cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An experimental study of the effects of base-level change on fluvial, coastal plain and shelf systems

ABSTRACT Several of the concepts of sequence-stratigraphic models were tested by experiments in a large flume. Using different gradients for successive runs, a physical model of a fluvial drainage basin, coastal plain, continental shelf, and continental slope was constructed. In all experiments, initial gradients of the coastal plain and shelf were identical. Systematic raising and lowering of the water surface simulated the changes in relative sea level (i.e., base level) that are similar to most sequence-stratigraphic models. Base-level changes significantly affected the shelf area but they had little effect on the fluvial drainage basin. During base-level falls, fluvio-deltaic progradation occurred. Fluvial aggradation occurred only during periods of base-level stillstand or rise. Because of the slow rate of head ward erosion of incised valleys, a significant time gap existed from the time base level first fell below the shelfbreak and the development of a cross-shelf bypass valley. During this lag time, deposition occurred on the exposed shelf to form a fluvial braid plain. Concurrently, channels developed at the shelfbreak and grew by headward erosion at various rates. Continuous incision and widening of these channels formed valleys. These valleys were not linked directly to the main drainage basin unt l ultimately one captured the flow from that drainage. At that point, other valleys were abandoned and ceased to grow. During the subsequent base-level rise, the single, large, cross-shelf valley filled with coarser sediments while the other valleys partially filled with finer suspended-load sediments. The main cross-shelf valley also supplied coarser sediments to the slope.
Measurement of Beryllium in Biological Samples by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry: Applications for Studying Chronic Beryllium Disease

A method using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) has been developed for quantifying attomoles of beryllium (Be) in biological samples. This method provides the sensitivity to trace Be in biological samples at very low doses with the purpose of identifying the molecular targets involved in chronic beryllium disease. Proof of the method was tested by administering 0.001, 0.05, 0.5, and 5.0 μg of 9Be and 10Be by intraperitoneal injection to male mice and removing the spleen, liver, femurs, blood, lungs, and kidneys after 24 h of exposure. These samples were prepared for AMS analysis by tissue digestion in nitric acid, followed by further organic oxidation with hydrogen peroxide and ammonium persulfate and, last, precipitation of Be with ammonium hydroxide and conversion to beryllium oxide at 800 °C. The 10Be/9Be ratio of the extracted beryllium oxide was measured by AMS, and Be in the original sample was calculated. Results indicate that Be levels were dose-dependent in all tissues and the highest levels w...
Reconstruction of very large-scale fires

This paper describes scale modeling of very large scale fires as a practically useful means to investigate thoroughly their mechanisms in laboratory. A good example of very large scale fires is "fire whirls". If they are generated in urban and wildland fires, they can be dangerous for the fire fighters nearby the fire whirls and will cause extensive damage in environments. For over 20 years we have collected information and conducted experimental studies of fire whirls in mass fires using scale models. These studies indicated that a large mass fire often broke out when a large earthquake hit a city of dense population. The mass fire-related casualties and destruction were far more serious than those caused by destruction of buildings and houses by the earthquake itself. A good example is the 1938 Tokyo earthquake which caused mass fires and fire whirls claiming 38,000 deaths.
Radar Precipitation Echo and Satellite Cloud Observations of a Maritime Cyclone1

Abstract Satellite-observed cloud patterns for five days during the evolution of a major, extratropical maritime cyclone associated with a strong Ω-shaped blocking pattern were studied for the period when the storm existed over a radarscope data collection network. Cloud distributions at 24-hr intervals were compared with the surface and upper-level synoptic conditions to ascertain cloud-synoptic pattern precipitation pattern relationships. Precipitation distributions are shown in relationship to the cloud features which appear to be characteristic of extratropical maritime cyclones. In general, the very low percentage of clouds that precipitate at any given time is strongly re-emphasized, as well as the limited area within a storm in which precipitating clouds are found. Shower patterns within cellular type convective clouds are shown to develop in the same configuration as the clouds and to be subject to diurnal effects. These showers were found to have lasted at least two hours, a considerably longer p...
Effect of metabolic acidosis on NaCl transport in the proximal tubule.

In metabolic acidosis, the capacity of the proximal tubule for bicarbonate absorption is enhanced, whereas NaCl reabsorption is inhibited. Recent evidence indicates that transcellular NaCl absorpti...
Disgust and imaginal exposure to memories of sexual trauma: Implications for the treatment of posttraumatic stress

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence identifies disgust as a common and persistent reaction following sexual victimization that is linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Importantly, evidence suggests that compared with fear, disgust may be less responsive to repeated exposure, which may have implications for the treatment of PTSD. The current study sought to fill a gap in the existing literature by examining reductions in sexual trauma cue-elicited disgust and anxiety upon repeated imaginal exposure. METHOD: Seventy-two women with a history of sexual victimization completed a single laboratory-based session that involved repeated imaginal exposure to idiographic disgust- and fear-focused sexual trauma scripts. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that although anxiety and disgust declined at similar rates across exposure trials (t = -.24, p =.81), ratings of disgust (B0 = 61.93) were elevated compared with ratings of anxiety at initiation (B0 = 51.03; t = 4.49, p CONCLUSION: These results add to an increasing literature documenting the importance of disgust in the development, maintenance, and treatment of sexual-trauma-related PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
Unilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis

For initial inquiries into this topic, a computerized PubMed search of Medline listings from 1966–2005 was performe in January, 2006, using key words “vocal”, “fold” or “cord,” “paralysis” or “paresis” or “immobility” or “movement impairment”, and “treatment.” The search was filtered to include only papers published in English, involving human subjects, and including abstracts. This process yielded 1,930 publications. The search was then further limited by excluding single case reports, papers on the incidence or etiology of vocal fold paralysis, review articles with no new patient data (except meta-analyses), duplicate or follow-up papers, and papers focusing on non-voice outcomes such as swallowing. The remaining papers were reviewed and graded for their level of evidence, and then categorized into the subheadings of this chapter to the extent possible. The bibliographies of the selected papers were reviewed to determine whether any additional studies had been missed in the search, and these were added.
Judgement and justification

An account of the nature of belief, and justified and unjustified belief. The account is teleological: beliefs are justified as the products of cognitive functions established by natural selection. The issue of "realism", of the relation between explanation and the real world is also discussed.
SAT0092 A Risky “Metabolic Intersection”: the Risk of Incident Diabetes in Patients with Gout

Background Growing evidence supports that hyperuricemia is independently associated with a greater future risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus (DM). A previous cohort study that included men with a high cardiovascular risk profile found gout associated with a higher risk of incident DM compared to those with no gout. Objectives 1) To estimate the overall and sex-specific incidence rate (IR) of DM among patients with and without gout; 2) to assess the risk of incident DM among gout compared with non-gout patients; and 3) to test whether the risk of incident DM associated with gout differs by sex. Methods Using data from a US commercial insurance plan (2003-2012), we selected a cohort of adults aged ≥40 years who had no prior diagnosis of DM or use of anti-diabetic drugs at baseline. Gout patients who had ≥2 diagnoses for gout were followed from the index date, defined as the first date of gout-related drug dispensing. For the comparison group, patients with ≥2 diagnoses for osteoarthritis (OA) and ≥1 dispensing for an OA-related drug were identified and matched to the gout group on age, sex and index date with a 3:1 ratio. Incident DM was defined based on a diagnosis of DM and a dispensing for anti-diabetic drugs. Cox proportional hazards regression tested the overall and sex-specific effect of gout on DM risk after adjusting for potential confounders. Results The study cohort consisted of 54,075 gout and 162,225 OA patients, matched on age, sex and index date. The mean age was 56.2 years and 84.8% were men. At baseline patients with gout experienced a greater frequency of hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and hyperlipidemia compared to the OA group. Over a mean follow-up of 1.9 years, the IR of DM was 1.91 per 100 person-years in gout and 1.12 per 100 person-years in OA patients. After adjusting for age, comorbidities, medications, and health care utilization, gout was associated with an increased risk of DM (hazard ratio [HR] 1.45, 95%CI 1.37-1.54) for both sexes. The impact of gout on the risk of incident DM was greater in women than men compared to OA patients (Table) with a significant interaction between sex and gout (p=0.0009). Conclusions Gout was associated with an increased risk of developing DM compared with OA after adjusting for potential confounders, and the risk associated with gout was higher among women than men. This relationship may help identify patients for diabetes prevention strategies and may also highlight an important metabolic intersection between two common diseases. Disclosure of Interest S. Kim Grant/research support: Research grant from Pfizer, J. Liu: None declared, D. Solomon: None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.1691
Introducing routine HIV screening for patients on an internal medicine residency inpatient service: a quality improvement project

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening for all persons aged 13 to 64 years who present to a health care provider. We sought to improve adherence to the CDC guidelines on the Internal Medicine Resident Hospital Service. We surveyed residents about the CDC guidelines, sent email reminders, provided education, and engaged them in friendly competition. Credit for guideline adherence was awarded if an offer of HIV screening was documented at admission, if a screening test was performed, or if a notation in the resident sign out sheet indicated why screening was not performed. We examined HIV screening of a postintervention group of patients admitted between August 8, 2012, and June 30, 2013, and compared them to a preintervention group admitted between August 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012. Postintervention offers of HIV screening increased significantly (7.9% [44/559] vs 55.5% [300/541]; P HIV screening adherence can be improved through resident education, friendly competition, and system reminders. Barriers to achieving sustained adherence to the CDC guidelines include a heterogeneous patient population and provider discomfort with the subject.
STUDY ON THE REMOVAL OF PROTEIN FROM POLYSACCHARIDES OF VITIS VINIFERA L.

Sevag,enzymatic hydrolysis and combination of enzyme and Sevag were used to remove protein from polysaccharides of Vitis vinifera L. The results showed that with concentration of papain 0.14 %, the polysaccharide solution was enzymatic hydrolysis for 2 h in 60 ℃water and pH6.5,and after 4 times treatment of sevag method ,the removal percentage of protein was 72.14 %,and the loss of polysaccharide was 10.91 %.The combination of enzyme and Sevag was an effective and alternative for the common methods which demonstrated higher removal of percentage of protein and lower loss of polysaccharide.
Implant stabilization. Chemical and biomechanical considerations.

SUMMARY The influence of implant chemistry and biomechanics on stabilization has been examined in terms of the interaction between the surface of an implant and adjacent tissue. The optimization of this interaction was postulated to depend on four key parameters: implant bulk chemistry, implant surface finish and shape, implant mechanical response relative to adjacent tissue, and the biochemical interaction of tissue elements with the implant surface. Clinicians and materials scientists are extending emphasis to all these aspects of implant design in the quest for permanent biomechanical stabilization of prostheses. A material has been described that is one approach to integrating the requirements of all four of the foregoing parameters. Continuing collaboration between materials scientists and clinicians should yield more versatile prosthetic implants for meeting the patient's needs.
Postconceptive Control of Fertility

In discussing comparative abortion incidence care must be taken in defining abortion and expression and interpreting statistical data. prevalent in urban than rural areas. gal and illegal abortions and between use of abortion and contraception are very complex and not easily analyzed. Japan Hungary and Britain show that a decline in birthrate is due to pre- and post-conceptive control of fertility. computer analysis of a model population using reversible contraception has shown that at least 25% of couples will have one unplanned pregnancy. ion. sterilized after attaining desired family size. es of legal abortion increases with the duration of pregnancy. Morality rates of illegal or clandestine abortion are difficult to establish. le that the death rate for illegal abortion is approaching 1% whereas in developed countries the rate may be 1 in 1000 or less.
PI(4,5)P2 Is Translocated by ABCA1 to the Cell Surface Where it Mediates Apolipoprotein A1 Binding and Nascent HDL Assembly

Rationale:The molecular mechanism by which ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) mediates cellular binding of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA1) and nascent high-density lipoprotein (HDL) assembly is...
Acute postoperative seizures as predictors of seizure outcomes after epilepsy surgery

Abstract Objectives This meta-analysis was performed to determine if acute postoperative seizures (APOS) predict epilepsy surgery outcomes. Additionally, we estimated pooled prevalence for APOS and explored if certain APOS characteristics predict surgical outcomes. Methods A systematic literature search was performed for studies reporting seizure outcomes after epilepsy surgery in patients with and without APOS. APOS were defined as seizure(s) occurring within 30days of surgery. After data extraction, pooled Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated for 1-year seizure-free outcome in patients with and without APOS using random-effects meta-analysis. Sub-group meta-analysis for pediatric studies, time of occurrence, and APOS semiology were also performed. A meta-regression was performed to explore source(s) of heterogeneity. Results Seventeen studies were included in the final synthesis. Pooled prevalence of APOS was found to be 22.58%. A significantly higher proportion of patients without APOS within 30days of surgery (73.49%) were seizure-free at ≥1-year (OR 4.20, 95% CI 2.97–5.93, p Conclusions APOS reliably predict 1-year seizure outcomes after epilepsy surgery. This information should help counsel patients and families.
Echo intensity and muscle thickness as predictors Of athleticism and isometric strength in middle-school boys.

Introduction We examined correlations among echo intensity and muscle thickness versus measures of athleticism and isometric strength in healthy children. Methods B-mode ultrasonography was used to examine the vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) in 28 boys (mean age = 12 years). Tests of athleticism included jump height and peak velocity, sprint speed, and agility. Peak torque and the rate of torque development (RTD) at 100 and 200 ms from torque onset were assessed. Results Several significant correlations existed after controlling for age and mass. RF thickness showed the strongest correlations with the dependent variables. Both RTD time intervals, but not peak torque, correlated with VL thickness. Peak torque was greatly influenced by age and mass. Echo intensity and muscle thickness correlated highly with agility performance. Conclusions VL and RF echo intensity and muscle thickness may help predict athleticism, and to a lesser extent, RTD, in boys. Muscle Nerve 55: 685-692, 2017.
Parkinson’s Disease: Changes in Daily Life

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive brain disease produced by degeneration of neurons in the substantia nigra and other brain nuclei. The cause is unknown but environmental and genetic factors are thought to play a role. Clinical symptoms and signs are related to the motor system, cognitive and psychiatric function, and the autonomic nervous system. Rest tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity are the hallmarks of the disease. As the disease progresses, dementia, hallucinations, paranoia, orthostatic hypotension, and urinary frequency may become major disabling factors in a patient’s life. Parkinson’s disease affects employment, social functioning, and participation in society. Significant numbers of patients lose independence in their activities of daily living and quality of life for patients and caregivers may be impaired. There is no way of slowing the degenerative process or curing the disease.
France: Big gains for small science as research council is overhauled

Modest reforms of the French scientific research council, the CNRS, were announced by its director, Catherine Brechignac, last month. The CNRS will increase the core funding given to its laboratories in 1998 and introduce greater competition for research grants. The government team is also looking at whether the council's Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics can be merged with the French Atomic Energy Commission (see right).
Differential Modulation of Cytokines by VEGF In End Stage Renal Disease

Abstract 5187 Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mediates nitric oxide dependent angiogenic effects contribute to the inflammatory responses. VEGF is upregulated in ESRD and contributes to the cardiovascular dysfunction in ESRD. VEGF is also upregulated by erythropoietin which is commonly used in the management of ESRD patients. With the availability of BioChip Array Technology, a multiparametric screening of inflammatory mediators/cytokines can be measured and relevance of VEGF can be established. Utilizing the Randox Biochip technology, we profiled the plasma samples from 53 ESRD patients to determine their relevance to VEGF levels. Pre-dialysis samples from 53 male and female ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis were analyzed using a cytokine biochip for VEGF, IL2, IL4, IL6, IL8, IFNG1, TNF, IL1, MCP-1 and EGF. In addition, NO, asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA), serotonin and functional microparticles levels were also measured. A group of 50 normal healthy males and females constituted the control group. The circulating levels of VEFG and mediators were compared with the normals. In addition, VEGF levels were compared with the other mediators. In comparison to the normals, ESRD patients exhibited decreased levels of IL4, IL8, TNF and EGF, which ranged from 20–210%. Increased levels of IL2, IL6, IL10, IFNG1, IL1 and MCP-1 were noted (20-350%). NO levels were also increased, however ADMA remained unchanged. Both the serotonin and microparticle levels were also elevated in comparison to the normals (p>0.05) VEGF levels showed wide variation, however on a cumulative basis a 30–210% increase in VEGF was noted. Except for the MCP-1, the correlation of VEGF with other inflammatory markers was relatively poor (r2=<0.25). These results show that ESRD patients can be profiled for various inflammatory mediators. VEGF levels were markedly increased, however only MCP-1 levels correlated well with the increase in VEGF levels. Additional studies are warranted to clarify the regulatory role of VEGF and other mediators on inflammatory cytokines and cellular activation in ESRD. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Evaluation of medication adherence in chronic disease at a federally qualified health center

Background:While medication adherence in chronic disease has been evaluated in the general population, limited data are available among Medicaid recipients, especially within federally qualified he...
Screened van der Waals correction to density functional theory for solids

The Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) generalized gradient approximation to the exchange-correlation energy is widely used in materials science. For many solids it somewhat overestimates lattice constants and underestimates cohesive energies. What attraction among the ions is missing in PBE? For ionic solids and heavy metals, a detailed analysis shows that the answer is the van der Waals (vdW) interaction arising from electric charge fluctuations on different ions. Our vdW correction to PBE is a short-range damped and long-range screened pairwise interaction among the ions. We find that the three-body interactions are small due to screening, and that the vdW correction stabilizes the bcc structure of cesium halides over the rocksalt structure.
The Mathematics of Prediction

Prediction is the basis for all decision making, and it is particularly important for engineering and especially engineering design. However, the mathematics of prediction is neither trivial nor obvious. No prediction is both precise and certain, and a significant question is how to incorporate data and beliefs from disparate sources to formulate a prediction that is consistent with these inputs. The purpose of this paper is to establish the basic concepts of prediction in the context of engineering decision making and to make these concepts accessible to engineers.
Report from the Editor (2018)

Report presented at the meeting of the Executive Council of the Latin American Studies Association in Barcelona, Spain, on May 20, 2018.
Azhdarchid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) of Utah, USA

Abstract Azhdarchids are large pterosaurs from the Cretaceous, known mostly from fragmentary skeletal material. Here, we describe an azhdarchid pterosaur (OMNH 22014) collected from the middle Turonian Smoky Hollow Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation, Utah. The specimen is a partial metacarpal IV, with three-dimensional preservation including the distal half of the shaft and the distal condyles. The specimen is from a skeletally mature adult, with a maximum wingspan estimate of 4.7 m.
Mechanisms and context underlying the role of autophagy in cancer metastasis

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a fundamental cellular degradation mechanism that maintains cell homeostasis, regulates cell signaling, and promotes cell survival. Its role in promoting tumor cell survival in stress conditions is well characterized, and makes autophagy an attractive target for cancer therapy. Emerging research indicates that autophagy also influences cancer metastasis, which is the primary cause of cancer-associated mortality. However, data demonstrate that the regulatory role of autophagy in metastasis is multifaceted, and includes both metastasis-suppressing and -promoting functions. The metastasis-suppressing functions of autophagy, in particular, have important implications for autophagy-based treatments, as inhibition of autophagy may increase the risk of metastasis. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms and context underlying the role of autophagy in metastasis, which include autophagy-mediated regulation of focal adhesion dynamics, integrin signaling and trafficking, Rho GTPase-mediated cytoskeleton remodeling, anoikis resistance, extracellular matrix remodeling, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition signaling, and tumor-stromal cell interactions. Through this, we aim to clarify the context-dependent nature of autophagy-mediated metastasis and provide direction for further research investigating the role of autophagy in cancer metastasis.
Stories They Tell: The Rhetoric of Recruiting Independent Consultants

This study investigates the themes that drive persuasive recruiting appeals, or stories, designed to attract new, entrepreneurial workers in the direct selling industry. It offers a rhetorical pers...
An on-line interferometer for the XL-A ultracentrifuge

As a result of the renewed interest in analytical ultracentrifugation, the Beckman XL-A was released recently. This instrument automates spectrophotometric measurements of the concentration distribution of molecules in a gravitational field. Presented here is the design and the performance characteristics of a Rayleigh interferometer for the XL-A ultracentrifuge. The interferometer consists of a laser diode light source, imaging optics providing a 1.4-fold magnification of the cell, and a solid-state television camera detector. The source and detector are interfaced to a personal computer which synchronizes data acquisition for up to four cells, performs data reduction, and allows data analysis. About 1700 dat points, at a radial spacing of ∼ 9 µm, are acquired over a standard double sector cell image. Data are then stored on the disk and presented as a graph on the screen. The complete sequence of data acquisition, storage, and presentation requires about 15 s. The interformeter has a precision of about ± 0.003 fringe, and can be used for both equilibrium and velocity sedimentation. The design can be adapted for Schlieren detection.
The lineator test: Effect of activity and geometry on linearity results.

2236 Objectives: The Lineator device (Biodex Medical Solutions) is commonly used to evaluate dose calibrator linearity after initial linearity testing. While utilizing this device in our facility we found significant deviations in results. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of activity and geometry on Lineator device results. Methods: The effects of Tc-99m activity on Lineator device results were evaluated using 4 specific activities of 385 mCi, 280 mCi, 200 mCi, and 142 mCi in a constant 2 ml volume. The effect of geometry on Lineator device results was evaluated utilizing 322 mCi of Tc-99m at 5 specific volumes: 1.0 ml; 3.0 ml; 5.0 ml; 7.5 ml; and 10.0 ml. Each experimental test was performed in duplicate, results standardized to the initial value readout according to manufacturer’s instructions, and mean values calculated. Experimental results from activity and geometry were compared to the highest activity (385 mCi) and lowest volume (1.0 ml), respectively. Results: The effect of geometry on the Lineator test was minimal in that all volumes tested had a range of 94.8% to 100.2% when compared to the 1.0 ml standard geometry volume (100.0%). Significant deviations in the Lineator test were observed when altering Tc-99m activity. With activities of 280 mCi, 200 mCi, and 142 mCi (2 ml volume), a range of 99.2% to 100.3%, 97.4% to 141.5%, and 99.8% to 195.0% was observed when compared to the standard Tc-99m activity of 385 mCi (100.0%). Conclusions: The effect of increased activity and geometry on the Lineator device was evaluated. No significant deviations in geometry were observed when changing volume from 1.0 ml to 10.0 ml. Significant deviations in results were obtained when changing activity from 385 mCi to142 mCi. The activity utilized with the Lineator device must be considered when performing repeated Lineator tests.
Modelling the costs associated with high-moisture grain for mobile apps

Abstract The companies that operate grain delivery locations use a variety of methods to discount grain that is delivered with high moisture levels which are often difficult for producers to determine. This project analyzed 24 grain discount schedules representing 34 locations within and near the state of Kentucky with the goal of determining the cost of delivering grain. Discounts represent a large portion of overall cost and were expressed in terms of price, percent or a combination of price and percent. All discount schedules were stepwise functions that were evaluated at the nearest tenth of a percent moisture. The step-wise functions can have constant or variable step widths and constant or variable intervals between steps. For the large number of discount schedules based on constant step widths and intervals, equations can be used to evaluate the expected discount, but the variable functions required the use of lookup tables to record the discount schedule. After establishing a method for recording and equations for evaluating the moisture discounts, these were combined with delivery and transportation cost models to provide a larger model to estimate costs associated with high moisture grain delivery to different locations. Establishing this model enabled the creation of a producer decision support tool. This tool was developed as a smart phone application which enabled automatic determination of location if used in the field during harvest and access to cloud-based mapping tools for evaluation of the transportation network for delivery to various grain delivery locations.
An instrumental variable procedure for estimating Cox models with non‐proportional hazards in the presence of unmeasured confounding

Two‐stage instrumental variable methods are commonly used for estimating average causal effects in the presence of an unmeasured confounder. In the context of the proportional hazard Cox regression models, this problem has recently received attention with several methods being proposed. Previously, we developed an improved estimator under the incumbent two‐stage residual inclusion procedure called ‘2SRI’ by adding a Gaussian frailty in the second stage. We now consider the more complex situation in which the treatment and the unmeasured confounders can have time varying effects, illustrating the method with the case of a step function with one prespecified change point. We prove that, in situations where the effects of the unmeasured confounder or the treatment change during the follow‐up, the first stage of the 2SRI algorithm induces a frailty with time varying coefficients in the second stage, which enables incumbent methods and our previously developed procedure to be improved on. A Monte Carlo simulation study demonstrates the superior performance of the proposed extension of 2SRI that we develop. We apply the new procedure to estimate the effect of endarterectomy versus carotid artery stenting on the time to death of patients suffering from carotid artery disease by using linked vascular quality initiative registry–Medicare data.
313) Association between Measures of Function and Pain Perception in Older Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain

This investigation examined the association between measures of function and pain perception in older individuals with chronic low back pain (CLPB). Data from eight subjects older than 65 were analyzed. Measures of function included the 2-minute walk test (2-MWT) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Pain perception was examined by pressure pain threshold (PPT). Clinical pain was obtained with the visual analogue scale (VAS). PPT was assessed bilaterally at T12, L5, and S2. Values obtained during PPT were averaged together to quantify local PPT. Descriptive statistics were collected and Pearson correlation moment was performed to identify correlations. A stepwise regression model was used to identify the stronger predictor of PPT, (PPT was used as the dependent variable and ODI and 2-MWT were entered as the independent variables). Results showed that local PPT was significantly correlated with both objective and subjective measures of function (2-MWT r2=0.800, p=0.017, ODI r2=-0.866, p=0.005). Correlation analysis showed that clinical pain measured with the VAS scale was not associated with measures of disability used in this study (p>0.05). Stepwise regression model revealed that ODI alone was responsible for 70% of the variability in PPT (r2=0.708, β=-0.866, p=0.005). 2-MWT explained an additional 22% of the variability in PPT (r2=0.923, β=0.502 p=0.008). Results from this modest sample of participants with CLBP suggest that perception of disability and level of activity as evaluated by the 2-MWT have a strong influence in experimental pain perception. Surprisingly, clinical pain was not associated with measures of disability which indicates that the use of the VAS alone may not be enough to assess pain in older individuals with CLBP. Moreover, the 2-MWT could be a simple and easy way to assess changes in physical activity in older individuals.
The Economic Value of Education for Longer Lives and Reduced Disability

Policy Points Although it is well established that educational attainment improves health and longevity, the economic value of this benefit is unknown. We estimate that the economic value of education for longer, healthier lives is comparable to or greater than the value of education for lifetime earnings. Policies that increase rates of completion of high school and college degrees could result in longer, healthier lives and substantial economic value for the population. We provide a template for assigning an economic value to the health benefits associated with education or other social determinants, allowing policymakers to prioritize those interventions that yield the greatest value for the population. Context Policymakers often frame the value of educational attainment in terms of economic outcomes (eg, employment, productivity, wages). But that approach may understate the value of education if it ignores the economic value of both longer lives and the reduced disability associated with more education. Methods In this article, we estimated the present value of the longer life and reduced disability associated with higher educational attainment at age 25 through age 84. We used prospective survival data and cross-sectional disability data from the National Health Interview Survey-Linked Mortality Files and drew on published estimates of the economic value of a statistical life. In addition, we used data from the Current Population Survey-Annual Social and Economic supplement to estimate the present value of education for lifetime earnings at age 25 through age 64 in order to provide a benchmark for comparing the value of education for health. Findings Compared with those with less than a high school degree, the longer lives of those with a high school degree are worth an additional $450,000 for males and $479,000 for females, and the additional disability-adjusted life for those with a high school degree is worth $693,000 for males and $757,000 for females. By comparison, the additional lifetime earnings for those with a high school degree, rather than less than a high school degree, is $213,000 for males and $194,000 for females. Compared with those with a high school degree, the longer lives for those with a baccalaureate degree are worth an additional $446,000 for males and $247,000 for females. The value of the additional disability-adjusted life associated with having a baccalaureate degree rather than a high school degree is $611,000 for males and $407,000 among females. By comparison, the additional lifetime earnings for those with a baccalaureate degree, rather than a high school degree, is $628,000 for males and $459,000 for females. Conclusions The value of education for longer, healthier lives may surpass the value for earnings. Estimates of the economic value of the social determinants of health, such as education, can help policymakers prioritize those policies that provide the greatest value for population health.
HOW TO PREVENT CRIMINALITY OR PRISONS--CONCENTRATION CAMPS FOR A CULTURE THAT HATES CHILDREN OR THE DRUG PROBLEM: TEN SUGGESTIONS FROM A PSYCHIATRIST IN PRISON

Drugs and crime are destroying America. There are over two million incarcerated young men and women (more than in the military). Almost all of their crimes are related to drug abuse beginning about 12 years of age. The epidemic of drug abuse at early ages is based on the failure of families, schools and the communication industry to immunize youths against the contagion of drug abuse and the related rage against our culture which created them. There is one drug abuse arrest every 20 seconds. The growing acceptance of marihuana seems counterproductive. Basically, people want to escape from the rage-creating trends of life. Alcohol and drugs, including marihuana, are easy, but ineffective, ways of doing so.A major overlooked question is “Why? What is our culture doing to make people, beginning in their early puberty, to want to “turn off” rather than eagerly engage in a productive life?” Even those who are well off? And what can we do about it?Before Birth
Do prolonged operative times obviate the benefits associated with minimally invasive colectomy

Abstract Background Minimally invasive colectomy is associated with improved length of stay and decreased postoperative morbidity. Little is known regarding the impact of prolonged operative time on the benefits afforded by minimally invasive colectomy. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program procedure targeted colectomy dataset was queried to identify elective right and left colectomies performed between 2011 and 2017. Multivariable modeling was used to compare rates of composite 30-day death or serious morbidity, overall morbidity, mortality, anastomotic leak, surgical site infection, and length of stay for prolonged minimally invasive cases to those for average duration open cases. Results A total of 16,602 right colectomies and 36,557 left colectomies were identified. Median operative times for open and minimally invasive right colectomies were 107 min and 129 min (P Conclusion Prolonged operating times of an minimally invasive approach do not obviate the benefits of an minimally invasive approach to colectomy.
The Impact of Field of View on Understanding of a Movie Is Reduced by Magnifying Around the Center of Interest.

Purpose Magnification is commonly used to reduce the impact of impaired central vision. However, magnification limits the field of view (FoV) which may make it difficult to follow the story. Most people with normal vision look in about the same place at about the same time, the center of interest (COI), when watching "Hollywood" movies. We hypothesized that if the FoV was centered at the COI, then this view would provide more useful information than either the original image center or an unrelated view location (the COI locations from a different video clip) as the FoV reduced. Methods The FoV was varied between 100% (original) and 3%. To measure video comprehension as the FoV reduced, subjects described 30-second video clips in response to two open-ended questions. A computational, natural-language approach was used to provide an information acquisition (IA) score. Results The IA scores reduced as the FoV decreased. When the FoV was around the COI, subjects were better able to understand the content of the video clips (higher IA scores) as the FoV decreased than the other conditions. Thus, magnification around the COI may serve as a better video enhancement approach than simple magnification of the image center. Conclusions These results have implications for future image processing and scene viewing, which may help people with central vision loss view directed dynamic visual content ("Hollywood" movies). Translational relevance Our results are promising for the use of magnification around the COI as a vision rehabilitation aid for people with central vision loss.
Fire Sale Risk and Expected Stock Returns

We measure a stock's exposure to fire sale risk through its ownership links to equity mutual funds that experience outflows during periods of systematic outflows from the fund industry. We find that more exposed stocks earn higher average returns: a portfolio that buys (shorts) stocks with the highest (lowest) exposure outperforms by 3-7% per annum. Our findings cannot be explained by several known determinants of average returns and are consistent with the ex-ante pricing of the risk of future fire sales. We conclude that stocks' exposures to risks inherited from the constraints of shareholders have important implications for stock prices.
Emerging PV Nanomaterials: Capabilities Versus Recombination Losses

Suppressing recombination processes and improving the minority carrier lifetime are critical for enhancing the performance of solar cells. Analysis of the balance between generation, recombination, and transport and its effect on the photocurrent and open circuit voltage of solar cells as well as a review of modern approaches employed to overcome the Shockley–Queisser limit are presented.
Asymptotic expansions of weighted prime power counting functions

We prove several asymptotic continued fraction expansions of $\pi(x)$, $\Pi(x)$, $\operatorname{li}(x)$, $\operatorname{Ri}(x)$, and related functions, where $\pi(x)$ is the prime counting function, $\Pi(x) = \sum_{k = 1}^\infty \frac{1}{k}\pi(\sqrt[k]{x})$ is the Riemann prime counting function, and $\operatorname{Ri}(x) = \sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{ \mu(k)}{k} \operatorname{li}(\sqrt[k]{x})$ is Riemann's approximation to the prime counting function. We also determine asymptotic continued fraction expansions of the function $\sum_{p \leq x} p^s$ for all $s \in \mathbb{C}$ with $\operatorname{Re}(s) > -1$, and of the functions $\sum_{a^x 1$. We also determine the first few terms of an asymptotic continued fraction expansion of the function $\pi(ax)-\pi(bx)$ for $a > b > 0$. As a corollary of these results, we determine the best rational approximations of the "linearized" verions of these various functions.
Lithiophilic current collector based on nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes and three-dimensional graphene for long-life lithium metal batteries

Abstract Lithium metal as an attractive anode material has been widely used in advanced energy storage devices. However, drawbacks such as growth of lithium dendrites, significant volume changes during the cycling process, causing safety hazards and limited span-life, have impeded the commercial application of lithium metal anode. Here, we present a new composite structure, consisting of porous three-dimensional graphene (3DG) decorated with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNT). The created NCNT-3DG carbon scaffold is resilient towards significant volumetric change during cycling, while the NCNTs serve as lithiophilic sites for uniform lithium nucleation which enables uniform lithium deposition. This novel hybrid endows the lithium anode with a long-term stability reaching up to 1200 cycles at high current density of 10 mA cm−2. This significantly improved the performance of the created lithium-sulfur full cells. The demonstrated performance of the NCNT-3DG structure provides new insights for the designing and fabrication of metallic lithium anodes.
Allegedly 'Biased,' 'Intimidating,' and 'Incompetent' State Court Judges and the Questionable Removal of State Law Class Actions to Purportedly 'Impartial' and 'Competent' Federal Courts—A Historical Perspective and an Empirical Analysis of Class Action Dispositions in Federal and State Courts, 1925-2011

Judges as well as members of plaintiffs’ and defense bars agree: a class action is a superior, efficient, and inexpensive procedural tool to litigate disputes that present similar questions of fact and law. To be sure, corporations and insurers have a long history of filing successful class actions against each other in state courts. Yet those corporate entities convinced Congress to embrace an uncommon view: continuing to allow allegedly “hostile” and “biased” state judges and juries to hear and decide everyday consumers’ “purely substantive state law class actions” is unfair and inefficient. Responding to the plea, Congress enacted the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (CAFA). Reading CAFA’s purpose and findings, one discovers several questionable assumptions: (1) Out-of-state corporate defendants are more likely to lose consumer-initiated class actions in state courts, (2) allowing multinational insurers and corporations to remove consumers’ “purely state law class actions” to federal courts will increase efficiency between states’ and the federal judiciaries, and (3) federal judges are more “impartial” and significantly less likely to allow extralegal factors to influence the dispositions of class actions. To determine whether reformers’ assumptions were sound, the author sampled, read, and coded 2,657 federal and state court class actions and ordinary decisions. This Article discusses the historical and empirical findings and provides evidence that refutes reformers’ assumptions about class action litigation in state and federal courts. Also, this Article questions the rationality of Congress’ sweeping removal reforms, which find no support in law or in fact. Moreover, this Article highlights several unintended consequences of class action reforms, which insurers and corporations are likely to regret. Finally, given that CAFA’s removal provisions are likely to undermine traditional principles of judicial federalism, this Article encourages the Supreme Court or, preferably, a more enlightened Congress, to address the concerns raised here as soon as the opportunity arises.
Asynchronous parallel Bayesian optimization for AI-driven cloud laboratories.

Motivation The recent emergence of cloud laboratories-collections of automated wet-lab instruments that are accessed remotely, presents new opportunities to apply Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in scientific research. Among these is the challenge of automating the process of optimizing experimental protocols to maximize data quality. Results We introduce a new deterministic algorithm, called PaRallel OptimizaTiOn for ClOud Laboratories (PROTOCOL), that improves experimental protocols via asynchronous, parallel Bayesian optimization. The algorithm achieves exponential convergence with respect to simple regret. We demonstrate PROTOCOL in both simulated and real-world cloud labs. In the simulated lab, it outperforms alternative approaches to Bayesian optimization in terms of its ability to find optimal configurations, and the number of experiments required to find the optimum. In the real-world lab, the algorithm makes progress toward the optimal setting. Data availability and implementation PROTOCOL is available as both a stand-alone Python library, and as part of a R Shiny application at https://github.com/clangmead/PROTOCOL. Data are available at the same repository. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.