cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1514: Oncolytic viral therapy for glioblastoma induces robust natural killer cell activation

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Oncolytic viral (OV) therapy is a promising treatment being tested for safety and efficacy. Natural killer cells (NK) limit viral infections, and previous work suggests they may similarly attenuate virotherapy. We used flow cytometry to evaluate the temporal pattern of NK recruitment in intracranial tumors (U87DEGFR glioma) treated with the oncolytic herpes virus, rQnestin 34.5, or PBS. Quantification of NK recruitment into intracranial tumors treated with rQnestin34.5 or PBS revealed significant enrichment of these cells into the tumor hemisphere at early timepoints and continuing through 72 hours (2.2-fold, p=0.02) following infection. Moreover, NK cells recruited to the site of inoculation exhibited an activated phenotype, including enhanced CD69, CD62L, CD27, NKG2D, and CD127 staining compared to PBS treated mice. This robust NK response was demonstrated to be detrimental to OV efficacy through the enhanced survival of NK depleted mice treated with OV compared to OV treated mice containing NK cells (median survival 31.6 days compared to median survival 23.6 days, p=0.04). Since NK cells are recruited into the tumor microenvironment following infection, we postulated that OV infection of glioma cells was also activating NK cells. We measured granzyme B and IFNg production by NK cells in the presence of infected or uninfected glioma. Our results indicate that glioma mediated activation of NK cells was augmented by OV infection. Additionally, these findings were corroborated with increased NK killing of OV infected glioma compared to uninfected glioma. Due to the enhanced NK cytotoxic properties induced by OV infection, we proceeded to investigate the expression of NK activating ligands on the surface of infected glioma cells that could potentially mediate this effect. Focusing on ligands for NKG2D and the natural cytotoxicity receptors (NKp30, NKp44, and NKp46), viral infection of cultured gliomas was shown to upregulate ligand expression for NKG2D (24%, p=0.004), NKp46 (41%, p=0.01), and NKp30 (2.75-fold, p=0.001) while selectively downregulating ligand expression for NKp44 (2.8-fold, p=0.005). These findings suggest that viral infection of gliomas is altering the ligand signature for NK activation. Since NK cells possess both antiviral and antitumor properties, further work will investigate if virus induced NK activating signals can be selectively blocked in order to enhance viral efficacy while maintaining NK antitumor efficacy. This is the first study investigating the changes in NK cell activation and recruitment in gliomas upon oncolytic HSV-1 treatment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1514.
Brittle lacquer for acoustic testing of structure

A structure which is to be tested acoustically is generally instrumented with strain gages to determine stress levels. Since strain gages produce only point data, the complete stress distribution is not known. The location and direction of the maximum stress are also unknown, unless a failure occurs during the test. This article describes a test program which utilized the brittle-coating technique of experimental stress analysis to determine the full-field stress distribution of a structure subjected to acoustic testing in either the laboratory or in the field. Acceptable results were obtained in the laboratory and field tests. The similarity and quality of the results indicate further investigation of the combined test methods would be valuable if perfected.
Numerical Modeling of the Free-Molecular Micro-Resistojet Prototype and Next Generation Designs Evaluation (Invited)

A numerical model of the temperature distribution and power consumption of the prototype Free Molecule MicroResistojet (FMMR) heater chip was created and validated with experiment results. Because of insufficient thin film thermophysical properties and material surface properties, a series of parametric studies were employed in the partby-part construction of the numerical model. The best model derived produced steady-state temperature distribution and power consumption that fell within the experiment measurement errors. The numerical model was used as a quick and inexpensive tool to evaluate two new heater chip designs, where one was circular in shape and the other diamond-shaped. The new designs had a smaller planar geometry but had the same composition and would operate in the same temperature range as the prototype chip. When incorporated with isolation slots in the design, the diamondshaped chip was predicted to have an efficiency of about 1mN/W or higher when bonded to a pyrex 7740 plenum with the assumption of 50% propellant heat loss.
Ultimata and Coercive Diplomacy

The role of force and threats of violence in international politics has long occupied the thoughts of concerned philosophers, historians, generals, and statesmen. Early speculation of a general nature, however, has been more recently expanded and refined by political and strategic theorists. Most notable are the studies of bargaining techniques and power (Schelling, 1966, 1960; and Young, 1968), patterns of negotiation and problems of communication (Ikl, 1963; Wohlstetter, 1962; and Jervis, 1970), conceptualizations of limitation and escalation (Halperin, 1962; Brodie, 1966; and Kahn, 1968), and theories of coercive diplomacy (George et al., 197 1). Yet despite all the attention of past and contemporary literature on bargaining and coercive techniques, remarkably few have examined one of the most distinctive, interesting, and dangerous of all forms of communication and persuasion in international crises-the ultimatum.
Exploring Addiction-as-Occupation:

IntroductionDespite advances in addiction research and practice, addiction remains a significant public health problem with strikingly high relapse rates and low treatment retention rates. This stu...
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma mimicking diverticulitis in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

We present an unusual case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) mimicking diverticulitis in a 76-year-old man with a 16-year history of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and a 2 cm left renal mass. The patient presented with severe abdominal pain and lower gastrointestinal bleeding with anticoagulation from recent pulmonary embolism. His clinical course was troubled by recurrent hospitalisations and complications that delayed investigations and potential treatments. Radiographic findings revealed stable CLL, mild sigmoid diverticulitis and a small renal mass. Small renal masses (less than 4 cm) are considered low risk for metastasising and are, thus, often observed or ablated, rather than resected. Furthermore, gastrointestinal metastases from RCC are rare. This case adds new perspective to the unpredictable nature of RCC and how synchronous malignancies may be masked in patients with long-standing CLL.
The Presence of Dihydroerythroidines in the Milk of Goats Fed Erythrina Poeppigiana and E. Berteroana Foliage

The use of nitrogen fixing crop species, such as alfalfa and clover, as a high protein animal feed is an established practice in U.S. agriculture. However, in many tropical countries nitrogen fixing pasture species are not commonly used. Temperate legumes do not grow well due to a combination of climate, competition and lack of traditional commercial inputs. On the other hand, nitrogen fixing tree species are abundant in the tropics. Many have been introduced or naturalized as a result of the coffee and cocoa industry where crops are managed below a prunable canopy of trees. Innovative uses of these trees have been developed by several international development organizations such as the Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica.
Robust Permutation Tests For Correlation And Regression Coefficients

ABSTRACTGiven a sample from a bivariate distribution, consider the problem of testing independence. A permutation test based on the sample correlation is known to be an exact level α test. However, when used to test the null hypothesis that the samples are uncorrelated, the permutation test can have rejection probability that is far from the nominal level. Further, the permutation test can have a large Type 3 (directional) error rate, whereby there can be a large probability that the permutation test rejects because the sample correlation is a large positive value, when in fact the true correlation is negative. It will be shown that studentizing the sample correlation leads to a permutation test which is exact under independence and asymptotically controls the probability of Type 1 (or Type 3) errors. These conclusions are based on our results describing the almost sure limiting behavior of the randomization distribution. We will also present asymptotically robust randomization tests for regression coeffi...
Cultures as Supraorganismal Wholes

What do we mean by culture? This question has much in common with some that have been asked in the philosophy of taxonomy. The idea that species are not kinds of organisms, but rather wholes composed of organisms, suggests that cultural units may likewise be wholes made up of parts. If so, they are individuals rather than classes in an ontological sense. There are some very strong analogies between biological species and certain cultural units, especially languages. But there are also important differences, and identifying the wholes and their parts can be difficult. This contribution explores some of the possibilities, especially the relation of compatibility among the parts.
Bonding Analysis of TM(cAAC)2 (TM = Cu, Ag, and Au) and the Importance of Reference State

A recent analysis of the bonding in transition metal (TM) complexes with cyclic aminoalkyl carbene (cAAC) ligands, TM(cAAC)2 (TM = Cu, Ag, and Au), purports to show that metal–ligand bonding involves the TM in the excited 2P state and that TM(pπ) → (cAAC)2 backdonation is not properly recognized in NBO analysis because of biases against participation of np functions in transition metal bonding. The questions of TM np orbital involvement in bonding and the possible biases in the NBO occupancy-weighted symmetric orthogonalization procedure have been examined by performing NBO analyses in two ways: (1) single Lewis structure (loc) analysis with TM np orbitals treated as valence (NBOs) or nonvalence (NBOx) and (2) direct comparison of a two-configuration resonance model (res/NBOs) treatment with a single configuration model using the expanded valency (loc/NBOx) treatment. The principal bonding picture that emerges from NBO analysis features a TM cation with two “non-innocent” cAAC ligands that are each reduce...
Lateral distribution of interface states in PMOSFETs

Precise measurements of the lateral distribution of interface states in PMOSFETs, before and after drain-avalanche-hot-carrier (DAHC) stress, are reported. The results are analyzed in the context of simultaneous gate current and substrate current measurements, and 2-D numerical simulations. Comparison of the results to similar NMOSFET measurements demonstrates that electron injection across the Si-SiO/sub 2/ interface during DAHC stress creates amphoteric interface states along the drain-region interface and negative trapped oxide charge along the channel-region interface. >
A Systematic Review of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Research Samples in Couple and Family Therapy Journals.

The purpose of this study is to review samples from research on gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) issues and to evaluate the suitability of this body of research to support affirmative and evidence-based practice with GLB clients. The authors systematically reviewed the sampling methodology and sample composition of GLB-related research. All original, quantitative articles focusing on GLB issues published in couple and family therapy (CFT)-related journals since 1975 were coded (n = 153). Results suggest that within the GLB literature base there is some evidence of heterocentrism as well as neglect of issues of class, race, and gender. Suggestions to improve the diversity and representativeness of samples—and, thus, clinical implications—of GLB-related research in CFT literature are provided.
Can a Cost Sharing Arrangement Prevent a Tax Shelter Label

In connection with an ongoing effort of the government to examine certain Microsoft documents, the government on October 12, 2016, stated in a filed document that one of the transactions at issue is "unquestionably" a tax shelter for purposes of section 7525. The significance of that is in whether some written communications should be protected from IRS scrutiny by the section 7525 confidentiality privilege that may apply to tax advice between a taxpayer and tax practitioners. Under section 7525(b)(2), written communications will not qualify if they are "in connection with the promotion of the direct or indirect participation of the person in any tax shelter." This article make the case that various countering briefs filed by Microsoft, KPMG, and certain amici do not tell the full story. They primarily maintain that there can be no tax shelter since the structure includes a cost sharing agreement, which is a structure that has been condoned by regulations for almost forty years. This article suggests that a fuller story must include background information on the Microsoft structuring, of which the cost sharing agreement is merely one piece. With full details regarding the structuring and how Microsoft conducts the relevant operations being unknown, this article draws no conclusion about whether a section 7525 tax shelter label is appropriate. The article importantly notes, though, that the district court's ability to make a reasonable judgment would be best served if the parties provided a full picture of the relevant activities performed by Microsoft and the part played by the cost sharing agreement.
BDNF overexpression in the bladder induces neuronal changes to mediate bladder overactivity.

Elevated levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in urine of overactive bladder (OAB) patients support the association of BDNF with OAB symptoms, but the causality is not known. Here, we...
Case Report: Non-infectious causes of palmoplantar rashes, what to consider.

Background: Palm and sole skin eruptions have a broad differential diagnosis. It is particularly important to recognize common causes as well as their association with certain chemotherapy regimens such as Capecitabine. Case report: A 79-year-old woman presented with a painful rash on her hands and feet for 1 week. She had metastatic colon cancer and was in her third week of treatment with capecitabine. Her diagnosis was a medication side-effect from chemotherapy. Capecitabine was stopped and she had some clinical improvement over the next two days. She was discharged with oncology follow up for resumption of Capecitabine at a lower dose with improvement in her rash 3 weeks later. Discussion: Skin rashes are a commonly encountered complaint in patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. It is important to maintain a broad differential diagnosis in those with rashes of the palmoplantar surfaces of the hands and feet. Recognizing skin changes as a possible manifestation of underlying malignancy or a medication side-effect is key in appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
Hydraulic Fracturing: Experimental Modeling

Abstract Since the beginning of hydraulic fracturing, many modeling efforts have been made to understand the operation on all disciplines related to the process such as reservoir engineering, fluid mechanics, rock mechanics, material science, and chemistry. This chapter presents the experimental modeling, which was the first tool to understand hydraulic fracturing. The process of hydraulic fracturing requires understanding near-wellbore phenomena to make an engineering design for a stimulation treatment. Experimental modeling lends itself to such applications where a small-scale testing reasonably provides insight on how a fracture initiates and propagates from a circular hole. Rock samples obtained from outcrops or synthetic samples may be used to understand the effect of a wellbore and near-wellbore stress field on a fracture geometry generated from hydraulically pressurizing the well until a tensile failure occurs. There are distinct features associated with any rock formation such as homogeneous or heterogeneous, brittle or ductile, consolidated or unconsolidated, permeable or tight, and intact or naturally fractured. These features significantly affect hydraulic fracturing results that can be modeled in laboratory scale testing. The primary logical difference between fracture stimulation of conventional versus unconventional reservoirs is that in conventional reservoirs a fracture is introduced for the hydrocarbon to sense and flow toward it; whereas in unconventional reservoirs, a fracture is created to reach where the hydrocarbon is located. In this chapter, first fundamental experimental modeling in hydraulic fracturing is presented, which provides an understanding of the principles of hydraulic fracturing propagation pattern. Then, more recent and advanced experimental models are provided, which include fracturing fluid interaction with the rock at pore scale and recent advances in creating large fractures using less water or eliminating water.
Impact of tobacco-specific nitrosamine-derived DNA adducts on the efficiency and fidelity of DNA replication in human cells.

The tobacco-derived nitrosamines 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) are known human carcinogens. Following metabolic activation, NNK and NNN can induce a number of DNA lesions, including several 4-(3-pyridyl)-4-oxobut-1-yl (POB) adducts. However, it remains unclear to what extent these lesions affect the efficiency and accuracy of DNA replication and how their replicative bypass is influenced by translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases. In this study, we investigated the effects of three stable POB DNA adducts (O2-POB-dT, O4-POB-dT, and O6-POB-dG) on the efficiency and fidelity of DNA replication in HEK293T human cells. We found that, when situated in a double-stranded plasmid, O2-POB-dT and O4-POB-dT moderately blocked DNA replication and induced exclusively T→A (∼14.9%) and T→C (∼35.2%) mutations, respectively. On the other hand, O6-POB-dG slightly impeded DNA replication, and this lesion elicited primarily the G→A transition (∼75%) together with a low frequency of the G→T transversion (∼3%). By conducting replication studies in isogenic cells in which specific TLS DNA polymerases (Pols) were deleted by CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, we observed that multiple TLS Pols, especially Pol η and Pol ζ, are involved in bypassing these lesions. Our findings reveal the cytotoxic and mutagenic properties of specific POB DNA adducts and unravel the roles of several TLS polymerases in the replicative bypass of these adducts in human cells. Together, these results provide important new knowledge about the biological consequences of POB adducts.
Sir Charles Symonds: The Masterful General Neurologist (P05.260)

OBJECTIVE: To describe Sir Charles Symonds numerous landmark discoveries in areas such as traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, epilepsy, headache, encephalitis lethargica, and neuropsychiatry. BACKGROUND: Sir Charles Symonds exemplifies the neurologist of his time, with depth and breadth of knowledge in an extraordinary number of neurologic and psychiatric conditions. DESIGN/METHODS: Literature review (OvidMEDLINE) and autobiographic and biographic sources of information were researched. RESULTS: Sir Charles Symonds neurologic training began at the National Hospital, Queen Square where he was taught by Gordon Holmes and Kinnier Wilson. He later spent time studying psychiatry under Adolf Meyer at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and neurosurgery under Harvey Cushing at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. Under the tutelage of Cushing, Symonds was the first to document the importance of intracranial aneurysms as a cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage and paved the way for clinicians to diagnose the condition before death. His clinical interest in the physical and psychological effects of head trauma was born out of his many years of service in the military. From these experiences, he understood the necessity for psychologists and neurologists to work together in the treatment of these patients. Later, he created a Hospital for Head Injuries at Oxford University. Symonds9 knowledge of such a broad number of diseases for which he proficiently wrote and made significant scientific discoveries is truly astonishing. CONCLUSIONS: Unique to Symonds was his ability to integrate sound clinical and scientific knowledge with his creative spirit and in doing so, challenging the current conceptualization of many neurologic conditions. This was fostered by his broad clinical experiences and his mentorship with leaders in the field such as Hurst, Cushing, Wilson, and Lord Brain. Disclosure: Dr. Thakur has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ropper has nothing to disclose.
Metabolic Derangement and Cell Damage in Cerebral Ischemia with Emphasis on Protein and Nucleic Acid Metabolism

Brain resuscitation is an important issue in a clinical practice dealing with patients with cardiac arrest, asphyxia and stroke. Since an increasing number of patients with cardiac arrest have been resuscitated successfully, prevention and treatment of postischemic damage associated with cardiac arrest should be addressed critically. If the thrombolytic agents such as a tissue-type plasminogen activator and streptokinase prove to be safe and effective to recanalize the thrombosed cerebral arteries, prevention of post-reperfusion damage will become an important issue. While the advances in modern technology, such as positron emission tomography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, have provided us opportunities to study metabolic derangements associated with cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, in some instances involving human patients, such investigations immediately after cardiac arrest or stroke are often technically difficult and may be unethical. Therefore, we have to rely on animal models to clarify the molecular mechanism for selective cerebral tissue vulnerability and to find rational ways to resuscitate damaged brains. In this presentation, I will first review animal experimental models and metabolic derangements associated with cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, and then review protein and RNA metabolism during and following cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, as well as their relationship to various metabolic derangements. Finally, I will discuss some aspects of structural damage which may be related to suppression of protein synthesis and intracellular transport.
Exceptional Points of Degeneracy and Branch Points for Coupled Transmission Lines—Linear-Algebra and Bifurcation Theory Perspectives

We provide a new angle to investigate exceptional points of degeneracy (EPD) relating the current linear-algebra point of view to bifurcation theory. We apply these concepts to EPDs related to propagation in waveguides supporting two modes (in each direction), described as a coupled transmission line. We show that EPDs are singular points of the dispersion function associated with the fold bifurcation connecting multiple branches of dispersion spectra. This provides an important connection between various modal interaction phenomena known in guided-wave structures with recent interesting effects observed in quantum mechanics, photonics, and metamaterials systems described in terms of the algebraic EPD formalism. Since bifurcation theory involves only eigenvalues, we also establish the connection to the linear-algebra point of view by casting the system eigenvectors in terms of eigenvalues, analytically showing that the coalescence of two eigenvalues results automatically in the coalescence of the two respective eigenvectors. Therefore, for the studied two-coupled transmission-line problem, the eigenvalue degeneracy explicitly implies an EPD. Furthermore, we discuss in some detail the fact that EPDs define branch points in the complex frequency plane, we provide simple formulas for these points, and we show that parity-time (PT) symmetry leads to real-valued EPDs occurring on the real-frequency axis.
Abstract A217: TCR affinity determines the fate of T-cells in tumors

T-cell-mediated immune responses are triggered by T-cell receptor (TCR) binding to peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC). In acute infections, affinity of TCR:pMHC interaction is a critical determinant of T-cell expansion and effector function. However, little is known about how tumor (neo) antigen affinity impacts T-cell differentiation and dysfunction in tumors. To investigate the functional and molecular programs determined by affinity, we generated an in vivo tumor model expressing altered peptide ligands (APL) derived from a native tumor neoantigen recognized by antigen-specific CD8 T-cells with varying functional avidity. While affinity did not impact T-cell activation in tumor draining lymph nodes, it drove distinct functional and molecular pathways at the tumor site: key transcription factors and effector molecules were regulated by signal strength, preserving a cell-intrinsic functional program in T-cells with lower-affinity interactions, while certain hallmarks of T-cell dysfunction, including the expression of some inhibitory receptors, were affinity-independent. RNAseq and ATACseq analyses revealed distinct affinity-dependent transcriptional and epigenetic programs in low- vs. high-affinity T-cells that drive their functional differences. Together these results reveal that TCR:pMHC affinity plays a critical role in defining the epigenetic and transcriptional states and ultimately fate of tumor-specific T-cells. Citation Format: Mojdeh Shakiba. TCR affinity determines the fate of T-cells in tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A217.
How Detector Collaborations Evolved; A Personal Recollection

The scientific goals of the SSC mean that its energy and luminosity will be greater than any previous accelerator—and consequently that experimenters will be building bigger and more complex detectors in larger collaborations than ever before. I trace the evolution of detectors and experimental groups, and their relationship to the laboratories at which the experiments are carried out, over the thirty years that I have spent in particle physics, to illuminate the lessons of the past for shaping comfortable, practical, manageable, and effective experimental collaborations at the SSC.
Block Inverse Preconditioner for Implicit Time Integration in Finite Element Micromagnetic Solvers

A block-inverse preconditioner (BIP) is proposed to accelerate solving implicit time integration in the context of Newton–Krylov approach used in micromagnetic simulations for solving the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation. A coefficient matrix is generated and stored for the linear system of Newton method. BIP is formulated by subdividing the coefficient matrix into small blocks and directly inverting them. The cost of preconditioning is low since inverting and multiplying small blocks is fast, which can be further minimized by parallel computing on multicore CPUs or GPUs. The effectiveness, speed, robustness, and scalability of BIP is demonstrated by numerical simulation experiments. Comparisons to incomplete LU preconditioning methods are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of BIP.
Critical Pedagogy Against the Privatization of Culture and Politics: “Privilege-Checking,” “Virtue-Signaling,” and “Safe Spaces”

This chapter focuses on how in the face of precarity and uncertainty certain strains of progressive thought have fallen prey to concepts that frame politics and education through the essentialized body, the personal, and the private domain. These concepts that appear online, in schools, and on campus include “safe spaces,” “affinity groups,” and “privilege checking.” This chapter contends that the allure of false certainty of the body and essentialized identity undermines the capacity of progressives to challenge oppression. Contrary to the privatized conception of politics criticized here, critical pedagogy creates the conditions for knowledge to be a source of collective political agency.
Evaluation of cervical and uterine size, at 4 weeks postpartum, as a predictor of subsequent fertility in Jersey cattle.

Uterine and cervical size of Holstein dairy cows is reported among reasons for a decline in dairy cow fertility. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (a) determine whether size of the cervix and uterus at 4 weeks postpartum impacted subsequent fertility at first service in Jersey cattle, (b) determine whether progesterone level at 4 weeks postpartum impacted cyclicity and (c) the association of the presence of corpus luteum and uterus and cervix size. Body condition scores at calving, presence of postpartum diseases, parity number and milk weights were taken from lactating Jersey dairy cows (N = 147) for 28 days postpartum. During the fourth week postpartum, a blood sample was obtained for progesterone concentration, and transrectal ultrasonography was performed by a high-resolution ultrasound machine to determine cervical and uterine horn diameter, as well as ovarian structures measurements. Correcting for parity number, BCS at calving, presence of diseases and milk yield, cows with a cervix >2.54 ± 0.63 cm and uterine horn >2.25 ± 0.59 cm were less likely to become pregnant at first service (p = .04 and p = .003, respectively). The cows with larger cervix had a trend to be less likely to have a corpus luteum present at the 4th week of lactation (p = .067). Cows with larger uterine horn size were less likely to have a corpus luteum present at the 4th week of lactation (p = .015). It is concluded that a larger cervix and/or uterus during the postpartum was associated negatively with fertility and cyclicity in Jersey cows.
Near-Infrared Photodetectors Based on Hybrid Graphene-Colloidal PbSe Quantum Dots

Photodetectors based on a hybrid structure of graphene sensitized with lead selenide (PbSe) colloidal quantum dots (QDs) effective in the near-infrared (NIR) region with high responsivity were investigated. Colloidal PbSe nanocrystals were synthesized via a hot injection method. The bandgap of the synthesized nanocrystals was determined to be 0.68 eV by measuring their optical absorbance spectrum. Photodetectors based on PbSe QDs were investigated to examine their functionality. These devices were characterized by measuring the current-voltage curves in the dark and light and the spectral response spectrum. A photodetector was fabricated using a multilayer mechanically exfoliated graphene on a Si/SiO2 substrate with a PbSe QDs layer on top. A responsivity and detectivity of 1265A/W and 3.4 *1010cm.Hz0.5/W respectively were calculated based on current-voltage measurements.
Prevalence of physical and sexual violence and psychological abuse among adolescents and young adults living with HIV in Zambia.

Background Little is known about violence against HIV-positive adolescents and young adults (AYA) in sub-Saharan Africa. This analysis examines experiences of violence victimization, and the perpetrators of this violence, among AYA living with HIV, aged 15–24 years, in Zambia. Methods We analyzed baseline data from 272 AYA (60.1% female, 71.0% perinatally infected) enrolled in Project YES! (Youth Engaging for Success), a randomized controlled trial conducted in four HIV clinics in Ndola, Zambia. Violence measures were adapted from the ICAST-C and the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence. Youth could report up to 12 perpetrator types for past-year experiences of violence. We estimated lifetime and past-year prevalence of physical violence, psychological abuse, and forced sex, disaggregated by sex and age group. Estimates were weighted using sex and age data from the 2013–14 Zambian Demographic and Health Survey to be representative of HIV-positive AYA in Zambia. Results Estimated lifetime prevalence of any violence victimization was 78.2%. Past-year prevalence was 72.0% among males and 74.5% among females. Almost half of AYA (46.1%) had ever experienced polyvictimization (2+ types of violence). Psychological abuse was most common (70.4% lifetime, 65.3% past-year), followed by physical violence (50.8% lifetime, 44.7% past-year) and forced sex (10.4% lifetime, 4.7% past-year). Among past-year victims, males experienced more violence than females from a friend/peer (74.3% vs. 45.1%, p<0.001); females experienced more violence than males from a romantic partner (33.3% vs. 5.0%, p<0.001), parent/caregiver (32.4% vs. 17.6%, p = 0.02), and stranger (19.7% vs. 5.2%, p<0.001). Conclusion The widespread and overlapping prevalence of multiple types of violence highlights the critical need for prevention and response efforts that are tailored to youths’ sex and the perpetrator type. Future research should explore violence victimization and HIV outcomes, and the measurement of psychological abuse and sexual violence, among HIV-positive AYA in the region.
Are Volatility Expectations in Different Countries Interdependent? A Data-Driven Solution to Structural VAR Identification for Implied Equity Volatility Indices

Over the past couple of decades, the number of volatility indices has increased rapidly. These indices seek to represent the market’s expectation of realized volatility over the coming month, based on the prices of options traded on each underlying equity index. Although the dynamics of realized volatility spillover have been studied extensively, very few studies exists that examine the spillover between these volatility indices. By using DAG-based structural vector autoregression, this paper provides evidence that implied volatility spillover differs from realized volatility spillover. Through solving the well-known VAR identification problem for these indices, this paper finds that Asia, more specifically Hong Kong, plays a central role in implied volatility spillover during and after the 2008 financial crisis.
A methodological framework for determining an optimal coastal protection strategy against storm surges and sea level rise

Interdependent critical infrastructures in coastal regions, including transportation, electrical grid, and emergency services, are continually threatened by storm-induced flooding. This has been demonstrated a number of times, most recently by hurricanes such as Harvey and Maria, as well as Sandy and Katrina. The need to protect these infrastructures with robust protection mechanisms is critical for our continued existence along the world’s coastlines. Planning these protections is non-trivial given the rare-event nature of strong storms and climate change manifested through sea level rise. This article proposes a framework for a methodology that combines multiple computational models, stakeholder interviews, and optimization to find an optimal protective strategy over time for critical coastal infrastructure while being constrained by budgetary considerations.
Photoacoustic tomography reconstruction using lag-based delay multiply and sum with coherence factor improves in vivo ovarian cancer diagnosis

Among women, ovarian cancer is fifth most common cause of death due to cancer. In clinical ovarian cancer diagnosis via photoacoustic tomography, we face several challenges such as poor image resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). To address these concerns, we proposed a novel beamformer named lag-based delay multiply and sum combined with coherent factor (DMAS_LAG_CF). The simulations, phantom experiments and ovarian cancer patient data have demonstrated that compared with the delay and sum algorithm (DAS), the new algorithm can achieve better resolution, SNR, and improved hemoglobin contrast of malignant vs. benign ovarian lesions.
Use of a mobile app to capture supplemental health information during pregnancy: Implications for clinical research.

Purpose Mobile applications ("apps") may be efficient tools for improving the quality of clinical research among pregnant women, but evidence is sparse. We assess the feasibility and generalizability of a mobile app for capturing supplemental data during pregnancy. Methods In 2017, we conducted a pilot study of the FDA MyStudies mobile app within a pregnant population identified through Kaiser Permanente Washington (KPWA), an integrated healthcare delivery system. We ascertained health conditions, medications, and substance use through app-based questionnaires. In a post-hoc analysis, we utilized electronic health records (EHR) to summarize sociodemographic and health characteristics of pilot participants and, for comparison, a pregnant population identified using similar methods. Results Six percent (64/1070) of contacted women enrolled in the pilot study. Nearly half (23/53) reported taking medication for headaches and one-fourth for constipation (13/53) and nausea (12/53) each. Few instances (2/92) of over-the-counter medication use were identified in electronic dispensing records. One-quarter to one-third of participants with depression and anxiety/panic, respectively, reported recently discontinuing medications for these conditions. Eighty-eight percent of pilot participants reported White race (95%CI: 81-95%), versus 67% of the comparison population (N = 2065). More pilot participants filled ≥1 prescription for antianxiety medication (22% [95%CI: 13-35%]) and antidepressants (19% [95%CI 10-31%]) pre-pregnancy than the comparison population (10 and 9%, respectively). Conclusions Mobile apps may be a feasible tool for capturing health data not routinely available in EHR. Pregnant women willing to use a mobile app for research may differ from the general pregnant population, but confirmation is needed.
Difficult removal of exposed peripheral nerve stimulator leads: a report of 2 cases.

Introduction Peripheral nerve stimulators have emerged as a new generation of advanced modalities to treat chronic pain and avoid opioids. They transmit electrical stimulation through implanted leads and wireless, wearable, external generators. Common complications include infection, nerve damage, and migration of stimulating leads. This article describes 2 cases of complications from lead migration. Methods Case 1 describes a 61-year-old man with chronic groin pain who underwent an uncomplicated ultrasound-guided ilioinguinal peripheral nerve lead implantation. Case 2 describes a 54-year-old woman with left shoulder pain who underwent an uncomplicated ultrasound-guided percutaneous lead placement near the axillary nerve through a deltoid approach. Both peripheral nerve stimulators were confirmed with fluoroscopy, and each patient was followed up every 2 months for the following 2 years. Results Both patients experienced lead migration to the skin resulting in erythema and need for lead removal. Initial unsuccessful removal by traction resulted in retained fragments and need for open surgical removal. Discussion Neurologic complications of peripheral nerve stimulator implantation are rare, but device-associated complications, specifically lead migration, remain a source of long-term problems that can result in decreased coverage of the intended neural target. Conclusion Thorough patient education, early postimplantation assessment, and extended routine follow-up are necessary to decrease lead-associated complications. If migration does occur, the potential impact of scar tissue on removal should be considered.
A unique solution for principal component analysis-based multi-response optimization problems

A procedure to find a unique solution for multi-response optimization problems based on indexing is presented. The procedure utilizes principal component analysis to map the original data to a new vector of component scores, transforming the original response variables into uncorrelated principal components. This process involves loadings that are the elements of the eigenvectors corresponding to the eigenvalues of response variables in the correlation matrix. It is shown that for a given eigenvalue λ, its corresponding eigenvectors are not unique, which could lead to different “optimal” parametric (factor-level) settings and will further mislead the process or product improvement strategy. The proposed indexing method will determine a unique optimal solution in the presence of (2p)(p!) combinations of eigenvectors.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA: AN ASSESSMENT THROUGH REPEAT PHOTOGRAPHY FROM FIRE LOOKOUTS

This paper describes a largely unrecognized source of panoramic photographs from the 1930s for fire lookouts in the American West, and uses a set of those photographs from Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, to illustrate landscape changes through rephotography. We rephotographed 360° panoramas from nine of the same fire lookouts and qualitatively and quantitatively compared the nature and amount of landscape change from 1935 to the late 1990s. Notable changes included drastic glacial recession, infilling of snow-avalanche paths, forest succession as a result of fire-suppression policies, upward advance of treeline, and pressures on the Park periphery resulting from anthropogenic developments. Geomorphic changes in general were less distinct than biogeographic changes. [Key words: Repeat photography, environmental change, Glacier National Park (GNP), Rocky Mountains, Montana.]
Human animal interaction and successful aging

Publisher Summary Human/animal interactions (HAI) have become an important part of the lives of many people of all ages. There are numerous studies that provide research data to support its beneficial effects, both physiological and psychosocial. The increasing numbers of elderly and their longevity are supported by census data in many countries. HAI has improved the lives of institutionalized elderly, both those who are cognitively intact and those with impaired cognitive ability. Research has demonstrated that physiologic arousal lowers in response to human/companion animal interaction. The presence of therapy is particularly useful in reducing agitated behaviors. There are now data to support the fact that HAI can lessen the loneliness, reduce physiologic arousal, increase health behaviors, such as walking and other exercise, and improve the psychosocial status of many elderly persons. In addition, HAI has improved the lives of institutionalized elderly, both those who are cognitively intact and those with impaired cognitive ability. Many persons who participate in animal visitation programs continue to do so for many years because it is so personally rewarding for them to be a part of the human/animal team.
Proinsulin C-Peptide-Biological Activity?

Patients with diabetes can lead relatively normal lives when treated with the hormone insulin, although they eventually exhibit vascular and neural complications. Now a report in this week9s issue by Ido et al. (p. 563) suggests that these complications might be alleviated by the simultaneous administration of C-peptide, a protein fragment cleaved from insulin during its synthesis. In his Perspective, Steiner describes how C-peptide, previously thought to be biologically inactive, may correct the vascular and neural dysfunctions of diabetes.
Optimized querying of e-government services

Web services are deemed as the natural choice for deploying e-government applications. Their use would open the door for e-government to fully get advantage of the envisioned Semantic Web. We are investigating the building of a comprehensive Web Service Management System that treats Web services as first class objects. In this paper, we focus on optimized querying of e-government services. Our approach is based on quality of service is adjusted through a dynamic rating scheme and multilevel matching.
Magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of cognitive function

Image quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain currently approximate gross anatomy as would be viewed at autopsy. During the first decade of the 21st Century incredible advances in image processing and quantification have occurred permitting more refined methods for studying brain-behavior-cognitive functioning. The current presentation overviews the current status of MRI methods for routine clinical assessment of brain pathology, how these techniques identify neuropathology and how pathological findings are quantified. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), functional MRI (fMRI), and resting state fMRI are all reviewed, emphasizing how these techniques permit an examination of brain function and connectivity. General regional relationships of brain function associated with cognitive control will be highlighted.
BPOR: a fluoroscopy-based robot navigating system for distal locking of intramedullary nails

According to the biplanar imaging principle, this paper proposes a novel fluoroscopy-guided robot navigating system for distal locking of intramedullary nails which only needs two X-ray projection images from lateral and AP views of the nail respectively. Error distributions are analyzed based on the mathematical model and the structural model. The system performance is also tested and evaluated through preliminary experiments with plastic bones and cadaver limbs. It is shown that this system has enough positioning accuracy and stability with a compact robot structure, and it can dramatically decrease the operating time. The modular design makes it applicable for most kinds of intramedullary nails existed nowadays.
Political Instability, Threat Displacement and Civil War: Darfur as a Theory Building Case

This paper revisits the link between political instability and civil war. It focuses on the elite dynamics endogenous to political instability — namely the commitment problem, in which elites have no guarantees that any distribution of power they agree upon today will be maintained in the future when each actor possesses the capabilities to lock in a much larger share by permanently eliminating others from the regime. It argues political instability, such as coups d’etat, regime splits, and purges, often reflect rival elites’ attempts to resolve the commitment problem by destroying or otherwise neutralizing their rivals’ first and second-strike capabilities. The consequence of this political strategy, however, is it divides the regime, destroying the patron-client networks on which the government depends for maintaining societal control and support, increasing the risk of civil war. I explore this argument through an in-depth case study of the outbreak of the Darfur civil war. Based on hundreds of interviews with key members of Sudan’s Islamic Movement, leaders of the Darfurian rebel movements, and other Darfurians, including politicians, tribal sheikhs, and members of civil society, I systematically analyze the effect of the split in the Islamic Movement in 1999 and 2000 on the onset of civil war in Darfur in 2002.