cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tempo and mode of nucleotide substitutions in gag and env gene fragments in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 populations with a known transmission history.

The complex evolutionary process of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is marked by a high level of genetic variation. It has been shown that the HIV-1 genome is characterized by variable and more constant regions, unequal nucleotide frequencies, and preference for G-to-A substitutions. However, this knowledge has largely been neglected in phylogenetic analyses of HIV-1 nucleotide sequences, even though these analyses are applied to a number of important biological questions. The purpose of this study was to identify a realistic model of HIV-1 evolution and to statistically test if the application of such a model significantly improves the accuracy of phylogenetic analyses. A unique and recently reported HIV-1 transmission cluster consisting of nine infected individuals, for whom the direction and time for each transmission were exactly known, formed the basis for the analyses which were performed under a general model of nucleotide substitution using population sequences from the env V3 and p17 gag regions of the HIV-1 genome. Examination of seven different substitution models by maximum-likelihood methods revealed that the fit of the general reversible (REV) model was significantly better than that of simpler models, indicating that it is important to account for the asymmetric substitution pattern of HIV-1 and that the nucleotide substitution rate varied significantly across sites. The shape parameter a, which describes the variation across sites by a gamma distribution, was estimated to be 0.38 and 0.25 for env V3 and p17 gag , respectively. In env V3, the estimated average transition/ transversion rate ratio was 1.42. Thus, the REV model with variable rates across sites (described by a gamma distribution) provides the best description of HIV-1 evolution, whereas simple models are unrealistic and inaccurate. It is likely that the accuracy of phylogenetic studies of HIV-1 and many other viruses would improve substantially by the use of more realistic nucleotide substitution models. This is especially true when attempts are made to estimate the age of distant viral ancestors from contemporary viral sequences.
Selective vulnerability of dentate hilar neurons following traumatic brain injury: a potential mechanistic link between head trauma and disorders of the hippocampus

Despite intensive study, the neurobiological basis of epilepsy and persistent memory impairment following traumatic head injury remains unknown. Since abnormalities of the hippocampus are known to be associated with temporal lobe seizures and memory dysfunction, we investigated the effects of experimental traumatic brain injury on hippocampal structure and function in the rat. Using a model of fluid- percussion injury, we have discovered that neurons of the dentate hilus are vulnerable to a brief, unilateral impact to the extradural surface of the brain. One week after trauma, there was a dramatic reduction in hilar neurons ipsilateral to the impact, and a milder but significant decrease in neurons on the contralateral side as well. This neuronal loss was highly selective since adjacent dentate granule and pyramidal neurons appeared relatively unaffected. Immunocytochemistry showed that the hilar cell loss included a loss of somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons, and degeneration stains provided evidence that irreversible hilar injury occurred within 4 hr of impact. To assess the functional effects of the hilar damage, dentate granule cell field potentials were measured in response to perforant path stimulation. This revealed abnormal dentate granule cell hyperexcitability at 2.0 Hz stimulation in many of the injured animals. The presence of abnormal hyperexcitability correlated with the loss of hilar neurons. Thus, a momentary impact to the surface of the brain can cause selective, bilateral hippocampal injury with associated abnormalities in dentate gyrus physiology. Furthermore, the pattern of cell loss is similar to that observed in some patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Perp Is a p63-Regulated Gene Essential for Epithelial Integrity

Summary p63 is a master regulator of stratified epithelial development that is both necessary and sufficient for specifying this multifaceted program. We show here that Perp, a tetraspan membrane protein originally identified as an apoptosis-associated target of the p53 tumor suppressor, is the first direct target of p63 clearly involved in mediating this developmental program in vivo. During embryogenesis, Perp is expressed in an epithelial pattern, and its expression depends on p63. Perp −/ − mice die postnatally, with dramatic blistering in stratified epithelia symptomatic of compromised adhesion. Perp localizes specifically to desmosomes, adhesion junctions important for tissue integrity, and numerous structural defects in desmosomes are observed in Perp-deficient skin, suggesting a role for Perp in promoting the stable assembly of desmosomal adhesive complexes. These findings demonstrate that Perp is a key effector in the p63 developmental program, playing an essential role in an adhesion subprogram central to epithelial integrity and homeostasis.
Preparing counselors-in-training to work with couples: Using role plays and reflecting teams

The use of experiential learning practices is a cornerstone of marriage and family training. In this article, two novel experiential approaches for teaching couples counseling are detailed. Specifically, the evolution from the original format to the final version of the learning experience is described. The two primary components of the experiences include (a) a semester-long role -play enacted by doctoral student graduate assistants and (b) student reflecting teams. The authors found that students benefited from these experiences and were able to provide validation, offer encouragement, and act as catalysts for change both with their classmates and in mock couples sessions. The reflecting team format was especially helpful in promoting a safe, interactive learning environment. In addition to describing the experience, suggestions are made for adapting the approaches to fit other programs.
The role of serotonin in irritable bowel syndrome: implications for management.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a poorly understood, common, chronic condition characterized by abdominal discomfort associated with altered bowel habits in the absence of structural or biochemical abnormalities. Despite the significant economic and personal burden associated with IBS, treatment options remain limited. Serotonin is recognized as a key neurotransmitter in intestinal secretory, sensory, and motor function. Although the pathophysiology of IBS is incompletely understood, there is evidence that abnormalities in brain-gut signaling and serotonin metabolism play a role. This article reviews the evidence that serotonin, one of the better-understood neurotransmitters with respect to its role in human central and intestinal physiology, plays a role in IBS. Serotonin signaling is discussed, with a focus on receptor subtypes and the therapeutic agents that target these receptors. Evidence that IBS is associated with perturbations in serotonin metabolism at various steps in the signaling pathway is also addressed, along with the limitations on alteration in serotonin metabolism as the sole explanation for the constellation of symptoms observed in patients with IBS.
Activity of Telavancin against Staphylococcus aureus Strains with Various Vancomycin Susceptibilities in an In Vitro Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Model with Simulated Endocardial Vegetations

We investigated the activity of telavancin, a novel lipoglycopeptide, alone and combined with gentamicin or rifampin (rifampicin) against strains of Staphylococcus aureus with various vancomycin susceptibilities. Strains tested included methicillin (meticillin)-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) 494, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) 1199, heteroresistant glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (hGISA) 1629, which was confirmed by a population analysis profile, and glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (GISA) NJ 992. Regimens of 10 mg/kg telavancin daily and 1 g vancomycin every 12 h were investigated alone and combined with 5 mg/kg gentamicin daily or 300 mg rifampin every 8 h in an in vitro model with simulated endocardial vegetations over 96 h. Telavancin demonstrated significantly greater killing than did vancomycin (P < 0.01) for all isolates except MRSA 494 (P = 0.07). Telavancin absolute reductions, in log10 CFU/g, at 96 h were 2.8 ± 0.5 for MRSA 494, 2.8 ± 0.3 for MSSA 1199, 4.2 ± 0.2 for hGISA 1629, and 4.1 ± 0.3 for GISA NJ 992. Combinations of telavancin with gentamicin significantly enhanced killing compared to telavancin alone against all isolates (P < 0.001) except MRSA 494 (P = 0.176). This enhancement was most evident against hGISA 1629, where killing to the level of detection (2 log10 CFU/g) was achieved at 48 h (P < 0.001). The addition of rifampin to telavancin resulted in significant (P < 0.001) enhancement of killing against only MSSA 1199. No changes in telavancin susceptibilities were observed. These results suggest that telavancin may have therapeutic potential, especially against strains with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin. Combination therapy, particularly with gentamicin, may improve bacterial killing against certain strains.
An algorithm for state constrained stochastic linear-quadratic control

Here we consider a state-constrained stochastic linear quadratic control problem. This problem has linear dynamics and a quadratic cost, and states are required to satisfy a probabilistic constraint. In this paper, the joint probabilistic constraint in the model is converted to a conservative deterministic one using multi-dimensional Chebyshev bound. A maximum volume inscribed ellipsoid problem is solved to obtain this probability bound. We then design an optimal affine controller for the resulting problem. The convexity of the Chebyshev bound-constrained problem is proved and a practical algorithm is developed. Two numerical examples show that the algorithm is reliable even when the disturbances are large and the problem horizon grows to as long as 20 stages. It is also shown that the approach proposed in this paper can be used to reformulate some classical problems such as tracking problems.
A Magnetic Wireless Tongue-Computer Interface

We have developed a noninvasive, unobtrusive magnetic wireless tongue-computer interface, called "Tongue Drive", to provide people with severe disabilities with flexible and effective computer access and environment control. A small permanent magnet secured on the tongue using a tongue clip, tissue adhesive, or tongue piercing is utilized as a marker to track tongue movements. The magnetic field variations due to the marker movements are detected by an array of magnetic sensors mounted on a headset outside the mouth or an orthodontic brace inside. The sensor outputs are then processed and translated into different user control commands after being wirelessly transmitted to a portable computer (PC or PDA). These commands can be used to access a computer by substituting the mouse or keyboard functions. They can also be customized to operate a powered wheelchair, a phone, or other equipments. For human trials, we have developed a prototype system with 6 direct commands on a baseball helmet and successfully tested it. The Tongue Drive system response time for >95% correctly completed commands is about 1.5 s.
Characterization of initial events in bacterial surface colonization by two Pseudomonas species using image analysis

The processes leading to bacterial colonization on solid-water interfaces are adsorption, desorption, growth, and erosion. These processes have been measured individually in situ in a flowing system in real time using image analysis. Four different substrata (copper, silicon, 316 stainless-steel and glass) and 2 different bacterial species (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens) were used in the experiments. The flow was laminar (Re = 1.4) and the shear stress was kept constant during all experiments at 0.75 N m(-2). The surface roughness varied among the substrata from 0.002 microm (for silicon) to 0.015 microm (for copper). Surface free energies varied from 25.1 dynes cm(-1) for silicon to 31.2 dynes cm(-1) for copper. Cell curface hydrophobicity, reported as hydrocarbon partitioning values, ranged from 0.67 for Ps. fluorescens to 0.97 for Ps. aeruginosa.The adsorption rate coefficient varied by as much as a factor of 10 among the combinations of bacterial strain and substratum material, and was positively correlated with surface free energy, the surface roughness of the substratum, and the hydrophobicity of the cells. The probability of desorption decreased with increasing surface free energy and surface roughness of the substratum. Cell growth was inhibited on copper, but replication of cells overlying an initial cell layer was observed with increased exposure time to the cell-containing bulk water. A mathematical model describing cell accumulation on a substratum is presented.
MUTUAL DESIGN OF OVERHEAD TRANSMISSION LINES AND RAILROAD COMMUNICATIONS AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS

From February 1981 to June 1983, the Electric Power Research Institute funded IIT Research Institute to examine the problem of interference to railroad communications and signal systems from high-voltage, overhead, alternating current (ac) power lines. A key goal of this project was to develop means to accurately forecast whether or not a planned power line to be located near a railroad will cause interference problems. A second important goal was to develop means to perform accurate cost-versus-benefit trade-off studies for mitigation if interference is expected to be a problem. In this paper the approaches used by IIT Research Institute in attaining these goals are discussed, and the project accomplishments, principal findings, and principal remaining problems are summarized.
Framing the Past and Future: The Development and Deployment of Technological Capabilities by the Oil Majors in the Upstream Petroleum Industry

In this study, I seek to unravel the relationship between technological capabilities and operational performance amongst a peer group of integrated oil companies in the upstream petroleum industry. I argue that the development and deployment of technological capabilities and their complex relationship with operational performance is conditioned by the interpretative frameworks, or technology frames, of the firm. The concept of a technology frame builds upon two theoretical flows: organisational sociology (notably Weick) and the resource-based view of the firm (relying specifically on Penrose, Chandler and Teece). The technology frame is defined as the firm’s selfimage of its technological resources, capabilities and opportunities. The technology frame should not be confused with strategy; the frame is comprised of the evident and latent beliefs that provide the context for determining strategy. Using conventional metrics, I compiled a dataset of technological capabilities and operational performance measures for the 10 leading oil companies (‘the majors’) for the period 1984 to 1997. Fieldwork interviews and industry research developed and expanded this analysis. These findings indicate that, not only is the relationship between technological capabilities and operational performance too complex to be modelled by simple variables and functions, but also that the proxy variables reveal the technology frames rather than the technological capabilities of these firms. To explore the technology frame, I consider two elements: the firm’s appraisal of the upstream industry and the nature of the role for technology. The gearing ratio and R&D expenditures are used as indicators of the firm’s appraisal of the dynamics of the upstream industry (in growth or efficiency phases), while the nature of the role for technology (implicit or explicit) is proxied by the inclusion or absence of technology management at the executive board level and the positioning of technology within the Annual Report. The existence and value of the frame as a heuristic is then tested through panel data regressions on key expectations of strategic behaviour and outcomes in the area of technological capabilities of firms. The panel-data econometric evidence supports most of the predicted effects, notably indicating that the growth frame is correlated with an explicit frame, and that the role of technology is correlated with upstream R&D expenditure. The technology frame provides a significant extension to the resource-based theory of the firm by identifying the capability of sensemaking as an integral co-determinant of the firm’s resources and capabilities (or ‘services’ as Penrose terms them). On this basis, I am able to interpret the data on technological capabilities and their complex relationship with operational performance in a more consistent and comprehensive manner than has been achieved before.
Nonantibiotic-Based Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Inhibition with Osmoprotectant Analogues

The current unsustainable usage of antibiotics for clinical and agricultural purposes has resulted in a global spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. This rapid reduction in antimicrobial potency is directly caused by the strong evolutionary selection pressure of classical antibiotics. One promising strategy to avoid this problem is the development of antivirulence compounds, which seeks to alleviate the aforementioned selection pressure by specifically mitigating pathogenic phenotypes, for example, toxin secretion or biofilm formation, but without killing the bacteria. In this work, we propose a new target for this emerging antivirulence approach and identify through molecular design followed by chemical screening that bacterial osmoprotectant analogues can be used as antivirulence metabolites against biofilm formation. Among the 19 compounds tested, ethylcholine, a biosynthetic precursor of ethyl glycine betaine and previously reported to induce glycine betaine catabolism, was found to most effectively inhibit biofilm establishment without detectable biological toxicity. The potential complementary usage of this molecule with traditional antibiotic compounds and its other impacts on bacterial physiology were also herein explored and discussed.
The roles of injury and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the development and outcomes of severe group A streptococcal soft tissue infections.

Purpose of review This review summarizes clinical and basic science evidence linking trauma and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use to initiation and progression of severe group A streptococcal (GAS) soft tissue infection.
“Translocatory proteins” and “protein transduction domains”: a critical analysis of their biological effects and the underlying mechanisms

Abstract It has been suggested that several proteins, termed “translocatory” or “messenger” proteins, can move between living cells—exiting the cell of synthesis via an uncharacterized secretory pathway and entering adjacent cells by a nonendocytic mechanism that is active even at 4°C. These activities, which have been mapped to short, highly basic regions termed “protein transduction domains” (PTDs), have engendered considerable interest in the gene therapy and vaccine research communities. If these proteins, and PTDs, are to be used in human or veterinary medicine, it is vital that the mechanisms underlying their effects be understood. This article presents a critical evaluation of the current literature and describes recent findings that indicate that the effects of these sequences might be explained by well-established biological principles.
Trends in Knowledge and Skill Expectations for New Human Factors Professionals

This study was a replicate of two prior studies on the knowledge and skill expectations for new human factors/ergonomics professionals in the current labor market. Five and four years have passed s...
Tax Relief for Domestic Violence Survivors

When a married couple files a tax return under the “married filing jointly” designation, each spouse is held individually liable for the full amount of taxes due on their aggregate income for that year. The IRS has the authority to hold either spouse responsible for all of the outstanding taxes owed during the course of the marriage. Fortunately, there are several exceptions and provisions that provide relief from joint and several liability. This short article outlines, for domestic violence advocates, the exceptions to joint and several liability and special provisions for “Innocent Spouse Relief,” “Allocation of Deficiency,” and “Equitable Relief.” The article discusses recent changes to these provisions that further protect the domestic violence survivor and explains the caveats to these protections in community property states for survivors who are married but filing separately.
POSTER: Access Control Model for the Hadoop Ecosystem

Apache Hadoop is an important framework for fault-tolerant and distributed storage and processing of Big Data. Hadoop core platform along with other open-source tools such as Apache Hive, Storm, HBase offer an ecosystem to enable users to fully harness Big Data potential. Apache Ranger and Apache Sentry provide access control capabilities to several ecosystem components by offering centralized policy administration and enforcement through plugins. In this work we discuss the access control model for Hadoop ecosystem (referred as HeAC) used by Apache Ranger (release 0.6) and Sentry (release 1.7.0) along with Hadoop 2.x native authorization capabilities. This multi-layer model provides several access enforcement points to restrict unauthorized users to cluster resources. We further outline some preliminary approaches to extend the HeAC model consistent with widely accepted access control models.
Evaluating health outcomes from vehicle emissions exposure in the long range regional transportation planning process

Abstract The air quality impacts of a metropolitan region's long range transportation plans are generally evaluated by estimating the change in a region's vehicle emission inventory. A change in the overall quantity of vehicle emissions in a region is generally associated with lower concentrations of vehicle related air pollutants and therefore a reduction in public health risks from exposure to vehicle emissions. A major limitation of this common approach is that aggregate emission inventories provide no information about localized impacts. While some areas experience air quality improvements, air quality can become worse in others. Such aggregate analyses are ill suited for addressing contemporary transportation planning questions such as identifying vehicle emission exposure hotspots, quantifying health risks, and evaluating environmental justice concerns. In this paper we describe a computationally efficient analysis framework for evaluating a regional transportation plan with spatially detailed estimates of vehicle emission exposures and related health outcomes. We then apply our framework in a case study of fine particulate matter exposure in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area and the changes expected to occur through the year 2040 under the region's long range transportation plan. We find that exposure and health risks decline from current levels by 2020 but then begin to slowly increase in some areas by 2040. We also find that low income and minority populations have the greatest health risks, confirming environmental justice concerns that have been noted in other regions.
Do Taxes Affect Marriage? Lessons from History

The question of how to tax married couples has remained controversial since the adoption of the federal income tax over a century ago. The appropriate answer to this question depends in part on how sensitive couples are to taxes when deciding to marry. Yet we know surprisingly little about how taxes shape couples’ marriage choices. This Article begins to fill that gap using a natural experiment generated by the halting shift in how the income tax treated married couples in the mid-Twentieth Century. The system moved from taxing married couples as two individuals—in which case marriage largely did not affect taxes—to taxing married couples on their joint income. At the time of this shift, joint taxation lowered couples’ taxes upon marriage. The change to joint taxation, however, came later to some states, creating a natural experiment to study its impact on marriage rates. This Article shows that annual marriage rates increased by 9% in the relevant states after the introduction of joint taxation made marriage tax-advantaged, with affected men marrying 3 to 5 months sooner on average. This suggests that at any given time during this period there were tens or hundreds of thousands of married couples in the United States who would not have been married if not for the tax incentives. Couples appear to have been unexpectedly responsive to the tax changes given that unmarried cohabitation was not acceptable under the social mores of the day. If anything, Americans today are likely more sensitive to taxes when deciding whether and when to marry, suggesting that joint taxation continues to affect marriage decisions today. This in turn strengthens the case for returning to individual taxation of marriage if the goal is to avoid inefficiently distorting people’s marriage decisions. By contrast, if the government wishes to encourage marriage, the results imply that using the tax code may be effective under some circumstances, but further analysis suggests that joint taxation remains a poor choice for doing so.
Distal fibular malrotation and lateral ankle contact characteristics

Abstract Background Any amount of malreduction of the syndesmotic joint compared with the uninjured syndesmosis has been associated with an adverse effect on functional outcome. The amount of malrotation that may lead to clinically relevant pressure change in this joint has not been reported. Our purpose was to determine whether small degrees of external and internal malrotation would be associated with statistically significant changes in contact pressure in the tibiofibular and talofibular articulations. Methods Twelve cadaveric ankles were osteotomized above the syndesmosis and instrumented with a rotatable distal fibula plate. Sensors at the distal tibiofibular and talofibular articulations recorded contact pressure and area at neutral position and at 5 and 10° of external and internal malrotation through a full range of ankle motion. Results Compared with neutral rotation, there was a significant decrease in contact pressure at the talofibular articulation with external rotation of 5° (103±113kPa versus 52±69kPa; P=0.01) and 10° (43±62kPa; P=0.01) in plantarflexion.Contact pressure at the tibiofibular articulation in plantarflexion increased with 10° of internal malrotation compared with neutral rotation (56±30kPa versus 74±38kPa; P=0.05) in plantarflexion. Contact area decreased significantly with plantarflexion and 10° of external rotation and increased significantly in plantarflexion and after cyclic loading with 10° of internal rotation (P≤0.05). Conclusion Any degree of distal fibular external rotation significantly reduced contact pressure in the talofibular articulation with plantarflexion. A minimal increase in contact pressure was found in the tibiofibular and talofibular joints with plantarflexion and mild internal rotation of 5°, but pressure increased significantly in both articulations with 10° of internal rotation. The findings support clinical findings that subtle degrees of fibular malrotation may be associated with alteration of lateral ankle mechanics. Level of evidence Controlled biomechanical study.
Viscosity of Water Interfaces with Hydrophobic Nanopores: Application to Water Flow in Carbon Nanotubes.

The nanoconfinement of water results in changes in water properties and nontraditional water flow behaviors. The determination of the interfacial interactions between water and hydrophobic surfaces helps in understanding many of the nontraditional behaviors of nanoconfined water. In this study, an approach for the identification of the viscosity of water interfaces with hydrophobic nanopores as a function of the nanopore diameter and water–solid (nanopore) interactions is proposed. In this approach, water in a hydrophobic nanopore is represented as a double-phase water with two distinct viscosities: water interface and water core. First, the slip velocity to pressure gradient ratio of water flow in hydrophobic nanopores is obtained via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Then the water interface viscosity is determined via a pressure gradient-based bilayer water flow model. Moreover, the core viscosity and the effective viscosity of water flow in hydrophobic nanopores are derived as functions of the nano...
Estrogens and female liver health

Due to declining estrogen levels during menopause, NAFLD prevalence is higher in postmenopausal women compared to in premenopausal women or in men. Postmenopausal women are more susceptible to weight gain, fat redistribution and dyslipidemia, all major hallmarks of metabolic syndrome associated with increased NAFLD risk. Gut microbiota plays important roles in development of gastrointestinal tract, metabolism and immunity. Host-microbe interactions allows regulation of a wide range of pathways that affect healthy and diseased physiology. Recent advances in - omics technologies, such as microbiome, transcriptome and metabolome analysis, provided evidence that estrogens and intestinal microbiota (IM) can collectively influence obesity, inflammatory disease, diabetes, and cancers. By understanding underlying mechanisms of estrogens and microbiota crosstalk, we might design dietary and pharmacological interventions to alleviate the metabolic syndrome and NAFLD.
Countering Control Message Manipulation Attacks on OLSR

In this work we utilize a Reputation Routing Model (RRM), which we developed in an earlier work, to mitigate the impact of three different control message based blackhole attacks in Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). A malicious node can potentially introduce three types of blackhole attacks on OLSR, namely TC-Blackhole attack, HELLO-Blackhole attack and TC-HELLO-Blackhole attack, by modifying its TC and HELLO messages with false information and disseminating them in the network in order to fake its advertisement. This results in node(s) diverting their messages toward the malicious node, therefore posing great security risks. Our solution reduces the risk posed by such bad nodes in the network and tries to isolate such links by feeding correct link state information to OLSR. We evaluate the performance of our model by emulating network scenarios on Common Open Research Emulator (CORE) for static as well as dynamic topologies. From our findings, it is observed that our model diminishes the effect of all three blackhole attacks on OLSR protocol in terms of packet delivery rates, especially at static and low mobility.
Expeditionary Learning, Constructivism, and the Emotional Risks of Open-Ended Inquiry

This chapter explores the complex processes involved in a project undertaken by a middle-school student in an Expeditionary Learning school. This case study critiques the overwhelming responsibility of coordinating people to plan and pull off a school event, along with parental interference, limited faculty supervision, and lack of participation by other students. Simply providing constructivist opportunities is insufficient. The chapter concludes with suggestions on how to mitigate the problems so that constructivist school activities might better serve a diverse range of participants.
Impact of the 340B Drug Pricing Program on Cancer Care Site and Spending in Medicare

Objective To examine the impact of the 340B drug discount program on the site of cancer drug administration and cancer care spending in Medicare. Data sources/study setting 2010-2013 Medicare claims data for a random sample of Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries with cancer. Study design We identified the 340B effect using variation in the availability of 340B hospitals across markets. We considered beneficiaries from markets that newly gained a 340B hospital during the study period (new 340B markets) as the treatment group. Beneficiaries in markets with no 340B hospital were the control group. We used a difference-in-differences approach with market fixed effects. Data collection Secondary data analysis. Principal findings The probability of a patient receiving cancer drug administration in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) versus physician offices increased 7.8 percentage points more in new 340B markets than in markets with no 340B hospital. Per-patient spending on other cancer care increased $1,162 more in new 340B markets than in markets with no 340B hospital. Conclusions The 340B program shifted the site of cancer drug administration to HOPDs and increased spending on other cancer care. As the program expands, continuing assessment of its impact on service utilization and spending would be needed.
Rescaling and Reframing Poverty: Financial Coaching and the Pedagogical Spaces of Financial Inclusion in Boston, Massachusetts

Abstract After the financial crisis, concerns about consumer financial protection and financial security in the United States (US) resulted in a renewed interest in promoting financial education. Targeting primarily low and moderate-income (LMI) participants, financial literacy and capability programs have been supported by national nonprofit organizations, as well as by city, state and federal agencies. While these programs have grown exponentially and now appear in major cities across the US, little is known about their everyday implementation. This article focuses on financial literacy and capability programs in the greater metropolitan area of Boston, Massachusetts to offer a close read of these under-examined nonprofit spaces of financial empowerment and inclusion in the US context. Based on over 180 hours of participant observation and 45 semi-structured interviews during 14 months of in-depth qualitative research, this article identifies and analyzes a recent change in financial education from group-based workshops to a model of one-on-one financial coaching. In documenting the “coaching turn”, this article offers a novel focus on the nonprofit spaces of financial inclusion and empowerment. As part of this, I examine how these programs shape personal financial habits and expand access to financial products and services for their LMI clients. By focusing on the spaces where the financial practices of populations at the margins of the financial economy are actively being shaped, this research reveals how the active growth of the financial sector is contingent upon making previously unfit market actors into viable debtors in the pedagogical spaces of financial inclusion. This research therefore shows how financial literacy and capability programs are expanding the reach of finance, especially into the lives of LMI populations. As such, this article offers insights into the evolving geographies of financial inclusion and exclusion and is an important complement to literature in geography on the social and scalar relations of financialization.
Unsupervised machine learning of radiomic features for predicting treatment response and overall survival of early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Abstract Background and purpose To predict treatment response and survival of NSCLC patients receiving stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), we develop an unsupervised machine learning method for stratifying patients and extracting meta-features simultaneously based on imaging data. Material and methods This study was performed based on an 18F-FDG-PET dataset of 100 consecutive patients who were treated with SBRT for early stage NSCLC. Each patient’s tumor was characterized by 722 radiomic features. An unsupervised two-way clustering method was used to identify groups of patients and radiomic features simultaneously. The groups of patients were compared in terms of survival and freedom from nodal failure. Meta-features were computed for building survival models to predict survival and free of nodal failure. Results Differences were found between 2 groups of patients when the patients were clustered into 3 groups in terms of both survival (p = 0.003) and freedom from nodal failure (p = 0.038). Average concordance measures for predicting survival and nodal failure were 0.640 ± 0.029 and 0.664 ± 0.063 respectively, better than those obtained by prediction models built upon clinical variables (p Conclusions The evaluation results demonstrate that our method allows us to stratify patients and predict survival and freedom from nodal failure with better performance than current alternative methods.
New directions in computational aerodynamics

It seems that everywhere you look nowadays, new applications of "virtual reality" are cropping up. The latest one to be discussed in the car industry is the idea of a virtual wind tunnel. The concept is simple and appealing: instead of building a test car and measuring its performance in a real wind tunnel, a "virtual car" is generated by computer-aided design, and special software then calculates the airflow over the car. The advantages are obvious. The vehicle need only exist as a concept, rather than as a physical car, and it is much easier to schedule time for analysis on a computer than in an actual wind tunnel. Moreover, much more information can be gained from a calculated flow than from wind-tunnel experiments, even those with the most sophisticated measuring devices. And once you know the flow around a car, you can predict everything from its fuel efficiency and handling characteristics to the noise that passengers can hear inside.
Why Should Tax Justice Be Part of the Solution to Finance Free Good Quality Education? A Multi-country Study: Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda

It is estimated that there is a $39 billion annual financial gap to meet the Sustainable Development Goal for education; although this is a vast figure it pales in comparison to the tax incentives and tax avoidance figures, not to mention the tax evasion, or the illicit financial flows from developing countries estimated to be $800 billion (Kar & Spanjers, 2016). This chapter argues that we need to ‘talk tax’ when exploring avenues to tap the education financial gap, using Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda as case studies to analyse the effect of the inadequate financing of education and to explore sustainable and equitable solutions. Drawing from data collected through surveys and participatory action research in each of these countries, this chapter reveals the costs borne by families both in public and private schools as well as the revenue lost to tax incentives. It concludes that progressive tax reform is not only the most sustainable and equitable way to finance education, but it is also essential for States to demonstrate that they are taking appropriate steps towards the full realisation of the right to education.
The Robot Factory

According to modern educational standards, a computer fits the profile of an ideal student and could certainly be programmed to do well on standardized tests. These are also the characteristics of the model employee, which is why we feel so economically threatened. However, the dire predictions about the obsolescence of human intelligence have not played out because the economic premium for being an educated human has increased over the past 20 years. The reasons: (1) Experiments pitting human chess players against computers actually demonstrate the uniqueness and power of human intelligence. (2) Being educated is not the ability to perform tasks on various lists of educational standards that often read like product specifications in a robot factory. Those who understand that education is much more than remembering and performing are advantaged in many ways. However, we have created an educational system mired in training children to be better robots instead of educating them to become better humans. But there is a widespread willful ignorance of what it means to be human. Denying many essential elements of our humanity has served the economic self-interests of the elite, but its continuation comes with great risks to everyone.
First-Order Logic

This book is about a formal approach to mathematical structures. Formal methods are by their very nature formal. When studying mathematical logic, initially one often has to grit ones teeth and absorb certain preliminary definitions on faith. Concepts are given precise definitions, and their meaning is revealed later after one has a chance to see their utility. We will try to follow a different route. Before all formalities are introduced, in this chapter, we will take a detour to see examples of mathematical statements and some elements of the language that is used to express them.
On the zero-error capacity of channels with rate limited noiseless feedback

While it is known that feedback does not increase the small-error capacity of a discrete memoryless channel, noiseless feedback can increase the zero-error capacity from zero (without feedback) all the way to the small-error capacity. This result depends on the availability of noiseless output feedback, which gives the transmitter access to the exact output seen at the destination, as well as the use of variable-length codes. In this work, we consider two more realistic setups: 1) a noiseless feedback link of finite rate (which may not permit transmission of the outputs in their entirety), and 2) a noisy feedback link. We derive rates which may be achieved with zero error. Our results show that the achievable zero-error rate can vary between the zero-undetected-error capacity and the small-error capacity depending on the available feedback link rate and quality.
Higher Cortical Functions, Localization of Function, and Regulation of Consciousness

The cerebral cortex reaches its highest level of specialization in humans. It is intimately involved in all aspects of behavior, and particularly those that are definingly human: language, personality, learning and memory, and consciousness. Indeed, C. Judson Herrick, who is considered to be the founding father of American neuroscience, termed the cerebral cortex “the organ of civilization.”
796-P: A Systematic Review of Diabetes-Related Outcomes in Food Provision Studies

In 2017, U.S. diabetes direct and productivity-related costs were $327 billion and accounted for 4 million deaths, yet much of this could be prevented by adhering to dietary guidelines. The objective was to perform a systematic review of the nutritional intervention literature where meals were provided to determine their clinical and cost impact in diabetes therapy. CINAHL, Cochrane, Health Source, and MEDLINE/PubMed were searched for food-provision articles published between January 1, 2013-May 1, 2018. Two researchers independently performed critical appraisal. Of 351 articles, appraisal was completed for 33 articles (N=14,258) that consisted of diets related to low caloric/carbohydrate intake or specific nutrients. Low calorie/carbohydrate diets consistently and significantly (p 5% weight loss: 97.6%-100%; body-mass index loss: 2.3-5.4 kg/m2), waist circumference reduction (4.8-12cm), and improved markers of diabetes (A1c: 0.9-1.5% reduction) in short time frames (3 weeks-1 year). Patients reported higher dietary satisfaction (up to 93%) while achieving adequacy or 100% compliance. Large-scale education-based dietary interventions have challenges with patient adherence, yet resulted in 31.4% of patients moving from diabetes to prediabetes and 16.1% from prediabetes to none in 3 months. Other large-scale non-food provision studies (N=96,553) observed when patients improved A1c control (from 13.2% >9%A1c to 9.2% >9%A1c; p=0.01), hospitalization days were reduced by 2% annually (800,000 days) and $1.8 billion saved annually in the U.S. In this systematic review, A1c was significantly reduced by 0.9-1.5% (p Disclosure J.B. Martinez: Board Member; Self; Healthy Meals Supreme, LLC. J.A. Draime: Consultant; Self; Healthy Meals. J. Gardner: None. S.E. Berman: None. A.M.H. Chen: None. Funding Healthy Meals Supreme, LLC
EVALUATION OF THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT OSSEOUS CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH ANTERIOR OPEN BITE: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) has an important role in different human functions, including speech, mastication, and breathing. It has been found that osseous changes in the TMJ may stem from skeletal deformities of the head and neck. Objective(s) The aim of this study was to evaluate osseous changes in the TMJs of patients with an anterior open bite skeletal deformity using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Study Design Thirty-two female patients with skeletal anterior open bite and 32 age-matched normal females (skeletal class I) were included in this study. CBCT images were retrieved from the archives. In the CBCT scans, the presence of condylar deformities, including erosion, sclerosis, flattening, and condylar osteophytes, in addition to shape of condyle head in the sagittal and coronal view, were recorded. Moreover, inclination and height of the articular eminence were measured. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 24 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL), with a confidence interval of 95%. Results The frequency of condylar head and articular eminence erosion was significantly higher in patients with open bite in comparison with the normal group (P Discussion/Conclusions According to the present findings, osseous changes in the TMJ exist in patients with anterior open bite skeletal deformity. It was found that the shape of condyle was related to the presence of skeletal anterior open bite.
rac-cis,cis-Dicarbonyl-dichlorido{1-[2-(diphenyl-phosphan-yl)benz-yl]-3-mesityl-imidazol-2-yl-idene}ruthenium(II) dichloro-methane monosolvate.

The RuII atom in the title compound, [RuCl2(C31H29N2P)(CO)2]·CH2Cl2, exhibits a distorted octahedral coordination environment. The bond angles of the cis substituents at the RuII atom range from 82.72 (9) to 97.20 (3)°. This mol­ecule is of inter­est in the field of catalytic transfer hydrogenation.
The Critical Care Resuscitation Unit Transfers More Patients From Emergency Departments Faster and Is Associated With Improved Outcomes.

Abstract Background Transfer delays of critically ill patients from other hospitals' emergency departments (EDs) to an appropriate referral hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) are associated with poor outcomes. Objectives We hypothesized that an innovative Critical Care Resuscitation Unit (CCRU) would be associated with improved outcomes by reducing transfer times to a quaternary care center and times to interventions for ED patients with critical illnesses. Methods This pre–post analysis compared 3 groups of patients: a CCRU group (patients transferred to the CCRU during its first year [July 2013 to June 2014]), a 2011-Control group (patients transferred to any ICU between July 2011 and June 2012), and a 2013-Control group (patients transferred to other ICUs between July 2013 and June 2014). The primary outcome was time from transfer request to ICU arrival. Secondary outcomes were the interval between ICU arrival to the operating room and in-hospital mortality. Results We analyzed 1565 patients (644 in the CCRU, 574 in the 2011-Control, and 347 in 2013-Control groups). The median time from transfer request to ICU arrival for CCRU patients was 108 min (interquartile range [IQR] 74–166 min) compared with 158 min (IQR 111–252 min) for the 2011-Control and 185 min (IQR 122–283 min) for the 2013-Control groups (p Conclusion The CCRU, which decreased time from outside ED's transfer request to referral ICU arrival, was associated with lower mortality likelihood. Resuscitation units analogous to the CCRU, which transfer resource-intensive patients from EDs faster, may improve patient outcomes.