cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ray Specialized Contraction on Bounding Volume Hierarchies

In this paper we propose a simple but effective method to modify a BVH based on ray distribution for improved ray tracing performance. Our method starts with an initial BVH generated by any state-of-the-art offline algorithm. Then by traversing a small set of sample rays we collect statistics at each node of the BVH. Finally, a simple but ultra-fast BVH contraction algorithm modifies the initial binary BVH to a multi-way BVH. The overall acceleration for ray-primitive testing is about 25% for incoherent diffuse rays and 30% for shadow rays, which is significant as a data structure optimization. Similar results are also presented for packet ray tracing, and for Quad-BVHs the improvement is 10% to 15%. The approach has the advantages of being simple, and compatible with almost any existing BVH and ray tracing techniques, and it require very little extra work to generate the modified tree.
Persistence and Decline: Slave Labour and Sugar Production in the Bahian Recôncavo, 1850–1888

Focusing on the last decades before abolition (1888), this study examines slave labour and sugar production in the Bahian Reconcavo in Northeastern Brazil, one of the oldest slaveholding regions in the Americas. It demonstrates the marked contrast between the Reconcavo and the other main sugar-producing areas of Northeastern Brazil. In Bahia, the years 1850–88 did not witness an increase in sugar exports; on the contrary, exports stagnated and then, with abolition, suffered a nearly complete collapse. Furthermore, sugar planters in the Reconcavo, unlike other Northeastern planters, relied overwhelmingly on slave labour until the very eve of abolition. The study suggests that the explanation for the contrast between the Reconcavo and other Northeastern sugar regions lies in alternatives to sugar production for a significant segment of the planter class and in alternatives to work on sugar plantations for a substantial part of the poor free population in the Reconcavo.
Preventing equivalence attacks in updated, anonymized data

In comparison to the extensive body of existing work considering publish-once, static anonymization, dynamic anonymization is less well studied. Previous work, most notably m-invariance, has made considerable progress in devising a scheme that attempts to prevent individual records from being associated with too few sensitive values. We show, however, that in the presence of updates, even an m-invariant table can be exploited by a new type of attack we call the “equivalence-attack.” To deal with the equivalence attack, we propose a graph-based anonymization algorithm that leverages solutions to the classic “min-cut/max-flow” problem, and demonstrate with experiments that our algorithm is efficient and effective in preventing equivalence attacks.
Posterior tibial tendinitis. A literature review with case reports

Overuse posterior tibial tendinitis is caused by the increased stress placed on the tendon as it tries to compensate for the increased subtalar joint pronatory movement and velocity during physical activity. The stress can cause microtrauma and rupture of some of the fibers of the tendon. This leads to an inflammatory process and the classical clinical signs and symptoms. Therapy is directed at reducing the inflammation, minimizing the fibrosis buildup, re-strengthening the weakened tissue, and controlling the pronatory force. The two case reports illustrate typical clinical signs, symptoms, and treatment for this injury.
The economics of cybersecurity: Principles and policy options

Economics puts the challenges facing cybersecurity into perspective better than a purely technical approach does. Systems often fail because the organizations that defend them do not bear the full costs of failure. For instance, companies operating critical infrastructures have integrated control systems with the Internet to reduce near-term, measurable costs while raising the risk of catastrophic failure, whose losses will be primarily borne by society. As long as anti-virus software is left to individuals to purchase and install, there may be a less than optimal level of protection when infected machines cause trouble for other machines rather than their owners. In order to solve the problems of growing vulnerability and increasing crime, policy and legislation must coherently allocate responsibilities and liabilities so that the parties in a position to fix problems have an incentive to do so. In this paper, we outline the various economic challenges plaguing cybersecurity in greater detail: misaligned incentives, information asymmetries and externalities. We then discuss the regulatory options that are available to overcome these barriers in the cybersecurity context: ex ante safety regulation, ex post liability, information disclosure, and indirect intermediary liability. Finally, we make several recommendations for policy changes to improve cybersecurity: mitigating malware infections via ISPs by subsidized cleanup, mandatory disclosure of fraud losses and security incidents, mandatory disclosure of control system incidents and intrusions, and aggregating reports of cyber espionage and reporting to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Evaluation of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining to delineate rat brain infarcts.

Accurate and reproducible determination of the size and location of cerebral infarcts is critical for the evaluation of experimental focal cerebral ischemia. The purpose of this study was to compare intracardiac perfusion of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride with immersion of brain tissue in 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride to delineate brain infarcts in rats.After 6, 24, or 48 hours of ischemia induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion, some rats were perfused with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride; other rats were given an overdose of barbiturates, after which brain sections were immersed in 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. Coronal sections were taken 4, 6, and 8 mm from the frontal pole, and infarct areas in perfused and immersed sections were compared; subsequently, the same sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin.In rats subjected to 24 or 48 hours of occlusion, areas of infarction were clearly defined with both 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining techniques, ...
NMR measurement of intracellular water volume in rat kidney proximal tubules.

Knowledge of cell water volume is essential for the measurement of concentrations of intracellular ions and metabolites in kidney proximal tubules. We have developed a method which utilizes 35Cl-NMR as a measure of extracellular volume and 2H-NMR, in combination with a membrane-impermeable shift-reagent [Dy-DTPA]2−, as a measure of the ratio of intra- and extracellular water volumes. Measurement of extracellular volume by 35Cl-NMR is possible, since the resonance of intracellular 35Cl is too broad to be detectable in kidney cells. The 2H-NMR measurement exploits the fact that only extracellular water is in direct contact with [Dy-DTPA]2−. However, rapid exchange of water across the cell membrane results in only a single 2H2O resonance at a chemical shift which is a weighted average of the shifted extra- and unshifted intracellular water resonances. Expression of the extracellular volume as a fraction of the total volume by fCl and as a fraction of the total water-volume by fD, permits the calculation of the fractional cell-water content fw = [(1fD) − 1][(1fC1) − 1]. This approach was applied to proximal tubular suspensions prepared from the rat kidney. The water content was found to be 76.9±1.8% (n = 6) at 37°C. Increasing extracellular osmolality from 295 to 390 mOsm/kg H2O, by addition of mannitol, decreased the water content by 21%. Our results are in good agreement with those obtained by the gravimetric method.
Overview of the NASA-sponsored HSCT propulsion system studies

A brief overview of the NASA-sponsored HSCT propulsion system studies is presented that includes objectives, approach, schedules, and a summary of interim results highlighting the NASA in-house studies. Seven propulsion system concepts have been considered to date and comparatively evaluated on a first-order basis using takeoff gross weight (TOGW) as the main discriminator. Only two concepts have been screened out thus far and it is apparent that TOGW is not a strong discriminator. However, the first-order screening process did not account for differences in propulsion installation effects or climb-noise suppression penalties-both of which may strongly influence the screening process.
Effects of Performance Measure Preference and Choice on Intrinsic Incentives

This study contributes to the accounting literature by providing theory and evidence on how the performance measurement process influences subordinate’s intrinsic incentives. The study investigates competing theories concerned with the research question of how subordinate’s performance measure preference and superior’s performance measure choice influence subordinate’s intrinsic bonus and penalty incentives associated with favorable performance outcomes. This study uses a field experiment and a behavioral economic method to control extrinsic incentives and to monetize the intrinsic incentive. Performance measure preference and choice are found to interactively influence intrinsic bonus and penalty incentives in a way that is consistent with self-determination theory and the enabling and coercive roles of accounting but not with attribution theory. Subsequent analysis reveals performance measure preference and choice influence intrinsic incentives by influencing subject’s sense of personal agency and skill but not by providing information or reducing uncertainty.
Calculating grid partitioning costs of distributed virtual world simulation systems

Designing high fidelity and scalable distributed virtual environments remains a major challenge. Concurrent users, scene complexity and fidelity of user interaction are affected when computational resources become saturated because of high network traffic and heavy CPU load. Previous work dedicated to dynamic load balancing attempt to solve resource allocation based on avatar count and activity by developing load balancing policies that distribute server load by reassigning avatars to evenly distribute computational load. The efficient assignment of the system resources based on workload is considered a partitioning problem. Few studies have focused on developing cost models for the partitioning problem beyond avatar position and movement or from real world performance. In our research we have found that there is a difference in performance and CPU load between simulated agents (bots) and actual user controlled agents (avatars) not specifically related to agent count. In this paper we focus on presenting a cost model based on simulator specific factors that impact simulation performance using the OpenSimulator framework.
THE INTERIOR SEMISPECIES OF DROSOPHILA PAULISTORUM.

The semispecies of Drosophila paulistorum show a marked, though incomplete, reproductive isolation from each other. Ethological isolation impedes their intercrossing, but when hybrids are produced the females are fertile while the males are completely sterile (Dobzhansky et al., 1969, and earlier works referred to in that paper). The semispecies are practically indistinguishable morphologically (Pasteur, 1970), but do differ in the gene arrangements in some of their chromosomes (Kastritsis, 1966, 1967, 1969). The semispecies described in the publications referred to above are the Andean, Amazonian, Orinocan, Centroamerican, and a complex of populations designated the Transitional. A new semispecies, Interior, is described in the present article. The accumulated data on the geographic distribution of the semispecies will be reported in a separate publication.
Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade

From his looting of farmhouses during the Gettysburg campaign and robbing of fallen Union soldiers as opportunity allowed to his five arrests for infractions of military discipline and numerous unapproved leaves, John O. Casler’s actions during the Civil War made him as much a rogue as a Rebel. Though he was no model soldier, his forthright confessions of his service years in the Army of Northern Virginia stand among the most sought after and cited accounts by a Confederate soldier. First published in 1893 and significantly revised and expanded in 1906, Casler’s Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade recounts the truths of camp life, marches, and combat. Moreover, Casler’s recollections provide an unapologetic view of the effects of the harsh life in Stonewall’s ranks on an average foot soldier and his fellows. A native of Gainesboro, Virginia, with an inherent wanderlust and thirst for adventure, Casler enlisted in June 1861 in what became Company A, 33rd Virginia Infantry, and participated in major campaigns throughout the conflict, including Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Captured in February 1865, he spent the final months of the war as a prisoner at Fort McHenry, Maryland. His postwar narrative recalls the realities of warfare for the private soldier, the moral ambiguities of thievery and survival at the front, and the deliberate cruelties of capture and imprisonment with the vivid detail, straightforward candor, and irreverent flair for storytelling that have earned Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade its place in the first rank of primary literature of the Confederacy. This edition features a new introduction by Robert K. Krick chronicling Casler’s origins and his careers after the war as a writer and organizer of Confederate veterans groups.
Use of the Surgeon Generals Report on Physical Activity and Health among CHES

Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to determine awareness and use of the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health (SGR) among Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES). A secondary purpose was to determine whether use of the SGR varied by physical activity level of the respondents. A total of 540 CHES completed a survey that included open- and closed-ended items regarding their awareness and use of the SGR and questions about their participation in physical activity. Twenty-five incomplete surveys were excluded from analyses, which resulted in a final sample of 515. The majority of CHES (78.3%, n = 403) had heard of the SGR. Of the 403 who were aware of the report, 52.8% (n = 208) had used the information from the report in their work setting. In addition, CHES who engaged in regular vigorous physical activity were more likely to use the report in their work setting than less active CHES (χ2 = 15.39, df = 3, p = .002). It is encouraging that a large number of CHES are using...
Resistance situation of Blattella germanica on railway passenger train

Objective To understand and control the resistance of Blattella germanica on the railway passenger train and provide evidence for reasonable usage of insecticide to overcome resistance. Methods Residual smearing and contacting method to measure drug-resistance. Results On passenger train of different region Blattella germanica had different drug-resistant levels to 3 kinds of insecticides:beta-cypermethrin(2.10～3.65)deltamethrin(1.85～2.87)propoxur(1.25～1.60). Conclusion The passenger train is a special place where crowd come together.It is necessary to master cockroaches resistance to different insecticide on different passenger train,and on this basis,to work out intergrated pest management strategy.
A Discussion on the Concept of Elctronic Energy Meter's Life

Life is a significant technical indicator for elctronic energy meter.The concept of electronic energy meter' s life is discussed based on its reliability characteristics and failure distribution.Then rational indicator inflecting the minmum quality assurance life is given in this paper.In the end,three methods including field data statistical analysis,accelerated life test and reliability prediction,are put forward to evaluate the life distribution of electronic energy meter.
Type II diabetes: some problems in diagnosis and treatment.

Radical changes in the diagnostic criteria for type II diabetes have coincided with major revisions in management, particularly with respect to diet. Inevitably, when dogmas that have dominated medical thinking for decades are challenged, the changes in approach will confuse many patients. A typical case illustrates some of the pitfalls in dietary management.
Exploiting Organizational Culture: Configurations for Value through Knowledge Worker's Motivation

Abstract In today's information-driven economy, business leaders agree that an organization's culture can motivate workers to create organizational value. However, this relation between culture and value is expansive and has no comprehensive theory. Furthermore, the research adopts mainly conventional analytical approaches that use symmetric thinking, linear models, and net effects estimations, which are inadequate. To advance theory, this study develops and tests causal recipes of culture, levers of worker motivation, and value in a configurational approach that applies a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Using four types of culture and six organizational levers, the results show that certain levers of motivation are more effective in creating value when used in an appropriate cultural setting.
A Systematic Framework for Modernizing Legacy Application Systems

Researchers estimate that 180 -- 200 billion lines of legacy code are still in use today. Legacy application system modernization is driven by an organization's desire to remain agile to changes, reduce operating costs and gain a clearer understanding of their application system infrastructure. In this paper we present a systematic modernization framework for legacy systems. Our framework considers the application code, information system and infrastructure as distinct entities which can be modernized independently. As a result, our approach can be applied sequentially to a single program module, or in parallel across multiple program modules. We validate our framework through an industrial case study involving a large, multinational financial services institution. Our case study results show that through modernization the organization reduced its cost to the sponsoring users by 80%, lines of code by 89%, operational complexity by 99%, and achieved an estimated 66% reduction in the man-hours required for time to market using the new application functions.
Do thyroid growth-promoting immunoglobulins exist?

Thyroid stimulating antibody is now accepted as the cause of hyperthyroidism in Graves' disease. Less well established, and still controversial, is the existence of an immunoglobulin G (IgG) specific for thyroid cell growth (TGI) occurring not only in goitrous Graves' disease but also in patients with goitrous Hashimoto's thyroiditis, simple and endemic goiter, and even toxic adenoma. Largely through the efforts of Drexhage and his colleagues TGI is seen as not acting through adenylate cyclase and specifically not binding to the TSH receptor. The data are accumulating and have to be examined objectively
Establishing Successful Global Virtual Teams

This chapter provides a set of practical yet adaptable communication processes for establishing virtual teams that work well in global engineering organizations. The processes greatly enhance one's organization's ability to establish new virtual teams that function better and that survive the ever-changing needs of modern, global organizations. The chapter presents an effective communication practices and supporting technologies for new virtual teams and discusses resources for virtual team development. It offers guidelines for using metacommunication as a critical element when establishing new virtual teams. The chapter discusses how metacommunication can help to navigate face, cross-cultural screens, criticism, and trust, all of which are important elements in highly functioning virtual teams. It defines two concepts that are central to the task of establishing new teams: rich media (media that carry many cues) and social presence.
Intra-amniotic administration of lipopolysaccharide induces spontaneous preterm labor and birth in the absence of a body temperature change

AbstractObjective: Intra-amniotic infection is associated with spontaneous preterm labor. In most cases, the infection is subclinical and bacteria are detected in the amniotic cavity rather than in the chorioamniotic membranes. The aims of this study were to establish a model of intra-amniotic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced preterm labor/birth that resembles the subclinical syndrome and to compare this model to two established models of LPS-induced preterm labor/birth.Methods: Pregnant B6 mice received an intra-amniotic, intra-uterine, or intra-peritoneal injection of LPS (100 ng/amniotic sac, 15 μg/25 μL, and 15 μg/200 μL respectively) or PBS (control). Following injection, body temperature (every two hours for a 12-h period), gestational age, and the rate of preterm labor/birth were recorded.Results: An intra-amniotic injection of LPS resulted in preterm labor/birth [LPS 80 ± 24.79% (8/10) versus PBS 0% (0/8); p = 0.001] without causing maternal hypothermia. Intra-peritoneal [LPS 100% (8/8) versus PBS...
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the Skills for Social and Academic Success (SASS) program

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the available research on the Skills for Social and Academic Success (SASS) program, a school-based cognitive/behavioural i...
Take a look at plant DNA replication: Recent insights and new questions

Recent advances in replicative DNA labeling technology have allowed new ways to study DNA replication in living plants. Temporal and spatial aspects of DNA replication programs are believed to derive from genomic structure and function. Bass et al. (2015) recently visualized DNA synthesis using 3D microscopy of nuclei at three sub-stages of S phase: early, middle and late. This addendum expands on that study by comparing plant and animal DNA replication patterns, by considering implications of the two-compartment model of euchromatin, and by exploring the meaning of the DNA labeling signals inside the nucleolus. Finally, we invite the public to explore and utilize 300 image data sets through OMERO, a teaching and research web resource for visualization, management, or analysis of microscopic data.
Message passing with l 1 penalized KL minimization

Bayesian inference is often hampered by large computational expense. As a generalization of belief propagation (BP), expectation propagation (EP) approximates exact Bayesian computation with efficient message passing updates. However, when an approximation family used by EP is far from exact posterior distributions, message passing may lead to poor approximation quality and suffer from divergence. To address this issue, we propose an approximate inference method, relaxed expectation propagation (REP), based on a new divergence with a l1 penalty. Minimizing this penalized divergence adaptively relaxes EP's moment matching requirement for message passing. We apply REP to Gaussian process classification and experimental results demonstrate significant improvement of REP over EP and α-divergence based power EP--in terms of algorithmic stability, estimation accuracy and predictive performance. Furthermore, we develop relaxed belief propagation (RBP), a special case of REP, to conduct inference on discrete Markov random fields (MRFs). Our results show improved estimation accuracy of RBP over BP and fractional BP when interactions between MRF nodes are strong.
Noncoding RNA Surveillance: The Ends Justify the Means

Numerous surveillance pathways sculpt eukaryotic transcriptomes by degrading unneeded, defective, and potentially harmful noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Because aberrant and excess ncRNAs are largely degraded by exoribonucleases, a key characteristic of these RNAs is an accessible, protein-free 5′ or 3′ end. Most exoribonucleases function with cofactors that recognize ncRNAs with accessible 5′ or 3′ ends and/or increase the availability of these ends. Noncoding RNA surveillance pathways were first described in budding yeast, and there are now high-resolution structures of many components of the yeast pathways and significant mechanistic understanding as to how they function. Studies in human cells are revealing the ways in which these pathways both resemble and differ from their yeast counterparts, and are also uncovering numerous pathways that lack equivalents in budding yeast. In this review, we describe both the well-studied pathways uncovered in yeast and the new concepts that are emerging from studies in m...
A low-power digital ASIC for detecting heart-rate and missing beat

This paper presents a low power Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) to detect the heart-rate and missing beats. This design is implemented without using any computationally intensive operation. This approach has resulted in a total power consumption of 318nW for the entire circuit at a clock frequency of 1 KHz and a supply voltage of 5V. The ASIC occupies an area of 785μm by 744μm and is implemented in a 0.5μm AMI technology. The low power consumption of the ASIC and its small size make it possible to utilize it on an implantable pacemaker chip that can be powered wirelessly with electromagnetic waves.
The Preference Puzzle: Educational Differences in Racial-Political Attitudes

Education leads to racial liberalism in a great many instances. In this piece, I show that better educated whites are more racially liberal than less educated whites on issues involving minority preferences, with one notable exception. Better educated whites are significantly more opposed to affirmative action in university admissions than less educated whites. This is a puzzle, and my resolution of it is informed by group conflict theory and how university preferences evoke the group interests of better educated whites as they approach the issue. Additionally, I show that the group interests of less educated whites also are engaged by the issue. In the context of the survey I study, the class orientations of the less educated are roused, and, I argue, lower status individuals are encouraged to view university preferences as an opportunity to “share the burden” of affirmative action, contributing to the puzzling reversal in the relationship of education and racial-political attitudes.
Synthesis of TiOx and CrOy coatings prepared at high temperature

Morphological and structural evolution of titanium oxide andchromium oxide films D.C. and R.F. sputtered were investigated.These materials were deposited on fused quartz and siliconwafers from pure metallic targets in mixed Ar-O2 discharge.Transformations of the optical properties and crystallographicstructures were observed for layers deposited at hightemperature. The influence of D.C. or R.F. polarization on somecharacteristics of the coatings was also investigated. Bothmaterials showed an amorphous structure for substratetemperatures up to 400 °C and a clear increase of layer densitywas illustrated from optical measurements. R.F. sputteringexhibited a strong effect on microstructure of the filmscompared to D.C. sputtering. This observation is discussed andsome explanations of this phenomenon are proposed.
Systemic Effects of Contractions

The contraction of a large muscular organ like the uterus has to have significant systemic repercussions particularly because a very large proportion of the cardiac output, supplying the IVS circulation, passes through it. Almost every bodily system or apparatus is affected by the contractions of the uterus, but only those directly involved in sustaining fetal life (cardiovascular system) and those related to the painful reactions produced by the contractions or interventions to control the pain (central nervous system) are reviewed here.
Cardiovascular Physical Examination

Competent performance of the history and physical exam is the cornerstone of patient evaluation; not only does this provide the most important data in directing the care of the patient, it cements the patient-physician relationship. Unfortunately, the ready availability of imaging in recent decades has allowed the skills of the cardiovascular physical examination to atrophy in Western countries. Mastery of these skills (particularly of assessing venous pressure, as imaging does not provide that), nonetheless, remains an important component of bedside evaluation.
Multipurpose Mathematics Games From Discards.

Don't throw that game away just because some of the pieces are missing. With ingenuity and time you can transform it into a first-class instructional aid. The mathematics games pictured in figures 1 and 2 were made from discarded boards from commerical games. (The games were designed and constructed by mathematics education students at the University of Houston.) When the games were subjected to reality testing, pupils played both games enthusiastically. "Space Flight" is a game for young children. Two to four players each take turns drawing an addition equation card from the deck. If the correct sum is named, the player flips the spinner and advances his marker accordingly. Whoever moves his marker to the end of the "Flight path" first wins.
A Little Knowledge Stolen From a Master: David Jonassen

In 1987, David Jonassen hired me and Scott Grabinger after arriving in Denver the year before to establish an ed-tech program. Marty Tessmer, who split time between faculty duties and ID work for the library, had already been on campus when Dave arrived. I was 6 years younger than Dave and the youngest of the group. The next 6 years the four of us built a strong bond as we built the program and established individual reputations. This chapter affords the occasion to reflect on those years and the continuing lessons I learned from Dave. Writing has led to renewed appreciation for Dave’s inimitable role as program leader, faculty colleague, research collaborator, and scholarly leader in our chosen field. I saw Dave repeatedly as a teacher in classes – but my learning extended far beyond the classroom. In countless ways Dave became a touchstone for own academic sense of self – an impact I’ll return to at the conclusion.
Effect of Venous Thrombotic Events on Overall Survival in Multiple Myeloma: Analysis of Thrombotic Events Occurring in E4A03A Randomized Trial of Lenalidomide Plus High-Dose Dexamethasone (RD) Versus Lenalidomide Plus Low-Dose Dexamethasone (Rd) in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma, a Trial Coordinated by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG).

Abstract Background: Venous thrombotic events (VTE) are a common complication of therapy with the lenalidomide plus dexamethasone regimen. The incidence of VTE with RD is approximately 20%, and can be lowered with the use of effective thromboprophylaxis, avoidance of erythropoietin, and the use of lower doses of dexamethasone. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of VTE on overall survival of patients with newly diagnosed myeloma by studying events occurring in ECOG E4A03 phase III trial of lenalidomide plus high (standard) dose dex (RD) versus lenalidomide plus low dose dex (Rd) in newly diagnosed myeloma (MM). Methods: Pts with untreated, symptomatic MM were eligible. Pts in the RD arm (Arm A) received lenalidomide 25 mg/day PO days 1–21 every 28 days plus dex 40 mg days 1–4, 9–12, and 17–20 PO every 28 days; pts in the Rd arm (Arm B) received lenalidomide at the same dose plus dex 40 mg days 1, 8, 15, and 22 PO every 28 days. The trial initially did not mandate routine thromboprophylaxis, but recommended that such treatment be considered. After the first 264 patients were enrolled the trial was amended to require mandatory thromboprophylaxis of aspirin for all patients, with a recommendation to use stronger thromboprophylaxis with either warfarin (target INR 2–3) or low molecular weight heparin among patients in the RD arm. Results: 445 pts (median age, 65 yrs) were accrued; 223 randomized to RD, 222 to Rd. Median follow-up time is 30 months. Overall VTE including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) occurred in 18.5% of patients; 25.6% in Arm A and 11.4% in Arm B. Rates for the first 4 cycles of treatment were 20.2% in Arm A and 8.2% in Arm B, P Conclusions: The occurrence of VTE may adversely affect the survival of patients with newly diagnosed myeloma receiving Rev-Dex. VTE was associated with a higher frequency of other serious adverse events. Prevention of VTE events is a priority. Besides lowering the dose of dexamethasone, studies investigating optimum thromboprophylaxis are needed.
Values, Media, and Genres for Standardization

This chapter applies genre theory to the history of voluntary standardization. Drawing from research on electrical, Internet, and Web standardization reported in Yates and Murphy (Engineering rules: global standard setting since 1880. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2019), I show how genres shape and reflect the values and processes for arriving at product and performance standards across firms in voluntary standard setting, and how they change when new values and media are adopted. The traditional genres of standardization used through most of the twentieth century (demonstrated in genres used in radio frequency interference standardization in the 1960s through 1980s) reflected values of technical orientation, consensus, balance of stakeholders, respect for all stakeholder views, willingness to spend time on due process through repeated balloting, and (at the international level) internationalism. In the late 1980s, new standards organizations emerged to set standards for the Internet and the World Wide Web. In them, new or altered genres arose, reflecting and revealing shifts in values toward transparency, timeliness, and free availability of standards, and less emphasis on balance, respect, due process, and international representation. The move to electronic communication occurred from the beginning in the new standards organizations, also shaping the new genres. In contrast, the old organizations simply reproduced existing genres in new media, reinforcing my earlier work identifying values more than media as the key driver in genre change. More broadly, this study argues that genres are useful tools for historical and contemporary social analysis in many realms.
Late Career Solutions. Transitional Zone – Retire or Retread

Retirement planning is ideally a part of career planning and is optimally undertaken with the same enthusiasm. Thoughtful early planning permits broader options and greater likelihood of satisfaction.
“I'll wait”: Crip-Queer Temporality and Reproductive Futurism in Musical Adaptations of Dürrenmatt's Der Besuch der alten Dame (The Visit of the Old Lady)

On 29 January 1956, a new play by up-and-coming Swiss dramatist Friedrich Durrenmatt had its world premiere at the Zurich Schauspielhaus. From the stage of the venerable playhouse, the young playwright's “tragic comedy,” Der Besuch der alten Dame (lit.: The Visit of the Old Lady—a title I shall employ to distinguish it from a well-known but much-changed English adaptation), presented the story of billionairess Claire Zachanassian's return to her impoverished hometown after forty years. During those intervening decades, she used a string of strategic marriages to amass considerable financial assets, but lost a hand and a leg in various transportation accidents. The people of Gullen, a rundown town whose claim to fame is that Goethe once spent the night there, start off the play finalizing their plans for a strategic grand reception at the train station: they have high hopes of convincing their prodigal daughter to save them from poverty and return them to their former glory. That daughter, however, has justice—not salvation—on her mind for the cruel town that exiled her as an unwed, pregnant teenager. After secretly using her fortune to buy and close each of the town's factories, Claire has returned. At a banquet held in her honor, she offers the bankrupt town “one billion” in exchange for the communal murder of Alfred Ill, beloved citizen and father and heir apparent to the mayorship. He also happens to be the high-school sweetheart who perjured himself to betray Claire and the child they conceived all those years ago.
Abstract 6452: Exosomal Let 7 and its downstream protein targets may serve as predictive biomarkers in peritoneal carcinomatosis

The prognosis for patients with colorectal cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is dismal. Current biomarkers and imaging studies lack sensitivity and specificity to identify PC at early stages. Predictive and diagnostic serum biomarkers that help diagnose PC at early stages is necessary to improve patient outcomes. In the rapidly evolving field of liquid biopsy, exosomes show significant promise. The objective of our study is to identify exosomal biomarkers that are differentially expressed in patients with PC compared to visceral metastases (VM). Proteomic and miRNA analysis were performed using mass spectrometry and next generation sequencing on plasma exosomes from ten patients with colorectal cancer VM and nine patients with PC. Multiple members of the Let-7 family had differential levels of expression between these two patient groups. Specifically, Let-7 isoforms (Let-7a, Let-7d, Let-7e, Let-7f, Let-7g, Let-7i) were upregulated in plasma exosomes of patients with PC compared to those with VM. In addition, 33 exosomal proteins that are downstream targets of Let-7 were also found to be differentially expressed. Correlative investigation was conducted using cell lines representative of PC, VM and control to investigate the possible origins for this exosomal profile. RT-PCR was performed on cell lysates taken from normal colon (CCD-33-CO) and colorectal cancer (SK-CO-1, SNU-C1, and T84) cell lines to further identify Let-7 isoforms in these samples. Let-7 isoforms (Let 7a, Let-7b, Let-7d, Let-7e, Let-7f, Let-7i) were identified at increased levels in the colorectal cancer PC cell line in comparison to cells lines of non-PC colorectal cancer and normal colon. In-vivo and in-vitro studies demonstrate plasma exosomal Let-7 and its downstream protein targets are differentially expressed in colorectal PC compared to VM. Let-7 has been previously implicated in cancer progression and chemoresistance. While this differential expression suggests possible mechanistic differences between colorectal PC and VM, it may also offer a potential liquid biopsy for predicting peritoneal metastasis at a much earlier and treatable time. Citation Format: Mei Li M. Kwong, Paul A. Vallejos, Vola-Masoandro Andrianarijaona, Audrey Choi, Matthew J. Selleck, Tiantian Liu, Janviere Kabagwira, Charles Wang, William Langridge, Nathan R. Wall, Maheswari Senthil. Exosomal Let 7 and its downstream protein targets may serve as predictive biomarkers in peritoneal carcinomatosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6452.
Overview of Atypical Diabetes.

Although type 1 diabetes mellitus and, to a lesser extent, type 2 diabetes mellitus, are the prevailing forms of diabetes in youth, atypical forms of diabetes are not uncommon and may require etiology-specific therapies. By some estimates, up to 6.5% of children with diabetes have monogenic forms. Mitochondrial diabetes and cystic fibrosis related diabetes are less common but often noted in the underlying disease. Atypical diabetes should be considered in patients with a known disorder associated with diabetes, aged less than 25 years with nonautoimmune diabetes and without typical characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and/or with comorbidities associated with atypical diabetes.
Reducing Multidimensional Poverty: A Series of Counterfactual Analyses

We present findings from a series of counterfactual exercises that assume certain deprivation-related antecedents are realized. Using data from the 2018 American Community Survey to produce baseline values for comparison, we consider the following scenarios: (1) the implementation of a universal health care system; (2) the adoption of a universal basic income, (3) the provision of free/discounted college to encourage universal completion of high school; and (4) the expansion of English as a Second Language programs to eliminate linguistic isolation. We also consider scenarios when two or more of these antecedents are simultaneously realized. For each scenario, we estimate the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) value, the headcount ratio, the average deprivation intensity value, and the number of U.S. residents who would experience multidimensional poverty. We find that, while the realization of each antecedent produces a significant reduction in multidimensional poverty, the adoption of a universal basic income generally provides the greatest reductions in the number of multidimensionally poor U.S. residents. Further, under an extreme scenario, when all four antecedents are assumed to be simultaneously realized, we estimate a more than 99 percent decrease in the multidimensionally poor population of the U.S.
Bayesian Inference for Quantal Response Equilibrium in Normal-Form Games

This paper develops a framework for estimating Quantal Response Equilibrium models from experimental data using Bayesian techniques. Bayesian techniques offer some advantages over the more commonly-used maximum likelihood approach: (i) the accuracy of the posterior simulation is limited by (increasingly plentiful) computational resources, both in hardware and software, rather than the validity of an asymptotic assumption that may not be reasonable with typical experimental sample sizes; (ii) Bayesian hierarchical models are a useful way to organize heterogeneity in one's data; and (iii) Bayesian inference allows us to test whether Quantal Response Equilibrium better organizes data than does (say) Nash equilibrium or purely random behavior, without rigging the test in favor of one of these by calling it the null hypothesis. As Quantal Response Equilibrium is a non-linear model, I also discuss some issues with choosing appropriate priors. Namely, choosing a very flat prior for the choice precision parameter implies a prior on choice probabilities with too much mass near Nash equilibrium and/or random choice. I propose a prior calibration process which seeks to avoid this problem by targeting the implied prior distribution of equilibrium choice probabilities.
Thumb to spinous process is a false metric for glenohumeral internal rotation

Background The measurement of internal rotation by noting the maximal vertebral level reached by the patient's thumb behind their back is an established physical examination technique, as outlined in the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Assessment Form.7 The purpose of the present study is to correlate real-time glenohumeral internal rotation with thumb to spinous process movement to determine the accuracy of the technique. Methods Healthy volunteers with no previous history of shoulder injury or symptoms were recruited from the local medical school population. Ultrasound probe was placed over the anterolateral shoulder, and relevant anatomy was identified. Internal rotation was evaluated by measuring displacement of the peak of the medial aspect of the bicipital groove relative to the anterior glenoid rim with the arm held in defined positions of progressively increasing internal rotation. The difference in displacement between arm positions was calculated and recorded. Results A total of 20 participants (11 women/9 men, aged 22-42 years) were recruited for measurement. A mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance was used. The most significant differences in displacement, and therefore internal rotation, were observed between the neutral and anterior superior iliac spine (0.21 ± 0.39 mm, P= .0269) and between the anterior superior iliac spine and peak iliac crest (0.26 ± 0.44 mm, P= .0163). After the peak iliac crest, there was no further statistically significant change in rotation. Conclusion The present study suggests that most glenohumeral internal rotation occurs before reaching the arm behind the back. Although not directly studied, this supports the notion that the maximal vertebral level reached involves an interplay of various joint motions. While the thumb to spinous process maneuver remains a functional evaluation, our results suggest a different examination technique be used to more accurately test glenohumeral internal rotation.
Vaccines are not one size fits all, just like medications: rotavirus vaccine study

The current global coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has shown us once again how important vaccination is in controlling and preventing the spread of deadly diseases. Vaccinations are one of the most tried and tested public health measures aimed at the prevention and eventual eradication of various diseases. Many debilitating diseases like polio have been eradicated in countries like India due to effective vaccination strategies. Just like with any other public health initiative, there do exist various challenges for vaccination. Efficacy and correlate of protection studies are crucial in determining which vaccine works best. The rotavirus vaccine (ROTAVAC; Bharat Biotech International Ltd., Hyderabad, India) is one such example where efficacy seen in one geographical and ethnic population is not replicated elsewhere. This has prompted various researchers and pharmaceutical companies to think about customizing vaccines to the individual needs of a particular geographic and ethnic group. In this brief communication, we look at the rotavirus vaccination story and see how it laid down the idea for customized vaccination development and what the future of vaccine development looks like.
Expanding the gaze and moving the needle: Inclusion for students with EBD

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) can be successfully placed in general education classrooms with evidence-based practices such as positive behavior interventions and supports ...
On Division of Functions, Solution of Matrix Equations, and Problems in Differential Geometry and Physics

In this article we present some results on the continuity of division of smooth functions and discuss their applications to linear algebra, differential geometry, and physics. Much of the work was done jointly with Steven Shnider and will appear in greater detail elsewhere ([MS2], [MS3], [Mos2].
Using A Story-Building Approach To Research Comprehensive Community Initiatives

This article is the story of the author's experiences as a researcher-storyteller. She delineates the process used to "build a story" of the planning and development of a rural comprehensive community initiative. In a critically reflective look at this approach to community research, the author describes how she selected the research topic, defined the purposes of the research, selected the methods used in data collection and analysis, and approached the construction process of building the story through literary elements such as plot, scene, and voice. The strengths and pitfalls of this approach and suggestions for future research are discussed. This article is available in The Qualitative Report: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol6/iss1/4 Using A Story-Building Approach To Research Comprehensive Community Initiatives
Education or vocational training

Special Section: Mass Spectrometry for Proteomics Analysis The scope of techniques covered by BioTechniques is extensive, ranging from permutations of PCR through microarray analysis to imaging of ...
A Revelation Principle for (Boundedly) Bayesian Rationalizable Strategies

The revelation principle is reconsidered in the light of recent work questioning its general applicability, as well as other work on the Bayesian foundations of game theory. Implementation in rationalizable strategies is considered. A generalized version of the revelation principle is proposed recognizing that, unless agents all have dominant strategies, the outcome of any allocation mechanism depends not only upon agents’ “intrinsic” types, but also upon their beliefs about other agents and their strategic behaviour. This generalization applies even if agents are “boundedly rational” in the sense of being Bayesian rational only with respect to bounded models of the game form.