cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Managing Appalachian hardwood stands using four management practices: 60-year results

Abstract A long-term forest management case study on the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia referred to as the Cutting Practice Level study is evaluated after 60 years. Treatments include a commercial clearcut (one time application), a 39 cm diameter-limit (applied 4 times), uneven-aged management using two variations of single-tree selection (applied 7 and 8 times, respectively), and an unmanaged reference area. We examine productivity, species composition and diversity, structure, tree quality, and revenues generated related to each treatment since establishment. The diameter-limit treatment resulted in greatest average periodic annual increment (PAI) of sawtimber volume of 3.1 m3 ha−1 yr−1 while the unmanaged reference area resulted in the least of 2.2 m3 ha−1 yr−1 (based on the difference in standing volume from 1956 to 2008). All types of partial harvesting resulted in greater sawtimber productivity than either the commercial clearcut or the reference area. Post-harvest tree quality, as measured by proportion of grade 1 butt logs, has improved from 1988 to 2008 for all but the diameter-limit treatment, which is similar to conditions in 1968. In 2008, the proportion of grade 1 trees in the residual stand ranged from a high of 0.22 for single-tree selection to 0.15 for diameter-limit harvesting. Species composition is becoming less diverse and more dominated by shade-tolerant species in all treatment groups but the change has been the greatest in the two single-tree selection treatments. Initially, size-class distributions were somewhat unimodal and reflective of even-aged stands with shade tolerant species persisting in the understory. In 2008, the single-tree selection treatments were both characterized by a reverse-J size class distribution and it appears this structure can be maintained due to recruitment of shade-tolerant species in the smaller size classes with concomitant reductions in species diversity. The net present value for each treatment in 2008, the time of the last management intervention, ranged from $20,000 ha−1 for reference area to almost $34,000 ha−1 for the single-tree selection treatment that included management of pole-sized trees based on all revenue and the value of standing timber using an internal rate of return of 4%.
Mdm2 Is Required for Survival and Growth of p53-Deficient Cancer Cells

p53 deletion prevents the embryonic lethality of normal tissues lacking Mdm2, suggesting that cells can survive without Mdm2 if p53 is also absent. Here we report evidence challenging this view, with implications for therapeutically targeting Mdm2. Deletion of Mdm2 in T-cell lymphomas or sarcomas lacking p53 induced apoptosis and G2 cell-cycle arrest, prolonging survival of mice with these tumors. p53-/- fibroblasts showed similar results, indicating that the effects of Mdm2 loss extend to premalignant cells. Mdm2 deletion in p53-/- cells upregulated p53 transcriptional target genes that induce apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest. Mdm2 deletion also increased levels of p73, a p53 family member. RNAi-mediated attenuation of p73 rescued the transcriptional and biological effects of Mdm2 loss, indicating that p73 mediates the consequences of Mdm2 deletion. In addition, Mdm2 deletion differed from blocking Mdm2 interaction with p53 family members, as Nutlin-3 induced G1 arrest but did not activate apoptosis in p53-/- sarcoma cells. Our results indicate that, in contrast to current dogma, Mdm2 expression is required for cell survival even in the absence of p53. Moreover, our results suggest that p73 compensates for loss of p53 and that targeting Mdm2 in p53-deficient cancers has therapeutic potential. Cancer Res; 77(14); 3823-33. ©2017 AACR.
The Worldview of Phenomenology

An invited High Table Address given before the students and faculty of Raymond College, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, December 10, 1969. An impressionistic and idealistic paper from the author’s youth suggesting how his de-projective approach to phenomenology could lead to an actual, lived, worldview.
Adaptive stratified importance sampling: hybridization of extrapolation and importance sampling Monte Carlo methods for estimation of wind turbine extreme loads

Abstract. Wind turbine extreme load estimation is especially difficult because turbulent inflow drives nonlinear turbine physics and control strategies; thus there can be huge differences in turbine response to essentially equivalent environmental conditions. The two main current approaches, extrapolation and Monte Carlo sampling, are both unsatisfying: extrapolation-based methods are dangerous because by definition they make predictions outside the range of available data, but Monte Carlo methods converge too slowly to routinely reach the desired 50-year return period estimates. Thus a search for a better method is warranted. Here we introduce an adaptive stratified importance sampling approach that allows for treating the choice of environmental conditions at which to run simulations as a stochastic optimization problem that minimizes the variance of unbiased estimates of extreme loads. Furthermore, the framework, built on the traditional bin-based approach used in extrapolation methods, provides a close connection between sampling and extrapolation, and thus allows the solution of the stochastic optimization (i.e., the optimal distribution of simulations in different wind speed bins) to guide and recalibrate the extrapolation. Results show that indeed this is a promising approach, as the variance of both the Monte Carlo and extrapolation estimates are reduced quickly by the adaptive procedure. We conclude, however, that due to the extreme response variability in turbine loads to the same environmental conditions, our method and any similar method quickly reaches its fundamental limits, and that therefore our efforts going forward are best spent elucidating the underlying causes of the response variability.
Sportsmanship and Politics: Xenophon on Ponos and Democratic Competition

ABSTRACTEven though agonistic democratic theory espouses and celebrates competition, it seemingly lacks a coherent ethic for decent winning and losing in everyday political life. This article is an effort to fill this void by suggesting a practice-based, non-perfectionist ethic drawn from sport. Focusing on Xenophon's On Hunting, we argue that sport, properly defined, offers an appropriate experience with ponos (toil, suffering) that teaches citizens perseverance, humility, generosity, empathy, and stewardship. This sporting ethic, we argue, provides a more suitable model for winning and losing in public life than the martial basis of agonistic democratic theory.
Phase-field modeling of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) influence on Li dendritic behavior

Abstract This paper reports a phase-field modeling (PFM) study of lithium (Li) electrodeposition process in Li‒metal battery (LMB) to explain its physics and morphology. Three regimes are investigated: Li filaments evolution, Li bush-like structure evolution and the transition between Li filaments and bush-like morphologies. The model takes into consideration the effect of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on Li electrodeposits evolution. Also, an important new element of the model is the capability to represent the directional diffusion of Li by implementing diffusion tensor of Li-ions in the electrolyte, thus, allowing to simulate Li filaments root growth. In addition, an elastic deformation energy of the Li solid phase is included in the free energy functional of the PFM, which allows for monitoring the stress field and its influence on Li filaments/bush-like structure evolution. In particular, a significant stress is observed at the root of the Li electrodeposits, which can support the development of the experimental strategies to suppress their formation by lowering the stress field. Thus, the present study, in addition to improving the fidelity of the PFM of Li electrodeposition, identifies critical regimes of Li filaments growth and splitting, allowing for a more profound understanding of their influence on battery performance.
Dynamic Implementation of Computer-Generated Volume Holograms

We design computer-generated volume holograms and implement on a single spatial light modulator with a folded imaging system. This approach is dynamic, compact, and enhances device performance in terms of diffraction efficiency and multiplexing capacity.
QUANTUM 1/f NOISE IN SQUIDS

The fundamental quantum 1/f fluctuations of the cross sections and transition rates which determine the normal resistance are evaluated for the case of a Josephson junction. Considering the velocity change in the quantum 1/f formula equal to twice the Fermi velocity and the concentration of carriers in the barrier 10 19 cm −3 , a spectral density of fractional fluctuations in the normal resistance of the barrier of 4 10 −14 /f is obtained for a junction with a volume of the barrier 10 −12 cm 3 . These fluctuations are inversely proportional to the barrier volume and result in voltage fluctuations both directly and through the dependence of the critical current on the normal resistance, in good agreement with the experimental data.
ACOUSTIC HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING

The first part of this paper reports progress to date on an experimental investigation of the feasibility of applying holographic techniques to acoustical imaging to obtain three-dimensional images of opaque objects as encountered in nondestructive testing. Equipment was fabricated to make acoustical holograms of objects in water. Acoustical holograms were recorded by mechanically scanning an acoustical point transducer over the water’s surface in a TV-like raster. The acoustic frequency was 5 MHz. The resulting holograms were then used to make visible images. Holograms of objects examined in water, where the ultrasonic wavelength was 0.3 mm, show image detail smaller than 1 mm. A variety of acoustical holograms and their corresponding images (including one of a hole in an aluminum block) are presented and discussed. The second part of this paper presents a simplified theoretical analysis of these acoustical holograms. The effects of nonlinearities, sampling rates and pulse duration, coherent sound, and wavelength scaling on the acoustical image are discussed. The problem of three-dimensional visualization of the acoustical image is considered in detail. The third part of this paper discusses some potential uses of acoustical holographic techniques in nondestructive testing.
Epigenetic control of innate and adaptive immune memory.

Clonal expansion and immunological memory are hallmark features of the mammalian adaptive immune response and essential for prolonged host control of pathogens. Recent work demonstrates that natural killer (NK) cells of the innate immune system also exhibit these adaptive traits during infection. Here we demonstrate that differentiating and ‘memory’ NK cells possess distinct chromatin accessibility states and that their epigenetic profiles reveal a ‘poised’ regulatory program at the memory stage. Furthermore, we elucidate how individual STAT transcription factors differentially control epigenetic and transcriptional states early during infection. Finally, concurrent chromatin profiling of the canonical CD8+ T cell response against the same infection demonstrated parallel and distinct epigenetic signatures defining NK cells and CD8+ T cells. Overall, our study reveals the dynamic nature of epigenetic modifications during the generation of innate and adaptive lymphocyte memory.
Examining Game Transfer Phenomena in the Hybrid Reality Game, Ingress

ABSTRACTGame Transfer Phenomena (GTP) is a common video gaming experience in which extended gameplay causes game-related automatic thoughts, involuntary behaviors and perceptions. Currently, there ...
Modeling and experimental determination of physical properties of GexGaySe1-x-y chalcogenide glasses II: Optical and thermal properties

Abstract This study systematically analyzed the correlation between topological structure and chemical ordering on the optical and thermal properties of synthesized material in the glass forming region of the GexGaySe1-x-y ternary. A series of ten compositions from 5 to 30 mol% Ge and 5 to 15 mol% Ga were examined within the ternary, showing broadband infrared properties with transmission from 1 to 25 μm. Topological constraint theory applied to compositions examined exhibited sharp inflection at the average coordination number of = 2.67 defined as the chemical threshold where the glass network consists of tetrahedral Ge(Ga)Se2 units. These observations indicate that thermal and optical properties in these chalcogenide glasses are highly sensitive to the chemical ratio of homopolar versus heteropolar bonds, Ge to Ga ratio, as well as the dimensionality of the topological structure. Glass transition and crystallization temperature values compare well with previous literature on similar Ge X Se systems. This is a comprehensive study that systematically examined thermal conductivity, heat capacity, absorption coefficient, and refractive index within the GexGaySe1-x-y system, correlating these properties with structural network calculations. The presented methodology and findings will enable the compositional design of materials for infrared systems using GexGaySe1-x-y glasses with broadband transmission.
The Redistributive Effects of Fiscal Policy in Mali and Niger

This study assesses the redistributive effects of fiscal policy in Mali and Niger. Fiscal policy is poverty increasing in Mali (by 2.4 percentage points) and Niger (2.5 percentage points). This is a result of primarily two factors: indirect taxes (value-added taxes and import duties) and direct fiscal transfers. Although the richest people in Mali and Niger pay the majority of indirect taxes, the poorest people pay a nonnegligible amount (more than 8 and 10 percent for the bottom three deciles, respectively). Although existing direct fiscal transfers have poverty-reducing effects, they are too small (Mali) or not well targeted (Niger).
Managing Patients: Evidence-Based Medicine Meets Human Complexity

“Evidence-Based Medicine” was heralded as a new approach to the practice of medicine, claiming to represent a paradigm shift by de-emphasizing intuition, unsystematic clinical experience, and pathophysiologic rationale as sufficient grounds for clinical decision making and stressing the examination of evidence from clinical research. Its major assumptions included what counted as evidence and how it was valued, the application of population data to individual patients, and the denigration of pathophysiological reasoning and clinical expertise. However, individual patients are complex systems, even if they have only one disease. EBM oversimplifies that complexity, minimizing the importance of heterogeneity of treatment effects which reflects patient diversity in risk of disease, responsiveness to treatment, vulnerability to adverse effects, and utility for different outcomes. These differences can result from intra-individual and extra-individual factors. Intra-individual factors can occur at any level of the hierarchy of biological organization, each of which consists of an extensive network of interacting elements. This issue is presented as one of the nature of the intervention by context interaction: Response = f(Intervention x CONTEXT). Every individual has a unique context even if one limits this to the level of the organism and its components. That context consists of a multitude of elements and their interactions. The response to implementing an intervention is not readily predictable in an individual. This has major implications for practice.
Mysterious Cause of Respiratory Failure and Multilobar Atelectasis in a 17-Month-Old Male.

A 17-month-old male presented to a community hospital emergency department in respiratory distress suggestive of reactive airway exacerbation or pneumonia. He rapidly deteriorated into fulminant respiratory failure with multilobar atelectasis. He was managed with continuous albuterol, intravenous antibiotics, corticosteroids, intubation, and vasopressors. He was then transported to a tertiary Children's Hospital. The patient was extubated 20 hours after presentation and again developed respiratory failure while in the pediatric intensive care unit. During preparation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, he quickly stabilized following reintubation and bronchodilator therapy. He was extubated approximately 24 hours later, and subsequently discharged after a 9-day hospitalization. Outpatient investigation after discharge revealed dysphagia, milk allergy, and eosinophilic esophagitis. In this case, it is highly probable that aspiration secondary to dysphagia and eosinophilic esophagitis led to respiratory failure. This case demonstrates the possible rapid decompensation from aspiration due to insidious inflammation of the esophagus and dysphagia in an otherwise anatomically normal toddler.
Exposure therapy for separation anxiety disorder

Abstract Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders among youth and is characterized by developmentally inappropriate and excessive anxiety concerning separation from a caregiver or other attachment figure. Exposure therapy is considered a gold-standard treatment for youth with SAD, which may be enhanced by family involvement. Exposure therapy involves repeatedly exposing youth to feared situations, while promoting adaptive behavior in response to anxiety; over time, the anxiety response will decrease. This chapter discusses how to implement exposure therapy with youth SAD, with family involvement throughout treatment. Challenging issues such as youth resistance, parenting attitudes and behavior, and clinician discomfort are addressed and recommendations for clinicians are provided. Additionally, ethical issues and cultural considerations in the implementation of exposure therapy with youth and families are discussed.
The psychology of revolution.

Revolutions are attempts to forcibly overthrow the political and social order. However, most revolutions fail to generate longer-term psychological changes to bring about a match between the behavior of the population and the espoused goals of the revolution. Attempts by the new ruling ‘revolutionary’ elite to re-establish order in society often result in a resurgence of repression and corruption, and imprisonment for those considered ‘anti-revolutionary’. Recent psychological research on revolutions explains this failure through limitations in political plasticity, the speed and extent to which political behavior does or does not change, which constrain the impact a revolution can have on individual and collective behavior.
A phase II trial of oxaliplatin and docetaxel in patients with androgen independent prostate cancer (AIPC) who have progressed to two prior regimens of chemotherapy

15545 Background: Single agent docetaxel has demonstrated survival benefit in AIPC. In a phase I study of single agent oxaliplatin at our institution, two patients with AIPC experienced a substanti...
Outcomes of urethroplasty for anterior urethral strictures: A single-center experience

Purpose: The management of anterior urethral strictures is quite challenging due to high failure rates with many unavoidable postoperative complications. This study aims to elucidate the appropriate surgical techniques, advantages, and disadvantages of the different urethroplasties. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively recorded and analyzed twenty patients' demographics, surgical techniques, postoperative uroflowmetry, and complications. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the length of their strictures. Patients in Group 1 presented a urethral stricture or obliteration length of
Excess mortality and potential undercounting of COVID-19 deaths by demographic group in Ohio

Abstract Background There are significant gaps in our understanding of the mortality effects of COVID-19 due to evolving diagnosis criteria, shortages of testing supplies, and challenges faced by physicians in treating patients in crisis environments. Accurate information on the number of deaths caused by COVID-19, both population wide and for demographic subgroups, is vital for policy makers and health care providers. Methods We performed a retrospective study of weekly data for Ohio, a large American state. To estimate expected mortality in 2020 we employed data from 2010 through 2019, adjusted for secular trends and seasonality. We estimated excess mortality as the number of observed deaths less the number of expected deaths. We conducted the analysis for the entire population and by gender, race, age, and county of residence. Findings We estimated 1,485 (95% CI 680-2,345) excess all-cause deaths in Ohio from March 15, 2020 through May 23, 2020. When limited to deaths due to natural causes, the estimated excess number of deaths increased to 2,504 (95% CI 1,633-3,221), reflecting the countervailing effect of a decrease in deaths due to external causes. While the largest number excess of deaths was observed in the 80+ age group, excess deaths comprised 45.3% (95% CI 21.8-60.9) of observed deaths in the groups corresponding to ages between 20 and 49 years old. Our estimate of 729 (95% CI 355-966) excess deaths for this group substantially exceeds the reported number of COVID-19 deaths of 51. We found elevated excess deaths for older individuals, blacks, and males. Interpretation Our methodology addressed some of the challenges of estimating the number of deaths caused by COVID-19. Our finding of high proportional levels of excess deaths among younger age groups suggests that increases in the infection rates for this cohort may have a greater mortality impact than expected. Funding None.
Experimental Investigation of the Influence of Bedding Planes and Differential Stress on Microcrack Propagation in Shale Using X-Ray CT Scan

In past couple of decades, scanning electron microscope and digital image correlation has been extensively used to investigate the microcrack propagation in rocks. Only recently, X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans were used for more detailed understanding of the physico-mechanical behavior of rock specimens. In current study, the deformational behavior of bedded Marcellus shale was studied through the changes in the geometry of microcracks. Quasi-static triaxial tests at three successive levels of differential stress were conducted on cylindrical-shaped shale specimens at a confining pressure of 6.89 MPa. Mineralogical analysis indicated the homogenous composition of specimen, however, triaxial tests resulted varying modulus of stiffness at similar confining pressure. The X-ray CT scanned images of specimens prior to the triaxial stress showed the significant density of pre-existing microcracks. During triaxial tests, the successive levels of differential stress influenced the geometry of pre-existing microcracks. The differential stress equivalent to 55% and 65% of the differential strength significantly closed the pre-existing microcracks. However, differential stress equivalent to 70% of the differential strength increased the density of microcracks. The orientation of the bedding plane only influenced the direction of microcrack propagation. The perpendicular-bedded specimen experienced significant microcrack propagation in the axial direction, while the parallel-bedded specimen experienced significant increase in the aperture of microcracks.
Changing climate reallocates the carbon debt of frequent‐fire forests

Ongoing climate change will alter the carbon carrying capacity of forests as they adjust to climatic extremes and changing disturbance regimes. In frequent-fire forests, increasing drought frequency and severity are already causing widespread tree mortality events, which can exacerbate the carbon debt that has developed as a result of fire exclusion. Forest management techniques that reduce tree density and surface fuels decrease the risk of high-severity wildfire and may also limit drought-induced mortality by reducing competition. We used a long-term thinning and burning experiment in a mixed-conifer forest to investigate the effects of the 2012-2015 California drought on forest carbon dynamics in each treatment, including the carbon emissions from a second-entry prescribed fire that followed the drought. We assessed differences in carbon stability and tree survival across treatments, expecting that both carbon stability and survival probability would increase with increasing treatment intensity (decreasing basal area). Additionally, we analyzed the effects of drought- mortality on second-entry burn emissions and compared emissions for the first- and second-entry burns. We found a non-linear relationship between treatment intensity and carbon stability, which was in part driven by varying relationships between individual tree growing space and survival across treatments. Drought mortality increased dead tree and surface fuel carbon in all treatments, which contributed to higher second-entry burn emissions for two of the three burn treatments when compared to the first burn. Our findings suggest that restoration treatments will not serve as a panacea for ongoing climate change and that the carbon debt of these forests will become increasingly unstable as the carbon carrying capacity adjusts to severe drought events. Managing the carbon debt with prescribed fire will help reduce the risk of additional mortality from wildfire, but at an increasing carbon cost for forest management.
Multi-omic comparison of Alzheimer's variants in human ESC-derived microglia reveals convergence at APOE

Variations in many genes linked to sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) show abundant expression in microglia, but relationships among these genes remain largely elusive. Here, we establish isogenic human ESC-derived microglia-like cell lines (hMGLs) harboring AD variants in CD33, INPP5D, SORL1, and TREM2 loci and curate a comprehensive atlas comprising ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, and proteomics datasets. AD-like expression signatures are observed in AD mutant SORL1 and TREM2 hMGLs, while integrative multi-omic analysis of combined epigenetic and expression datasets indicates up-regulation of APOE as a convergent pathogenic node. We also observe cross-regulatory relationships between SORL1 and TREM2, in which SORL1R744X hMGLs induce TREM2 expression to enhance APOE expression. AD-associated SORL1 and TREM2 mutations also impaired hMGL Aβ uptake in an APOE-dependent manner in vitro and attenuated Aβ uptake/clearance in mouse AD brain xenotransplants. Using this modeling and analysis platform for human microglia, we provide new insight into epistatic interactions in AD genes and demonstrate convergence of microglial AD genes at the APOE locus.
Performance evaluation of bacterial self-healing rigid pavement by incorporating recycled brick aggregate

Abstract Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. Surely, it is extensively employed in the construction of rigid pavements. Repetitive loads on the pavement cause cracks which allow the ingress of harmful compounds and thus reduce the durability of concrete. Hence, this research presents an ecofriendly solution to impart self-healing capability to concrete by using bacteria as a healing agent and Recycled Brick Aggregate (RBA) as an immobilizer for bacterial spores. Utilization of RBA is considered to offer a sustainable resource consumption. The bacteria used in this study is Bacillus subtilis and the calcium source used is calcium lactate. Specimens were prepared for four mixes, mix 1 was control mix, mix 2,3 and 4 contained 30%, 50% and 70% RBA respectively. The number of bacterial spores was kept same in mix 2,3 and 4 which was 106 cells/ml. The results showed slight reduction in compressive and flexural strength with the increasing percentage of RBA in the mix. Self-healing tests were also conducted which showed that samples containing 50% RBA and bacterial spores showed maximum crack healing of up to 0.92 mm with strength recovery of 69% when samples were cracked after 7 days and crack healing of 0.68 mm with strength recovery of 57% when samples were cracked after 28 days. Moreover, XRD and SEM analysis also confirmed the calcite precipitation.
Analytical solutions of the chemical master equation with bursty production and isomerization reactions

Splicing cascades that alter gene products post-transcriptionally also affect expression dynamics. We study a class of processes and associated distributions which emerge from a bursty promoter coupled to a path graph of downstream mRNA splicing, and more generally the behavior of finite-activity jump distributions coupled to rooted directed acyclic graphs of splicing. These solutions provide full time-dependent joint distributions for an arbitrary number of species, offering qualitative and quantitative insights about how splicing can regulate expression dynamics.
Gender Disparity in Surgical Society Leadership and Annual Meeting Programs.

ABSTRACT Introduction Prior work suggests women surgical role models attract more female medical students into surgical training. We investigate recent trends of women in surgical society leadership and national conference moderator and plenary speaker roles. Methods Gender distribution was surveyed at 15 major surgical societies and 14 conferences from 2014 to 2018 using publicly reported data. Roles were categorized as leadership (executive council), moderator, or plenary speaker. Data were cross-checked from online profiles and by contacting societies. Logistic regression with Huber-White clustering by society was utilized to evaluate proportions of women in each role over time and determine associations between the proportion of women in executive leadership, and scientific session moderators and plenary speakers. Results The proportion of leadership positions held by women increased slightly from 2014 to 2018 (20.6%-26.6%, P = 0.23), as did the proportion of moderators (26.2%-30.6%, P = 0.027) and plenary speakers (26.2%-30.9%, P = 0.058). The proportion of women in each role varied significantly across societies (all P Conclusion There is significant variability in the representation of women at the leadership level of national surgical societies and participating at national surgical conferences as moderators and plenary speakers. Over the past 5 years some societies have achieved advances in gender equity, but many societies still have substantial room for improvement.
Adjuvant Intravesical Chemotherapy

In 2018, there were an estimated 81,000 new cases of bladder cancer in the USA with over 17,000 cancer-related deaths.(Siegel et al., CA Cancer J Clin. 68:7–30, 2018) About 75% of these newly diagnosed cases are nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). With such a large percentage of all bladder cancer patients having nonmuscle-invasive disease at diagnosis, it is fitting that the American Urological Association has a guideline specifically addressing the management of NMIBC.(Chang et al., J Urol. 196:1021–1029, 2016) One area of continued research in this cohort of patients is the utilization and optimization of intravesical therapy (IVT). Intravesical chemotherapy (IVC) has been explored in the immediate postoperative setting, induction and maintenance therapy settings, and BCG-unresponsive disease state. As BCG shortage remains an ongoing issue with production limitations and rising demand, the utility of IVC warrants further study in BCG-naive patients. The purpose of this chapter is to describe evidence-based use of IVC in the adjuvant setting and give practical approaches for utilizing IVC in the management of NMIBC.
How Maharashtra Invests for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Gender Budget Analysis

Despite being one of Indiaâ€™s most economically progressive states, Maharashtraâ€™s human development trajectory has been plagued by severe inequalities with pronounced gendered implications. In order to unpack the role of the state in responding to the needs of women, girls and transgender persons through policies and budgets, this article deep dives into the public investment for gender equality and womenâ€™s empowerment in Maharashtra. We map policy priorities from the State Policy for Women 2014 to schemes and budgets as reported in the stateâ€™s first Gender Budget Statement 2020â€“2021. The study finds there is a large gap between policy and implementation, and that the investment on women, girls and transgender persons is abysmally inadequate. The analysis points to the lack of holistic investment across critical sectors, absence of a transformative enabling environment and insufficient interventions for the intersectional gender needs of the most vulnerable. JEL Classification: H72, H75, I38, J16
Draw from the Model and Imitate the Antique (1979)

Boundary conditions, like field equations, are proposed by theorists who dare represent nature by mathematical hypotheses. “Draw from the model and imitate the antique,” said Rubens. The tradition shows us that only after a theory has been formulated can existence theorems be proved. In framing boundary conditions, just as in framing field equations, the theorist outlines Nature as best he can from what little of herself she lets him see through the fogs with which she modestly covers her sincerity. To do so, he follows the forms and practices that his masters, the great theorists of old, have taught him by example. He demonstrates the properties that solutions must have in order to satisfy his conditions. Like his great forebe-ers he runs the risk that solutions of the kind he analyses may not exist: that all his labor may be spent on describing a few of the countless attributes of the null set. The tradition gives him hope as well as example.
Chelate Metal Complexes of Purines, Pyrimidines and Their Nucleosides: Metal-Ligand and Ligand-Ligand Interactions

Structural, synthetic and spectroscopic studies on chelate metal complexes of purines, pyrimidines and their nucleosides are discussed. All these studies suggest that chelate metal complexes can, via interligand interactions, react selectively with nucleic acid components.
"Language Strange": "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" and the Language of Nature

Keats prone l'amour de la nature meme si elle ne nous communique rien de benefique| dans BDSM l'eventualite d'une langue de la nature et le monde feerique sont montres comme deception. Theories romantiques de l'imagination poetique, de la realite de la nature ou de l'incarnation de l'esprit...
Dual modality surgical guidance for non-palpable breast lesions

Currently, the majority of lumpectomy and excisional biopsy procedures are performed using the wire localization (WL) technique; however, this technique suffers from several drawbacks including inaccuracy in placement of the wire, possible displacement of the wire prior to surgery, and ambiguity of the lesion's location along the wire. We propose dual modality surgical guidance (DMSG) as a means to overcome many of the problems associated with WL. The approach uses a dual modality (digital mammography and breast scintigraphy) breast imaging system developed in our lab to place a small radioactive marker (a radiomarker), directly into the lesion. Here we present the results of measurements of the localization and injection accuracy of our system. The localization accuracy, evaluated by determining the difference between the known and measured inter-well separations, were within 0.76 mm (standard deviation of 0.46 mm) of the true distances for x-ray imaging and within 0.66 mm (standard deviation of 0.43) for gamma imaging. Our maximum error in injection accuracy in any of the three Cartesian coordinates was 1.8 mm. On average, the errors were 0.6, 0.4, and 0.9 mm for x, y, and z respectively. The results of these phantom tests provide encouragement that our upright digital mammography unit can accurately a) locate a lesion in three dimensions, b) inject a radiomarker into the lesion, and c) assess the offset between the lesion and radiomarker centers.
A user Relief Approach to Congestion Control in ATM Networks

In this paper a new, insightful description of the object functions of a Traffic Regulator (TR) — implementing a model traffic behavior (delivered to the network) and a (user) relief function — is introduced. By identifying the relief function associated with the Leaky Bucket (LB), an explanation for the inefficiency of this widely studied TR is presented. The new class of ρ — relief LB TRs is then developed by focusing on the implementation of more flexible and efficient relief mechanisms. The improved effectiveness of the proposed class is established through a comprehensive comparison with the standard LB. The results from this study, as well as the slotted nature of the ATM environment, have motivated the introduction and study of the σ — relief TR implementing a near-periodic spacer. The induced cell loss probabilities have been derived through the analysis of a finite capacity queueing system with service opportunities determined in terms of a periodic pattern consisted of C + 1 subframes.
An Application of Rough Sets and Haar Wavelets to Face Recognition

The paper presents an application of data mining methods for face recognition. The proposed methods are based on wavelets, principal components analysis, rough sets and neural networks. The features from the face images have been extracted based on the Haar wavelets followed by the principal component analysis (PCA), and rough sets processing. We have applied the rough sets methods for selection of facial features based on the minimum concept description paradigm. The recognition of facial images, for the reduced features, has been carried on using error backpropagation neural network.
Recent results from the GISS model of the global atmosphere

Large numerical atmospheric circulation models are in increasingly widespread use both for operational weather forecasting and for meteorological research. The results presented here are from a model developed at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and described in detail by Somerville et al. (1974). This model is representative of a class of models, recently surveyed by the Global Atmospheric Research Program (1974), designed to simulate the time-dependent, three-dimensional, large-scale dynamics of the earth's atmosphere.
Light scattering by flakes

This work examines how thin flakes in for example a cometary atmosphere can be recognized by the way they scatter light. The investigation includes both theoretical modeling and microwave analogue measurements of light scattered by flakes with a size of the order of a few wavelengths and larger. The theoretical modeling adds the transmitted field found using Babinet's principle and Fresnel's equations, to an existing model for dielectric edges within the framework of geometrical theory of diffraction. This gives an approximate solution to the scattering by thin 2-dimensional dielectric flakes. The laboratory measurements simulate light scattering by 0.25 μm thick randomly orientated circular silicate flakes of 8 μm diameter.
Modulation of spontaneous transmitter release during depression and posttetanic potentiation of Aplysia sensory-motor neuron synapses isolated in culture

An Aplysia motor neuron cocultured with a single presynaptic sensory neuron exhibits spontaneous miniature EPSPs or EPSCs ("minis") that can be used to assay the release process directly, independent of the presynaptic action potential. Sensory-motor synapses in culture undergo homosynaptic depression with low frequency stimulation (< 1 Hz) and posttetanic potentiation (PTP) with high-frequency stimulation (20 Hz) much as they do in intact ganglia, except that PTP does not occur in culture when sensory neurons are impaled. We measured spontaneous release during each of these two forms of homosynaptic plasticity as a way of testing whether they involve depletion or mobilization of synaptic vesicles (Gingrich and Byrne, 1985). We find that PTP is accompanied by an increase in mini frequency that decays with a time course parallel to the decay of evoked EPSP facilitation. In contrast, depression is not paralleled by a reduction of mini frequency, although extensive stimulation reduces mini frequency for a brief period immediately following stimulation. Neither form of plasticity altered miniature EPSP or miniature EPSC amplitude, corroborating previous evidence that both are presynaptically mediated. These findings suggest that PTP is mediated by a presynaptic mechanism independent of the action potential, such as vesicle mobilization. This presumably Ca(2+)-dependent mechanism does not involve protein kinase C, since we found that the inhibitor H7 does not specifically block PTP. In contrast to PTP, depression appears to involve changes unique to excitation-secretion coupling, such as reduced Ca2+ influx during the action potential (Klein et al., 1980).
Numerical simulation of the plasma current quench following a disruptive energy loss

The plasma electromagnetic interaction with poloidal field coils and nearby passive conductor loops during the current quench following a disruptive loss of plasma energy is simulated. By solving a differential/algebraic system consisting of a set of circuit equations (including the plasma circuit) coupled to a plasma energy balance equation and an equilibrium condition, the electromagnetic consequences of an abrupt thermal quench are observed. Limiters on the small and large major radium sides of the plasma are assumed to define the plasma cross section. The presence of good conductors near the plasma and a small initial distance (i.e., 5 to 10% of the plasma minor radius) between the plasma edge and an inboard limiter are shown to lead to long current decay times. For a plasma with an initial major radius R/sub o/ = 4.3 m, aspect ratio A = 3.6, and current I/sub P/ = 4.0 MA, introducing nearby passive conductors lengthens the current decay from milliseconds to hundreds of milliseconds.
Condensation Water Hammer Calculation as Basis for Better Design

Condensation processes can generate relevant loading on piping systems when large bubbles ore separated vapor volumes are collapsing in a pipe. For prediction of such loads condensation effects in piping systems were modelled and integrated in a pressure surge code for branched systems taking into account fluid structure interaction. From these calculations we get realistic results of condensation water hammer in the piping system. The loads are strongly depending on the initial conditions and operating procedures. By carrying out calculations with the different possible operating conditions the results give the basis to decide which load cases are covered by the system design and where countermeasures have to be taken. These measures may consist of changing the modus of system operation or modifying the system design itself. A typical example is given.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Epoxidation of Camelina sativa oil and peel adhesion properties

Abstract Camelina oil is a promising material for the biopolymer industry due to its high unsaturated fatty acid content of 90%. The aim of this study was to optimize the epoxidation parameters of camelina oil. The epoxidation reaction of camelina oil was completed with formic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Catalyst ratio, reaction time, and temperature effects on the epoxidation reaction were studied. The optimum epoxy content of 7.52 wt% with a conversion rate of 76.34% was obtained for camelina oil using excess hydrogen peroxide and a molar ratio of formic acid of less than 1 for 5 h at 50 °C. We also found that epoxidation efficiency is significantly affected by fatty acids composition, structure, and distribution. The di-hydroxylized epoxidized camelina oil showed higher peel adhesion when it was formulated with epoxidized soybean oils. Epoxidized camelina oil has potential industrial applications in the field of pressure sensitive adhesives, coatings, and resins.
Response to a hepatitis b polypeptide vaccine in micelle form in a young adult population

Polypeptide micelles with relative molecular weights of 25,000 (p25) and 30,000 (gp30) daltons were prepared from native 22-nm hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) particles. This p25/gp30 complex was alum-adsorbed, and three dosage levels (20 micrograms, 4 micrograms, and 0.8 micrograms) were administered at 0, 1, and 6 months to 51 human volunteers. Local and systemic reactions were clinically insignificant, and all vaccinees seroconverted, regardless of dose. As anticipated, antibody responses diminished as the dosage was reduced. Seroconversion rates and geometric mean antibody levels for the 20 micrograms dosage group were significantly better than those observed with a commercial vaccine and were comparable to those achieved after immunization with 40 micrograms of the intact 22-nm particles used to prepare the polypeptides. By 2 weeks, an anti-HBs response was elicited in 80% of the group receiving 20 micrograms of the polypeptide vaccine. This rapid response to immunization may be particularly beneficial for postexposure prophylaxis where the early development of immunity is advantageous.
Peroxidation of Tobacco Membrane Lipids by the Photosensitizing Toxin, Cercosporin

Cercosporin, a nonspecific toxin from Cercospora species, is a photosensitizing compound which rapidly kills plant cells in the light. Cell death appears to be due to a cercosporin-mediated peroxidation of membrane lipids. Tobacco leaf discs treated with cercosporin showed a large increase in electrolyte leakage 1 to 2 minutes after irradiation with light. All tobacco protoplasts exposed to cercosporin in the light were damaged within 45 minutes. Chloroform:methanol extracts of toxin-treated suspension cultures gave positive reactions for lipid hydroperoxides in the thiobarbituric acid test. Cercosporin-treated leaf discs emitted high concentrations of ethane 12 to 24 hours after incubation in the light. Cercosporin also oxidized solutions of methyl linolenate as determined by the thiobarbituric acid assay and the emission of ethane. alpha-Tocopherol had an inhibitory effect on the cercosporin-mediated lipid peroxidation.
When learning to classify by relations is easier than by features

Relational reasoning is often considered more resource intensive than feature-based reasoning. This view implies that learning categories defined by relational regularities should be more difficult than learning categories defined by featural regularities. Unfortunately previous studies do not ground featural and relational information in a common perceptual substrate. After addressing this concern, a series of experiments compare learning performance for relation- and feature-based categories. Under certain circumstances we find faster learning for relation-based categories. The results suggest that mechanisms rooted in relational processes (e.g., relative stimulus judgement, analogical comparison) facilitate or hinder learning depending on whether the relational processes highlight or obscure the underlying category structure. Conversely, category learning affects relational processes by promoting relational comparisons that increase the coherence of acquired categories. In contrast to the largely indep...
Possibility of the non-phonon mechanism of superconductivity in a layered Fermi liquid

Abstract Superconductivity and the metal-insulator (MI) phase transition in a layered two-dimensional (2D) electron liquid, taking into account electron-correlation effects and spin-density fluctuations, have been considered by means of the Fermi-liquid approach. It is shown that the electron-electron interaction mediated by electron-hole excitations in a layered 2D correlated Fermi liquid can induce the MI phase transition. The possibility of superconductivity mediated by the electron-hole excitations in the case of the dynamical suppression of the vertex correction by the high-frequency plasma excitations is discussed. The dependence of the transition temperature T c on the carrier (doping) density, the interlayer spacing and the dielectric constant is obtained. It is also found that the superconductivity transition temperature at the strong coupling can be given by T c ∼ n s / m ∗ while it is given by a BCS-like formula T c ∼1.13 ω c exp (-1/λ eff ) at the weak coupling.