cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Syracuse Research Corporation (SRC) ultrawide-bandwidth measurements radar

In recent years, Syracuse Research Corporation has implemented bandwidth expansion and extended coherent processing techniques to improve scatterer resolution of images derived from existing data. The algorithms can produce extraneous responses, however, which is not the case if the data is collected using an ultrawide bandwidth radar. The long and continuous effort in radar imaging at SRC and the limited number and availability of wideband sensors justified the development of an in-house imaging facility that would be available on demand. As a result, the SRC Ultrawide Bandwidth Measurements Radar was assembled to perform the required measurements of the radar cross section (RCS) of isolated scatterers and to determine their relative location on a wide variety of target types. Along with the use of radar images for target analysis has been the development of target modeling algorithms and software that accurately predict the electromagnetic scattering from complex objects. A few years ago, the software was expanded to model objects as viewed in wide angle bistatic configurations. The SRC radar was utilized to validate these modeling algorithms in several radar bands at large bistatic angles. The system has subsequently been employed to measure a variety of target models and complex shapes and to evaluate the effects of radar absorbing materials (RAMs).
Variables Associated With the Use of Complete Oral Calorie Supplements in Children With Feeding Problems

Abstract Objective To examine child and parent variables associated with complete oral calorie supplement use among children with feeding problems. Design Correlational examination of data from patient intake surveys. Setting Hospital-based feeding program. Participants Participants included 281 parents of children referred to a hospital-based feeding clinic, including 114 who received supplements (70.2% boys; mean age, 60.1 months) and 167 who did not receive (79.6% boys; mean age, 67.5 months). Variables Measured Children's age, gender, weight status, diagnostic category (no special needs, autism, or other special needs), supplement intake, oral motor problems, child mealtime behavior (using the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire), parent feeding practices (using the Parent Mealtime Action Scale), and diet variety for child and parent. Analysis Chi-square analyses compared children who did and did not receive supplements for their percentage of gender, diagnostic, and weight status categories; t tests or Mann-Whitney U tests compared children who did and did not receive supplements, for age, oral motor problems, children's mealtime behavior, parent feeding practices, and diet variety. Results Compared with children who did not receive nutritional supplements, those who did were younger ( P P P P P P P Conclusions Whereas supplement use was related to underweight, 78.2% of children receiving them were normal weight or overweight, which suggests that supplements are being used to address mealtime selective eating. The use of supplements should be considered carefully because they do not appear to increase diet variety and may increase the chance of overweight over time.
Choosing a Database for Social Work: A Comparison of Social Work Abstracts and Social Service Abstracts

This study compared Social Work Abstracts and Social Services Abstracts databases in terms of indexing, journal coverage, and searches. The authors interviewed editors, analyzed journal coverage, and compared searches. It was determined that the databases complement one another more than compete. The authors conclude with some considerations.
Polar-direct-drive experiments on OMEGA

Polar direct drive (PDD), a promising ignition path for the NIF while the beams are in the indirect-drive configuration [S. Skupsky et al., Phys. Plasmas 11, 2763 (2004)], is currently being investigated on the OMEGA laser system by using 40 beams in six rings repointed to more uniformly illuminate the target [R. S. Craxton et al., Phys. Plasmas 12, 056304 (2005).]. The OMEGA experiments are being performed with standard, "warm" targets (865-μm-diam, 20-μm-thick, CH shells filled with 15-atm D 2 ) with and without the use of an equatorial "Saturn-like" toroidally shaped CH ring [R. S. Craxton and D. W. Jacobs-Perkins, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 095002 (2005)] (nominal dimensions: 2.2-mm diam measured to ring center, 0.3-mm thick). For the Saturn case, the plasma formed around the ring refracts light toward the target equator as the ring plasma expands. The nominal laser drive is a 1-ns flat pulse, ∼400 J per beam, employing 1-THz, 2-D SSD with polarization smoothing. Target implosion symmetry is diagnosed with framed x-ray backlighting using additional OMEGA beams and by time-integrated x-ray imaging of the stagnating core. The best results have been obtained with Saturn targets by varying the beam pointing and ring diameter, achieving ∼75% of the fusion yield from symmetrically illuminated targets with the same total energy (60 beams, 15.3kJ).
Linezolid Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: Characterization and Stability of Resistant Phenotype

Linezolid is an important therapeutic option for treatment of infections caused by glycopeptide- and beta-lactam-resistant gram-positive organisms. Linezolid resistance is caused by mutations within the domain V region of the 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene, which is present in multiple copies in most bacteria. Among clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates, there has been only 1 reported case of linezolid resistance. In the present study, this isolate was further characterized by determination of the number of mutant 23S rRNA copies, assessment of the stability of the resistant phenotype, and comparison of its growth characteristics with those of linezolid-susceptible S. aureus. All 5 copies of the 23S rRNA gene contained a G2576U mutation in the domain V region. After serial passage on antibiotic-free medium, the isolate maintained resistance to high concentrations of linezolid. Compared with 2 linezolid-susceptible S. aureus isolates, the linezolid-resistant S. aureus isolate demonstrated no significant differences in in vitro growth characteristics.
A note on constant weight cyclic codes

Abstract In this paper we show that the dual code of a g-ary Hamming single error-correcting code is a constant weight cyclic code with weight q(m-1). We give, as a consequence, a very simple alternative derivation of the weight enumerator formula for the q-ary Hamming single error-correcting code. We show also that a binary cyclic equidistant code can be derived from this dual code
Still Mythic After All Those Years: On Alston's Latest Defense of the Given

Wilfrid Sellars’ conclusion in “Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind” that “the Given” is a “Myth” quickly elicited philosophical opposition and remains contentious fifty years later. William Alston has challenged that conclusion on several occasions by attempting to devise an acceptable account of perception committed to the givenness of perceived objects. His most recent challenge advances a “Theory of Appearing” which posits irreducible non-conceptual relations, ostensibly overlooked by Sellars, e.g., of “looking red”, between the subject and the object perceived, that can play a justificatory role vis-a-vis the corresponding beliefs, e.g., that the object is red. I argue that Alston undermines his positive plausibility arguments by first blurring and then ignoring crucial differences among various looks-concepts, and that his own putative “phenomenal” looks-concept demonstrably cannot play the justificatory role that he envisions for it. Both his critique of Sellars’ arguments and his own alternative proposal thus fail on all fronts.
Axisymmetric draining of a cylindrical tank with a free surface

The withdrawal of layered fluids from an open tank through a hole centred on the bottom is investigated numerically under the assumption of potential flow. A fully cubic-spline nonlinear axisymmetric boundary-integral-method scheme with the built-in boundary conditions, which effectively reduces the numerical errors at the intersection lines where the tank wall and the density interfaces meet, is used. Two cases are studied : (i) the tank contains only one fluid with a free surface ; (ii) the tank contains two fluids having different densities with a distinct interface and a free surface. The numerical results show two different phenomena, depending upon the drain rate and initial conditions. When the tank is rapidly drained, a dip forms at the centre of the lower interface and extends into the hole very quickly, as observed by Lubin & Springer (1967). For a slowly draining tank, a jet forms in the centre of the depression region. This jet can either shoot up or move down, depending on the initial conditions.
Staphylococcus aureus Oropharyngeal Carriage in a Prison Population

Throat carriage (42.7%) of Staphylococcus aureus exceeded nasal carriage (35.0%) in 2 New York prisons. Methicillin resistance, primarily due to USA300, was high at both sites; 25% of dually colonized inmates had different strains. Strategies to reduce S. aureus transmission will need to consider the high frequency of throat colonization.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Therapeutic Update

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease with variable clinical manifestations that is characterized by flares and periods of relative quiescence. The disease occurs appro...
MMDB: annotating protein sequences with Entrez's 3D-structure database.

Three-dimensional (3D) structure is now known for a large fraction of all protein families. Thus, it has become rather likely that one will find a homolog with known 3D structure when searching a sequence database with an arbitrary query sequence. Depending on the extent of similarity, such neighbor relationships may allow one to infer biological function and to identify functional sites such as binding motifs or catalytic centers. Entrez's 3D-structure database, the Molecular Modeling Database (MMDB), provides easy access to the richness of 3D structure data and its large potential for functional annotation. Entrez's search engine offers several tools to assist biologist users: (i) links between databases, such as between protein sequences and structures, (ii) pre-computed sequence and structure neighbors, (iii) visualization of structure and sequence/structure alignment. Here, we describe an annotation service that combines some of these tools automatically, Entrez's ‘Related Structure’ links. For all proteins in Entrez, similar sequences with known 3D structure are detected by BLAST and alignments are recorded. The ‘Related Structure’ service summarizes this information and presents 3D views mapping sequence residues onto all 3D structures available in MMDB (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=structure).
Genetic (RAPD) diversity in Peromyscus maniculatus populations in a naturally fragmented landscape

We assessed the effects of long-term habitat fragmentation on genetic (random amplified polymorphic DNA) diversity in 11 Peromyscus maniculatus populations in the Lake Superior watershed. We analysed genetic structure at two spatial scales and the effect of island size and isolation on genetic diversity. At the regional scale, island populations differed from mainland populations (FST = 0.36), but mainland populations did not differ from each other (FST = 0.01). At the local scale, populations of the main island of Isle Royale differed from adjacent islet populations (P < 0.001; Monte Carlo approximation of Fisher’s exact test), but not from each other (combined P = 0.63). Although geographical distance and genetic distance were positively correlated (P < 0.01; Mantel test), cluster analysis revealed some inconsistencies. Finally, genetic diversity was inversely related to isolation (P = 0.01), but had an unexpectedly negative relationship with island area (P = 0.03). The genetic structure of P. maniculatus populations in portions of the Lake Superior watershed appears to have been affected by long-term habitat fragmentation.
Special Lagrangian torus fibrations of complete intersection Calabi–Yau manifolds: A geometric conjecture

Abstract For complete intersection Calabi–Yau manifolds in toric varieties, Gross and Haase–Zharkov have given a conjectural combinatorial description of the special Lagrangian torus fibrations whose existence was predicted by Strominger, Yau and Zaslow. We present a geometric version of this construction, generalizing an earlier conjecture of the first author.
Pathologic Hypertrophy with Fibrosis: The Structural Basis for Myocardial Failure

The major risk factor associated with the appearance of adverse cardiovascular events and outcome attributable to cardiovascular disease is left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Why this should be so resides not in the increase in myocardial mass per se, but in the disruption of myocardial structure. An abnormal accumulation of fibrillar collagen within the adventitia of intramyocardial coronary arteries and neighboring interstitial spaces represents such a distortion in structure. Furthermore, this fibrosis disrupts the electrical and mechanical behavior of the hypertrophied myocardium. Mechanisms responsible for fibrillar collagen accumulation have been examined in intact animals and cultured cardiac fibroblasts. In vivo studies indicate that myocardial fibrosis is associated with the presence of chronic mineralocorticoid excess, relative to sodium intake and excretion, not hemodynamic workload. Accordingly, fibrosis can appear in both the hypertensive, hypertrophied and nonhypertensive, nonhypertrophied ventricles. In both primary and secondary hyperaldosteronism it was possible to prevent myocardial fibrosis with an aldosterone receptor antagonist, while in unilateral renal ischemia angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition was similarly cardioprotective. A regression in fibrous tissue and normalization of diastolic stiffness has also been possible using ACE inhibition, bringing forward the concept of cardioreparation and the notion that heart failure due to fibrosis may be reversible. In vitro studies indicate that effector hormones of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system stimulate fibroblast collagen synthesis. Aldosterone, in pathophysiologic concentrations, and angiotensin II, in much larger concentrations, each enhance collagen synthesis without altering the mitogenic potential of these cells. Thus, elevations in circulating aldosterone and angiotensin II, relative to sodium intake, have the potential to not only alter sodium homeostasis and vascular tonicity, but also the structure of cardiovascular tissue. Thus, myocardial fibrosis represents a structural basis for pathologic hypertrophy and ultimately accounts for the appearance of adverse cardiovascular events and outcomes.
Environmental Journalism in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan: Reporting Scarce Amid Environmental and Media Problems

Independence for the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia has not led to press freedom, solutions to pressing environmental problems, or development of effective grassroots nongovernmental organizations. This article examines relations between journalists and environmental nongovernmental organizations, and it identifies barriers to in-depth, balanced, and accurate news coverage of environmental issues and events.
Tsars, commissars, and the jewish question in Russia: Two case studies

The relationship between the Jewish nation and the governing systems of Central and Eastern Europe has long fascinated, and bedeviled, contemporary observers and modern scholars alike. Numerous problems continually seem to defy convincing resolution. Among them are such key questions as these: Which factors can be used to define the Jews — i.e., linguistic, religious, ethnic lineage, custom and tradition — or a combination of these? Can the Jews become trusted loyal citizens of a secular state wherein they form a distinct ethno-religious minority? How can the government and/or its supporting majority determine at what point the Jews cease to be productive, contributing members of society, and become instead a harmful burden to the state and its people? Nowhere, it seems, has this collection of thorny issues, conveniently known as the “Jewish Question,” enjoyed such widespread attention and concerted concern from both official and general sources as in the lands ruled by the Russian tsars and, after 1917, by the Soviet commissars.
β-amino esters from the reductive ring opening of aziridine-2-carboxylates.

A general study is undertaken to examine the scope of the reductive ring opening of aziridine-2-carboxylates with samarium diiodide. The competition between C–C and C–N bond cleavage is examined as a function of the nature of the N-substituent of the aziridine, the nature of the substituent in the 3-position of the aziridine, and whether the substituent in the 3-position is in a cis or trans relationship with the carboxylate in the 2-position. The desired C–N bond cleavage leads to β-amino esters that are the predominant products for most aziridines with an N-activating group. However, C–C cleavage products are observed with an aryl group in the 3-position; this can be particularly pronounced with cis-aziridines where a nearly equal mixture of the two is observed. Exclusive formation of the C–N cleavage product is observed for all aziridines with the strongly N-activating p-toluene sulfonate group. Similarly high selectivity is observed for the 2-trimethylsilylethyl sulfonate group (SES), which is easier ...
Habermas and art: Beyond distinction

Sociological studies of the effects of the high arts have largely drawn from Pierre Bourdieu, who argued that the high arts have the undemocratic effect of shoring up existing socio-economic inequalities. In this article, I use the work of Jurgen Habermas to shed light on the potentially positive role that art museums can play in a democratic society, using the 1990 ‘High and Low: Modern Art and Popular Culture’ exhibit held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as a case study. Habermas’s work reveals that art museums are in a unique position to encourage debates that can contribute to replenishing the lifeworld. The ‘High and Low’ exhibit elicited a far-ranging public discussion about the role of art and art museums in a democratic society, provoked by the questions: which cultural products deserve the most esteem in our democratic society and why? While Habermas has been of interest to the discipline of sociology mainly for his work concerning the public sphere, he can also be useful for understanding art and culture, providing the conceptual tools to understand the unique place of the high arts in modern culture and to perceive how they can make a singular contribution to modern society.
The shifting roles of computers, experiments and analysis in applied mechanics

The shifting roles of computers, mathematical analysis, and experimentation will be examined by means of examples and case studies involving finite-diference and finite-element computer methods, problems of wave propagation, structural behavior in the plastic range, etc. These examples show how one small industrial group has attempted to cope with such problems in a rapidly changing technological setting.
Third-World Conflict in Soviet Military Thought: Does the “New Thinking” Grow Prematurely Grey?

“New thinking” in Soviet foreign policy may change Soviet understanding of the nature of conflict in the third world, Soviet interests in those conflicts, and therefore Soviet conflict behavior. While these shifts are widespread and significant, they are being resisted by military analysts, which indicates that Soviet policy may not be so easily or directly altered. Many military writers accept that escalation risks are extreme and threaten Soviet security, and others discuss local, nonclass, and intractable features of third-world conflicts. However, military analysts do not accept revisionist, class-transcendent definitions of Soviet internationalist duty. It is on this point that new thinking is most likely to founder in Gorbachev's attempts to change Soviet third-world policy and behavior. With the changes in Soviet domestic politics, military participation in security and foreign policy debates may be effective in restraining the more radical innovations implied in civilian analyses.
Comparison of denture base adaptation between CAD-CAM and conventional fabrication techniques.

Abstract Statement of problem Currently no data comparing the denture base adaptation of CAD-CAM and conventional denture processing techniques have been reported. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the denture base adaptation of pack and press, pour, injection, and CAD-CAM techniques for fabricating dentures to determine which process produces the most accurate and reproducible adaptation. Material and methods A definitive cast was duplicated to create 40 gypsum casts that were laser scanned before any fabrication procedures were initiated. A master denture was made using the CAD-CAM process and was then used to create a putty mold for the fabrication of 30 standardized wax festooned dentures, 10 for each of the conventional processing techniques (pack and press, pour, injection). Scan files from 10 casts were sent to Global Dental Science, LLC for fabrication of the CAD-CAM test specimens. After specimens for each of the 4 techniques had been fabricated, they were hydrated for 24 hours and the intaglio surface laser scanned. The scan file of each denture was superimposed on the scan file of the corresponding preprocessing cast using surface matching software. Measurements were made at 60 locations, providing evaluation of fit discrepancies at the following areas: apex of the denture border, 6 mm from the denture border, crest of the ridge, palate, and posterior palatal seal. The use of median and interquartile range was used to assess accuracy and reproducibility. The Levine and Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance was used to evaluate differences between processing techniques at the 5 specified locations (α=.05). Results The ranking of results based on median and interquartile range determined that the accuracy and reproducibility of the CAD-CAM technique was more consistently localized around zero at 3 of the 5 locations. Therefore, the CAD-CAM technique showed the best combination of accuracy and reproducibility among the tested fabrication techniques. The pack and press technique was more accurate at 2 of the 5 locations; however, its interquartile range (reproducibility) was the greatest of the 4 tested processing techniques. The pour technique was the most reproducible at 2 of the 5 locations; however, its accuracy was the lowest of the tested techniques. Conclusions The CAD-CAM fabrication process was the most accurate and reproducible denture fabrication technique when compared with pack and press, pour, and injection denture base processing techniques.
Analysis of immunity level of measles among migrant population in New District of Wuxi City

[Objective]To investigate the antibody levels of measles of migrant population in New District of Wuxi City,and provide evidence for formulating strategies of measles control and eradication.[Methods]A total of 823 healthy adult of migrant population in Wuxi New District were selected randomly for measles IgG antibody level detection and questionnaire survey. [Results]Of 823 migrant people investigated,the IgG positive rate was 30. 13%,the protective rate was 25. 52% and the antibody geometric mean titer( GMT) was 1: 179. The immunity level of this population was far from the protection level.[Conclusion]The immunity level of the migrant population in New District of Wuxi is low. The epidemic or outbreak of measles can be easily induced under the appropriate conditions.
A Positive Deviance Approach to Early Childhood Obesity: Cross-Sectional Characterization of Positive Outliers

Abstract Objective: Positive deviance methodology has been applied in the developing world to address childhood malnutrition and has potential for application to childhood obesity in the United States. We hypothesized that among children at high-risk for obesity, evaluating normal weight children will enable identification of positive outlier behaviors and practices. Methods: In a community at high-risk for obesity, a cross-sectional mixed-methods analysis was done of normal weight, overweight, and obese children, classified by BMI percentile. Parents were interviewed using a semistructured format in regard to their children's general health, feeding and activity practices, and perceptions of weight. Results: Interviews were conducted in 40 homes in the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas with a largely Hispanic (87.5%) population. Demographics, including income, education, and food assistance use, did not vary between groups. Nearly all (93.8%) parents of normal weight children perceived their child to be l...
Evolution-informed modeling improves outcome prediction for cancers

Despite wide applications of high-throughput biotechnologies in cancer research, many biomarkers discovered by exploring large-scale omics data do not provide satisfactory performance when used to predict cancer treatment outcomes. This problem is partly due to the overlooking of functional implications of molecular markers. Here, we present a novel computational method that uses evolutionary conservation as prior knowledge to discover bona fide biomarkers. Evolutionary selection at the molecular level is nature's test on functional consequences of genetic elements. By prioritizing genes that show significant statistical association and high functional impact, our new method reduces the chances of including spurious markers in the predictive model. When applied to predicting therapeutic responses for patients with acute myeloid leukemia and to predicting metastasis for patients with prostate cancers, the new method gave rise to evolution-informed models that enjoyed low complexity and high accuracy. The identified genetic markers also have significant implications in tumor progression and embrace potential drug targets. Because evolutionary conservation can be estimated as a gene-specific, position-specific, or allele-specific parameter on the nucleotide level and on the protein level, this new method can be extended to apply to miscellaneous “omics” data to accelerate biomarker discoveries. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Quantitative electrically detected magnetic resonance for device reliability studies

Electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) is a valuable tool for studying a variety of reliability problems, including the negative-bias temperature instability, total ionizing dose radiation damage, and instability in high-K gate stack-based MOS devices. Although conventional high-field EDMR can provide identification of the physical and chemical nature of electrically active reliability dominating defects in microelectronic devices, all of the EDMR studies to date have been limited by one significant shortcoming: EDMR is not quantitative. Although a large EDMR response generally corresponds to a high defect density and a small EDMR response corresponds to a low one, it has not been possible to assign actual numbers to the defect densities detected via EDMR. We've solved this problem.
Exploring the meaning of job burnout beyond the Western context: A study of Salvadoran social workers

This study explores the meaning of job burnout to social workers within the Salvadoran cultural context using qualitative data from 68 respondents. The themes that emerged during the study suggest ...
Genomic approaches and their contributions to understanding the European Neolithisation

The contribution of ancient DNA to the understanding of past events has been increasing exponentially in recent years. This is mainly due to the synergy of technical advances, such as the molecular technique of high-throughput DNA sequencing, which has allowed for the reconstruction of complete genomes as old as 750 000 years. Another step toward the cost-effective characterisation of ancient genomes is the sampling of petrous bone, which has allowed sequencing of the first ancient African genome. Here I review the significant contribution of ancient genomics to our understanding of the European Neolithisation process.
Personal Tasks at Work: An Exploration

Technology has changed the way that people work, socialize, and generally live their lives. Especially, technology has changed the way that those distinct parts of a person's life intermingle. Previous work has largely focused on different styles of work-life balance, and most of the industry contributions to this problem focus on preventing work tasks from leaking into one's personal life. However, little work has been done to investigate the ways that personal tasks impact the work day. We present the results of a survey of 93 employed people, as they relate to personal tasks that people do at work. We consider the context, consequences, and persistency of these tasks, and propose some design implications that could better reinforce the individual boundaries that people have between their work and personal lives.
Care Coordination and Handoff for the Pediatric Patient in the Radiology Environment

Abstract Handoff refers to the process of transferring the responsibility of patient care from one care provider to another in support of coordination of care. It is a real-time progression of transferring specific information to ensure the continuity of care. This fundamental but imperative process in patient care ensures that this pertinent information is discussed between team members while including the pediatric patient and often the parent or caregiver. Although easy to move through this process quickly, the hand-off process is one of significant importance for the coordination of ongoing care for the pediatric patient. Using information from the literature reviews, perception surveys from team members, and a collaborative review of the existing radiology hand-off process, the work supporting change to handoffs resulted in development of a more robust education and template for improvements to support quality patient care for the pediatric patient. This article will discuss the concepts for care coordination and handoffs for the pediatric patient on the radiology environment. Suggestions for staff nurses, nurse managers, radiology technologists, and physicians will be discussed in support of the pediatric patient when transitioning from levels of care within radiology and to other areas for care.
Enhancing supervisory training signals with environmental reinforcement learning using adaptive dynamic programming and artificial neural networks

A method for hybridizing supervised learning with adaptive dynamic programming was developed to increase the speed, quality, and robustness of on-line neural network learning from an imperfect teacher. Reinforcement learning is used to modify and enhance the original supervisory signal before learning occurs. This paper describes the method of hybridization and presents a model problem in which a human supervisor teaches a simulated car to drive around a race track. Simulation results show successful learning and improvements in convergence time, error rate, and stability over either component method alone.
Pilot study of pulse high-dose lapatinib in combination with temozolomide (TMZ) and radiotherapy (RT) for upfront treatment of glioblastoma (GBM).

2045 Background: The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is a potentially important therapeutic target for GBM since 45% of GBM tumors harbor either amplification, mutations, or both, of the EG...
Cancer diagnostics: Light scattering by pancreatic cysts

Pancreatic cysts can be detected via the optical-scatter patterns of these submicroscopic sack-like pockets of tissue.
Ecosystem change and human health: implementation economics and policy

Several recent initiatives such as Planetary Health, EcoHealth and One Health claim that human health depends on flourishing natural ecosystems. However, little has been said about the operational and implementation challenges of health-oriented conservation actions on the ground. We contend that ecological-epidemiological research must be complemented by a form of implementation science that examines: (i) the links between specific conservation actions and the resulting ecological changes, and (ii) how this ecological change impacts human health and well-being, when human behaviours are considered. Drawing on the policy evaluation tradition in public economics, first, we present three examples of recent social science research on conservation interventions that affect human health. These examples are from low- and middle-income countries in the tropics and subtropics. Second, drawing on these examples, we present three propositions related to impact evaluation and non-market valuation that can help guide future multidisciplinary research on conservation and human health. Research guided by these propositions will allow stakeholders to determine how ecosystem-mediated strategies for health promotion compare with more conventional biomedical prevention and treatment strategies for safeguarding health.This article is part of the themed issue 'Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications'.
The Gender of Joiners: A Global Perspective on Gender, Development, Inequality, and Membership in Voluntary Associations

Memberships in voluntary associations can provide access to valuable social resources. Generally focusing on high- and middle-income countries, research has demonstrated that to varying degrees in different societies, women have fewer memberships in voluntary associations than men. This study examines membership in voluntary associations globally and thereby the national characteristics that drive the gender disparity. The national characteristics we examine include development and inequality. We argue that two theories researchers have used to explain individual-level memberships—the resource perspective and homophily theory—also apply to contextual influences on joining associations. Using data from multiple waves of the World Values Survey, we employ multilevel models to analyze the relationship between national context and the individual vis-a-vis gender differences in memberships in voluntary associations. We find that macro-level resources such as the level of development, as well as macro-level heterogeneity in the form of economic inequality and indicators of gender inequality, significantly predict membership. However, macro-level heterogeneity explains gender gaps while macro-level resources do not. The findings of this study are applicable to countries spanning the full development spectrum and offer a new explanation of how social structures of inequality reproduce and create inequality at the individual level.
BORDERS AND BEYOND: CONTESTED POWER AND DISCOURSE AROUND SOUTHEAST COASTAL CHINA IN THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES

This article focuses on the mobile peoples who engaged in piracy on the borders beyond the territories negotiated by the imperial Chinese and colonial Spanish and Dutch powers, and by doing so, reframe our perception of early modern imperial and maritime history. In pre-modern times, the control of territory within the administrative borders was incomplete, and small pockets of territories with porous borders were beyond governmental rule. The people and the groups that lived along the coast of the northeastern South China Sea were, at different times, recognized differently and many of their activities were at times sanctioned and at other times outlawed. This article reveals a facet of how the non-stateless peoples lived on the borders beyond, claimed their own order in their own way, and worked and became naturalized or classified inside the strengthening borders in pre-modern societies according to the agenda and discourses of the dominant powers. I argue that the coastal societies had their own “order” that created groups “beyond control” or “being registered gradually.”
Iterative 3D layout optimization and parametric trade study for a reconfigurable ocean current turbine array using Bayesian Optimization

Abstract In this paper, we present an online approach for optimizing the 3D layout of a reconfigurable ocean current turbine (OCT) array. Unlike towered turbines, most OCT concepts for Gulf Stream energy harvesting involve tethered systems. The replacement of towers with tethers provides the opportunity for OCTs to adjust their locations within some domain by paying out/in tether to adjust depth and manipulating control surfaces (elevators and rudders) to adjust longitudinal and lateral positions. The ability to adjust the OCT positions online provides the capacity to reconfigure the array layout in response to changing flow conditions; however, successful online array layout reconfiguration requires optimization schemes that are not only effective but also enable fast convergence to the optimal configuration. To address the above needs, we present a reconfigurable layout optimization algorithm with two novel features. First, we describe the location of each turbine through a small set of basis parameters; the number of basis parameters does not grow with increasing array size, thereby leading to an optimization that is not only computationally tractable but is also highly scalable. Secondly, we use Bayesian Optimization to optimize these basis parameters. Bayesian Optimization is a very powerful iterative optimization technique that, at every iteration, fuses a best-guess model of a complex function (array power as a function of basis parameters, in our case) with a characterization of the model uncertainty in order to determine the next evaluation point. Using a low-order analytical wake interaction model, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed optimization approach for various array sizes.
Representation of Linear Viscoelastic Behavior by Ladder Models

In Sect. 3.5 of we discussed the representation of viscoelastic behavior by seriesparallel models. Because of the orderly arrangement of the elements in these models their respondences are easily determined even if the number of elements is large. Another orderly arrangement is available in the so-called ladder models.*
GENERATION OF INTERFACE STATES IN THE Si-SiO2 SYSTEM BY PHOTOINJECTION OF ELECTRONS

The generation of interface states is observed in the Si-SiO 2 system when a photo-injected electron current is passed through the MOS structure. The increase in the density of interface states as a function of total charge passed can be fitted by assuming that there are about 10 12 sites/cm 2 that can interact with the electron current, with a cross section of 10 -18 -10 -19 cm 2 , and become interface states. Within the sample-to-sample variations, generation is independent of direction of current and of temperature (97°K-0°C). More than 50% of the states are stable for 6 months at room temperature but they anneal rapidly above 200°C leaving a residue of electrons trapped near the Si-SiO 2 interface.
A Critical Look at Surface Temperature Records

This paper investigates United States and global surface temperature data sets and the many issues that call into question the integrity of the data and thus the ability to determine global temperature trends. These factors are shown to lead to significant uncertainty and a tendency for overestimation of century-scale temperature trends.
Effects of deferasirox dose and decreasing serum ferritin concentrations on kidney function in paediatric patients: an analysis of clinical laboratory data from pooled clinical studies.

Summary Background Serious and fatal deferasirox-induced kidney injury has been reported in paediatric patients. This study aimed to investigate the effects of deferasirox dose and serum ferritin concentrations on kidney function and the effect of impaired kidney function on dose-normalised deferasirox minimum plasma concentration (Cmin). Methods We did a case-control analysis using pooled data from ten clinical studies. We identified transfusion-dependent patients with thalassaemia, aged 2–15 years, who were receiving deferasirox and had available baseline and follow-up serum creatinine and ferritin measurements. Cases of acute kidney injury (AKI) were defined according to an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) threshold of 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 or less (if baseline eGFR was ≥100 mL/min per 1·73 m2), an eGFR of 60 mL/min per 1·73 m2 or less (if baseline eGFR was Findings Among 1213 deferasirox-treated paediatric patients, 162 cases of AKI and 621 matched control visits were identified. Patients with AKI had a mean 50·2% (SD 15·5) decrease in eGFR from baseline, compared with a 6·9% (29·8) decrease in controls. A significantly increased risk for AKI (rate ratio 1·26, 95% CI 1·08–1·48, p=0·00418) was observed per 5 mg/kg per day increase in deferasirox dispersible tablet dose (equivalent to a 3·5 mg/kg per day dose of film-coated tablets or granules), above the typical starting dose (20 mg/kg per day). An increased risk (1·25, 1·01–1·56, p=0·0400) for AKI was also observed per 250 μg/L decrease in serum ferritin, starting from 1250 μg/L. High-dose deferasirox (dispersible tablet dose >30 mg/kg per day) resulted in an increased risk (4·47, 1·25–15·95, p=0·0209) for AKI when serum ferritin was less than 1000 μg/L. Decreases in eGFR were associated with increased Cmin. Interpretation Deferasirox can cause AKI in a dose-dependent manner. The increased AKI risk with high-dose deferasirox and lower serum ferritin concentration is consistent with overchelation as a causative factor. Small decreases in eGFR correlate with increased deferasirox Cmin, especially in younger patients. Physicians should closely monitor renal function and serum ferritin, use the lowest effective dose to maintain acceptable body iron burden, and interrupt deferasirox treatment when AKI or volume depletion are suspected. Funding None.
Seasonal occurrence, relative abundance, and migratory movements of juvenile sandbar sharks, Carcharhinus plumbeus , in Winyah Bay, South Carolina

In the past decade along the U.S. East coast, the overfished western North Atlantic stock of Carcharhinus plumbeus has been recovering; however, research investigating C. plumbeus habitats and seasonal habitat shifts is lacking. Accordingly, we studied the seasonal residency, catch abundance, and distribution of juvenile C. plumbeus in Winyah Bay, SC, as well as their migration patterns along the western North Atlantic. We set 303 bottom longlines from May through September in 2016 and 2017 and deployed 11 Vemco (V16-4H) acoustic transmitters in juvenile C. plumbeus. Catch abundance did not differ by month or year (p = 0.45) and was not significantly influenced by any tested water parameter (p = 0.58). C. plumbeus catches were dominated by individuals measuring 81–100 cm precaudal length, and mean size only significantly differed by year (p = 0.02) with slightly larger sharks (86.8 cm PCL) caught in 2017 than 2016 (81.4 cm PCL). Tidal stage and Bay region were positively correlated with catches (p = 0.02). From August 2016 through January 2019, juveniles were detected in Winyah Bay from April to November for 1–302 non-consecutive days (μ ± SE = 108.1 ± 32.6 days), with six juveniles exhibiting interannual return. Detection frequency and presence differed by Bay region, with most detections nearshore and in Lower Bay, fewest in Middle Bay, and none in Upper Bay. This study had two primary findings: monitored sharks utilized a previously unknown southern overwintering migration route, and Winyah Bay serves as a secondary nursery for C. plumbeus.
Characterization of Xenopus laevis guanine deaminase reveals new insights for its expression and function in the embryonic kidney.

BACKGROUND The mammalian guanine deaminase (GDA), called cypin, is important for proper neural development, by regulating dendritic arborization through modulation of microtubule (MT) dynamics. Additionally, cypin can promote MT assembly in vitro. However, it has never been tested whether cypin (or other GDA orthologs) binds to MTs or modulates MT dynamics. Here, we address these questions and characterize Xenopus laevis GDA (Gda) for the first time during embryonic development. RESULTS We find that exogenously expressed human cypin and Gda both display a cytosolic distribution in primary embryonic cells. Furthermore, while expression of human cypin can promote MT polymerization, Xenopus Gda has no effect. Additionally, we find that the tubulin-binding collapsin response mediator protein (CRMP) homology domain is only partially conserved between cypin and Gda. This likely explains the divergence in function, as we discovered that the cypin region containing the CRMP homology and PDZ-binding domain is necessary for regulating MT dynamics. Finally, we observed that gda is strongly expressed in the kidneys during late embryonic development, although it does not appear to be critical for kidney development. CONCLUSIONS Together, these results suggest that GDA has diverged in function between mammals and amphibians, and that mammalian GDA plays an indirect role in regulating MT dynamics. Developmental Dynamics 248:296-305, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Love Without Mesure : Proverb Problems in the Lais of Marie de France

Marie de France’s Lais (twelfth century) contain moralizing statements and love-proverbs that seem at first to be inapplicable to the stories they complement. This article argues that Marie uses the narrative contexts of her Lais to test her proverbs, rather than merely subverting the proverbs or using them as garnish for her narrative. This allows Marie’s audience to learn “mesura” when they recontextualize conventional wisdom or love-proverbs to suit their own situations.
Association between race/ethnicity, illness severity, and mortality in children undergoing cardiac surgery.

Abstract Objective Prior studies demonstrate an association between nonwhite race/ethnicity, insurance status, and mortality after pediatric congenital heart surgery. The influence of severity of illness on that association is unknown. We examined the relationship between race/ethnicity, severity of illness, and mortality in congenital cardiac surgery, and whether severity of illness is a mechanism by which nonwhite patients experience increased surgical mortality. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of children younger than age 18 years old undergoing cardiac surgery admitted to the intensive care unit (n = 40,545) between 2009 and 2016 from the Virtual Pediatric Systems (VPS, LLC, Los Angeles, Calif) database. Multivariate regression models were constructed to examine the role of severity of illness as a mediator between race/ethnicity and mortality in children undergoing cardiac surgery. Results In multivariate models examining severity of illness scores, African-American patients had statistically significant higher severity of illness scores when compared with their white counterparts. In multivariate models of intensive care unit mortality after adjustment for covariates, African-American patients had a higher odds of postoperative mortality (odds ratio, 1.40, 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.89) when compared with white children. This increased odds of mortality was mediated through higher severity of illness, because adjustment for severity of illness removed this survival disadvantage for black patients. Conclusions Although African-American children undergoing cardiac surgery had higher postoperative mortality, this survival difference appears to be mediated via severity of illness. Preoperative and intraoperative factors may be drivers for this survival disparity.