cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survey of Occupational Disease Status in Furniture Industry of Daxing District of Beijing City

[Objective]To understand the current status of occupational hazards in workplace of furniture industry,and provide evidence for the related department carrying out future supervision.[Methods]Based on relevant national standard,the examination on the workplaces of furniture industry was carried out by Daxing District CDC from 2003 to 2009. According to the requirements of "Monitoring Method of Hazardous Substances in The Workplace" ,the active carbon tube was adopted to collect the chemical toxicant in the air of workplace,the dust was collected by dust sampler,and the sound level meter was used tor noise detection.[Results]A total of 131 enterprises were detected for occupational hazards,the qualified rate of physical factor (noise),dust,chemical toxicant (benzene) was 53.86%,41.43%,85.51% respectively. The qualified rate of physical factor and dust was much lower than that of chemical toxicant,the difference between them was significant(χ2=324.77,P0.05).[Conclusion]Currently,the qualified rates of occupational hazards in workplace of furniture industry are low in Daxing District; and the sample qualified rates of physical factors,dust,chemical toxicant are all lower than that of other industries.
Development Trend Forecast of High-tech Industries in Hunan Province

Based on the related information and data of high-tech industries between 2000 and 2008 in Hunan Province,using historical trends and index forecast model,the paper forecasts the developing of high-tech industries in Hunan Province.The forecast provides a reference for drawing up 12th Five-Year development Plan of Hunan high-tech industries.The result shows that high-tech industrial products output of Hunan Province may exceed one trillion yuan in between 2012and 2013.Also,The paper analyses the highlight problem of the development of Hunan high-tech industries at the present stage.
Effects of Electrical Shielding and Salt Concentration on Microwave Heating in Cylindrical Containers

Time-temperature distributions in water and salt solutions were collected in a cylindrical container with and without electrical top shielding during microwave heating. A cold spot was found to exist for both water and salt solutions close to the bottom of the container with and without electrical top shielding. Surface heating was observed in unshielded salt solutions and resulted in a stagnant layer close to the top of the container. Surface heating was eliminated in salt solutions with electrical shielding at the top of the container. Flow profiles within the container were monitored using a potassium permanganate dye tracer and a video camera. The flow profiles for water showed an upward flow in the central region and a descending flow along the side walls. An upward flow along the side walls and a downward flow along the central axis was observed for salt solutions.
Xenogenous and in vitro fertilization of frozen/thawed primate oocytes and blastomere separation of embryos * †

Little research has been done on the in vitro and xenogenous fertilization of cryopreserved primate oocytes. This study reports the development of freezing and thawing methods for squirrel monkey oocytes with subsequent successful fertilization by these two methods. Preliminary results on techniques for blastomere separation using the hamster and squirrel monkey as models are also given. These studies have important implications relative to the long-term frozen storage of human oocytes, their subsequent thawing, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, and the use of the blastomere separation procedure, in conjunction with in vitro fertilization, in the diagnosis of embryonic normality and possible congenital defects prior to implantation.
Religion, Religiosity and Male and Female Fertility

Previous studies have demonstrated religion to be an important factor that differentiates women’s fertility. This chapter extends the examination to men’s fertility outcome and their religion. Besides examining religious affiliation and fertility, I also take religiosity into consideration, which is measured by the manner in which people practice their religion. I begin the chapter by reviewing four principle hypotheses proposed in the literature that explain fertility differentials among people with different religious affiliations. The chapter then sets forth a series of hypotheses on religious affiliation, religiosity and male and female fertility. These hypotheses are tested by analyzing male and female samples taken from the NSFG Cycle 6 data set. The results show that the fertility gap among religious groups is shrinking for both men and women, meaning religious denomination may not be an important indicator that differentiates fertility in future. However, religiosity turns to be a factor that demonstrates substantial importance when shaping religious people’s fertility outcomes. Through contrasting the effects of religion and religiosity on male and female fertility, the results of this research show that religion and religiosity do not seem to be factors that differentiate women’s than on men’s fertility.
A combined deficiency of tissue factor and PAR-4 is associated with fatal pulmonary hemorrhage in mice.

Abstract Introduction Mice with a complete absence of tissue factor (TF) die during embryonic development whereas mice with low levels of TF (Low-TF mice) survive to adulthood. Low-TF mice exhibit spontaneous hemorrhage in various organs, including the lung. In contrast, mice can survive without protease-activated receptor (PAR)-4, which is the major thrombin receptor on mouse platelets. We determined the effect of combining a deficiency PAR-4 (primary hemostasis) with a deficiency in TF (secondary hemostasis) on embryonic development and survival of adult mice. Materials and methods Low-TF mice (mTF −/− , hTF +/+ ) were crossed with PAR-4 −/− mice to generate heterozygous mice (mTF +/− , hTF +/− , PAR-4 +/− ). These mice were intercrossed to generate Low-TF mice lacking PAR-4. Mice surviving to wean were genotyped and survival was monitored for 6 months. Results We observed the expected number of Low-TF,PAR-4 −/− mice at wean indicating survival in utero and after birth. However, an absence of PAR-4 was associated with premature death of all Low-TF,PAR-4 −/− mice in the 6 month observational period. This compares with 40% death of the Low-TF,PAR-4 +/+ mice (p = 0.003). Low-TF,PAR-4 +/− mice had an intermediate phenotype with 55% of the mice dying within 6 months. The primary cause of mortality of Low-TF,PAR-4 −/− mice was pulmonary hemorrhage. Conclusions Low-TF,PAR-4 −/− mice survive into adulthood, but combining a deficiency of primary hemostasis (PAR-4 deficiency) with secondary hemostasis (low levels of TF) leads to premature death primarily due to pulmonary hemorrhage.
Municipal statecraft: Revisiting the geographies of the entrepreneurial city

The entrepreneurial city is no longer (only) a growth machine: recession and austerity, new forms of financialization, and diverse experiments in urban policy have diluted local elites’ focus on gr...
Why older adults may decline offers of post-acute care services: A qualitative descriptive study.

Abstract The most common post-acute care (PAC) services available to patients after hospital discharge include home care, skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, inpatient rehabilitation, and hospice. Patients who need PAC and receive services have better outcomes, however almost one-third of those offered services decline. Little research exists on PAC decision-making and why patients may decline services. This qualitative descriptive study explored the responses of thirty older adults to the question: “Can you, from the patient point of view, tell me why someone would not want post hospital care?” Three themes emerged. Participants may decline due to 1) previous negative experiences with PAC, or 2) a preference to be home. Some participants stated, “I'd be there” and would not decline services. Participants also discussed 3) why other patients might decline PAC which included patients' past experiences, lack of understanding/preconceived ideas, and preferences. Clinical implications include assessing patients' knowledge and experience before providing recommendations.
Telemedicine Exposure Therapy and Assessment for PTSD: a Systematic Clinical Practice Narrative Review

The aim of this paper was to systematically review the acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy of telemedicine/videoconference-based (video-teleconference (VTC)) methods used to deliver empirically supported treatments (i.e., prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy) and assessment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nineteen manuscripts detailing 14 studies were included. The five feasibility studies reported overall patient satisfaction with and viability of VTC-delivered PTSD treatment. The seven efficacy studies demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD symptoms in the telemedicine arms, and three protocols demonstrated equivalency/noninferiority of VTC compared to face-to-face treatment. Two manuscripts reported validity and acceptability and VTC-based PTSD assessment. No clinical emergencies were reported. Limitations of studies reviewed included inadequate noninferiority/equivalency data, a paucity of assessment focused research, and no published research of these methods in nonveteran high-risk populations (e.g., emergency workers). In conclusion, these data highlight the potential of VTC for providing evidence-based care for PTSD and may be a promising means to increase the dissemination of empirically supported treatments and assessment for this population.
Evaluation of operant learning in young foals using target training

Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to characterize operant learning performance of young foals. For each of 26 foals, aged 6–20 weeks, learning performance was quantitatively evaluated in a single brief training trial using a standard operant conditioning task and paradigm analogous to those common to training and management of domestic horses, popularly referred to as “target training.” With no human interaction in the interim, retention of the learning was evaluated seven to 26 days after the initial training trial. All 26 foals demonstrated learning in this operant paradigm. In this operant paradigm, learning was as efficient in the foals of 6 weeks to 3 months of age (n = 14) as foals of 3–5 months of age (n = 12). Some evidence was found for more efficient learning in female (n = 13) than in male foals (n = 13), as well as in certain sire lines. Seventeen of the 26 foals (65%) met the criterion for retention. Differences in the proportions of males and females and of younger and older foals that met this criterion were not significant (Fisher’s Exact Test). This work demonstrates the ability of young foals to efficiently learn and to retain an operant task.
A Stochastic Control Verification Theorem for the Dequantized Schrödinger Equation Not Requiring a Duration Restriction

A stochastic control representation for solution of the Schrodinger equation is obtained, utilizing complex-valued diffusion processes. The Maslov dequantization is employed, where the domain is complex-valued in the space variable. The notion of stationarity is utilized to relate the Hamilton–Jacobi form of the dequantized Schrodinger equation to its stochastic control representation. Convexity is not required, and consequently, there is no restriction on the duration of the problem. Additionally, existence is reduced to a real-valued domain case.
The Supply of Prescription Opioids: Contributions of Episodic-Care Prescribers and High-Quantity Prescribers.

Study objective We determine episodic and high-quantity prescribers' contribution to opioid prescriptions and total morphine milligram equivalents in California, especially among individuals prescribed large amounts of opioids. Methods This was a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of opioid prescribing patterns during an 8-year period using the de-identified Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) database, the California subsection of the prescription drug monitoring program. We took a 10% random sample of all patients and stratified them by the amount of prescription opioids obtained during their maximal 90-day period. We identified "episodic prescribers" as those whose prescribing pattern included short-acting opioids on greater than 95% of all prescriptions, fewer than or equal to 31 pills on 95% of all prescriptions, only 1 prescription in the database for greater than 90% of all patients to whom they gave opioids, fewer than 6 prescriptions in the database to greater than 99% of patients given opioids, and fewer than 540 prescriptions per year. We identified top 5% prescribers by their morphine milligram equivalents per day in the database. We examined the relationship between patient opioid prescriptions and provider type, with the primary analysis performed on the patient cohort who received only short-acting opioids in an attempt to avoid guideline-concordant palliative, oncologic, and addiction care, and a secondary analysis performed on all patients. Results Among patients with short-acting opioid only, episodic prescribers (14.6% of 173,000 prescribers) wrote at least one prescription to 25% of 2.7 million individuals but were responsible for less than 9% of the 10.5 million opioid prescriptions and less than 3% of the 3.9 billion morphine milligram equivalents in our sample. Among individuals with high morphine milligram equivalents use, episodic prescribers were responsible for 2.8% of prescriptions and 0.6% of total morphine milligram equivalents. Conversely, the top 5% of prescribers prescribed at least 29.8% of prescriptions and 48.8% of total morphine milligram equivalents, with a greater contribution in patients with high morphine milligram equivalents. Conclusion Episodic prescribers contribute minimally to total opioid prescriptions, especially among individuals categorized as using high morphine milligram equivalents. Interventions focused on reducing opioid prescriptions in the episodic care setting are unlikely to yield important reductions in the prescription opioid supply; conversely, targeting high-quantity prescribers has the potential to create substantial reductions.
CDK4/6 inhibition as maintenance and combination therapy for high grade serous ovarian cancer

// Mangala Iyengar 1, 2, * , Patrick O’Hayer 1, 2, * , Alex Cole 4 , Tara Sebastian 3 , Kun Yang 4 , Lan Coffman 4, # and Ronald J. Buckanovich 4, 5, # 1 University of Michigan, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA 2 University of Michigan, Medical Scientist Training Program, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA 3 University of Michigan, School of Literature, Science and the Arts, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA 4 University of Michigan, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA 5 Magee Women’s Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Internal Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA * Co-first authors # Co-senior authors Correspondence to: Ronald J. Buckanovich, email: ronaldbu@med.umich.edu Keywords: ovarian cancer; Ribociclib; CDK 4/6 inhibitor; chemotherapy resistance; cell cycle Abbreviations: LEE-011: Ribociclib; CDK: Cyclin Dependent Kinase; HGSOC: high grade serous ovarian cancer; TCGA: The Cancer Genome Atlas Received: February 20, 2018 Accepted: February 21, 2018 Epub: February 26, 2018 Published: March 20, 2018 ABSTRACT High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is a disease with a high relapse rate and poor overall survival despite good initial responses to platinum-based therapy. Cell cycle inhibition with targeted CDK4/6 inhibitors is a new therapeutic approach showing promise as a maintenance therapy in cancer. As multiple genes in the CDK4/6 pathway are commonly mutated or dysregulated in ovarian cancer, we evaluated the efficacy of the CDK4/6 inhibitor Ribociclib alone, in combination with chemotherapy, and as maintenance therapy in several models of HGSOC. Ribociclib restricted cellular proliferation in multiple ovarian cancer cell lines. Restricted proliferation was associated with a pseudo-senescent cellular phenotype; Ribociclib-treated cells expressed markers of senescence, but could rapidly re-enter the cell cycle with discontinuation of therapy. Surprisingly, concurrent Ribociclib and cisplatin therapy followed by Ribociclib maintenance was synergistic. Evaluation of the cell cycle suggested that Ribociclib may also act at the G2/M check point via dephosphorylation of ATR and CHK1. Consistent with this mechanism, Ribociclib demonstrated clear activity in both platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive tumor models in vivo . This work supports clinical trials using Ribociclib in combination with cisplatin and as a maintenance therapy in ovarian cancer.
ASTRAL-III: polynomial time species tree reconstruction from partially resolved gene trees.

Evolutionary histories can be discordant across the genome, and such discordances need to be considered in reconstructing the species phylogeny. ASTRAL is one of the leading methods for inferring species trees from gene trees while accounting for gene tree discordance. ASTRAL uses dynamic programming to search for the tree that shares the maximum number of quartet topologies with input gene trees, restricting itself to a predefined set of bipartitions. We introduce ASTRAL-III, which substantially improves the running time of ASTRAL-II and guarantees polynomial running time as a function of both the number of species (n) and the number of genes (k). ASTRAL-III limits the bipartition constraint set (X) to grow at most linearly with n and k. Moreover, it handles polytomies more efficiently than ASTRAL-II, exploits similarities between gene trees better, and uses several techniques to avoid searching parts of the search space that are mathematically guaranteed not to include the optimal tree. The asymptotic running time of ASTRAL-III in the presence of polytomies is $O\left ((nk)^{1.726} D \right)$ where D=O(nk) is the sum of degrees of all unique nodes in input trees. The running time improvements enable us to test whether contracting low support branches in gene trees improves the accuracy by reducing noise. In extensive simulations, we show that removing branches with very low support (e.g., below 10%) improves accuracy while overly aggressive filtering is harmful. We observe on a biological avian phylogenomic dataset of 14K genes that contracting low support branches greatly improve results. ASTRAL-III is a faster version of the ASTRAL method for phylogenetic reconstruction and can scale up to 10,000 species. With ASTRAL-III, low support branches can be removed, resulting in improved accuracy.
Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms in Intelligent Systems

The possibility of creating thinking systems discusses issues that may arise in the near future of AI. However this outlines challenges to ensure that AI operates safely as it approaches humans in its intelligence from Algorithms Intelligent Systems. To understand how progress may proceed we need to understand how existing algorithms are developed and improve, differentiating the concepts between data analytics and data algorithmic decision making. This article reviews the literature on AI and AIS and presents some general guidelines and a brief summary of research progress and open research questions. The first section reviews the basic foundation of Artificial Intelligence to provide a common basis for further discussions and the second section of this paper suggests the development of Algorithm Intelligence Systems models including: learning algorithms such as learning from observations, learning in Neural and Belief Networks and reinforcement learning.
Paleozoology and Paleoenvironments: Fundamentals, Assumptions, Techniques

Paleozoology and Paleoenvironments outlines the reconstruction of ancient climates, floras, and habitats on the basis of animal fossil remains recovered from archaeological and paleontological sites. In addition to outlining the ecological fundamentals and analytical assumptions attending such analyzes, J. Tyler Faith and R. Lee Lyman describe and critically evaluate many of the varied analytical techniques that have been applied to paleozoological remains for the purpose of paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These techniques range from analyses based on the presence or abundance of species in a fossil assemblage to those based on taxon-free ecological characterizations. All techniques are illustrated using faunal data from archaeological or paleontological contexts. Aimed at students and professionals, this volume will serve as fundamental resource for courses in zooarchaeology, paleontology, and paleoecology.
Steady-state activation of the high-affinity isoform of the α4β2δ GABAA receptor.

Activation of GABAA receptors consisting of α4, β2 (or β3), and δ subunits is a major contributor to tonic inhibition in several brain regions. The goal of this study was to analyze the function of the α4β2δ receptor in the presence of GABA and other endogenous and clinical activators and modulators under steady-state conditions. We show that the receptor has a high constitutive open probability (~0.1), but is only weakly activated by GABA that has a maximal peak open probability (POpen,peak) of 0.4, taurine (maximal POpen,peak = 0.4), or the endogenous steroid allopregnanolone (maximal POpen,peak = 0.2). The intravenous anesthetic propofol is a full agonist (maximal POpen,peak = 0.99). Analysis of currents using a cyclic three-state Resting-Active-Desensitized model indicates that the maximal steady-state open probability of the α4β2δ receptor is ~0.45. Steady-state open probability in the presence of combinations of GABA, taurine, propofol, allopregnanolone and/or the inhibitory steroid pregnenolone sulfate closely matched predicted open probability calculated assuming energetic additivity. The results suggest that the receptor is active in the presence of physiological concentrations of GABA and taurine, but, surprisingly, that receptor activity is only weakly potentiated by propofol.
Using Irrigation to Increase Stormwater Mitigation Potential of Rainwater Harvesting Systems

AbstractRainwater harvesting (RWH) systems used for irrigation often provide fewer stormwater management benefits than systems used for year-round, nondiscretionary purposes because there is dimini...
Did the Johannine Community Exist

This article challenges the historical existence of the ‘Johannine community’ – a hypothesized group of ancient churches sharing a distinctive theological outlook. Scholars posit such a community t...
Safety results from phase I/II study of the PI3Kβ inhibitor GSK2636771 (G) in combination with pembrolizumab (P) in patients (pts) with PD-1 refractory metastatic melanoma (MM) and PTEN loss.

e22000Background: Checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) have improved survival and long-term disease control in 35-40% of pts with MM. Many pts derive no clinical benefit or progress after an initial respons...
Calibration of T-shaped atomic force microscope cantilevers using the thermal noise method.

The tip—sample interaction force measurements in atomic force microscopy (AFM) provide information about materials’ properties with nanoscale resolution. The T-shaped cantilevers used in Torsional-Harmonic AFM allow measuring the rapidly changing tip–sample interaction forces using the torsional (twisting) deflections of the cantilever due to the off-axis placement of the sharp tip. However, it has been difficult to calibrate these cantilevers using the commonly used thermal noise-based calibration method as the mechanical coupling between flexural and torsional deflections makes it challenging to determine the deflection sensitivities from force–distance curves. Here, we present thermal noise-based calibration of these T-shaped AFM cantilevers by simultaneously analyzing flexural and torsional thermal noise spectra, along with deflection signals during a force–distance curve measurement. The calibration steps remain identical to the conventional thermal noise method, but a computer performs additional calculations to account for mode coupling. We demonstrate the robustness of the calibration method by determining the sensitivity of calibration results to the laser spot position on the cantilever, to the orientation of the cantilever in the cantilever holder, and by repeated measurements. We validated the quantitative force measurements against the known unfolding force of a protein, the I91 domain of titin, which resulted in consistent unfolding force values among six independently calibrated cantilevers.
WHAT FAMILY LAWYERS ARE REALLY DOING WHEN THEY NEGOTIATE

How should lawyers negotiate? This article outlines an empirical study of how lawyers rate each other in negotiation behaviors. After discussing what skills are needed for effective negotiation behavior, we then look more closely at how family lawyers in particular are negotiating. Examining some troubling data, we find that family lawyers appear to be more adversarial and less problem solving than other types of practitioners. We conclude by discussing why this might be so and what the family law bar and family law professors should be doing in the future to address this problem.
Adolescents' Patterns of Well-Care Use Over Time: Who Stays Connected.

Introduction Well-care use can positively impact adolescents’ current and future health. Understanding adolescents’ longitudinal well-care use is critical to determine to whom and when to target engagement strategies to improve healthcare access. This study describes prospective well-care use patterns from childhood through adolescence stratified by sex. Methods The sample (N=6,872) was drawn from the Child/Young Adult component of the household-based 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth consisting of biological children born to female respondents (1980–1997). Well-care use (routine checkup with a doctor within last year) data were assessed from age 5 years (1986–2003) until age 17 years (1998–2015). Conducted in 2019, latent class analyses stratified by sex identified well-care use patterns reported over 7 biennial time points adjusted for cohort, race/ethnicity, urbanicity, maternal education, and insurance. Results A total of 4 well-care use classes emerged for female adolescents: the majority belonged to Engaged (37%) and Moderately Engaged (39%) classes and the remainder belonged to Gradually Re-engaged (14%) and Disengaged-with-Rebound (10%) classes. A total of 3 classes emerged for male adolescents: the majority belonged to the Persistently Disengaged (48%) class and the remainder belonged to Engaged (34%) and Gradually Re-engaged (18%) classes. For both sexes, comparing each cohort with the first, Engaged class membership increased for subsequent cohorts. Less engaged well-care use classes had more non-Hispanic White adolescents living in rural areas with lower insurance coverage. Maternal education differentiated well-care use classes for male but not for female adolescents, being higher for male adolescents in the Engaged class than in other classes. Conclusions These findings highlight that well-care use patterns for both sexes changed during the transition from childhood to adolescence and that class membership differed by covariates. These results suggest that sex-specific strategies may be needed to enhance adolescents’ well-care use engagement over time.
Impact of Nutrition on Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Health

Despite awareness by health-care providers that diet impacts cardiovascular health, there remains a knowledge gap in how to evaluate the impact in an objective way. This chapter discusses the use of novel and clinically relevant biomarkers to quantitatively and objectively assess cardiac risk for different dietary patterns. Data will be presented on how plant-based eating patterns that limit red meat consumption (e.g. Mediterranean diet) promote cardiovascular health and improve cardiovascular biomarkers such as LDL and HDL, Hs-CRP, Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and vitamin D.
Non-motile subpopulations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa repress flagellar motility in motile cells through a type IV pili- and Pel-dependent mechanism

Abstract The downregulation of P. aeruginosa flagellar motility is a key event in biofilm formation, host-colonization, and the formation of microbial communities, but the external factors that repress motility are not well understood. Here, we report that under swarming conditions, motility can be repressed by cells that are non-motile due to the absence of a flagellum or flagellar rotation. Non-motile cells, due to mutations that prevent either flagellum biosynthesis or rotation, present at 5% of the total population suppressed swarming of wild-type cells under the conditions tested in this study. Non-motile cells required functional type IV pili and the ability to produce the Pel exopolysaccharide to suppress swarming by the motile wild type. In contrast, motile cells required only type IV pili, but not Pel production, in order for swarming to be repressed by non-motile cells. We hypothesize that interactions between motile and non-motile cells may enhance the formation of sessile communities including those involving multiple genotypes, phenotypically-diverse cells, and perhaps other species. Significance Our study shows that, under the conditions tested, a small population of non-swarming cells can impact the motility behavior of the larger population. The interactions that lead to the suppression of swarming motility require type IV pili and a secreted polysaccharide, two factors with known roles in biofilm formation. These data suggest that interactions between motile and non-motile cells may enhance the transition to sessile growth in populations and promote interactions between cells with different genotypes.
A trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in populations of adults ≥65 years of age with different prior pneumococcal vaccination.

Abstract Introduction A 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV20, was developed to expand protection against vaccine-preventable pneumococcal disease. PCV20 contains the components of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV13, and includes capsular polysaccharide conjugates for 7 additional serotypes. Thus, PCV20 may cover those additional serotypes in individuals previously vaccinated with PCV13 or provide benefits of immunization with a conjugate vaccine to individuals previously immunized with a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. This study described the safety and immunogenicity of PCV20 in adults ≥65 years of age with prior pneumococcal vaccination. Methods This phase 3, multicenter, randomized, open-label study was conducted in the United States and Sweden. Adults ≥65 years of age were enrolled into 1 of 3 cohorts based on their prior pneumococcal vaccination history (23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine [PPSV23], PCV13, or both PCV13 and PPSV23). Participants were randomized 2:1 within their cohort to receive a single dose of PCV20 or PCV13 in those with prior PPSV23 only, and PCV20 or PPSV23 in those with prior PCV13 only; all participants with prior PCV13 and PPSV23 received PCV20. Safety was assessed by prompted local reactions within 10 days, systemic events within 7 days, adverse events (AEs) within 1 month, and serious AEs (SAEs) and newly diagnosed chronic medical conditions (NDCMCs) within 6 months after vaccination. Immune responses 1 month after PCV20 were assessed. Results The percentages of participants reporting local reactions, systemic events, and AEs after PCV20 administration were similar across cohorts and comparable with the PCV13 and PPSV23 control groups. SAE and NDCMC rates were low in all groups. Robust immune responses, including opsonophagocytic antibody responses, to the 20 vaccine serotypes were observed 1 month after PCV20 regardless of prior pneumococcal vaccination. Conclusions PCV20 was well tolerated and immunogenic in adults ≥65 years of age previously vaccinated with different pneumococcal vaccine regimens. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03835975.
A Spectrum of International Criminal Procedure: Shifting Patterns of Power Distribution in International Courts and Tribunals

International criminal procedure is characterized by a fundamental structural shift in the allocation of power between the actors in a criminal trial – the judges, prosecution and defense - away from that traditionally ascribed under an adversarial system and towards the power distribution structure more common to the inquisitorial system. By looking at the Statutes and the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), it is possible to identify varying degrees of power shifts in each court: across each we see a convergence around the transferal of procedural powers away from the individual parties and into the hands of the judge(s), shifting the power structure away from adversarial norms in favor of more traditional inquisitorial role assignments. This degrees of shift evident at these courts and tribunals are worthy of exploration in order to illuminate the aspects of power distribution and procedural devices, originating from which system, have been employed in the new model(s) of ICP seen at these three courts. To call them models of procedure is more appropriate that talking of a single model applicable across all the international courts and tribunals, as each displays unique characteristics and with no precise uniformity in each court’s rules. What are evident are convergences around structural ideas relating to the power relationships between the three main actors in the system, and the adoption of devices in furtherance of the overall goal of each court of having the judge as an active participant in proceedings.
Cortical alpha activity predicts the confidence in an impending action

When we make a decision, we experience a degree of confidence that our choice may lead to a desirable outcome. Recent studies in animals have probed the subjective aspects of the choice confidence using confidence-reporting tasks. These studies showed that estimates of the choice confidence substantially modulate neural activity in multiple regions of the brain. Building on these findings, we investigated the neural representation of the confidence in a choice in humans who explicitly reported the confidence in their choice. Subjects performed a perceptual decision task in which they decided between choosing a button press or a saccade while we recorded EEG activity. Following each choice, subjects indicated whether they were sure or unsure about the choice. We found that alpha activity strongly encodes a subject's confidence level in a forthcoming button press choice. The neural effect of the subjects' confidence was independent of the reaction time and independent of the sensory input modeled as a decision variable. Furthermore, the effect is not due to a general cognitive state, such as reward expectation, because the effect was specifically observed during button press choices and not during saccade choices. The neural effect of the confidence in the ensuing button press choice was strong enough that we could predict, from independent single trial neural signals, whether a subject was going to be sure or unsure of an ensuing button press choice. In sum, alpha activity in human cortex provides a window into the commitment to make a hand movement.
Death in Darfur

Analysis of factors confounding previous estimates leads to the conclusion that hundreds of thousand of people rather than tens of thousands have died as a result of the conflict in Darfur.
Isolation and purification of the xenon fraction of 252Cf spontaneous fission products for the production of radioactive xenon calibration standards

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) produces 135Xe, 133mXe, 133Xe, and 131mXe standards for the calibration and testing of the collection equipment and analytical techniques used to monitor radioactive xenon emissions. At INL, xenon is produced and collected as one of several spontaneous fission products from a 252Cf source in a stagnant volume of pressurized helium. Solids are separated from gases by sintered steel filtration. Further chromatographic purification of the fission gases separates the xenon fraction for selective collection. An explanation of gas system, separation, and purification is presented. 135Xe and 133Xe activity ratio adjustments are explained.
Five Arguments Laid to Rest after Actavis

The Supreme Court’s decision in FTC v. Actavis has received widespread attention for its antitrust analysis of settlements by which brand-name drug companies pay generics to delay entering the market. Much of the attention has focused on the continued enforcement of these “reverse payment” agreements and the logistics of applying the Court’s rule-of-reason analysis. Less attention has been paid to the watershed nature of the decision in rejecting pro-settlement arguments offered by the settling parties and adopted by the federal appellate courts.This article catalogs the arguments that the settling parties offered, and the majority of appellate courts adopted, in upholding the agreements. It highlights their prevalence before Actavis and their rejection in the opinion. The arguments concern: (1) the scope of the patent, (2) the importance of settlements, (3) the consequence of large payments, (4) the likelihood of settlement without payment, and (5) the presence of multiple generic challengers.The Actavis opinion was crucial in eliminating (or at a minimum dramatically reducing) the effect of these arguments, which had the potential to immunize reverse-payment settlements from antitrust review. In rejecting the arguments and ensuring a robust role for antitrust, Actavis was a momentous decision.
Circulating Fused-Salt Fuel Irradiation Test Loop

A compact forced-circulation test loop for obtaining corrosion data applicable to molten-salt-fueled reactors were operated in the MTR (HB-3) beam hole. Several tests were conducted with two fused-salt mixtures, NaF- Z rF/sub 4/ -- UF/sub 4/ and Li/sup 7/F-Be F/sub 2/ -- UF/sub 4/, in loops constructed, respectively, of Inconel and INOR-8 (nominal composition: 70% Ni, 16% Mo, 7% Cr, 5% Fe, 2% other alloying elements). The maximum loop temperature ranged from 1300 to 1800 deg F. Engineering aspects of loop design and operation are described. (auth)
Dicarbonyl(cycloheptadienyl)(triphenyl phosphite)iron Hexafluorophosphate

[85956-40-7] C27H24F6FeO5P2 (MW 660.27) InChI = 1S/C18H15O3P.C7H9.2CO.F6P.Fe/c1-4-10-16(11-5-1)19-22(20-17-12-6-2-7-13-17)21-18-14-8-3-9-15-18;1-2-4-6-7-5-3-1;2*1-2;1-7(2,3,4,5)6;/h1-15H;1-4,7H,5-6H2;;;;/q;+1;;;-1; InChIKey = QRNKBDNLPURGOO-UHFFFAOYSA-N (synthesis of functionalized cycloheptadienes) Physical Data: obtained as an amorphous powder. Solubility: sol CH2Cl2, MeCN, acetone. Form Supplied in: not commercially available. Analysis of Reagent Purity: IR (MeCN) 2067, 2028 cm−1; 1H NMR (CD3CN) δ 7.49 (15H, m, P(OPh)3), 6.36 (1H, t, J = 6.5 Hz, 3-H), 6.03 (2H, m, 2-H, 4-H), 4.92 (2H, m, 1-H, 5-H), 2.65 (2H, m, endo-6-H, endo-7-H), 1.80 (2H, m, exo-6-H, exo-7-H). Preparative Methods: Triphenylmethyl Hexafluorophosphate (124 g) is dissolved in the minimum volume of dry CH2Cl2 and to that solution, dicarbonyl(cycloheptadiene)(triphenyl phosphite)iron1 (150 g) is added. The mixture is swirled to dissolve the complex and set aside at rt for 2 h. The product is precipitated by pouring the mixture into wet ether, collected by filtration, and washed thoroughly with wet ether to afford pure 1 (190 g, 99%). The corresponding tetrafluoroborate salt is prepared from dicarbonyl(η4-cycloheptatriene)(triphenyl phosphite)iron and Tetrafluoroboric Acid.2
Autocrine effects of nitric oxide on HCO3- transport by rat thick ascending limb

Autocrine effects of nitric oxide on HCO 3 - transport by rat thick ascending limb. Background In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO) is an important modulator of transport processes along the nephron. The thick ascending limb (TAL) plays a significant role in the urine-concentrating mechanism and in the maintenance of acid/base balance. Methods TALs from male Sprague-Dawley rats were isolated and perfused, and net bicarbonate flux (J HCO3 - ) was determined. Results In perfused TALs, 0.5 mmol/L L-arginine (L-Arg), the substrate for NO synthase, significantly lowered J HCO3 - from 35.4 ± 4.6 to 23.2 ± 2.9 pmol · mm -1 · min -1 , a decrease of 36.9 ± 11.6% ( P HCO3 - ( N = 7). In the presence of 5 mmol/L L-NAME, an NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor, the addition of L-Arg did not affect TAL J HCO3 - (43.4 ± 4.4 vs. 44.6 ± 5.0 pmol · mm -1 · min -1 ). L-NAME alone (5 mmol/L) did not affect TAL J HCO3 - . After removing L-Arg from the bath, J HCO3 - increased from 26.2 ± 3.9 to 34.8 ± 3.2 pmol · mm -1 · min -1 ( P HCO3 - . 8-Br-cGMP (50 μmol/L) and db-cGMP (50 μmol/L) significantly decreased J HCO3 - by 26.3 ± 9.1% and 35.1 ± 11.6%, respectively. In the presence of cGMP (50 μmol/L), the addition of L-Arg had no effect on J HCO3 - . In the presence of KT-5823 (2 μmol/L), a protein kinase G inhibitor, the addition of L-Arg did not change TAL J HCO3 - ( N = 5). Conclusions We conclude that ( 1 ) endogenously produced NO inhibits TAL J HCO3 - in an autocrine manner, ( 2 ) cGMP mediates all of the effects of NO, and ( 3 ) this effect is mediated by protein kinase G activation.
Transient myeloproliferative disorder in children with Down syndrome: clarity to this enigmatic disorder

Summary Children with trisomy 21 have a unique predisposition to develop a megakaryoblastic proliferative disease of varying severity during their first 3 months of life. This disorder exists in no other children or adults without the presence of trisomy 21 and only occurs in the fetal or neonatal period of life. Its spontaneous resolution in most cases further delineates it from otherwise indistinguishable neonatal leukaemias. The identification that GATA1 mutations are the leukaemogenic source along with three recently reported prospective clinical trials now provide a clearer understanding of this haematopoietic disorder. These recent advances in this enigmatic disorder, now known as Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder, are reviewed here in order to bring clarity to the breadth of organ involvement, the range of severity, the risk factors for mortality, the therapeutic options for severe manifestations, the natural course of spontaneous resolution regardless of therapy, and the elucidation of the subsequent risk for myeloid leukaemia.
Lack of Correlation Between Tumor Response Rate and Survival Benefit 676

The most meaningful benefit from cancer therapy is prolongation of survival. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) that measure survival benefit are difficult to perform, and consequently, tumor response has become widely accepted as a surrogate marker for survival benefit. Therefore, we thought it would be useful to determine whether, in fact, a correlation actually exists between tumor response rate and survival benefit. We reviewed all papers published in Journal of Clinical Oncology between 1988 and 1996 and identified 135 RCT that compared treatment arms with regard to both total response rate (CR+PR) and survival. The relationship between total response rate and survival is shown in this table.
Physiological stress responses of the freshwater chondrostean paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) to acute physical disturbances

Juvenile paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) subjected to various physical disturbances showed significant increases in plasma cortisol and lactate, but little or no change in plasma glucose, chloride or hematocrit. When paddlefish were given a 30 s aerial emersion handling stressor, plasma cortisol increased from 2.2±0.6 to 11±1.8 ng ml−1 in 1 h but had returned to the prestress level by 3 h. Addition of 0.5% NaCl to the recovery tanks had no effect on plasma cortisol changes. Plasma lactate rose from 26±2.6 to 52±4.5 mg dl−1 within 3 h. Plasma cortisol increased to 14±4.8 ng ml−1 and plasma lactate rose to 67±3.7 mg dl−1 after fish were continuously chased in their home tanks for 1 h; plasma lactate remained elevated for 5 h. In fish severely confined for 6 h in cages with intermittent handling, plasma cortisol rose from 6.2±1.6 ng ml−1 to its peak level of 74±6.3 ng ml−1 by 2 h, but approached the prestress value after 18 h of recovery. Plasma lactate levels in confined fish increased from 27±2.7 to 73±6.9 mg dl−1 by 3 h but had returned to near-resting levels by 24 h. The results suggest that paddlefish do not exhibit physiological stress responses to physical disturbances similar in magnitude to those previously documented for many teleostean fishes including salmonids, although cortisol was determined to be the principle steroid released during stress.
Rapid Evolution of Virus Sequences in Intrinsically Disordered Protein Regions

Nodamura Virus (NoV) is a nodavirus originally isolated from insects that can replicate in a wide variety of hosts, including mammals. Because of their simplicity and ability to replicate in many diverse hosts, NoV, and the Nodaviridae in general, provide a unique window into the evolution of viruses and host-virus interactions. Here we show that the C-terminus of the viral polymerase exhibits extreme structural and evolutionary flexibility. Indeed, fewer than 10 positively charged residues from the 110 amino acid-long C-terminal region of protein A are required to support RNA1 replication. Strikingly, this region can be replaced by completely unrelated protein sequences, yet still produce a functional replicase. Structure predictions, as well as evolutionary and mutational analyses, indicate that the C-terminal region is structurally disordered and evolves faster than the rest of the viral proteome. Thus, the function of an intrinsically unstructured protein region can be independent of most of its primary sequence, conferring both functional robustness and sequence plasticity on the protein. Our results provide an experimental explanation for rapid evolution of unstructured regions, which enables an effective exploration of the sequence space, and likely function space, available to the virus.
Surgical dural tears: prevalence and updated management protocol based on 1359 lumbar vertebra interventions.

Summary Introduction The dural tear is a dreaded complication of lumbar surgery. Hypothesis Our management protocol has made it possible to deal with this problem effectively. Materials and methods Retrospective review of 1359 patients operated between 2000 and 2010. In the event of dural tear, a therapeutic protocol was applied: suturing the dural wound if possible. A collagen patch lined with a layer of fibrin glue protected the suture. If the suture was considered tight, a non-aspirating drain was set up for 48 h. In the other cases, no drain was set up. All the patients were left supine for 48 h and they received intravenous antibiotics for the same duration. We analyzed the number and the type of breaches, the possibility of suturing, clinical symptoms (headache), and delayed complications (dural fistula or meningoceles). Results The 1359 procedures included 23 dural tear complications (1.7%). The tears were often small in size and reparable. There were no late complications detected: no symptomatic fistula or meningocele. None of the patients had a second surgery. Discussion This protocol provided effective management of dural tears in lumbar surgery, with no application problems. We suggest a number of improvements: the use of the Valsalva maneuver to test the suturing, a stand-up test for the patient, and a systematic late MRI to detect meningoceles. There is no reason to change the other points in the protocol: suturing, controlled drainage for watertight wounds, no drainage for the non-watertight wounds, antibiotics, and supine bed rest position 48 h. Level of evidence Level IV. Retrospective study.