cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regional Differences in Known Risk Factors and the Higher Incidence of Breast Cancer in San Francisco

Background The age-adjusted incidence of breast cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area has consistently been higher than that in other regions of the United States. The distribution of established risk factors for breast cancer (i.e., parity, age at first full-term pregnancy, breast-feeding, age at menarche, and age at menopause) and probable risk factors (e.g., alcohol consumption) also differs across geographic regions. Purpose A study was planned to explore the extent to which differences in the regional distribution of established and probable risk factors could explain the increased incidence of breast cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Methods Age-adjusted breast cancer incidence rates for January 1978 through December 1982 were obtained for the San Francisco Bay Area and other regions from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Risk factor data from January 1980 through December 1982 were computed from the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, a population-based, case-control study of women 22-55 years of age who resided in eight SEER regions. Two different statistical methods were used to compute the relative risk (RR) of breast cancer associated with residence in the San Francisco Bay Area versus other regions, after adjusting for regional differences in known risk factors. Results Substantial differences in the distribution of breast cancer risk factors were found between the San Francisco Bay Area and other regions. Nearly all of these differences would be expected to lead to an elevated incidence of breast cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the use of incidence rates adjusted only for age, the RR for San Francisco Bay Area residence from January 1978 through December 1982 compared with residence in seven other SEER areas was 1.14 for white women and 1.10 for black women. Depending on the statistical method used, the RR was reduced to approximately 0.96-0.99 for white women and 0.75-0.83 for black women, after further adjusting for established and probable risk factors (parity, age at first full-term pregnancy, breast-feeding, age at menarche, age at menopause, and alcohol consumption). Without adjustment for alcohol consumption, the corresponding results were 0.97-1.02 for white women and 0.77-0.88 for black women. Conclusions Among both white women and black women, the elevated breast cancer incidence rate in the San Francisco Bay Area can be completely accounted for by regional differences in known risk factors.
An infrared system for the detection of a pigeon's pecks at alphanumeric characters on a TV screen: the dependency of letter detection on the predictability of one letter by another

Abstract Three pigeons pecked at letters of the alphabet and at the symbol "?" displayed on a computer-driven cathode ray screen. A 4 by 4 matrix of infrared emitting and detecting diodes and associated circuitry identified the location of a pigeon's responses to the screen. Responses at the target letter T were probabilistically reinforced with food whenever T appeared in a string of three letters in the middle of the screen. Responses at the symbol "?" appearing below this string were probabilistically reinforced whenever T did not appear. The letter F anywhere in the three-character string either strongly predicted the occurrence of the target letter T, in two conditions, or predicted its nonoccurrence, in a third. This manipulation of the frequency with which the familiar letter F predicted T was shown to change the function relating probability of a correct peck at the symbol "?" to the number of Fs in the string. This effect may be interpreted as an instance of the phenomenon where an organism's acquired knowledge changes what it sees.
Interleukin-11 signaling is required for the differentiation of natural killer cells at the maternal–fetal interface

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a multifunctional hematopoietic growth factor that has been implicated in the control of reproduction. Studies on IL-11 receptor-alpha (IL-11R alpha)-deficient mice showed that female mice are infertile due to defective decidualization. In this report, we evaluated the development of decidual cells, immune cells, and the vasculature associated with the implantation site of IL-11R alpha-deficient mice; with the aim of better understanding the nature of the fertility defect. Messenger RNAs for decidual differentiation, such as decidual prolactin-related protein and prolactin-like protein-J are expressed in the IL-11R alpha mutant. However, the number of decidual cells expressing these genes is decreased in the mutant compared with the wild-type control. Although, trophoblast cells differentiate and express placental lactogen-I in the IL-11R alpha-deficient uterine environment, they fail to progress and expand in number. Defects in the organization of the decidual vasculature were also apparent in the IL-11R alpha mutant uterus. The most dramatic effect of IL-11 signaling was on the hematopoietic environment of the uterine decidua. Differentiated/perforin-expressing uterine natural killer (NK) cells were virtually absent from implantation sites of IL-11R alpha mutant mice. NK cell precursors were capable of homing to the IL-11R alpha-deficient uterus and a known regulator of NK cell differentiation; IL-15 was expressed in the IL-11R alpha mutant uterus. Splenic NK cells from IL-11R alpha mutant mice were also able to respond to IL-15 in vitro. Thus, the defect in NK precursor cell maturation was not intrinsic to the NK precursor cells but was dependent upon the tissue environment. In summary, IL-11 signaling is required for decidual-specific maturation of NK cells.
A Cogent Case for a New Child Custody Standard

Emery, Otto, and O’Donohue give us an admirably clear and hard-hitting analysis of the way our current legal system functions in attempting to resolve child custody disputes. These authors adopt the premises that children will fare better (a) if parental conflict is minimal or at least contained and (b) if children can maintain a good relationship with at least one, and preferably both, parents following the divorce. The authors focus on how procedures for dividing a child’s residential time between two divorcing parents can best further these two goals. The authors argue, as many others have done, that the adversarial nature of litigation processes seriously exacerbates parent conflict. They provide evidence that mediation and other alternatives to litigation are workable, and they strongly recommend that these alternatives be used more widely to help parents resolve their conflicts without recourse to the courts. There will be some parents, however, who cannot resolve their disputes even with the help of mediation, and so turn to litigation. Currently, courts are enjoined to award custody in accordance with whatever arrangement will serve ‘‘the best interests of the child.’’ The authors argue that this best-interests standard is itself a major weakness of the current system. They see it as unworkable because it is too vague. Judges, they say, have found it well-nigh impossible to determine which of two contesting parents can best support the children’s long-term well-being. For one thing, families in which one parent is clearly the more suitable custodian have usually been able come to agreement privately and do not appear in court, so that contestants who do litigate tend to be equally good (or equally bad!) parents on balance. In disputed cases, judges have come to rely heavily on ‘‘expert’’ evaluators to determine the child’s best interests. The authors’ analysis of the weaknesses of these evaluations is sobering indeed. I can only applaud their judgment that standard measures of parents’ and children’s intelligence, personality traits, and emotional states are wholly inappropriate for custody evaluations, and that even the measures and constructs that have been designed specifically to assess child custody arrangements for individual children have no proven validity as predictors of a child’s well-being in the care of
Capture of Breeding and Wintering Shorebirds with Leg-Hold Noose-Mats

Abstract Development of effective trapping techniques is important for conservation efforts, as marking and subsequent monitoring of individuals is necessary to obtain accurate estimates of demography, movements, and habitat use. We describe a leg-hold noose-mat trap for capturing breeding and nonbreeding shorebirds. Using this method, we trapped 50 Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus), 2258 Snowy Plovers (C. alexandrinus), 38 Killdeers (C. vociferus), and 64 Dunlins (Calidris alpina) in the western and southern United States. The trap was lightweight, making it easy to transport and set up. It was effective on unvegetated substrates at both coastal and inland sites and could be modified for a variety of habitats. Furthermore, this trap allowed researchers to target specific groups of birds including territorial individuals. Easy removal of birds from traps minimized handling time, stress, and injury.
Veterinary public health capacity in the United States: opportunities for improvement.

Objectives. In 2006, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges reported that the shortage (!1,500) of public health veterinarians is expected to increase tenfold by 2020. In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Preventive Medicine Fellows conducted a pilot project among CDC veterinarians to identify national veterinary public health workforce concerns and potential policy strategies. Methods. Fellows surveyed a convenience sample (19/91) of public health veterinarians at CDC to identify veterinary workforce recruitment and retention problems faced by federal agencies; responses were categorized into themes. A focus group (20/91) of staff veterinarians subsequently prioritized the categorized themes from least to most important. Participants identified activities to address the three recruitment concerns with the highest combined weight.
A Graphical Approach to Lineage Selection Between Clonals and Sexuals

Theories for the evolutionary advantages and disadvantages of sex address two fundamentally different questions: (i) Why does the genome of sexual lineages not “congeal,” (i.e., move toward a lowered recombination rate)?, and (ii) When there is a mixture of reproductively isolated clonal and sexual lineages, why do the clonals not accumulate and lead to a predominance of asexual reproduction within a clade? Here, we focus on the latter question. The relevant theory in this case is necessarily based on a special form of “lineage” selection between sexuals and clonals that do not share a common gene pool. We first briefly review the major genetic costs and benefits of clonal reproduction and conclude that the extant assemblage of theories provides an essentially complete description of the phenomenon. We next set out to combine and simplify these seemingly disparate theories by graphically representing the frameworks previously developed by Felsenstein (Genetics 78: 737–756, 1974) and Kimura and Maruyama (Genetics 54: 1337–1351, 1966) to show that the all of the proposed disadvantages to clonal reproduction can be expressed by a single factor: a decreased efficiency of natural selection in non-recombining lineages. This reduced efficiency derives from two distinct processes that only operate in clonal lineages: (i) background-trapping and (ii) the compensatory linkage disequilibrium that accrues in response to epistatic selection.
Rapid oscillations in plasma levels of testosterone luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone in men.

A study designed to define the oscillatory pattern of plasma levels of testosterone luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in 4 young adult men was carried out. Blood samples were obtained every 2 minutes for 8 hours from the 3 normal and 1 oligospermic subjects. In each subject a different pattern of changes in hormone levels was found. In Subject 1 the predominant pattern was a slow sinusoidal fluctuation in testosterone levels. In Subject 2 changes in LH levels were the predominant finding. Subject 3 showed irregularly occurring FSH peaks that exceeded the coefficients of variation and which could have been undetected if less frequent sampling had been employed. Subject 4 the oligospermic volunteer demonstrated marked fluctuations in both FSH and LH. His LH levels were the highest and his FSH levels showed a regular sinusoidal pattern with a periodicity of approximately 30 minutes. In all subjects rapid variations in plasma testosterone levels were noted. No correlation was apparent between the levels of the 3 hormones in any of the subjects. It is concluded that although the observations made in the study cast doubt on the present concepts of negative feedback control of the pituitary-testicular axis additional studies are necessary to establish the physiological significance of the rapid oscillations in levels of plasma testosterone LH and FSH.
Development of a Compact and Mobile Scissor Lift to Transfer a Wheelchair User to and From the Deck of a Pool

The purpose of this project was to design and construct a unit that will allow an individual using a wheelchair to move herself from the wheelchair to the deck of a pool and vice-versa, independently and as comfortably as possible. A small compact scissor lift was designed and constructed for this purpose. The lift uses one linear actuator to lower the scissor frame to 51/2 inches from the pool deck and raise the frame to the height of the wheelchair. Two twelve-volt rechargeable batteries were used to power the linear actuator. Two 24 inch wheels were added in the rear and two small wheelchairs caster wheels were added to the front of the unit. Locking brakes were added to the rear wheels of the unit to prevent it from moving during transfer. The unit itself functions fully as a manual wheelchair and as a powered lifting device as shown in Figures 1 and 2.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Evaluation of soybean meal, corn gluten meal, blood meal and fish meal as sources of nitrogen and amino acids disappearing from the small intestine of steers.

The value of soybean meal (SBM), corn gluten meal (CGM), blood meal (BM) and fish meal (FM) in supplying N and amino acids (AA) escaping ruminal microbial degradation and disappearing from the small intestine (SI) was studied in steers using a regression approach. Replacement of corn starch in diets with protein sources resulted in decreases (P less than .05) in efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. Ruminal ammonia-N (NH3-N) had the greatest increase (P less than .05) when SBM was fed; BM supplementation resulted in only nonsignificant increases in ruminal NH3-N (P greater than .05). Soybean meal had the lowest proportion of N escaping ruminal degradation (.21). Corn gluten meal-N (.86) and BM-N (.92) escaped ruminal degradation to the greatest extent, and FM-N was intermediate (.68). Protein sources followed similar trends in providing absorbable nonbacterial N to the SI. Thirteen (+/- 6.2) percent of SBM-N was absorbed from the SI; 69 (+/- 6.2), 68 (+/- 9.1) and 50 (+/- 10.1)% of CGM-N, BM-N and FM-N, respectively, were absorbed from the SI. Values for ruminal escape and SI availability for individual and total AA are presented. Of the essential AA (EAA), threonine, valine and isoleucine were more resistant to ruminal degradation; methionine, cysteine, histidine and arginine were more extensively degraded than the total AA supply. Of the EAA escaping ruminal degradation, cysteine, histidine and threonine tended to be less digestible, whereas arginine was more digestible in the SI than the total AA supply.
Percutaneous transluminal dilatation or surgery in the management of renal vascular hypertension

1. Twelve patients with renal artery stenosis due to fibromuscular disease (FMD) were treated with percutaneous transluminal dilation (PTD) and their results (first year) compared with those for 26 patients treated with attempted renal artery bypass. The cumulative probability of cure at 1 year was 0.67 for PTD and 0.36 for surgery (P = N.S.) in patients with FMD. The cumulative probability of being improved or cured was 0.92 for PTD and 0.88 for surgery. 2. Eighteen patients with renal artery stenosis due to atherosclerosis were treated with PTD and their results compared with those of 28 patients treated by surgery. The cumulative probability of cure at 1 year was 0.11 for PTD and 0.17 for surgery (P = N.S.). The cumulative probability for cure or improvement at 1 year was 0.30 for PTD and 0.88 for surgery (P less than 0.001). 3. We conclude that PTD may be a satisfactory alternative to surgery in fibromuscular disease, but is inferior to surgery in atherosclerotic disease causing renal artery stenosis. 4. A randomized clinical trial is needed to define the role of PTD and surgery in renal artery stenosis.
Abstract IA11: T cell exclusion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: The FAP+ cancer-associated fibroblast and CXCL12

Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDA), unlike those with melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma, did not have objective responses to the T cell checkpoint antagonists, antibodies to CTLA-4 and PD-L1, that promote the anti-cancer function of T cells. We sought the basis for this phenomenon by examining the interaction between the immune system and PDA in a genetically engineered mouse model of this disease, the KrasLSL.G12D/+; p53R172H/+; PdxCreTg/+ (or KPC) model. PDA in KPC mice, as in human patients, is resistant to therapy with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-L1, respectively. The explanation for this resistance of the PDA to immune therapy was shown not to be the absence of an anti-cancer cell adaptive immune response, but to be the exclusion of T cells from the vicinity of cancer cells within tumors. The exclusion was caused by the chemokine, CXCL12, that was produced by the carcinoma-associated fibroblasts that were identified by their expression of the membrane protein, FAP. Remarkably, CXCL12 was physically associated with the cancer cells, which were not producing the chemokine. Inhibiting the interaction of this CXCL12 with its receptor, CXCR4, on T cells by administering the drug, AMD3100, caused the rapid accumulation of T cells amongst cancer cells, uncovered the efficacy of anti-PD-L1, and greatly diminished the numbers of cancer cells within the PDA tumors after 6 days of treatment. Thus, pharmacological targeting of the CXCR4-CXCL12 interaction overcomes the dominant immune suppressive mechanism of T cell exclusion in murine PDA. This finding may be relevant to therapy of human PDA, which also exhibits T cell exclusion, coating of cancer cells with CXCL12, and, as noted above, resistance to anti-PD-L1. Citation Format: Douglas T. Fearon, Arnaud Pommier, Michael Ludwig, David Tuveson. T cell exclusion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: The FAP+ cancer-associated fibroblast and CXCL12. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy: A New Chapter; December 1-4, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2015;3(10 Suppl):Abstract nr IA11.
SecHDFS: A Secure Data Allocation Scheme for Heterogenous Hadoop Systems

Apache Hadoop is a widely used distributed computing framework and its file system is Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), which assumes that DataNodes in a system are homogeneous in nature. When a cloud system scales up, DataNodes are very likely to become heterogeneous. Thus, extensive research has been placed on improving performance for heterogeneous Hadoop systems, but little attention has been placed on security improvements. This motivates us to investigate a data allocation scheme called the Secure HDFS (SecHDFS) by integrating the secret sharing technique to improve storage security in a heterogeneous Hadoop system.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Self-reported Withdrawal Symptoms and Quitting Smoking Three Years Later: A Prospective, Longitudinal Examination of US Adults.

Introduction Racial/ethnic groups appear to differ on quit success and withdrawal is a key factor in cessation failure, yet little is known about racial/ethnic differences in withdrawal symptoms. This study of US adults examined racial/ethnic differences in current smokers' report of withdrawal symptoms and the relationship between withdrawal symptoms and quitting smoking 3 years later. Methods Using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (Wave 1, 2001-2001; Wave 2, 2004-2005), analyses were conducted on participants who identified as non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, or Hispanic; reported current cigarette smoking at Wave 1; and provided smoking status information at Wave 2 (n = 7981). Withdrawal symptoms during past quit attempts were assessed at Wave 1. Results Among Wave 1 current smoking adults, non-Hispanic White respondents were more likely than non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic respondents to report experiencing at least one withdrawal symptom, seven out of eight withdrawal symptoms, withdrawal-related discomfort, and withdrawal-related distress (ps < .0001). While withdrawal symptoms were associated with a lower odds of quitting smoking for all groups, a stronger relationship between number of symptoms and lower odds of quitting was evident among non-Hispanic White compared to non-Hispanic Black respondents (interaction β = 0.065, p = .0001). For non-Hispanic White participants, each additional withdrawal symptom was associated with a 6% decrease in the odds of quitting. Conclusions Withdrawal symptoms were more commonly reported by non-Hispanic White adults than non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults and appeared to have a greater impact on failure to quit smoking for non-Hispanic White compared to non-Hispanic Black adults. Implications To our knowledge, this is the first study to use prospective, longitudinal data to examine the relationship between race and withdrawal symptoms and the impact of withdrawal symptoms on quitting smoking among adults in the United States. Non-Hispanic White adults were more likely to report withdrawal symptoms and there was a stronger relationship between greater number of withdrawal symptoms and lower odds of quitting for non-Hispanic White adults compared to non-Hispanic Black adults. Developing a better understanding of racial/ethnic differences in withdrawal and cessation can help to tailor efforts to improve outcomes for smokers in various racial/ethnic groups.
Laminar flame speeds and kinetic modeling of H2/O2/diluent mixtures at sub-atmospheric and elevated pressures

Abstract Recognizing the need to improve the predictability of the foundational H 2 /O 2 chemical kinetic mechanism over extensive parametric ranges of pressure, adiabatic flame temperature and composition, laminar flame speeds extracted from constant-pressure expanding flames were experimentally determined for H 2 /O 2 /diluent flames spanning the parameter range of: equivalence ratio from ultra-lean to ultra-rich (0.3 and 2.5), flame temperature from 1300 to 2200 K, pressure from sub-atmospheric to elevated values of 0.25–20 atm, and dilution of He up to 65% and CO 2 up to 34%. A new kinetic model, HP-Mech, based on evaluation of the rate coefficients from recent high-level quantum chemistry calculations and shock tube measurements, was developed and subsequently used to investigate the controlling reaction steps of these flames. In particular, the overall reaction order was extracted, allowing for the pressure dependence of the adiabatic flame temperature. The results show that it can assume values not only less than zero at high pressures, as was reported before, but also values larger than 2 at lower pressures. Sensitivity and reaction path analyses show that these responses are controlled by the competition between two opposing pathways involving reaction R9: H + O 2 (+M) = HO 2 (+M).
A simple single slice method for measurement of left and right ventricular enlargement by electron beam tomography.

Rationale and objective:We devised to test the feasibility of measuring the left and right ventricular sizes by non-contrast electron beam tomographic images. Methods:Ventricular sizes consist of the sum of the intracavitary cavity and myocardial mass for each ventricle. A total of 50 image studies from subjects undergoing contrast-enhanced studies were used to develop the measurement methodology. About 20 contrast studies were used to test the measure. The methodology was then prospectively tested on 75 patients with non-contrast studies to estimate the intra-observer, inter-observer and inter-study reproducibility. Results:Multiple linear regression analysis was completed and the correct regression formulas to calculate ventricular volumes were acquired by using the area and span from the contrast studies. There was excellent correlation between the estimate of LV (r > 0.97, p 0.93, p 0.89, p < 0.001). Conclusion:We conclude that the left and right ventricular sizes can be accurately estimated from a single mid-ventricular slice on non-contrast electron beam tomographic images.
Candida krusei form mycelia along agar surfaces towards each other and other Candida species.

Candida krusei has been known to exhibit communal interactions such as pellicle formation and crawling out of nutritional broth. We noticed another possible interaction on agar surfaces, where C. krusei yeast cells formed mycelia along agar surfaces toward each other. We report here the results of experiments to study this interaction. When C.krusei yeast cells are plated in parallel streaks, they form mycelia along agar surfaces toward other yeasts. They also detect the presence of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata across agar surfaces, while the latter two react neither to their own kind, nor to C. krusei. Secreted molecule(s) are likely involved as C.krusei does not react to heat killed C. krusei. Timing and rate of mycelia formation across distances suggests that mycelia start forming when a secreted molecule(s) on agar surface reaches a certain concentration. We detected farnesol, tyrosol and tryptophol molecules that may be involved with mycelial formation, on the agar surfaces between yeast streaks. Unexpectedly the amounts detected between streaks were significantly higher than would have expected from additive amounts of two streaks. All three Candida species secreted these molecules. When tested on agar surface however, none of these molecules individually or combined induced mycelia formation by C. krusei. Our data confirms another communal interaction by C. krusei, manifested by formation of mycelia by yeast cells toward their own kind and other yeasts on agar surfaces. We detected secretion of farnesol, tyrosol and tryptophol by C. krusei but none of these molecules induced this activity on agar surface making it unlikely that they are the ones utilized by this yeast for this activity.
943-945 Warren Road

This case, intended for MBA and executive education audiences, investigates whether an LLC should invest in a real estate deal. The materials provide a straightforward opportunity for applying discounted-cash-flow methods from the perspective of equity investors in the LLC. The investors know the terms of interest and principal payments on planned debt financing and have made forecasts of rental rates, occupancy, depreciation, future sale price, various expenses, and other items related to the property. The case can be used as an introduction to estimation and analysis of cash flows to the suppliers of equity. The setting provides opportunities for discussion of tax issues and risks. Excerpt UVA-F-1638 May 11, 2011 943–945 Warren Road Mike Grant, Tom Hoffman, and Andy Krouse had created a limited liability company (LLC) for the purpose of owning real estate. They had considerable experience in real estate; their most recent deal involved purchasing a small apartment complex and converting it to condominiums. With that $ 5 million investment ($ 3 million to purchase the complex and$ 2 million for the conversion), they earned a 20% annual rate of return on their money over a three-year period. The LLC now owned 10 commercial properties throughout central Virginia. Grant, Hoffman, and Krouse were considering buying a small retail complex (approximately 14,000 square feet) located at 943–945 Warren Road in Charlottesville, Virginia. The estimated purchase price was $ 2.5 million, and they anticipated spending an additional $ 300,000 on renovations immediately after the purchase. The total investment would be approximately $ 2.8 million. They had a commitment from a local bank for a $ 2.175 million25-year mortgage at an interest rate of 7.25%, which they thought was attractive given current lending markets. Exhibit 1 shows the annual breakdown of mortgage payments by interest and principal over the life of the loan. They needed to decide quickly whether to pursue the deal. 943–945 Warren Road . . .
Physician-Assisted Suicide and the States: Short, Medium and Long Term

In Washington et al v. Glucksberg et al. and Vacco, Attorney General of New York et al. v. Quill et al., the United States (U.S.) Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a state’s criminal prohibition of assisted suicide violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The court held that it did not (Glucksberg, 1997; Vacco, 1997). Simply stated, the court’s June 1997 decisions in these two cases mean that the physician-assisted suicide (PAS) debate will move to state legislatures, to the realm of moral and social debate and to the arena of criminal and civil law. It is now within the power of voters and state legislatures to grant citizens legal access to physician-assisted suicide. Whether they will do so though, and how assisted suicide will actually evolve in practice will depend on an interlocking complex of social, legal and professional factors. Both the law as written and the law as practiced are influenced by the endemic social, legal and medical professional contexts in which the law is applied.
Connected by Design - Our Learnings from Designing Digital Profiler Journeys

This case study presents the key learnings derived from the twenty-user profiler journeys designed by Moonraft Innovation Labs for IDFC Bank. These profiler journeys were created to tackle challenges faced by banks in improving user engagement and simplifying data collection processes through digital experiences. These insights can be applied to create similar experiences for other sectors. The learnings are presented with examples.
High-Intensity Multimodal Resistance Training Improves Muscle Function, Symmetry during a Sit-to-Stand Task, and Physical Function Following Hip Fracture.

Post rehabilitation, older adults with hip fracture display low vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) on the involved lower extremity during a sit-to-stand task and low physical function. The purpose of this study was to test whether muscle performance, involved side vGRF during a sit-to-stand task, and physical function improved following multimodal high-intensity resistance training, when initiated after usual care (2 to 6 months after hip fracture). Case series study, 12 weeks extended high-intensity strength training intervention following hip fracture. University hospital outpatient facility. Twenty-four community-dwelling older adults (mean age 78.4 years (SD 10.4), 16 female/8 male), 3.6 (SD 1.2) months post-hip fracture and discharged from physical therapy participated. Intervention/Measurement: All participants performed sit-to-stand tasks, muscle performance tests, and modified physical performance test (mPPT) before and after 12 weeks (3x/wk) of training. Variables were compared using paired t-tests. The vGRF rate of force development (RFD) and magnitude of discrepancy between limb loading during rising phase of sit-to-stand task (AREA) variables improved post-training (RFD ratio = Pre: 0.78–Post: 0.82, AREA ratio = Pre: 0.79–Post: 0.86). Surgical leg extension power gains were large (∼65%) while strength gains were moderate (∼34%); yielding improved symmetry in both strength (Pre: 0.74–Post: 0.88) and power (Pre: 0.75–Post: 0.82). Physical function improved pre-training 25 (SD 5.2) to post training 30 (SD 4.3), (p < 0.001). Unique to this study, participants recovering from hip fracture demonstrated improved symmetry in sit-to-stand vGRFs, muscle function, and physical function after training. However, a high percentage of patients continued to experience persistently low vGRF of the involved side compared to previous studies of healthy elderly controls. Developing alternative strategies to improve involved side vGRF may be warranted.
Human-autonomy teaming in military settings

In this Thematic Issue ‘Human-Autonomy Teaming’ of Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, five U.S. military-funded research efforts are presented to discuss human factors issues in a variety of...
THINKING ABOUT ECONOMIC INTERESTS: Class and Recession in the New Deal

M. Stephen Weatherford and Boris Sergeyev In spite of a large literature showing the effect of economic conditions on voters' evaluations of incumbent policymakers, little research has inquired about the breadth or depth of the impact of economic conditions beyond elections. Do voters integrate their economic perceptions with other political beliefs and attitudes, using them to orient issue stands on relevant policy questions? Or are political responses to economic fluctuations compartmentalized reactions to specific incumbents? And how do perceptions of short-run economic conditions compare with class, the primary alternative frame for thinking about economic interests? We investigate the impact of economic conditions on voters' evaluation of the incumbent and on issue positions, systematically comparing economic conditions and class as orienting cleavages, drawing on data from the New Deal. We find that economic conditions had strong impacts on incumbent evaluations during this period but that beyond this the economy had only small effectsespecially when compared with class-on the most salient economic issues of the day. Drawing on NES data for later years, we replicate this pattern of findings for the postwar period. The conclusion suggests implications for understanding both the political effects of economic conditions and the structure of public opinion on economic issues.
Plan stitch: harnessing the best of many plans

Query performance regression due to the query optimizer selecting a bad query execution plan is a major pain point in production workloads. Commercial DBMSs today can automatically detect and correct such query plan regressions by storing previously-executed plans and reverting to a previous plan which is still valid and has the least execution cost. Such reversion-based plan correction has relatively low risk of plan regression since the decision is based on observed execution costs. However, this approach ignores potentially valuable information of efficient subplans collected from other previously-executed plans. In this paper, we propose a novel technique, Plan Stitch, that automatically and opportunistically combines efficient subplans of previously-executed plans into a valid new plan, which can be cheaper than any individual previously-executed plan. We implement Plan Stitch on top of Microsoft SQL Server. Our experiments on TPC-DS benchmark and three real-world customer workloads show that plans obtained via Plan Stitch can reduce execution cost significantly, with a reduction of up to two orders of magnitude in execution cost when compared to reverting to the cheapest previously-executed plan.
Response of beetles (Coleoptera) to repeated applications of prescribed fire and other fuel reduction techniques in the southern Appalachian Mountains

Abstract Coleoptera are important components of forest ecosystems and can be affected by forest management schemes aimed at limiting fuel build-up. Our research objective was to determine if repeated applications of fuel reduction treatments resulted in changes in abundance or diversity of beetle (Coleoptera) families, genera, and species within upland mixed hardwood forests in the southern Appalachians Mountains, North Carolina, USA. We established three replicate blocks (∼56 ha) and split each block into four fuel reduction treatments. Treatments included prescribed burning, mechanical felling, a combination of prescribed burning and mechanical felling, and a control (i.e., no fuel reduction techniques applied). We implemented treatments multiple times (2 mechanical thinnings and 4 prescribed burns) over the course of a 15-year period. Using pitfall and colored pan traps, we captured 7037 coleopterans comprised of 62 families over a three-year period. Total coleopteran abundance and diversity were similar across all treatments; however, some beetle families, genera, and species responded to treatments. Nitidulidae were significantly more abundant within controls compared to all other treatments in 2015, whereas Mordellidae generally had higher abundances in mechanical and burns compared to mechanical in 2015 and mechanical and controls in 2016. Chrysomelidae was significantly more abundant in mechanical and burns compared to all other treatments over the entire duration of the study. However, Staphylinidae abundance was significantly lower in mechanical and burns compared to the other treatments. Numerous genera and species also showed variable treatment-level responses. Burn treatments killed some mature trees and reduced forest canopy cover, resulting in higher light availability and thereby greater herbaceous cover and diversity on the forest floor. This vegetation in the understory of burned treatment units may be partially responsible for many of the treatment-level responses of beetle taxa we documented. This study took place after several rounds of fuel reduction techniques were applied over a 15 year period. Some beetle abundance responses were immediate; whereas other groups seemed to be influenced by the application of treatments over time, highlighting the need to examine long-term responses to forest management practices.
Gender Roles in the Romantic Relationships of Women in STEM and Female-Dominated Majors: A Study of Heterosexual Couples

Based upon social structural accounts of mate preferences and career interest, it is often suggested that women avoid high status, traditionally masculine careers such as those in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) in favor of pursuing more traditionally feminine communal goals, or, alternatively, that women in STEM may have difficulty establishing and maintaining long-term romantic relationships, as their career choices are incongruent with gender role norms. A third possibility is that women in STEM fields may establish less traditionally stereotypical relationships with respect to values placed on careers and family and with respect to traits typically associated with one gender more than another. This study assessed the career and family values, as well as personality and cognitive traits, in 118 heterosexual romantic couples attending college, half including a woman in a STEM major and half including a woman in a female-dominated major (FDM). STEM couples revealed only limited gender differences all of which were counter to gender role stereotypes. FDM couples presented with a more traditional picture of a future in which the male partner was the bread-winner and the female more committed to her family role. Results suggest that women seeking careers in high status jobs may seek partners who share similar values and are more willing to set aside career success for the sake of the relationship.
Effect of polyethylene conformity on total knee arthroplasty early clinical outcomes.

Total knee arthroplasty is a successful procedure in treating subjects with end-stage knee osteoarthritis. The objective of this matched study was to evaluate subjective patient satisfaction and clinical and radiological outcomes in two groups of patients undergoing primary TKA using an identical third-generation design with different conformity in the polyethylene insert. One hundred consecutive patients undergoing TKA because of knee osteoarthritis were randomized in two matched groups. Group A included 50 Posterior-Stabilized (PS) implants, while group B included 50 Medially Congruent (MC) implants. The surgical technique was identical: gap balancing in extension and measured resection in flexion; cruciate ligaments were always removed; the coronal alignment followed the mechanical axis and the tibial slope was set at 3° in the PS group and 5° in the MC. Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and Knee Society Score (KSS) were assessed preoperatively and at 2 year minimum follow-up. Two-sample T test statistical analysis was performed. All patients were available at final follow-up: there were no preoperative statistical differences between the two groups in the average preoperative ROM (PS 112°, MC 108°; n.s.), average preoperative KSS (PS 64.4, MC 63.7; n.s.), average preoperative OKS (PS 19.6; MC 19.0; n.s.), and average BMI (PS 34.40, MC 34.60; n.s.). At final follow-up, there were no statistical differences between the two groups in the average OKS (PS 40,5; MC 41.1; n.s.) and in the average KSS (PS 161,5, MC 165,7; n.s.). We found a statistically but not clinically significant difference at final ROM: the average maximum active flexion was 120° in the PS group and 123° in the MC group (s.s.). This study evaluated two biomechanically different polyethylene inserts in the same TKA design, showing that reducing the level of intra-articular conformity had minimal effects on PROMs and objective short-term clinical results but a potentially beneficial effect on ROM. This study suggests that, once a satisfactory intra-operative stability is obtained, the minimal level of constraint should be used. III.
The Fate of the Contralateral Knee in Patients With a Lateral Discoid Meniscus.

Purpose To analyze the survivorship of the lateral meniscus (LM) in the contralateral knee after surgery for symptomatic torn discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) and to determine its associated factors. Methods Two hundred ninety-six patients who underwent arthroscopic meniscectomy for torn symptomatic DLM were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were classified into subgroups based on demographic, clinical, and radiologic variables. The survivorship analysis of the LM on the contralateral knee was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and comparison among the subgroups was conducted using the log-rank test. The predicted prognostic factors associated with survivorship were determined using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results Of the 296 patients, 51 (17%) had arthroscopic surgery in the contralateral knee during the study period. The group ≥40 years old had significantly worse survival than the group Conclusions Patients with a lateral discoid meniscus have a risk of a similar condition in the contralateral knee. Increased risks of symptomatology are associated with age and degenerative changes. Level of Evidence Level IV, retrospective uncontrolled case series.
Following the diffusion of cryopreservatives in tissues by stimulated Raman scattering microscopy (Conference Presentation)

Cryopreservatives like dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerol are common agents that prevent cellular damage upon freezing of tissues or entire organisms. Although the cryopreservation capabilities of these compounds have been known empirically for years, much is unknown about the actual perfusion and distribution of the agents within cells on the microscopic scale. In this contribution, we report on studies that aim to uncover the dynamic distribution of cryopreservatives in the tissue with the aid of stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, enabling a direct and real-time view of the cellular loading and accumulation dynamics of these agents at the micrometer scale.
Risk detection for high-grade cervical disease using Onclarity HPV extended genotyping in women, ≥21 years of age, with ASC-US or LSIL cytology.

Abstract Objectives There is growing interest in using human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping as a risk-based triage approach for women with atypical squamous cells-undetermined significance (ASC-US) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) cytology. Methods This analysis includes 2807 subjects with ASC-US or LSIL cytology, ≥21 years, from the baseline phase of the Onclarity HPV trial. All women were referred to colposcopy/biopsy. Hierarchical-ranked prevalence and risk values, associated with high-grade cervical disease, were calculated based on extended genotyping. Results HPV 16 carried the highest risk for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (≥CIN2) in both the ASC-US and LSIL populations. Risk of ≥CIN3 and ≥CIN2 associated with the other 13 genotypes varied somewhat for women with ASC-US and LSIL, however, HPV 31, 18, 33/58, 51 and 52 appear to comprise an intermediate risk band. Risk associated with HPV 35/39/68, 45, and 56/59/66, in either cytology population, was relatively low and beneath the benchmark threshold risk for immediate colposcopy. Restricting the analysis to women 21–24 years, ≥25 years, or ≥30 years produced similar results. Conclusions HPV genotyping identified multiple risk bands for ≥CIN3 and ≥CIN2 in the ≥21 year-old ASC-US and LSIL populations. These results support a 1-year follow-up period to preclude immediate colposcopy for ASC-US or LSIL women positive for the lowest-risk HPV genotypes.
A Large-Scale Study of ISIS Social Media Strategy: Community Size, Collective Influence, and Behavioral Impact

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has received a tremendous amount of media coverage in the past few years for their successful use of social media to spread their message and to recruit new members. In this work, we leverage access to the full Twitter Firehose to perform a largescale observational study of one year of ISIS social activity. We quantify the size of ISIS presence on Twitter, the potential amount of support it received, and its collective influence over time. We find that ISIS was able to gain a relatively limited portion from the total influence mass on Twitter and that this influence diminished over time. In addition, ISIS showed a tendency towards attracting interactions from other similar pro-ISIS accounts, while inviting only a limited anti-ISIS sentiment. We find that 75% of the interactions ISIS received on Twitter in 2015 actually came from eventually suspended accounts and that only about 8% of the interactions they received were anti-ISIS. In addition, we have created a unique dataset of 17 million ISIS-related tweets posted in 2015 which we make available for research purposes upon request.