cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling wrong-way crashes and fatalities on arterials and freeways

Abstract Wrong way driving (WWD) research and mitigation measures have primarily focused on limited access facilities. This is most likely due to the higher incidence of fatal WWD crashes with dramatic consequences on freeways, media attention, and a call for innovative solutions to address the problem. While public agencies and published literature address WWD incidence on freeway systems, the crash analyses on non-limited access facilities, i.e., arterial corridors, remains untouched. This research extends previous works and attempts to provide many new perspectives on arterial WWD incidence. In particular, one work showed that while WWD fatalities are more likely to occur on freeways, the likelihood of these crashes is higher on arterials. Hence this work with univariate and multivariate analyses of WWD and non-WWD crashes, and fatal and non-fatal WWD incidents. Results show the impressive negative impacts of alcohol use, driver defect, nighttime and weekend incidence, poor street lighting, low traffic volumes, rural geography, and median and shoulder widths. The objective here is to highlight the need for paying greater attention to WWD crashes on arterial corridors as is done with fatal WWD incidents on freeway systems. It suffices to say that while engineering countermeasures should evolve from the traditional signing and pavement markings to connected vehicle technology applications, there is a clear and compelling need to focus on educational campaigns specifically targeting drunken driving, and enforcement initiatives with an objective to mitigate WWD in the most efficient manner possible.
Geno- and phenotypic characteristics of a transfected Babesia bovis 6-Cys-E knockout clonal line.

Babesia bovis is an intra-erythrocytic tick-transmitted apicomplexan protozoan parasite. It has a complex lifestyle including asexual replication in the mammalian host and sexual replication occurring in the midgut of host tick vector, typically, Rhipicephalus microplus. Previous evidence showed that certain B. bovis genes, including members of 6-Cys gene family, are differentially expressed during tick and mammalian stages of the parasite’s life cycle. Moreover, the 6-Cys E gene is differentially expressed in the T3Bo strain of B. bovis tick stages, and anti 6-Cys E antibodies were shown to be able to inhibit in vitro growth of the phenotypically distinct B. bovis Mo7clonal line. In this study, the 6-Cys E gene of B. bovis T3Bo strain was disrupted by transfection using a plasmid containing 6-Cys gene E 5′ and 3′ regions to guide homologous recombination, and the egfp-bsd fusion gene under control of a ef-1α promoter, yielding a B. bovis clonal line designated 6-Cys EKO-cln. Full genome sequencing of 6-Cys EKO-cln parasites was performed and in vitro inhibition assays using anti 6-Cys E antibodies. Full genome sequencing of 6-Cys EKO-cln B. bovis demonstrated single insertion of egfp-bsd gene that disrupts the integrity of 6-Cys gene E. Undistinguishable growth rate of 6-Cys EKO-cln line compared to wild-type 6-Cys E intact T3Bo B. bovis strain in in vitro cultures indicates that expression of gene 6-Cys E is not essential for blood stage replication in this strain. In vitro inhibition assays confirmed the ability of anti-6 Cys E antibodies to inhibit the growth of the wild-type Mo7 and T3Bo B. bovis parasites, but no significant inhibition was found for 6-Cys EKO-cln line parasites. Overall, the data suggest that the anti-6 Cys E antibody neutralising effect on the wild type strains is likely due to mechanical hindrance, or cross-reactivity, rather than due to functional requirements of 6-Cys gene E product for survival and development of the erythrocyte stages. Further investigation is underway to determine if the 6-Cys E protein is required for replication and sexual stage development of B. bovis during tick stages.
Seasonal Overturning of the Labrador Sea as Observed by Argo Floats

AbstractArgo floats are used to investigate Labrador Sea overturning and its variability on seasonal time scales. This is the first application of Argo floats to estimate overturning in a deep-water formation region in the North Atlantic. Unlike hydrographic measurements, which are typically confined to the summer season, floats offer the advantage of collecting data in all seasons. Seasonal composite potential density and absolute geostrophic velocity sections across the mouth of the Labrador Sea assembled from float profiles and trajectories at 1000 m are used to calculate the horizontal and overturning circulations. The overturning exhibits a pronounced seasonal cycle; in depth space the overturning doubles throughout the course of the year, and in density space it triples. The largest overturning [1.2 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) in depth space and 3.9 Sv in density space] occurs in spring and corresponds to the outflow of recently formed Labrador Sea Water. The overturning decreases through summer and reac...
The evolving spirit: morals and mutualism in Arabella Buckley's evolutionary epic

Contemporaries of Charles Darwin were divided on reconciling his theory of natural selection with religion and morality. Although Alfred Russel Wallace stands out as a spiritualist advocate of natu...
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment-resistant major depression (TRMD) Veteran patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Evaluation of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment-resistant major depression (TRMD) in Veterans offers unique clinical trial challenges. Here we describe a randomized, double-blinded, intent-to-treat, two-arm, superiority parallel design, a multicenter study funded by the Cooperative Studies Program (CSP No. 556) of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. We recruited medical providers with clinical expertise in treating TRMD at nine Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers as the trial local investigators. We plan to enroll 360 Veterans diagnosed with TRMD at the nine VA medical centers over a 3-year period. We will randomize participants into a double-blinded clinical trial to left prefrontal rTMS treatment or to sham (control) rTMS treatment (180 participants each group) for up to 30 treatment sessions. All participants will meet Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4 th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for major depression and will have failed at least two prior pharmacological interventions. In contrast with other rTMS clinical trials, we will not exclude Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or history of substance abuse and we will obtain detailed history regarding these disorders. Furthermore, we will maintain participants on stable anti-depressant medication throughout the trial. We will evaluate all participants on a wide variety of potential predictors of treatment response including cognitive, psychological and functional parameters. The primary dependent measure will be remission rate (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD24) ≤ 10), and secondary analyses will be conducted on other indices. Comparisons between the rTMS and the sham groups will be made at the end of the acute treatment phase to test the primary hypothesis. The unique challenges to performing such a large technically challenging clinical trial with Veterans and potential avenues for improvement of the design in future trials will be described. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01191333 . Registered on 26 August 2010. This report is based on the protocol version 4.6 amended in February 2016. All items from the World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set are listed in Appendix A.
Unwavering Pathobiology of Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) resulting from extremity trauma presents chronic and persistent functional deficits which ultimately manifest disability. Acellular biological scaffolds, or decellularized extracellular matrices (ECMs), embody an ideal treatment platform due to their current clinical use for soft tissue repair, off-the-shelf availability, and zero autogenous donor tissue burden. ECMs have been reported to promote functional skeletal muscle tissue remodeling in small and large animal models of VML injury, and this conclusion was reached in a recent clinical trial that enrolled 13 patients. However, numerous other pre-clinical reports have not observed ECM-mediated skeletal muscle regeneration. The current study was designed to reconcile these discrepancies. The capacity of ECMs to orchestrate functional muscle tissue remodeling was interrogated in a porcine VML injury model using unbiased assessments of muscle tissue regeneration and functional recovery. Here, we show that VML injury incites an overwhelming inflammatory and fibrotic response that leads to expansive fibrous tissue deposition and chronic functional deficits, which ECM repair does not augment.
Asymptotically Stable Growth of Delaminations under Hydrogen Embrittlement Conditions

Delamination, defined here as separation of the surface layer from the solid body, is observed in many engineering processes and natural phenomena, ranging from surface buckling of layered composites to surface fracturing caused by hydrogen embrittlement in metals. For example, in the case of pipelines for hydrocarbon transport, anti-corrosion, polymer coating sometimes results in more frequent appearance of small scale delaminations. In time, these delaminations spread under molecular hydrogen accumulated in a cavity, damaging the coating and allowing the moisture access to the metal; the result being the external corrosive fracture of the pipeline and its premature replacement. Understanding the mechanism of protective coating delamination may improve estimates of the pipeline longevity, thereby creating an essential industrial potential.
The Role of Trait Anger in the Relation Between Juvenile Delinquency and Intimate Partner Violence in Adulthood

Research has documented a connection between juvenile delinquency and criminality in adulthood. However, research examining why some individuals engage in criminal behavior only as juveniles, where...
The Importance of Testing for a Significant Difference Between Two Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients

Two Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients are sometimes compared without considering the sampling distribution of each coefficient. This approach of comparing the relative size of the two...
The Temporal and Volumetric Components of Stress Induced Drinking in Rats

Two experiments are presented which describe the temporal and volumetric changes in ethanol consumption with rats exposed to recurring schedules of inescapable random shock stress. The animals In Experiment I had an ethanol and water choice and the data demonstrated cumulative increases in voluntary ethanol consumption which occurred immediately after the shock schedule. The post shock changes occurred with both 5% and 10% V/V ethanol, were specific to the appearance of shock and were not reflected by measures of total daily ethanol intake. Experiment II exposed rats to extended 22 hr. stress sessions and each animal had four simultaneous fluid choices available: water, saccharin .1% W/V, ethanol 5% V/V, and ethanol 10% V/V. Temporal Intake patterns for both 5% and 10% ethanol showed pronounced peaks for the interval immediately following the shock schedule. A progressive shift of intake from 5% to 10% ethanol was also evidenced with increasing time under shock, while saccharin and water intake decreased. Blood ethanol levels during shock increased significantly from baseline for all animals and ranged from 30 to 162 mg/100 ml. The results are interpreted as a relationship between voluntary ethanol intake and escape from the consequences of stress.
Domestic Reform and International Adaptation: Changing Financing Models of Chinese Infrastructure Projects in Africa

How have Chinese state-owned companies' strategies for overseas expansion evolved over time, as measured by changes in their sources of project finance? This study builds on the second image literature in international political economy to highlight the domestic drivers of China's changing international engagement. It argues that domestic economic reforms under the Xi Jinping administration, and the policy changes that they have entailed, have impelled China's state-owned companies to look beyond the traditional model of preferential financing from Chinese policy banks to diversify their project financing, including potential equity stakes in infrastructure joint-ventures; development of build, operate and transfer projects and other public private partnership ventures; and even action as primary investors. The paper links domestic reforms in China with a shift in Chinese state-owned companies' strategic responses overseas in the energy and transportation infrastructure sectors using evidence collected from field research in China, Ghana and Kenya during 2015 and 2016. It concludes by analyzing the theoretical implications of changes in Chinese state-owned companies' strategies for overseas expansion, as assessed by their project financing models, for their relationships with the state-- both at home and abroad.
MGluR5 activity is required for the induction of ethanol behavioral sensitization and associated changes in ERK MAP kinase phosphorylation in the nucleus accumbens shell and lateral habenula.

Abstract Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype-5 (mGluR5) activity regulates a variety of behavioral pathologies associated with alcohol addiction. The main goal of this study was to determine if mGluR5 regulates the induction of ethanol-induced locomotor sensitization, which is a model of experience-dependent plasticity following initial exposure to drugs of abuse. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) pathway is downstream of mGluR5 and implicated in alcohol addiction; however, its role in sensitization remains unexplored. We sought to determine if mGluR5-mediated changes in ethanol-induced sensitization are associated with changes in ERK1/2 phosphorylation (pERK1/2) in specific brain regions. Adult male DBA/2 J mice were tested for acute locomotor response to ethanol (0 or 2 g/kg, IP) followed by a 9-day induction period in which the mGluR5 antagonist MPEP (0 or 30 mg/kg, IP) was administered prior to ethanol (0 or 2.5 g/kg, IP). One day later, ethanol (2 g/kg) produced a robust within- and between-group increase in locomotor activity, indicating sensitization in mice that received MPEP (0 mg/kg) during induction. MPEP (30 mg/kg) treatment during induction resulted in locomotor response to ethanol (2 g/kg) challenge that was equivalent to an acute response, indicating full blockade of sensitization. Sensitization was associated with increased pERK1/2 immunoreactivity (IR) in nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) and a reduction in lateral habenula (LHb), both of which were blocked by MPEP treatment during induction. Sensitization was also associated with mGluR5-independent increases in pERK1/2 IR in the nucleus accumbens core and decreases in the dentate gyrus and lateral septum. These data indicate that mGluR5 activity is required for the induction of ethanol locomotor sensitization and associated changes in ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the AcbSh and LHb, which raises the hypothesis that mGluR5-mediated cell signaling in these brain regions may mediate the induction of sensitization. Elucidating mechanisms of sensitization may increase understanding of how ethanol hijacks behavioral functions during the development of addiction.
Impact of Residential Load Models for Overvoltage Prevention Studies in PV-Rich LV Grids

Selection of load models used in the study of power systems impacts the analyses being performed. Voltage-rise given the increased deployment of photovoltaic (PV) distributed generation presents technical challenges in low voltage (LV) distribution networks. Appliance consumption is naturally affected by the local voltage, a behavior taken into account by ZIP load models. PV generation is also affected by the local voltage because the inverters will not inject power if the voltage is not within a predefined range. An evaluation framework in MATLAB/Simulink, performed in OPAL-RT, is proposed to study the month-long technical analysis of the impact of the choice of load model for overvoltage challenges of PV-rich LV networks. A common droop-based active power curtailment PV inverter controller is implemented to evaluate a month-long technical impact on a 12-house LV distribution network. Analyses include voltage profile, energy generation and consumption, transformer loading, and system losses. The overall impacts of load model in the LV distribution system are presented and it is shown that overvoltage challenges are to an extent naturally reduced given the behavior of load.
The human organism is not a conductorless orchestra: a defense of brain death as true biological death.

In this paper, I argue that brain death is death because, despite the appearance of genuine integration, the brain-dead body does not in fact possess the unity that is proper to a human organism. A brain-dead body is not a single entity, but a multitude of organs and tissues functioning in a coordinated manner with the help of artificial life support. In order to support this claim, I first lay out Hoffmann and Rosenkrantz’s ontological account of the requirements for organismal unity and summarize an earlier paper in which I apply this account to the brain death debate. I then further support this ontological argument by developing an analogy between the requirements for the unity of an organism and the requirements for the unity of an orchestra. To do so, I begin by examining the role that a conductor plays in unifying a traditional orchestra, and then go on to show that the human organism (at least in postnatal stages) functions like a traditional orchestra that relies upon a conductor (the brain) for its unity. Next, I consider the conditions required to achieve orchestral unity in conductorless orchestras and show that, in contrast to simpler organisms like plants, the postnatal human organism lacks those conditions. I argue, in other words, that although conductorless orchestras do exist, the human organism is not one of them. Like a traditional orchestra without a conductor, the brain-dead body is not a unified whole.
Neratinib degrades MST4 via autophagy that reduces membrane stiffness and is essential for the inactivation of PI3K, ERK1/2, and YAP/TAZ signaling

The irreversible ERBB1/2/4 inhibitor neratinib causes plasma membrane-associated K-RAS to mislocalize into intracellular vesicles liminal to the plasma membrane; this effect is enhanced by HDAC inhibitors and is now a Phase I trial (NCT03919292). The combination of neratinib and HDAC inhibitors killed pancreatic cancer and lymphoma T cells. Neratinib plus HDAC inhibitor exposure was as efficacious as (paclitaxel+gemcitabine) at killing pancreatic cancer cells. Neratinib reduced the phosphorylation of PAK1, Merlin, LATS1/2, AKT, mTOR, p70 S6K, and ERK1/2 which required expression of Rubicon, Beclin1, and Merlin. Neratinib altered pancreatic tumor cell morphology which was associated with MST4 degradation reduced Ezrin phosphorylation and enhanced phosphorylation of MAP4K4 and LATS1/2. Knockdown of the MAP4K4 activator and sensor of membrane rigidity RAP2A reduced basal LATS1/2 and YAP phosphorylation but did not prevent neratinib from stimulating LATS1/2 or YAP phosphorylation. Beclin1 knockdown prevented MST4 degradation, Ezrin dephosphorylation and neratinib-induced alterations in tumor cell morphology. Our findings demonstrate that neratinib enhances LATS1/2 phosphorylation independently of RAP2A/MAP4K4 and that MST4 degradation and Ezrin dephosphorylation may represent a universal trigger for the biological actions of neratinib.
Review and Analysis of All Shareholder Letters from Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos

Warren Buffett with Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. and Jeff Bezos with Amazon.com Inc. have each developed their respective companies into successful multibillion dollar corporate enterprises. Their personal wealth based on stock ownership in the companies they founded positions these men as two of the wealthiest individuals in the world. As CEOs whose outlooks, comments and actions have the power to move markets, Buffett and Bezos command the attention of shareholders, investors, business leaders, politicians and other market makers from around the world. A perusal and interpretation of their shareholder letters will certainly provide some insight into the workings of two of the greatest business minds ever. Unlike annual reports, which rely on historical financial data in formats mandated by the SEC, no requirements exist regarding style, content and structure of a shareholder letter.
Generating and tailoring Structure-Borne Traveling Waves on two-dimensional surfaces

Abstract Structure-Borne Traveling Waves (SBTWs) have significant potential as a means of underwater propulsion and drag reduction, but there is limited understanding of how to tailor SBTWs, especially on the two-dimensional (2D) surfaces needed for these applications. To tailor SBTWs on 2D surfaces they must propagate in defined directions and have controlled patterns (e.g. wavelength). This study presents the initial step towards tailoring application-ready SBTWs on 2D surfaces. A finite element model is developed for a realistic system, correlated with test, and then used to perform a case study on tailoring SBTWs. The model represents a thin plate with electro-mechanically coupled piezoelectric actuators, elastic boundary conditions, and internal pre-stresses. Experimental validation demonstrates that the model accurately captures both the modal properties and SBTW generation of the realistic system. This enables the model to investigate the underlying dynamics and tailoring of SBTWs without the need for time-intensive experiments. A quality metric is also introduced which quantifies, for the first time, the quality of SBTWs on a 2D surface. The correlated model and quality metric are then used in a case study to tailor SBTWs on the 2D surface at three different frequencies. These SBTWs are tailored through definition and then manipulation of the actuation configuration (location, number, and phasing of actuators) to excite specific mode shapes and control the SBTW pattern. The resultant, tailored SBTWs propagate in defined directions and have controlled patterns, providing insight into the underlying dynamics of SBTWs. The novel quality metric, tailored SBTWs, and SBTW insights represent a substantial step towards realizing application-ready SBTWs on 2D surfaces.
Percutaneous microwave ablation of solitary presumptive pulmonary metastases in two dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma.

Objective To describe percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) of presumptive pulmonary metastases and the outcome of two dogs. Animals Two dogs with pulmonary lesions after treatment of spontaneously occurring appendicular osteosarcoma. Study design Preliminary prospective clinical study. Methods Two large-breed dogs were referred from tertiary veterinary hospitals 146 and 217 days after limb amputation to pursue MWA as an alternative therapy to metastasectomy. Both dogs had been receiving chemotherapy protocols at their respective referral centers. Results A novel percutaneous approach for MWA with ultrasonographic or computed tomographic (CT) guidance was successfully performed. The only complications consisted of pneumothoraxes, requiring treatment in one dog. In the weeks after their procedures, both dogs were reported to do well at home. Dog 1 died and dog 2 was euthanized 82 and 19 days, respectively, after their MWA of confirmed (dog 1) or presumed (dog 2) metastatic disease. Conclusion Percutaneous MWA of pulmonary nodules was technically feasible in two dogs without major complications. Clinical significance Percutaneous MWA may provide a minimally invasive option for treatment of osteosarcoma pulmonary metastases. Additional studies are required to evaluate the benefits of MWA on survival and confirm histologic cell death within pulmonary neoplastic lesions.
Disentangling the biotic and abiotic drivers of emergent migratory behavior using individual-based models

Abstract Understanding the drivers of movement, migration and distribution of individuals is important for insight into how species will respond to changing environmental conditions. Both abiotic and biotic factors are thought to influence migratory behavior, but their relative roles are difficult to disentangle. For migratory marine predators, both temperature and prey availability have been shown to be significant predictors of space use, though often researchers rely on physical proxies due to the lack of data on dynamic prey fields. We generated spatially explicit individual-based movement models to evaluate the relative roles of abiotic (sea surface temperature; SST) and biotic (prey availability) factors in driving blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) movement decisions and migratory behavior in the eastern North Pacific. Using output from a lower trophic ecosystem model coupled with a regional ocean circulation model, we parameterized a blue whale movement model that explicitly incorporates prey fields in addition to physical proxies. A model using both SST and prey data reproduced blue whale foraging behavior including realistic timing of latitudinal migrations. SST- and prey-only population models demonstrated important independent effects of each variable. In particular, the SST-only model revealed that warm temperatures limited krill foraging opportunities but failed to drive seasonal foraging patterns, whereas the prey-only model revealed more realistic seasonal and interannual differences in foraging behavior. Our individual-based movement model helps elucidate the mechanisms underlying migration and demonstrates how fine-scale individual decision-making can lead to emergent migratory behavior at the population level. Moreover, determining the relative effects of the physical environment and prey availability on the movement decisions of threatened species is critical to understand how they may respond to changing ocean conditions.
Grade III Solitary Fibrous Tumor/Hemangiopericytoma: A Rare Case of a World Health Organization Grade III Anaplastic Hemangiopericytoma.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) and hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) have been combined into a single designation in the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines as solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (SFT/HPC). These rare intracranial tumors can present as WHO grade I, II, or III tumors, with the risk of recurrence, metastasis, and mortality worsening with higher-grade tumors. We present a case of a patient with a WHO grade III SFT/HPC with an emphasis on the imaging features that help differentiate this type of tumor from meningiomas, which are much more common and can appear similar. Being able to help differentiate these tumors by their imaging appearance is important to help triage and risk-stratify patient management decisions.
Anesthesia for Thoracic Outlet Decompression

General anesthesia is almost always the anesthetic of choice for surgical decompression of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). As thoracic outlet decompression is typically an elective procedure, patients will ideally go through complete pre-operative assessment and planning with an emphasis on comprehensive medical work-up, risk assessment and optimization, and education. Intraoperative anesthetic care includes careful planning for airway management, hemodynamic monitoring, vascular access and patient positioning. Immediate postoperative recovery takes place in the post-anesthesia recovery unit (PACU), then in the observation unit. As we describe the continuum of the perioperative care for patients with TOS, we emphasize the principles of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), the importance of good communication between the members of the OR team, and the concept of shared patient responsibility.
Virtual refocusing of fluorescence images using an engineered point-spread function and deep learning

We report a deep learning-based virtual image refocusing method that utilizes double-helix point-spread-function (DH-PSF) engineering and a cascaded neural network model, termed W-Net. This method can virtually refocus a defocused fluorescence image onto an arbitrary axial plane within the sample volume, enhancing the imaging depth-of-field and lateral resolution at the same time. We demonstrated the efficacy of our method by imaging fluorescent nano-beads at various defocus distances, and also quantified the nano-particle localization performance achieved with our virtually-refocused images, demonstrating ~20-fold improvement in image depth-of-field over wide-field microscopy, enabled by the combination of DH-PSF and W-Net inference.
FDA Approval Summary: Tivozanib for Relapsed or Refractory Renal Cell Carcinoma.

On March 10, 2021, the FDA granted regular approval to tivozanib for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following two or more prior systemic therapies. Approval was based on the TIVO-3 study, a randomized trial of tivozanib versus sorafenib in patients with R/R advanced RCC. In TIVO-3, patients were randomized to receive either tivozanib 1.34 mg orally once daily for 21 consecutive days of every 28-day cycle or sorafenib 400 mg orally twice daily continuously. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) per RECIST v1.1. Tivozanib demonstrated efficacy compared with sorafenib with an improvement in PFS [HR: 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.56-0.95; p=0.016]. The estimated median PFS was 5.6 months and 3.9 months in the tivozanib and sorafenib arms, respectively. There was no evidence of a detrimental effect on overall survival: HR 0.97 (95% CI: 0.75-1.24). The most common grade 3-4 adverse reaction on the tivozanib arm was hypertension (24%). Compared to sorafenib, tivozanib was associated with lower rates of grade 3-4 diarrhea, rash, and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. Patients receiving tivozanib in TIVO-3 had lower rates of dose reduction, interruption, or permanent discontinuation than those receiving sorafenib.
Virtue and Vice in High Couture

This chapter explores the irony in paintings and prints by Renaissance, Baroque, and New World colonial artists that depicted the furs, feathers, and shells of free roaming animals as symbols of wealth. Portrayed merely as decorative embellishments in an increasingly complex global market as emblems, props, and heraldry, both patron and artist negated the intrinsic essence of both native and exotic free roaming animals by exceeding the stewardship sanction of Gen. 1: 26. Moreover, because free roaming animals were perceived as “wild,” artists projected contradictory portrayals of their attributes exaggerating the human form: as sanctioned virtue or gluttonous vice.
Some Effects of Fire on Vegetation and Wildlife in Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Southern Black Hills

This progress report summarized our findings in three years of research at Wind Cave National Park. Effects of prescription burns upon vegetation, birds, rodents, and bison were studied for three years in ponderosa pine forest and pine-grassland ecotone of Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. We established study plots and analyzed vegetation in summer 1979, prior to fall 1979 and spring 1980 burning. Vegetation and wildlife populations were studied in 1980 and 1981, through two post-fire growing seasons.
Two Confusions Concerning Multiple Realization

Despite some recent advances, multiple realization remains a largely misunderstood thesis. Consider the dispute between Lawrence Shapiro and Carl Gillett over the application of Shapiro’s recipe for deciding when we have genuine cases of multiple realization. I argue that Gillett follows many philosophers in mistakenly supposing that multiple realization is absolute and transitive. Both of these are problematic. They are tempting only when we extract the question of multiple realization from the explanatory context in which it is invoked. Anchoring multiple realizability in its theoretical context provides grounds for arbitrating disagreements. Doing so, I argue, favors the view advanced by Shapiro.
Challenges and Obstacles of e-Government Streamlining: A Case Study

e-Government streamlining has been a challenge since its inception in the domain of e-business. Business organizations face challenges while trying to collaborate with partners through the use of information technology in order to ensure efficient delivery of services. One of the major reasons for these inefficient services has been political bureaucracies among government organizations. To meet this challenge, a transparent and networked environment is required where government organizations can effectively partner with other relevant organizations. Using a case study analysis, we intend to identify not just the challenges in government organizations while providing services which require collaborative effort, but also the obstacles in adopting new technology for collaboration. We believe that the outcome of our research could provide a generalized guideline for government agencies where there is need for digital collaboration. Our findings will thus help government organizations to address the challenges in digital collaboration, and also help them implement new technology successfully to ensure efficient delivery of services.
Plasma Amino Acids in Reptiles After Feeding Protein or Amino Acids and After Injecting Amino Acids

Turtles (Pseudemys scripta elegans) and alligators (Alligator mississipiensis) were fed fish, casein, or free amino acid mixtures, or were injected with free amino acid mixtures, quantities in each case being equivalent to about 42 mmoles of amino acids/kg body weight. The experiments were designed to determine whether protein synthesis normally precedes catabolism of the amino acids absorbed from digesting food. Both animals disposed of free or food-derived amino acids more rapidly than could be accounted for by catabolism alone, but the transient increases in turtle plasma concentrations consisted mostly of essential amino acids, whereas the alligator plasma showed little increase in essential amino acids and considerable rises in four nonessential amino acids, glutamine, glutamic acid, glycine and alanine. Despite some species variation, these two species with low metabolic rates apparently utilized protein synthesis to dispose of amino acid mixtures prior to the necessarily slow process of catabolism for energy.
The dogmas of nutrition and cancer: time for a second (and maybe third) look

In many peer-reviewed articles, the assertion that 30-40% of cancers can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle and appropriate dietary measures has become axiomatic. The information often is derived from an expert panel's opinion as opposed to hypothesis-driven research. Unquestionably, the single most effective and validated cancer prevention measure is to not smoke, or if one does, to cease. However, obesity avoidance reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes and probably some cancers. While for some Americans the consumption of an unhealthy diet is by choice, for many it is driven by financial constraints and the search for calories of any kind. Regrettably, beyond that, there is little compelling evidence on how diet can be used to prevent cancer.
Applying Relative, Asset-Oriented, and Real-Option Valuation Methods to Mergers and Acquisitions

This chapter discusses application of relative-valuation methods, asset-oriented methods, real-options analysis, and replacement cost method for M&A valuation. Relative-valuation methods include comparable company, comparable transactions, comparable industry techniques, and value-driver-based valuation. Asset-oriented methods include tangible book value and liquidation- or breakup-valuation techniques. Relative-valuation and asset-oriented techniques offer a variety of alternatives to the use of discounted-cash-flow estimates. The comparable companies approach entails the multiplication of certain value indicators for the target, such as earnings, by the appropriate valuation multiple for comparable companies. This chapter discusses in detail how to look at M&A valuation in the context of real options. This involves identifying preclosing and postclosing strategic and tactical alternatives and associated risks available to M&A participants. Real-options valuation is illustrated both in the context of a decision tree framework and as call and put options, when the assets underlying the option exhibit the characteristics of financial options. A weighted-average valuation approach, which attempts to incorporate the analyst's relative confidence in the various valuation methods, is discussed. The chapter concludes with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of alternative valuation methods and when it is appropriate to apply each methodology.
Improving User Topic Interest Profiles by Behavior Factorization

Many recommenders aim to provide relevant recommendations to users by building personal topic interest profiles and then using these profiles to find interesting contents for the user. In social media, recommender systems build user profiles by directly combining users' topic interest signals from a wide variety of consumption and publishing behaviors, such as social media posts they authored, commented on, +1'd or liked. Here we propose to separately model users' topical interests that come from these various behavioral signals in order to construct better user profiles. Intuitively, since publishing a post requires more effort, the topic interests coming from publishing signals should be more accurate of a user's central interest than, say, a simple gesture such as a +1. By separating a single user's interest profile into several behavioral profiles, we obtain better and cleaner topic interest signals, as well as enabling topic prediction for different types of behavior, such as topics that the user might +1 or comment on, but might never write a post on that topic. To do this at large scales in Google+, we employed matrix factorization techniques to model each user's behaviors as a separate example entry in the input user-by-topic matrix. Using this technique, which we call "behavioral factorization", we implemented and built a topic recommender predicting user's topical interests using their actions within Google+. We experimentally showed that we obtained better and cleaner signals than baseline methods, and are able to more accurately predict topic interests as well as achieve better coverage.
Philosophical Foundations of Quantitative Research Methodology.

Appreciating a book for what it does offer typically makes for a more constructive assessment than does expression of disappointment over what the book does not offer. Chong Ho Yu invites both reac...
Argon/propane ionization‐chamber dosimetry for mixed x‐ray/neutron fields

The photoneutrons produced by high‐energy x‐ray machines can diffuse through the mazes usually employed at the treatment‐room entrance and readily penetrate the lead‐lined doors used for x‐ray shielding. The measurement of these neutrons in the presence of x rays and the determination of dose equivalent poses a problem for which there is currently no standard method of solution. In order to separate x‐ray dose from neutron dose, the author employed an ionization chamber alternately filled with argon or propane. The response characteristics of this chamber to x ray and neutrons are described. Quality factors were determined from a calculated neutron spectrum. As a result of these measurements, a 10‐in. polyethylene door was added to the entranceway of a 25‐MV linear accelerator.
Radiative transport in the delta-P1 approximation for optical tomography with small source-detector separations

The applicability of delta-P1approximation to 3-dimensional optical tomography with small source-detector separations is discussed by comparing experimentally measured and theoretically calculated sensitivity matrices of photon propagation in turbid media.
Could comprehensive soldier fitness have iatrogenic consequences? A commentary.

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) is a public health program intended to improve US Army service personnels’ resilience to military stressors including combat and operational experiences. The program uses psychological and behavioral strategies that have been shown to enhance resilience in children and adolescents. CSF has many modules that target a variety of dimensions of wellness. One of the core themes to CSF is the promotion of optimism and positive reframing of challenging situations. To date, the CSF program has not been critically and independently evaluated. This commentary argues that an emphasis on positive emotions and optimism could be maladaptive for post-combat recovery. Clinical and public behavioral health practitioners and researchers can play an important role in evaluating CSF psychological strategies.
Spatially and Temporally Resolved Delivery of Stimuli to Single Cells

This Communication describes the photolysis of individual optically trapped vesicles for delivering spatially and temporally resolved stimuli to single cells. A submicrometer-sized vesicle, which encapsulates the stimuli of interest, is precisely positioned with respect to a select cell by optical trapping. Application of a single focused UV laser pulse photolyzes the trapped vesicle and releases the stimuli onto a localized region of the cell. The spatial resolution of this technique is on the order of several hundreds of nanometers, while the temporal resolution lies in the sub-microsecond range.
Electromagnetic fields in the presence of an infinite dielectric wedge: the phased line source excitation case

Electromagnetic fields, excited by an electric phased line source in the presence of an infinite dielectric wedge, are determined by application of the Kontorovich-Lebedev transform. The Maxwell's equations together with the conditions of continuity of the tangential field components at the material interfaces are formulated as a vector boundary-value problem. By representing the field components as Kontorovich-Lebedev integrals, the problem is reduced to a system of singular integral equations for the unknown spectral functions. We construct numerical solutions to those equations that permit fields evaluation for values of the wedge refractive index, not necessarily close to unity, and for arbitrary positioned source and observer. Numerical results showing the influence of a wedge presence on the directivity of a phased line source are presented and verified through finite-difference frequency-domain simulations.
Evaluation of stochastic algorithm performance on antenna optimization benchmarks

This paper evaluates performance of ten stochastic search algorithms on a benchmark suite of four antenna optimization problems. Hill climbers (HC) serve as baseline algorithms. We implement several variants of genetic algorithms, evolution strategies, and genetic programming as examples of competitive strategy for achieving optimal solution. Ant colony and particle-swarm optimization represent cooperative strategy. Static performance is measured in terms of success rates and mean hit time, while dynamic performance is evaluated from the development of the mean solution quality. Among the evaluated algorithms, steady-state GA provides the best trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness. PSO is recommended for noisy problems, while ACO and GP should be avoided for antenna optimizations because of their low efficiencies.
Neuropsychological Deficits in Alcoholics: Facts and Fancies

SUMMARY Five facts and complementary “fancies” have been examined. Brain damage is found in alcoholics but whether alcohol directly causes the damage is not clear at this time. Cortical and subcortical atrophy is found in 50%-70% of unselected alcoholics coming for treatment but a substantial minority of alcoholics do not have such changes. Brain changes in alcoholics are associated significantly with neuropsychological deficits but the magnitude of the correlations leaves much of the variance unexplained. Neuropsychological deficits in alcoholics (who do not have “mental deterioration”) are relatively specific and in most instances functions can be recovered but there are some suggestions of more permanent, if limited, deficits. While specific neuropsychological deficits in alcoholics have been recurrently established, their relationship to therapeutic strategies and therapeutic outcome remains to be explored. Finally, it is abundantly clear that implicit and explicit criteria for patient selection in neuropsychological studies are major, if not critical, variables in work in this field.
Inductive machine learning for instrument development

Abstract An inductive machine learning (ML) algorithm is used to discriminate between respondents and examine the dimensionality of an end-user computing satisfaction instrument. In all 616 responses were partitioned for training and testing purposes. Each respondent was required to assess his or her overall satisfaction level; this was used for classification of responses in two groups: satisfied and dissatisfied. Using 12 other survey items, the Cover Learning using Integer Linear Programming (CLILP2) algorithm correctly categorized 76% of the respondents. Recognition and discrepancy rates were used for instrument validation and in developing a shorter instrument.
Origin of the atmospheres of the terrestrial planets

The monotonic decrease in the atmospheric abundance of per gram of planet in the sequence, Venus, earth, and Mars has been assumed to reflect some conditions in the primitive solar nebula at the time of formation of the planetary atmospheres, having to do either with the composition of the nebula itself or the composition of the trapped gases in small solid bodies in the nebula. Behind such hypotheses lies the assumption that planetary atmospheres steadily gain components. However, not only can gases enter atmospheres; they may also be lost from atmospheres both by adsorption into the planetary interior and by loss into space as a result of collisions with minor and major planetesimals. In this paper a necessarily qualitative discussion is given of the problem of collisions with minor planetesimals, a process called atmospheric cratering or atmospheric erosion, and a discussion is given of atmospheric loss accompanying collision of a planet with a major planetesimal, such as may have produced the earth's moon.
A Quantitative Method for the Alkaloid of Acacia berlandieri

Using the reagent 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, a rapid and reliable method is described for the quantitative estimation of N-methyl beta-phenylethylamine in Acacia berlandieri . The method appears to be specific for the amine since paper chromatograms of plant extracts failed to indicate the presence of interfering amines and alkaloids.
Development of the Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale for Cancer

This article describes the development of the Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale for Cancer (SLDS-C), a self report instrument for assessing the subjective quality of life of patients receiving aggressive cancer treatment. The SLDS-C asks respondents to rate their satisfaction with 17 areas of life using seven faces (three smiling, one neutral, and three frowning). The instrument has the following advantages: it is acceptable to patients, is easily understood, and allows different degrees of either positive or negative responses. The authors present evidence of the reliability and validity of the scale on the basis of the responses of 109 long-term cancer survivors who had received bone marrow transplants.