cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal changes in red blood cell hydration: application to MRI of hemorrhage

It has been established that red blood cell (RBC) dehydration causes significant changes in MRI signal intensity by decreasing both the T1 and T2 relaxation times. This study was conducted to determine if these changes occurred in blood clots maintained at body temperature for times ranging from 15 min to 10 days. Venous blood was used to form clots which were stored at 37°C. The shape and diameter of 20–50 RBCs were measured in the fresh and fixed states. By 12–48 h after clot formation virtually all RBCs lost their biconcave shape and became spherical echinocytes. The volume of these cells decreased by at least 15% over the next 72 h. This change indicates a decrease in the fraction of the cell weight occupied by water of 0.05, which is large enough to alter MR signal intensity significantly. The authors conclude that dehydration of RBCs occurs in vitro within an aging clot. If these changes occur in vivo they should cause a significant decrease in signal intensity on long TR/TE (T2-weighted) images.
Vertebrate Patterns on Islands

Vertebrates from islands have motivated the foundation of evolutionary biology and ecology as we know it today. Darwin visited the Galapagos islands during his voyage on the HMS Beagle and encountered the finches, now named after him, that provoked his thoughts on evolutionary change. These finches suggested to Darwin that species were not immutable types, in contrast to the pure elements and compounds of chemistry. Pure water is the same everywhere. Each continent and island does not have its own form of water, but each continent and island may very well contain a unique and indigenous form of finch, or cactus, and so forth, implying that biological types are not universal and are subject to modification over evolutionary time. Thus, from its beginning, the scientific investigation of vertebrates on islands has emphasized evolutionary distinctness, and even today studies of ecological processes on islands include evolutionary processes as well.
The Intersection between Food Sovereignty and Law

People use different terms when discussing food politics – food security, food justice, right to food, and food sovereignty. These terms are at the center of a very contentious political debate about how and why food matters and what is to be done to change the current global food system. Many scholars and activists suggest that food sovereignty is the most transformative approach and has the greatest potential to foster dramatic change in food and agricultural policies. The food sovereignty movement has been successful in identifying the shortcomings of the current food system by focusing on transnational corporations and international trade regimes. There remains, however, some uncertainty about how (if at all) food sovereignty is something that actually could be achieved. In order to gain a better understanding of what food sovereignty may look like in practice, we consider different approaches that are being used around the world to try implementing food sovereignty. We focus on two cases studies, each employing a different implementation method. The first is a case study from Blue Hill, Maine where the town adopted a food sovereignty ordinance in 2011. The second case study is from Ecuador, where food sovereignty was written into the constitution in 2008.
Earnouts: The Effects of Adverse Selection on Acquisition Techniques

We examine the effects of moral hazard and adverse selection on the structure of the consideration offered in an acquisition. Specifically, we investigate factors affecting the occurrence of earnouts, finding that when targets have greater private information, consideration is more likely to be based on the future performance of the target. We find an earnout is more likely to be used in an acquisition if the target is a smaller, private company in a different industry and country than the acquirer. Earnouts are also more likely to be used when fewer acquisitions take place within an industry.
From Personalism to Decolonization: Gaston Miron between French Canada and Québec

The poetry and life of Gaston Miron continue to influence Quebec literary and popular culture. His transformation from Catholic brother and teacher in training in 1945 to leftist poet and activist in 1965 is emblematic of the changes of Quebec society in this period. What intellectual experiences led Miron to transcend the traditional Catholic culture of Quebec to become a fully realized poet and public intellectual? Whereas his talented predecessors Emile Nelligan and Saint-Denys Garneau failed to overcome the alienation and defensiveness of traditional French-Canadian identity and remain troubling figures, Miron was the first poet to understand, confront, and make art from his minority condition. His consciousness was shaped between 1947 and 1953 by two expressions of French Catholic humanism, Emmanuel Mounier’s personalism and Gabriel Marcel’s Christian existentialism. After 1957, Miron was transformed in large part by his reading of authors and philosophies important to the West’s secular tradition, K...
An in vitro evaluation of distal emboli following Lazarus Cover-assisted stent retriever thrombectomy

Background Formation of clot fragments during mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke can occlude the distal vasculature, which may reduce the rate of good clinical outcome. Objective To examine the hypothesis that distal embolization can be reduced using stent retriever thrombectomy in combination with Lazarus Cover technology. Methods Hard, fragment-prone clots were used to create middle cerebral artery occlusions in a vascular phantom. Three different treatment strategies using Solitaire FR included: group 1—proximal flow control with an 8F balloon guide catheter (BGC), group 2—thrombectomy through a 6F conventional guide catheter (CGC), and group 3—a similar thrombectomy procedure to group 2 but including the Lazarus Cover device. The primary endpoint was distal emboli quantified by the number and size of the clot debris. Results The Cover-assisted stent retriever thrombectomy significantly reduced the generation of clot fragments >200 μm as compared with thrombectomy with a CGC, and was similar to the BGC group. Particle size distribution Conclusions For a fragment-prone clot, Solitaire thrombectomy in conjunction with the Cover device may lower the risk of distal embolization and is comparable to BGC-protected embolectomy.
Non-intrusive load monitoring of HVAC components using signal unmixing

Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning units (HVAC) are a major electrical energy consumer in buildings. Monitoring of the operation and energy consumption of HVAC would increase the awareness of building owners and maintenance service providers of the condition and quality of performance of these units, enabling conditioned-based maintenance which would help achieving high efficiency in energy consumption. In this paper, a novel non-intrusive method based on constrained non-negative matrix factorization is proposed for monitoring the different components of HVAC unit by only having access to the whole building aggregated power signal. At the first level of this hierarchical approach, power consumption of the building is decomposed to energy consumption of the HVAC unit and all the other electrical devices operating in the building such as lighting and plug loads. Then, the estimated power signal of the HVAC is used to estimate the power consumption profile of the HVAC major electrical loads such as compressors, condenser fans and indoor blower. Experiments conducted on real data collected from a building testbed maintained at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) demonstrate high accuracy on disaggregation task.
Automatic Archiving versus Default Deletion: What Snapchat Tells Us About Ephemerality in Design

Unlike most social media, where automatic archiving of data is the default, Snapchat defaults to ephemerality: deleting content shortly after it is viewed by a receiver. Interviews with 25 Snapchat users show that ephemerality plays a key role in shaping their practices. Along with friend-adding features that facilitate a network of mostly close relations, default deletion affords everyday, mundane talk and reduces self-consciousness while encouraging playful interaction. Further, although receivers can save content through screenshots, senders are notified; this selective saving with notification supports complex information norms that preserve the feel of ephemeral communication while supporting the capture of meaningful content. This dance of giving and taking, sharing and showing, and agency for both senders and receivers provides the basis for a rich design space of mechanisms, levels, and domains for ephemerality.
The Toxicity of Iodine for the Cells of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

While studying the cytology and microchemistry of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 11 was impressed by the avidity with which iodine was taken up by the membrane and the granules of cells suspended in compound solution of iodine. This behavior is now explainable, since it is known that the cell membrane is made up of lipoprotein and that the granules consist of similar material, or at least are surrounded by a similar membrane. There are also evidences to show that the lipoids entering into the make-up of these structures are particularly rich in unsaturated fatty acids. It was therefore expected that iodine would prove to have a strong germicidal power against the bacillus of tuberculosis.
A novel background subtraction technique based on grayscale morphology for weld defect detection

Optical inspection is a non-destructive quality monitoring technique to detect defects in manufactured parts. Automating the defect detection, by application of image processing, prevents the presence of human operators making the inspection more reliable, reproducible and faster. In this paper, a background subtraction technique, based on morphological operations, is proposed. The low-computational load associated with the used morphological operations makes this technique more computationally effective than background subtraction techniques such as spline approximation and surface-fitting. The performance of the technique is tested by applying to detect defects in a weld seam with non-uniform intensity distribution where the defects are precisely segmented. The proposed background subtraction technique is generalizable to sheet, surface, or part defect detection in various applications of manufacturing.
Asymmetric information and the coherence of legislation: A correction

L an earlier article (David Austen-Smith and William H. Riker, "Asymmetric Information and the Coherence of Legislation," American Political Science Review 81 [1987]: 897918) we examined a model of committee decision making in which participants possess differing information about the likely consequences of any decision. In such an environment committee members have conflicting incentives with respect to information sharing. On the one hand, there is an incentive to share information to obtain better estimates as to which bills are most in their particular interests. On the other hand, they have an incentive to conceal private information to manipulate the decision-making process in their favor. In our model information could be transmitted in three ways, two of which potentially affected the final committee decision. The first stage of the decisionmaking process was debate. In debate, each individual simultaneously offered a noisy (but unbiased) estimate of private information to the committee. The second stage was agenda setting. Having heard the debate, each individual simultaneously proposed an alternative (a bill) for selection by the committee. The agenda was this set of proposals. In the third stage, individuals simultaneously reported all their pairwise votes over alternatives on the agenda. The final decision was assumed to be the Condorcet winner among these alternatives. Information might therefore be revealed in all three stages, but any new data generated during voting could not affect the committee decision. Our principal result was that even though debate messages were constrained to be unbiased (so lying was not permitted) and individuals were distinctly risk-averse, not all information germane to the committee decision would be revealed by the agenda-setting stage. Although perhaps not surprising, this conclusion implied that the final committee decision was typically not the Condorcet winner among the preferences that individuals would have if data were fully shared. Unfortunately, the formal analysis and statement of results were flawed. The first mistake was our claim that sincere voting relative to individuals' information at the time of the vote necessarily constituted equilibrium behavior. This is false, even with complete information. The second, more serious, mistake was our claim that at the agenda-setting stage, all individuals would propose their most-
Internal Electric Field Structure Design and Optimization of Optical Voltage Transformer

This paper introduces principles of optical voltage transformer,presents a primary structure design program for 110 kV OVT based on transverse modulation which is to use finite element electromagnetic field software to conduct simulation for its internal electric field.Simulation result shows that in some internal parts of OVT,the electric field distribution is comparatively concentrated which may affect uniformity of internal electric field of the crystal.It indicates that reasonable configuration of the grading ring and injection of SF6 gas can decrease field aggregation effect,reduce electric field intensity and improve uniformity of internal electric field of the crystal.According to series of simulation data,it designs an OVT structure that can satisfy 0.1 grade degree of accuracy and of which the maximum internal electric field intensity is only 22.1 kV/cm.This structure design can provides reference for next step research of principled sample machines.
Gas Sensitivity Studies on Hydroxyl Modified Single-wall Carbon Nanotube Detecting SF_6 Decomposed Components Under PD

In order to detect the characteristic components decomposed from SF6 under partial discharge(PD) in gas insulated switchgear(GIS) from mixed gas,we applied a nanotechnology of enabled gas sensor for the detection.By analyzing disadvantages of existing detecting methods,gas sensors based on hydroxyl modified single wall nanotubes(SWNT-OH) were developed.The developed sensors were tested for detecting four characteristic components of SF6,including SOF2,SO2F2,SO2,and CF4.The experimental results show that the SWNT-OH sensor has the fastest response and highest sensitivity to SO2 among the four kinds of gases,meanwhile its resistance varies almost linearly with change of SO2 concentration.Moreover,the SWNT-OH sensor shows a good self-recovery behavior with short recovery time,and good stability.Therefore,it is concluded that SWNT-OH sensor has good ability of sensing SO2 gas,and good application prospect in detection of SF6 decomposition.
Technologies on geographical information data warehouse

This paper based on features of geographical information system and data warehouse, gives a framework of geogra-phical information data warehouse and discusses the key technologies when implementing this system.
A Bayesian Markov-switching Model for Sparse Dynamic Network Estimation.

Inferring Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs) from multivariate time series data is a key step towards the understanding of complex systems as it reveals important dependency relationship underlying such systems. Most of the traditional approaches assume a “static” DBN. Yet in many relevant applications, such as those arising in biology and social sciences, the dependency structures may vary over time. In this paper, we introduce a sparse Markov-switching vector autoregressive model to capture the structural changes in the dependency relationships over time. Our approach accounts for such structural changes via a set of latent state variables, which are modeled by a discrete-time discretestate Markov process. Assuming that the underlying structures are sparse, we estimate the networks at each state through the hierarchical Bayesian group Lasso, so as to efficiently capture dependencies with lags greater than one time unit. For computation, we develop an efficient algorithm based on the Expectation-Maximization method. We demonstrate the strength of our approach through simulation studies and a real data set concerning climate change.
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria terminating in acute granulocytic leukemia.

A 58 year old male who developed paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and acute granulocytic leukemia is described. This rare occurrence is pertinent in view of recent concepts suggesting common etiologic mechanisms for these diseases.
Beliefs about emotion’s malleability influence state emotion regulation

The current study examined how manipulating information about whether emotions are fixed or malleable influences the extent to which individuals engage in different emotion regulation strategies. We hypothesized that fixed, compared to malleable, emotion beliefs would produce less effort invested in emotion regulation. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions emphasizing that emotions are malleable or fixed, and then completed an autobiographical negative emotion induction. Participants reported seven different emotion regulation strategies they used during the recall task. Participants in the fixed emotion condition, compared to those in the malleable emotion condition, reported engaging significantly less in self-blame and perspective-taking. They engaged somewhat, but not significantly, less in all of the other strategies, except acceptance. These results suggest that emotion malleability beliefs can be experimentally manipulated and systematically influence subsequent emotion regulatory behavior. Implications for affective science and mental health are discussed.
Preoperative prediction of pathological tumor volume and stage in clinically localized prostate cancer: comparison of digital rectal examination, transrectal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging.

AbstractAccurate preoperative staging is important for proper selection of patients for radical retropubic prostatectomy. Preoperative staging by digital rectal examination, transrectal ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Gleason grade and prostate specific antigen was compared to pathological stage for 25 patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy. The predictive value for tumor confinement was 36% by rectal examination, 37% by ultrasound and 30% by MRI. The predictive value for extracapsular disease was 100% by rectal examination, 83% by ultrasound and 66% by MRI. Preoperative determinations of tumor volume by any modality did not correlate with pathological tumor volume. Digital rectal examination, ultrasound and MRI clinically understage the disease in most patients but they may be reliable to predict extracapsular disease.
What is our Food Made of

The driving force which makes life possible is the sun. By photosynthesis, plants, the autotrophs, grow and start new generations. The heterotrophs, including man, eventually use all of the substance produced by photosynthesis and convert it back to the raw materials of photosynthesis—water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc. By such processes the heterotrophs get their nutrients and energy to complete their life cycles and start new generations. The amount of material produced by biological systems is equal to the amount of such material consumed and decomposed by biological systems. Consequently, there must be systems for building protoplasmic material and systems for breaking it down. Otherwise, the world would have long since been buried in biological or organic waste.1
Dynamics of Perturbations

The dynamical theory of control uses concepts and ideas from dynamical systems theory to study nonlinear control systems. In this context the basic control theoretic notions are control sets, chain control sets, and the spectrum. They are based on the dynamical systems concepts of transitivity, chain recurrence, and Lyapunov exponents for the associated control flow. Together they allow an analysis of the local and global fine structure of control systems, such as controllability regions and their domains of attraction, robust stability and stability radii, and open and closed loop stabilization. Various examples illustrating the use of a dynamical theory of control were presented in Chapters 8 to 12.
Bariatric Surgery: Overview of Procedures and Outcomes.

Bariatric surgery is the most efficient and long-lasting weight loss therapy available. Its safety has improved over tenfold over the last decade. With the advent of laparoscopy, mortality rates of are now under 1 per 1400 cases in accredited centers. Gastric bypass reduces diabetes-related mortality by 92% over 7 years and long lasting remission has been demonstrated in observational studies covering >10,000 patients and multiple randomized control trials. The benefit of bariatric surgery on diabetes is so substantial that these procedures should be considered in all type 2 diabetic patients with a BMI > 35 kg/m2.
Efficient Decomposition Approach for Large-Scale Refinery Scheduling

This paper proposes a heuristic algorithm for integrated scheduling of refinery production unit operations and finished product blending and delivery operations. To apply the proposed iterative algorithm, the integrated oil-refinery scheduling problem is decomposed into a production unit scheduling problem and a finished product blending and delivery scheduling problem. The goal of the algorithm is to obtain a feasible solution that satisfies product demand commitments with minimum demurrage violations while minimizing run-mode changeover cost, inventory cost, and penalties subject to product and logistics giveaways. The proposed algorithm provides a feasible solution at the end of each iteration, and to obtain solution without demurrage violations, a set of integer cuts are generated at the end of an iteration to eliminate current task assignment sequence for a multipurpose blend unit. The applicability of the algorithm is illustrated by a realistic large-scale refinery case study producing diesel and je...
Neuromodulation of the Failing Heart

Sympathovagal imbalance contributes to progressive worsening of heart failure and is associated with untoward clinical outcomes. Here we review the role of the autonomic nervous system in modulating the cardiovascular system, as well as the role of dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system in the pathogenesis of heart failure. We also discuss the experimental basis, rationale, and outcomes of ongoing clinical trials of using five different approaches to modulate the autonomic system in heart failure, including vagus nerve stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, renal denervation, baroreceptor activation therapy, and left cardiac sympathetic denervation. These approaches represent an exciting new era for the treatment of patients with heart failure.
The Representation of Time in the 17th Century

The foregoing arguments apply not only to mathematics but also to the sciences. Here I review the innovative mathematical representations of time in the work of Galileo, Descartes and Newton, and then turn to the debate over whether time is absolute (to be defined analytically) or relative (to be defined referentially) between Newton and his mouthpiece Clarke, and Leibniz. The detailed examination of Leibniz’s treatment of time is also a re-consideration of the methodology of this book, since it was inspired by Leibniz. How shall we think about the ways in which the two kinds of discourse that record empirical compilation and theoretical analysis may be combined in science? Leibniz calls on the Principle of Sufficient Reason to regulate a science that must be both empirical and rationalist, aiming to correlate precise empirical description with the abstract conception of science more geometrico. He encourages us to work out our sciences through successive stages, moving back and forth between concrete taxonomy and abstract systematization.
Preserving Cultural Heritage and Creating Economic Stability after the Nepal Earthquake

During the summer of 2015, after my freshman year at The Pennsylvania State University, I was given the opportunity to spend about a month in Nepal where I worked at a non-governmental organization and created a project that would help Gatlang, a village that was horribly damaged by the earthquakes that struck Nepal in April and May of 2015. A few short weeks in Nepal were enough to change my perspective on the world forever. I still think about how lucky I am to have been granted an experience that most people could never dream of having. Even more than this, I realize how lucky I am to have never been forced to cope with the devastation of any disaster of the magnitude of the Nepal earthquake.
Evidence-based assessment of ADHD diagnosis in children and adolescents.

This study illustrates the accuracy and efficiency of using an evidence-based assessment (EBA) strategy for diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by integrating the scale scores obtained on BASC-3 teacher and parent rating scales. The examined process used empirical diagnostic likelihood ratios (DLRs) derived from a sample of children with ADHD (N = 339) matched on demographic characteristics from the normative sample. The results show that behavioral scales of executive functioning and functional communication provided incremental utility in ADHD diagnosis. With a revised probability of .80 or higher as the diagnostic criterion, teachers, and parents positively diagnosed 70% and 94% of the ADHD cases respectively. The EBA approach was efficient, with four scales on average used to reach the proposed posterior probability for final diagnosis. Finally, teachers and parents demonstrated a high agreement with respect to the diagnosis results and scales used for the diagnosis.
Recreational cannabis legalization and opioid-related deaths in Colorado, 2000-2015

Objectives. To examine the association between Colorado’s legalization of recreational cannabis use and opioid-related deaths.Methods. We used an interrupted time-series design (2000–2015) to compare changes in level and slope of monthly opioid-related deaths before and after Colorado stores began selling recreational cannabis. We also describe the percent change in opioid-related deaths by comparing the unadjusted model-smoothed number of deaths at the end of follow-up with the number of deaths just prior to legalization.Results. Colorado’s legalization of recreational cannabis sales and use resulted in a 0.7 deaths per month (b = −0.68; 95% confidence interval = −1.34, −0.03) reduction in opioid-related deaths. This reduction represents a reversal of the upward trend in opioid-related deaths in Colorado.Conclusions. Legalization of cannabis in Colorado was associated with short-term reductions in opioid-related deaths. As additional data become available, research should replicate these analyses in othe...
The Effect of Performance Transparency on Adherence to Barcode Scanning During Order Preparation in an Adult Inpatient Satellite Pharmacy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of performance transparency and individualized feedback on pharmacy technician compliance with barcode verification technology during in...
Functional trajectories before and after a new cancer diagnosis among community-dwelling older adults.

Abstract Background To characterize functional trajectories in the year before and after a new cancer diagnosis among older adults and to identify risk factors for worsening disability post-diagnosis. Methods We identified 170 participants 70+ years with monthly assessments of thirteen basic, instrumental, and mobility activities and with a new cancer diagnosis from 1998 to 2014. A group-based trajectory model identified distinct functional trajectories based on a total disability score during the twelve months pre- and post-diagnosis. We evaluated associations between potential risk factors at the time of cancer diagnosis and worsening disability post-diagnosis, explored functional transitions from pre- to post-diagnosis and identified participants whose functional trajectories worsened. Results Three pre-diagnosis functional trajectories were identified among 170 participants (mean age at diagnosis: 83 years (range: 73–105 years): mild, moderate, and severe disability. Three post-diagnosis functional trajectories were identified among 158 non-decedents: mild, moderate, and severe disability. Most participants (93.9%) with severe disability pre-diagnosis had severe disability post-diagnosis. Risk factors independently associated with worsening disability post-diagnosis included moderate or severe disability pre-diagnosis (adjusted risk ratio, aRR: moderate: 2.96; 95%CI: 2.11–4.16; severe: 5.11; 95%CI: 3.07–8.52) vs. mild (reference), poor physical capability (aRR: 1.57; 95%CI: 1.07–2.30), and incurable stage (aRR:1.99; 95%CI: 1.41–2.80). 40% of participants with a mild or moderate disability trajectory pre-diagnosis transitioned to a worse functional trajectory post-diagnosis. Conclusion Older adults followed distinct functional trajectories in the twelve months before and after cancer diagnosis. Functional trajectory pre-diagnosis, poor physical capability, and incurable stage were independent risk factors for worsening disability post-diagnosis.
The Ponseti method for treatment of congenital club foot.

Purpose of review This review of the Ponseti technique for the treatment of congenital club foot covers a topic of recently renewed interest. Pediatric orthopedists and parents have become increasingly enthusiastic about the success of this technique, which has been practiced continuously at the University of Iowa since 1948 but only recently become widely utilized. Recent findings Current literature has emphasized the reproducibility of these excellent results among multiple centers throughout the world. In addition, the role of the Internet, and accessibility of medical information have been central elements in the development of this phenomenon. Summary The current research should convince physicians that all children should be managed by the Ponseti technique at the outset. This research should also reassure physicians and parents that the overwhelming majority of children with club feet can be successfully managed, without the need for major reconstructive surgery.
64Cu-somatostatin analogs for cancer imaging and therapy: Role of p53 in therapeutic response

302 Objectives The somatostatin-receptor subtype 2 (SSTr2) is overexpressed in multiple cancers. The goal was to develop 64Cu (T1/2 = 12.7 h; β+ (17.8%); β- (38.4%))-targeting agents for imaging and therapy and elucidate the role of p53 in response to therapy. Studies have demonstrated increased nuclear translocation of 64Cu in p53 wild-type (WT) compared to p53 null tumors. Methods Xenograft tumors were generated with HCT116 p53 WT and null colorectal cancer cells overexpressing SSTr2 and luciferase. HCT116 tumors not overexpressing SSTr2 were the negative control. The HCT116 cells were chosen for investigation of p53 as a mediator in 64Cu radiotherapy. When tumors reached ~8 mm in size, 20 and 200 μCi 64Cu-CBTE2A-Y3TATE, a SSTr2 agonist, was administered for biodistribution and microPET/CT studies. Human dosimetry was calculated from mouse biodistribution data. For radiotherapy studies, 1 mCi 64Cu-CBTE2A-Y3TATE was injected when tumors were 1-3 mm. Tumor growth was followed by bioluminescent imaging and caliper measurement. Results Elevated tumor uptake of 64Cu-CBTE2A-Y3TATE was observed at 1h (10.3% ID/g) and 4h (13.2% ID/g) with levels declining after 12h (7.9% ID/g). Specificity was demonstrated with partial uptake inhibition in the presence of excess unlabeled Y3TATE. MicroPET/CT studies demonstrated elevated uptake of 64Cu-CBTE2A-Y3TATE in SSTr2 overexpressing tumors and minimal uptake in SSTr2-negative tumors. Administration of 1 mCi 64Cu-CBTE2A-Y3TATE inhibited tumor growth and improved survival. The maximum injectable dose for imaging of an adult human was determined to be 11.5 mCi for a maximum individual organ dose of 5 rads. The effective dose for this injection is 1.12 rem. Conclusions Preclinical studies demonstrate that 64Cu-CB-TE2A-Y3-TATE is a promising agent for imaging and therapy of SSTr2 overexpressing tumors. Biodistribution and therapy data will be compared in p53 null tumors. Research Support NIH RO1 CA06447
Identifying the largest individual sample value from a two-way composite sampling design

Composite sampling techniques for identifying the largest individual sample value seem to be cost effective when the composite samples are internally homogeneous. However, since it is not always possible to form homogeneous composite samples, these methods can lead to higher costs than expected. In this paper we propose a two-way composite sampling design as a way to improve on the cost effectiveness of the methods available to identify the largest individual sample value.
Public Administration Education and Training in Central and Eastern European Countries and Assistance from the West

(1997). Public Administration Education and Training in Central and Eastern European Countries and Assistance from the West. Journal of Public Administration Education: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 69-72.
PHA eludes macrophage suppression to activate CD8+ T cells.

Abstract Tumors may include a high proportion of immune modulatory cells and molecules that restrain the anti-cancer response. Activation of T cells to eliminate cancer cells within the immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment remains a challenge. We have shown that C57BL/6 J peritoneal cell culture models features of macrophage-dense tumors as TCR ligation fails to activate T cells unless IFNγ is neutralized or iNOS is inhibited. We tested other forms of T cell activation and found phytohemagglutinin (PHA) distinctive in the ability to markedly expand CD8 T cells in this model. IFNγ or iNOS inhibition was not necessary for this response. PHA triggered less IFNγ production and inhibitory PD-L1 expression than TCR ligation. Macrophages and CD44hi T cells bound PHA. Spleen T cell responses to PHA were markedly enhanced by the addition of peritoneal cells revealing that macrophages enhance T cell expansion. That PHA increases CD8 T cell responses within macrophage-dense culture suggests this mitogen might enhance anti-tumor immunity.
The impact of long-term regional air mass patterns on nutrient precipitation chemistry and nutrient deposition within a United States grassland ecosystem

Changes in the frequency of precipitation as a result of a changing climate, as well as anthropogenic induced deposition of nitrogen (N), both have the potential to alter grassland productivity and diversity. Central U.S. weather patterns are dominated by three major air mass trajectories including regional sources from the Gulf of Mexico (marine tropical, Mt), the Pacific Northwest (mild pacific, mP), and the Desert Southwest (continental tropical, Ct). In this work, the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model was used to determine trends in the proportion of precipitation events from these air mass sources from 1983 to 2006 relative to Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS), KS. The annual volume-weighted mean (VWM) concentrations and wet deposition of a variety of precipitation dissolved solutes were linked to source regions north or south of KPBS. The proportion of precipitation events from Mt significantly increased, while the proportion of events from Ct and mP decreased significantly over the study period. The annual VWM concentrations of most solutes were typically higher from precipitation sourced to the north of KPBS. However, wet deposition of four ecologically relevant solutes (NH4+, NO3−, H+, and SO4−2) was higher from events from the southern region, likely due to higher precipitation amounts. The proportion of reduced N increased significantly over the study period but was not affected by source region despite the higher use of fertilizers for agriculture in the northern source region. Given the location of this site relative to three dominant air mass paths, future shifts in these patterns will likely impact wet nutrient deposition.
Progress in the Social Acceptance of Physician Assisted Suicide Laws

This paper gives an overview of several US laws regarding physician assisted suicide as well as Holland. Each law is reviewed in detail and the paper ends with observations between the laws and the effects of legalization in the various states and Holland.
On-chip photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers

Abstract Photonic crystal lasers can be realized either based on photonic bandgap defect-mode or defect-free bandedge mode, while the bandgap is not essential for the latter. In this chapter, we introduce types of photonic crystal bandedge mode-based surface-emitting membrane lasers for on-chip integration. We first discuss membrane reflector vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers based on single-layer photonic crystal membrane reflector with broadband reflections. We will discuss the cavity principles, design, and characteristics. Then, we will discuss on-chip photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) based on photonic crystal bandedge mode near Γ-point. Cavity designs were carried out for the optimal modal overlap and high confinement factors. Lateral cavity size scaling was also investigated both theoretically and experimentally in PCSELs. Buried tunnel junction-based InGaAsP quantum well heterostructures were also designed and incorporated into electrically injected PCSELs. Finally discussions are given toward energy efficient lasers.
A shape grammar for the building-type definition of the ancient Greek and Roman library and the evaluation of library plans

This paper presents in detail a parametric shape grammar for the generation of ancient Greek and Roman library plans. Ancient Libraries showcase a significant variability of scale, monumentality, and design with the use of different architectural components, and researchers cannot identify them as easily as other building types. The grammar is in 2D and captures all the variability of libraries from the simpler forms of the Hellenistic period to the more monumental of the Roman period, creating a vast range of designs. The paper presents the grammar-generated plans of the known libraries based on the evidence in the archaeological record. A frequency analysis of the occurrence of the rules in the derivations ranks the different characteristics of libraries and the architectural forms with which they occur in the corpus, to determine the probability of specific rules and to interpret them as mandatory or optional. The contribution of this work is that the shape grammar summarizes the design principles of ancient libraries visually and helps establish the building type of the ancient library. The frequency analysis assists tremendously in the reconstruction of fragmentarily preserved ancient libraries by providing a system in the reconstruction of the missing parts, when ambiguity is involved.
Regulation of Vacuole Morphology by PIEZO Channels in Spreading Earth Moss

Abstract The perception of mechanical force is a fundamental property of most, if not all cells. PIEZO channels are plasma membrane-embedded mechanosensitive calcium channels that play diverse and essential roles in mechanobiological processes in animals1,2. PIEZO channel homologs are found in plants3,4, but their role(s) in the green lineage are almost completely unknown. Plants and animals diverged approximately 1.5 billion years ago, independently evolved multicellularity, and have vastly different cellular mechanics5. Here, we investigate PIEZO channel function in the moss Physcomitrium patens, a representative of one of the first land plant lineages. PpPIEZO1 and PpPIEZO2 were redundantly required for normal growth, size, and shape of tip-growing caulonema cells. Both were localized to vacuolar membranes and facilitated the release of calcium into the cytosol in response to hypoosmotic shock. Loss-of-function (ΔPppiezo1/2) and gain-of-function (PpPIEZO2-R2508K and -R2508H) mutants revealed a role for moss PIEZO homologs in regulating vacuole morphology. Our work here shows that plant and animal PIEZO homologs have diverged in both subcellular localization and in function, likely co-opted to serve different needs in each lineage. The plant homologs of PIEZO channels thus provide a compelling lens through which to study plant mechanobiology and the evolution of mechanoperceptive strategies in multicellular eukaryotes.
The role of authigenic carbonate in Neoproterozoic carbon isotope excursions

Abstract Sedimentary carbonates from the Neoproterozoic Era host some of the largest carbon isotope excursions in the geological record, in some cases as large as 12‰ to 15‰. The origin of these signals remains a matter of debate – including whether they reflect local diagenetic effects, or record changes in the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of global seawater that are indicative of shifts in the larger carbon cycle. Producing such changes through oxidation of organic carbon or methane requires unreasonably large fluxes that imply massive perturbations to carbon and oxygen budgets that are not observed. We present a plausible way to drive large changes in the δ 13 C of the global ocean via large-scale precipitation of isotopically fractionated authigenic carbonates distributed globally at modest concentrations in terrigenous sediments, particularly if the isotopic fractionation of authigenic carbonate shifts rapidly relative to average marine carbonate. We suggest that changes in the fractionation associated with authigenic carbonate precipitation could therefore be responsible for at least some of the variability in isotopic records drawn from primary marine carbonate. Using a diffusion-reaction model, we find that oscillations in sulfate concentrations are one mechanism for altering the isotopic composition of authigenic carbonates, thus forcing abrupt changes in seawater δ 13 C. This mechanism is particularly effective under the geochemical conditions that likely prevailed during the Neoproterozoic. A sulfate-driven, authigenic origin for Neoproterozoic carbon isotope excursions makes testable predictions for the expression of the anomaly over depth transects, and for the evolution of δ 34 S through such events.
Transitioning from active duty to military retirement: Challenges impacting diabetes self-management:

Objectives:Military retirement happens early in the lifespan presenting a unique transition that challenges chronic illness. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that military retir...
Numerical Study of Crystal Growth in Reaction-Diffusion Systems Using Front Tracking

We study the crystal growth in a Reaction-Diffusion System for the generic reaction A + B → C. Reactants A and B react to form the product C which then undergoes phase transition. We have used the Lagrangian Front Tracking to explicitly track the crystal surface. The evolution of the concentrations of A, B and C is described by a system of three partial differential equations. This system is solved using finite difference method. Main focus of the study is on observing the effects of different parameters on the crystal growth, namely the diffusion coefficients, homogeneous reaction constant, heterogeneous reaction constant and the equilibrium concentration.
In Rome But Not of It: Augustine Between Eusebius and Donatus

The continuing importance of Augustine’s political philosophy today becomes clearer when we understand its historical context. Augustine developed his political philosophy as a response to a specific problem that had become acute in the late fourth and early fifth centuries: whether and how political structures inherited from Rome’s pre-Christian history could be reconciled with the claims of the Christian religion. Competing religious communities were forced into a shared social space in the fourth century, producing a pluralism that acutely challenged old structures in politics and religion alike. Before and during the writing of City of God, Augustine was an active participant in intellectual debates and political conflicts arising from two inadequate solutions to this problem—the attempt to fully harmonize Christianity with Roman political life, advocated by figures such as Eusebius, and the strict withdrawal from Roman politics demanded by the heretical Donatist movement. These two alternatives were locked in a highly polarized dialectic, producing battles that consumed a great deal of Augustine’s professional time and intellectual attention. By developing an alternative approach that allowed the relationship between religion and politics to become more complex and ambiguous than either of the simplified extremes of Eusebianism and Donatism, Augustine set the stage for the drama of medieval political thought and also laid critical theoretical groundwork for the emergence of religious freedom and social pluralism in early modernity. These lessons are especially important as religious freedom endures a deep theoretical crisis in the advanced modern world.
Authors Alliance Partner Program (A2P2) [Product Review]

The Authors Alliance Partner Program (A2P2; https://www.authorsalliance.org/a2p2-home/) is a recent addition to the educational content of the Authors Alliance. This nonprofit advocacy organization aims, "to advance the interests of authors who want to serve the public good by sharing their creations broadly." Their new initiative provides pret-a-porter instructional material with the express purpose of supporting the scaling of rights-related programming—a goal that distinguishes A2P2 from other well-established and deeply valuable copyright-focused resources. While copyright touches nearly all we do in libraries, outreach in this area often primarily falls to scholarly communication or copyright librarians. As Schmidt (2019) notes, “providing copyright information services in the library has become part of the standard operations of academic libraries in the U.S.” We must, consequently, train ourselves up and stay current on copyright issues, as well as instruct our peers and our communities on copyright- and author rights—related issues (Reeves 2015; Norris et al. 2019; Secker et al. 2019). We need to build resources on topics that are nuanced, evolving, and carry risk. These efforts take time, care, and confidence. For professionals who may well have varied and competing job responsibilities, time and confidence certainly may be at a premium (Charbonneau and Priehs 2014). While one could easily despair, there’s help to be had. Enter, A2P2.
The Realignment of the Political Parties in the Advanced Capitalist Nations

Both old left-wing parties and the old conservative parties are becoming replaced by the new left—PC parties espousing women’s rights, gay rights, racial equality, and multiculturalism, and ignoring union labor—and new right wing nationalist and “populist” parties—espousing “tribal identity,” macho masculinity, and dictatorial politics. The high-technology global capitalist economy has made the old left and old conservative parties irrelevant.