their skill in suicide risk assessment; and PCPs were felt to be an integral conduit between needed services and treatment. Our findings suggest that clinician role-differentiation may be an important by-product of team-based suicide prevention efforts in VHA settings. We contextualize our findings within both a processual and relational interprofessional framework and discuss implications for the implementation of team-based suicide prevention.
Relative Strategic Variance Analysis: The Case of American Airlines

A Strategic Variance Analysis (SVA) is a management tool used to establish reasons for differences in a firm’s operating income between two time periods – reasons that may not always be apparent from the financial statements. SVA allows management to determine, in the form of performance variances, changes in operating income resulting from changes in sales volume, sales prices, unit costs per unit of activity, productivity and capacity utilization. An SVA of American Airlines’ 2009 results, as compared to its 2008 results, reveals improvements in operating income of $891 million. Specifically, the results reveal that American Airlines reduced its sales volume, reduced its ticket prices, reduced its unit costs per unit of activity, improved its productivity and reduced its level of capacity underutilization. While this is important information for American Airlines’ management to evaluate the impact of its strategic initiatives and gauge progress in meeting performance goals, it lacks a competitive perspective. Relative Strategy Variance Analysis (RSVA) provides such a competitive perspective. It allows firms to examine how the specific performance variances determined in an SVA compare with those of its industry by allowing firms to identify whether these performance variances are driven by industry effects or firm-specific effects. RSVA is most useful in situations where firms are altering their competitive strategy positions (launching new products or services, changing pricing, reducing input costs, altering production to improve efficiency) in an environment where competitors are making similar strategic changes. Individual competitors can use RSVA to understand how their performance improvements compare with those of the general industry. An RSVA of American Airlines reveals that the 2009 improvement of $891 million actually represents a favorable industry effect of $1.2 billion, i.e., American Airlines’ 2009 improvement would have been $1.2 billion if it had matched industry performance. Its firm-specific effect was an unfavorable $296 million, i.e., American Airlines 2009 operating income, after considering industry effects, actually declined by $296 million. More specifically, the RSVA reveals that, American Airlines, as compared to its industry, reduced its sales volume more, reduced its ticket prices less, reduced its unit costs per unit of activity less, increased its productivity less and reduced its level of capacity underutilization less. Hence, American Airlines’ RSVA provides an almost diametrically opposite picture from the one provided by its SVA, one that is important in managing its strategy for the future.
Using Video Telehealth to Deliver Patient-Centered Collaborative Care: The G-IMPACT Pilot

Objectives: This pilot project aimed to explore a new model of healthcare delivery to older adult medically complex Veterans by combining telehealth technology with an interdisciplinary medical tea...
In unprotected left main CAD, revascularization with PCI and DES increased risk for MACCE vs CABG at 5 years

Source Citation Holm NR, Makikallio T, Lindsay MM, et al. Percutaneous coronary angioplasty versus coronary artery bypass grafting in the treatment of unprotected left main stenosis: updated 5-year...
SPRINTing to Innovation: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Strategic Approach to Discovering Its Untapped Innovation Potential.

Problem There is a clear and urgent need for health care innovation in the United States. Hospital employees routinely recognize pain points that affect care delivery and are in a unique position to propose innovative and practical solutions, yet leaders rarely solicit ideas for investment and development from frontline providers and staff, revealing an untapped resource with innovation potential. Approach To address these deficiencies, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) expanded its innovation infrastructure with the competition-based SPRINT program in 2015. All hospital employees are encouraged to apply with early stage innovative ideas, and if selected, are provided with business, legal, technical, and scientific project management support to help accelerate their projects toward commercial viability. SPRINT was modeled around 4 core tenets: (1) small, dynamic, and attentive project manager-led teams; (2) low barriers to entry; (3) emphasis on outreach; and (4) fostering innovators. Outcomes Over its first 4 cycles from 2015 to 2018, 271 innovative teams applied to the SPRINT program, which led to support for 30 projects (11% acceptance rate). About a quarter of the projects each year were submitted by physician-led teams (mean 23%), a third by non-physician clinical providers (mean 33%), and almost half were submitted by employees without direct patient contact (mean 44%). Nurses have emerged as the largest applicant group. Eleven of the SPRINT supported projects (37%) resulted in commercial endpoints. Next steps SPRINT has proven to be an effective model for supporting institution-wide, employee-driven health care innovation, especially among frontline clinical and non-clinical personnel. Critical next steps for the program include a formal cost-benefit analysis and the earlier participation of technology transfer and intellectual property experts to improve the commercialization roadmap for many SPRINT projects.
Feeding Students During COVID-19-Related School Closures: A Nationwide Assessment of Initial Responses.

Abstract Objective To conduct a nationwide assessment of child nutrition administrative agencies’ responses to meal service provision during coronavirus disease 2019–related school closures. Design Systematic coding of government websites (February–May 2020) regarding school meal provision in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia, 5 US territories, and the US Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Education. Participants All US jurisdictions (N = 57). Variables Measured Seven coding criteria were established to assess the strengths and weaknesses of jurisdictions’ responses derived from emergency declarations, school closure announcements, and government websites on emergency school meals. Analysis Descriptive analyses. Results Most jurisdictions mentioned school meal provisions in school closure announcements (76.4%), provided easily interpretable information and/or maps about meal sites (57.9%), and included detailed information about school meal provisions in their coronavirus disease 2019 landing webpages (n = 26, 51%). Fewer provided updated and comprehensive implementation guidance (39.3%), referenced school closures in emergency declarations (37.5%), had clear communication/outreach to families (21.4%), or partnered with antihunger organizations (11.6%). Conclusions and Implications Understanding initial jurisdictions’ approaches are critical to current and future emergency planning during school closures and reopening to help address food insecurity better, limit disease transmission, and prevent health disparities, particularly among at-risk populations.
The Case Against Christianity

“The Case Against Christianity” In this chapter, Lorkowski draws out significant difficulties that are unique to Christianity. In so doing, the author furthers the cause of tolerance in the United States by emphasizing that its most dominant religion is also one of the most problematic. The author first presents the tenets of Christianity in their most general terms before addressing four major problems that directly stem from these tenets: the simultaneous appropriation and rejection of Jewish texts and teachings, the assembly of the Christian canon from multiple, opposed sources that cultivate contradiction, the challenge and potential incoherence of the Trinity, and the radical injustice that serves as the basis for Christian Christology.
Preliminary Injunction Standards in Massachusetts State and Federal Courts

Concurrent jurisdiction frequently allows attorneys the choice of filing a complaint in state or federal court. State courts presumptively have jurisdiction over claims rooted in federal law. At times, state courts are required to entertain federal claims. Similarly, federal courts have authority over state claims because of diversity, federal question, and supplemental jurisdiction. Many claims are rooted in both state and federal law, such as antitrust, civil rights, environmental, consumer protection, and civil liberties. Confronted with the choice of state or federal court, the attorney must evaluate a variety of factors before deciding in which court to file.In a civil action where the plaintiff seeks a preliminary injunction, the selection of a state or federal court may determine the success of the motion for temporary relief. The reason is simple: state and federal courts frequently apply differing standards to such preliminary motions. Massachusetts state and federal courts apply different standards, although some courts have indicated to the contrary. In the federal courts, the matter of differing standards is compounded by the complex Erie/Hanna doctrine. State courts may be similarly bound by the much less well known "reverse-Erie" doctrine. Consequently, the Massachusetts federal and state courts may be required to apply state standards to state claims and federal standards to federal claims.This Article explores the standards for preliminary injunctions in Massachusetts state and federal courts, and the intricacies that attend their application. Part I provides background for the examination of state and federal standards. Part II addresses the criteria for temporary relief in the Massachusetts state courts, while Part III reviews the comparable standards in the Massachusetts federal courts. Part IV inquires into the Erie/Hanna doctrine as it applies to preliminary relief in the federal courts. The Article concludes with the Author's observations about the issues raised.
What's in a face? The role of facial features in ratings of dominance, threat, and stereotypicality.

Faces judged as stereotypically Black are perceived negatively relative to less stereotypical faces. In this experiment, artificial faces were constructed to examine the effects of nose width, lip fullness, and skin reflectance, as well as to study the relations among perceived dominance, threat, and Black stereotypicality. Using a multilevel structural equation model to isolate contributions of the facial features and the participant demographics, results showed that stereotypicality was related to wide nose, darker reflectance, and to a lesser extent full lips; threat was associated with wide nose, thin lips, and low reflectance; dominance was mainly related to nose width. Facial features explained variance among faces, suggesting that face-type bias in this sample was related to specific face features rather than particular characteristics of the participant. People’s perceptions of relations across these traits may underpin some of the sociocultural disparities in treatment of certain individuals by the legal system.
Multidisciplinary Agricultural Study Abroad in Uruguay

One of the key advantages of study abroad programs is the students’ exposure to a range of new experiences. Though these experiences often occur within the context of the culture of the country they are visiting, economics students can benefit from programs that result from collaboration with other academic disciplines. The University of Georgia’s International Agribusiness in Diversified Livestock and Grain Production program is a collaboration between the Animal & Dairy Science and Agricultural Economics departments. Over 8 days, students traveled the country learning about business practices, production techniques, return on investment, and trade policy from the perspective of a small, exporting country.
Stimulation of the neutral activity of rabbit liver fructose 1,6-diphosphatase by fatty acids.

Various fatty acids markedly stimulated rabbit liver fructose 1,6-diphosphatase neutral activity. Oleate was the most effective both in terms of Ka and Vmax. The 10-fold activation of the enzyme by rabbit liver pH 6 precipitate can be completely accounted for by the free fatty acids found in such preparations.
pH (Low) Insertion Peptide targets 4T1 mammary tumors

Malignant tumors exhibit elevated uptake and use of glucose, as well as metabolite buildup and hypoxia due to inadequate blood supply, leading to tumor acidosis. The extracellular acidity is linked to tumor progression. The most effective pH-sensitive tumor targeting agents should sense pH at the surface of cancer cells, where it is expected to be the lowest. pHLIPs® (pH (Low) Insertion Peptides) belong to the class of pH-sensitive agents capable of delivering imaging and/or therapeutic agents to cancer cells within tumors. Here, we investigated targeting of highly metastatic 4T1 mammary tumors in BALB/c mice with three Alexa546 labeled pHLIP variants including well-characterized WT-pHLIP and, recently introduced, Var3- and Var7-pHLIPs.
The economic report of the president: An analysis

Abstract The Economic Report of the President grew out of the Employment Act of 1946 and represents a significant attempt at national economic planning. It is comprised of three parts: “The Economic Report of the President” proper, “The Annual Report of the Council of Economic Advisers,” and the Statistical Appendix. This article reviews the origins and evolution of The Report , analyzes the format and contents, and discusses some of the major controversies surrounding its purpose and usefulness.
Sharing Responsibility for Product Recovery Across the Supply Chain

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs typically hold the producer—a single actor defined by the regulator—responsible for the environmental impacts of end-of-life products. This is despite emphasis on the need to involve all actors in the supply chain in order to best achieve the aims of EPR. In this paper, we examine the economic and environmental implications of product recovery mandates and shared responsibility within a supply chain. We use a two-echelon model consisting of a supplier and a manufacturer to determine the impacts of product collection and recycling mandates on the incentive to recycle and resulting profits in the integrated and decentralized supply chains. For the decentralized supply chain, we demonstrate how the sharing of responsibility for product recovery between the echelons can improve total supply chain profit and suggest a contract menu that can Pareto-improve profits. To examine both the economic and environmental performance associated with responsibility sharing, we propose a social welfare construct that includes supply chain profit, consumer surplus, and the externalities associated with virgin material extraction, product consumption, and disposal of nonrecycled products. Using a numerical example, we discuss how responsibility sharing may or may not improve social welfare. The results of this paper are of value to firms either anticipating or subject to product recovery legislation, and to social planners that attempt to balance economic and environmental impacts and ensure fairness of such legislation.
Percutaneous computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteomas

Twenty-one consecutive patients with osteoid osteoma treated with computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation, after failed conservative treatment, were retrospectively reviewed. The diagnosis was based on typical clinical and imaging features. Radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteomas was undertaken by heating the tip of the electrode to 90°C for three sessions of 2 min each. Follow-up evaluation included clinical examination and questionnaire, and radiographic evaluation was conducted on the first month, 12th month, and at the latest examination. Within the first 24 h post-procedure, pain was improved in all patients. Seven patients had pain relief within the first 3 days, 11 patients within the first week, and 3 patients within 2 weeks post-procedure. A month after the procedure, no patient had difficulty regarding self-care and daily activities. At a mean follow-up of 29 months (range 12–60 months), early or late complications and signs of local recurrence were not observed.
War on Terrorism: Self Defense, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the Legality of U.S. Drone Attacks in Pakistan

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 77 I. INTERNATIONAL LAW GOVERNING THE USE OF FORCE IN SELF DEFENSE AND THE U.S. WAR IN AFGHANISTAN 88 A. International Law of Self Defense and Terrorism 88 B. The Legality of U.S. Attacks on Afghanistan 101 II. OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN: ISAF AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM 108 III. THE LEGALITY OF U.S. DRONE ATTACKS IN PAKISTAN 113 A. Justifications for the Drone Attacks in Relation to the Right of Self Defense 115 B. U.S. Drone Attacks in Pakistan and the Customary International Law of Self Defense 122 CONCLUSION 127
Opposition and Circularity

From the middle of the twentieth century contradictory logics have been growing in number, scope, and applications. These are logics which allow for some propositions to be true and false at the same time within a given formal system. From psychology to physics one finds many examples of areas of the mind and of physical reality which exhibit an unmistakable degree of antinomicity. Quantum mechanics is a prime example. Now, it is commonly thought that antinomies depend essentially of negation. This is not so. In fact, there are many antinomies whose contradictory character is created by the fusing of opposite assertions into one. Indeed, antinomicity should be considered an instance of the more general notion of opposition. A logic of opposition is essential to deal with this general case.
Engineering chemically modified viruses for prostate cancer cell recognition

Specific detection of circulating tumor cells and characterization of their aggressiveness could improve cancer diagnostics and treatment. Metastasis results from such tumor cells, and causes the majority of cancer deaths. Chemically modified viruses could provide an inexpensive and efficient approach to detect tumor cells and quantitate their cell surface biomarkers. However, non-specific adhesion between the cell surface receptors and the virus surface presents a challenge. This report describes wrapping the virus surface with different PEG architectures, including as fusions to oligolysine, linkers, spacers and scaffolded ligands. The reported PEG wrappers can reduce by >75% the non-specific adhesion of phage to cell surfaces. Dynamic light scattering verified the non-covalent attachment by the reported wrappers as increased sizes of the virus particles. Further modifications resulted in specific detection of prostate cancer cells expressing PSMA, a key prostate cancer biomarker. The approach allowed quantification of PSMA levels on the cell surface, and could distinguish more aggressive forms of the disease.
The uncertainties associated with Rydberg atom based electric field measurements

In recent work we have demonstrated a fundamentally new approach for electric (E) field measurements (Holloway et al., IEEE Trans on AP 12, 6169–6182, 2014; Sedlacek et al., Nature Phys, 8, 819, 2012). The new approach is based on the interaction of RF-fields with Rydberg atoms, where alkali atoms are excited optically to Rydberg states and the applied RF-field alters the resonant state of the atoms. For this technique, the Rydberg atoms are placed in a glass vapor cell. This vapor cell acts like an RF-to-optical transducer, converting an RF E-field to an optical frequency response. The approach utilizes the concept of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), where the RF transition in the four-level atomic system causes a split of the transition spectrum for the probe laser. This splitting is easily measured and is directly proportional to the applied RF field amplitude (through Planks constant and the dipole moment of the atom). Therefore, by measuring this splitting we get a direct measurement of the RF E-field strength. The significant dipole response of Rydberg atoms over the GHz regime indicates that this technique can be used for traceable measurements over a large frequency band including 1 GHz to 500 GHz (Holloway et al., IEEE Trans on AP 12, 6169–6182, 2014). The new approach has several benefits over existing techniques, including, 1) a direct SI units linked E-field measurement, 2) a self-calibrating measurement due to atomic resonances, 3) a technique that is independent of current approaches, 4) a very small spatial resolution: optical fiber and chip-scale, and 5) a technique with vastly improved sensitivity and dynamic range over current E-field methods.
A Modified Perfectly Matched Layer Implementation for Use in Electromagnetic PIC Codes

A modification to the Berenger perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary condition that allows it to be used in particle-in-cell applications where the primary power flow through the boundary is due to electromagnetic radiation is presented. Instead of modeling particles within the PML, a term is introduced which diffuses charge conservation errors arising from the removal of particles incident on the PML to the outer boundary. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the algorithm.
Effect of ligand binding on the tryptic digestion pattern of rat brain hexokinase: relationship of ligand-induced conformational changes to catalytic and regulatory functions.

Abstract The Type I isozyme of rat hexokinase (ATP: d -hexose 6-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.1) is comprised of N- and C-terminal domains, associated with regulatory and catalytic functions, respectively. Extensive sequence similarity between the domains is consistent with evolution of the enzyme by gene duplication and fusion. Cleavage at tryptic sites located in the C-terminal domain is markedly sensitive to ligands present during digestion, while analogous sites in the N-terminal domain are either resistant to trypsin or unaffected by the presence of ligands. These results imply a lack of structural equivalence between the N- and C-terminal domains, with the overall structure of the N-terminal domain being “tighter” and with a major component of ligand-induced conformational changes being focused in the C-terminal domain. Based on a previously proposed structure for brain hexokinase, protection by substrate hexoses is attributed to substrate-induced closing of a cleft in the C-terminal domain. Similar protection at C-terminal cleavage sites results from binding of inhibitory hexose-6-phosphates to the N-terminal domain. In addition, hexose-6-phosphates evoke cleavage at a site, T 5 , located in a region that has been associated with binding of ATP to the C-terminal domain. Thus, alterations in this region, coupled with reduced accessibility resulting from cleft closure, may account for the mutually exclusive binding of inhibitory hexose-6-phosphates and substrate ATP. In the absence of Mg 2+ , all nucleoside triphosphates examined (ATP, UTP, CTP, and GTP) protected against digestion by trypsin. In contrast, ATP-Mg 2+ stabilized the C-terminal domain but destabilized the N-terminal domain, while the chelated forms of the other nucleoside triphosphates were similar to the unchelated forms in their effect on proteolysis; the unique response to ATP-Mg 2+ reflects the specificity for ATP as a substrate.
Bovine regional brain blood flow during sojourn at a simulated altitude of 3500 m

Abstract Regional distribution of brain blood flow (15 μm diameter radionuclide labelled micropheres injected into the left atrium) was studied in 6 unanesthetized calves during the 7th–8th weeks of exposure to a simulated altitude of 3500 m (PB = 500 m Hg). Measurements were made during chronic hypoxemia (PaO2 = 48 ± 1 mm Hg) and acute normoxemia (PaO2 = 91 ± 1 mm Hg). Five calves, born and raised at sea level, were also studied in a similar manner during normoxemia (PaO2 = 86 ± 2 mm Hg) and at 12 and 22 min of acute hypoxemia (PaO2 = 49 ± 1 mm Hg) to serve as controls. Acute hypoxemia in sea level calves resulted in a marked uniform increase in blood flow to all regions of the brain and the brain O2 delivery remained similar to its normoxemic value. By comparison, however, blood flow in all regions of the brain in calves sojourning at 3500 m remained unchanged between hypoxemia and normoxemia. In these calves brain O2 delivery decreased during hypoxemia. These experiments demonstrated that blood flow in the bovine brain-stem and cerebellum behaved in the same manner as in the cerebrum during exposure to acute as well as chronic hypoxia. It is suggested that there are likely to be differences in adaptation of bovine cerebral circulation to acute vs chronic hypoxia.
A comparison of five diagnostic systems for childhood schizophrenia and infantile autism.

Five diagnostic systems designed to differentiate infantile autism and early childhood schizophrenia were compared by deriving scores on 44 children referred consecutively to the same clinical center. While the autistic scales devised by Rimland, Polan and Spencer, Lotter, and the British Working Party correlated significantly, the degree of correspondence (35%) indicated that several children obtained high autistic scores in one system but low scores in another. The BWP's term “schizophrenia” has more correspondence with the term “autism” used by others than with Rimland's “schizophrenia.” In the DeMyer-Churchill categorical system (early schizophrenia, primary autism, secondary autism, and non-psychotic subnormal), “primary autism” most resembles Rimland's concept of infantile autism as measured by his E-1 version. All other systems differentiate psychotic from non-psychotic children but do not distinguish any of the psychotic subgroups.
Long wavelength perturbations and excitations at surfaces

Andre Blandin and I had been close frieds since the early 1960's and his death, following many very difficult years, is a deep personal loss for me. We had several strong common scientific interests which I enjoyed very much discussing with him : the effects of impurities on nuclear magnetic resonance; the electronic structure of alloys; and the theory of surfaces. I am pleased, as a tribute to the memory of a uniquely humane person and of a brilliant scientist to offer this paper.
Response Bounds for Damped Linear Mechanical Systems Under Prescribed Motion

In earlier investigations, the author used extensions of two theorems of G. Strang to derive bounds on the displacements of a symmetric damped linear mechanical system subject to prescribed periodic forces. This work is extended in the current investigation to obtain bounds under prescribed periodic motions. For prescribed periodic forces, the bounds were expressed in terms of the extreme eigenvalues of several symmetric, positive definite matrices. In contrast, in the current case the bounds also depend on several nonsymmetric matrices. The bounds under prescribed motion are evaluated in an example and comparison is made with an exact result. The results reported here are new.
The Faltering Marketing Concept

Companies professing to be “customer-oriented” are under attack. Have they erred in implementing the marketing concept or has it faltered? The authors suggest that the traditional marketing concept...
Q192R polymorphism of the paraoxanase 1 gene and its association with serum lipoprotein variables and carotid artery intima-media thickness in young adults from a biracial community. The Bogalusa Heart Study.

Abstract Paraoxanase (PON 1), a high-density lipoprotein-associated enzyme, exerts an antiatherogenic effect by protecting low-density lipoproteins (LDL) against oxidation. A common polymorphism at codon 192(Q/R) of the PON 1 gene has been shown to be associated with an adverse lipoprotein profile and increased coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. However, these observations are based mostly on case-control studies involving relatively older adults. This study examined the frequency and phenotypic (lipoprotein variables) effect of the Q192R variant in a community-based sample of 1786 black and white young adults (mean age: 32.5 years; 69% white, 44% males). In addition, the genotypic effect of this polymorphism on ultrasonographically measured carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), a surrogate measure of CAD risk, was examined in a subsample of 436 young adults (mean age: 32.6 years; 70% white, 42% male). The frequency of the variant allele (R192) was higher in blacks than in whites (0.668 versus 0.297, P P = 0.041), whereas the opposite was true in blacks ( P = 0.008). Neither the Q nor the R allele was associated with LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in both races. The genotypic effect on the carotid IMT adjusted for the covariates including lipoprotein variables was not apparent in whites or blacks. However, among whites, the carotid IMT was lower in carriers (QR + R) versus non-carriers (QQ) of the variant allele among females ( P = 0.008) and non-smokers ( P = 0.026). In addition, the variant allele negated the adverse positive relationship between the carotid IMT and triglycerides among whites ( P = 0.212 for carriers versus P
Distally Based Flaps for Skin Coverage of the Foot and Ankle

Skin loss about the foot and ankle is notorious for creating a difficult challenge for limb salvage. Local tissue rearrangements rarely prove satisfactory, so a free flap as a solution can be readily justified. Distally based flaps utilizing unviolated ipsilateral proximal lower limb donor territories offer new possibilities in lieu of the complexity of microsurgery. Yet some unique disadvantages must be acknowledged particularly for island flaps, depending on retrograde circulation via major collateral source vessels, where venous congestion can occur and risk of limb devascularization may be unacceptable. Antegrade perfused, distally based flaps nourished by a single septocutaneous perforator or communicating branches may be more reliable options. This introduction to these three potential types of distally based lower extremity flaps is intended to promote this concept with appropriate reservations as another relatively simple alternative for wound coverage in the lower extremity.