cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptation of Coxsackie virus strain A-10 to human amnion cells in tissue culture.

SummaryA tissue culture adapted strain of Coxsackie virus A-10 has been obtained from primary human amnion cells inoculated with virus from a highly purified lot of suckling mouse grown material. The adapted virus (A-10TC) was neutralized by Coxsackie virus A-10 antiserum. It was no longer virulent in mice and caused gross cytopathic changes in primary human amnion cells indistinguishable from those changes caused by the polio viruses. Plaque assays of the virus were obtained on monolayer cultures of primary human amnion cells.The authors wish to thank Mr. A. N. Koutsoukis for excellent technical assistance.
MAIN IDEA PREQUESTIONS AS ADJUNCT AIDS WITH GOOD AND LOW-AVERAGE MIDDLE GRADE READERS

A technique for helping sixth-grade readers understand the main ideas of cause-effect passages was assessed. During each of three practice sessions, 48 low- average and good readers in the experimental group read a passage accompanied by written directions to read carefully and by a why prequestion and then answered main idea and literal follow-up questions. During the same sessions, 48 students in the control group were given identical directions to read carefully but did not re- ceive prequestions. During the first of two testing sessions, each group read two passages following these same procedures. During the second testing session, the students read two additional passages, but the experimental group received only general directions like the control group. Results from the two testing sessions indi- cated that the why prequestions helped the low-average readers, but not the good readers, to understand main ideas and did not interfere with learning of other signif- icant passage information.
Sonoran Desert Winter Annuals Affected by Density of Red Brome and Soil Nitrogen

Abstract Red brome [Bromus madritensis subsp. rubens (L.) Husn.] is a Mediterranean winter annual grass that has invaded Southwestern USA deserts. This study evaluated interactions among 13 Sonoran Desert annual species at four densities of red brome from 0 to the equivalent of 1200 plants m−2. We examined these interactions at low (3 μg) and high (537 μg NO3− g soil−1) nitrogen (N) to evaluate the relative effects of soil N level on survival and growth of native annuals and red brome. Red brome did not affect emergence or survival of native annuals, but significantly reduced growth of natives, raising concerns about effects of this exotic grass on the fecundity of these species. Differences in growth of red brome and of the three dominant non nitrogen-fixing native annuals at the two levels of soil N were similar. Total species biomass of red brome was reduced by 83% at low, compared to high, N levels, whereas that of the three native species was reduced by from 42 to 95%. Mean individual biomass of red ...
Implications of glottal source for speaker and dialect identification

In this paper we explore the importance of speaker specific information carried in the glottal source. We time align utterances of two speakers speaking the same sentence from the TIMIT database of American English. We then extract the glottal flow derivative from each speaker and interchange them. Through time alignment and this glottal flow transformation, we can make a speaker of a northern dialect sound more like his southern counterpart. We also time align the utterances of two speakers of Spanish dialects speaking the same sentence and then perform the glottal waveform transformation. Through these processes a Peruvian speaker is made to sound more Cuban-like. From these experiments we conclude that significant speaker and dialect specific information, such as noise, breathiness or aspiration, and vocalization, is carried in the glottal signal.
Environmental Regulation with Supply Chains: Comparing Private and Public Regulation

Twenty years ago, a discussion of environmental regulation and the broader concept of environmental governance would have focused entirely on the role of government. Through laws like the US Clean Air Act and Toxic Substances Control Act, regulation forced accountability on private firms. In the last few decades, the institutional landscape for environmental governance has changed. Public regulation still may dominate, but it is complemented by institutional developments and practices that illustrate the concept of "government without governance." Until quite recently, public policy literature on intergovernmental relations focused on the benefits of the public sector collaborating vertically across national, sub-national, regional and local governments. Some recent focus has shifted to studying collaboration horizontally across the private and non-governmental sector. There has also been a growing interest in the study of networks, public private partnerships, and cross-sector collaborations to address complex policy problems. However, the literature has given less attention to collaboration within the private sector for environmental management, especially across its supply chain. The paper builds on existing literature on public policy, networks, and environmental collaborative governance to illustrate the impetus for a collaborative supply chain network for environmental management; analyze similarities between public and private regulation; and provide a framework for linking future collaborative networks for environmental management. The paper uses data from a series of interviews and an dialogue session convened by the authors to analyze the effects of supply chain management on chemicals use and innovation; the comparisons with government regulation, in terms of the opportunities for collaboration, throughout the supply chain; and the perceptions within industry of the differences between public private sector regulation. Among the findings are that supply chain relationships may be as significant a source of pressure as government regulation; that consultation within the supply chain is ad hoc and a source of uncertainty; and that the sources of supply chain pressures often lack an understanding of the complexities of chemical use within the semiconductor industry. The results of the study have important policy implications for the different policy actors interested in building strong collaborative networks for environmental management.
Experiences Translating Project-Based Software Engineering Courses into Online Courses

Online education has seen an enormous growth in the last few years. In this paper we describe the design of three project-centric Software Engineering courses in an undergraduate software engineering program to be delivered online. The study examined three courses offered in face-to-face and online environments. The course goals, structure, learning objectives, and assessments were exactly the same. The courses were designed with hands-on and project-based activities in a cooperative learning environment using a Software enterprise pedagogical model. The paper presents a comparison of student performance on various course outcomes, working in teams, success/failure rates and lessons learned from translating a face-to-face course into an online course. These results can be useful to other educators and institutions in how to improve student learning outcomes and learner satisfaction in online environments and further improve quality of online course offerings.
Fiscal Challenges: When Does the Ballot Box Limit the Budget? Politics and Spending Limits in California, Colorado, Utah, and Washington

Can voters stop governments from spending too much through the enactment of tax and expenditure limits (TELs), or do these laws become dead letters? We examine the effectiveness of TELs - one of the most frequent uses of the initiative process across the country - by viewing them as an attempted solution to a principal-agent problem. Voters are principals who want to constrain the spending habits of their agents, elected officials. Drawing on the lessons of the principal-agent literature yields two insights that structure our study. First, in order to evaluate the effects of TELs, we collect data that provides a comprehensive look at state finances for all 50 states. Our research design departs from much of the recent literature. Rather than simply analyzing state spending levels, we look at changes in combined state and local expenditures, money raised through charges and fees, state debt levels, and state credit ratings. We conduct time series analyses within states that change their fiscal institutions, rather than cross-sectional analyses across states with different rules and fiscal trends. We perform a pre-test by observing a state's fiscal behavior prior to the enactment of a TEL and a post-test by taking observations in the years after the treatment was applied. This allows us to isolate the effect of a TEL while holding other state characteristics constant, thus avoiding the endogeneity problem encountered by much of the previous literature. Our analysis includes an evaluation of whether or not TELs changed state finances as well as a more nuanced consideration of the scale of any such changes. Second, in order to predict which if any TELs will be most effective, we focus less on the letter of the law than on the conditions of its passage. While previous works emphasize the importance of specific legal provisions, we hypothesize that a TEL's success will be determined by the method through which it was passed, the preferences of the lawmakers that it attempts to bind, and the ease of amending the state's constitution.
Current outcomes of chronic active antibody mediated rejection - A large single center retrospective review using the updated BANFF 2013 criteria.

Abstract Background The updated BANFF 2013 criteria has enabled a more standardized and complete serologic and histopathologic diagnosis of chronic active antibody mediated rejection (cAMR). Little data exists on the outcomes of cAMR since the initiation of this updated criteria. Methods 123 consecutive patients with biopsy proven cAMR (BANFF 2013) between 2006 and 2012 were identified. Results Patients identified with cAMR were followed for a median of 9.5 (2.7–20.3) years after transplant and 4.3 (0–8.8) years after cAMR. Ninety-four (76%) recipients lost their grafts with a median survival of 1.9 years after diagnosis with cAMR. Mean C4d and allograft glomerulopathy scores were 2.6 ± 0.7 and 2.2 ± 0.8, respectively. 53.2% had class II DSA, 32.2% had both class I and II, and 14.5% had class I DSA only. Chronicity score >8 (HR 2.9, 95% CI 1–8.4, p = 0.05), DSA >2500 MFI (HR 2.8, 95% CI 1.1–6.8, p = 0.03), Scr >3 mg/dL (HR 3.2, 95% CI 1.6–6.3, p = 0.001) and UPC >1 g/g (HR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4–4.5, p = 0.003) were associated with a higher risk of graft loss. Conclusions cAMR was associated with poor graft survival after diagnosis. Improved therapies and earlier detection strategies are likely needed to improve outcomes of cAMR in kidney transplant recipients.
How genome complexity can explain the difficulty of aligning reads to genomes

Although it is frequently observed that aligning short reads to genomes becomes harder if they contain complex repeat patterns, there has not been much effort to quantify the relationship between complexity of genomes and difficulty of short-read alignment. Existing measures of sequence complexity seem unsuitable for the understanding and quantification of this relationship. We investigated several measures of complexity and found that length-sensitive measures of complexity had the highest correlation to accuracy of alignment. In particular, the rate of distinct substrings of length k, where k is similar to the read length, correlated very highly to alignment performance in terms of precision and recall. We showed how to compute this measure efficiently in linear time, making it useful in practice to estimate quickly the difficulty of alignment for new genomes without having to align reads to them first. We showed how the length-sensitive measures could provide additional information for choosing aligners that would align consistently accurately on new genomes. We formally established a connection between genome complexity and the accuracy of short-read aligners. The relationship between genome complexity and alignment accuracy provides additional useful information for selecting suitable aligners for new genomes. Further, this work suggests that the complexity of genomes sometimes should be thought of in terms of specific computational problems, such as the alignment of short reads to genomes.
Chaperone-dependent Neurodegeneration: A Molecular Perspective on Therapeutic Intervention

Maintenance of cellular homeostasis is regulated by the molecular chaperones. Under pathogenic conditions, aberrant proteins are triaged by the chaperone network. These aberrant proteins, known as "clients," have major roles in the pathogenesis of numerous neurological disorders, including tau in Alzheimer's disease, α-synuclein and LRRK2 in Parkinson's disease, SOD-1, TDP-43 and FUS in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and polyQ-expanded proteins such as huntingtin in Huntington's disease. Recent work has demonstrated that the use of chemical compounds which inhibit the activity of molecular chaperones subsequently alter the fate of aberrant clients. Inhibition of Hsp90 and Hsc70, two major molecular chaperones, has led to a greater understanding of how chaperone triage decisions are made and how perturbing the chaperone system can promote clearance of these pathogenic clients. Described here are major pathways and components of several prominent neurological disorders. Also discussed is how treatment with chaperone inhibitors, predominately Hsp90 inhibitors which are selective for a diseased state, can relieve the burden of aberrant client signaling in these neurological disorders.
Shopping Behavior and Income: Comparisons in an Urban Environment

The shopping behavior of two groups of consumers in Columbia, South Carolina, that have similar environmental opportunities but differ economically and racially, were compared. The consumers' cogni...
Effect of daylength at birth and lunar phase on the occurrence of first oestrus in beef heifers

Data records from 556 beef heifers which included age at first oestrus (AFE) were used to test the null hypotheses: 1) daylength at birth is not a determinant of AFE in beef females; and 2) there is not an association between the day on which first oestrus occurred and the lunar phase. The effect of daylength at birth was measured by forming a variable, X 1 where X 1 = sine ( X 1 ′ 360/365·25)°, and including it among the set of variables in a multiple linear regression equation with AFE as the dependent variable. The resultant estimated coefficient on X 1 was -3·617 with a standard error of 21·32, and led to the conclusion that daylength at birth was not a factor which affected AFE in this group of beef heifers. The lunar phase hypothesis was tested by forming the frequency distribution of the 556 observations of first oestrus over the 30-day lunar cycie. The chi-square test was applied with the theoretical (hypothesized) distribution being the uniform distribution. The value of the test statistic was such that the null hypothesis would not be rejected even with an a value approaching 0·50. Additionally, coefficients of autocorrelation calculated for lag phases of 7, 14 and 21 days were quite small. Thus it was concluded that the occurrence of first oestrus was uniformly distributed over the lunar cycle.
High-dose interleukin-2 in metastatic disease: renal cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Despite significant advances in the treatment of a variety of malignancies, highly effective therapies for most patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma or metastatic melanoma are rare. Traditional oncologic treatment methods, such as
Anidulafungin was noninferior to fluconazole for invasive candidiasis.

Source Citation Reboli AC, Rotstein C, Pappas PG, et al. Anidulafungin versus fluconazole for invasive candidiasis. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:2472-82. 17568028
Individual-specific principal component analysis of circulating inflammatory mediators predicts early organ dysfunction in trauma patients.

Abstract Purpose We hypothesized that early inflammation can drive, or impact, later multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), that patient-specific principal component analysis (PCA) of circulating inflammatory mediators could reveal conserved dynamic responses which would not be apparent from the unprocessed data, and that this computational approach could segregate trauma patients with regard to subsequent MODS. Methods From a cohort of 472 blunt trauma survivors, 2 separate subcohorts of moderately/severely injured patients were studied. Multiple inflammatory mediators were assessed in serial blood samples in the first 24 hours postinjury. PCA of these time course data was used to derive patient-specific “inflammation barcodes,” followed by hierarchical clustering to define patient subgroups. To define the generalizability of this approach, 2 different but overlapping Luminex kits were used. Results PCA/hierarchical clustering of 24-hour Luminex data segregated the patients into 2 groups that differed significantly in their Marshall multiple organ dysfunction score on subsequent days, independently of the specific set of inflammatory mediators analyzed. Multiple inflammatory mediators and their dynamic networks were significantly different in the 2 groups in both patient cohorts, demonstrating that the groups were defined based on “core” early responses exhibit truly different dynamic inflammatory trajectories. Conclusion Identification of patient-specific “core responses” can lead to early segregation of diverse trauma patients with regard to later MODS. Hence, we suggest that a focus on dynamic inflammatory networks rather than individual biomarkers is warranted.
Chemotherapy and the recurrence score--results as expected?

A study assessing the impact of the 21-gene recurrence score assay in routine clinical practice on the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in women with early stage ER-positive breast cancers showed that adjuvant chemotherapy use decreased in high-risk patients, but increased in low-risk patients. I discuss these results and highlight how this reflects more-selective administration of chemotherapy.
Conversations in the History Classroom: Pedagogical Practices in the Transmission of the Recent Past

Processes of intergenerational transmission are discursive practices through which social actors, in interaction with other subjects and objects through time and space, give meaning to the past. As a communicative process, intergenerational transmission has an institutionalized space in school contexts (e.g., Heer, Manoschek, Pollak, and Wodak, 2008; Wineburg, Mosborg, Porat, and Duncan, 2007; Welzer, 2008; Zullo, 2014). The history classroom is a socially legitimated space to transmit values, arguments, and representations of the past. This space is also designed to construct national identity based on our “common past.” Educational discourses have an important role in the reproduction of shared beliefs in society. “For their impact in the shaping of beliefs of a large amount of people, public discourses have a primordial influence, much more meaningful than private conversations and texts” (Van Dijk, 2004:15).1 Potentially, the educational context can influence how a large number of people construct the recent past. As spaces of cultural reproduction, schools have a role in the legitimation or challenging of dominant narratives about the past.
Changing Trust

Public-key cryptography is like a speed bump--it changes the nature of trust from a question of character to a mechanical reaction. The Web extra at https://youtu.be/z4yKN_7T_hA is an audio recording of author David Alan Grier expanding on his Errant Hashtag column.
Thermal–mechanical stress analysis of pressurized water reactor pressure vessel with/without a preexisting crack under grid load following conditions☆

Abstract In this paper, we present thermal–mechanical stress analysis of a pressurized water reactor pressure vessel and its hot-leg and cold-leg nozzles. Results are presented from thermal and thermal–mechanical stress analysis under reactor heat-up, cool-down, and grid load-following conditions. Analysis results are given with and without the presence of preexisting crack in the reactor nozzle (axial crack in hot leg nozzle). From the model results it is found that the stress–strain states are significantly higher in case of presence of crack than without crack. The stress–strain state under grid load following condition are more realistic compared to the stress–strain state estimated assuming simplified transients.
Systemically Administered Hydrocortisone Exerts Differential Effects on B and T Lymphocytes and Natural Killer Cells in Healthy Donors

Abstract 2179 Corticosteroids have been in widespread use as anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agents for decades, and there is a wealth of information on their immunosuppressive effects in animals and in human cells in vitro . However, there is a paucity of data on the effects of systemically administered corticosteroids on human immune cell subsets. We used modern multiplexed techniques to query the cellular and molecular immune response, or “immunome”, in 20 healthy volunteers at baseline and after systemic (IV) hydrocortisone (HC) administered at both moderate (250 mg) and low (50 mg) doses, to provide insight into how corticosteroids exert their immunomodulatory effects at doses that are commonly used therapeutically. We performed blood draws at baseline, and then 1, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours, and 7 and 28 days after HC infusion. We assessed whole transcriptome gene expression using HumanGene 1.0 ST microarrays on both peripheral blood mononuclear cells and whole blood; plasma levels of 69 cytokines and chemokines by luminex assay; and high dimensional comprehensive lymphocyte phenotyping by flow cytometry. We observed a global decline in circulating numbers of B and T cells which nadired 4–8 hours after the administration of both 50mg and 250mg HC. Viability and Annexin V staining for apoptosis were consistent with peripheral lympho-depletion occurring as a consequence of redistribution of lymphocytes rather than direct HC-mediated cytotoxicity. Both B and T cell numbers rebounded significantly above baseline 24 hours after HC infusion, and the extent of this increase varied among specific lymphocyte subsets, with CD45+CD3-CD19+ B cell numbers exhibiting the highest rebound over baseline values after both the 50mg (P=0.0060) and 250mg (P=0.0036) HC doses, respectively (Figure 1). In contrast, CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cell numbers remained stable at all time points after administration of 50mg or 250mg of HC. Microarray studies revealed a steroid-responsive gene expression signature that preceded redistribution of lymphocyte subsets, with 336 genes showing significant variation as early as 1 hour after HC administration (P value cutoff in vivo , and we demonstrate that corticosteroids exert differential effects on B and T lymphocytes and natural killer cells in humans. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A stochastic approach to analog physical unclonable function

As cybersecurity becomes increasingly relevant with advancing technology, Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) have become a promising technique that utilize process variation and device mismatch to create unique device identifiers, secure keys, and other security features that are virtually impossible to duplicate. Many PUF circuits with diverse characteristics have been proposed, all of which exhibit a clear tradeoff between reliability, robustness, and size. This paper proposes a novel PUF which utilizes the nature of stochastic flash analog-to-digital (ADCs) to minimize hardware without sacrificing reliability or robustness against cloning. The proposed PUF creates a unique device identifier by employing the comparators used in a stochastic ADC, which are designed for maximum offset voltage due to device mismatch. The proposed PUF was modeled and simulated using a 130nm CMOS process. Simulation results show that the PUF has a normalized inter-hamming distance (uniqueness) of 48.5% and is reliable with a normalized average bit flip of 2–3% over ±10% variance in supply voltage and temperatures up to 100°C.
Large databases for pediatric research on children with autism spectrum disorder

Objective This article reviews the data available in 3 large databases for use in conducting studies of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods The article describes the data structure, data elements, and strengths and weaknesses of the 3 data sets. Results Each of the 3 data sets, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), the Autism Treatment Network (ATN), and PEDSnet have large cohorts of children with ASD. IAN has strengths in patient-reported measures, ATN in clinical characterization, and PEDSnet in health care encounters and electronic medical record data. Conclusion The data sets described here have potential for further studies that could help improve the care and well-being of children with ASD and their families.
Multi-invariance propagator method-based carrier synchronization for MIMO-OFDM electrical special network

The electrical wireless network build 4G TD-LTE network in 1.8GHz band, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) are the key technologies. The OFDM system is sensitive to carrier frequency offset (CFO) and hence accurate CFO estimates for the OFDM system are essential. In this paper, we study the problem of carrier frequency offset (CFO) in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, and then a multi-invariance PM algorithm is proposed to estimate CFO in MIMO-OFDM system. The proposed algorithm employs the property of multi-invariance. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm has a better CFO estimation performance than PM.
Conclusion: Implications for Medical Practice

We are beginning to have some understanding of the phenomenology of sleep, but its function remains elusive. It may be studied in terms of the EEG sleep measures, but their relationship to the subjective qualities of sleep—e.g., loss of consciousness, a sense of restoration—are not entirely clear. Something about this experience of sleeping has gone amiss in the perhaps one-third of Americans who complain of sleeplessness or lack of refreshment. Studies of large numbers of these insomniacs show that although as a group they sleep less and take longer to go to sleep than noncomplaining individuals, the EEG measures of the two groups overlap substantially. This seems to indicate that factors other than a decrease in the total amount of EEG sleep are involved in the genesis of the uncomfortable experience of insomnia. Among these may be a dissociation of the usual relationship of the sensation of arousal to EEG-defined waking, disorders of the circadian rhythm of sleep, and disruptions of the nonREM/REM cycle by multiple brief awakenings. It is also becoming clear that insomniacs are a heterogeneous group, many of whom have specific disturbances such as sleep apnea, nocturnal myoclonus, and depressive illness.
LASER-INDUCED PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE FABRICATION*

UV laser-induced gas-phase photolysis reactions have been used to produce localized metallic deposits on semiconductors and insulators and to initiate spatially controlled etching of semiconductors. These reactions, which use laser photons to break molecular bonds, lead to laser processing techniques for semiconductors which are different from purely thermal processes such as laser annealing. A spatial resolution of ˜ 1 μ m has been demonstrated for both the deposition and etching processes and the ultimate resolution appears to be in the sub-micrometer range. Both cw and pulsed lasers have been used; the latter can produce transient heating effects which can be useful for device fabrication. As an example ohmic contacts on p-InP have been fabricated using a pulsed ArF laser to produce localized Cd doping in a single step process.
Redetermination of poly[di-μ3-iodido-[μ-1,2-trans-(pyridin-4-yl)ethene-κ2N:N′]dicopper(I)]

The re-investigated structure of the title compound, [Cu2I2(C12H10N2)]n, a two-dimensional coordination polymer crystallizing with monoclinic (P21/n) symmetry, is based on data collected at 100 K, while the previously reported structure was obtained with data collected at 203 K [Blake et al. (1999). Cryst. Eng. 2, 181–195]. The refinement of the crystal structure is greatly improved; for example, the wR2 residual converges to 0.047 for 1532 independent data, versus wR2 = 0.179 for 992 independent data in the 1999 study.
Regulatory mechanisms in postsynaptic phosphorylation networks

The modulation of the postsynaptic signaling machinery by protein phosphorylation has attracted much interest since it is key for the understanding of the regulation of a variety of synaptic functions. While advances in mass spectrometry have allowed us to begin performing large-scale analysis of protein phosphorylation in components of the PSD, the systematic collection of datasets and their functional significance within the context of regulatory signaling networks is in its infancy. Here, we will focus on the composition of the PSD phosphoproteome describing kinase, phosphatase, and protein domain modules involved in the regulation of phosphorylation signaling. We will discuss the impact of synaptic plasticity mechanisms such as long-term potentiation (LTP) in mammalian kinomes and describe the general rules of signaling organization in the PSD phosphoproteome.
Wiener Process and White Gaussian Noise

The Wiener process is a mathematical idealization of the physical Brownian motion describing the movement of suspended particles subjected to collisions by smaller atoms in a liquid. This phenomenon, first studied by botanist Robert Brown in 1827, was investigated by Einstein, Langevin and other physicists.
Impact of facility type and volume in low-grade glioma outcomes.

OBJECTIVE The object of this study was to investigate the impact of facility type (academic center [AC] vs non-AC) and facility volume (high-volume facility [HVF] vs low-volume facility [LVF]) on low-grade glioma (LGG) outcomes. METHODS This retrospective cohort study included 5539 LGG patients (2004-2014) from the National Cancer Database. Patients were categorized by facility type and volume (non-AC vs AC, HVF vs LVF). An HVF was defined as the top 1% of facilities according to the number of annual cases. Outcomes included overall survival, treatment receipt, and postoperative outcomes. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional-hazards models were applied. The Heller explained relative risk was computed to assess the relative importance of each survival predictor. RESULTS Significant survival advantages were observed at HVFs (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55-0.82, p < 0.001) and ACs (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73-0.97, p = 0.015), both prior to and after adjusting for all covariates. Tumor resection was 41% and 26% more likely to be performed at HVFs vs LVFs and ACs vs non-ACs, respectively. Chemotherapy was 40% and 88% more frequently to be utilized at HVFs vs LVFs and ACs vs non-ACs, respectively. Prolonged length of stay (LOS) was decreased by 42% and 24% at HVFs and ACs, respectively. After tumor histology, tumor pattern, and codeletion of 1p19q, facility type and surgical procedure were the most important contributors to survival variance. The main findings remained consistent using propensity score matching and multiple imputation. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence of survival benefits among LGG patients treated at HVFs and ACs. An increased likelihood of undergoing resections, receiving adjuvant therapies, having shorter LOSs, and the multidisciplinary environment typically found at ACs and HVFs are important contributors to the authors' finding.
Optically Tunable All-Dielectric Broadband Terahertz Metamaterial Perfect Absorber

We present a single-layer H-shaped all-silicon array exhibiting tunable ultra-broadband terahertz wave absorption. Experiment and simulation reveal near unity absorption at ~1 THz, with a bandwidth of ~913 GHz for ≥90% absorbance. The absorption is optically tunable, exhibiting a resonance frequency blueshift by 420 GHz, while the peak absorbance remains over 99%. The dynamic response upon optical excitation depends upon the penetration depth of the pump beam in silicon, as demonstrated from simulation taking into account the depth dependence of the carrier concentration in the all-silicon metamaterial perfect absorber. The results unveil the tuning mechanisms in optically tunable all-silicon metamaterials and metasurfaces, guiding the development of functional all-dielectric functional terahertz devices, such as switches and modulators.
What Happens to Unused Opioids After Total Joint Arthroplasty? An Evaluation of Unused Postoperative Opioid Disposal Practices.

Abstract Background This study evaluates the fate of unused opioids after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at our facility. Methods Medication disposal after primary elective THA and TKA was classified as appropriate (in accordance with United States Food and Drug Administration guidelines) or inappropriate for all patients undergoing these procedures during the second half of the fiscal year 2015. Results In total, 199 THAs and 144 TKAs met inclusion criteria. Total pills prescribed were 55,635. Approximately 8925 (16%) of pills were unused. About 39.9% of patients disposed of unused opioids appropriately, while 60.1% of patients reported still having (18.5%), not knowing where they were (8.2%), or other (33.4%). There was no significant association with the type of opioid prescribed. Conclusion A large volume of unused opioids were improperly disposed of after total joint arthroplasty.
Predicting Hearing Loss After Radiotherapy and Cisplatin Chemotherapy in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Importance Accurate, accessible predictions of posttreatment hearing loss for patients with head and neck cancer prior to the initiation of treatment are a necessary part of informed patient decision-making. Objective To develop a prediction model for postradiotherapy and/or post–cisplatin chemotherapy hearing loss for patients with head and neck cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical center among 242 patients (482 ears) with head and neck cancer who were treated with radiotherapy and/or cisplatin from October 1, 2014, to July 31, 2018, and had follow-up audiometric data available. Exposures Radiotherapy and cisplatin chemotherapy. Main Outcomes and Measures Patient hearing level, as measured by the mean of pure tone audiometry at 1, 2, and 4 kHz on completion of treatment. A multivariable mixed model for predicting the posttreatment pure tone average was developed using only information available to clinicians at the beginning of treatment. Results A total of 242 patients (482 ears; 56 women and 186 men; mean [SD] age, 60 [10] years) were included in the analysis. All patients in the study received radiotherapy, and 105 (43.4%) received cisplatin chemotherapy. The mean (SD) total cumulative cisplatin dose was 298 (109) mg/m2. Patients’ ears received a mean (SD) cochlear radiotherapy dose of 15 (13) Gy. The fixed-effects predictions from the predictive model agreed with 77% (95% CI, 73%-81%) of the variability in the posttreatment pure tone average. This predictive model also had a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 75% for predicting an observed posttreatment pure tone average greater than 35 dB (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.85). Conclusions and Relevance To our knowledge, this study develops the first accurate prediction model of posttreatment hearing in patients with head and neck cancer that is feasible for use in the clinical setting before the initiation of treatment. This research confirms that exposure of the cochlea to cisplatin chemotherapy and radiotherapy is associated with hearing loss in patients with head and neck cancer. Finally, this research motivates future studies of ototoxic effects to better understand the adverse effects of head and neck cancer treatment.
Good Dances Make Good Guests: Dance, Animation and Sovereign Assertion in ‘Amis Country, Taiwan

Within the context of official multiculturalism and the promotion of tourism to improve the economic prospects of Taiwanese Indigenous people, ritual dances of ‘Amis/Pangcah people, known as malikoda, have become sites of conflict concerning ritual propriety and performance. Although as participatory practices, malikoda can never be performed for an audience, they have served to mediate outside power, including but not limited to ancestral spirits and political figures. However, whether and how those outside ‘Amis communities can malikoda remains subject to debate. Malikoda animates a model of Indigenous sovereignty, which can flexibly incorporate external forces that impinge on ‘Amis communities. Yet, the felicity conditions for malikoda are unstable. To resolve this, ‘Amis people have relied upon a combination of heritage and local discourses that define the dance as an act of hospitality. Both types require the alignment of various actors, media and interpretations at multiple scales, often obviating interpretation. Thus, attention to malikoda highlights how Indigenous people engage with indigeneity as a cultural resource under multiculturalism and raises broader questions about the role of animation in sovereign assertion.
Targeting ACSS2 with a Transition-State Mimetic Inhibits Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Growth.

Acetyl-CoA is a vitally important and versatile metabolite used for many cellular processes including fatty acid synthesis, ATP production, and protein acetylation. Recent studies have shown that cancer cells upregulate acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), an enzyme that converts acetate to acetyl-CoA, in response to stresses such as low nutrient availability and hypoxia. Stressed cancer cells use ACSS2 as a means to exploit acetate as an alternative nutrient source. Genetic depletion of ACSS2 in tumors inhibits the growth of a wide variety of cancers. However, there are no studies on the use of an ACSS2 inhibitor to block tumor growth. In this study, we synthesized a small molecule inhibitor that acts as a transition state mimetic to block ACSS2 activity in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacological inhibition of ACSS2 as a single agent impaired breast tumor growth. Collectively, our findings suggest that targeting ACSS2 may be an effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of patients with breast cancer.
A 'Case' Study in Legal Writing Pedagogy: Connecting Doctrine and Skills to Authentic Client Voices

Legal writing faculty have too little time to teach too many skills. To choices of deciding which skills to teach, how to teach those skills, and how much time to allocate to each skill." This brief essay will discuss one case, Epps v. Gober, that two instructors have found to be a veritable Swiss Army knife (nod to Tracy McGaugh), offering a range of versatile functions in the legal writing classroom.
The Women's Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS): a randomized, controlled trial of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans for postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the effects of the combination of a low-fat plant-based diet and soybeans on the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes. METHODS Postmenopausal women (n = 38) reporting two or more hot flashes/day were randomly assigned to a low-fat, vegan diet, including ½ cup (86 g) of cooked soybeans daily, or to no diet changes for 12 weeks. Frequency and severity of hot flashes were recorded using a mobile application, and vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual symptoms were assessed using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire. Significance was assessed using t-tests (continuous outcomes) and chi-squared/McNemar tests (binary outcomes). RESULTS Total hot flashes decreased 79% in the intervention group (P < 0.001) and 49% in the control group (P = 0.002; between-group P = 0.01). Moderate-to-severe hot flashes decreased 84% in the intervention group (P < 0.001) and 42% in the control group P = 0.009; between-group P = 0.01). From 0 to 12 weeks, 59% (10/17) of intervention-group participants reported becoming free of moderate and severe hot flashes (P = 0.002). There was no change in this variable in the control group (between-group P < 0.001). The Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire revealed significantly greater reductions in the intervention group in vasomotor (P < 0.0001), psychosocial (P = 0.04), physical (P < 0.002), and sexual (P = 0.01) domains. CONCLUSIONS The combination of a low-fat, vegan diet and whole soybeans was associated with reduced frequency and severity of hot flashes and improved quality of life in vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual domains in postmenopausal women. During the 12-week study period, the majority of intervention-group participants became free of moderate-to-severe hot flashes.
Can Geography Explain Quebec's Historical Poverty?

From the 19th century to the 1940's, Quebec remained poorer and less economically developed than the rest of Canada in general and poorer than Ontario in particular. This placed Quebec at the bottom of North American rankings of living standards. One prominent hypothesis for the initiation of this gap is tied to disparities in agricultural land quality fail to explain this development gap. Using newly available data for the mid-19th century, we formally test this hypothesis and find it holds little explanatory power. We further argue that poor institutions in Quebec (i.e. notably seigneurial tenure) are at the root of the development gap.
Influence of Microstructure and Environment on the Fatigue Crack Growth Fracture Topography of Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.1Si

An examination of fatigue fracture surfaces as influenced by microstructure (β processed versus a + β processed) and environment (air versus vacuum at 298 and 811 K) for a high-temperature creep-resistant near-α titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.1Si, has been undertaken utilizing scanning electron microscopy. Results show that fracture topography is very sensitive to microstructural and environmental causes. Beta processing leads to a more irregular fracture surface than a + β processing. At low growth rates (10 - 6 mm/cycle) in air, shear mode growth predominates, resulting in large transgranular facets, whereas at growth rates of 10 - 5 in./cycle, striated and dimpled fracture features were present. At elevated temperatures, where oxidation effects were quite pronounced, particularly at low growth rates, the fracture surface was smoother than at room temperature, but faceting persisted to higher growth rates. In vacuum, however, the degree of faceting and striation formation was markedly reduced. Finally, the observed fractographic features influenced by microstructure and environment are discussed in terms of the mechanism of crack growth.
Kepler and the Development of Modern Science

I have concentrated exclusively, thus far, upon the internal development of Kepler’s physical astronomy. In doing so I have tried to broaden the perspective of those who study only the parts of his work which were “correct,” and equally of those who emphasize only that a great scientist had theories which seem wrong, or even (to abuse the word) “mystical.” One gains nothing in evaluating Kepler’s science according to anachronistic standards; but on the other hand, his arguments were rational, and we can follow his reason if we attend it carefully. Now that we have done so for an important part of Kepler’s work, let us step back and try to re-evaluate his peculiar role in the larger drama known as the scientific revolution.
6 Viral Oncogenes and Tyrosine Phosphorylation

Publisher Summary This chapter describes viral protein-tyrosine kinases and discusses their roles in viral transformation. For this, the properties of the individual viral protein-tyrosine kinases are described in the chapter and are contrasted to the cognate cellular enzymes that are encoded by the cellular genes homologous to the viral oncogenes. The chapter discusses a number of transformed cell types where altered tyrosine phosphorylation is evident and describes the general properties of protein-tyrosine kinases and their common structural features. In addition, the chapter includes a progress report on the identification of substrates for the viral protein-tyrosine kinases. The chapter discusses the way in which viral protein-tyrosine kinases differ from their cellular counterparts—enzymes that clearly coexist peaceably with normal cells. In the chapter, the properties of the viral enzymes are compared and contrasted to those of the growth factor receptor protein-tyrosine kinases, particularly because of the abnormal growth state of transformed cells.
MNDO and AM1 Molecular Orbital and Molecular Mechanics Analyses of (+)-Catechin, (-)-Epicatechin, and their 3-O-Acetyl Derivatives

The MNDO and AM1 molecular orbital methods and the molecular mechanics MMP method have been applied to the E and A conform-ers of the 3-OH flavanoids, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, 3-O-acetyl-(+)-catechin, and 3-O-acetyl-(−)-epicatechin. The gradient norms for MNDO and AM1 were reduced in the precise mode. The MNDO method best represents the relative trend in energies for catechin and epicatechin that allows estimation of the equilibrium ratio of equatorial to axial conformers as determined by 1H-NMR However, the AMI method generates the most reasonable molecular structures especially in terms of optimizing the pyran ring torsional angles. The AMI method shows a dependency of the energy on the pyran ring C3-O2-H rotational angle that is not detected with MNDO. AMI also predicts a favored structure for the A conformer of (+)-catechin and the E conformer of (−)-epicatechin with the pyran 3-OH rotated into the pyran ring, oriented toward the pyran ring oxygen atom. The AMI method predicts that 3-O-acetyl-(−)-epicatechin structure is slightly weighted toward the axial conformer. The relative energies of the E and A conformers for 3-O-acetyl-(+)-catechin are nearly the same. These relative energies and torsional angles are compared to MMP and literature MM2 findings.
Speech Out of Doors: Preserving First Amendment Liberties in Public Places

The Supreme Court has emphasized that expressive liberties require 'breathing space' in which to thrive. At a minimum, speakers need places in which to assemble, speak, and petition government. This book is a comprehensive examination of First Amendment rights in public places. It shows that the literal ground beneath speakers' feet has been steadily eroding, from personal spaces to college campuses and to once vast and important inscribed places, such as public parks and public squares. Through the study of 'expressive topography', this book considers a variety of contemporary speech contests including restrictions on abortion clinic sidewalk counselors, protests at military funerals, and restrictions on assembly and speech at political conventions. Countering or reversing these forces will require a focused and sustained effort by public officials, courts, and, of course, the people themselves.