cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fludarabine Melphalan and Alemtuzumab (Campath) Conditioning for Pts with High Risk Myeloid Malignancies. High Cure Rate for Pts with Low Leukemia Burden.

Fludarabine melphalan conditioning has been used widely for conditioning of pts with hematologic malignancies. When combined with in vivo alemtuzumab, this regimen leads to reliable engraftment, minimal acute and chronic GVHD, and low early transplant-related mortality (TRM). Between 2002 and 2004, we conducted a prospective study in hematologic malignancies. Here we report outcomes in 55 patients with high-risk myeloid malignancies. Median age was 54 (range 17–71); 17 were 60 and older. 28 had HLA-identical related donors, 23 had MUD donors, and 4 had 1 Ag-MM related donors. 32 pts had high leukemia burden at transplant (24 active AML, 6 MDS with >5% blasts, 1 CML-BC, 1 myelofibrosis in transformation). 23 pts had low leukemia burden at transplant (4 AML in CR1 with adverse cytogenetics, 2 AML CR1 with WBC>100K, 1 AML CR1 requiring 2 inductions, 6 AML CR2, 1 AML CR3, 4 MDS 0 in 20 pts. Many had other high risk features including 15 with prior transplant and 10 with secondary leukemia. Conditioning consisted of fludarabine-melphalan-alemtuzumab (as per Smith, Blood 2002, abstract 5292), with tacrolimus for GVHD prophylaxis until day 100. Stringent CMV prophylaxis with high dose valacyclovir was given for 180 days. There were two early graft rejections (both from1 Ag-MM related donors) and both pts died of aplasia. There were also 2 deaths during conditioning. Including these 4 pts, cumulative day 100 TRM is 17% (95% CI 7–27). Median follow-up for survivors is 14 months (range 2–30). Estimated one year survival is 53% (95% CI 39–67) and one year PFS is 44% (95% CI 30–68). Donor type did not affect survival. Age > 55 (HR 2; p= 0.04), PS > 0 (HR 2.4; p= 0.001) and high leukemia burden (HR 7.7; p=0.0001) were associated with decreased survival in univariate analysis. 20 of 23 pts with low leukemia burden remain alive, 18 in ongoing remission. By contrast, one year survival for pts with high leukemia burden is 35 % (figure). Only 1 case of grade III–IV acute GVHD was observed and extensive chronic GVHD occurred in 3 pts. CMV reactivation was common, but documented CMV pneumonia occurred in only one patient. Fludarabine melphalan alemtuzumab conditioning results in excellent long-term outcome for patients with high-risk myeloid malignancies and low leukemia burden, with a very low incidence of acute and chronic GVHD. In these disorders, GVHD is not a prerequisite for achievement of durable CR. For pts with high leukemia burden, therapy provided mainly palliative responses with a low incidence of GVHD. Further improvements are needed to reduce recurrence rate for pts with high leukemia burden.
Integrated thermal tuning of suspended micro-resonators

We show the ability to tune the optical properties of clad-less suspended microresonator by fully integrating thermal heating circuit with platinum suspended wires, and without affecting the optical performance of the device.
From nature deficit to outdoor exploration: curriculum for sustainability in Vermont’s public schools

ABSTRACTChildren today are spending less time than ever outdoors, contributing to a culture of environmental apathy and separation from the natural world. In the growing field of environmental education, teachers are challenged to introduce the outdoors into their curriculum. In Vermont, some public school teachers have successfully implemented environmental education into their practice in a variety of interesting ways. This paper analyzes a series of teacher interviews and observations in Vermont public schools to identify successful strategies and pedagogies being utilized for environmental education. Several common themes emerged from this study, including place-based education, hands-on exploration, and free choice learning.
Regulator Loss Functions and Hierarchical Modeling for Safety Decision Making

Background. Regulators must act to protect the public when evidence indicates safety problems with medical devices. This requires complex tradeoffs among risks and benefits, which conventional safety surveillance methods do not incorporate. Objective. To combine explicit regulator loss functions with statistical evidence on medical device safety signals to improve decision making. Methods. In the Hospital Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample, we select pediatric inpatient admissions and identify adverse medical device events (AMDEs). We fit hierarchical Bayesian models to the annual hospital-level AMDE rates, accounting for patient and hospital characteristics. These models produce expected AMDE rates (a safety target), against which we compare the observed rates in a test year to compute a safety signal. We specify a set of loss functions that quantify the costs and benefits of each action as a function of the safety signal. We integrate the loss functions over the posterior distributio...
Eating in the Panopticon: Surveillance of Food and Weight before and after Bariatric Surgery.

ABSTRACTIn this article, we explore the processes by which surveillance of eating and weight is coupled with popular and medical ideas about discipline, responsibility, and moral worth for individuals identified as fat/obese. We then follow these individuals through bariatric surgery and weight loss, paying attention to what discourses and practices shift and what remain unchanged. We argue that weight loss does not temper the intensity and constancy of surveillance, because it is at the core of ideas concerning good citizenship and personal responsibility. Accompanying judgments do shift, however, as the perceptions of failure at disciplined “healthy” eating associated with fatness give way to more diverse attitudes post surgery. This analysis also highlights the fact that public and clinical perceptions of “troubled eating” often rely not on eating practices but on the types of bodies that are doing the consuming.
On the spatial decay of 3-D steady-state navier-stokes flows

This note shows that any solution u of the Navier-Stokes equations in a 3-D exterior domain which decays as has the optimal decay , if the body force f satisfies .The main tool is an interior estim...
The Use of Technology in Direct-Selling Marketing Channels: Digital Avenues for Dynamic Growth

Technology is transforming industries, challenging traditional marketing channels, and providing digital avenues for dynamic growth. The popularity of digital platforms has disrupted traditional di...
Effects of Functional Communication Training Using GoTalk NowTM iPad® Application on Challenging Behavior of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder:

This study investigated the effects of a functional communication training intervention consisting of systematic prompting and natural reinforcement on the challenging behaviors of two children wit...
Unicast Routing Algorithms

Routing algorithms occur in diverse forms, which depend on the specific application for which they are employed. They constitute the foundation for networking protocols in the Internet and are deployed in millions of units of networking equipment, such as the in routers used throughout the world.
Effects of an allicin-based product on cryptosporidiosis in neonatal calves.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate effectiveness of an allicin-based product in neonatal calves inoculated with Cryptosporidium parvum. DESIGN Randomized controlled study. ANIMALS 43 neonatal calves. PROCEDURE Calves were inoculated with 1.5 x 10(8) or 7.5 x 10(5) C parvum oocysts within 2 days after birth. Calves were given an allicin-based product once after inoculation or daily for 7 days after inoculation or were not treated. Calves that developed diarrhea were treated by administration of the product. Fecal consistency scores and weight gains were statistically evaluated. RESULTS Mean daily weight gain and severity of diarrhea in calves 4 to 21 days old were unaffected by prophylactic use of the product. However, intensive prophylactic administration may have delayed onset of C parvum-induced diarrhea in calves inoculated with the lower dose of oocysts. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Administration of an allicin-based product did not alter duration of C parvum-induced diarrhea or enhance weight gain in neonatal calves. However, intensive prophylactic administration of an allicin-based product may delay onset of diarrhea in calves exposed to C parvum oocysts.
Instability of Thin-Walled Spherical Structures under External Pressure

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the instability of thin-walled spherical structures under external pressure with the use of Reissner's nonlinear generalizations of the H. Reissner–Meissner equations for axisymmetric deformation of axisymmetric shells and use of formal eigenfunction expansions. The chapter presents four-mode equations solved by hand computation, aided only by a portable desk calculator with accumulation. For any number of modes, given the machine capacity, the iteration is easy to program for automatic computers. With the coefficients determined (up to the chosen index), the desired functions are explicitly exhibited. If there is a complete spherical shell of thickness h and (middle surface) radius a subjected to a uniform external pressure p. he chapter discusses the problem of finding for given a/h the lower critical pressure pL , that is, the greatest lower bound of the values of p for which the shell can assume a nonspherical, that is, buckled, shape.
Geochemistry and origin of amphibolite and ultramafic rocks, Branham Lakes area, Tobacco Root Mountains, southwestern Montana

An Archean amphibolite unit, composed of amphibolite, garnet amphibolite, and meta-ultramafic rocks, is exposed in the Branham Lakes area, Tobacco Root Mountains, southwestern Montana. These lithologies are separated from other Archean lithologic associations by shear zones and an inferred thrust fault system and they are intruded by the Cretaceous Tobacco Root Batholith.
Cancer screening among patients with metastatic cancer.

e18178Background: Cancer screening is an integral component of preventive medicine; however, these services likely have little or no benefit in metastatic cancer patients due to limited life expect...
The Relative Effectiveness of Private and Public Schools: Evidence from Kenya.

This paper estimates the relative effectiveness of private and public primary schools in Kenya using data from 4,433 Grade 6 schoolchildren. Using ordinary least squares as a baseline model, we use...
Prostate stromal prostaglandin D2 synthase-derived eicosanoid products suppress prostate cancer cell growth

873 Prostate cancer is an indolent tumor, and the mechanisms responsible are not understood. The normal prostate produces arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites through the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway that are added to seminal fluids and aid in reproduction. Our research shows that tumor cell growth is suppressed by AA pathway metabolites that are products of lipocalcin type-prostaglandin D synthase (PGDS) in normal prostate cells and may act through high levels of nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) expressed by prostate cancer cells. All normal prostate cells studied, prostate epithelial (PrE), stromal (PrSt), and smooth muscle (PrSM) cells, expressed PGDS mRNA by RT-PCR and protein by Western analysis. In contrast, prostate cancer cells, PC-3, LNCaP, and DU145 cells, lacked any detectable PGDS mRNA by RT-PCR at 25, 35, or 45 amplification cycles and any protein expression by Western analysis. These high levels of PGDS expression in normal PrSt, PrSM, and PrE cells corresponded to significant levels of PGD2 (PrSt [2.75 + 0.001 ng/106 cells], PrSM [1.49 + 0.28 ng/106 cells], and PrE [1.24 + 0.01 ng/106 cells]) as measured by LC/MS/MS analysis and were uniformly restricted to normal cells. We then tested the biologic effects of PGDS and its metabolic products on prostate tumor cells. Conditioned medium from PrSt cells fed 10μM AA for 30 minutes inhibited prostate cancer cell growth by 20-40% at 24 hours as measured by calcein-AM vital dye. Neutralizing antibody against PGDS abrogated the inhibitory effect of PrSt-conditioned medium. This suggests that PrSt cells produce inhibitory factors that are enzymatic metabolites of PGDS. In coculture, PrSt cells induced suppression of PC-3, LNCaP, and DU145 cell growth. Additionally, PGDS subcloned into a Neo, HA tag, and Myc tag vector was expressed in COS-1 cells, which were previously determined to express both PPARγ and COX-1. Significant time-dependent changes in morphology resembling differentiation were observed in COS-1 cells expressing these vectors but not in cells transfected with empty vectors. These results suggest that prostate stromal PGDS-derived eicosanoids inhibit prostate cancer cell growth, that this effect may be mediated by activation of PPARγ, and that this prostate stromal cell-cancer cell interaction may be the mechanism that explains prostate cancer’s indolent growth. Supported by a grant from the American Cancer Society, TPRN-99-240-01-CNE-1, to DGM.
The Oka—Weil Theorem

Let K be a compact set in the z-plane and denote by P(K) the uniform closure on K of the polynomials in z.
Optimal adjuvant therapy in clinically N2 non-small cell lung cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery: The importance of pathological response and lymph node ratio.

Abstract Objectives Optimal adjuvant therapy in patients with clinically N2 (cN2) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery is controversial. We evaluated the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) and/or radiation (RT) in this patient population. Materials and methods Patients with non-metastatic, cN2 NSCLC diagnosed from 2004 to 2015 were identified from the National Cancer Database, which captures 70% of cancer cases diagnosed in the United States. Patients underwent neoadjuvant CT and surgical resection. Patients couldn’t receive RT before surgery. Survival was compared using log-rank and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Subset analyses were performed based on post-chemotherapy surgical nodal staging (ypN0-2) and lymph node ratio (LNR), including 0%, 1–15%, or >15% involvement. LNR was defined as number of nodes involved by tumor divided by number of nodes examined. Results and conclusions We identified 1541 patients. The percentage of patients who received adjuvant CT and RT was 18.9% and 35.7% respectively. ypN status and LNR were predictive of survival on univariate analysis, but only LNR maintained significance on multivariate analysis. There was no benefit observed for adjuvant CT or RT in the entire cohort. On subset analyses, a survival benefit was observed in ypN2 patients with receipt of CT or RT (HRs 0.77 and 0.81, respectively, p 15%, there was a significant benefit of RT (HR 0.76, p = 0.007) and borderline benefit of CT (HR 0.78, p = 0.058). Patients with cN2 disease with subsequent ypN0-1 and/or LNR 15% who receive adjuvant CT and RT have improved survival. Aggressive consolidative therapy appears to improve survival in patients with persistent or high nodal burden disease.
Diverse temperate forest bird assemblages demonstrate closer correspondence to plant species composition than vegetation structure

The aggregate structure of vegetation has long provided a strong conceptual basis for understanding the ecological separation of faunal species, while correspondence with plant species composition remains largely underdeveloped and considered secondary to structure. Longstanding ecological debate on the matter has likely been sustained by statistical methods incapable of accommodating an entire species composition in the explanatory role. We used direct ordination methodologies (predictive co‐correspondence and canonical correspondence analyses) that allow the comparison of prediction levels between composition and structure for understanding avian assemblage composition in a temperate forestland in southeastern Ohio. Compositional (birds and woody plants) and structural (both vertical and horizontal dimensions) data were collected from point samples comprising a spectrum in topography and successional state. Total woody plant composition (11.22%) explained more (cross‐validatory) variation in avian species composition than structure, quantified with dense LiDAR recordings (7.35%) and field methods (6.31%). Plant composition assumed an integrative character, synthesizing aspects of environmental condition, structure, and most likely species‐specific preferences for tree and shrub species that structural indices alone could not for predicting avian species composition. These results conflict with the traditional view that structure be most influential to avian assemblage composition. Instead these results demonstrate that plant and avian assemblages are closely linked, and that plant species per se can be a powerful tool for predicting avian habitat. More importantly, in furthering ecological understanding, it is critical to consider the complex web of interacting processes that make up temperate forest ecosystems, in which composition occupies a key position.
3kV SiC Charge-Balanced Diodes Breaking Unipolar Limit

In this work, we report design and fabrication of 3kV SiC Charge-Balanced JBS diodes with differential on-resistance below SiC 1D-unipolar limit. This diode implements a novel drift layer architecture that comprises p-doped buried Charge-Balanced regions inside drift layer. We also report successful high voltage double pulse inductive switching of SiC CB-JBS diode with total estimated recovery loss of 12.5mJ/cm2 at 150 °C when switched between 1.7kV and 270A/cm2.
Heterogeneity of dopamine release sites in health and degeneration

Despite comprising only ~ 0.001% of all neurons in the human brain, ventral midbrain dopamine neurons exert a profound influence on human behavior and cognition. As a neuromodulator, dopamine selectively inhibits or enhances synaptic signaling to coordinate neural output for action, attention, and affect. Humans invariably lose brain dopamine during aging, and this can be exacerbated in disease states such as Parkinson's Disease. Further, it is well established in multiple disease states that cell loss is selective for a subset of highly sensitive neurons within the nigrostriatal dopamine tract. Regional differences in dopamine tone are regulated pre-synaptically, with subcircuits of projecting dopamine neurons exhibiting distinct molecular and physiological signatures. Specifically, proteins at dopamine release sites that synthesize and package cytosolic dopamine, modulate its release and reuptake, and alter neuronal excitability show regional differences that provide linkages to the observed sensitivity to neurodegeneration. The aim of this review is to outline the major components of dopamine homeostasis at neurotransmitter release sites and describe the regional differences most relevant to understanding why some, but not all, dopamine neurons exhibit heightened vulnerability to neurodegeneration.
Randomized controlled trial of physical activity intervention effects on fatigue and depression in multiple sclerosis: Secondary analysis of data from persons with elevated symptom status.

Abstract Background Physical activity interventions have yielded reductions in fatigue and depressive symptoms among persons with multiple sclerosis(MS) who have not been screened for elevated baseline symptoms scores. Purpose This short communication describes a secondary analysis of data from a previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) and focused on physical activity intervention effects on fatigue and depression among persons with MS who had elevated baseline symptom scores. Method Of the 76 persons who completed the RCT, 64(84%) had baseline fatigue severity scale(FSS) scores indicating elevated levels of fatigue(n = 30,intervention; n = 34,control), and 26(34%) had baseline hospital anxiety and depression scale, depression(HADS-D) scores indicating elevated depressive symptoms (n = 13,intervention; n = 13,control). The physical activity intervention was delivered over a 6-month period, and the control condition was a 6-month waitlist. The participants completed the FSS and HADS-D as part of baseline and follow-up battery of assessments. Results There was a statistically significant change in FSS scores favoring the physical activity intervention, and the effect size of 0.73 was larger than reported in a previous meta-analysis of RCTs of physical activity and fatigue in MS of 0.45(95%CI=.22,.68). We observed a statistically significant change in HADS-D scores favoring the physical activity intervention, and the effect size of 1.21 was larger than reported in a previous meta-analysis of RCTs of physical activity and depression in MS of 0.36(95%CI=.18,.54). Conclusion Such results provide preliminarily support for the application of physical activity interventions for the “treatment” of fatigue and/or depression in MS, pending subsequent confirmatory efficacy or effectiveness trials.
Microbe‐mediated local adaptation to limestone barrens is context dependent

Plant-root-associated microbes influence plant phenotype and tolerance to environmental stress, and thus have been hypothesized to play a role in plant local adaptation. Here, we test this hypothesis with factorial experiments addressing the role of microbes in local adaptation of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) to stressful limestone barrens (alvars) compared to neighboring old-fields. Alvar plants benefited more from microbes in early life history stages, while at later growth stages, alvar and old-field plants benefited equally from microbes but only in the old-field habitat. Patterns of local adaptation were changed by the presence of microbes. Alvar plants grown in association with alvar microbes outperformed old-field plants in the alvar habitat, whereas old-field plants showed patterns of maladaptation when grown with microbes. In this demonstration of microbe-mediated adaptation, we show that rhizosphere microbes can be important for plant fitness and patterns of local adaptation but that those effects are dependent on life-history stage and habitat.
Analysis and Modeling of Polarization Gradient Effect on Negative Capacitance FET

In this article, we will analyze and provide new insights into the polarization gradient effect of a ferroelectric using TCAD simulation and demonstrate how to model the polarization gradient effect using the negative capacitance FET (NCFET) compact model based on the BSIM framework. A larger value of ${g}$ (the coefficient of polarization gradient effect) results in improved subthreshold slope, smaller OFF-current, smaller drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL), and smaller output conductance. Inclusion of the polarization gradient effect in the NCFET compact model improves usability because it accurately captures the effects of negative DIBL and negative output conductance.
Neighbors on the Red Planet: Mars Science Laboratory Relay Coordination Post InSight Arrival

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) strategic communications planning toolset selects orbiter relay opportunities that the rover will use for transmitting data back to Earth. The toolset was extensively reworked in preparation for the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport's (InSight) arrival at Mars in November 2018 and the regular use of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) and Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) orbiters as relay assets in addition to Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and 2001 Mars Odyssey (ODY). Overflight selection criteria was automated in the new toolset to take into account overflight deconfliction and down-selection as well as tactical timeline planning impacts and total data return. This was done while remaining flexible and configurable for changing mission priorities. As the Curiosity rover ages, the MSL planning team must overcome issues such as reduced budgets, memory bank anomalies, and reduced power availability. These are some examples of factors that affect the strategic communications planning toolset. In addition to adapting to evolving internal mission needs, the toolset must also be flexible to changes in the relay planning interface with other landers. The concept of shared relay or “split passes” was introduced when InSight began operating on Mars just 600 kilometers away and at the same longitude as MSL. This proximity meant that orbiters could now communicate with two landers during the same relay session. Over time, this new operational use-case became common practice as InSight and MSL settled into relay planning negotiations. Today, many TGO relay sessions are shared between MSL and InSight. As more orbiters pursue integrating this capability into nominal relay operations, and more landers arrive on Mars, the strategic communications process and toolsets increases in complexity. Development of a single tool that schedules relay sessions for all orbiters and landers simultaneously may become necessary as the number of Martian spacecraft increases. Examples of how toolset selection criteria and capabilities have helped or hindered MSL planning will be presented. Ongoing improvements to MSL toolsets and processes, as well as to shared relay tools such as Mars Relay Operations Service (MaROS) and General Telecom Predictor (GTP) are also discussed in this paper.
Entanglement and Perverse Spontaneous Orders

This paper examines the evolution of spontaneous orders within Wagner’s entangled political economy framework. Most examinations of how interventions affect spontaneous orders use what Wagner calls an “additive” framework of political economy. That is to say, they take as their starting point an unhampered market order, and evaluate what happens when the polity begins to encroach on the economy. Wagner, by contrast, considers polity and economy to be so intimately entwined as to be logically inseparable in many situations. This paper examines the implications for the evolution of spontaneous orders if we take entanglement as the starting point of our analysis. Few orders emerge within a pure market context, and few political actions are able to be fully centrally planned. Coupled with the fact that people are alert to opportunities to better their circumstances in all environments, this helps us better understand why some emergent orders might evolve which are considered perverse from the standpoint of those participating in those orders. This paper concludes by applying the entangled political economy framework to the case of the evolution of the public aid system in the United States. Certainly, this system is characterized by significant public ordering, but it is also the case that the ecology of relationships and enterprises that have emerged in response to the public aid system are different than what would otherwise exist.
Systematics of the “Giant” Ricinulei (Ricinoididae: Ricinoides) of West Africa, with Descriptions of Five New Species and Comparative Morphology of the Male Copulatory Apparatus

The Ricinulei Thorell, 1876, or “hooded tick-spiders,” are among the rarest and least studied arachnid orders. RicinoidesEwing, 1929, the only Old World genus of extant ricinuleids, with 11 species described from tropical West Africa, is the most neglected of the three genera currently recognized. A lack of attention to the systematics of Ricinoides has created a disparity between its taxonomic diversity and that of the New World genera, CryptocellusWestwood, 1874, and PseudocellusPlatnick, 1980, in which many new species have been described in recent decades. The present contribution provides a revised diagnosis of Ricinoides, which includes two new, putative synapomorphies for the genus and addresses the systematics and morphology of a group of West African species, which includes the world's largest ricinuleids and the type species of the genus. This group of nine species, referred to as the “giant” Ricinulei, shares a unique combination of characters, many of which appear to be unique to the group, and appears to be monophyletic. Four species of this group are redescribed, with revised diagnoses, based on reexamination of the type material: Ricinoides afzelii (Thorell, 1892), from Sierra Leone; Ricinoides atewaNaskrecki, 2008, from Ghana; Ricinoides feae (Hansen, 1921), from Guinea-Bissau; and Ricinoides westermannii (Guerin-Meneville, 1838), from Togo. Five new species are described, raising the number of species in the genus to 16: Ricinoides eburneus, sp. nov., and Ricinoides taii, sp. nov., from Cote d'Ivoire; Ricinoides iita, sp. nov., from Nigeria; Ricinoides kakum, sp. nov., from Ghana; and Ricinoides nzerekorensis, sp. nov., from Guinea. Comparative illustrations of the adult morphology are presented for all nine species. The male copulatory apparatus is described and illustrated in detail, and new terminology and characters presented. The female spermathecae are described and illustrated for six species in which the females are known, representing the first illustrated comparison of these structures in African ricinuleids. Geographical distribution records are revised and updated for the different species, and their distributions mapped.
Towards Copper-Copper Direct Bonding: Controlled Crystal Growth of Copper Deposits for Minimization of Interface Formation During Bonding

Electrochemical deposition of copper usually results in certain crystalline layers at first, followed by growth of the individual crystals to the final microstructure. The deposit properties that determine the extent to which this growth occurs, the corresponding timeframe, and the required temperature strongly depend on the respective electrochemical deposition process. In turn, the result of the deposition process may be purposefully controlled by organic additives, their mutual concentrations, as well as process parameters such as current density, convection, or temperature. By this means, the behavior of the respective deposits may be tuned, e.g. as a function of the co-deposited impurities and the initial microstructure. Both, purity and microstructure usually depend on the electrochemical characteristics of the plating additives and the applied current density. By purposefully changing the postprocessing behavior of the initially formed layer after deposition and throughout subsequent processes like, for example CMP, the formation of the final microstructure and properties of the deposits may be directed to a post-processing step at elevated temperatures. Depending on the respective application and integration scheme, such post-processing steps requires a certain thermal load. The temperature that allows to obtain the final deposit properties may also be controlled by the parameters of the electrochemical deposition process. Ideally, this temperature should be adjusted to the thermal load, which is required for the respective following process step of the particular application under consideration. The results of this study of the time- and temperature-dependent behavior of electrodeposited copper could potentially be used to optimize the process for upcoming copper-to-copper direct bonding technologies.
Cancer incidence, patterns, and genotype-phenotype associations in individuals with pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline TP53 variants: an observational cohort study.

Summary Background Li-Fraumeni syndrome, caused primarily by pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline TP53 variants, is a rare, variably penetrant, cancer predisposition syndrome with very high risks of cancer starting in childhood, including the risk of multiple primary malignancies over an individual's lifespan. We aimed to characterise and quantify cancer incidence, patterns, and genotype–phenotype associations in individuals with pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline TP53 variants. Methods This observational cohort study was done in 480 carriers of pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline TP53 variants enrolled in the National Cancer Institute's referral-based longitudinal Li-Fraumeni syndrome study between Aug 1, 2011, and March 24, 2020. Data on personal and family history of cancer were obtained through study questionnaires and validated by medical records. Variants were categorised on the basis of both loss-of-function (LOF) and dominant-negative effect (DNE) properties. Cancer incidence associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome was compared with that of the general population using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 1975–2017 registry. Cancer incidence was evaluated with family-clustered Cox regression models and competing risk methods. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT01443468 . Findings Individuals with Li-Fraumeni syndrome had a nearly 24 times higher incidence of any cancer than the general population (standardised incidence ratio 23·9; 95% CI 21·9–26·0), with the highest comparative incidence from childhood to 30 years of age. The overall cancer incidence remained 10·3 (95% CI 7·9–13·2) times higher than that of the general population after age 50 years. In women, when considering breast cancer as a competing risk, the probability of a first diagnosis of a non-breast cancer malignancy was substantially lower than that of any first cancer (24·4% [95% CI 19·6–30·5] vs 50·4% [43·5–56·5] by age 33·7 years). Overall, DNE_LOF and notDNE_LOF variants were associated with earlier age at first and second cancer compared with notDNE_notLOF and DNE_notLOF variants. The time interval from first to second cancer was shorter among carriers whose first cancer diagnoses were later in life. Multiple cancers were diagnosed within a short timeframe in some individuals, regardless of the order of cancer occurrence. Interpretation This study adds granularity to the understanding of cancer incidence and patterns in individuals with pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline TP53 variants. Integration of age range-specific cancer incidence estimates, cancer-free survival by functional variant group, the potential impact of risk-reducing mastectomy on female cancer incidence, and data on subsequent malignancies will be important for the development of strategies to optimise cancer screening and management for these individuals. Funding Intramural Research Program, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Institutes of Health.
Big Business, the State, and Free Trade: Constructing Coalitions in Mexico

Many existing theories of economic liberalization fail to account for Mexico's experiences. Why has the Mexican government risked alienating its primary constituencies by pursuing trade opening and joining NAFTA? Big Business, the State, and Free Trade develops a general explanation of trade policy coalition politics and uses it to explain the opening of Mexico's economy. It emphasizes the role of business and state actors in constructing competing trade policy coalitions. The book traces the formation and relative strength of a protectionist and a free trade coalition across a series of policy episodes from the 1970s to the 1980s. It pays particular attention to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which consolidated a strong free trade coalition between big business and state elites. The conditions that strengthened the free trade coalition have also contributed to higher levels of political and economic instability since 1994. Coalition politics is likely to become more important as Mexico's political system democratizes.
Noise of High-Performance Aircraft at Afterburner

Abstract : The noise of a F18E aircraft is studied and analyzed. The main objective is to find out whether the noise has the same dominant noise components as those of a laboratory supersonic jet. The noise spectra at 3 power settings were studied. It is found that at low power, the dominant noise componets are very similar to those of a laboratory jet. But at hight power, there are significant differences.
EFFECT OF TARGETED MASS TREATMENT ON INTENSITY OF INFECTION AND MORBIDITY IN SCHISTOSOMIASIS MANSONI: 3-Year Follow-up of a Community in Machakos, Kenya

Abstract The effect of targeted mass treatment, a new strategy for cost-effective control of schistosomiasis mansoni based on administering single-dose chemotherapeutic agents to individuals with disease manifestations (hepatosplenomegaly) or heavy infections, was evaluated in an endemic area in Kenya. Two years after treatment of subjects with hepatosplenomegaly, the mean liver midsternal-line measurement decreased from 6·5±0·6 to 2·9+0·5 cm and the mean faecal egg count dropped significantly from its pretreatment level of 1090±290/g to 88±31/g. Targeted chemotherapy was then administered to a group of 122 subjects with faecal egg counts ≽400/g. A similar maintained decrease in egg counts after chemotherapy was demonstrated in this group; mean egg count after one year was 115±17/g compared with 1250±232/g before treatment. The yearly rate of acquisition of heavy infection in this community was low (7%) and did not differ significantly in the uninfected, lightly infected, or heavily infected (and treated) groups.
Procalcitonin testing has the potential to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in patients with suspected lower respiratory tract infections.

Intervention: Patients were randomly assigned to either standard care (n=199) or PCT-guided treatment (n=124). In the latter group, serum PCT concentrations were used to advise clinicians. Use of antibiotics was: strongly discouraged (PCT <0.1 μg/L), discouraged (≥0.1 and <0.25 μg/L), advised (≥0.25 and <0.5 μg/L), or strongly advised (≥0.5 μg/L). Re-evaluation was possible after 6-24 hours in both groups.
Role of mechanical stress in calcification of aortic bioprosthetic valves

Calcification of bioprostheses used for heart valve replacement is a serious problem, since it causes bioprosthetic dysfunction. In vivo, bioprostheses are subjected to large mechanical stresses during each cardiac cycle. We investigated whether stresses play a major role in calcification of bioprostheses. Previous studies of Carpentier-Edwards porcine, Hancock porcine, and Ionescu-Shiley pericardial bioprostheses indicated that the highest stresses occurred in the areas of greatest flexion of the leaflet. In porcine bioprostheses, stresses were greater in the commissural region than at the base, and were compressive on the aortic surface of the leaflet. The pericardial tissue showed shear deformation in the zone of flexion. In the present study, the three types of bioprostheses were implanted in the aortic position in calves to investigate the development, location, and distribution of calcification. Visual, radiographic, and histologic techniques were used. All bioprostheses showed calcification which began in the area of leaflet flexion. In porcine bioprostheses, calcification occurred earlier in the commissural region than at the base. The earliest calcific deposits were localized within collagen cords on the aortic surface of the leaflets. In pericardial bioprostheses, calcification occurred at multiple foci along the zone of leaflet flexion and was located between and within layers of collagen along planes parallel to the leaflet surface. Hence calcification in all bioprostheses began in the areas of greatest stress. In porcine bioprostheses, calcification was present where collagen fibers are likely to have been damaged by compressive stresses. In pericardial bioprostheses, calcification was found along the planes of shear where structural integrity is likely to have been disrupted by the sliding of individual layers of collagen over each other. It is concluded that mechanical stresses initiate calcification by damaging the structural integrity of the leaflet tissue. Therefore, calcification of bioprostheses can be inhibited by reducing functional stresses through the modification of design and tissue properties to duplicate those of the natural aortic valve.
Forests as Sources of Hydrocarbons, Particulates, and Other Contaminants

In addition to whatever contribution forests may make to the atmosphere burden of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides, they are known to be important natural sources of hydrocarbons and particulates. Volatile hydrocarbons are released by a variety of woody plants during the course of normal metabolism. Pollen, the most significant particulate contaminant released by forests from the standpoint of human health, is also produced, of course, during normal reproductive metabolism. Hydrocarbon aerosols are viewed as an increasingly important particulate emission from forests. Forest burning, whether naturally occurring or artificially ignited, also produces hydrocarbons, and particulates as well as carbon oxides. Even though forest fires may be a natural recurring event in most forest ecosystems, the pollutants generated by this process are not the result of normal metabolism but rather are generated by combustion of forest biomass. As a result, the latter are discussed in Section C.
O contrato de dominação

Para abordar a historia de subordinacao racial e de genero, e necessario repensar como fazemos teoria politica. Assim, o objetivo consiste em uma analise da tradicao revisionista do contrato e de sua transformacao em uma teorizacao da justica racial e de genero. Meu argumento e de que o conceito de “contrato de dominacao” pode ser empregado de forma produtiva para superarmos os descaminhos dos pressupostos gerais da teoria hegemonica do contrato social e, assim, termos melhores condicoes de lidar com as questoes prementes de uma teoria “nao ideal” que, longe de ser marginal, de fato determina o destino da maioria da populacao. E revolucionario o entendimento que considera que a assertiva mais significativa da teoria do contrato social seja a de que a sociedade politica e um construto humano, e nao um desenvolvimento orgânico. Argumento que essa significância revolucionaria ainda nao foi valorizada e explorada em sua plenitude. Entendendo ate onde vai a “construcao”, podemos reconhecer que esse discernimento tambem se aplica ao genero e a raca. Quando se reconhece quao proteano o contrato historicamente tem se apresentado e quao fundamental do ponto de vista politico e sua visao da criacao humana de sociedade e de nos mesmos como seres sociais, consegue-se compreender que seu emprego conservador e resultado nao de seus aspectos intrinsecos, mas do seu uso por um grupo privilegiado de homens brancos hegemonico na teoria politica que tem tido nenhuma motivacao para extrapolar a sua logica.
Analysis of splice‐site mutations of the α‐galactosidase A gene in Fabry disease

Fabry disease is an X-linked disease caused by a defective lysosomal enzyme, alpha-galactosidase A, and characterized by skin lesions and multiorgan involvement, including kidney, heart, and the central nervous system. Currently more than 200 genotypes have been identified, including several aberrant splicing. However, most of the mutation analyses were performed using genomic sequencing only, and therefore some of the splicing mutations were misclassified as missense mutations. In order to predict the splicing event caused by each mutation, we conducted a literature search for all published mutations located near the splice sites, including exonic point mutations, and performed a splice-site score (SSS) analysis. The literature search identified 13 donor-site mutations, including four exonic mutations (S65T, D183S, K213N, and M267I), located at the end of exons 1, 3, 4, and 5, respectively, six acceptor-site mutations, and one new exon creation. All mutated splice sites, except for the one associated with the new exon creation, had a lower SSS than their respective natural sites. Cryptic or newly created sites were identified with SSS from 0.09 to 1.0. The predictions, based on SSS analysis, are in agreement with all six mutations with known cDNA sequence from the literature, including five mutations with exon skipping and one mutation with creation of a new acceptor site. For the S65T genotype, we performed reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis using RNA isolated from the whole-blood sample. We verified that a weak cryptic site (SSS = 0.09) 14 nucleotides downstream was activated and resulted in an insertion of 14 bp and a frameshift stop at codon 106. This change is more consistent with the clinical presentation of the patient, the classical Fabry disease, than the amino acid substitution (S65T), which does not affect the enzyme function. In conclusion, the SSS analysis is very useful for predicting splicing events and genotype/phenotype correlation in Fabry disease. As different mechanisms may be involved in pre-mRNA splicing, it is important to obtain cDNA sequencing for molecular diagnosis.
Alogliptin: a new addition to the class of DPP-4 inhibitors.

Background Alogliptin is an oral antihyperglycemic agent that is a selective inhibitor of the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4). Inhibition of DPP-4 elevates levels of the incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) by preventing their degradation.
Phenotypic changes in the brain of SIV-infected macaques exposed to methamphetamine parallel macrophage activation patterns induced by the common gamma-chain cytokine system.

One factor in the development of neuroAIDS is the increase in the migration of pro-inflammatory CD8 T cells across the Blood Brain Barrier. Typically these cells are involved with keeping the viral load down. However, the persistence of above average numbers of CD8 T cells in the brain, not necessarily specific to viral peptides, is facilitated by the upregulation of IL15 from astrocytes, in the absence of IL2, in the brain environment. Both IL15 and IL2 are common gamma chain (γc) cytokines. Here, using the non-human primate model of neuroAIDS, we have demonstrated that exposure to Methamphetamine, a powerful illicit drug that has been associated with HIV exposure and neuroAIDS severity, can cause an increase in molecules of the γc system. Among these molecules, IL15, which is upregulated in astrocytes by Methamphetamine, and that induces the proliferation of T cells, may also be involved in driving an inflammatory phenotype in innate immune cells of the brain. Therefore, Methamphetamine and IL15 may be critical in the development and aggravation of Central Nervous System immune-mediated inflammatory pathology in HIV-infected drug abusers.
Nature‐based Recreation, mood change, and stress restoration

Abstract People recreating outdoors (at an urban, park) and people recreating indoors (in their homes) assessed their moods at the start, middle, and end of their brief (less than 2‐hr) leisure experiences. Moods changed slightly but significantly, and some of these changes were consistent with predictions that leisure reduces stress. Contrary to expectations, recreating near nature produced no more restoration than did recreating indoors, away from nature.
Ovarian Binding of Intact and Desialylated hCG in Vivo and in Vitro

The importance of sialic acid residues for combination of hCG with ovarian receptor sites was evaluated by comparing the capacities of intact and desialylated hCG to compete with 125I—labeled hCG for binding to ovarian tissue in vivo and in vitro. Direct uptake of 125I—labeled asialohCG was also examined in vitro. For competitive binding studies, intact hCG was labeled with 125I and shown to be indistinguishable from the unlabeled hormone by gel nitration, gel electrophoresis, electrofocusing and biological assay. Intravenous administration of 200 ng 125I—hCG to immature female rats was followed by maximum ovarian uptake of 6–12% of the injected radioactivity at 2 hr, with progressive reduction of tracer binding when 100–1200 ng hCG was added to the labeled hormone before injection. The ability of asialohCG to compete with 125I—hCG for ovarian uptake in vivo was reduced to 3% of the activity of the intact hormone, consistent with the rapid clearance and consequent low biological activity of the desialylat...
12-Phosphormolibdic acid doped polyaniline–V2O5 composite

Abstract Composite based on polyaniline, 12-phosphormolibdic acid and V 2 O 5 is prepared via direct intercalation of the macromolecules of the secondary doped conducting polymer inside the interlayer galleries of the oxide. It is shown that the features of the preparation method determine electro-physical and paramagnetic characteristics of the composite. The composite possesses a sufficiently high conductivity (5.0×10 −2 S/cm) and is an effective electrocatalyst of oxygen reduction in weak acid solutions.