cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy after interval debulking surgery for advanced-stage ovarian cancer: Feasibility and outcomes at a comprehensive cancer center

Abstract Objectives Intraperitoneal (IP)-based chemotherapy following primary debulking surgery (PDS), although associated with substantial toxicity, is supported by a strong evidence base. We sought to determine feasibility and outcomes of IP chemotherapy after interval debulking surgery (IDS) among patients deemed ineligible for PDS. Methods We identified all patients with high-grade, stage III/IV ovarian cancer treated at our institution with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by IDS and postoperative chemotherapy from 1/2008–5/2013. IP and intravenous (IV) regimens were defined; demographic and clinical data were analyzed using appropriate statistics. Results Of 128 evaluable patients, 118 (92%) achieved ≤1cm residual disease at IDS and 74 (58%) achieved a complete gross resection (CGR). An IP port was placed in 54/128 patients (42%), with 89% port utilization. Forty-eight (38%) of 128 patients received IP chemotherapy, 17 (13%) weekly IV paclitaxel/q3week carboplatin, and 63 (49%) q3week IV carboplatin/paclitaxel. Patients completed a median of 3 IP cycles (range, 2–6), with 3 (5.5%) of 54 ports removed due to complications. Overall survival (OS) for patients with a CGR treated with IP and weekly IV chemotherapy was 53.2months (range, 24.7-NE), and 44.2months (range, 30.2-NE) with any visible residual disease ( p p =0.1). Conclusions Patients administered IP after IDS had a high rate of successful port utilization, with few regimen switches. Oncologic outcomes were optimal in patients with a CGR at IDS, regardless of chemotherapy used.
Antibody Engineering of Anti-TFPI Bypass Therapeutic BAY 1093884: Isotype Selection and Sequence Optimization

Abstract Background: BAY 1093884 is a fully human monoclonal antibody against tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) developed as a bypass agent for patients with hemophilia with or without inhibitors. It restores insufficient thrombin burst, leading to stable clot formation in hemophilic conditions in vitro, and effectively stops bleeding in vivo. Aims: Antibody targeting of TFPI provides the advantages of monoclonal antibodies, such as longer circulation half-life, and the possibility of subcutaneous administration. However, antibody therapeutics can present the challenge of delivering unwanted effects or activities, such as antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) that target healthy tissues in the patient. Additionally, antibody sequence engineering that optimizes binding to the target protein may introduce immunogenic epitopes that can induce antidrug antibodies and compromise efficacy. Methods: In vitro assays used primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells and EA-hy926 cell lines as target cells. Total peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and purified natural killer (NK) cells isolated from healthy donors were used as effector cells for ADCC. Pooled human serum complement (Quidel®) was used for CDC assays. A proprietary immunogenicity scoring program for T-cell epitopes (Bayer HealthCare) was used to determine immunogenic potential of BAY 1093884 relative to antibodies in the market. Results: In vitro ADCC assessment of BAY 1093884 using PBMCs and NK cells isolated from healthy donors showed no lytic activity against TFPI-expressing primary and immortalized cell lines. Furthermore, no CDC activity using pooled serum complement was detected with BAY 1093884. In silico scoring for T-cell epitopes using a human leukocyte antigen DR-weighted algorithm compared favorably to therapeutic antibodies that have been reported to have low immunogenicity in the clinic. Conclusion: In vitro and in silico immunoprofiling has aided in the design of the bypass anti-TFPI immunoglobulin G2 antibody BAY 1093884 with low toxicity potential and immunogenicity in humans. Disclosures Paz: Bayer HealthCare: Employment. Xie: Bayer HealthCare: Employment. Aswad: Bayer HealthCare: Employment.
Come See the Bias Inherent in the System

Like many Americans, I was shocked when I learned in early July of two more incidents in which black men were shot and killed by white police officers. The videos of the shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on July 5, 2016, and Philandro Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, on
Variations in AmLi source spectra and their estimation utilizing the 5 Ring Multiplicity Counter

Abstract Active-mode assay systems are widely used for the safeguards of uranium items to verify compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Systems such as the Active-Well Coincidence Counter (AWCC) and the Uranium Neutron Coincidence Collar (UNCL) use americium-lithium (AmLi) neutron sources to induce fissions which are measured to determine the sample mass. These systems have historically relied on calibrations derived from well-defined standards. Recently, restricted access to standards or more difficult measurements have resulted in a reliance on modeling and simulation for the calibration of systems, which introduces potential simulation biases. The AmLi source energy spectra commonly used in the safeguards community do not accurately represent measurement results and the spectrum uncertainty can represent a large contribution to the total modeling uncertainty in active-mode systems. The 5-Ring Multiplicity Counter (5RMC) has been used to measure 17 AmLi sources. The measurements showed a significant spectral variation between different sources. Utilization of a spectrum that is specific to an individual source or a series of sources will give improved results over historical general spectra when modeling AmLi sources. Candidate AmLi neutron spectra were calculated in MCNP and SOURCES4C for a range of physical AmLi characteristics. The measurement and simulation data were used to fit reliable and accurate AmLi spectra for use in the simulation of active-mode systems. Spectra were created for average Gammatron C, Gammatron N, and MRC series sources, and for individual sources. The systematic uncertainty introduced by physical aspects of the AmLi source were characterized through simulations. The accuracy of spectra from the literature was compared.
Exercise training for intermittent claudication

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to provide an overview of evidence regarding exercise therapies for patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). Methods This manuscript summarizes the content of a lecture delivered as part of the 2016 Crawford Critical Issues Symposium. Results Multiple randomized clinical trials demonstrate that supervised treadmill exercise significantly improves treadmill walking performance in people with PAD and intermittent claudication symptoms. A meta-analysis of 25 randomized trials demonstrated a 180-meter increase in treadmill walking distance in response to supervised exercise interventions compared with a nonexercising control group. Supervised treadmill exercise has been inaccessible to many patients with PAD because of lack of medical insurance coverage. However, in 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a decision memorandum to support health insurance coverage of 12 weeks of supervised treadmill exercise for patients with walking impairment due to PAD. Recent evidence also supports home-based walking exercise to improve walking performance in people with PAD. Effective home-exercise programs incorporate behavioral change interventions such as a remote coach, goal setting, and self-monitoring. Supervised treadmill exercise programs preferentially improve treadmill walking performance, whereas home-based walking exercise programs preferentially improve corridor walking, such as the 6-minute walk test. Clinical trial evidence also supports arm or leg ergometry exercise to improve walking endurance in people with PAD. Treadmill walking exercise appears superior to resistance training alone for improving walking endurance. Conclusions Supervised treadmill exercise significantly improves treadmill walking performance in people with PAD by approximately 180 meters compared with no exercise. Recent evidence suggests that home-based exercise is also effective and preferentially improves over-ground walking performance, such as the 6-minute walk test.
Evaluating AMIP Skill in Simulating Interannual Variability over the Indo–Western Pacific

AbstractLocal correlation between sea surface temperature (SST) and rainfall is weak or even negative in summer over the Indo–western Pacific warm pool, a fact often taken as indicative of weak ocean feedback on the atmosphere. An Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) simulation forced by monthly varying SSTs derived from a parallel coupled general circulation model (CGCM) run is used to evaluate AMIP skills in simulating interannual variability of rainfall. Local correlation of rainfall variability between AMIP and CGCM simulations is used as a direct metric of AMIP skill. This “perfect model” approach sidesteps the issue of model biases that complicates the traditional skill metric based on the correlation between AMIP and observations. Despite weak local SST–rainfall correlation, the AMIP–CGCM rainfall correlation exceeds a 95% significance level over most of the Indo–western Pacific warm pool, indicating the importance of remote (e.g., El Nino in the equatorial Pacific) rather than local SS...
Pharmacologic Reprogramming Designed to Induce a Warburg Effect in Porcine Fetal Fibroblasts Alters Gene Expression and Quantities of Metabolites from Conditioned Media Without Increased Cell Proliferation

The Warburg effect is a metabolic phenomenon characterized by increased glycolytic activity, decreased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and the production of lactate. This metabolic phenotype is characterized in rapidly proliferative cell types such as cancerous cells and embryonic stem cells. We hypothesized that a Warburg-like metabolism could be achieved in other cell types by treatment with pharmacological agents, which might, in turn, facilitate nuclear reprogramming. The aim of this study was to treat fibroblasts with CPI-613 and PS48 to induce a Warburg-like metabolic state. We demonstrate that treatment with both drugs altered the expression of 69 genes and changed the level of 21 metabolites in conditioned culture media, but did not induce higher proliferation compared to the control treatment. These results support a role for the reverse Warburg effect, whereby cancer cells induce cancer-associated fibroblast cells in the surrounding stroma to exhibit the metabolically characterized Warburg effect. Cancer-associated fibroblasts then produce and secrete metabolites such as pyruvate to supply the cancerous cells, thereby supporting tumor growth and metastasis. While anticipating an increase in the production of lactate and increased cellular proliferation, both hallmarks of the Warburg effect, we instead observed increased secretion of pyruvate without changes in proliferation.
Efficacy and safety of carfilzomib in relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma: systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 trials.

// Chintan Shah 1 , Rohit Bishnoi 1 , Yu Wang 2 , Fei Zou 2 , Harini Bejjanki 1 , Samip Master 3 and Jan S. Moreb 4 1 Division of Hospital Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA 2 Department of Biostatistics University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA 3 Division of Hematology/Oncology, Louisiana State University, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA 4 Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA Correspondence to: Chintan Shah, email: cps.chintan@gmail.com ; Chintan.shah@medicine.ufl.edu Keywords: carfilzomib; kyprolis; multiple myeloma; response; efficacy Received: January 03, 2018 Accepted: April 06, 2018 Published: May 04, 2018 ABSTRACT Objective: Carfilzomib (Carf) is a second-generation proteasome inhibitor approved for patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who failed ≥ 1 prior lines of therapy. We performed a systematic review of Carf literature with meta-analysis to determine the efficacy and safety in RRMM patients. Methods: Based on literature search, we included a total of 14 eligible phase I/II, phase II and phase III Carf based clinical trials. The cumulative incidence and odds ratios (OR) were calculated with random effect model, using ‘’R’’ software with metaphor package. Results: 2906 evaluable RRMM patients from published clinical trials included. The pooled overall response rate (ORR) was 45% (95% CI: 29–62). The pooled clinical benefit rate (CBR) was 56% (95% CI: 41–71). OR from 3 randomized clinical trials showed that Carf significantly improved ORR and CBR compared to control groups (OR 2.4, P 20/27 mg/m 2 ) compared to standard dose (ORR 65% vs. 35%, P = 0.03). Compared to control group, the OR of developing cardiotoxicity ( P = 0.002) and hypertension ( P < 0.0001) were significantly higher with Carf, while no difference in peripheral neuropathy ( P = 0.28). Conclusions: Carf produces significantly better responses with acceptable safety profile in RRMM patients. Combination regimens and higher dose Carf offers better response with no significant extra toxicity. Its efficacy is regardless of cytogenetics or disease stage. Incidences of cardiotoxicity and hypertension seem higher with Carf.
Radiation Injury and Carcinogenesis

Radiation is known to be a universal carcinogen, capable of causing cancer in most mammalian tissues (1). The specific type of radiation injury which leads to cancer, however, is still unknown; many hypotheses for the mechanism of radiation induced cancer are discussed elsewhere (1).
Tobacco product transition patterns in rural and urban cohorts: Where do dual users go?

Abstract Introduction Understanding diverse tobacco product consumption represents a crucial area for tobacco regulatory science. With the increase in dual/poly use of tobacco products, transition patterns among exclusive and dual users are of considerable interest. We describe transition patterns of dual users over 18 months. Methods A cohort of 145 adults in urban and rural Ohio who reported dual tobacco product use at least some days/week was enrolled during 2014–17. Participants completed follow-up interviews every six months where they were classified into one of five categories: 1) exclusive combustible, 2) exclusive smokeless, 3) exclusive e-cigarette, 4) dual (at least 2 of the previous 3 categories), and 5) less than some days/week. Participants categorized as exclusive and dual (1–4) used their products at least some days per week. Separately within the rural and urban cohorts, 6, 12, and 18 month transition probabilities between the categories were estimated. Results The probability of remaining a dual user after 6 months is 43% in the rural and 37% in the urban cohort. The decline continues through 18 months with 24% of rural and 22% of urban dual users remaining in the category. The probability of a dual user consuming combustibles and e-cigarettes transitioning to exclusive combustible use in 6 months is over 50% in both the rural and urban cohorts. Conclusions Dual use is an unstable state with users being more likely to transition to exclusive combustible use than to remain in the dual use category. Transitions are similar in the rural and urban cohorts.
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) Testing in Urinary Tract Cytology

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is responsible for the majority of carcinomas arising in the urinary tract. Currently, the gold standard for detecting UCs and monitoring patients for recurrent UCs is cystoscopy with urinary cytology (UCyt). While historically many ancillary methods have been tested, including ImmunoCyt, BTA, and NMP22, none has been found to be sensitive, specific, and cost-effective enough to be routinely used. Of the ancillary methods, UroVysion® assay has been the most commonly used. UroVysion® is a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test that utilizes four single-stranded fluorescently labeled nucleic acid probes – three chromosome enumeration probes (CEP) for the chromosomes 3, 7, and 17 and the single locus-specific identifier (LSI) probe 9p21. The DNA probes are directly labeled with four different fluorescent dyes: SpectrumRed (CEP3), SpectrumGreen (CEP7), SpectrumAqua (CEP17), and SpectrumGold (LSI 9p21). UroVysion® should only be used in cases with equivocal urine cytology (i.e., atypical urothelial cells), since it does not add additional information when the urine cytology is negative (negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma) or positive (positive for high-grade urothelial carcinoma). Even then, one should be cognizant of false-positive results, as can arise from tetraploid umbrella cells and polyomavirus cytopathic changes. It is also noteworthy that in cases of equivocal UCyt, a negative UroVysion® test does not rule out low-grade or high-grade urothelial carcinoma. An awareness of the limitations of this test (including conditions leading to false-positive interpretations and cost) with the judicious use of this test in select clinical circumstances is recommended.
Steric control of dioxygen activation pathways for MnII complexes supported by pentadentate, amide-containing ligands

Dioxygen activation at manganese centers is well known in nature, but synthetic manganese systems capable of utilizing O2 as an oxidant are relatively uncommon. These present investigations probe the dioxygen activation pathways of two mononuclear MnII complexes supported by pentacoordinate amide-containing ligands, [MnII(dpaq)](OTf) and the sterically modified [MnII(dpaq2Me)](OTf). Dioxygen titration experiments demonstrate that [MnII(dpaq)](OTf) reacts with O2 to form [MnIII(OH)(dpaq)](OTf) according to a 4 : 1 Mn : O2 stoichiometry. This stoichiometry is consistent with a pathway involving comproportionation between a MnIV–oxo species and residual MnII complex to form a (μ-oxo)dimanganese(III,III) species that is hydrolyzed by water to give the MnIII–hydroxo product. In contrast, the sterically modified [MnII(dpaq2Me)](OTf) complex was found to react with O2 according to a 2 : 1 Mn : O2 stoichiometry. This stoichiometry is indicative of a pathway in which a MnIV–oxo intermediate abstracts a hydrogen atom from solvent instead of undergoing comproportionation with the MnII starting complex. Isotopic labeling experiments, in which the oxygenation of the MnII complexes was carried out in deuterated solvent, supported this change in pathway. The oxygenation of [MnII(dpaq)](OTf) did not result in any deuterium incorporation in the MnIII–hydroxo product, while the oxygenation of [MnII(dpaq2Me)](OTf) in d3-MeCN showed [MnIII(OD)(dpaq2Me)]+ formation. Taken together, these observations highlight the use of steric effects as a means to select which intermediates form along dioxygen activation pathways.
Motivation to Quit Drinking in Individuals Coinfected with HIV and Hepatitis C

Alcohol consumption is common among individuals coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) despite the uniquely harmful effects in this population. Limited research has examined factors that could influence drinking reduction or cessation among HIV/HCV coinfected persons; this study investigates motivation to quit. Participants were 110 alcohol-consuming HIV/HCV coinfected patients recruited from medical clinics. Participants self-reported 90-day drinking frequency and intensity; alcohol-related problems; reasons to quit drinking; reasons to drink; and motivation to quit drinking. Participants consumed alcohol on 54.1 (± 26.9) of the past 90 days. In a multivariate model that controlled for demographic variables, motivation to quit drinking was directly associated with alcohol-related problems (βy·x = 0.35, p = .007) and reasons to quit drinking (βy·x = 0.23, p = .021), and inversely associated with drinking for enhancement (βy·x = − 0.36, p = .004). This study identified several factors associated with motivation to quit drinking in a sample of alcohol-consuming HIV/HCV patients.
Exact and fast inversion of the approximate discrete Radon transform from partial data

Abstract We give an exact inversion formula for the approximate discrete Radon transform introduced in Brady (1998) that is of cost O ( N log N ) for a square 2D image with N pixels and requires only partial data.
Improving the informativeness of Mendelian disease pathogenicity scores for common disease

Abstract Despite considerable progress on pathogenicity scores prioritizing both coding and non-coding variants for Mendelian disease, little is known about the utility of these pathogenicity scores for common disease. Here, we sought to assess the informativeness of Mendelian disease pathogenicity scores for common disease, and to improve upon existing scores. We first applied stratified LD score regression to assess the informativeness of annotations defined by top variants from published Mendelian disease pathogenicity scores across 41 independent common diseases and complex traits (average N = 320K). Several of the resulting annotations were informative for common disease, even after conditioning on a broad set of coding, conserved, regulatory and LD-related annotations from the baseline-LD model. We then improved upon the published pathogenicity scores by developing AnnotBoost, a gradient boosting-based framework to impute and denoise pathogenicity scores using functional annotations from the baseline-LD model. AnnotBoost substantially increased the informativeness for common disease of both previously uninformative and previously informative pathogenicity scores; our combined joint model included 3 published and 8 boosted scores. The boosted scores also significantly outperformed the corresponding published scores in classifying disease-associated, fine-mapped SNPs. Our boosted scores have high potential to improve candidate gene discovery and fine-mapping for common disease.
Protect yourself during on‐farm protests

January brings debate and discussion around ‘Veganuary’, including a number of television programmes. Unfortunately, there have been some worrying angles to the reporting, including raising livestock within potentially unsuitable home environments and showcasing on-farm activism. At the same time, we’re hearing anecdotally that there has been an increase in protester activity on farms, often to obtain undercover footage. The issue was …
Mapping Shade Availability and Use in Zoo Environments: A Tool for Evaluating Thermal Comfort

For many species in zoos, particularly megafauna vulnerable to heat stress, shade is a key environmental resource. However, shade availability has received comparatively less attention than other aspects of the zoo environment. In this study, we share a simple low-cost approach that we applied to document shade availability across 33 zoo enclosures. We then combined these assessments with behavioral observations of enclosure use and shade-seeking behavior during summer months in a case study focused on Sichuan takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) (n = 3), a large cold-adapted bovid. Behavioral observations were conducted before and after installation of a shade sail for the takin. Results indicated that shade availability varied widely across zoo enclosures, with the percent of shaded space ranging from 85 % to 22 % across enclosures during summer months. Shade was a dynamic resource and increased throughout the year and fluctuated across the day, with the least shade available midday. Takin showed general preferences for shaded areas near the walls of their enclosure but were observed using newly available shade from the shade sail after its installation. These accessible methods can be easily applied to assess shade within existing enclosures, evaluate enclosure modifications, and provide guidance for the design of new enclosures.
Desalination for a circular water economy

Today's water systems are enabled by ample fresh water sources, low-cost centralized treatment, and facile wastewater disposal. Climatic change, aging infrastructure, and source water contamination have exposed the vulnerabilities of this linear water paradigm. While seawater desalination enables coastal communities to augment their supply, more broadly securing water systems for municipal, industrial, and agricultural water users will require distributed desalination and fit-for-purpose reuse of nontraditional water sources. Our linear water economy must evolve into a resilient circular water economy, where water is continuously reused and “contaminants” become the feedstocks for other economically valuable processes. Technology innovation is needed to deliver autonomous, precise, resilient, intensified, modular, and electrified desalination systems that reduce the cost, improve the performance, and enhance the resilience of nontraditional water reuse systems. Meanwhile, strong federal leadership and coordination is needed to accelerate desalination research, promote information gathering efforts to direct technology development, and create an expanded role for non-profit organizations in knowledge dissemination.
Advancements in the repair of large upper eyelid defects: A 10-year review

The reconstruction of large (>50%) upper eyelid margin defects can be technically challenging, with multiple approaches described in the literature. We sought to review the recent literature for ne...
Risk factors for carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma in patients presenting with recurrence after resection of pleomorphic adenoma.

BACKGROUND In patients presenting with recurrent pleomorphic adenoma (rPA), clinical evaluation can fail to recognize carcinoma ex PA (cxPA). We aim to identify the risk factors for cxPA. METHODS This is a single institution retrospective case-control study from 2000 to 2015. CxPA was diagnosed based on surgical pathology. Demographics, clinical, and social histories were collected. RESULTS A number of 13/106 (12.3%) patients were diagnosed with cxPA, of which only 4/13 (31%) had clinical features suspicious for malignancy. Compared to benign rPA, factors associated with cxPA included age >50 (odds ratio [OR] 6.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.71-25.98, P 10 pack-years of smoking history (OR 3.36, 95% CI: 1.01-11.14, P = .04), and the largest tumor being >2 cm on pathology (OR 4.42, 95% CI: 1.14-17.10, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS In patients presenting with rPA, risk factors for malignant transformation include age >50, significant smoking history, and tumors larger than 2 cm. Clinical signs of malignancy such as rapid growth or pain are not always present.
The new material science of robots

Abstract Robots have been built to accomplish specific tasks with high repeatability instead of general utility. Taking inspiration from the evolution of animals to survive and adapt to changing environments, we discuss how a bottom up approach that begins with new materials could lead to robots that may address needs for autonomy and general utility across industries.
Toward Evaluating High-Level Synthesis Portability and Performance between Intel and Xilinx FPGAs

Offloading computation from a CPU to a hardware accelerator is becoming a more common solution for improving performance because traditional gains enabled by Moore’s law and Dennard scaling have slowed. GPUs are often used as hardware accelerators, but field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are gaining traction. FPGAs are beneficial because they allow hardware specific to a particular application to be created. However, they are notoriously difficult to program. To this end, two of the main FPGA manufacturers, Intel and Xilinx, have created tools and frameworks that enable the use of higher level languages to design FPGA hardware. Although Xilinx kernels can be designed by using C/C++, both Intel and Xilinx support the use of OpenCL C to architect FPGA hardware. However, not much is known about the portability and performance between these two device families other than the fact that it is theoretically possible to synthesize a kernel meant for Intel to Xilinx and vice versa. In this work, we evaluate the portability and performance of Intel and Xilinx kernels. We use OpenCL C implementations of a subset of the Rodinia benchmarking suite that were designed for an Intel FPGA and make the necessary modifications to create synthesizable OpenCL C kernels for a Xilinx FPGA. We find that the difficulty of porting certain kernel optimizations varies, depending on the construct. Once the minimum amount of modifications is made to create synthesizable hardware for the Xilinx platform, more nontrivial work is needed to improve performance. However, we find that constructs that are known to be performant for an FPGA should improve performance regardless of the platform; the difficulty comes in deciding how to invoke certain kernel optimizations while also abiding by the constraints enforced by a given platform’s hardware compiler.
Efficacious lifestyle interventions for appropriate gestational weight gain in women with overweight or obesity set in the health care system: a scoping review

Purpose: Health care systems offer opportunities to scale up interventions for appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG); however, GWG interventions in the health care setting remain largely unavai...
Two Moralities of Consistency

A core tenet of the claim that international investment law promotes the rule of law is that it enhances legal certainty for foreign investors. The idea is that investment treaties function as credible commitments, which lessen the risk of arbitrary, discriminatory, or unfair State action, and enhance the predictability of the legal framework applicable to foreign investment. However, it turns out that the investment treaty regime itself suffers from systemic inconsistency – as interpreted across hundreds of published arbitral awards. The question is whether this regime thus recreates the same rule of law problems it purports to solve. While the extent of inconsistency in ISDS is glaring, this Chapter argues against analyzing the uncomfortable relationship between investment treaties and legal certainty in zero-sum terms. Consistency is one rule of law value among many, (such as fidelity, flexibility, and responsiveness). It is one which cannot be secured absolutely and should not be pursued at all costs. Drawing on the work of Lon Fuller, this Chapter seeks to distinguish between tolerable consistency deficiencies in investment treaty arbitration, and more structural inconsistencies that are inimical to the rule of law. I identify particular rule of law failures of the latter sort in the wide ranging arbitral inconsistency in the interpretation and application of key secondary rules governing applicable law, norm conflict, attribution, and interpretation.
The Influence of a Peer Support Camp on Mitigating Emotional Distress in Siblings of Children With Cancer.

Background: Siblings of children with cancer often experience anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), which negatively impact their self-esteem due to emotionally upsetting circumstances....
Edward S. Rogers, the Lanham Act, and the Common Law

This book chapter is a deep dive into the story of Edward Sidney Rogers's authorship of the legislation that became the Lanham Act. Because Rogers believed that Congress lacked the power to alter the substantive law of trademark and unfair competition, he crafted draft legislation that focused on registration and other procedural details rather than substantive rights and defenses. He sought to advance two incompatible goals: he hoped to preserve the robust common law of unfair competition while requiring, or at least encouraging, all trademark owners to register their marks. Both the supporters and the opponents of the bills that Rogers drafted expressed deep affection for the extant common law of trademarks and unfair competition. They appear to have assumed that the statute would supplement the common law rather than replacing it. Except to the extent that the statute expressly abrogated common law doctrine, most members of the trademark bar believed that even after the statute's effective date, common law rules would continue to control most determinations. Along the way, the chapter recounts other interesting if not-very-consequential details. For example, Rogers’s representation of drug companies at the turn of the century familiarized him with the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act. When he wanted to include a provision in his legislation that enabled recovery for false representation, he turned to the Pure Food and Drug Act for a model. When Representative William Sirovich, then one of only ten Jews in Congress, assumed the chairmanship of the House Patent Committee in 1931, he decided that instead of continuing to rely on Rogers and the ABA for trademark legislation, he would ask Frank Schechter to draft an alternative bill. Part of the reason may have been the ABA’s efforts in the early 20th century to block Jews from practicing law. Finally, the notion that federal law controlled infringement of registered trademarks but state law controlled unfair competition arose in the 1940s in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Erie Railroad v. Tompkins. Before that, trademark lawyers agreed that the two sorts of actions arose from a single body of law.
Bayesian calibration of strength model parameters from Taylor impact data

Abstract Materials strength plays a key role in determining the mechanical response of engineered structures. As such, accurate strength models are crucial in simulations involving complex loading conditions, particularly when deformation in the plastic regime is deemed important. In this work, a Gaussian process based surrogate for a finite element simulation of a Taylor impact test is developed and used for Bayesian calibration of the Preston–Tonks–Wallace strength model. The surrogate model is shown to closely approximate the salient features of the Taylor cylinder deformation and is validated against simulation output before being used in the strength model calibration routine. The results show that Taylor impact test data can be used in the calibration of constitutive equations through the use of a combination of data science techniques, namely Gaussian processes and Bayesian inference.
The Politics of Uneven Development: Thailand's Economic Growth in Comparative Perspective

Students of economic development have commonly focused on the question of why some countries grow and others stagnate, and with good reason. Empirically, the spectacular income gap separating the world’s rich and poor nations has become “the central economic fact of our time.”1 This gap, moreover, now extends beyond the industrialized vs. developing worlds to stark differences among developers.2 The rich–poor gap has defied easy theoretical explanations. Cultural explanations, for example, foundered on the unexpected success of East Asian countries whose Confucian ethic had previously been identified as an obstacle to growth.3 Initial endowments of assets such as human resources or manufacturing experience failed to explain the disappointing performance of countries such as the Philippines.4 Regime type – democracy or authoritarianism – failed to correlate with variation in development outcomes.5 Postwar development economists’ belief that large, state-led projects could liberate entrepreneurs from traditional practices and other rigidities ran up against Latin America’s state-led stagnation and Africa’s institutional bloat.6 Finally, the fact that global income levels exhibit not convergence but “Divergence, Big Time,”7 has undermined the claims of neoclassical economists. As one long-time practitioner notes
Documentation in Managed Care: Challenges for Social Work Education

Abstract This paper discusses clinical record keeping knowledge and skills for social work students and all practitioners in the context of managed care. Specifically we review managed care's documentation demands; prerogatives of utilization review; the tensions between man aged care and social work values; and social work education implications of evolving record-keeping standards and services delivery in managed care.
The Yale Craving Scale: Development and psychometric properties.

Introduction The current study presents a psychometric evaluation of the Yale Craving Scale (YCS), a novel measure of craving for cigarettes and alcohol, respectively. The YCS is the first craving measure to use a generalized Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) as the scoring format, which facilitates between-group comparisons of subjective craving and eliminates ceiling effects by assessing the full range of imaginable sensation intensities.
Transcription‐coupled DNA Repair

Excision repair pathways remove a wide variety of lesions formed by endogenous and environmental agents, and protect humans from the mutagenic and carcinogenic consequences of persisting damage. Transcription-coupled repair is a subpathway of excision repair that selectively removes lesions from the transcribed strands of expressed genes. Keywords: nucleotide excision repair; base excision repair; transcription; ribonucleic acid polymerase; ultraviolet light
Motion-compensated real-time MR thermometry augmented by tracking coils.

Purpose To develop and evaluate a real-time proton resonant frequency (PRF) based MR thermometry method with a novel motion compensation technique, using linear phase model and active tracking coils.
1,1-Dioxobenzo[b]-thiophene-2-yl Methyloxycarbonyl Chloride

[135204-19-2] C10H7ClO4S (MW 258.68) InChI = 1S/C10H7ClO4S/c11-10(12)15-6-8-5-7-3-1-2-4-9(7)16(8,13)14/h1-5H,6H2 InChIKey = ZYXGPSYADVTJGF-UHFFFAOYSA-N (reagent for amino group protection1) Alternate Name: benzo[b]thiophenesulfone-2-methyloxycarbonyl chloride, benzo[b]thiophenesulfone-2-methyl chloroformate, Bsmoc-Cl. Physical Data: mp 76–77 °C.2 Solubility: soluble in all common organic solvents. Analysis of Reagent Purity: 1H NMR, elemental analysis. Preparative Methods: the title reagent can be prepared from benzenethiophenesulfone-2-methanol by treatment with phosgene in THF.2 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: stable in the absence of moisture, unstable toward hydrolysis on TLC plates (silica gel).
Resolving uncertainty and creating value from the exercise of e-commerce investment options

This study examines the effect of the resolution of uncertainty on real options exercise decisions with respect to three e-commerce investment options: scale-up, stage and joint investment, and the relationship between exercise of these options and firm performance. The results of a study of 172 public e-commerce investment announcements show that resolution of external (exogenous) and internal (endogenous) uncertainty has a significant effect on option exercise decisions. However, the results also imply that simply waiting without investment in active learning does not create significant value from real options. The key differentiator is how a firm resolves endogenous uncertainty as this endows it with the ability to successfully undertake the information technology investment and exploit the economic opportunity implied by the resolution of exogenous uncertainty. Furthermore, our results imply that different options should be used to manage situations involving certainty of loss on one hand and severity of loss on the other hand. Thus, it is important for firms to make the right choices when using options-based investing to manage risk. We suggest that, perhaps, managers need to maintain a portfolio of options to manage the two dimensions of risk simultaneously. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Implementing an Additive, College Access and Readiness Program for Latina/o High School Students in the U.S.

In this article we draw on the experiences of a diverse group of 34 first-generation college students, collected over a year, who served as peer mentors to minority and Latina/o high school students enrolled in four Title I (low-income) high schools in the Southwest U.S. The article identifies the successes and challenges of implementing an additive, college access and readiness program that aimed to not only reduce their dropout rates but to increase the number of traditionally underserved minority and Latina/o high school students seeking a post-secondary education. Implications as well as suggestions for further research are provided.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression and Anxiety

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an evidenced-based therapy used to treat a variety of mental disorders and medical conditions, including anxiety and depression. In this article, we describe the philosophical and theoretical basis for ACT as well as the therapy itself. We then review the outcome research literature on ACT for anxiety and depression. This review indicates modest evidence supporting the use of ACT to treat anxiety and depression; and further indicates that many of the existing studies have important limitations that undermine our full confidence in inferences regarding the efficacy of ACT for anxiety and depression.
Reducing Communication Apprehension for New Patients Through Information Found Within Physicians’ Biographies

This study investigated whether state communication apprehension (CA) with physicians, for high CA patients, can be reduced before consultations by manipulating information found within physicians' online biographies. Participants were presented with three experimentally manipulated physician biographies and asked to choose which physician they would want to visit to get a hypothetical ailment checked out. Guided by uncertainty reduction theory, results support a path model where increases in perceived similarities between a patient and doctor led to greater uncertainty reduction, greater liking, and subsequent reductions in CA with the physician for high CA participants. In addition, the majority of participants decided to visit the physician with whom they perceived the greatest similarity. The importance of reducing CA in the medical context is discussed, as well as theoretical implications for communication researchers. The results also provide practical guidance for health care systems to help improve their current physician biographical offerings available to prospective patients.
Fire and forest landscapes in the Georgia Piedmont: an assessment of spatial modeling assumptions

Abstract Landscape simulation models are widely used to study the behavior of ecological systems. As computing power has increased, these models have become more complex and incorporated more realistic spatial representations of landscape patterns and ecological processes. The goal of this research was to examine the sensitivity of simulated landscape patterns to fundamental spatial modeling assumptions. The LANDIS simulator was parameterized for forests of the Georgia Piedmont and used to model landscape-scale community dynamics at fire return intervals from 20 to 100 years. A base scenario incorporating localized seed dispersal along with landform-related variation in species establishment rates and disturbance regimes was contrasted with three alternative scenarios. The uniform habitat scenario applied the same set of species establishment coefficients across all landforms. The uniform dispersal scenario removed the effects of seed source abundance and pattern on species establishment. The uniform disturbance scenario assumed identical disturbance regimes on all landforms. At the shortest fire return intervals, fire severities were low and the stand age distribution was dominated by older forests. At longer fire return intervals, fire severities were high and the stand age distribution was skewed toward younger forests. Species composition generally followed a gradient from fire-resistant species at short fire return intervals to fire-sensitive species at longer fire return intervals. However, some species exhibited bimodal distributions with high abundances at both short and long fire return intervals. Landscape responses to fire were similar in the uniform habitat scenario and the base scenario. Communities were less sensitive to fire return interval and had more fire-sensitive species in the uniform dispersal scenario than in the base scenario. Species composition in the uniform disturbance scenario was similar to the base scenario for the longest fire-intervals, but was more sensitive to changes in the fire regime at shorter fire return intervals. In models of Piedmont forest landscapes, accurate spatial representations of dispersal and fire regime heterogeneity are essential for predicting landscape-scale species composition under changing fire regimes. In contrast, the precise spatial representation of species–habitat relationships may be considerably less important.
The impact of experimental sedimentation and flooding on the growth and germination of floodplain trees

Land-use changes in a forested floodplain’s watershed can lead to incremental changes in the hydrology and sedimentation rates of the floodplain. The impacts of these changes can be difficult to measure due to the slow response time of mature trees. Seedlings and saplings, on the other hand, may show an immediate response. Responses during these early life history stages can have major consequences for regeneration of floodplain forests and ultimately result in community alteration. This study tested the importance of changes in hydrology and sedimentation on the germination and growth rates of three common floodplain tree species: Acer rubrum, Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Quercus palustris. Two-year-old saplings were grown in a greenhouse under two hydrologic regimes, with or without the addition of sediment. Neither periodic flooding with or without sediment nor static flooding on its own affected the growth of the seedlings. With the addition of sediment, static flooding for two weeks lead to a significant decrease in sapling growth. There was a significant species x treatment interaction, suggesting that each species responded differently to the application of flooding and sediment. The timing of germination and the total percent germination for F. pennsylvanica and Q. palustris seeds were tested under the same conditions. Flooding and sediment acted in an additive manner to delay the germination of both F. pennsylvanica and Q. palustris and to reduce the total germination rate of Q. palustris. There was no difference in the total germination rate of F. pennsylvanica seeds under any treatment. During the growth trials, adventitious roots sprouted on saplings grown under sedimentation. Adventitious roots growing into sediment rather than floodwater should be able to utilize the sediment’s nutrients and may compensate for some of the stress of flooding. The results of this study suggest that sediment tolerances will vary among species, but will not necessarily correlate with flood tolerances, and that sedimentation may be as important as flooding in determining floodplain plant community composition.