cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Present status and future direction of clinical trials in advanced endometrial carcinoma

Endometrial adenocarcinoma is staged surgically, and advanced endometrial carcinoma is considered to be FIGO stage III and IV. The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) has come a long way in developing new strategies in the management of advanced endometrial carcinoma. Combining surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the 5-year survival has improved to between 40-60% in newly diagnosed advanced endometrial carcinoma. Recent findings in GOG184 indicate that multiple risk factors noted at the time of surgical staging could lead to concurrent clinical trials that could be completed expeditiously rather than a subsequent ten year long phase III trial including all the various risk subgroups of patients. This review is a focus on the accomplishments of the GOG in advanced endometrial carcinoma with an emphasis on future challenges.
Elemental stoichiometry of freshwater fishes in relation to phylogeny, allometry and ecology

Twenty species of freshwater fishes were collected from Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan and their whole-body carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents and the respective C:N:P ratios were determined. Patterns were examined in intra- and interspecific variation, allometry and variation caused by habitat and trophic level in whole fish while controlling for the role of phylogeny. Stoichiometric variation was greater across than within species, C:N:P allometry was speciesspecific, nutrient content within a species was somewhat habitat-specific and P concentration showed a strong phylogenetic signal. Stoichiometric relationships with allometry and feeding guild were observed but were not significant in an analysis accounting for non-independence of closely related species. Supportive evidence for the hypothesis that the considerable variation in whole fish phosphorus concentrations could be ascribed to differences in bone and scale development, as previously suggested, is shown. Whole fish Ca:P ratios had a nearly constant stoichiometry consistent with the chemical signature of bone. This result combined with a phylogenetic signal for fish P indicated that the great stoichiometric variability among fish taxa in P content was derived almost entirely from skeletal investment.
Frequency of alcohol use and obesity in community medicine patients

Obesity is an important public health problem. However, the effects of alcohol use on the risk for obesity have not been thoroughly explored. This study focuses on how frequency of alcohol use is related to the risk of obesity in a community medicine clinic population. This study used a cross-sectional survey to test the hypothesis that obesity (BMI > 30) is associated with alcohol use. The convenience sample was drawn from three clinics that primarily serve low-income populations. Independent variables included frequency of alcohol use, frequency of binge drinking, demographic characteristics, health behaviors and health status. In comparison to non-drinkers, people who consumed alcohol 3 or more days per month had lower odds of being obese (Adjusted Odds Ratio = .49, p < .04). As expected, there was a significant association between watching eight or more hours of television per day and obesity (AOR = 2.34, p < .01). More frequent drinking and less television time are independently associated with reduced odds of obesity in this sample of community medicine patients. Additional research is needed to isolate casual mechanisms.
Con: etomidate--the ideal induction agent for a cardiac anesthetic?

N IDEAL INDUCTION AGENT would be one that has rapid on- and offset, is easy to administer, and is devoid of clinically significant side effects. Such an agent does not exist currently. Drawbacks to currently available induction agents include the high incidence of hypotension and pain on injection with propofol; dysphoria, tachycardia, hallucinations, and increased secretions with ketamine; hypotension, and an increased incidence of laryngospasm with barbiturates. Etomidate often is the favored induction agent for patients who are hemodynamically compromised because of its relative cardiovascular stability. However, there is ongoing debate about its usage in critically ill patients because of its inhibition of adrenal steroidogenesis.1-8 Unlike propofol, barbiturates, and ketamine, etomidate has a very high therapeutic index. Unique among the general anesthetic induction drugs, the chemical structure of etomidate includes an imidazole ring that is critical for its anesthetic actions, which are mediated by specific -aminobutyric acid type-A receptors in the central nervous system. 9 Regarding its hemodynamic stability, there are minimal effects on blood pressure and heart rate when a single bolus injection is given, even in patients who are in shock or who exhibit depressed left ventricular function. 10 Because of this stability, it often is the agent of choice in the emergency room and the intensive care unit for rapid-sequence inductions and the induction of general anesthesia in the cardiac surgical operating room. However, as early as 1983, reports of adrenal suppression from etomidate injection began to surface. 11,12 The mechanism of adrenal insufficiency is by the inhibition of 11--hydroxylase, the enzyme responsible for the conversion of 11-deoxycortisol to cortisol and 11-deoxycorticosterone to corticosterone.
Universal multilevel dc-dc converter with variable conversion ratio, high compactness factor and limited isolation feature

A multilevel dc-dc converter with programmable conversion ratio (CR) is presented in this paper. This converter is a modified version of the MMCCC converter. A universal version of the MMCCC is developed in this paper, and the CR can be easily changed within a wide range. The MMCCC converter is based on capacitor-clamped topology, and the conversion ratio of the circuit depends on the number of active modules. However, like any other capacitor-clamped circuit, the MMCCC circuit requires a large number of transistors and capacitors to attain a high conversion ratio (CR). In this paper, a new circuit module will be introduced that can be connected in a cascade pattern to form the new converter. By using the new modular cell, it is possible to attain very high conversion ratio using a limited number of components, and thus more compactness compared to the predecessor MMCCC circuit can be achieved.
The Impact of Cognitive Fatigue on Age-related Differences in Neuromuscular Function A Neuroergonomic Approach

Fatigue is a multifactorial phenomenon including both cognitive and physical components. While age-related changes in neuromuscular function due to physical fatigue are well investigated, the effec...
Correction: omitted author.

Through an inadvertent error on my part, I neglected to include the name of one author—Giovina Ruberti—of the report "Requirement for CD8 + cells in T cell receptor peptide-induced clonal unresponsiveness" (1 Jan., p. 91). The correct order of the authors is as follows: Amitabh Gaur, Giovina Ruberti, Richard Haspel, John P. Mayer, and myself.
Role of platelet microparticles in the production of thromboxane by rabbit pulmonary artery.

This study examined the role of platelet microparticles in thromboxane A2 (TXA2) production. Incubation of microparticles with [14C]arachidonic acid and A23187 produced 14C-labeled TXB2, the stable...
Alcohol Withdrawal-Induced Seizure Susceptibility is Associated with an Upregulation of CaV1.3 Channels in the Rat Inferior Colliculus.

Background: We previously reported increased current density through L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ (CaV1) channels in inferior colliculus (IC) neurons during alcohol withdrawal. However, the molecular correlate of this increased CaV1 current is currently unknown.
A novel cooperative image transmission scheme in Wireless Sensor Networks

Reducing transmission energy consumption is one of the most critical research issues in the area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). In this paper, we present our scheme for employing collaborative signal enhancement to achieve energy efficient image transmissions in WSNs. A collaborative signal enhancement approach is compelling due to its capability of saving individual energy consumption by spreading total transmission consumption over multiple sensors. Individual packets describing an embedded wavelet-encoded image exhibit a significantly unequal contribution towards image quality. By leveraging this fact we develop a strategy of appropriately selecting the number of collaborative sensors for each packet transmission in order to achieve the highest possible image quality given a restricted transmission energy consumption budget. Experimental results show that our proposed approach can provide about 2dB higher image quality under the same energy budget compared with the state-of-the-art collaborative transmission scheme in WSN literature.
Caregiver Grief in Terminal Illness and Bereavement: A Mixed-Methods Study

Caregivers experience multiple losses during the downhill trajectory of a loved one's terminal illness. Using mixed methods, this two-stage study explored caregiver grief during a terminal illness and after the care recipient's death. Caregiver grief was a state of heightened responsiveness during end-stage care: anxiety, hostility, depression, and trouble concentrating, remembering, and getting things done. Following the death, caregiver grief became a state of sustained reactivity: Overall distress was diminished and anxiety and hostility decreased significantly, but loneliness, sadness, and tears increased. Overwhelming responses were triggered by unforeseen visual or auditory reminders of the person. Sleep disturbances began during end-stage care and continued after the death. At both times, caregiver grief was highly influenced by the social context; relationships with family and friends (more cohesive versus conflicted) shaped responses. Social work practitioners can help caregivers who may be unaware they are experiencing grief to identify and integrate these normal responses to loss.
Thermal diffusivities of hafnium and cobalt from 300 to 1000 K

The thermal difiusivities (α) of polycrystalline hafnium and cobalt have been measured, from room temperature to about 800 and 1000 K, using a laser flash method. Thermocouples (0.076 mm dia) monitor the back surface temperature as. a function of time after the front of the sample is exposed to a single laser pulse (pulse width τ <1 μs) from a pulsed flashlamp-pumped dye laser. Samples are in the form of small thin disks (< 5 mm dia, 0.6–0.7 mm thick). The thermal diffusivities decrease with increasing temperature. Values of α(cm2s−1) as a function of temperature have been fit to equations of the form α = c0 + c1T. Thermal diffusivities at 300 K, and the empirical constants for hafnium and cobalt, respectively, are: (α) 0.116, 0.260; (c0) 0.0740, 0.0244; and (c1) 12.55, 70.80. Comparison of thermal conductives, computed from the measured diffusitivities, with literature values for electrical conductivity yields Lorenz numbers which decrease with temperature for hafnium (LL0 decreases from 1.13 to 0.97) but increase with temperature for cobalt (LL0 increases from 0.89 to 1.11) although both sets of Lorenz numbers include the theoretical value L0 for electronic conduction.
Identifying gene and protein mentions in text using conditional random fields.

We present a model for tagging gene and protein mentions from text using the probabilistic sequence tagging framework of conditional random fields (CRFs). Conditional random fields model the probability P(t|o) of a tag sequence given an observation sequence directly, and have previously been employed successfully for other tagging tasks. The mechanics of CRFs and their relationship to maximum entropy are discussed in detail. We employ a diverse feature set containing standard orthographic features combined with expert features in the form of gene and biological term lexicons to achieve a precision of 86.4% and recall of 78.7%. An analysis of the contribution of the various features of the model is provided.
Ritual and Rationality in Teacher Education Reform

Commissioned reports calling for the reform of U.S. secondary schools have been followed by reports and recommendations for the reform of teacher education. Within the broader framework of the calls for school reform and the relatively brief history of institutionalized teacher education, this article critically examines the nature and implications of these calls. The article focuses on meanings given to reform, including the possibility of reform as ritual, and the technical rationality that seems to underlie the reform proposals. Consideration is then given to how teacher education reform efforts might address critical questions–particularly questions of purpose, substance, and value–that are largely neglected by the recent calls. (Note: Unless otherwise indicated, teacher education refers to the initial or preservice preparation of teachers.)
Localization of Apo-Lipoproteins in Human Carotid Artery Plaques

Apoproteins from plasma lipoproteins were localized by immunofluorescence techniques in human carotid artery atherosclerotic lesions. These studies were performed in light of the possible importance of these apoproteins in both lipid metabolism and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. ApoA-I from high density lipoproteins, apoB from low density lipoproteins, and apoC-III from very low density lipoproteins were localized also as markers for their respective lipoproteins, since the latter cross-react immunologically. The three apoproteins were localized to the same regions of lesions as neutral lipids and, to some extent, fibrinogen. These regions consisted of bands of collagen fibers, usually deeper within the lesion, and the lipid core or atheroma of such advanced lesions. Although the superposition of localization for the three apoproteins and lipid was only 53%, it was suggested that deviation from complete superposition was due to the abrupt changes in lesion structure resulting from the focal nature of the atherosclerotic process. These results suggest that there is a broader specificity than previously implied of the interaction between such lesion components as connective tissue and extracellular lipid accumulations, and apoproteins from plasma lipoproteins. This interaction is believed to result in a net retention within atherosclerotic lesions of human extracranial arteries of these plasma-derived factors, either as free apoproteins or as native lipoproteins.
Impaired Naive and Memory B-Cell Responsiveness to TLR9 Stimulation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonists such as unmethylated bacterial CpG DNAs activate B lymphocytes directly, potentially influencing their function and homeostasis. To assess B-cell responsiveness to TLR9 agonists in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, we examined the ability of naive and memory B cells to proliferation and to increase surface expression of CD80 in response to CpG oligonucleotides (ODN). CpG ODN induced expression of CD80 similarly in B cells from HIV-infected persons and from healthy controls. In contrast, proliferation responses to CpG ODN were markedly impaired in both naive and memory B-cell subsets from HIV-infected persons. Naive B-cell proliferation defects were related to plasma HIV RNA and, among memory B cells, to the frequencies of CD21-negative cells. Importantly, TLR9 mRNA levels were significantly diminished in freshly prepared naive B cells and especially so in memory B cells from HIV-positive viremic donors, suggesting a possible underlying mechanism for the observed functional impairments. Dose-response studies indicated that optimal induction of CD80 expression was achieved with much lower concentrations of CpG ODN than optimal induction of proliferation. We propose that the relatively low threshold of activation that is required for CD80 induction by CpG ODN might explain the preservation of this response in B cells from HIV-infected persons despite diminished TLR9 expression. Impaired responsiveness to TLR9 agonists may contribute to defects in humoral immunity in HIV infection.
Unit tests reloaded: parameterized unit testing with symbolic execution

Unit tests are becoming popular. Are there ways to automate the generation of good unit tests? Parameterized unit tests are unit tests that depend on inputs. PUTs describe behavior more concisely than traditional unit tests. We use symbolic execution techniques and constraint solving to find inputs for PUTs that achieve high code coverage, to turn existing unit tests into PUTs, and to generate entirely new PUTs that describe an existing implementation's behavior. Traditional testing benefits from these techniques because test inputs - including the behavior of entire classes - can often be generated automatically from compact PUTs
Aftershocks to Philippine quake found within nearby megathrust fault

On 31 August 2012 a magnitude 7.6 earthquake ruptured deep beneath the sea floor of the Philippine Trench, a powerful intraplate earthquake centered seaward of the plate boundary. In the wake of the main shock, sensors detected a flurry of aftershocks, counting 110 in total. Drawing on seismic wave observations and rupture mechanisms calculated for the aftershocks, Ye et al. found that many were located near the epicenter of the main intraplate quake but at shallower depth; all involved normal faulting. Some shallow thrusting aftershocks were located farther to the west, centered within the potentially dangerous megathrust fault formed by the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate beneath the Philippine microplate, the piece of crust housing the Philippine Islands.
Fundamentals of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy(XPS) and Its Applications to Explosives and Propellants

An introduction to x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is given. Its achievements as a powerful technique both for the study of bulk and surface in the field of solids and molecules has been described. Especial emphasis is put on the role of XPS in providing information about energetic materials, which could not be obtained by other methods of analyses.
Ontogeny, Systematics, and Evolution of the Effaced Early Cambrian Trilobites Peachella Walcott, 1910 and Eopeachella New Genus (Olenelloidea)

Abstract Although used in biostratigraphy and in studies of early Cambrian trilobite evolution, the olenelloid genus Peachella has received little research attention. The ontogenetic and evolutionary origins of its derived features—an effaced cephalon and grossly inflated genal spines—have remained mysterious. Based on examination of new and existing collections, P. iddingsi and P. brevispina are here described in detail, including aspects of their respective ontogenies and the first description of the thorax of P. iddingsi. A new monotypic genus, Eopeachella, is also described from recently collected material from the Delamar Member of the Pioche Formation, Nevada. Eopeachella angustispina n. gen. n. sp., is less derived and stratigraphically older than both Peachella species and bridges the morphological gap between Peachella and typical olenelloids. The study reveals that cephalic effacement was progressively attained during both ontogeny and phylogeny in the Eopeachella + Peachella clade. Comparative ...
Identifying relevant components to include in a parenting intervention for homeless families in transitional housing: Using parent input to inform adaptation efforts.

Homeless families in transitional housing face a number of distinct challenges, yet there is little research seeking to guide prevention and intervention work with homeless parents. Informed by the tenets of community-based participatory research, the purpose of this study was to identify relevant components to include in a parenting intervention for this population. Data were gathered from 40 homeless parents through semistructured individual interviews and were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The resulting 15 categories suggest several topics, approach considerations, and activities that can inform parenting intervention work with homeless families in transitional housing. Study findings are discussed within the context of intervention fidelity versus adaptation, and implications for practice, research, and policy are suggested. This study provides important insights for informing parenting intervention adaptation and implementation efforts with homeless families in transitional housing. (PsycINFO Database Record.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Pregnancy

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disproportionally impacts women during their childbearing years. Thus, issues regarding birth control, fertility, pregnancy, and nursing commonly arise in the care of young women with SLE. For many years, contraceptive choices for SLE patients were limited due to concerns that hormone-containing contraceptives would increase disease activity. Pregnancy itself was thought to exacerbate disease activity, and patients were often counseled that they should avoid becoming pregnant. Medication use during pregnancy and nursing was likewise thought to be limited which further complicated the management of the pregnant lupus patient. Fortunately, the past two decades have brought us a better understanding of how SLE disease activity responds to pregnancy. Newer treatment regimens have improved disease outcome and enabled more patients to contemplate pregnancy and parenthood. This chapter will discuss contraception, fertility, pregnancy, and nursing in women with SLE.
Difficulty and Controversy in Training NMT Students in In Vitro Techniques

Objective: In vitro nuclear medicine training is a requirement in the Essentials and Guidelines for an accredited nuclear medicine technology (NMT) training program. The guidelines are somewhat vague as to how this training should be accomplished. Our goal was to determine how other NMT programs were fulfilling the in vitro techniques training requirement. Methods: A survey was developed and sent to 121 accredited NMT programs in the US. Results: Didactic instruction provided ranges from 2–90 hr. Benchwork experience varies from 0–240 hr. Although the majority of programs provide didactic instruction and bench-work experience, it is often done with difficulty. Conclusions: Considering the disparate results and survey comments, the accrediting agency needs to review and clarity the need for this curriculum essential.
A simplified computer program for the performance of physiological calculations from cardiac catheterization data.

The authors describe a computer program which can be programmed into a handheld computer with an eight-kilobyte memory. This program would enable a cardiologist to quickly and efficiently analyze hemodynamic data obtained from right and left heart catheterization. Laborious manual calculations are eliminated, and a permanent hard-copy printout is provided.
A highly miniaturized vacuum package for a trapped ion atomic clock

We report on the development of a highly miniaturized vacuum package for use in an atomic clock utilizing trapped ytterbium-171 ions. The vacuum package is approximately 1 cm3 in size and contains a linear quadrupole RF Paul ion trap, miniature neutral Yb sources, and a non-evaporable getter pump. We describe the fabrication process for making the Yb sources and assembling the vacuum package. To prepare the vacuum package for ion trapping, it was evacuated, baked at a high temperature, and then back filled with a helium buffer gas. Once appropriate vacuum conditions were achieved in the package, it was sealed with a copper pinch-off and was subsequently pumped only by the non-evaporable getter. We demonstrated ion trapping in this vacuum package and the operation of an atomic clock, stabilizing a local oscillator to the 12.6 GHz hyperfine transition of 171Y b+. The fractional frequency stability of the clock was measured to be 2 × 10−11/τ1/2.
Decadal review of residential water demand analysis from a practical perspective

Residential water demand has been extensively studied over more than four decades, but as yet there is no consensus on the best or most appropriate model from a practical perspective. Conservation and sustainability programs with new metering incentives have increased the necessity for an easy to use forecasting model for water resource management based on a better understanding of the factors driving residential water demand. Analytical techniques have increased in complexity, advancing with new tools for computing and data collection such as GIS and remote sensing. This paper presents a decadal review of how the residential water demand analysis have evolved over time with changes in price policies, conservation attitudes, technological improvements, and other factors explaining water demand. This paper will help provide the knowledge base for the future studies and recommendations are made for addressing/bridging the gap between drinking water industry and research community.
Angela Carter: Nights at the Circus (1984)

Angela Carter’s most ambitious novel, Nights at the Circus (1984), took her almost ten years to write (Carter “Sweet” 44). It has received a lot of critical attention, the majority of it feminist. This is hardly surprising considering that the novel features as its principal protagonist a woman with wings ushering in the twentieth century. “Fevvers,” we are told in the opening chapter, “has all the eclat of a new era about to take off” (11). Fevvers’s ability to fly prefigures the new liberated woman of the twentieth century “that just now is waiting in the wings, the New Age in which no woman will be bound to the ground” (25). Carter has set the novel in 1899, the year that the British Parliament was debating a motion on Votes for Women, a fact alluded to in the novel. While many of the feminist interpreters of the book have focused on the ways in which the newly gendered subject has been formed in the course of the narrative, most have allowed their allegiance to the women’s movement to simplify Carter’s complex and ambivalent handling of emancipated female subjectivity. Paulina Palmer set the trend with an important essay in 1987 which argued that in Nights at the Circus “[a]cts of resistance against patriarchy are represented … A reevaluation of female experience takes place and the emergence of a female counter-culture is celebrated” (180).
Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Mortality of Elderly Patients Who Develop Cancer: A Population‐Based Study

Objective Comorbidity among cancer patients poses additional risks for mortality. The possible impact of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on cancer patient survival is unclear. Our objective was to examine survival among elderly patients with RA who develop cancer. Methods Patients diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer between 2001 and 2010 were identified from the Texas Cancer Registry and Medicare–linked databases. The cohort was categorized into 3 groups according to the number of claims patients had with a diagnosis of RA in the year prior to the cancer diagnosis: 2-RA (patients with ≥2 claims), 1-RA (1 claim), and no claims. Overall survival was estimated for these groups and for each cancer, using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for covariates. Results The cohort included 139,097 patients with cancer (35,026 breast, 43,181 prostate, 31,103 colorectal, and 29,787 lung); 1.7% had 1 RA claim, and 1.1% had 2 or more. Adjusted hazard ratios for patients in the 2-RA group were 1.41 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.21–1.65) for breast and 1.53 (95% CI 1.26–1.85) for prostate. No significant differences were observed for those with colorectal or lung cancer. Conclusion Mortality was increased by 40% and 50%, respectively, in elderly patients with RA who developed breast or prostate cancer, after controlling for other comorbidities. This association was not seen in cancers with shorter survival time (colorectal or lung). Research is needed to determine whether the increased risk is related to comorbid burden or to differential utilization of cancer or rheumatoid therapies in patients with both diseases.
Acceptability of Social Media Use in Out-of-Class Faculty-Student Engagement

In this exploratory study, higher education faculty perceptions regarding acceptability of social media use for out-of-class student engagement are identified. Hypotheses are developed and tested using a survey to address the impact of factors such as awareness, faculty/student relationship status, gender, academic discipline, and rank on faculty attitudes toward out-of-class social media use for student engagement. Findings indicate that faculty members are aware of social media, but use varies. Overall, they do not view social media as an important part of out-of-class engagement, but it is viewed as more acceptable for engagement with former students. In addition, faculty from Marketing and Communications disciplines and Associate/Full Professors perceive social media use to be more acceptable for student engagement when compared with their colleagues from other disciplines and lower ranks. Implications and conclusions are discussed for development of university social media usage policies and directions for future research.
Industrially Significant Copolymers Containing Maleic Anhydride

In the United States, the commercial use of unsaturated polyester resins accounts for the major consumption of maleic anhydride. Approximately 2.2 billion kilograms/year of unsaturated polyester resins are employed to manufacture a variety of products. In the fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) industry, unsaturated polyester resins are widely employed as thermoset resins. The broad applications of unsaturated polyester resins are due to their low cost, ease of processability, fast curing, and excellent mechanical properties.
Parties and Populism in 2016

Dulio and Klemanski examine the role of populism in the 2016 presidential election. They provide some historical context through a brief overview of populism in American political parties. They then discuss how Bernie Sanders’ populist rhetoric helped him challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party nomination and how Donald Trump’s populist message helped him secure the Republican Party nomination and go on to win the presidency. They provide a case study of how Trump’s populism, especially with regard to the issues of manufacturing jobs and trade, helped him win over "Reagan Democrats" in the usually blue state of Michigan. Dulio and Klemanski conclude with a discussion of how the emergence of populism as a dominant theme in 2016 brings new challenges to both parties.
Komodo: Using verification to disentangle secure-enclave hardware from software

Intel SGX promises powerful security: an arbitrary number of user-mode enclaves protected against physical attacks and privileged software adversaries. However, to achieve this, Intel extended the x86 architecture with an isolation mechanism approaching the complexity of an OS microkernel, implemented by an inscrutable mix of silicon and microcode. While hardware-based security can offer performance and features that are difficult or impossible to achieve in pure software, hardware-only solutions are difficult to update, either to patch security flaws or introduce new features. Komodo illustrates an alternative approach to attested, on-demand, user-mode, concurrent isolated execution. We decouple the core hardware mechanisms such as memory encryption, address-space isolation and attestation from the management thereof, which Komodo delegates to a privileged software monitor that in turn implements enclaves. The monitor's correctness is ensured by a machine-checkable proof of both functional correctness and high-level security properties of enclave integrity and confidentiality. We show that the approach is practical and performant with a concrete implementation of a prototype in verified assembly code on ARM TrustZone. Our ultimate goal is to achieve security equivalent to or better than SGX while enabling deployment of new enclave features independently of CPU upgrades. The Komodo specification, prototype implementation, and proofs are available at https://github.com/Microsoft/Komodo.
Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in Pediatric Oligodendroglioma: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Pediatric oligodendroglioma (pODG) is a rare primary brain tumor that remains poorly understood. Demographics, outcomes, and prognostic factors were analyzed in 346 pODG cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. METHODS Gender, race, age, tumor location, tumor size, tumor grade, extent of resection, and use of radiotherapy were evaluated with respect to overall survival (OS) by univariate and multivariate analysis. These factors were assessed in the pediatric cohort and 5,753 adult oligodendroglioma cases for comparison. RESULTS The mean OS in pODG was 199.6 months. Five- and 10-year survival rates were 85 and 81%. pODG arose less frequently in the frontal lobe than adult tumors (53 vs. 22%) but was more common in the temporal lobe (32 vs. 18%) and extracortical regions (19 vs. 5%, p < 0.0001). pODG presented with smaller size (55 vs. 24%, p < 0.0001) and lower grade (72 vs. 54%, p < 0.0001) than adult tumors. Tumor location, size, grade, use of radiotherapy, and extent of resection were significant prognostic factors. Size and grade were much stronger prognostic factors in children than adults. While children with oligodendroglioma survive much longer than adults on the whole, there was no difference in outcome between children with high-grade tumors and adults with high-grade tumors. CONCLUSION pODG differs significantly from adult oligodendroglioma along a number of demographic and tumor factors at a population level, and key prognostic factors influence survival differently in pODG than in adult disease.
Possible application of laser heterodyne and ultrasonics as in situ process control for additive manufacturing (Conference Presentation)

A method is presented that combines pulsed laser ultrasonics with laser heterodyne interferometry for possible application as an in-situ process control for additive manufacturing. The method implements two lasers that are focused near the build area (i.e. heat affected zone : 1) a pulsed laser that excites a surface acoustic wave (the probe signal) at or near the build area and 2) a CW laser heterodyne interferometer operating as a sensor that measures the time resolved features of the propagated waves. We have conducted investigations on the utility of this type of in situ probe-sensor system for real time measurement of the local temperature, surface defects, surface roughness, and grain boundary (grain size) determination. The all-optical method allows for remote in-situ process control that can be tailored for different build situations and materials. The current setup utilizes a UV (355 nm) or visible (532 nm) pulse laser and a narrow band 488 nm CW laser. By measuring the surface displacements with sub nm accuracy and by conducting analyses on the arrival time of the signal and frequency, the interferometric technique can characterize materials akin to non-destructive evaluation (NDE). Prior, we have presented evidence on the utility of the technique to measure local temperature, we now present evidence for surface defects/roughness and grain boundary identification. In addition, we are now exploring the utility of laser ultrasound to monitor changes in residual stress.
Regularity analysis of metamaterial Maxwell’s equations with random coefficients and initial conditions

Abstract In this paper we develop and analyze the stochastic collocation method for solving the time-dependent metamaterial Maxwell’s equations subject to random coefficients and random initial conditions. We provide a rigorous regularity analysis of the solution with respect to the random variables. To our best knowledge, this is the first theoretical results derived for the stochastic metamaterial Maxwell equations. The rate of convergence is proved depending on the regularity of the solution. Numerical results are presented to confirm the theoretical analysis. We also demonstrate that the backward wave propagation phenomenon still exists in random metamaterial.
A terbium chlorobismuthate(III) double salt: Synthesis, structure, and photophysical properties

Abstract We report on the structure and luminescence of a double salt trivalent rare earth ion acceptor, Tb3+, with octahedral [BiCl6]3– donor clusters. The novel TbBiCl6·14H2O (1) was prepared from aqueous BiOCl and TbCl3·6H2O. The crystal structure of compound 1 exhibits isolated [BiCl6]3– and [Tb(OH2)8]3+ clusters. Luminescence data show energy transfer from octahedral chlorobismuthate(III) clusters to rare earth metal ions. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations show distinctly different emission pathways at high and low excitation energies.
Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping of encephalomyelitis driven demyelinating rodent brain (P1.403)

Objective: We studied diffusor tensor imaging (DTI) and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) dynamics in response to inflammation, demyelination and atrophy, in rodent brain. Our goal was to map changes in DTI, QSM and volumetric outcomes, through acute and chronic phases of a demyelinating disease. Background: The Thieler’s Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus (TMEV) model is an immune-mediated chronic disease of the central nervous system initiated by an intracerebral injection of virus, which is characterized by demyelination, brain atrophy and iron accumulation, and motor impairment, similar to MS. DTI and QSM are emerging imaging techniques in revealing pathological changes of multiple sclerosis (MS), but have not been characterized in the study of the TMEV. Design/Methods: Animals (6 TMEV and 6 saline intracerebrally injected) were clinically monitored every 4 weeks for 36 weeks, starting at one month post induction (PI). In addition, every 4 weeks PI, the animals were MRI scanned on a 9.4T small animal Bruker scanner. A multi-modal voxel-wise automated atlas approach segmented brain scans into: basal ganglia, cerebellum, corpus callosum, cortex, hippocampus and thalamus to extract region specific MRI measures. Results: After a phase of growth driven volume increase, all TMEV brain segments exhibited a significant volume decrease between 10 wks to 18wks PI, and this was associated with an increase in clinical disability scores. DTI-derived fractional anisotropy (FA) was significantly elevated in the acute phase up to 10wks PI. Furthermore, brain atrophy and clinical score elevation was associated with (at 10wk to 18 wks PI) abnormal changes in QSM in 4 of the 6 segmented regions. Conclusions: Early DTI FA changes are associated with acute inflammation and early demyelination in the TMEV model of MS. Chronic demyelination and axonal loss phase of TMEV was associated with development of brain atrophy and abnormal susceptibility on QSM. Study Supported by: N/A Disclosure: Dr. Pol has nothing to disclose. Dr. Modica has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schweser has received research support from SynchroPET. Dr. Sudyn has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bertolino has nothing to disclose. Dr. Preda has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dwyer has received personal compensation for activities with Claret Medical and EMD Serono. Dr. Dwyer has received research support from Novartis. Dr. Hagemeier has nothing to disclose. Dr. Siebert has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zivadinov has received personal compensation for activities with EMD Serono, Genzyme, Novartis, for speaking and consultant fees. Dr. Zivadinov has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for BioMed Research International, BMC Medicine, BMC Neurology, Clinical CNS Drugs, Conf Pap Neurosci, Journal of Alzheimer9s Disease, Vein and Lymphatics, and Word J Surg Proc. Dr. Zivadinov has received research support from Biogen Idec, Claret Medical, Genzyme, Intekrin-Coherus, Novartis, and Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Environmental Attitudes and Environmental Stewardship: Implications for Sustainability

Although shareowners and boards are critical to shaping a firm’s environmental behavior, this paper gives focus to management practitioners based on their operational functions within the firm. It argues that environmental stewardship is determined by the worldview of managers from which their attitude and ethical response to environmentally-related issues are shaped. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is applied to determine the environmental attitude of managers, but the discussion also considers the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) to provide further valuable insights to enhance the implications of worldviews on sustainability. Introduction Nature is an important part of our productive base, but the extent and intensity in which it is being used for development is much faster than the biosphere can replenish (Sutcliffe et al., 2008; Wackernagel, et al., 2002; Heywood & Watson, 1995). This disparity has escalated the environmental challenges associated with our capability to develop in a sustainable manner. Consequently, environmental problems such as climate changes, ozone depletion, deforestation, degradation of ecosystems, and biodiversity loss continue to plague our planet. These environmental problems are directly linked to the evolution of societies and economies in which business plays a central role. Given the role that business plays in development, it becomes necessary for firms to become more environmentally responsible and align their business activities with environmental preservation and the proper management of natural resources
Simultaneous bombardment of wide bandgap materials with UV excimer irradiation and keV electrons

In previous works1 we examined the changes in the surface topography of sodium trisilicate glass (Na2O-3SiO2) with exposure to pulsed 248 nm excimer laser light at fluences of 2.6-5 J/cm2, as well as the character of the products emitted from the glass surface (e.g., +/- ions, electrons, ground state and excited neutral atoms and molecules). At these fluences, ablation readily occurs after a fixed number of preliminary laser pulses (an effect known as incubation). In the current study, we examine the precursors of this high fluence behavior at sub-threshold fluences < 2.6 J/cm2 and show that the effectiveness of laser bombardment in removing material is strongly dependent on defects produced either by high fluence 248 nm radiation or by electron radiation. We show a dramatic synergism in the ablation process by simultaneous bombardment of the glass surface with 0.5-2 keV electrons and laser pulses. A model is discussed involving surface and near-surface defects created by the electron beam that provide single photon absorption centers and free electron--laser heating. We also show that similar results are obtained on single crystal NaCl, LiF, and UV grade fused silica. The potential for performing single photon driven etching/ablation on wide band gap dielectric materials is also discussed.
Effects of ethanol extraction and duration of heat treatment of soybean flakes on the utilization of soybean protein by growing rats and pigs.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of ethanol extraction and duration of heat treatment of soybean flakes on the utilization of soybean protein by growing rats and pigs. In the first experiment, the treatments were no extraction or extraction with a 55% ethanol-water mixture (v/v), and heat treatments of 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 min in an autoclave. Ethanol extraction improved rate (P less than .002) and efficiency of gain (P less than .001) of rats. As heat treatment was increased from 0 to 20 min, rate of gain increased, but it decreased again as heating time was increased from 20 to 40 min (P less than .03). In Exp. 2 and 3, 45 pigs were used in a growth assay and 54 were used in a N balance experiment to determine the effects of ethanol extraction on under-, intermediate- and over-processed soybean flakes (i.e., 5, 20 and 60 min of autoclaving). The heat treatments were applied either without, before or after extraction with ethanol. Responses in rate and efficiency of gain to ethanol extraction were greater for soybean flakes heated for either 5 or 60 min than for the soybean flakes heated for 20 min. When pooled across heat treatment, pigs fed the soybean flakes heated before or after extraction with ethanol gained faster (P less than .001), had greater gain:feed (P less than .001) and lower plasma urea concentrations (P less than .002) than pigs fed soybean flakes heated without extraction. Feeding soybean flakes heated and extracted with ethanol also resulted in greater apparent N retention (P less than .003), apparent N digestibility (P less than .001) and apparent biological value (P less than .03) than soybean flakes that were heated without extraction. Ethanol extraction improved the protein quality of soybean flakes, especially when the flakes were under- or overprocessed with heat.
Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

In December 2000, UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO) shared their most recent grim statistics on HIV with the world health community. They estimated that there are 36.1 million adults and children living with HIV infection worldwide (1). Seventy percent of these infected individuals live in sub–Saharan Africa, where more than half of the HIV-infected adults are women. The percentages of female cases of HIV are estimated to range from 53% in Botswana and Nigeria to 58% in Rwanda and Niger (2). Furthermore, high HIV seroprevalence rates have been documented among African women of childbearing age (3). Some investigators have suggested and reported evidence that HIV-infected women have lower fertility rates than their uninfected counterparts (4). However, high rates of infection, especially among adolescent African women (5), assure the continuation of the pediatric HIV epidemic in Africa until Afro-centric strategies to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV are developed and effectively implemented. Of all HIV-infected children worldwide, 87% are estimated to live in Africa (1). A TIMING OF TRANSMISSION
Lay Theories of Gender Influence Support for Women and Transgender People’s Legal Rights:

Essentialism—the belief that differences between groups of people are biologically based and unchangeable—is strongly associated with prejudice toward a variety of social groups. The present work e...
Odor mixture training enhances dogs' olfactory detection of Home-Made Explosive precursors

Abstract Complex odor mixtures have traditionally been thought to be perceived configurally, implying that there is little identification of the individual components in the mixture. Prior research has suggested that the chemical and or perceptual similarity of components in a mixture may influence whether they can be detected individually; however, how experience and training influence the ability to identify individual components in complex mixtures (a figure-background segregation) is less clear. Figure-background segregation is a critical task for dogs tasked with discriminating between Home Made Explosives and very similar, but innocuous, complex odor mixtures. In a cross-over experimental design, we evaluated the effect of two training procedures on dogs' ability to identify the presence of a critical oxidizer in complex odor mixtures. In the Mixture training procedure, dogs received odor mixtures that varied from trial to trial with and without an oxidizer. In the more typical procedure for canine detection training, dogs were presented with the pure oxidizer only, and had to discriminate this from decoy mixtures (target-only training). Mixture training led to above chance discrimination of the oxidizer from variable backgrounds and dogs were able to readily generalize performance, with no decrement, to mixtures containing novel odorants. Target-only training, however, led to a precipitous drop in hit rate when the oxidizer was presented in a mixture background containing either familiar and/or novel odorants. Furthermore, by giving Target-only trained dogs Mixture training, they learned to identify the oxidizer in mixtures. Together, these results demonstrate that training method has significant impacts on the perception of components in odor mixtures and highlights the importance of olfactory learning for the effective detection of Home Made Explosives by dogs.