cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Asymmetrical Nature of the U.S. Treaty Processes and the Challenges That Poses for Human Rights

The structural and political realities of U.S. treaty processes raise grave difficulties for efforts to make the United States a full participant in the global system of human rights treaties. The power to stop a treaty from being ratified, along with the associated power to delay ratification or attach weakening reservations and similar limitations, is broadly dispersed within the Senate. Meanwhile, the President has been able to withdraw from treaties unilaterally. This “asymmetrical” approach to treaties raises grave difficulties for efforts to make the United States a full participant in the global treaty system protecting human rights. Because Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution requires that ratification of a treaty by the United States be preceded by a favorable two-thirds vote in the Senate, any controversial treaty faces substantial obstacles. The structure of the Senate further exacerbates this situation by favoring efforts to stop or delay action. As a practical matter, treaty ratification is usually impossible without bipartisan support. Human rights treaties often have been delayed for long periods because of these factors. For example, the United States did not join the 1948 Genocide Convention until 1989. And even those human rights treaties ratified by the United States are hobbled by numerous reservations, understandings, and other limitations. On the other hand, Goldwater v. Carter allows a President to terminate a treaty without fearing judicial intervention. President Carter exercised this prerogative in terminating the mutual defense treaty with Taiwan, and President George W. Bush withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and from the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives played any role in those actions. It is very difficult for the United States to ratify a treaty, but easy for a President to withdraw. This asymmetry creates serious difficulties, even when there is substantial support for U.S. participation in a human rights treaty. Those outside the United States look at the results of this process and may assume that the Nation is hostile to human rights. However, more general institutional characteristics explain much about why human rights treaties have encountered such extreme difficulties. New approaches to treaty ratification might make it easier for human rights treaties to be considered on their merits rather than being mired in the quicksand now encountered.
A Framework to Assess the Controllability of Wetting on Unsaturated Collapsible Soils

The paper focuses on the process of wetting-induced compaction in unsaturated soils. While such forms of irreversible deformation are referred to as collapses, a mechanical interpretation based on concepts of material stability has not yet been provided. Here we use a critical state plasticity model and an expression of second-order energy input accounting for changes in fluid pressures and/or volume fractions. Soaking-induced compaction is then simulated and interpreted in light of the controllability theory. Our results suggest that wetting-compaction is not necessarily associated with the loss of uniqueness of the incremental response. Compaction is indeed predicted not to be controllable only in soils that undergo considerable plastic strains upon wetting. In these cases, plastic models with enhanced hydraulic hardening predict the possibility of a loss of control of the water injection process, according to which the applied stress is no longer sustainable because of the degradation of the mechanical properties.
Arousal as an explanation for differences in rats selectively bred for differential alcohol sensitivity.

ABSTRACT A common error made by behavior genetics researchers is breeding two lines for differences in central arousal rather than for a specific behavioral feature. Two lines of rats (Riley, Freed, & Lester, 1976) were selectively bred for locomotor impairment in response to a subhypnotic dose (1.5 g//kg) of ethanol. These lines (designated “most affected” and “least affected”) were compared in a variety of tests and showed differences in a number of phenotypic traits in addition to locomotor impairment to ethanol. The published findings have been interpreted in light of a hypothesis suggesting adventitiously selected differences in central arousal between the two lines. This interpretation showed that their usefulness as animal models of alcoholism is seriously compromised.
Is Self-Sacrificial Competitive Altruism Primarily a Male Activity?

This study explored the basis of self-sacrificial prosocial behavior in small groups. Seventy-eight undergraduates (39M, 39F) filled out a thirty-item personality scale and then participated in a "group problem-solving study" in which the monetary success of a three-person group depended upon one of its members volunteering to endure pain (a cold stressor test) and inconvenience (being soaked in a dunk tank). There were 13 groups consisting of two females and one male, and 13 groups consisting of two males and one female. Across groups, the behavior of the altruist was judged to be more costly, challenging, and important and he/she was liked better, rewarded with more money, and preferred as a future experimental partner. Groups containing two males showed more evidence of competition to become altruists than groups containing two females, and personality traits were more effective predictors of altruistic behavior in males than in females. We conclude that competition between males and "showing off" are key factors in triggering self-sacrificial altruistic behavior.
C-H activation of cycloalkenes by dimetallynes (M = Ge, Sn) under ambient conditions.

Treatment of the dimetallynes Ar′EEAr′ [E = Ge, Sn; Ar′ = C6H3-2,6-(C6H3-2,6-iPr2)2] with a cyclic olefin—cyclopentadiene (CpH), cyclopentene, 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD), or cyclohexene—showed that, with the exception of cyclohexene, they react readily, affording C–H activation at room temperature. Reaction of the digermyne and distannyne with CpH gave the cyclopentadienyl anion, which is bound in a π-fashion to a mononuclear group 14 element center, along with evolution of hydrogen gas. Unusually, the digermyne also reacted with cyclopentene to give the same dehydroaromatization product, formed from triple C–H activation/dehydrogenation. It also was found to react with CHD to give a mixture of (Ar′GeH)2, benzene, and a new 7-germanorbornadiene species bound to a cyclohex-2-enyl fragment.
SPECIES RESISTANCE TO HISTAMINE AND ENDOTOXIN: THE RESPONSE OF THE CHICKEN.

SummaryHemodynamic and lethal effects of endotoxin in the chicken were studied. It was noted that the unanesthetized bird is highly resistant to endotoxin, all animals surviving intravenous doses up to 40 mg/kg. Systemic arterial hypotension and a slight degree of hemodilution were observed in the anesthetized chicken given 10 mg/kg endotoxin. The possible role of histamine is discussed.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and eutrophication in streams

Flowing waters receive substantial nutrient inputs, including both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), in many parts of the world. Eutrophication science for rivers and streams has unfortunately lagge...
The Indirect Effects of Social Network Characteristics and Normative Beliefs in the Association between Adolescent Depressive Symptomatology and Binge Drinking

ABSTRACTAdolescents who experience depression have different attributional styles and may overestimate how much alcohol their friends consume. This misperception may increase binge drinking among adolescents with depressive symptomatology. The social networks of adolescents with depressive symptomatology are systematically different, providing different social learning opportunities. Using Add Health, we find that individuals who suffer from depressive symptomatology are more likely to have peers with higher depression scores. Adolescents with higher depressive symptomatology are more likely to perceive their peers as drinking alcohol. Our results suggest that normative beliefs are the key mediator in explaining the association between depressive symptomatology and binge drinking.
Secondary interventions after iliac vein stenting for chronic proximal venous outflow obstruction.

Abstract Objective Iliac vein stent placement is an increasingly common procedure in the treatment of chronic proximal venous outflow obstruction (PVOO), but secondary interventions after vein stent placement remain poorly characterized. Our goal was to identify the incidence, indications, operative findings, and outcomes of secondary interventions after the primary iliac vein stent procedure at a single institution. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical history of 490 patients (57.6% female, 42.4% male; mean age, 60.77 years [range, 18-92 years]; 93.28% follow-up, with a mean follow-up of 308.59 days) who underwent iliac vein stent placement for PVOO between October 2013 and January 2016. We evaluated the clinical presentation, intraoperative findings, and outcomes of those patients requiring a secondary intervention after an initial iliac vein stent procedure. Results Secondary interventions after an initial stent placement were identified in 50 of 490 patients (10.2%; mean age, 61.54 years [range, 19-92 years]; 58% female [n = 29]). At the time of each individual intervention, 1, 18, 17, 1, and 13 patients had Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology class 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 disease, respectively. Of these 50 patients, 58% (n = 29) of secondary interventions were due to recurrence of symptoms after the initial stent surgery, 18% (n = 9) were due to the development of new symptoms, and 24% (n = 12) were due to persistence of symptoms. The primary cause of PVOO in the patient cohort was 52% (n = 26) extrinsic iliac vein compression, 28% post-thrombotic, and 20% mixed. Intraoperative findings during the secondary intervention included malposition or angulation of the stent (6% [n = 3]); acute deep venous thrombosis/thrombosis (14% [n = 7]); an additional lesion, that is, stenosis in a native iliac vein proximal or distal to the original lesion (68% [n = 34]); stenosis within the stent, that is, stent stenosis without finding of thrombus or isolated, focal intrastent thrombosis (38% [n = 19]); and impairment of flow of the contralateral vessel from the previously placed stent (6% [n = 3]). The types of secondary interventions included placement of a new stent (86% [n = 43]), isolated balloon angioplasty alone (10% [n = 5]), and catheter pharmacomechanical thrombectomy (14% [n = 7]). Symptomatic improvement was observed after the secondary intervention in 90% of patients (n = 45), whereas only 2% (n = 1) of patients experienced only a transient improvement, and 8% of patients (n = 4) reported no improvement in their symptoms after the secondary interventions. Conclusions This study establishes a secondary intervention rate of 10.2% after iliac vein stent placement for chronic PVOO and identifies discrete and definable intraoperative findings as targets for quality improvement. The very good results strongly suggest that an aggressive approach to treatment of these complications is warranted.
Copper Is a Host Effector Mobilized to Urine during Urinary Tract Infection To Impair Bacterial Colonization.

ABSTRACT Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a major global infectious disease affecting millions of people annually. Human urinary copper (Cu) content is elevated during UTI caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC upregulates the expression of Cu efflux genes during clinical UTI in patients as an adaptive response to host-derived Cu. Whether Cu is mobilized to urine as a host response to UTI and its role in protection against UTI remain unresolved. To address these questions, we tested the hypothesis that Cu is a host effector mobilized to urine during UTI to limit bacterial growth. Our results reveal that Cu is mobilized to urine during UTI caused by the major uropathogens Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae, in addition to UPEC, in humans. Ceruloplasmin, a Cu-containing ferroxidase, is found at higher levels in UTI urine than in healthy control urine and serves as the molecular source of urinary Cu during UTI. Our results demonstrate that ceruloplasmin decreases the bioavailability of iron in urine by a transferrin-dependent mechanism. Experimental UTI with UPEC in nonhuman primates recapitulates the increased urinary Cu content observed during clinical UTI. Furthermore, Cu-deficient mice are highly colonized by UPEC, indicating that Cu is involved in the limiting of bacterial growth within the urinary tract. Collectively, our results indicate that Cu is a host effector that is involved in protection against pathogen colonization of the urinary tract. Because urinary Cu levels are amenable to modulation, augmentation of the Cu-based host defense against UTI represents a novel approach to limiting bacterial colonization during UTI.
Love wave spectra and the mechanism of the 1966 Parkfield sequence

Abstract The spectra of the Love waves from five earthquakes of the 1966 Parkfield sequence, recorded at Berkeley, have been studied for evidence of source propagation. Independent field evidence suggests that the source of the main shock of the sequence may have propagated on a line away from Berkeley. The modulation effect of propagation on the amplitude spectrum is discussed. This effect is dependent upon the total time delay due to rupture down the fault and seismic wave propagation back to the point of initial rupture, and is thus ambiguous with respect to fault rupture velocity and fault length. Consideration of a frequency dependent phase velocity can resolve this ambiguity. The amplitude spectrum of the largest ( M = 5.5) Parkfield earthquake shows sharp minima at periods where the spectra of the other four shocks are relatively smooth. Considered individually, these minima are consistent with a fault rupture length of about 30 km and a rupture velocity of 2.2 km/sec. The pattern of the minima varies from that predicted by the assumed phase velocities, thus the rupture velocity/fault length ambiguity is not resolved. Similarity in the shape of the spectra of the four smaller ( M = 3.8-5.1) events suggests similar focal dimensions for these earthquakes. The Love wave amplitude spectra of the four smaller earthquakes scale well, at intermediate periods, to the magnitudes determined on standard short-period intruments; the main shock scales to a much higher magnitude. The spectra are considered in the light of proposed seismic scaling laws.
NemoLib: A Java Library for Efficient Network Motif Detection

A network motif is defined as an overabundant subgraph pattern in a network and has been applied in various biological and medical problems. Various network motif detection algorithms and tools are currently available. However, most existing software programs are outdated, incompatible with modern operating systems, or do not provide sufficient operation instructions. Furthermore, most tools provide limited information regarding network motifs, which necessitates post-processing program to apply to real problems. Consequently, the lack of usability brings a certain amount of skepticism about the relevance of network motifs in investigating real biological problems. Therefore, this paper introduces NemoLib (network motif library) as a general purpose tool for detection and analysis of network motifs. NemoLib is highly programmable Java library which provides for extensibility.
Jealousy, envy, strife and discord in first clement*

AbstractThis article investigates the role that the author of the First Epistle of Clement attributes to the rivalrous emotions in creating discord in the church at Corinth. Comparison with contemporary philosophers and moralists demonstrates that Clement employs conventional topics of conservative ideology in order to crush the revolt against the established presbyters.
Plenary speakers: Nanotechnology enabled pathways for energy conversion

Nanostructured solar cells have multiple approaches by which they can improve photovoltaic performance through new physical approaches in order to reach thermodynamic limits of energy conversion, circumventing material limitations through bandgap engineered systems and providing new routes for low-cost fabrication by self-assembly or design of new materials. In the present talk, we focus on pathways to high efficiency solar cells and energy conversion using various approaches employing nanostructured materials. We first discuss the limits of conventional photovoltaics, and advanced concept approaches to exceed the so-called Shockley-Queisser limit for single bandgap cells. We then discuss particular approaches that are actively being investigated including Si heterojunction solar cells with carrier selective contacts, nanowire solar cells as active components of multi-junction solar cell, quantum dot solar cells for intermediate band devices, and multiexciton generation for increasing the quantum yield above unity in quantum dot and nanowire structures. Hot carrier solar cells are another approach to high efficiency discussed, where the critical issue is reducing the energy loss rate of photoexcited carriers, either in low-dimensional nanostructured materials where this rate is reduced, or in phononic bandgap materials in which nonequilibrium phonons reduce carrier cooling, and allow extraction at high energy. Another way that nanomaterials improve efficiency which we discuss, is in improving light trapping of incident solar radiation, using nanowires and nanoparticles as scatterers in the diffraction limit, to increase absorption by increasing the optical path length in the device. Finally, we discuss hybrid high temperature multijunction photovoltaics coupled with concentrating solar thermal in order to improve the system efficiency above either that of the photovoltaic or CSP system by itself.
A porous viscoelastic model for the cell cytoskeleton

The immersed boundary method is a widely used mixed Eulerian/Lagrangian framework for simulating the motion of elastic structures immersed in viscous fluids. In this work, we consider a poroelastic immersed boundary method in which a fluid permeates a porous, elastic structure of negligible volume fraction, and extend this method to include stress relaxation of the material. The porous viscoelastic method presented here is validated for a prescribed oscillatory shear and for an expansion driven by the motion at the boundary of a circular material by comparing numerical solutions to an analytical solution of the Maxwell model for viscoelasticity. Finally, an application of the modelling framework to cell biology is provided: passage of a cell through a microfluidic channel. We demonstrate that the rheology of the cell cytoplasm is important for capturing the transit time through a narrow channel in the presence of a pressure drop in the extracellular fluid.
Churg-Strauss Syndrome: Gastrointestinal Features

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is characterized by small- and medium-vessel vasculitis frequently associated with asthma. This autoimmune disease affects the lungs, gastrointestinal (GI) system, peripheral nerves, heart, skin, and kidneys.
Hydrogen-Transfer Reactions

The hydrogen-transfer reactions that occur during coal liquefaction reactions are essential for the conversion of intractable coal molecules into liquids and soluble products. Virtually all the practical processes for coal liquefaction, such as the solvent-refined Coal II process,(1) the Exxon donor-solvent process,(2) the integrated two-stage liquefaction process, (3a,3b) and the Chevron coal liquefaction process,(4) use a portion of the liquid coal products as a solvent for the dissolution reaction. In the more recently developed Chevron coal liquefaction process,(4) the liquefaction reaction is carried out in two separate, but closely coupled, reactors as shown in Figure 1. A slurry of the coal in a portion of the coal liquid (recycle oil) is introduced into the first-stage reactor and the product of this phase of the reaction is then fed into the second-stage reactor. The large coal molecules are decomposed and, in part, dissolved in the first reactor and the initial product is refined catalytically in the second reactor to yield the coal liquefaction products which include a fraction suitable for use as the solvent for the reaction. The conversion reactions require not only the addition of hydrogen but also the redistribution of the hydrogen atoms already present in the coal molecules.
Assessing IT Educational Pathways that Support Rural Broadband: Strategies for Aligning IT Curricula, Policy, and Employer Needs

ABSTRACTIn this National Science Foundation Advanced Technician Education program (NSF ATE) project, we aimed to explore factors that would strengthen the rural IT employee workforce and improve educational support related to broadband, telecommunications, and networks in rural settings. Using multiple methods to triangulate rural IT program curricula content with employers’ perceptions and new professionals’ on-the-job experiences, we gained an understanding of common general and technical competencies, perceived rural IT technician workforce readiness, and strategies to bring educational experiences in alignment with professional performance. We also offer findings concerning alignment of technician pathways and recommendations for how to transfer identified competencies to other similar rural markets, along with examples of extensions of this work for exploring and assessing IT pathways.
Masqued Poetics in Your Five Gallants: Middleton's Response to Jonson

Thomas Middleton's city comedy Your Five Gallants and Ben Jonson's “comicall satyre” Cynthia's Revels make a surprising pair, given the lower-class London criminals and raucous, physical humor of M...
Alpha1, Adrenergic Receptors in Canine Lower Genitourinary Tissues: Insight into Development and Function

AbstractRadioligand receptor binding methods were used to characterize the alpha1-adrenergic receptor in the bladder body, bladder base, prostate and urethra of the male dog. Saturation experiments were performed in tissue homogenates using [125iodine]-Heat, an alpha1-adrenergic antagonist of high specific activity (2,200Ci. per mmol). The equilibrium dissociation constant Kd for [125iodine]-Heat binding in the bladder body (0.56pM.), bladder base (0.81 ± 0.11pM.), prostate (0.86 ± 0.19pM.) and urethra (0.55pM.) was similar, suggesting homogeneity of alpha1-adrenergic binding sites in lower genitourinary tissues. The receptor density in the bladder body, bladder base, prostate and urethra, expressed as fmol. per mg. wet weight, was 0.22 ± 0.02, 0.82 ± 0.09, 0.55 ± 0.06 and 0.27 ± 0.06, respectively (mean ± standard error of mean). Competitive binding experiments with [125iodine]-Heat and unlabeled prazosin and clonidine confirmed the selectivity of Heat for alpha1-adrenergic binding sites.Anatomical disse...
Delay of DNR orders when the decision is made by an involved surrogate compared to decision by the patient.

e20510 Background: A Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order is written by a physician in consultation with a patient or surrogate decision-maker to indicate whether or not the patient will receive cardiopu...
Associations between pain catastrophizing and clinical characteristics in adults with substance use disorders and co-occurring chronic pain.

ABSTRACTBackground: Pain catastrophizing refers to the tendency to interpret pain as harmful, intolerable, or uncontrollable. Greater pain catastrophizing is associated with more pain-related negat...
Spectrum Enforcement and Localization Using Autonomous Agents With Cardinality

The distributed nature of policy violations in spectrum sharing necessitate the use of mobile autonomous agents (e.g., UAVs, self-driving cars, and crowdsourcing) to implement cost-effective enforcement systems. We define this problem as multiagent planning with cardinality (MPC), where cardinality represents multiple, unique agents visiting each infraction location to collectively improve the accuracy of the enforcement tasks. Designed as a practical and deployable system, our solution leverages crowdsourced information to determine the optimum cardinality and provide a routing schedule for the agents to achieve the desired level of accuracy of detection and localization at minimum possible cost. We show that by estimating spatial orientation of the agents with single antenna, the accuracy is improved by 96% over crowdsourcing only. Using geographical maps as the basis, we solve the scheduling problem with a 3-approximation ratio in polynomial time that exhibits statistically similar performance under variety of urban locale across multiple continents. The longest path traversed by an agent on average is 1.2 km per unit diagonal length of a rectangular geographic area, even when there are twice as many infractions as agents. Deploying UAVs to the estimated region of infraction improves localization accuracy by ≈70% compared to ground vehicles.
Effect of Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy on Quality of Life in Patients with Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an accepted treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma. In this study, we evaluated QOL after HIPEC for peritoneal mesothelioma. This was a prospective study performed after HIPEC for peritoneal mesothelioma between 2002 and 2015. Patients completed QOL surveys, including the Short Form-36 (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy + Colon (FACT-C), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) preoperatively and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Overall, 46 patients underwent HIPEC for peritoneal mesothelioma and completed QOL surveys. Mean age was 52.8 ± 13.8 years and 52% were male. Good preoperative functional status was 70%. Median survival was 3.4 years, and 1, 3, and 5-year survivals were 77.4, 55.2, and 36.5%, respectively. CES-D score decreased at 3 months postoperatively, but increased at 24 months (p = 0.014); SF-36 physical functioning scale decreased at 3 months but returned to baseline at 12 months (p = 0.0045); and the general health scale decreased at 3 months, then improved by 6 months (p = 0.0034). Emotional well-being (p = 0.0051), role limitations due to emotional problems (p = 0.0006), social functioning (p = 0.0022), BPI (p = 0.025), least pain (p = 0.045), and worst pain (p < 0.0001) improved. FACT-C physical well-being decreased at 3 months but returned to baseline at 6 months (p = 0.020), and total FACT-C score improved at 6 months (p = 0.052). QOL returned to baseline or improved from baseline between 3 months and 1 year following surgery. Despite the risks associated with this operation, patients may tolerate HIPEC well and have good overall QOL postoperatively.
Normative Findings on American College Students

The findings presented in this chapter are based on studies of American college students over a 45-year period. Although such findings may seem limited because most students come from a narrow age range and a small portion of the socioeconomic ladder, this is in fact the greatest strength of the findings because they are not attenuated by other variables. They provide an anchor point for investigations of the relationship of dream content to such factors as age, ethnicity, race, class, nationality, and individual differences.
Interfacial Mixing in Stratified Flow

Description of apparatus which permits counterflow of 2 superposed streams of different densities to be maintained for period of time over appreciable length of uniform passage; velocity and density distribution measurements by chronophotography of injected droplets and analysis of point samples of fluid; results are presented in form of dimensionless ratios of interfacial shear and of mass transport as functions of Froude and Reynolds numbers.
A Combined HLA Molecular Mismatch and Expression Analysis for Evaluating HLA-DPB1 de novo Donor-Specific Antibody Risk in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplantation: Implications for Solid Organ & Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

ABSTRACT Background HLA molecular mismatch (MM) has been shown to be a risk factor for de novo donor-specific antibody (dnDSA) development in solid organ transplantation (SOT). HLA expression differences have also been associated with adverse outcomes in hematopoietic cell transplantation. We sought to study both MM and expression in assessing dnDSA risk. Methods One-hundred-and-three HLA-DP-mismatched SOT pairs were retrospectively analysed. MM was computed using amino acids (aa), eplets and, supplementarily, Grantham/Epstein scores. DPB1 alleles were classified as rs9277534-A (low-expression) or -G (high-expression)–linked. To determine the associations between risk factors and dnDSA, logistic regression, linkage disequilibrium (LD) and population-based analyses were performed. Results A high-risk AA:GX (recipient:donor) expression combination (X=A or G) demonstrated strong association with DP-dnDSA (p=0.001). MM was also associated with DP-dnDSA when evaluated by itself (eplet_p=0.007, aa_p=0.003, Grantham_p=0.005, Epstein_p=0.004). When attempting to determine the relative individual effects of the risk factors in multivariable analysis, only AA:GX expression status retained a strong association (RR=18.6, p=0.007 with eplet; RR=15.8, p=0.02 with aa), while MM was no longer significant (eplet_p=0.56, aa_p=0.51). Importantly, these risk factors are correlated, due to LD between the expression-tagging SNP and polymorphisms along HLA-DPB1. Conclusions The MM and expression risk factors each appear to be strong predictors of DP-dnDSA and to possess clinical utility; however, the two risk factors are closely correlated. These metrics may represent distinct ways of characterizing a common overlapping dnDSA risk profile, but they are not independent. Further, we demonstrate the importance and detailed implications of LD effects in risk assessment of dnDSA and possibly transplantation overall.
Novel Analytical Models of Face Recognition Accuracy in Terms of Video Capturing and Encoding Parameters

To fit the tight resource constraints, including network bandwidth, the video streams in Computer Vision systems are adapted dynamically by changing the video capturing and encoding parameters. We propose two novel analytical models that characterize the face recognition accuracy in terms of these parameters, specifically resolution, quantization, and actual bitrate. We find that the accuracy is a logistic function of the video quantization parameter, with the value of the Sigmoid’s midpoint being a function of the resolution. Alternatively, we find that the accuracy is equal to the sum of two exponentials of the actual video bitrate, with the resolution as a multiplicative factor with one exponential. We develop an evaluation framework to validate the models using two distinct video datasets with 99 videos and the widely used Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW) dataset with 13, 233 images. We conduct 1, 668 experiments that involve varying combinations of encoding parameters. We show that both models hold true for the deep-learning and statistical-based face recognition. The developed models achieve an average coefficient of determination $(R^{2})$ of 98.7% to 99.8%.
exBERT: A Visual Analysis Tool to Explore Learned Representations in Transformer Models

Large Transformer-based language models can route and reshape complex information via their multi-headed attention mechanism. Although the attention never receives explicit supervision, it can exhibit recognizable patterns following linguistic or positional information. Analyzing the learned representations and attentions is paramount to furthering our understanding of the inner workings of these models. However, analyses have to catch up with the rapid release of new models and the growing diversity of investigation techniques. To support analysis for a wide variety of models, we introduce exBERT, a tool to help humans conduct flexible, interactive investigations and formulate hypotheses for the model-internal reasoning process. exBERT provides insights into the meaning of the contextual representations and attention by matching a human-specified input to similar contexts in large annotated datasets. By aggregating the annotations of the matched contexts, exBERT can quickly replicate findings from literature and extend them to previously not analyzed models.
Mathematical analysis of Córdoba calcifediol trial suggests strong role for Vitamin D in reducing ICU admissions of hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Abstract A randomized controlled trial of calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D3) as a treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Cordoba, Spain, found that the treatment was associated with reduced ICU admissions with very large effect size and high statistical significance, but the study has had limited impact because it had only 76 patients and imperfect blinding, and did not measure vitamin D levels pre- and post-treatment or adjust for several comorbidities. Here we reanalyze the reported results of the study using rigorous and well established statistical techniques, and find that the randomization, large effect size, and high statistical significance address many of these concerns. We show that random assignment of patients to treatment and control groups is highly unlikely to distribute comorbidities or other prognostic indicators sufficiently unevenly to account for the large effect size. We also show that imperfect blinding would need to have had an implausibly large effect to account for the reported results. Finally, comparison with two additional randomized clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation for COVID-19 in India and Brazil indicates that early intervention and rapid absorption may be crucial for the observed benefits of vitamin D. We conclude that the Cordoba study provides sufficient evidence to warrant immediate, well-designed pivotal clinical trials of early calcifediol administration in a broader cohort of inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19.
Coherent Oscillations inside a Quantum Manifold Stabilized by Dissipation

Manipulating the state of a logical quantum bit usually comes at the expense of exposing it to decoherence. Fault-tolerant quantum computing tackles this problem by manipulating quantum information within a stable manifold of a larger Hilbert space, whose symmetries restrict the number of independent errors. The remaining errors do not affect the quantum computation and are correctable after the fact. Here we implement the autonomous stabilization of an encoding manifold spanned by Schroedinger cat states in a superconducting cavity. We show Zeno-driven coherent oscillations between these states analogous to the Rabi rotation of a qubit protected against phase-flips. Such gates are compatible with quantum error correction and hence are crucial for fault-tolerant logical qubits.
Implementation and Evaluation of an Electronic Maternal Early Warning Trigger Tool to Reduce Maternal Morbidity

Objective We compare maternal morbidity and clinical care metrics before and after the electronic implementation of a maternal early warning trigger (MEWT) tool. Study Design This is a study of maternal morbidity and clinical care within three linked hospitals comparing 1 year before and after electronic MEWT implementation. We compare severe maternal morbidity overall as well as within the subcategories of hemorrhage, hypertension, cardiopulmonary, and sepsis in addition to relevant process metrics in each category. We describe the MEWT trigger rate in addition to MEWT sensitivity and specificity for morbidity overall and by morbidity type. Results The morbidity rate ratio increased from 1.6 per 100 deliveries in the pre-MEWT period to 2.06 per 100 deliveries in the post-MEWT period (incidence rate ratio = 1.28, p = 0.018); however, in cases of septic morbidity, time to appropriate antibiotics decreased (pre-MEWT: 1.87 hours [1.11–2.63] vs. post-MEWT: 0.75 hours [0.31–1.19], p = 0.036) and in cases of hypertensive morbidity, the proportion of cases treated with appropriate antihypertensive medication within 60 minutes improved (pre-MEWT: 62% vs. post-MEWT: 83%, p = 0.040). The MEWT trigger rate was 2.3%, ranging from 0.8% in the less acute centers to 2.9% in our tertiary center. The MEWT sensitivity for morbidity overall was 50%; detection of hemorrhage morbidity was lowest (30%); however, it ranged between 69% for septic morbidity, 74% for cardiopulmonary morbidity, and 82% for cases of hypertensive morbidity. Conclusion Overall, maternal morbidity did not decrease after implementation of the MEWT system; however, important clinical metrics such as time to antibiotics and antihypertensive care improved. We suspect increased morbidity was related to annual variation and unexpected lower morbidity in the pre-MEWT comparison year. Because MEWT sensitivity for hemorrhage was low, and because hemorrhage dominates administrative metrics of morbidity, process metrics around sepsis, hypertension, and cardiopulmonary morbidity are important to track as markers of MEWT efficacy. Key Points
DC Power Supply and Multimeters

This chapter will discuss how to build circuits on a breadboard and how to power these circuits using DC power supplies. We will also describe how to use a multimeter to measure voltage, current, and resistance.
The Brand V. The Man: Considering a Constructive Trust as a Remedy for President Trump's Alleged Violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause

In this paper, we examine the viability of the constructive trust, in which a fiduciary must disgorge property and profits gained from conduct violating a fiduciary duty, as a justifiable equitable remedy that a court might grant for violations of the United States Constitution's Emoluments Clauses. We begin by reviewing the language of the Emoluments Clauses and providing a brief background of the historical context giving rise to the clauses. We then situate the Emoluments Clauses within the legal framework of the fiduciary law that would have been familiar to the Framers and discuss the concept of—and rationale for—the equitable constructive trust as a remedy for violations of a fiduciary duty when such violations resulted in the enrichment or personal gain of the fiduciary. Next, we explore examples of how the constructive trust has been applied to cases involving corruption by public officials and examples of how the foreign Emoluments Clause has been implemented for military personnel and civilian employees of the Department of Defense. Drawing on the rationale underlying these examples, we argue that a court, in the exercise of its equitable jurisdiction, would be justified in finding that the violation of either or both Emoluments Clauses by a sitting President creates a constructive trust for the benefit of the public fisc. We conclude by noting that federal courts are unlikely to go so far as to grant a constructive trust as a remedy, which then raises the question of whether Congress has power to codify such a remedy, a question we pose as ripe for debate, but, given space limitations, do not address.
Any Correlation Between Prostate Volume and Incidence of Prostate Cancer: A Review of Reported Data for the Last Thirty Years.

Purpose Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-skin cancer in men worldwide and more than 80% of men with PCa also have histo-anatomical findings of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). It is well documented that BPH develops in the transition zone (TZ), whereas 80-85% of PCa originates in the peripheral zone (PZ) of the prostate. Possible causal links between both disease entities are controversially discussed in the current literature. Some studies have reported that larger prostates have a decreased incidence of PCa compared to smaller prostates. The purpose of this systematic review is to comprehensively summarize studies analyzing any association between prostate gland volume and incidence of PCa. Methods A thorough literature review was performed between 01.01.1990 through 02.28.2020 using PubMed and applying the "PRISMA" guidelines. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined. Results Our systematic review found 41 articles reporting an inverse (negative) relationship between prostate gland volume and incidence of prostate cancer. Sample sizes ranged from 114 to 6692 patients in these single institutional and multi-institutional studies. Thirty-nine (95%) of the 41 articles showed a statistically significant inverse relationship. In our search, no study was found showing a positive correlation between BPH size and the incidence of PCa. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review on the important clinical question of interaction between prostate size and the incidence of PCa. The results are demonstrating an inverse relationship, and therefore reveal strong evidence that large prostates may be protective of PCa when compared to smaller prostates.
Evaluation of a Theory-Informed Pediatric Rapid Response Training Program Using the Logic Model.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The activators of rapid-response (RR) events tasked with recognition of clinical decompensation, initial management, and response activation seldom receive RR training. RR activators often experience negative emotions of "failure to rescue" that can compromise team performance during RRs. We used the logic model framework for development and evaluation of an educational program grounded in self-determination theory for pediatric RR activators. METHODS The program unfolded in a large quaternary pediatric hospital to impart knowledge and skills; foster autonomy, competence, and relatedness; and improve participants' satisfaction with performance in RRs. Logic model-guided inputs-activities-outputs-outcomes-context for program evaluation. Preintervention-postintervention follow-up surveys and interviews generated data to determine outcomes and impact of the program. The evaluation instruments were tested for validity and internal consistency. RESULTS Over 4 years, 207 multidisciplinary RR activators were trained. Iterative modifications yielded a workshop that incorporated multiple learning modalities, a standardized learner-centered case bank, formalized evaluation tools, and a database to track participation. Significant improvements in RR-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and self- determination were noted. Workshop evaluation yielded a mean score of 4.85 (0.27) on a 5-point scale. At 6-months follow-up survey and interviews, participants reported application of the knowledge and increased confidence with participation in real-life RR events. The workshop gained traction across the hospital, was associated with improved RR clinical outcomes, and contributed to professional advancement of the educators. CONCLUSIONS We successfully implemented a self-determination theory-informed RR training program for pediatric RR activators, and the logic model framework was used to facilitate comprehensive evaluation.
Assessing the Effect of Catholic Justices on Supreme Court Decisions

If judicial behavior is structured largely by the policy preferences of judges, political scientists ought to consider the source of those preferences. Religion is one force that can strongly shape a judge's worldview and therefore her votes. I examine the effect of religion on U.S. Supreme Court votes in 11 issue areas connected to religious values. Catholic justices vote in ways that more closely adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church than non-Catholic justices even after controlling for ideology. These results may indicate that Catholic theology is different from Protestant or Jewish theology. It is also possible that on some issues there is not much of a theological difference, but religious values play a more prominent role in public life for Catholic justices.
The EEG in sedative withdrawal

Abstract 1. 1. The problem of convulsions following withdrawal of sedative drugs, especially barbiturates, as well as the EEG in these states are discussed. 2. 2. The occurrence of spike and wave activity in the EEGs of such patients following convulsions is reported and discussed. 3. 3. The possible cerebral mechanisms and physiology of these phenomena are outlined.
Adult Correctional Education Programs: An Update on Current Status Based on Recent Studies.

Abstract In an effort to contribute to our knowledge of “what works” in correctional practices, this project evaluates the empirical research on adult educational programs and recidivism from the mid-1990s to the present. The studies are summarized, integrated, and rated according to the University of Maryland Scale for Scientific Rigor. We conclude that the participants in education programs such as Adult Basic Education, General Equivalency Degrees, and secondary education are less likely to recidivate, and, therefore, these programs meet the standards of what works. Similarly, recent studies of vocational education and postsecondary demonstrate sufficient decreases in recidivism to declare they are what works programming. However, there is insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of life skills programs. Thus, the ability of these programs to decrease recidivism remains in the category of “what is unknown.”
InterSQL: A Multidatabase Transaction Programming Language

This paper presents the InterSQL transaction programming language used in the InterBase-Star multidatabase system. InterBase-Star supports the atomic execution of transactions over heterogeneous, autonomous, and distributed component database systems. The component systems may use a variety of commitment methods, including ones recently developed specifically for multidatabase systems. Some of these new methods require the specification of semantic actions (e.g. compensating actions that semantically undo the effects of a subtransaction), and it is possible that multiple commitment methods may be used. Therefore, one requires the ability to specify which commitment methods may be used, and, for certain methods, semantic actions that are used to effect commitment. InterSQL is an object-oriented SQL-based transaction programming language that supports the specification of multidatabase transactions whose subtransactions may use various and multiple commitment methods.
Understanding the impact of conflict on health services in Iraq: information from 401 Iraqi refugee doctors in Jordan.

SUMMARYObjectives This study aims to assess how conflict has affected the function of Iraqi health services and its doctors. Methods Interviews were conducted in person or by mobile phone with 401 Iraqi doctors entering Jordan since 2003, using respondent-driven sampling methods. Results Of the Iraqi doctors interviewed in 2008, 94% came from Baghdad, although 25% had moved within Iraq in the past year. They reported a steady year-by-year decline in Iraqi health services from 2003 through 2006, with perhaps some improvement in 2007. By 2006, 67% of doctors said essential drugs were present less than half of the time (95% confidence interval [CI] 54–81), and 69% (95% CI 56–84) said essential equipment was available or working half the time or less. By 2006, 95% said their facilities lacked skilled health workers, and 90% noted reduced quality of care. Violent death rates among doctors in Baghdad reached 47.6/1000/yr (95% CI 42.0–53.7) in 2006. In the same year, migration rates for Baghdad doctors moving elsewhere in Iraq were 143.8/1000/yr (95% CI 134.0–154.1), and departure from Iraq was 299.5/1000/yr (95% CI 285.3–314.3). Conclusions Deterioration of health services quality, staffing levels and violence against doctors continued from 2003 through 2006, although these may have improved slightly in 2007. In 2009 and 2010, reports suggest that assassinations of doctors and out-migration have continued. Few have returned. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SMALL ACTS OF CUNNING: Disciplinary Practices in Contemporary Life

The purpose of this paper is to offer a genealogy of some of the disciplinary practices that constitute the everyday life of contemporary postmodern America. I argue that we are witnessing the emer...