cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comment: Drug-drug interaction between clopidogrel and the proton pump inhibitors.

Objective:To evaluate the interaction between clopidogrel and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).Data Sources:Literature retrieval was accessed through PubMed (1980–January 2009), abstracts from 2008 American Heart Association and 2009 Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Scientific Sessions, and media press releases using the terms clopidogrel, proton pump inhibitors, cytochrome 2C19, genetic cytochrome P450 polymorphisms, and drug interaction. In addition, reference citations from publications identified in the search were reviewed.Study Selection and Data Extraction:Relevant original research articles and review articles were evaluated. Articles were selected if they were published in English and focused on any of the key words or appeared to have substantial content addressing the drug interaction.Data Synthesis:Recent attention has been placed on a potential interaction observed between clopidogrel and the widely used PPIs. Preliminary evidence suggests that omeprazole interacts with cl...
A hierarchical approach to generating maps using Markov chains

In this paper we describe a hierarchical method for procedurally generating maps using Markov chains. Our method takes as input a collection of human-authored two-dimensional maps, and splits them into high-level tiles which capture large structures. Markov chains are then learned from those maps to capture the structure of both the high-level tiles, as well as the low-level tiles. Then, the learned Markov chains are used to generate new maps by first generating the high-level structure of the map using high-level tiles, and then generating the low-level layout of the map. We validate our approach using the game Super Mario Bros., by evaluating the quality of maps produced using different configurations for training and generation.
Changes in the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal dependency of Albizia ferruginea and Enterolobium cyclocarpum in response to soil phosphorus concentration

Abstract A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the degree to which Albizia ferruginea and Enterolobium cyclocarpum respond to colonization of their roots by the vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (VAMF) Glomus aggregatum. Plants were grown in pots containing a subsurface ultisol uninoculated or inoculated with the fungus at three target soil solution phosphorus (P) concentrations. VAMF inoculation enhanced pinnule P content of Albizia but not of Enterolobium at the native P concentration of the experimental soil. However, dry matter yield was not affected by VAMF inoculation for either species. Mycorrhizal inoculation effect was either negative or nil at the highest soil solution P concentration tested. The highest mycorrhizal inoculation effect was observed at soil P concentration of 0.02 mg/L. Based on these data, both Albizia and Enterolobium were classified as highly mycorrhizal dependent species.
HOW SIMILAR IS TOO SIMILAR?: EXPLORING USERS' PERCEPTIONS OF SIMILARITY IN PLAYLIST EVALUATION

The Audio Music Similarity and Retrieval (AMS) task in the annual Music Information Retrieval eXchange relies on human-evaluation. One limitation of the current design of AMS is that evaluators are provided with scarce contextual information as to why they are evaluating the similarity of the songs and how this information will be used. This study explores the potential use of AMS results for generating playlists based on similarity. We asked participants to listen to a subset of results from the 2010 AMS task and evaluate the set of candidates generated by the algorithms as a playlist generated from a seed song (the query). We found that while similarity does affect how people feel about the candidate set as a playlist, other factors such as variety, metadata, personal preference, familiarity, mix of familiar and new music, etc. also strongly affect users' perceptions of playlist quality as well. We discuss six user behaviors in detail and the implications for the AMS evaluation task.
Pressure-induced structural transition in copper pyrazine dinitrate and implications for quantum magnetism

We combined synchrotron-based infrared and Raman spectroscopies, diamond anvil cell techniques, and first principles calculations to unveil pressure-induced distortions in quasi-one-dimensional Cu(pyz)$({\mathrm{NO}}_{3}){}_{2}$. The crossover at 0.7 GPa is local in nature whereas the transition at 5 GPa lowers symmetry from $Pmna$ to $P{222}_{1}$ and is predicted to slightly increase magnetic dimensionality. Comparison with prior magnetoinfrared results reveals the striking role of out-of-plane bending of the pyrazine ligand, a finding that we discuss in terms of the possibility of using pressure to bias the magnetic quantum critical transition in this classic $S=1/2$ antiferromagnet.
Comprehensive Monitoring of a Beach Restoration Project

This paper outlines the results obtained from monitoring the Beach Nourishment Project at Jupiter Island, Florida. Jupiter Island is a 16 mile long barrier island on the east coast of Florida. Five miles of the beach were nourished in two stages in 1973 and 1974. A total of 3.4 million cubic yards of sand were dredged from an offshore borrow area and placed on the beach. The monitoring program included: seasonal hydrographic surveys of beach and offshore profile to 3000 feet offshore; climatological monitoring of wind, waves, tides and currents over a oneyear period; tracer and dye studies; and sand sampling and coring at selected beach and offshore locations. The results indicate that beach restoration has a groin effect in the sense of producing favorable changes in littoral drift due to shore alignment changes. A net accretion updrift of the restored area occurs. The results demonstrate the importance of the offshore profile in accounting for the total sedimentary balance. Shoreline recession coupled by a build up in the offshore profile may reflect accretion rather than erosion. Finally, the results show that the littoral drift formula using the wave climate as input provides inadequate prediction estimates for erosion or deposition following construction of a beach restoration project.
A Polarizable QM/MM Explicit Solvent Model for Computational Electrochemistry in Water

We present a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) explicit solvent model for the computation of standard reduction potentials E0. The QM/MM model uses density functional theory (DFT) to model the solute and a polarizable molecular mechanics (MM) force field to describe the solvent. The linear response approximation is applied to estimate E0 from the thermally averaged electron attachment/detachment energies computed in the oxidized and reduced states. Using the QM/MM model, we calculated one-electron E0 values for several aqueous transition-metal complexes and found substantially improved agreement with experiment compared to values obtained from implicit solvent models. A detailed breakdown of the physical effects in the QM/MM model indicates that hydrogen-bonding effects are mainly responsible for the differences in computed values of E0 between the QM/MM and implicit models. Our results highlight the importance of including solute-solvent hydrogen-bonding effects in the theoretical modeling of redox processes.
Castration-refractory prostate cancer: new therapies, new questions.

Resistance to androgen deprivation is an ominous milestone in the natural history of metastatic prostate cancer:this disease state, now referred to as castration-refractory prostate cancer (CRPC), is historically associated with a median survival of less than two years. Until recently, only docetaxel (in combination with prednisone or estramustine) demonstrated a benefit in overall survival vs comparator therapy with mitoxantrone plus prednisone.[1,2] However, in the past year, compelling data in support of several promising new treatments for CRPC have been reported. The new data offer evidence-based treatment options, but also raise many questions for patient management and future clinical research.
Concordance of Pathologic Features Between Metastatic Sites and the Primary Tumor in Surgically Resected Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the concordance of pathologic features in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) between the primary nephrectomy and metastasectomy specimens. Methods Primary nephrectomy (n = 454) and matched metastasectomy specimens (n = 680) from patients treated between 1970 and 2009 for RCC were re-reviewed by 1 urologic pathologist in a blinded fashion. RCC histologic subtype, grade, coagulative necrosis, and the presence of sarcomatoid differentiation were compared between the primary and the metastatic tumor with kappa statistics. Results Concordance with the primary tumor was observed for subtype in 647 (95%, kappa = 0.71) of the metastases, for grade in 411 (60%, kappa = 0.35), necrosis in 460 (68%, kappa = 0.32), and sarcomatoid differentiation in 643 (95%, kappa = 0.60). Upgrading was observed in 100%, 63%, and 13% of patients with grades 1, 2, and 3 primary tumors, respectively (no patient had a grade 1 metastatic lesion). Metastatic tumors treated with metastasectomy within 30 days of nephrectomy (n = 145) had similar rates of concordant subtype, necrosis, and sarcomatoid differentiation to those undergoing metastasectomy beyond 30 days from nephrectomy ( P >.05 for all), but had higher rates of concordant grade (71% vs 58%, P = .003). Pre-metastasectomy exposure to systemic targeted or immunotherapy was not associated with a change in concordance of histopathologic features. Conclusion Among 454 surgically managed metastatic RCC patients, we observed a high degree of concordance for histologic subtype and sarcomatoid differentiation, and varying degrees of discordance for grade and coagulative tumor necrosis, between primary and metastatic tumors. Further investigation is warranted to understand the biologic and therapeutic implications of these observations.
Theory-Based Interventions for Long-Term Adherence to Improvements in Diet Quality An In-depth Review

Many interventions aim to improve dietary patterns but not all are able to maintain these changes long term. Interventions informed by theory may facilitate dietary behavior changes and maintenance of these changes for longer periods of time. PubMed and PsychInfo were searched for theory-based interventions with long-term assessments of fruit and vegetable (FV) and fat intake. We identified 335 unique titles; 20 were included for review. Most interventions (65%) were based on social cognitive theory. Assessments of FV and fat ranged from 12 to 72 months postrandomization, and 15 studies reported significant intervention effects. Only 6 studies directly tested theory in relation to diet and of those, significant findings indicated self-efficacy, motivation for dietary change, perceived competence to eat more FV and less fat, and multiple processes of change were associated with long-term maintenance of healthy eating. Overall, this review indicates that theory-informed interventions are generally successful for long-term improvements in diet quality, although such improvements are often modest. Most studies did not directly measure theoretical constructs in relation to diet outcomes, thus limiting our ability to describe how theory-based interventions specifically promote long-term diet change. Recommendations for future research and practical recommendations for long-term maintenance of diet change are discussed.
Fourier series analysis and synthesis of type-E PFNs for time-varying loads

The synthesis of type A, B, and C pulse forming networks (PFNs) is relatively straightforward with Cauer and partial-fraction (Foster) expansion methods of the driving-point impedance or admittance functions. Analytical derivations of type D and E PFNs are much more difficult due to the necessity of calculating the negative inductances of the type D network. Type E networks are preferred in practice due to their ease of construction. Normally, these networks are designed for constant loads. However, non-linear or time-varying loads are common. When accurate voltage flat-tops are required, matching a PFN to the load is critical. Other authors have examined PFN designs for time-varying loads based on type-C topologies.
Checkpointing Exascale Memory Systems with Existing Memory Technologies

Building exascale supercomputers requires resilience to failing components such as processor, memory, storage, and network devices. Checkpoint/restart is a key ingredient in attaining resilience, but providing fast and reliable checkpointing is becoming more challenging as the amount of data to checkpoint and the number of components that can fail increase in exascale systems. To improve the speed of checkpointing, emerging non-volatile memory (phase change, magnetic, resistive RAM) have been proposed. However, using unproven memories to create checkpoints will only increase the design risk for exascale memory systems. In this paper, we show that exascale systems with hundreds of petabytes of memory can be constructed with commodity DRAM and SSD flash memory and that newer non-volatile memory are unnecessary, at least for the next generation. The challenge when using commodity parts is providing fast and reliable checkpointing to protect against system failures. A straightforward solution of checkpointing to local flash-based SSD devices will not work because they are endurance and performance limited. We present a checkpointing solution that employs a combination of DRAM and SSD devices. A Checkpoint Location Controller (CLC) is implemented to monitor the endurance of the SSD and the performance loss of the application and to decide dynamically whether to checkpoint to the DRAM or the SSD. The CLC improves both SSD endurance and application slowdown; but the checkpoints in DRAM are exposed to device failures. To design a reliable exascale memory, we protect the data with a low latency ECC that can correct all errors due to bit/pin/column/word faults and also detect errors due to chip failures, and we protect the checkpoint with a Chipkill-Correct level ECC that allows reliable checkpointing to the DRAM. Using our system, the SSD lifetime increases by 2x---from 3 years to 6.3 years. Furthermore, the CLC reduces the average checkpointing overhead by nearly 10x (47% from a 420% slowdown), compared to when the application always checkpointed to the SSD.
Osteoclasts From Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Hematopoietic Progenitors Support Development of An in Vitro Niche Microenvironment.

Abstract 2517 Poster Board II-494 Osteoclasts are bone resorbing cells located in the bone marrow that play a key role in hematopoiesis and formation of the hematopoietic niche. Previous studies demonstrate osteoclasts arise from the monocyte-macrophage lineage of cells within the bone marrow microenvironment. Osteoclast progenitor cells typically express the monocyte marker CD14, though relatively little is known about the developmental history of these osteoclastogeneic cells in humans. Osteoclast progenitors have been previously isolated from peripheral blood and bone marrow. Previous studies by our group and others demonstrate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can differentiate into CD34 + CD45 + cells that can be supported to differentiate into many types of hematopoietic cells, though development of osteoclasts have not been previously demonstrated. To better evaluate osteoclastogenesis, hESCs were allowed to differentiate on M210 stromal cells for 19–21 days then sorted for CD34 + CD45 + cells. These cells were placed into a secondary co-culture with M210 stromal cells using osteoclast differentiation factors macrophage colony-stimulating factor (hM-CSF) and receptor activator of nuclear factor–kB ligand (hRANKL) for 14–21 days. During this time, mononuclear hematopoietic cells expanded on top of the stromal cells, followed by appearance of multinucleated cells that became adherent and embedded within the stromal cell layer. These adherent multi-nucleated cells were TRAP-positive, consistent with osteoclasts. Q-RT-PCR analysis demonstrated expression of osteoclast genes NFATC1, TRAP, CATHEPSIN K AND MMP-9 . Culturing these putative osteoclasts on dentin discs demonstrated dentin resorption and pit formation, consistent with osteoclasts cultured from peripheral blood. No pit formation observed when the same experiments were done without hRANKL and hMCSF. Most remarkable was the extensive proliferation of CD45 + CD33 + myeloid cells around the periphery of the adherent, multinucleated osteoclasts in culture, resembling a multi-cellular hematopoietic niche environment. Further studies are underway to better evaluate the interaction of these osteoclast cells with other hESC-derived hematopoietic cells. Together, these studies demonstrate development of functional osteoclasts directly from hESC-derived CD34 + CD45 + hematopoietic progenitor population. We also show development of a novel in vitro HSC niche microenvironment utilizing hESC-derived osteoclasts. This system has the potential to now incorporate other hESC-derived cell populations as a model to better define cellular and extracellular mechanisms that mediate human hematopoietic development. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Effect of treatment with losartan on cardiovascular autonomic and large sensory nerve fiber function in individuals with diabetes mellitus: a 1-year randomized, controlled trial.

This study evaluated the effect of losartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, on cardiovascular autonomic function and large sensory nerve fiber function in individuals with diabetes mellitus. In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, individuals were randomly assigned to treatment with a daily oral dose of 50-mg losartan (n=24) or placebo (n=20) for 12 months. Tests of cardiovascular autonomic function (i.e., RR-variation during deep breathing and the Valsalva maneuver) and of large sensory nerve fiber function (i.e., vibratory thresholds) were measured at baseline and at 12 months. No significant difference at baseline was found for duration of diabetes, glycemic control, blood pressure, or body mass index (BMI) between the two groups. After 12 months, the decline in RR-variation that occurs over time appeared to be less for those taking losartan. There was, however, no statistically significant change in the results for any of the tests of cardiovascular autonomic function or vibratory thresholds between the groups. Multivariate analyses in the losartan study group revealed an independent association of duration of diabetes, change in (reduced) systolic blood pressure (SBP), and improved vibratory thresholds. This association was particularly noted for women. Pharmacologic agents may affect cardiovascular autonomic function by favorable or detrimental changes in the electrophysiology of the heart. The results of this study indicate that, although losartan may have slowed the normal decline in RR-variation, it did not result in any significant improvement in cardiovascular autonomic nerve fiber function. An association of vibratory thresholds and SBP was observed.
A cylindrically symmetric magnetic trap for compact Bose-Einstein condensate atom interferometer gyroscopes

We present a variant of the time-orbiting potential trap suitable for Bose-Einstein condensate atom interferometers, which provides weak, cylindrically symmetric confinement as well as support for the atoms against gravity. This trapping configuration is well-suited for the implementation of a compact atom interferometer based gyroscope. The trap is made up of six coils, which were produced using photolithographic techniques and take up a modest volume of approximately 1 cubic inch inside a vacuum chamber. The trapping frequencies and thermal characteristics of the trap are presented, showing cylindrical symmetry and scalability of the trapping frequencies from 1 Hz to 8 Hz in the symmetry plane.
Evaluation of Optical Coherence Tomography to Detect Elevated Intracranial Pressure in Children.

Importance Detecting elevated intracranial pressure in children with subacute conditions, such as craniosynostosis or tumor, may enable timely intervention and prevent neurocognitive impairment, but conventional techniques are invasive and often equivocal. Elevated intracranial pressure leads to structural changes in the peripapillary retina. Spectral-domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) can noninvasively quantify retinal layers to a micron-level resolution. Objective To evaluate whether retinal measurements from OCT can serve as an effective surrogate for invasive intracranial pressure measurement. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study included patients undergoing procedures at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia from September 2014 to June 2015. Three groups of patients (n = 79) were prospectively enrolled from the Craniofacial Surgery clinic including patients with craniosynostosis (n = 40). The positive control cohort consisted of patients with hydrocephalus and suspected intracranial hypertension (n = 5), and the negative control cohort consisted of otherwise healthy patients undergoing a minor procedure (n = 34). Main Outcomes and Measures Spectral-domain OCT was performed preoperatively in all cohorts. Children with cranial pathology, but not negative control patients, underwent direct intraoperative intracranial pressure measurement. The primary outcome was the association between peripapillary retinal OCT parameters and directly measured elevated intracranial pressure. Results The mean (SD) age was 34.6 (45.2) months in the craniosynostosis cohort (33% female), 48.9 (83.8) months in the hydrocephalus and suspected intracranial hypertension cohort (60% female), and 59.7 (64.4) months in the healthy cohort (47% female). Intracranial pressure correlated with maximal retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (r = 0.60,P ≤ .001), maximal retinal thickness (r = 0.53,P ≤ .001), and maximal anterior retinal projection (r = 0.53,P = .003). Using cut points derived from the negative control patients, OCT parameters yielded 89% sensitivity (95% CI, 69%-97%) and 62% specificity (95% CI, 41%-79%) for detecting elevated intracranial pressure. The SD-OCT measures had high intereye agreement (intraclass correlation, 0.83-0.93) and high intragrader and intergrader agreement (intraclass correlation ≥0.94). Conventional clinical signs had low sensitivity (11%-42%) for detecting intracranial hypertension. Conclusions and Relevance Noninvasive quantitative measures of the peripapillary retinal structure by SD-OCT were correlated with invasively measured intracranial pressure. Optical coherence tomographic parameters showed promise as surrogate, noninvasive measures of intracranial pressure, outperforming other conventional clinical measures. Spectral-domain OCT of the peripapillary region has the potential to advance current treatment paradigms for elevated intracranial pressure in children.
Future directions for GaN in 5G and satellite communications

GaN will play a strong role in advanced RF and microwave applications including 5G and satellite communications. The specifications of these systems will push next-gen GaN devices towards mm-wave operation. The challenges and opportunities for commercial deployment of GaN are identified and a variety of circuit designs are presented. A 5G high-linearity power amplifier MMIC in 0.20um GaN with Pout=36dBm at 51.1% PAE and a Sat-com Ku-band mixer in 0.25um GaN with conversion loss < 10.5dB and IIP3=36.4dBm are demonstrated.
A deployable identifier-locator split architecture

Despite the vast set of prior work on identifier-locator split architectures, no one approach has seen much success, adoption, or deployment in the Internet at large. We identify the key set of challenges that have inhibited the deployment of these proposals to date, and introduce the Dynamic Internet Mobility for End-Systems (DIME) approach. DIME is based on dynamic address translation between the transport and network layers of end hosts, combined with a simple out-of-band protocol that updates host-address bindings as needed. DIME is the first and only proposal that achieves a clean identifier-locator split without requiring modifications to the end-host OS or applications; modifications to existing network protocols, security mechanisms, or hardware; or a new host-identifier namespace. We evaluate a Linux daemon implementation of DIME, and show that it i outperforms existing mobility proposals such as mobile IP (MIPv6), multipath TCP (MPTCP), and the Host Identity Protocol (HIP) across a wide range of performance metrics.
An experimental study of surface wettability effects on dynamic ice accretion process over an UAS propeller model

Abstract An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effects of surface wettability on the dynamic ice accretion process over the surface of a rotating Unmanned-Aerial-System (UAS) propeller model and the resultant aerodynamic performance degradation due to the ice accretion. A propeller model was installed in an Icing Research Tunnel at Iowa State University (i.e., ISU-IRT) with its surface wettability changed significantly (i.e., hydrophilic surface versus superhydrophobic surface). In addition to acquiring “phase-locked” images to reveal the dynamic ice accretion process over the rotating propeller surface, the thrust generation and the required power input to drive the propeller model to operate at a constant rotation speed were also measured during the ice accretion process. The dynamic ice accretion process over the rotating propeller surface was found to vary remarkably with changes to the propeller surface wettability. By making the propeller surface superhydrophobic, the detrimental effects of the ice accretion on the aerodynamic performance of the propeller model were found to be mitigated greatly with much less ice accretion over the propeller surface, significant reduction of the thrust loss and less demand for extra power consumption due to the ice accretion, in comparison with the case with the propeller surface being hydrophilic.
β-Bond Scission and the Yields of H and CH3 in the Decomposition of Isobutyl Radicals.

The relative rates of C–C and C–H β-scission reactions of isobutyl radicals (2-methylprop-1-yl, C4H9) were investigated with shock tube experiments at temperatures of (950 to 1250) K and pressures of (200 to 400) kPa. We produced isobutyl radicals from the decomposition of dilute mixtures of isopentylbenzene and observed the stable decomposition products, propene and isobutene. These alkenes are characteristic of C–C and C–H bond scission, respectively. Propene was the main product, approximately 30 times more abundant than isobutene, indicating that C–C β-scission is the primary pathway. Uncertainty in the ratio of [isobutene]/[propene] from isobutyl decomposition is mainly due to a small amount of side chemistry, which we account for using a kinetics model based on JetSurF 2.0. Our data are well-described after adding chemistry specific to our system and adjusting some rate constants. We compare our data to other commonly used kinetics models: JetSurF 2.0, AramcoMech 2.0, and multiple models from Lawren...
Author Correction: The ultrafast X-ray spectroscopic revolution in chemical dynamics

In the original version of the article the authors inadvertently omitted to acknowledge funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Gas Phase Chemical Physics Program under contract no. DE-AC02-05-CH11231. This has been corrected in all versions of the published article.
THEORETICAL EVIDENCE FOR AN ELECTRONICALLY DRIVEN ISOSTRUCTURAL PHASE TRANSITION IN FCC LANTHANUM

Publisher Summary The observation in lanthanum of a high superconducting transition temperature and its large pressure derivative, dT c /dp, has led to wide speculation that a pairing mechanism involving electrons is responsible for the high temperature. This chapter describes the results of careful band structure calculations, which provide insight into the origin of the unusual behavior of L a under pressure. This method of band structure calculation is called the Linearized Augmented Plane Wave method in the semi-relativistic approximation. The results described in the chapter are obtained by using the Kohn–Sham–Gaspar local density approximation for exchange. This chapter explains how the coupling of the electronic system to the lattice leads to a phonon-induced transition of “3/2 order.” Although the latter transition is stronger, in the sense that singular behavior occurs in lower derivatives of the free energy, in general, either mechanism may be the driving force for the transformation. The Lifshitz instability is also suggested to occur in various systems.
History from the Top Down

In recent years, interest in the history of psychology seems to have grown exponentially, which may or may not be a ‘good thing’. At least, judged by the number of new titles, including texts, monographs, and essay collections on historical topics, publishers apparently expect the field to provide them with a sizeable market even if not turning into ‘big business’. Although the upcoming centennial of the founding of the American Psychological Association and allied ceremonial events may account for part of this expansion, several other developments have contributed to it. To name two among them, there was first the post-Kuhnian redefinition of the task set for a disciplinary history. Secondly, psychologist-historians discovered a new cache of data in the form of unpublished archival source material — although even today the official APA publication manual still does not allow, in its meticulous prescriptions for proper references, for the legitimate existence of such unpublished material, thus providing us with a contemporary example of what Danziger discusses as the object-constituting activities deriving from supposedly neutral but in fact quite imperialistic methodologies.
Forcing and Model Completions

Let L be a language of fixed similarity type and let M be a fixed class of S-modal structures for ML. Let Φ be a fixed set of formulas of MLA which contains all atomic formulas and is closed under subformulas. The S-forcing property P(M,Φ) is described as follows. Let 4>(C) be the set of all sentences of MKA of the form Ax1…xn[c1,…,cn] where A∈Φ and c 1 …, c n∈C = ∪ u∈U C.
Mechanisms of Deformation in Porous Rocks at the Grain Scale

This paper investigates two dominant pore-scale deformation mechanisms in porous rocks: crystal plasticity and micro-fracture generation. Modeling and simulation are conducted on the mesoscopic scale, defined as a scale smaller than the specimen but larger than the grain. Imperfections are introduced in the form of random voids and random crystal orientations. Depending on the imposed overall deformation, the overall stress response could vary dramatically with assumed pore-scale mechanisms.
Environmental Policy Tools & Firm-Level Management Practices in the United States

The purpose of this study is three-fold. First, it offers preliminary advice regarding different U.S. environmental policies and programs that encourage environmental innovation. Second, this report will help the U.S. manufacturing facilities that participated in our study to benchmark their environmental management against similar companies. Finally, the U.S. study was created to contribute to the dialogue of the different types of environmental innovation policies and how they might vary across OECD countries. This report addresses three broad research questions: 1. Why do facilities introduce environmental management tools and systems? 2. Why do facilities undertake specific types of environmental investments and innovations? 3. What are the links between facilities' financial performance and their environmental management practices? To answer these questions, the U.S. study evaluated the internal factors, financial incentives, and external pressures that shape organizations' environmental behavior in a mail survey of 3,746 U.S. manufacturing facilities. A summary of the results is provided in the following sections.
National perioperative outcomes of flap coverage for pressure ulcers from 2005 to 2015 using American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Background Complication rates after flap coverage for pressure ulcers have been high historically. These patients have multiple risk factors associated with poor wound healing and complications including marginal nutritional status, prolonged immobilization, and a high comorbidities index. This study utilizes the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) to examine perioperative outcomes of flap coverage for pressure ulcers. Methods Data from the NSQIP database (2005-2015) for patient undergoing flap coverage for pressure ulcers was identified. Demographic, perioperative information, and complications were reviewed. One-way analysis of variance and Pearson chi-square were used to assess differences for continuous variables and nominal variables, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify independent risk factors for complications. Results There were 755 cases identified: 365 (48.3%) sacral ulcers, 321 (42.5%) ischial ulcers, and 69 (9.1%) trochanteric ulcers. Most patients were older male, with some degree of dependency, neurosensory impairment, high functional comorbidities score, and American Society of Anesthesiologists class 3 or above. The sacral ulcer group had the highest incidence of septic shock and bleeding, while the trochanteric ulcer group had the highest incidence of superficial surgical site infection. There was an overall complication rate of 25% at 30-day followup. There was no statistical difference in overall complication among groups. Total operating time, diabetes, and non-elective case were independent risk factors for overall complications. Conclusions Despite patients with poor baseline functional status, flap coverage for pressure ulcer patients is safe with acceptable postoperative complications. This type of treatment should be considered for properly selected patients.
Cultivating Empathy and Community for Adults with Disabilities: Germany’s “Die Lebensgemeinschaft e. V.” of Sassen and Richthof

Sassen, a German rural community, cares for mentally disabled adults with the purpose of providing them with the empathy, freedom, and community that other institutions often fail to provide. Through participant-observation and interviews, this study examines the ways in which this isolated community does not deny disabled individuals of their humanity. Sassen has full-time, live-in caretakers that care for their own surrogate family of disabled residents, creating an empathetic, and personal community. Through its isolation from society and its live-in staff, Sassen goes beyond ensuring their residents’ survival and provides them with the freedom and empathy to engage in romantic relationships, belong to a family, and have a sense of purpose through their jobs that help sustain their community – to live and not just survive.
Isoflurane anesthesia impairs the expression of immune neuromodulators in the hippocampus of aged mice

Cognitive dysfunction is one of the most common postoperative complications experienced by older patients after anesthesia and surgery but the cause remains unknown. Immune molecules are essential for many aspects of neural homeostasis, including learning and memory, and an imbalance in immune neuromodulators is implicated in the development of neural dysfunction. Aging alters the control of neuroinflammatory cascades and general anesthetics are immunosuppressants. Therefore, we hypothesized that general anesthesia disturbs neuroimmune signaling in an age-dependent fashion. We tested this hypothesis by examining gene expression of key immune neuromodulators including IL-1β, TNFα, and CCL2 in the hippocampus of young adult (3 mo) and aged (20 mo) mice following isoflurane anesthesia. We show that isoflurane anesthesia increases expression of these signaling molecules in the hippocampus of young adult mice but decreases it in the hippocampus of old mice. Furthermore, anesthetized old mice had an amplified hippocampal neuroimmune response to systemically administered lipopolysaccharide compared to age-matched carrier controls. Together, these data indicate that isoflurane anesthesia disrupts hippocampal neuroimmune mediator gene expression in the old brain and suggests a potential mechanism by which general anesthesia can contribute to disordered neuronal homeostasis and post-anesthesia cognitive disability in older subjects.
Spatial changes in soil stable isotopic composition in response to carrion decomposition

Abstract. Decomposition provides a critical mechanism for returning nutrients to the surrounding environment. In terrestrial systems, animal carcass, or carrion, decomposition results in a cascade of biogeochemical changes. Soil microbial communities are stimulated, resulting in transformations of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sourced from the decaying carrion soft tissues, changes to soil pH, electrical conductivity, and oxygen availability as microbial communities release CO2 and mineralize organic N. While many of the rapid changes to soil biogeochemistry observed during carrion decomposition return to background or starting conditions shortly after soft tissues are degraded, some biogeochemical parameters, particularly bulk soil stable δ15N isotopic composition, have the potential to exhibit prolonged perturbations, extending for several years. The goal of this study was to evaluate the lateral and vertical changes to soil stable isotopic composition 1 year after carrion decomposition in a forest ecosystem. Lateral transects extending 140 cm from three decomposition “hotspots” were sampled at 20 cm intervals, and subsurface cores were collected beneath each hotspot to a depth of 50 cm . Bulk soil stable isotopic composition ( δ15N and δ13C ) indicated that 1 year after complete soft tissue removal and decay, soils were significantly 15N enriched by 7.5±1.0 ‰ compared to control soils up to 60 cm from the hotspot center, and enrichment extended to a depth of 10 cm . Hotspot soils also contained 10 % more N compared to control soils, indicating that decomposition perturbs N pools. Our results demonstrate that carrion decomposition has the potential to result in long-term changes to soil biogeochemistry, up to at least 1 year after soft tissue degradation, and to contribute to bulk soil stable isotopic composition.
Abstract P425: Vmax Prescribed Cardiovascular Exercise Paired With Gross Whole Body Movement Increases High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol

Introduction: Previous literature shows an “appeared linear dose-response between activity levels and HDL cholesterol levels” However, long duration physical activity may decrease HDL and LDL chole...
Foodie Calls: When Women Date Men for a Free Meal (Rather Than a Relationship):

A foodie call occurs when a person, despite a lack of romantic attraction to a suitor, chooses to go on a date to receive a free meal. The present study examines predictors of a deceptive form of t...
Evaluation of Low Mean Corpuscular Volume in an Apheresis Donor Population.

Donors of apheresis blood components are routinely evaluated with a complete blood count (CBC) at the time of each donation. In otherwise healthy donors, recurrent low mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values (
Exploring Best Practice for Municipal E-Scooter Policy in the United States

The transportation and mobility landscape has changed at exponential rates in recent years. This is particularly evident in the spread and use of e-scooters in the United States. It is widely agreed that municipalities need to regulate the deployment of this new form of mobility to capture some of the benefits that these devices provide but also mitigate any impacts and risks associated with their use. This paper evaluates municipalities in the United States that currently have e-scooters deployed and seeks to identify any trends in their policy for regulating e-scooters. As many communities still do not have policy in place, this study seeks to serve as a benchmark for communities seeking to develop policy surrounding e-scooter use and deployment. While there are a variety of issues surrounding e-scooters that need to be analyzed, this study specifically looks at the implementation of pilot programs; e-scooter vendor limits or caps; and the inclusion of equity policy.
A Bayesian Model for Prediction of Rheumatoid Arthritis from Risk Factors

ABSTRACT Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that typically manifests as destructive joint inflammation but also affects multiple other organ systems. The pathogenesis of RA is complex where a variety of factors including comorbidities, demographic, and socioeconomic variables are known to influence the incidence and progress of the disease. In this work, we aimed to predict RA from a set of 11 well-known risk factors and their interactions using Bayesian logistic regression. We considered up to third-order interactions between the risk factors and implemented factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) to account for both the continuous and categorical natures of these variables. The predictive model was further optimized over the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) using a genetic algorithm (GA). We use data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Our optimal predictive model has a smoothed AUC of 0.826 (95% CI: 0.801–0.850) on a validation dataset and 0.805 (95% CI: 0.781–0.829) on a holdout test dataset. Our model identified multiple second- and third-order interactions that demonstrate a strong association with RA, implying the potential role of risk factor interactions in the disease mechanism. Interestingly, we find that the inclusion of higher-order interactions in the model only marginally improves overall predictive ability. Our findings on the contribution of RA risk factors and their interaction on disease prediction could be useful in developing strategies for early diagnosis of RA, thus opening potential avenues for improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare burden to society.
Leading the educational response during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspective from an online campus

The early spring of 2020 began with an extraordinary change for all members of the higher education community of institutions worldwide. A new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the strain of coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading rapidly (World Health Organization, 2020). In the early days of March 2020, institutions of higher education worldwide began a sudden closure of face-to-face instruction to transition to remote teaching. This transition occurred in a matter of days, disrupting educational and administrative operations. The rapid spread pandemic caught many at colleges and universities by surprise and triggered the implementation of strategies to provide continuity of instruction (Morales, 2019). From faculty training to course creation and from student support to the creation of on-the-fly work from home policies (WFH). The abrupt change also brought to the surface the relevance of training, support systems, and academic continuity planning at an institution serving more than 100,000 students annually. The paper examined the role an online campus, part of a college system that operates predominantly face-to-face, played in the transition of faculty to remote educational and operational services during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Adaptive Management and NEPA: How to Reconcile Predictive Assessment in the Face of Uncertainty with Natural Resource Management Flexibility and Success

For years, public lands scholars lamented the limited success that federal agencies had in applying adaptive management decisionmaking processes in pursuit of their natural resource management responsibilities. Agency duties to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have played a role in creating a disconnect between the theory and application of adaptive management. NEPA was designed to force agencies to predict (and consider ways to avoid) the adverse environmental impacts of actions before committing to them. Adaptive management is built on the premise that, at least in conditions of uncertainty such as those that often characterize natural resource management, acting on the basis of one-time predictive judgments is a prescription for failure. Instead, resource managers need to continuously track the consequences of their decisions, reevaluate their management approaches based on evolving evidence, and make appropriate adjustments before starting this iterative process anew. Notwithstanding the tension between the decisionmaking approaches reflected in NEPA and adaptive management, the federal land management agencies have had to figure out how to implement their NEPA responsibilities as they have increasingly resorted to adaptive management strategies. This Article analyzes the inevitable litigation that these efforts have spurred, identifying how courts have applied various aspects of NEPA’s mandates to agency resort to adaptive management. This analysis reveals that careful attention to NEPA’s requirements makes reconciliation of the tension between NEPA and adaptive management possible. The Article gleans a series of best practices that should allow agencies to benefit from the flexibility that adaptive management affords its practitioners while satisfying NEPA’s “stop and think” mandates.
A shock-fitting solution of the supersonic flowfield in a rounded internal corner

A comparison is presented of a computational investigation of the flowfield created by supersonic flow over an internal corner with rounding and experimental results at a freestream Mach number of 4.1. The computational study uses a shock-fitting finite difference scheme with explicit formulation of the transformation to computational coordinates. The solutions calculated agree with previous ones for the sharp corner case and with the experimental investigation results for the rounded corner case. Parametric effects were computed for variations in corner rounding, freestream Mach number, symmetric wedge angle and unsymmetric wedge angle. A region is described over which successful executions were obtained.
A Preliminary Study of the Relation of Visual Attention to Stimulus Complexity and Functional Vision in Individuals With Cortical Visual Impairment: Implications for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Purpose Individuals with cortical visual impairment (CVI) can have difficulties with visual processing due to physical damage or atypical structures of visual pathways or visual processing centers ...
Single Hit Volley Test for Women's Volleyball

Abstract A single hit wall volley test was constructed to evaluate the volleying ability of college women students in volleyball. The test was found to be most valid and reliable when administered from behind a 7-ft. restraining line, using the sum of the scores obtained from the first and second trials. Each trial was 30 seconds in length with a rest period of not less than two minutes between trials.
MicroRNA Cancer Therapeutics and the Challenge of Drug Delivery

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have progressed to a separate field in cancer biology. As cancer cells undergo investigations to build a hierarchy, the dissection of miRNA in the developmental process occurs in parallel. There is no doubt that RNA interference (RNAi) will be in the clinic. However, the efficiency of the process remains a challenge. This chapter discusses the potential for RNAi in therapy and summarizes some of the different methods to package RNAi for delivery to the regions of cancer. The ability of mesenchymal stem cells to migrate to the site of tumors has been explored as a method to deliver RNAi. However, these stem cells can influence tumor growth and the immune response to tumors. This chapter briefly discusses the potential of using mesenchymal stem cells in RNAi delivery. This topic would require a separate chapter on stem cells and RNAi delivery. Confounds discussed in this chapter are applicable to any method developed with stem cells to target cancer cells with RNAi.