cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Benchmarking EUR estimates for hydraulically fractured wells with and without fracture hits using various DCA methods

Abstract Various decline curve analysis (DCA) methods can be applied to forecast the production performance of hydrocarbon wells, including horizontal wells stimulated with hydraulic fracturing. Yet, which method is more preferable remains in doubt. The objective of this study is to evaluate various DCA methods by history matching and hindcasting both synthetic and field production data in order to assess for each method the reliability of production forecasts and the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR). Five DCA methods have been evaluated because of their computational simplicity and broad application. These methods are the Modified Hyperbolic Decline model (MHD), Duong model, Logistic Growth Analysis Model (LGM), and the Power Law Exponential (PLE, with D ∞ = 0 and D ∞ = ∞ ) Decline models. Each method was evaluated using three data sets: synthetic shale oil production rates based on a CMG reservoir model using Eagle Ford reservoir characteristics, data from producing Eagle Ford wells and from Austin Chalk wells. The hindcast method was applied to the Eagle Ford synthetic wells to establish the EUR deviation between the synthetic reservoir model production forecast and the various DCA methods. The weighted residuals of history matched production rates for Eagle Ford indicate that the MHD and Duong models give the lowest matching errors (as low as 1.32%) and the highest EUR estimations (as high as 3,447,609 stb). The PLE model (with D ∞ ≠ 0 ) gives the most conservative EUR estimation, and also the least reliable history matching method (on our Eagle Ford data sets), which therefore is the least preferable DCA method. For the Austin Chalk wells in our study, all methods generate fairly similar EUR predictions with similar matching errors (from 13% to 15%) so that the DCA method preference becomes indifferent. This study also touches upon the relationship between DCA results when well interference occurs due to various hydraulic fracture hits. Shale wells that primarily contain hydraulic fractures and few natural fractures (Eagle Ford) give the most reliable forecasts using the MHD and Duong DCA methods. However, wells in the Austin Chalk, a naturally fractured reservoir, show little difference between the forecast accuracy from the various DCA methods.
Abstract 64: Abnormal splicing events in adenoid cystic carcinoma

Salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively rare and understudied malignancy. While this disease can often be controlled locally by surgery and radiation therapy, distant metastases occur in nearly 50% of cases. Interestingly, these metastases can remain asymptomatic for several years, and there are currently no factors that are known to contribute to their dormancy or aggressiveness. Furthermore, there are no targeted chemotherapeutic agents available to treat any stage of this disease. To identify aberrations that contribute to ACC tumorigenesis, we performed whole genome methylation profiling, RNA sequencing, and exome sequencing on 18 primary ACC tumors and matched normal salivary gland tissue. A novel analysis methodology of Splice Expression Variability Analysis (SEVA) coupled with outlier statistical analyses of mRNA splice junctions revealed the presence of several abnormal splicing events (ASEs) in the studied tumors. Interestingly, the ASEs were significantly overrepresented in tumors as compared to matched normal salivary gland tissue. In vitro analyses found that many of the ASEs are also expressed in the only validated ACC cell line, MDA-ACC01, and multiple patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of ACC. Overall, these studies have identified an unanticipated aberration in ACC and developed a model in which to study ASEs. Future work will be aimed at determining the functional impact that ASEs have on tumor initiation and growth. Citation Format: Brandon Leonard, Joseph O. Humtsoe, Hyun-Su Kim, Shizhang Ling, Luigi Marchionni, Elana J. Fertig, Michael Considine, Patrick Ha. Abnormal splicing events in adenoid cystic carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-AHNS Head and Neck Cancer Conference: Optimizing Survival and Quality of Life through Basic, Clinical, and Translational Research; April 23-25, 2017; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(23_Suppl):Abstract nr 64.
The need for an emotional intelligence for information technology course: framework for educators and academic institutions

Information Technology (IT) professionals are tasked with problem solving and educating the user on the solution at hand as well as assisting the organization with the correct use of technology to optimize business practices. The manner in which an IT professional communicates their knowledge and instructions for problem solving can be stifled through insufficient interpersonal skills. Currently, IT professionals use main sources of communication, such as email or a management system software tool, in which sufficient time can be taken to craft messages. However, when adequate time is not available to think about a response or read between the lines of a client's problem, the IT professional may find it challenging to communicate with empathy of the client's perspective, which can detract from the collaboration or problem-solving goal of the conversation. As such, organizations report that there is a vital need for IT students to understand and rely upon positive emotion intelligence (EI) to intergrade the interpersonal skills that allow the professional to be both a problem-solver and effective communicator. However, there is limited or nonexistent literature on the EI for IT courses, skills, and assessments. This research investigated current and past the employment needs by examining online IT job advertisements within the United States. Results revealed several key EI skills sought by IT employers. Based upon these results, a solid framework in support of an EI for IT course is offered. This research provides a solid framework for educators and higher education institutions to consider an emotional technology course within the IT curriculum.
From basic research to applied solutions: are two approaches to sustainability science emerging?

Despite its widespread emergence and adoption, sustainability science continues to suffer from definitional ambiguity within the academe. A review of efforts to provide direction and structure to the science reveal a continuum of approaches anchored at either end by differing visions of how the science interfaces with practice (solutions). At one end, basic science of societally defined problems informs decisions about possible solutions and their application. At the other end, applied research directly affects the options available to decision makers. While clear from the literature, we also point to survey data that suggests the dichotomy does not appear to be as apparent in the minds of practitioners.
Field efficacy and baseline sensitivity of Septoria steviae to fungicides used for managing Septoria leaf spot of stevia

Abstract Koehler, A.M. and Shew, H.D. 2018. Field efficacy and baseline sensitivity of Septoria steviae to fungicides used for managing Septoria leaf spot of stevia. Crop Protection 106:000–000. Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is an herbaceous perennial emerging as a new crop in the southeastern US. Septoria leaf spot caused by Septoria steviae is present across all production areas in North Carolina, causing leaf lesions that expand and result in total defoliation when left unmanaged. Fungicide efficacy trials for management of Septoria leaf spot were conducted over 2 years at two field sites. Seven fungicides, single or combination products, reduced disease severity and increased yield compared to non-fungicide treated controls. Azoxystrobin, chlorothalonil, fluopyram, fluxapyroxad, pyraclostrobin, and tebuconazole were screened using an in vitro assay to establish sensitivity profiles for 10 isolates of S. steviae that had received 0 or 1 year of fungicide exposure. All S. steviae isolates were sensitive to all fungicides evaluated. Successful management of Septoria leaf spot is critical for long term establishment of stevia as a crop in the southeast US.
Simple Comparative Analyses of Differentially Expressed Gene Lists May Overestimate Gene Overlap

Comparing the overlap between sets of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) within or between transcriptome studies is regularly used to infer similarities between biological processes. Significant overlap between two sets of DEGs is usually determined by a simple test. The number of potentially overlapping genes is compared to the number of genes that actually occur in both lists, treating every gene as equal. However, gene expression is controlled by transcription factors that bind to a variable number of transcription factor binding sites, leading to variation among genes in general variability of their expression. Neglecting this variability could therefore lead to inflated estimates of significant overlap between DEG lists. With computer simulations, we demonstrate that such biases arise from variation in the control of gene expression. Significant overlap commonly arises between two lists of DEGs that are randomly generated, assuming that the control of gene expression is variable among genes but consistent between corresponding experiments. More overlap is observed when transcription factors are specific to their binding sites and when the number of genes is considerably higher than the number of different transcription factors. In contrast, overlap between two DEG lists is always lower than expected when the genetic architecture of expression is independent between the two experiments. Thus, the current methods for determining significant overlap between DEGs are potentially confounding biologically meaningful overlap with overlap that arises due to variability in control of expression among genes, and more sophisticated approaches are needed.
Synthesizing Processes and Schedulers from Temporal Specifications

We examine two closely related problems: synthesizing processes to satisfy temporal specifications of reactive systems, and the synthesis of a scheduler to interact with and control a group of processes in order to meet a specification. Processes communicate through shared and distributed variables, either synchronously or asynchronously. In the finite state case, processes and specifications are arbitrary ω-regular languages, and both synthesis problems are solvable in doubly exponential time and space. The framework we present is flexible enough to incorporate dense real time into the model of concurrency, thereby allowing us to study the synthesis of real-time processes and schedulers. Real-time implementability and scheduling are also doubly exponential.
Nurses' Knowledge Related to Heart Failure Essentials

Heart Failure is a complex syndrome which continues to be a major health issue in the United States and worldwide. Strategies and educational interventions implemented by hospitals to reduce hospital admissions and readmissions for this costly chronic disease have not been consistently successful. Patient education is an important strategy for the management of HF to improve quality of life, optimize patient outcomes, and reduce the use of healthcare resources by reducing readmissions. The purpose of this program development was to increase nurses’ knowledge regarding HF education to be provided to HF patients prior to discharge from the acute care setting. A quasi-experimental program design with a pre and post-test intervention was performed on a 38 bed medical telemetry unit at RI Hospital a Level 1 trauma center in Providence, RI. Registered nurses were asked to complete a pre and post-test survey, Nurse Knowledge of Heart Failure by Albert et al (2002). Nine RNs out of thirty two (28.8%) agreed to participate and completed the pre-test, attended one of the HF education classes followed by completion of the post-test. Pre-tests scores ranged from 60-90 out of possible 100, with a mean score of 73.3%. Post-test scores ranged from 70-95 out of possible 100, with a mean score of 86.1%, an increase of almost 13%. These findings suggest that providing HF education can be successful in increasing nurses’ knowledge regarding HF education provided to HF patients prior to discharge from the acute care setting.
The Affect Balance Scale: Subjective Approaches (3)

The Affect Balance Scale (ABS) is aten-itemscale used to measure hedonic wellbeing in normal populations. It is composed of two5-itemsubscales: a positive and a negative scale that are statistically independent. The ABS is constructed by taking the arithmetic difference between the positive and the negative scales and transforming the result to be a positive number. The combined scale can be used as a dependent variable in research on subjective wellbeing. Thesub-scalescan be used separately to investigate components of hedonic wellbeing that are related to experiences in everyday life. This chapter reviews briefly the historical and theoretical context for the development of the concept of subjective wellbeing, the creation and validation of the Affect Balance Scale (ABS) and discusses some current issues surrounding its conceptual status and use.
Auditory Cortex Structure and Circuitry

Auditory cortex represents the highest level of the auditory system in mammals. While much is known about the processing features and structures of subcortical auditory circuits, the specific roles of even the major auditory cortical areas remain somewhat elusive. Much detail is known about how bat echolocation calls are processed in bat auditory cortex, but similar investigations into auditory cortex of other species have not revealed the same degree of organization. This article discusses the current generally accepted structure of unspecialized auditory cortex and examines some of the outstanding questions related to auditory cortex research.
The De Morgan Medal

“The De Morgan Medal is awarded to ROBERT A. RANKIN of Glasgow University. He has made many major contributions to the theory of numbers, and in particular to the theory of modular forms. His work extends over a broad range of central problems, and his papers show both great scholarship and mathematical taste that was often well ahead of its time. His most striking achievements include new estimates of the differences between consecutive prime numbers, results on the distribution of zeros of Poincare series, and work on cusp forms and the number of representations of an integer by the sum of eight or more squares. His method of constructing modular forms by taking the derivatives of a given modular form and combining them suitably has become a very powerful standard tool. However, his most remarkable papers are his seminal Contributions to the theory of the Ramanujan tau function and similar arithmetical functions. These gave birth to the highly influential method now known as the Rankin-Selberg method. The immediate application of his method was a non-trivial estimate for the coefficients of modular forms; it was used by Deligne and Serre in their work relating cusp forms to Artin L-functions, and the spirit of this method influenced Deligne’s proof of the Weil Conjectures.”
Structural Interaction between Nitrogenase Mofe Protein and Membrane in AzotobacterVinelandii and RhodospirillumRubrum

Nitrogenase MoFe protein is routinely isolated from the cytoplasmic fraction of disrupted cells and, clearly, is not an intrinsic membrane protein. However, evidence does exist for extrinsic structural and functional interactions between MoFe protein and membrane in several organisms. Nitrogenase activity and, specifically, MoFe protein can be found in the pellets of osmotically lysed A. vinelandii and chromatophore preparations of osmotically lysed R. rubrum, respectively; MoFe protein has been localized in the vicinity of the cell membrane in A. vinelandii by immuno- ferritin labeling; and in situ nitrogenase activity has been shown to be enhanced by the presence of an intact energized membrane. We have used electron spin resonance (esr) spectroscopy and spatially oriented whole bacterial systems to obtain evidence for a structural association between MoFe protein and membrane in A. vinelandii, R. rubrum, and to a lesser extent, in Rhodopseudomonas palustris.
Enhancement of central norepinephrine and 5-hydroxytryptamine transmission by tricyclic antidepressants. A comparison.

The relative abilities of 1–3 mg/kg of desipramine (DES), imipramine (IMIP), amitriptyline (AMI), and chlorimipramine (CI-IMIP) to enhance synaptic transmission mediated by either NE or 5-HT were determined by testing their effects directly on NE or 5-HT transmission to sympathetic preganglionic neurons in unanesthetized, spinal cats. Effects on NE transmission were assessed on intraspinal excitatory pathwasy which utilize NE as a transmitter. Effects on 5-HT transmission were assessed on 5-HT-mediated depression of spinal sympathetic reflexes produced by 30 mg/kg of 5-HTP.
A Comparison of Personality Characteristics Between University Aviation Students and Airline Pilots

This study represents the first phase of a multiphase project to develop a model for selecting and assessing professional pilot applicants into a university aviation flight program. Using the NEO-PI, the present study compares the personality characteristics of freshmen enrolled in the introductory aviation course with students in a third-year flight courses (persistors), and pilots employed by a major U. S. carrier. Significant differences were found between students in the freshman and junior courses, between make and female students, and between students and the line pilots. Significant correlations were found between grade point averages and scores on the NEO-PI.
Laser Annealed Back Contacts for CdTe Solar Cells

The CdTe solar cell back contact interface gets activated by means of thermal annealing. Depending on the back contact (BC) material the annealing time can vary between 20 - 60 minutes. In this study fast contact anneal times - $< 90$ sees - are investigated using a 60 Watt dual diode 808nm laser. Two types of back contacts are used: (a) Cu-Graphite, and (b) MoN/Mo-Cu. Laser power density (LPD) and Cu concentration were varied to study their effect on device performance. Capacitance-voltage characteristics revealed a correlation between LPD and the net doping concentration in CdTe. Higher Cu concentration was found to be detrimental to the device performance, possibly due to excess Cu reaching the CdTe/CdS interface as indicated by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements. Solar cells exhibited open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Jsc), and fill-factor (FF) similar to the baseline thermally anneal devices. To-date the LPD was optimized with best cell parameters being: $\mathrm{V_{oc}} ={830} \ \mathrm{mV}, \ \mathrm{J_{sc}} ={22} \ \mathrm{mA/cm}^{2}$, and $\mathrm{FF}=70\%$, for laser anneal time of 90 seconds.
Effects of Dynamic Variable - Value Ordering Heuristics on the Search Space of Sudoku Modeled as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem

We carry out a detailed analysis of the effects of different dynamic variable and value ordering heuristics on the search space of Sudoku when the encoding method and the filtering algorithm are fixed. Our study starts by examining lexicographical variable and value ordering and evaluates different combinations of dynamic variable and value ordering heuristics. We eventually build up to a dynamic variable ordering heuristic that has two rounds of tie-breakers, where the second tie-breaker is a dynamic value ordering heuristic. We show that our method that uses this interlinked heuristic outperforms the previously studied ones with the same experimental setup. Overall, we conclude that constructing insightful dynamic variable ordering heuristics that also utilize a dynamic value ordering heuristic in their decision making process could drastically improve the search effort for some constraint satisfaction problems.
Economics of Aquaculture Policy and Regulation

Since the Blue Revolution began in the late 1960s, global aquaculture production has grown rapidly. Aquaculture now accounts for over half of the world's fish for direct human consumption and is ex...
Compact Quantum Dots for Quantitative Cytology

In this chapter, we describe the preparation of fluorescent quantum dots for imaging and measuring protein expression in cells. Quantum dots are nanocrystals that have numerous advantages for biomolecular detection compared with organic dyes and fluorescent proteins, but their large size has been a limiting factor. We describe the synthesis of nanoparticles smaller than 10 nm (smaller than an antibody), their attachment to monoclonal antibodies through click chemistry, characterization of the conjugates, and use for labeling of cellular antigens. We further discuss the unique advantages and challenges associated with this approach compared with conventional immunofluorescence techniques.
NESTA: Hamming Weight Compression-Based Neural Proc. Engine

In this paper, we present NESTA, a specialized Neural engine that significantly accelerates the computation of convolution layers in a deep convolutional neural network, while reducing the computational energy. NESTA reformats Convolutions into $3 \times 3$ batches and uses a hierarchy of Hamming Weight Compressors to process each batch. Besides, when processing the convolution across multiple channels, NESTA, rather than computing the precise result of a convolution per channel, quickly computes an approximation of its partial sum, and a residual value such that if added to the approximate partial sum, generates the accurate output. Then, instead of immediately adding the residual, it uses (consumes) the residual when processing the next batch in the hamming weight compressors with available capacity. This mechanism shortens the critical path by avoiding the need to propagate carry signals during each round of computation and speeds up the convolution of each channel. In the last stage of computation, when the partial sum of the last channel is computed, NESTA terminates by adding the residual bits to the approximate output to generate a correct result.
The Map of the Yurumanguí Indians. Charting the Erasure of the Pacific Lowlands’ Indigenous Inhabitants, 1742–1780

The little-known map of the Yurumangui Indians, created in the late colonial period, preserves information about a remote gold-mining region in New Granada. This essay represents the first attempt ...
Mobilization of a Simulation Platform to Facilitate a System-wide Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Author(s): Carlberg, David J.; Chan, Tiffany M.; Ladkany, Diana; Palmer, Jessica; Bradshaw, Kevin
Endothelial Cell Cycle State Determines Propensity for Arterial-Venous Fate

Summary Formation and maturation of a functional blood vascular system is required for the development and maintenance of all tissues in the body. During the process of blood vessel development, primordial endothelial cells are formed and become specified toward arterial or venous fates to generate a circulatory network that provides nutrients and oxygen to, and removes metabolic waste from, all tissues1-3. Specification of arterial and venous endothelial cells occurs in conjunction with suppression of endothelial cell cycle progression4,5, and endothelial cell hyperproliferation is associated with potentially lethal arterial-venous malformations6. However, the mechanistic role that cell cycle state plays in arterial-venous specification is unknown. Herein, studying retinal vascular development in Fucci2aR reporter mice7, we found that venous and arterial endothelial cells are in distinct cell cycle states during development and in adulthood. That is, venous endothelial cells reside in early G1 state, while arterial endothelial cells reside in late G1 state. Endothelial cells in early vs. late G1 exhibited significant differences in gene expression and activity, especially among BMP/TGF-β signaling components. The early G1 state was found to be essential for BMP4-induced venous specification, whereas late G1 state is essential for TGF-β1-induced arterial specification. In a mouse model of endothelial cell hyperproliferation and disrupted vascular remodeling, pharmacological inhibition of endothelial cell cycle rescues the arterial-venous specification defects. Collectively, our results show that endothelial cell cycle control plays a key role in arterial-venous network formation, and distinct cell cycle states provide distinct windows of opportunity for the molecular induction of arterial vs. venous specification.
Examining the Role of Lateral Parietal Cortex in Emotional Distancing Using TMS

We recently proposed a neurocognitive model of distancing-an emotion regulation tactic-with a focus on the lateral parietal cortex. Although this brain area has been implicated in both cognitive control and self-projection processes during distancing, fMRI work suggests that these processes may be dissociable here. This preregistered (NCT03698591) study tested the contribution of left temporoparietal junction (TPJ) to distancing using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. We hypothesized that inhibiting left TPJ would decrease the efficiency of distancing but not distraction, another regulation tactic with similar cognitive control requirements, thus implicating this region in the self-projection processes unique to distancing. Active and sham continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) were applied to 30 healthy adults in a single-session crossover design. Tactic efficiency was measured using online reports of valence and effort. The stimulation target was established from the group TPJ fMRI activation peak in an independent sample using the same distancing task, and anatomical MRI scans were used for individual targeting. Analyses employed both repeated-measures ANOVA and analytic procedures tailored to crossover designs. Irrespective of cTBS, distancing led to greater decreases in negative valence over time relative to distraction, and distancing effort decreased over time while distraction effort remained stable. Exploratory analyses also revealed that active cTBS made distancing more effortful, but not distraction. Thus, left TPJ seems to support self-projection processes in distancing, and these processes may be facilitated by repeated use. These findings help to clarify the role of lateral parietal cortex in distancing and inform applications of distancing and distraction.
Development of a Gestational and Lactational Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Model for Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) in Rats and Humans and Its Implications in the Derivation of Health-Based Toxicity Values.

Background: There is a great concern on potential adverse effects of exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in sensitive subpopulations, such as pregnant women, fetuses, and neonates, due to ...
Data Sharing in Education Science.

Many research agencies are now requiring that data collected as part of funded projects be shared. However, the practice of data sharing in education sciences has lagged these funder requirements. ...
Pancreatic β cells put the glutamine engine in reverse.

The metabolism of nutrients other than glucose influences insulin secretion by pancreatic β cells, but the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Zhang et al. (2020) report that reductive glutamine metabolism generates cytosolic NADPH to promote insulin secretion by β cells.
Rearrangement on Lattices with Swaps: Optimality Structures and Efficient Algorithms

We propose and study a class of multi-object rearrangement problems in which a robotic manipulator, capable of carrying an item and making item swaps, is tasked to sort items stored in lattices in a time-optimal manner. We systematically analyze the intrinsic optimality structure, which is fairly rich and intriguing, under different levels of item distinguishability (fully labeled, where each item has a unique label, or partially labeled, where multiple items may be of the same type) and different lattice dimensions. Focusing on the most practical setting of one and two dimensions, we develop efficient (low polynomial time) algorithms that optimally perform rearrangements on 1D lattices under both fully- and partially-labeled settings. On the other hand, we prove that rearrangement on 2D and higher dimensional lattices becomes computationally intractable to optimally solve. Despite their NP-hardness, we are able to again develop efficient algorithms for 2D fully- and partially-labeled settings that are asymptotically optimal, in expectation, assuming that the initial configuration is randomly selected. Simulation studies confirm the effectiveness of our algorithms in comparison to greedy best-first approaches. Source code of Python implementation: https://github.com/rutgers-arc-lab/lattice-rearrangement/
Introduction: The Genesis of Biosemiotic Literary Criticism: How the Future “Presents” the Past

In this chapter, I provide a theoretical overview of the newly emerging field of biosemiotic criticism (aka “biosemiotic literary criticism”). I discuss (1) how that field relates to literary criticism and to ecological criticism (ecocriticism), (2) what concepts and principles from biosemiotics (and from other fields with parallel research agendas) inform biosemiotic criticism, and (3) what approaches practitioners of biosemiotic criticism might take to their subject matter, including especially the use of semiotic modeling techniques drawn from MST (Modeling Systems Theory) (Sebeok, Marcel D, The forms of meaning: Modeling systems theory and semiotic analysis. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin/New York, 2000) and from Maran (Green Lett Stud Ecocritic 18(3):297–311, 2014a).
Engaging youth in the design of prescription opioid safety education for schools

Abstract Background Opioid misuse continues to be a major concern in the United States, affecting both adults and adolescents. Unfortunately, even legitimate prescription opioid misuse in adolescence increases the risk for misuse later in life. Although adolescence is a critical period for learning, little is known about adolescents’ preferences for opioid safety education. One potential avenue for prescription opioid education is the use of serious games. Serious games can result in better health outcomes and understanding for adolescents and allow them to safely experience real-life scenarios. However, few studies have examined the use of serious games for adolescent opioid education. Objective This study explored adolescents’ preferences for prescription opioid education and design of a serious game focused on opioid safety education. Methods A focus group guide was adapted from 2 statewide surveys about participants’ perspectives on opioids. Recruitment packets with consent documents and an introduction to the study were sent home to eligible students. Ten focus groups were conducted with 68 middle and high school students in Wisconsin. Adolescents were asked to discuss their preferences for prescription opioid safety education and to design a serious game to educate teens about opioid safety. Focus groups were audio-recorded, professionally transcribed, and underwent content and thematic analyses using NVivo 12 software. Results Three preferred approaches for opioid safety education were identified, including the use of presentations, videos and websites, and serious games. Adolescents desired short presentations delivering personal stories to smaller audiences. They preferred websites and brief, engaging videos from reliable sources because of ease of access. Adolescents also preferred serious games for opioid education that were realistic and relatable. Conclusion When educating adolescents on prescription opioids, the use of presentations, particularly personal stories, brief and engaging websites and videos, or serious games with realistic and relatable scenarios should be incorporated.
SU-E-T-19: A Comparison of the Dosimetric Effects of Brass Mesh and Superflab Boluses

Purpose: We compared the dosimetric effects of brass mesh (Whiting and Davis, Attleboro Falls, MA) and Superflab (CNMC, Nashville, TN) boluses to verify equivalence between the two. Brass mesh bolus may be a convenient alternative to traditional bolus as it better conforms to the skin surface. Methods: Measurements were taken using a 6MV 10×10cm field produced by an Infinity linear accelerator (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) in a solid water phantom using a parallel plate ion chamber (Model 96035, Keithley Instruments, Cleveland, OH). Measurements compared 0.5cm and 1cm of Superflab to one to six layers of brass bolus mesh. Measurements were performed at depths from 0cm (‘skin’) to 10cm. Oblique beams were not studied. Results: Four layers of brass mesh were equivalent to 0.5cm Superflab within 5% at all depths. Six layers of brass compares most favorably with 0.5cm Superflab, with doses at all depths within 3%. Six layers of brass were not fully equivalent to 1cm Superflab, although the agreement was within 5% for depths greater than 3mm. Surface dose was 12% lower than 1cm Superflab. Surface dose can be up to 34% different between Superflab and brass mesh, but is less than 5% different with 4–6 layers of brass when compared to 0.5cm Superflab. To achieve surface dose agreement better than 5% compared to 1cm Superflab, more than 6 layers would be needed. The attenuation at depth was a maximum of 0.17cm per layer. Conclusion: Between four and six layers of brass mesh can be equivalent to 0.5cm Superflab, depending on the level of agreement desired. Equivalence within 5% at all depths to 1cm Superflab was not achieved even with six layers. This data agrees with measurements taken by Utsunomiya et al. (2010). More point measurements at shallower depths should be taken prior to clinical implementation of brass bolus mesh.
Book Review: John H Scott, Witness to the Truth: My Struggle for Human Rights in Louisiana (2003)

This short article reviews the book John H Scott, Witness to the Truth: My Struggle for Human Rights in Louisiana (2003).
Use of patient flow analysis to improve patient visit efficiency by decreasing wait time in a primary care-based disease management programs for anticoagulation and chronic pain: a quality improvement study

Patients with chronic conditions require frequent care visits. Problems can arise during several parts of the patient visit that decrease efficiency, making it difficult to effectively care for high volumes of patients. The purpose of the study is to test a method to improve patient visit efficiency. We used Patient Flow Analysis to identify inefficiencies in the patient visit, suggest areas for improvement, and test the effectiveness of clinic interventions. At baseline, the mean visit time for 93 anticoagulation clinic patient visits was 84 minutes (+/- 50 minutes) and the mean visit time for 25 chronic pain clinic patient visits was 65 minutes (+/- 21 minutes). Based on these data, we identified specific areas of inefficiency and developed interventions to decrease the mean time of the patient visit. After interventions, follow-up data found the mean visit time was reduced to 59 minutes (+/-25 minutes) for the anticoagulation clinic, a time decrease of 25 minutes (t-test 39%; p < 0.001). Mean visit time for the chronic pain clinic was reduced to 43 minutes (+/- 14 minutes) a time decrease of 22 minutes (t-test 34 %; p < 0.001). Patient Flow Analysis is an effective technique to identify inefficiencies in the patient visit and efficiently collect patient flow data. Once inefficiencies are identified they can be improved through brief interventions.
Abstract 18: MicroRNA-103 induces DNA damage and radiosensitizes the tumor vasculature

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA While it is well known that tumor vasculature is a key determinant of resistance to radiotherapy, there remains a paucity of agents that sensitize this compartment to clinical doses of radiation. Using an expression screen for ‘apoptomiRs’ induced by high dose radiation, we have identified microRNA-103 as a potent, genotoxic stress responsive apoptomiR in endothelial cells. Functionally, ectopic expression of miR-103 mimics genotoxic stress causing DNA double strand breaks leading to cell death and decreased retinal angiogenesis in mice . Mechanistically, we show that miR-103 targets DNA repair pathway components - the exonuclease TREX1 and the adaptor FANCF. Finally, miR-103 injection in mice decreased tumor burden in a human colorectal cancer xenograft model where it enhanced the effects of low dose radiation. Our data uncovers a microRNA mediated pathway of DNA damage unique to proliferating endothelium that can be exploited for radiosensitization of tumor vasculature. Citation Format: Sudarshan Anand, Sunil J. Advani, David A. Cheresh. MicroRNA-103 induces DNA damage and radiosensitizes the tumor vasculature. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 18. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-18
Imaging of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma with PSMA-targeted 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT

Objective Molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) provides a powerful means of identifying and characterizing cancerous processes, as well as providing a quantitative framework within which response to therapy can be ascertained. Unfortunately, the most commonly used PET radiotracer, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), has not demonstrated a definitive role in determining response to therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). As a result, new radiotracers able to reliably image RCC could be of tremendous value for this purpose.
Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents for anemia in older adults

Erythropoietin, a humoral factor produced predominantly in the kidney, stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have been used for years in the treatment of anemia, with extensive experience and benefits in anemia of chronic kidney disease. Recent data have suggested adverse consequences with use of ESAs, perhaps relating to inappropriate use, and prompting release of guidelines to ensure safe use and maximize benefit. When prescribing ESAs, indications, requirements to monitor laboratory parameters (hemoglobin levels and ferrokinetics), and clinical status need to be stringently followed.
Interdependence, Development and Interstate Conflict

A nation's economy is the engine that powers, produces, and procures the weapons of war. Economic interests may benefit from war through increased production or they may oppose contests that promise to interfere with profits from trade and investment. Punitive raids, a major invasion, or an attack from the air may also hamper the productive potential of a nation, encouraging its leaders to think twice before using force. What relationships link economics and interstate conflict? How can a better understanding of these relationships help limit bloodshed in war and potentially bring peace? The many ways in which economic processes are tied to the development and use of military force would seem to support almost any speculation about the causes and implications of each for the other. Indeed, the literature on war would appear to have detailed just about every such possibility. Economics may be good or bad for peace depending on which sets of connections one prefers to emphasize. Part of this confusion stems from the inherent complexity of interacting two complex social phenomena in multiple possible ways. Confusion may also arise if the causes of either or both processes are not well understood. Indeed, the origins and nature of warfare have only recently begun to reveal themselves, despite centuries of interest and inquiry. Simply understanding why nations fight will go a long way to whittling down the number of ways that economic forces are likely to impact decisions of war and peace. It will also prove useful to distinguish the effects of different features of national economies, once a framework is in place (a model) to adequately represent war, the basic process whose functioning is said to be affected in various ways. This essay focuses on two economic processes, development and interdependence, explains why these two are especially worthy of attention, and attempts to lay out possible avenues for the extension of research into linkages between and among economic interdependence, development, and interstate conflict. Keywords: interdependence; international conflict; trade; war; peace; economic development
Device/performance trade-offs in optical networks

The author focuses on the benefits of using different classes of optical and electro-optic devices for circuit switched all-optical WDM networks. Two scenarios are considered: passive LANs or MANs which contain only passive optical devices and configurable WANs which contain many all-optical switching nodes connected in a mesh topology.
Silencing and Languaging in the Assembling of the Indian Nation-State: British Public Citizens, the Epistolary Form, and Historiography

Taking the case of postcolonial India, this paper explores ways in which present temporal junctures permit a probing of historical boundaries to speak of voices largely silenced from Indian historiography, namely those of British (Indian) public citizens who were committed to the assembling of “an India.” In particular, the paper discusses ways in which letters to and by Charles Andrews, Edward Thompson and John Amery debated ideas about carving an India out of the Empire and how this epistolary form in all its incompleteness mirrors the ongoing suspension of a collective assembly such as that of a nation. Heeding Radhakrishnan's cautions (2003) about turning history pages in other ways, the paper meditates on the dangers of the hardening borders of (postcolonial) nations—particularly India—and brings to the center silenced minor histories that at an earlier juncture escaped the historian's archive (Chakrabarty, 1998). Threaded through the exploration are also metaphysical ruminations on the relations of ...
A highly sensitive strobed comparator

A sensitive strobed comparator has been designed and extensively characterized. It is realized in a standard NMOS silicon-gate process, occupying a die area of 0.05 mm/SUP 2/ (81/mil/SUP 2/). Power consumption is 1 mW from a single 10 V supply. Resolution is 0.5 mV when a strobe signal rise from 0 V to 5 V in 20 ns. Offset voltage had a mean value of -0.5 mV with a standard deviation of 5 mV. This comparator should be useful for high-resolution analog-digital converters in NMOS technology.
MICROBIAL PRODUCTION OF L-ARGININE

L-Arginine-producing mutants were found in mutants resistant to various amino acid analogs including canavanine and antimetabolites derived from glutamic acid-producing bacteria such as Brevibacterium flavum, Corynebacterium lilium, Microbacterium ammoniaphilum, Arthrobacter paraffineus, and Brevibacterium ketoglutamicum.L-Arginine producers could also be obtained by random isolation from cells treated with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. The best producer, strain No. 352, was isolated as a 2-thiazolealanine-resistant mutant from a guanine auxotroph of Brevibacterium flavum. Strain No. 352 produced 34.8mg/ml of L-arginine in a medium containing 13% of glucose. L-Citrulline was also produced by this strain in the same medium.
Pathways of induction of peroxiredoxin I expression in osteoblasts: roles of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and protein kinase C.

Peroxiredoxin I (Prx I) is an oxidative stress-inducible antioxidant protein with thioredoxin peroxidase activity. Here we report that the levels of Prx I mRNA and protein are dramatically increased in a murine osteoblast cell line, MC3T3-E1, by treatment with sodium arsenate. We further studied the signaling pathways that control the induction of Prx I expression. The treatment of osteoblasts with arsenate activated ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 MAPK. Pre-treating cells with inhibitors of p38 MAPK abolished the induction of Prx I protein but had minimal effect on the induction of Prx I mRNA, suggesting that p38 MAPK activity was required for post-transcriptional regulation. The inhibition of ERK1 and ERK2 had no effect on the induction of Prx I expression. Furthermore, rottlerin, an inhibitor of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) and calmodulin kinase III, abrogated the up-regulation at both protein and mRNA levels. Staurosporine and Go6983, inhibitors for PKC, also inhibited the induction of Prx I, suggesting that protein kinase Cδ is required for the induction by arsenate. PKCδ was activated by arsenate treatment by in vitro kinase assays. The inhibition of PKCδ by rottlerin did not affect the activation of p38 MAPK by arsenate. These results suggest that there are two separate signaling pathways involved in the up-regulation of Prx I protein in response to arsenate, PKCδ required for transcriptional activation and p38 MAPK required for post-transcriptional regulation.
Dermal exposure to pesticides modifies antioxidant enzymes in tissues of rats.

Abstract Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities were determined in rat tissues after dermal exposure to pesticides. Two experiments were conducted in male SD rats, 190–210 g body weight. Acephate (ACP), methamidophos (MAP) and nicotine (NIC) were dissolved either individually or together in 0.25 mL of 50% ethanol, which contained: AP=12.6 or MAP 1.3 or NIC= 9.6 mg; EXP 1 ‐ individual pesticide exposure; 64 rats, 16/group; EXP 2 ‐ mixture of AP+MAP+NIC at levels of IX, 2X, 3X; 48 rats, 12/group; 0.25 mL of solution or ethanol (Controls) was applied to 25 mm2 area of shaved skin 3 times a week. Half the rats were terminated after 4 weeks and the rest after 4 weeks of stopping exposure. Single pesticides decreased erythrocyte (RBC) SOD by 17 % after exposure and in the NIC group after post exposure (P#0.05). Increasing concentrations of AP+MAP+NIC mixture elevated RBC SOD by 22 % in the 2X and 3X groups and CAT by 13 % in the 3X group (P#0.05); post exposure in...
Structural transitions at solid-liquid interfaces

In this paper we present the findings of our investigations using molecular dynamics, on molecularly thin films of n-octane confined between topographically smooth solid surfaces. We focus on the effect of increasing solid surface-methylene unit energetic affinity and the effect of increasing pressure (normal load) of the film in inducing liquid-solid phase transitions. We observed an abrupt transition in the structural features of the film at a critical value of the characteristic energy that quantified the affinity between solid surfaces and methylene units. This energetically driven transition was evident from the discontinuous increase of intermolecular order, a precipitous extension of the octane molecules and freezing of molecular migration and rotation. Increasing pressure had a similar effect in inducing a liquid-solid phase transition. The characteristics of the transition showed that it is a mild first order transition from a highly ordered liquid to a poorly organized solid. These findings demonstrate that the solidification of nanoscopically thin films of linear alkanes is a general phenomenon (driven either energetically or by increasing pressure), and does not require the aid of commensurate surface topography.
Neuropathic pain during treatment for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background Improved cure rates for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia over the past 2 decades have allowed greater attention to patients’ quality of life. Neuropathic pain is an unpleasant side effect of chemotherapeutic agents for leukemia, especially vincristine.