cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen Gas Retention and Release from WTP Vessels: Summary of Preliminary Studies

The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is currently being designed and constructed to pretreat and vitrify a large portion of the waste in the 177 underground waste storage tanks at the Hanford Site. A number of technical issues related to the design of the pretreatment facility (PTF) of the WTP have been identified. These issues must be resolved prior to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of River Protection (ORP) reaching a decision to proceed with engineering, procurement, and construction activities for the PTF. One of the issues is Technical Issue T1 - Hydrogen Gas Release from Vessels (hereafter referred to as T1). The focus of T1 is identifying controls for hydrogen release and completing any testing required to close the technical issue. In advance of selecting specific controls for hydrogen gas safety, a number of preliminary technical studies were initiated to support anticipated future testing and to improve the understanding of hydrogen gas generation, retention, and release within PTF vessels. These activities supported the development of a plan defining an overall strategy and approach for addressing T1 and achieving technical endpoints identified for T1. Preliminary studies also supported the development of a test plan for conductingmore » testing and analysis to support closing T1. Both of these plans were developed in advance of selecting specific controls, and in the course of working on T1 it was decided that the testing and analysis identified in the test plan were not immediately needed. However, planning activities and preliminary studies led to significant technical progress in a number of areas. This report summarizes the progress to date from the preliminary technical studies. The technical results in this report should not be used for WTP design or safety and hazards analyses and technical results are marked with the following statement: “Preliminary Technical Results for Planning – Not to be used for WTP Design or Safety Analyses.”« less
Communicating About Resuscitation: Problems And Prospects

Background: The Patient Self-determination Act of 1991 implicitly encourages physicians to discuss advance directives and no-code orders with their patients. The medical literature to date, however, has done little to place resuscitative decision making in the context of how physicians, patients, and families communicate with one another. This paper investigates how interactions between involved parties affect the process and outcome of this decision making. Methods: Participant observation and open-ended interviews were conducted with patients, their families, resident physicians, and family medicine faculty members. Results: This report describes three social and cultural issues that commonly influence and shape the process of do-not-resuscitate decision making: judging competency and capacity, dealing with uncertainty, and recognizing attitudes toward death. Conclusions: Improved understanding of the communicative process can facilitate the establishment of meaningful, therapeutic alliances between physicians, patients, and families at an influential juncture in the family life cycle.
Evaluating Components of Behavior-Analytic Training Programs

This study investigates the consistency of behavior-analytic training with the Behavior Analysis Certification Board’s task list. A survey about the content of behavior-analytic training programs was sent to Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)-approved training program directors. There were many program directors that felt particular areas do not have sufficient coverage (e.g., Behavioral Pharmacology, Biological Bases of Behavior, Organizational Behavior Management), and several program directors reported that their course sequence does not adequately prepare students in basic research. Results suggest that the evaluation of behavior-analytic training content may be warranted.
GENETIC COMPARISONS OF SEED BANK AND SEEDLING POPULATIONS OF A PERENNIAL DESERT MUSTARD, LESQUERELLA FENDLERI.

Soil seed banks may accumulate and store seed genotypes produced over many seasons. If germination and establishment of these soil seeds are influenced by seed genotypes, then seed bank and seedling populations may differ genetically. I compared the genetic structure of dormant but viable soil seeds of the desert mustard Lesquerella fendleri with the genetic structure of Lesquerella seedlings at the Sevilleta Long-Term Ecological Research Site. In 1991 and 1992, soil seeds and seedlings were mapped and genetically analyzed using starch gel electrophoresis. When data from all loci were lumped, there were highly significant differences in allele frequencies between soil seeds and seedlings at the population level (all plots) in both years, in all subpopulation (adjacent plots) comparisons in 1991, and three of five subpopulations in 1992. Differences at some individual loci were also detected in one or both years. Analysis of data pooled across both years revealed highly significant differences in the distribution of multilocus soil seed and seedling heterozygosity, but no significant differences in mean heterozygosity. Fst values showed small but statistically significant genetic differentiation within soil seeds and seedlings in both years. Fst values also showed significant genetic differentiation between these two groups at three of seven loci in 1991, and at one locus in 1992. Soil seeds and seedlings showed a general pattern of decreasing genetic relationship with distance, as estimated by the coefficient of coancestry analyses. In 1991, seedlings were roughly twice as genetically related to each other than were soil seeds at fine spatial scales (0-0.25 and 0.25-0.50 m). This study suggests that Lesquerella seedlings in this system represent a nonrandom genetic subset of the underlying Lesquerella seed bank. Such temporal genetic change may be an important yet frequently overlooked mechanism for generating population genetic structure.
Human DNA polymerase ε is phosphorylated at serine-1940 after DNA damage and interacts with the iron-sulfur complex chaperones CIAO1 and MMS19.

We describe a dynamic phosphorylation on serine-1940 of the catalytic subunit of human Pol e, POLE1, following DNA damage. We also describe novel interactions between POLE1 and the iron-sulfur cluster assembly complex CIA proteins CIAO1 and MMS19. We show that serine-1940 is essential for the interaction between POLE1 and MMS19, but not POLE1 and CIAO1. No defect in either proliferation or survival was identified when POLE1 serine-1940 was mutated to alanine in human cells, even following treatment with DNA damaging agents. We conclude that serine-1940 phosphorylation and the interaction between serine-1940 and MMS19 are not essential functions in the C terminal domain of the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase e.
Investigation and Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination in Foods of 10 Counties/Cities in Shijiazhuang

[Objective]To investigate the content and distribution of heavy metals,including lead,mercury and cadmium,in foods in Shijiazhuang area.[Methods]All samples were common foods in market of Shijiazhuang area,and the samples were treated and tested according to the national standard methods(GB 5009.12.15.17).[Results]Lead contamination was detected in preserved eggs and pig kidneys,the polluted or heavy polluted samples proportion of total samples of preserved egg and pig kidney was 70% and 30% respectively.Cadmium contamination was mainly detected in vegetables and fresh edible fungus,the polluted or heavy polluted samples of vegetables and fresh edible fungus accounted for both 20% of detected samples.In mercury contamination,the polluted or heavy polluted samples proportion of total detected samples of vegetables and dry edible fungus was 2.5% and 20% respectively.[Conclusion]The contents of lead,mercury and cadmium in major dietary components are safe in Shijiazhuang area.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

The etiology of this deadly pandemic, its treatment, prevention, and cure, the responsibilities of society toward those afflicted, and the care of those stricken present scientists, executives, and society at large with serious scientific, moral, and ethical decisions. Such decisions require more than a casual knowledge of the problem if policymakers in both the public and private sectors are to make right judgments—scientifically right and morally right. The two cannot be separated.
Generalized Weierstrass–Enneper representations of Euclidean, spacelike, and timelike surfaces: a unified Lie-algebraic formulation

The complex-analytic approach to constructing minimal surfaces carried out by Weierstrass and Enneper has since been extended to create conformal parametrizations of minimal and more general surfaces, including Euclidean, spacelike, and timelike surfaces in three-dimensional Euclidean and Lorentz spaces. In this work, we present a Lie-algebraic formulation that unites these representations into one coherent framework and completes the formulas in the general timelike case. Integrable moving frames for surfaces are created inside of three-dimensional Lie algebras by applying a scaling, together with an isometric action of the appropriate Lie group, to a standard constant orthonormal frame. Using complex coordinates for Euclidean and spacelike surfaces and hyperbolic coordinates for timelike surfaces allows for simple characterizations of geometric properties of the surfaces in terms of the complex and hyperbolic structures. We give expressions in this framework of the first and second fundamental forms and of mean and Gaussian curvatures on Euclidean, spacelike, and timelike surfaces. The expression of the Gaussian curvature affirms in an efficient and elegant way that Gauss’ Theorem Egregium holds for surfaces of all three types. We also provide examples and illustrations of special surfaces and deformations of surfaces arising from the Weierstrass–Enneper representations.
Decoding the role of regulatory element polymorphisms in complex disease

Genetic variation in gene regulatory elements contributes to diverse human diseases, ranging from rare and severe developmental defects to common and complex diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Early examples of regulatory mechanisms of human diseases involve large chromosomal rearrangements that change the regulatory connections within the genome. Single nucleotide variants in regulatory elements can also contribute to disease, potentially via demonstrated associations with changes in transcription factor binding, enhancer activity, post-translational histone modifications, long-range enhancer–promoter interactions, or RNA polymerase recruitment. Establishing causality between non-coding genetic variants, gene regulation, and disease has recently become more feasible with advances in genome-editing and epigenome-editing technologies. As establishing causal regulatory mechanisms of diseases becomes routine, functional annotation of target genes is likely to emerge as a major bottleneck for translation into patient benefits. In this review, we discuss the history and recent advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms of human disease, and new challenges likely to be encountered once establishing those mechanisms becomes rote.
Adherence to Hydroxychloroquine Dosing Guidelines by Rheumatologists: An Electronic Medical Record-Based Study in an Integrated Health Care System.

Purpose To study the adherence of rheumatologists to the hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) dosing guidelines established by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2011 and 2016. Design Retrospective review of electronic medical records (EMRs) in an integrated health care system. Participants All rheumatology patients started on HCQ who were seen by a NorthShore ophthalmologist between the years 2009 and 2016. Methods Data on patient weights, height, gender, and HCQ dosage were extracted from the EMR. The recommended maximum starting dose was determined using 2 formulas based on ideal or actual body weight. Main Outcome Measures The percentage of patients whose dose exceeded the recommended maximum. Results A total of 554 patients on HCQ were identified. Some 50% of the patients had been placed on excess initial doses according to the 2011 guidelines, and 47% of the patients had been placed on excess initial doses according to the 2016 guidelines. The introduction of the guidelines had no appreciable effect on HCQ dosing. A separate analysis of all patients currently receiving maintenance HCQ therapy demonstrated excess dosing in 297 of 527 (56%), according to the 2016 guidelines. Conclusions Approximately one half of all patients started on HCQ by NorthShore rheumatologists received doses in excess of the recommended maximum, and slightly more than one-half of all patients currently on treatment continue to receive excess doses. Our data suggest that the publication of the consensus guidelines in 2011 had no appreciable effect on HCQ dosing and that transitioning to the 2016 dosing modification is unlikely to change this outcome unless additional steps are taken to improve adherence.
Positron Emission Tomography Neuroimaging in Dementia

Positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging is an advanced nuclear medicine technology that allows visualization of functional brain activity in vivo. The current advances in the technology have allowed a high degree of temporal and spatial resolution, permitting the measurement of transient brain events (seconds) over relatively small brain regions. As such, the method has been a valuable tool for neuropsychological investigations of human cognition. In addition, PET imaging has been used clinically to facilitate the diagnosis of suspected brain dysfunction (Friedland, 1989; Workshop Panel, 1990). The method has been clinically useful, particularly in cases where the diagnosis is unclear, such as in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of this chapter is to review the use of PET imaging in dementia. Within this chapter we explore the uses of PET imaging in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias of late life. The text of this chapter is divided into six sections. The first section provides an overview of the fundamental principles of PET neuroimaging. The next section discusses the contribution of PET imaging to the understanding of normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. The functional imaging changes observed in other common forms of dementia are discussed in the next three sections. We start by considering the vascular dementias, move to discussion of the subcortical dementias (Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy), and conclude with a description of the PET findings in less common cortical dementias, namely, Pick’s disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In the final section, the limitations of the PET method alone in the diagnosis of dementia are discussed and the future directions of PET imaging in the clinical arena are considered. Within this last section of the text, we entertain the relative utility of combining methodologies, neuropsychological evaluation, and functional brain imaging-PET as clinical predictors of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Determining the proportion of streamflow that is generated by cold season processes versus summer rainfall in Utah, USA

Abstract Study region The state of Utah, western USA. Study focus Analysis of annual hydrographs from most rivers in the western U.S. suggests that snowmelt provides the majority of streamflow in these areas. In this study, we attempt to quantify what proportion of Utah’s streamflow comes from cold season processes. Previous estimates have ranged from around 60%–80% of total annual streamflow, with uncertainty stemming from complexities related to rain-on-snow events, the geographic and temporal distribution of precipitation events, and the partitioning of rainfall/snowmelt into streamflow. New hydrological insights The proportion of streamflow in the western U.S. that is snowmelt in origin is well-understood to be quite high but has rarely been explicitly quantified. Our data indicate that 98%–99% of streamflow in Utah watersheds originates from melting snow and associated processes. The contribution of summer-month precipitation to annual streamflow in Utah is extraordinarily low: typically 1%–2%. Using soil moisture and well depth data we also demonstrate that vast areas of Utah watersheds are incapable of producing event flow from summer precipitation due to consumptive losses from evapotranspiration and other factors. This analysis is likely representative of areas within other western states that have cool continental climates, abundant snowfall, long-duration snowpacks (meaning that substantial portions of the snowpack do not typically melt during the winter), and sedimentary bedrock.
Time-Resolved Thomson Scattering on Laboratory Plasma Jets

Thomson scattering measurements were performed on plasma jets created from a 15- $\mu \text{m}$ -thick radial Al foil load on a 1-MA pulsed power machine. The laser used for these measurements has a maximum energy of 10 J at 526.5 nm. Using the full energy, however, significantly heats the $5\times 10^{18}$ cm−3 jet by inverse bremsstrahlung, creating a density bubble in the jet. To measure the evolving plasma parameters of this laser-heated jet, a streak camera was used to record the scattered spectrum, resulting in the sub-ns time-resolved Thomson scattering. Analysis of the streak camera image showed that the electron temperature of the jet was about 25 eV prior to the laser pulse. The laser then heated the plasma to 80–100 eV within about 2 ns. The electron temperature then stabilized for about 0.5 ns prior to falling at the end of the laser pulse. Jets made from a radial Ti foil showed more heating by the laser than the Al jets, going from 50 to over 150 eV, and heating was detected even when only 1 J of laser energy was used. Also, the ion-acoustic peaks in the scattered spectrum from the Ti jets were significantly narrower than those from Al jets, a result of several possible differences in the plasma created from these two materials.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection of Human Macrophages Is Increased by Dopamine: A Bridge between HIV-Associated Neurologic Disorders and Drug Abuse

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) that result from HIV infection of the central nervous system is increasing. Macrophages, the primary target for HIV within the central nervous system, play a central role in HIV-induced neuropathogenesis. Drug abuse exacerbates HAND, but the mechanism(s) by which this increased neuropathology results in more severe forms of HAND in HIV-infected drug abusers is unclear. The addictive and reinforcing effects of many drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, are mediated by increased extracellular dopamine in the brain. We propose a novel mechanism by which drugs of abuse intensify HIV neuropathogenesis through direct effects of the neurotransmitter dopamine on HIV infection of macrophages. We found that macrophages express dopamine receptors 1 and 2, and dopamine activates macrophages by increasing ERK 1 phosphorylation. Our results demonstrate for the first time that dopamine increases HIV replication in human macrophages and that the mechanism by which dopamine mediates this change is by increasing the total number of HIV-infected macrophages. This increase in HIV replication is mediated by activation of dopamine receptor 2. These findings suggest a common mechanism by which drugs of abuse enhance HIV replication in macrophages and indicate that the drug abuse-heightened levels of central nervous system dopamine could increase viral replication, thereby accelerating the development of HAND.
Data Generating Processes

Before we attempt to build models for some data series, we need to describe the scope of coverage, i.e., the class of data generating processes for which we design model-building algorithms. First, we assume that data are generated by linear processes. Second, throughout most of the book, we further assume that the processes are at least covariance (or weakly) stationary. We assume, that is, that the mean of the process is a constant not varying with time, and that the covariance matrices are functions of the differences of the two time instants and not of these two instants themselves. Later, when we discuss series with apparent trends, we drop this constant-mean assumption. Third, the spectral density matrix of the processes are rational—i.e., the elements of the matrix are ratios of finite order polynomials. This last assumption means that we can use a finite number of parameters to describe the process, such as finite-order ARMA processes or finite-dimensional state space models which are discussed in Chapter 4.
Manufacturing concepts for an IFE power plant using Z-Pinch technology

The Z-Pinch Power Plant (ZP3) uses the results from Sandia National Laboratories' Z accelerator in a power plant application to generate energy pulses using inertial confinement fusion. A collaborative project has been initiated by Sandia to investigate the scientific principles of a power generation system. Research is underway to investigate the use of recyclable transmission lines to directly connect the wire array and the hohlraum to the pulsed power driver. The resulting power plant will require an intense on-site manufacturing system to rebuild the transmission lines, wire arrays and hohlraums at a rate of 0.1 Hz per power unit. By recycling virtually all of the materials, the system is expected to be economically competitive with other power generation technologies. Current research is investigating the available approaches to manufacturing and determining the cost effectiveness of the alternatives. This paper examines the various options available for manufacturing and development requirements leading to a Proof-of-Principle experiment to demonstrate the technology.
Fatty Acid Patterns Detected By Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry in Canine Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma From Dogs of Different Breeds

Background In early work ambient ionization mass spectrometry (MS) revealed lipid patterns distinguishing muscle invasive bladder cancer (invasive urothelial carcinoma, InvUC) from normal urothelium. A new ambient ionization MS approach, touch spray MS (TS-MS) can rapidly generate mass spectra in real time, potentially in a point-of-care setting. A tissue sample removed from a patient is touched by a probe, and mass spectra generated within seconds. Objective To validate TS-MS methods using specimens from naturally-occurring InvUC in dogs where the cancer closely mimics the human condition, and to demonstrate proof-of-concept that TS-MS can elucidate lipid patterns distinguishing InvUC from normal urothelium. Methods Samples of normal urothelium and InvUC from dogs of several breeds were analyzed by TS-MS with correlative histopathology across each sample. Results were compared to those obtained with desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS), a more traditional method. Data were analyzed by Principal Component Analysis and Linear Discriminant Analysis. Results Lipid patterns identified by TS-MS, as well as by DESI-MS, differed between InvUC and normal urothelium with m/z 281.5 (oleic acid) and m/z 563.5 (oleic acid dimer) substantially contributing to the differences. Using histologic diagnosis as the gold standard, TS-MS had a global prediction rate of 93%. Conclusions TS-MS can be used to identify lipid patterns that differentiate canine InvUC from normal urothelium. Optimization of TS-MS could lead to a point-of-care approach to distinguish cancer from normal in ex vivo tissues in real time, and to define biochemical processes leading to cancer development and progression.
Efficient Nose-to-Lung Aerosol Delivery with an Inline DPI Requiring Low Actuation Air Volume

To demonstrate efficient aerosol delivery through an in vitro nasal model using a dry powder inhaler (DPI) requiring low actuation air volumes (LV) applied during low-flow nasal cannula (LFNC) therapy. A previously developed LV-DPI was connected to a LFNC system with 4 mm diameter tubing. System connections and the nasal cannula interface were replaced with streamlined components. To simulate nasal respiration, an in vitro nasal model was connected to a downstream lung simulator that produced either passive or deep nasal respiration. Performance of a commercial mesh nebulizer system was also considered. For the optimized system, steady state cannula emitted dose was 75% of the capsule loaded dose. With cyclic nasal breathing, delivery efficiency to the tracheal filter was 53–55% of the loaded dose, which was just under the design target of 60%. Compared with a commercially available mesh nebulizer, the optimal LV-DPI was 40-fold more efficient and 150 times faster in terms of delivering aerosol to the lungs. The optimized LV-DPI system is capable of high efficiency lung delivery of powder aerosols through a challenging nasal cannula interface.
Impact of Age on Outcomes with Immunotherapy in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Abstract Introduction Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of NSCLC, but little is known about the activity of programmed cell death 1 and programmed death ligand 1 blockade across age groups. Methods We retrospectively evaluated patients with NSCLC who initiated programmed cell death 1 and programmed death ligand 1 inhibitors from January 2013 through July 2017. Medical records and radiographic imaging were reviewed to determine progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We also compared immunotherapy-related toxicities, steroid use, and hospitalizations by age. Results Of the 245 patients, 26.1% were younger than 60 years, 31.4% were age 60 to 69 years, 31.0% were age 70 to 79 years, and 11.4% were age 80 years or older. The median PFS times by age group were as follows: younger than 60 years, 1.81 months; age 60 to 69 years, 2.53 months; age 70 to 79 years, 3.75 months; and age 80 years or older, 1.64 months (log-rank p value = 0.055). The median OS times by age group were as follows: younger than 60 years, 13.01 months; age 60 to 69 years, 14.56 months; age 70 to 79 years, 12.92 months; and age 80 years or older, 3.62 months (log-rank p value = 0.011). Rates of immunotherapy-related toxicities, steroid use, and hospitalizations did not differ by age. Conclusions Although the OS and PFS benefits of immunotherapy differ by age, the rates of toxicity are similar regardless of age.
Understanding the Solubility Behavior of Atomically Precise GoldNanoclusters

Over the last two decades, ligand-protected gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) have experienced continued interest because of their controlled synthesis with atomic precision and unique, tunable properties...
Kinetics of Micellization

Modern techniques for determining the rates of fast reactions in solution, including relaxation and stopped-flow methods, ultrasonic absorption, and magnetic resonance methods, have been increasingly applied to aqueous surfactant systems. It is often found that there are two relaxation times, one of the order of 1 to 100 msec, the other several orders of magnitude smaller, but sometimes only one of these is observed. The faster relaxation probably corresponds to the release of single molecules or ions from the micelles and their subsequent reincorporation. The slower one corresponds to the complete dissolution of some micelles, which requires a number of consecutive steps, and to the reverse process. Newly developed theories allow these phenomena to be rationalized and have some interesting implications regarding the thermodynamic properties of the micelles and of smaller, unstable aggregates. There is a continuing need for more information about the effects of surfactant structure and counterion type, and for data on nonionic surfactants. Great care is needed to exclude impurities which may lead to erroneous rate constants or introduce spurious dependences of the rates on such variables as the total surfactant concentration.
G-Graph: An interactive genomic graph viewer

Motivation: Effective and efficient exploration of numeric data and annotations as a function of genomic position requires specialized software. Results: We present G-Graph, an interactive genomic scatter plot viewer. G-Graph stacks or tiles multiple data series in one graph using different colors and markers. It displays gene annotation and other metadata, allows easy changes to the appearance of data series, implements stack-based undo functionality, and saves user-selected application views as image and pdf files. G-Graph delivers smooth and rapid scrolling and zooming even for datasets with millions of points and line segments. The primary target user is a researcher examining many copy number profiles to identify potentially deleterious variants. G-Graph runs under Linux, Mac OSX and Windows.
Lipomatous Soft Tissue Masses: Challenging the Paradigm of Routine Preoperative Biopsy.

Abstract Background Lipomatous masses are the most common soft tissue tumors. While the majority are benign lipomas, it is important to identify those masses that are malignant prior to excision. Current guidelines recommend core needle biopsy (CNB) for all lipomatous masses larger than 3-5 cm. The objective of this study was to determine if routine preoperative CNB based on mass size is necessary, or if radiographic features can guide the need for CNB. Materials and methods Patients who underwent excision of extremity or truncal lipomatous masses at a single institution from October 2014 to July 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. By protocol, preoperative imaging was routinely obtained for all masses larger than 5 cm. High-risk radiographic features (intramuscular location, septations, nonfat nodules, heterogeneity, and ill-defined margins) and surgical pathology were evaluated to determine patients most likely to benefit from preoperative CNB. Results Of 178 patients, 2 (1.1%) had malignant tumors on surgical pathology. All masses smaller than 5 cm were benign and, if imaging was obtained, had two or fewer high-risk radiographic features. Both of the patients with malignant tumors had masses larger than 5 cm, preoperative imaging that showed at least four high-risk radiographic features, and underwent CNB prior to excision. Conclusions The overall rate of malignancy is very low. The results of this study suggest that lipomatous masses smaller than 5 cm without concerning clinical characteristics do not require preoperative imaging or CNB. Conversely, lipomatous masses larger than 5 cm should undergo routine MRI with subsequent CNB if multiple high-risk radiographic features are present.
Molecularly Targeted Agents in the Therapy of Pediatric Brain Tumors

Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Recent advances in sequencing techniques, and collaborative efforts to encode the mutational landscape of various tumor subtypes, have resulted in the identification of recurrent mutations that may present as actionable targets in these tumors. A number of molecularly targeted agents are approved or in development for the treatment of various tumor types in adult patients. Similarly, these agents are increasingly being incorporated into pediatric clinical trials, allowing for a targeted approach to treatment. However, due to the genetic heterogeneity of these tumors, focused clinical trials in pediatric patients are challenging and regulatory hurdles may delay access to therapeutic compounds that are in regular use in adult patients. The tumor site-agnostic clinical development of TRK inhibitors for pediatric solid tumors is a current example of how the combination of genetic testing and innovative clinical trial design can accelerate the clinical development of targeted agents for pediatric patients.
2.05 – Serial Learning

In many activities in everyday life, individuals are required to learn the serial order of a list of items. How can an individual who knows the items in a series learn to produce them in the correct sequence? This question is addressed by reviewing the relevant concepts, tasks, results, and theories. Results include the bow-shaped serial position function, characterized by primacy and recency effects, and transposition, confusion, and serial order intrusion errors. Classic theories covered are associative chaining, positional coding, and positional distinctiveness models. Contemporary theories described are the perturbation model, the start-end model, the primacy model, OSCAR, and TODAM.
The Quotidian Apocalypse and the Quixotic Cause: An Interview with Author Connie Willis

The writer Connie Willis lives in Greeley, Colorado, home to the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). She is an alumna of UNC and has chosen to deposit her papers in its archives. A pre-eminent science fiction author, her clock- and calendar-defying tales of time travel have transported many fans and won numerous awards. Her stellar reputation in fandom and among librarians as a mentor, peer, and public intellectual is well-deserved and hard-earned. She gives generously of her time at conventions, conferences, and community events. We finally caught up with her in the latter days of Summer 2018, after the Locus Awards and the Westercon science fiction and fantasy convention, and interviewed her about her recent novella “I Met a Traveler in an Antique Land” (first appearing in Asimov’s Science Fiction in 2017 and later published by Subterranean Press in 2018). It concerns a disappearing Manhattan bookshop that may also be a harbor for endangered books. The story’s subject matter is of great relevance for archivists and librarians of the Anthropocene—as is the content of our conversation with Ms. Willis, which ranges from the insidious nature of censorship to the nobility of fighting for lost causes. Pre-print first published online 11/08/2019
Regularity and certainty in Hume’s treatise: a Humean response to Husserl

According to Husserl, Hume’s empirical method was deeply flawed—like all empiricists, Hume did not, and could not adequately justify his method, much less his findings (PRP 113–114, LI 115–117, 406). Instead, Hume gives us a “circular” and “irrational” “psychological explanation” of “mediate judgments of fact,” i.e. of inductive inferences (LI, 117). Yet Husserl was certain that he could justify both his own method and his own findings with an appeal to the phenomenological, pre-theoretical, pre-naturalistic “epoche” (I1 §§59–60). However, whether or not Husserl’s notion of an epoche is justified, or even viable, is not our focus here. Rather, our issue is with Hume, particularly: How could Hume have responded? In this paper, I show that in Book I of the Treatise, Hume did—however implicitly—appeal to a “pre-theoretical” notion of belief, which meets Husserl’s demands for a pre-theoretical grounding, i.e. a justificatory grounding. And so, his method is, at least in this respect, justified. But this belief is by no means “prenaturalistic.” Rather, it is a function of empirical data. In particular, it is a product of the “constant and coherent” impressions that seem to naturally obtain of experience. As a result, Hume’s method, which, in agreement with Husserl, we may characterize as psychology, does admit of a certain degree of regularity, but an empirical regularity. And according to Hume, contra Husserl’s complaints, this is the best that we can hope for; regularity will have to suffice, not certainty. However, it must be noted up front that this justification is implicit—Hume is not nearly as forthright as he could have been. Thus, making his position more explicit is the task of this paper. I am not presenting my own position, where I offer my own arguments. Instead, I present textual evidence, contextualized with ample explication. It is my hope that by doing so, Hume may more effectively make his case.
Dislocation loop evolution and radiation hardening in nickel-based concentrated solid solution alloys

Abstract Effects of chemical composition, ion irradiation dose and temperature on unfaulting of irradiation induced Frank dislocation loops to perfect loops in two nickel based single-phase solid solution alloys, Ni–20Fe and NiFe–20Cr, have been studied. The fraction of Frank loops decreases with irradiation dose from 7.2 to 38.4 dpa at 500 °C , but with more Frank loops remaining in the ternary alloy. However, perfect loops and dislocation networks become the dominant features of defects at 580 °C in both alloys. The results indicate a thermally assisted loop unfaulting process that may be hindered by more sluggish defect motion in the alloy with more chemical components. Nano-indentation with both continuous stiffness method and single indentation method are used to measure radiation hardening. Loop unfaulting in both alloys irradiated at 580 °C reduced radiation hardening while significant hardening is observed after irradiation at 500 °C . The quasi-static single indentation method exhibits lower hardness results compared to continuous stiffness method, because dislocations induced from the cyclic loading in the latter method get relaxed and stabilized, resulting in higher resistance to the indenter.
The role of anxiety sensitivity in exercise tolerance and anxiety and depressive symptoms among individuals seeking treatment in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.

The aim of the current cross-sectional study was to examine the effects of specific anxiety sensitivity (AS) dimensions (AS -Physical, -Cognitive, and -Social concerns) on exercise tolerance (i.e. ...
Polarized Downwelling Radiance Distribution Camera System

Abstract : The major objective of this research was to build a camera system to measure the downwelling spectral polarized radiance distribution, in the near surface of the ocean. In this project we had to design and build a new polarization imaging camera system. This instrument follows in the footsteps of other instruments we have developed (Voss and Liu, 1997) and uses a combination of 3-4 images of the radiance distribution to form this polarized radiance distribution. Because the downwelling radiance distribution is very dynamic, the system needed to quickly make these images and have them as matched as possible required a completely new design.
A Textualist Interpretation of the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990

This essay provides a textualist interpretation of a relatively obscure statute, the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990. It observes that the textualist interpretation of the statute is the opposite of the statute’s intention and purpose. And it asks whether that is a problem, or something we should celebrate.
Oaxaca and global forest governance: Indigenous autonomy, local institutions, and forest outcomes in Southern Mexico

Oaxaca is the most biologically-and culturally-diverse state of Mexico, and considered by many to be a source of best practices for the role of Indigenous peoples in forest governance. Utilizing an original data set containing census and remote sensing information, I construct a set of empirical tests to assess the impact of indigenous peoples and decentralized local institutions on forest loss in Mexico. Recognizing the great biological and cultural diversity of Mexico, I employ an ecoregion sampling technique to understand trends in different vegetation regimes and to understand better how local institutions influenced forest loss between 2000-2015 by looking within shared watersheds crossing the Oaxacan border. The results indicate that, contrary to strategies based on targeting simply the presence of Indigenous peoples, Indigenous households weakly correlate with forest loss, while Oaxacan autonomous Indigenous municipalities, which retain meaningful influence on local institutions, consistently have lower forest loss across national, regional, and ecoregional samples.
The Subversive Act of Navel Gazing: How Maternal Experiences Are Lost from the History of Philosophy to the Gender Gap and a Subsequent Lesson from Maternal Subjectivities

A survey of the history of philosophy reveals a preoccupation with death to contend with life’s meaning and moral obligations. But what of another type of universal experience that can provide similarly important existential and ethical lessons, such as the birth of oneself from another? In the first section, I show deficiencies in traditional political, moral, and existential philosophical discourses and turn to pre-natal and maternal life for insights on relational identity formations and its ethical possibilities. Discourses by Hannah Arendt, Julia Kristeva, and Lisa Baraitser on split forms of identity ground my discussion on maternal subjectivities and their ethical responsiveness before I turn to Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics. His ethic illustrates an interrupted form of maternal subjectivity and sense of time despite the gender gap that exists in the philosophical literature on maternal experiences. I will conclude with a glance at recent literature on matrescence as an existential condition that creates ambivalence in a caretaker, which if occluded increases cases of what is believed to be post-partum depression. As a way of readdressing this gender gap in philosophical literature, I offer a final recommendation to re-evaluate traditional values that do not address maternal experiences or the preontological relationality that they illustrate.
Seismic Noise Recorded by Telecommunication Fiber Optics Reveals the Impact of COVID‐19 Measures on Human Activity

Quantifying the response of human activities to different COVID-19 measures may serve as a potential way to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures and optimize measures. Recent studies reported...
Film and the Apologetics of Biblical Violence

Most films that depict biblical violence are part of a broader apologetic effort to justify violence by biblical protagonists. In order to understand the variety and complexity of these apologetic efforts, the author introduces a typology that consists of five logical techniques that can be applied to biblical stories depicted on film: 1) deletion of violence; 2) addition of violence; 3) minimization of existing violence; 4) maximization of existing violence; 5) reconfiguration of violence. The author focuses on specific episodes in Jesus films and in films dealing with the life of Moses to illustrate his thesis. This article is available in Journal of Religion & Film: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol13/iss1/2
The Formation of Business Improvement Districts in Low-Income Immigrant Neighborhoods of Los Angeles

Business improvement districts (BIDs) are local organizations that have been revitalizing commercial areas for the last two decades in the United States. However, not every commercial district has ...
Forecasting Microprocessor technology in the multicore era using TFDEA

Technological advancements in the microprocessor industry are benchmarked and gauged against a set of diverse criteria, specific to the fabrication process, usage as well as achieved performance. Changing trends in the appeal factor as well as wide variety of growing application of microprocessors in different industries also have a defining impact in the advancement of the technological features in future. This study improves the previous investigation in forecasting microprocessors' technology and uses Technology Forecasting using Data Envelopment Analysis (TFDEA) methodology for an enhanced model. The study takes advantage of the recent microprocessor dataset including multi core processors, from a variety of resources including the dataset collected by Stanford University, the database made available by Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC), and the specifications announcements by the microprocessor manufacturers such as Intel and AMD. The result of this study is a rate of change (RoC) that is obtained based on the recent design trends including the State-of-the-Art generation of multi-core microprocessors and hence, is superior for forecasting the future microprocessor technology trends. The Rate of Change obtained provides the rate in which values of expected output performance or input requirements for the state of the art microprocessors change in future years and can be used to evaluate the competitiveness of the projects being researched and developed.
Slowness aliasing in the Radon transform

Time-domain beamforming with an array of space-time samples is equivalent to performing a discrete Radon transform (DRT). The result is a function of slowness (inverse velocity) and time intercept. As a function of slowness, beamforming decimates each channel in proportion to its distance from the beamformer reference channel. This viewpoint allows the slowness bandwidth to be expressed as a function of the array spatial locations and the normalized temporal bandwidth of the received waveforms. These relationships determine the required temporal sample rate increase at each channel when interpolation beamforming is used to avoid slowness aliasing. Examples are presented showing the slowness aliasing that results if either the temporal bandwidths or the array spatial aperture are too large. The beamformer output energy averaged over a time window is shown to require twice the slowness sampling rate as the beamformer output itself.
Salience and Complexity in Supranational Policymaking: The Case of Subnational Interests

This study examined whether Gormley's insights about the effects of public salience and technical complexity on the patterns of participation in the regulatory process have explanatory power in an international setting. Specifically, I tracked 60 legislative proposals initiated by the European Commission and estimated the change made by the supranational technocrats in response to the requests of subnational politicians. I found support for the theoretical propositions about the differentiated effect of salience and complexity on political and administrative actors. Consistent with the notion of bureaucratic expertise, the Commission is less responsive when the policy issues require expertise to be tackled efficiently. Although the European Union has been pursuing various mechanisms to democratize its policy process, the technical character of supranational regulation precludes the broader public and elected politicians from assuming a larger role and bureaucracy will continue to be a major player in the international arena.
A medical sociologist looks at health promotion.

Let me start by expressing my profound gratitude to the Medical Sociology Section for the Leo G. Reeder Award; it is an exceptional honor, and gives me the opportunity to thank my colleagues and friends who have motivated, supported, and inspired me over the years. Like many of us, I have spent much of my career trying to help health professionals obtain the public's cooperation in extinguishing risky behaviors and undertaking healthy lifestyles. Surrounded by all these attempts at health promotion, it was inevitable that I would develop some notions about it. As that great American philosopher Lawrence Peter Berra (whom some of you may remember as Yogi Berra, former catcher and manager for the New York Yankees) put it, "You can observe a lot by watching." So, I'd like to offer a few personal observations about what I've come to feel are some "dark sides" of the health promotion movement, issues that I think deserve considerable attention from medical sociologists. I would begin with the notion that health promotion has prematurely exhorted the public to undertake a large number of different behaviors. I employ the word "prematurely" because of the considerable disagreement that exists among health professionals concerning the validity and interpretation of the data underlying these recommen-