cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A murine model of suicide gene therapy in the brainstem demonstrates efficacy without toxic inflammation, suggesting possible use as a treatment for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare pediatric brainstem tumor that is the leading cause of death among pediatric brain malignancies. Despite over 200 clinical trials, no significant progress has been made, leading our lab to consider suicide gene therapy. The brainstem has particularly sensitive anatomy, creating the potential for toxic inflammation. Furthermore, the clinical standard of care for DIPG includes conventional radiation therapy (RT) followed by dexamethasone (DEX), each of which can alter the efficacy of gene therapy. In this study we found that a variety of gliomas, including human DIPG and murine glioma cell lines, are infectable in vitro with a replication-competent Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV) (currently in Phase 2/3 clinical trials) and susceptible to ganciclovir (GCV)-mediated killing via the HSV thymidine kinase (tk) suicide gene. A B16 melanoma cell line expressing HSV tk implanted into the brainstem of mice, extended median survival with GCV therapy from 13 days to 38.5 days (p=.0006) with no signs of toxic inflammation. Pre-treatment with RT and DEX did not affect therapeutic efficacy. We have shown that GCV/TK therapy is mediated by NK and CD8 cells in subcutaneous tumors, and we are investigating whether a similar immunologic mechanism is involved in this brainstem model. These preclinical data will pave the way for novel clinical trials for the treatment of DIPG.
SensePlace3: a geovisual framework to analyze place–time–attribute information in social media

ABSTRACTSensePlace3 (SP3) is a geovisual analytics framework and web application that supports overview + detail analysis of social media, focusing on extracting meaningful information from the Twitterverse. SP3 leverages social media related to crisis events. It differs from most existing systems by enabling an analyst to obtain place-relevant information from tweets that have implicit as well as explicit geography. Specifically, SP3 includes not just the ability to utilize the explicit geography of geolocated tweets but also analyze implicit geography by recognizing and geolocating references in both tweet text, which indicates locations tweeted about, and in Twitter profiles, which indicates locations affiliated with users. Key features of SP3 reported here include flexible search and filtering capabilities to support information foraging; an ingest, processing, and indexing pipeline that produces near real-time access for big streaming data; and a novel strategy for implementing a web-based multi-view...
Beyond turnaround: a synthesis of relevant frameworks for leaders of sustained improvement in previously low-performing schools

We understand very little about what is special that leaders do to facilitate improvement that is both transformational and lasting in previously persistently failing schools in the United States. Relatively little is understood about change not just during the initial turnaround stage, but that endures on the larger journey as the school becomes a healthy organisation for adults and students. This lack of understanding is likely due to the lack of data sources because schools struggle to attain turnaround, let alone maintain the improvement and continue to grow. We conducted a literature review of frameworks implicated in leading a sustained school turnaround. This study synthesises existing frameworks relevant to implicated constructs of (1) school turnaround, (2) effective educational leadership, (3) turnaround external to education, and (4) sustained improvement external to education through developing a cohesive set of practices to inform the work of researchers and practitioners. We end by s...
Costabel’s Leibniz and Dynamics (1975)

Since the French booklet of which this one is a translation was abundantly reviewed1 when it appeared in 1960, little further review of the contents is needed. Mathematicians are likely to be puzzled by Costabel’s use of “force” on pages 22–24 and by Leibniz’s whole approach to the problem. Students of mechanics are always surprised to learn that Leibniz in 1692 could dismiss unmentioned Newton’s Principia of 1687 and the entirely different concept of force implied therein, since Newtonian forces as used later by Euler provide the basis for mechanics as it is taught today. Philosophers and historians seem to care little for Reech’s attempt to found mechanics explicitly on the Newtonian idea of force and to be entirely unaware of the recent work of Noll, which has given Newtonian forces a logical and mathematical status strictly level with those of point, line, and mass2. Historians of the effective side of mechanics always find it difficult to recognize in Leibniz’s work on live forces the Leibniz who published brilliant and concrete analyses of the elastic beam (1684) and the catenary (1690), or the Leibniz whose studies of motion in a resisting medium (1689) demonstrate high competence in plane dynamics. Costabel takes seriously Leibniz’s claim to have “established a new science”, which he called “la Dynamique” (page 65, with confusing and perhaps misprinted quotation marks, also page 104 and elsewhere). Since it would hamstring mechanics to restrict it to cases in which the measure of force is mv2, and since even in the cases when the sum of vis viva and vis mortua remains constant, that fact suffices to render specific only the very simplest problems, Leibniz’s idea scarcely deserves the rank of a science or a system.
Mendelian Predisposition to Lymphomagenesis

More than 100 inherited cancer and precancer syndromes show simple Mendelian inheritance (81). Of the commonly occurring hereditary breast (82) or colon cancers (90), several differing genotypes give rise to the respective hereditary cancer syndromes. A voluminous literature on etiology of lymphomas is emerging linking genetics, immunology, and variable environmental factors.
Elastic fibers in the rat exorbital lacrimal gland duct system

In the rat, each paired subcutaneous exorbital lacrimal gland overlies the retromandibular area. The fibrous cord containing its ducts passes over the masticatory muscles to the temporal canthus. Thus, the lacrimal system must accomodate both jaw and lid movements. To see whether elastic fibers exist to modulate alterations in tension caused by such movements, light and electron micrographs were made of its duct system. The innermost elastic fibers are connected by elaunin fibrils and oxytalan microfibrils to the lamina densa, particularly near the hemidesmosomes. The innermost elastic fibers appear to be longitudinal and about 0.2 nm from the lamina densa. Circumferential fibers exist about 0.8-3.2 nm from that structure. More peripheral fibers of both orientations also exist. Light microscopy of the extraglandular duct demonstrated circumferential fibers near the basement membrane and longitudinal and angular elastic fibers amid the collagenous layers. Some of the longitudinal fibers assume a loose cross-weave. Intraglandularly, as duct size diminishes elastic fibers progressively decrease in number and size until the smallest ducts have none. Thus, an elastic gradient exists. It is believed that recoil of the angular elastic fibers aids distension of the large and medium ducts when secretion is great and that recoil of the circumferential ones permits those duct diameters to diminish when secretion does. The longitudinal elastic fibers would allow all but the smallest ducts to recoil from the stretching of much of the exorbital lacrimal duct system accompanying blinking and other facial movements. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 30:2002-2011,1989 Rat exorbital lacrimal glands are paired, shieldshaped, subcutaneous structures overlying the front of the parotid gland, the retromandibular area and the rear portion of the body of the mandible. Venable
The Structure and Organization of Local and State Public Health Agencies in the U.S.: A Systematic Review

Context This systematic review provides a synthesis of the growing field of public health systems research related to the structure and organization of state and local governmental public health agencies. It includes an overview of research examining the influence of organizational characteristics on public health performance and health status and a summary of the strengths and gaps of the literature to date. Evidence acquisition Data were retrieved through an iterative process, beginning with key word searches in three publication databases (PubMed, JSTOR, Web of Science). Gray literature was searched through the use of Google Scholar™. Targeted searches on websites and key authors were also performed. Documents underwent an initial and secondary screening; they were retained if they contained information about local or state public health structure, organization, governance, and financing. Evidence synthesis 77 articles met the study criteria. Public health services are delivered by a mix of local, state, and tribal governmental and nongovernmental agencies and delivered through centralized (28%); decentralized (37%); or combined authority (35%). The majority of studies focused on organizational characteristics that are associated with public health performance based on the 10 Essential Public Health Services framework. Population size of jurisdiction served (>50,000); structure of authority (decentralized and mixed); per capita spending at the local level; some partnerships (academic, health services); and leadership of agency directors have been found to be related to public health performance. Fewer studies examined the relationship between organizational characteristics and health outcomes. Improvements in health outcomes are associated with an increase in local health department expenditures, FTEs per capita, and location of health department within local networks. Conclusions Public health systems in the U.S. face a number of critical challenges, including limited organizational capacity and financial resources. Evidence on the relationship of public health organization, performance, and health outcomes is limited. Public health systems are difficult to characterize and categorize consistently for cross-jurisdictional studies. Progress has been made toward creating standard terminology. Multi-site studies that include a mix of system types (e.g., centralized, decentralized) and local or state characteristics (e.g., urban, rural) are needed to refine existing categorizations that can be used in examining studies of public health agency performance.
COOPERATIVE REAL-TIME TASK ALLOCATION AMONG GROUPS OF UAVS*

Uninhabited autonomous vehicles(UAVs) are an increasingly important part of battlefield environments, and may soon be common in civilian applications such as disaster relief, environmental monitoring and planetary exploration. Such vehicles may be airborne, land-based or aquatic, though the focus so far has been on airborne vehicles for military applications, and this is the focus of the research presented here. We consider a heterogeneous group of UAVs drawn from several distinct classes and engaged in a search and destroy mission over an extended battlefield. During the mission, the UAVs perform Search,Confirm, Attack andBattle Damage Assessment (BDA) tasks at various locations. The tasks are determined in real-time by the actions of all UAVs and their consequences (e.g.,sensor readings), so that the task dynamics are stochastic. The tasks must, therefore, be allocated to UAVs in real-time as they arise, while ensuring that appropriate vehicles are assigned to each task. Each class of UAVs has its own sensing and attack capabilities, so the need for appropriate assignment is paramount.
Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression from Synovial Sarcoma: Surgical Resection

Synovial sarcoma is rare, and metastasis of synovial sarcoma to the spine is even rarer. Surgeons should have a high index of suspicion when evaluating patients who present with a history of synovial sarcoma, a spine lesion, and concomitant back pain and neurologic symptoms. Thorough radiological work-up should include CT and MRI in order to confirm the diagnosis and ensure appropriate management. Although not curative, surgical resection followed by spinal decompression, fusion, and fixation can lead to neurologic improvement in patients who present with spinal cord compression.
Micropropagation of Larches (Larix spp.)

Larches (Larix sp.) are of great interest to foresters because they are so variable, grow rapidly, produce quality wood for several uses, and offer exciting opportunities for short-rotation silviculture (Morgenstern 1986). The genus is composed of some ten species. Some of the best known and commercially important species are those that inhabit mountainous regions of Japan (Larix leptolepis Sieb. and Zucc.), Europe (Larix decidua Mill.), western North America (L. occidentalis Nutt.), Asia [L. gmelinii (Rupr.) Litvin and L. potaninii Batal]. Another commercially important species is Larix laricina (Duroi) K. Koch., which inhabits large portions of northern North America. Larch species and hybrids such as L. x eurolepis Henry have long been planted intensively in Europe and are being used more frequently now in the northeastern and midwestern United States and southeastern Canada (Fig. 1).
Fracture mechanics analysis of rails with shell-initiated transverse cracks

This report develops a fracture mechanics model for railhead transverse defects, specifically detail fractures from rail shell. The model is applied to calculate the failure strength of 71 rail segments which were rejected by inspection, removed, and tested by the Association of American Railroads in three-point bending. Utilizing the defect measurements for each rail, reasonable agreement is obtained between observed failure loads and failure loads calculated from the stress and fracture mechanics analyses. The fracture mechanics analysis is then extended to obtain preliminary estimates of the fatigue performance of defective rails in service. Specifically, the crack tip stress intensity factor is calculated for transverse defects under various types of in-service loading. The fracture mechanics solutions are utilized to calculate conservatively the remaining lifetime of the rail as a function of defect size and magnitude of wheel load. Using a simplified two-dimensional stress analysis and a three-dimensional fracture mechanics analysis, it is calculated that the shear stress reversal experienced as the wheel passes from one side to the other side of a transverse crack is the dominant stress component causing fatigue crack propagation. Recommendations are made for additional analytical developments and experimental programs required to refine the fatigue life predictions and incorporate them into rail risk assessment and reliability optimization programs.
Evaluating OpenMP Tasking at Scale for the Computation of Graph Hyperbolicity

We describe using OpenMP to compute δ-hyperbolicity, a quantity of interest in social and information network analysis, at a scale that uses up to 1000 threads. By considering both OpenMP workshare and tasking models to parallelize the computations, we find that multiple task levels permits finer grained tasks at runtime and results in better performance at scale than worksharing constructs. We also characterize effects of task inflation, load balancing, and scheduling overhead in this application, using both GNU and Intel compilers. Finally, we show how OpenMP 3.1 tasking clauses can be used to mitigate overheads at scale.
Considerable Therapeutic Strategies for Treatment of Genetic Defects Govern Neurovascular Disease

Vascular malformations are considered as an important substrate for many brain-related diseases. One among them is cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM), which is a mulberry-like blood-filled vascular structure present in the brain. Approximately, 0.5% population has been diagnosed with CCMs worldwide. Although significant progress has been made in exploring the cause of the CCM including gene therapy, understanding of the mutations involved, and the intra- and intercellular pathogenic mechanisms, still no unified theory has been accepted. Keeping this in mind, in this chapter, we are discussing the current understanding about the clinical significance and pathobiology of CCMs followed by various preclinical and clinical developments. Due to severe hemorrhagic disability, asymptomatic nature, and incidental cases, CCM is a significant health burden and is a rare disease. Many United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) drugs have been approved for CCMs over the time, but resistance to these therapies is the biggest challenge. Hence, the need for significant and effective therapy is the demand of the time.
Understanding PES from the ground up: a combined choice experiment and interview approach to understanding PES in Costa Rica

Payments for environmental services (PES) are part of a suite of market-based conservation mechanisms that have gained international attention for their potential to produce ecosystem services across private landholdings. The Costa Rican government, a PES pioneer, provides landowners with remuneration for conserving forest cover on their properties. The efficiency and effectiveness of PES programs have been critiqued, because little is understood about the ability of payments to alter landowner behavior. Unique to the existent literature, we combine data from semi-structured interviews with an economic nonmarket valuation technique, the stated choice experiment, to explore preferences for PES and the impact of PES on decision making in the mixed-use Bellbird Biological Corridor of Costa Rica. The choice experiment reveals farmer preferences for PES, while interviews provide context for the choice experiment results and illuminate the implications for policy. Results show that farmer objections to PES design and program implementation influence willingness to accept payments for conservation efforts. Results further indicate that a significant share of farmers in the study area are resistant to the PES program irrespective of competitive payments offered. We suggest that this overall resistance to the program is a key driver of program inefficiency. We further suggest that potential program improvements require better engagement with multifaceted landowner values, and that PES may not constitute an effective mechanism for engaging small-scale farmers in conservation.
The cardiac literature 2010

During the past decade, there has been a significantly increased focus on optimal performance of high-quality chest compressions for patients in cardiac arrest. Maintenance of proper rate and depth of compressions is critical. Another critical element concerns continuous chest compressions; the interruptions that occur for pulse checks and other interventions are detrimental to maintenance of perfusion and the success of the resuscitation. The use of continuous end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) monitoring for patients during chest compressions appears to hold promise for obviating the need for pulse checks. The authors of this study evaluated 108 patients with cardiac arrest who were receiving advance life support measures and who had continuous PETCO2monitoring. The authors retrospectively compared the PETCO2 of 59 patients who had return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) followed by stable spontaneous circulation vs that of 49 patients who had no ROSC. The mean initial PETCO2 of all patients before ROSC (during compressions) was 26.6 ± 12 mmHg. The mean PETCO2 after ROSC in the survivors was 36.6 ± 12 mm Hg (P b .0001). The mean increase in PETCO2 after ROSC was 10.0 mmHg (P b .001), and the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the difference was 6.5-13.5 mm Hg. Evaluation of the PETCO2 waveform from all 59 patients with ROSC demonstrated that the significant increase occurred at the moment of ROSC. The authors caution against use of absolute levels of PETCO2 because 6 of 59 survivors started with very low levels (b10 mm Hg), and also 4 of 49 patients without ROSC started with high levels (N41 mm Hg). An abrupt, absolute increase in PETCO2 during compressions of at least 10 mm Hg appears to be a reliable indicator of ROSC. Using this information, it would seem advisable to perform continuous compressions without interruptions for pulse checks until either resuscitative efforts are discontinued or an abrupt increase of PETCO2 ≥10 mm occurs. This study, compromised of a small sample of patients, suggests that PETCO2 monitoring can be used as a means of determining the ROSC without interrupting chest compressions—further data and additional clinical experience with this recommendation likely are needed before widespread implementation.
Full-chip layout optimization for photo process window improvement of 3D NAND metal routing level

The continuous scaling of 3D NAND by vertically stacking more tiers in a single die presents some major challenges . One of these challenges is the effect of increasing surface topography on photolithography. Although photolithography is relaxed in 3D NAND process compared to 2D NAND, surface topography can lead to a reduced process window (PW) of critical immersion levels. For a metal routing level near the top of the die stack, up to ~240 nm of topography can be present at immersion photolithography levels. In tight pitch regions of the metal routing layout, topography variations can cause poor printing, particularly near locations where the metal routing bends due to various layout constraints. Edge progression and corner jog layout optimization provide a solution to this less-discussed challenge in the 3D NAND fabrication process. Simulation results show a 70% increase of the PW in the areas where edge progression was applied. In bending regions of the metal routing, jog optimization improves the PW by 40%. These two layout optimization techniques increased the overall metal routing PW by ~40%, and this increase was validated by wafer FEM data. Additionally, the same jog optimization and edge progression techniques can be used to fix hot spot areas due to process variations. This paper presents a solution to compensate for the decreased PW of the metal routing level near the top of a 64-tier 3D NAND die due to fab topography issues through corner jog and edge progression layout optimization.
Traumatic spinal cord injuries in geriatric population: etiology, management, and complications

Background: The relationship of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and the geriatric population is not emphasized in current literature. Our objective was to evaluate mechanisms of injury, outcomes, and complications of geriatric patients with traumatic SCI. Methods: Patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries admitted to the inpatient rehabilitation unit of a level I trauma center from 2003 to 2013 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were ages ≥65 years old and availability of complete medical records. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, diagnoses, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade, management (surgical, nonsurgical), complications, and mortality were evaluated. Results: Seven hundred and fifty-seven SCI patients were identified and 53 met our inclusion criteria, with 35 (66.0%) males and 18 (34.0%) females. The average age was 74–years (range, 65 to 91 years). A proportion of 24.5% were 65–69 years of age, 30.2% were 70–74, 22.6% were 75–79, and 22.6% were 80 or older. Thirty-four (64.2%) underwent surgery. The two most common diagnoses of SCI were fractures (43.4%) and central cord syndrome (28.3%). ASIA grading was: A 5 (9.4%); B 3 (5.7%); C 5 (9.4%); D 40 (75.5%). The most severe SCI (ASIA score A and B) primarily occurred in the younger geriatric populations (ages 65–74), as did the highest rates of major complications or major and minor complications (15.4% and 46.2%, respectively, in the 65–69 group). Surgical management increased with age from 46.2% in the 65–69 group to 83.3% in the 75–79 group but subsequently decreased in the ≥80 group (66.7%). Conclusions: Fractures and central cord syndrome were the most common diagnoses and typically due to falls. The complication rate in this population is high and due to complex causes. SCI in patients aged 65–69 was associated with increased rate of ASIA score A and increased rate of major complications.
Reading a Wave Buoy

The ocean’s properties and processes are now mostly known through distributed sensor networks. Among the most widespread of such networks are those that connect wave-measuring buoys. Buoys have bee...
Evaluating Quality of Life in Young School-Aged Children With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

* Abbreviations: HLHS — : hypoplastic left heart syndrome QoL — : quality of life Survival in hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) has greatly improved since the 1980s, with ∼90% of infant survivors now living to 18 years.1 As survival rates increase, optimization of quality of life (QoL) and functional abilities becomes the true measure of success. In this issue of Pediatrics , Goldberg et al2 present a multicenter evaluation of functional ability, behavior, and QoL in children with HLHS as an arm of the Pediatric Heart Network Single Ventricle Reconstruction Trial. Although it is accepted that children with heart disease have behavioral and neurodevelopmental sequelae, the severity of these associations and their impact on daily functioning is unknown.3 QoL is multifaceted, with at least 3 domains (physical, psychological, and social functioning) affected by … Address correspondence to M. Regina Lantin-Hermoso, MD, FAAP, FACC, FASE, Pediatric Cardiology, Texas Children’s Heart Center, 19th Floor, Texas Children’s Hospital Legacy Tower, 6651 Main St, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: mrlanti2{at}texaschildrens.org
A modeling framework to evaluate blending of seawater and treated wastewater streams for synergistic desalination and potable reuse.

Abstract A modeling framework was developed to evaluate synergistic blending of the waste streams from seawater reverse osmosis (RO) desalination and wastewater treatment facilities that are co-located or in close proximity. Four scenarios were considered, two of which involved blending treated wastewater with the brine resulting from the seawater RO desalination process, effectively diluting RO brine prior to discharge. One of these scenarios considers the capture of salinity-gradient energy. The other two scenarios involved blending treated wastewater with the intake seawater to dilute the influent to the RO process. One of these scenarios incorporates a low-energy osmotic dilution process to provide high-quality pre-treatment for the wastewater. The model framework evaluates required seawater and treated wastewater flowrates, discharge flowrates and components, boron removal, and system energy requirements. Using data from an existing desalination facility in close proximity to a wastewater treatment facility, results showed that the influent blending scenarios (Scenarios 3 and 4) had several advantages over the brine blending scenarios (Scenarios 1 and 2), including: (1) reduced seawater intake and brine discharge flowrates, (2) no need for second-pass RO for boron control, and (3) reduced energy consumption. It should be noted that the framework was developed for use with co-located seawater desalination and coastal wastewater reclamation facilities but could be extended for use with desalination and wastewater reclamation facilities in in-land locations where disposal of RO concentrate is a serious concern.
Is Prestige Only Beneficial? A Cost of Perceived External Prestige Among Accounting Employees

Perceived external prestige (PEP), which is an employee’s belief of how outsiders view his or her organization, has a positive effect on multiple employee job outcomes. However, we posit that PEP a...
Clinical applications of PET/MRI in oncology: Opportunities and challenges

1342 Learning Objectives 1. To review performance of PET/MRI for diagnosis, staging, prognostication, response assessment, and treatment planning of malignancies. 2. To discuss new and evolving horizons related to PET/MRI and their potential in the management of malignancies. PET/MRI has been recently introduced for clinical use and has the potential for superior diagnostic performance compared to PET/CT for some applications in the oncological setting. Higher soft tissue contrast resolution, improved lesion detection and characterization, multiplanar image acquisition, and functional imaging capability are some of the factors, which provide additional capabilities over PET/CT. Structural and functional information provided by MRI about neoplasms is complementary to the molecular information provided by PET, where tumor volume and extent can be defined with high spatial resolution, specifically in organs where CT is suboptimal. In this review, we will discuss these topics: 1. Advantages of PET/MRI vs PET/CT i. Superior detection and characterization of tumors over CT in areas with suboptimal CT soft tissue contrast (e.g., brain, head & neck, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, liver, pelvic organs) ii. Optimization of treatment planning and response assessment iii. Reduction of radiation dose 2. Applications of PET/MRI for assessment of patients with cancer i. Local tumor assessment a. Tumor detection b. T staging and volume delineation ii. Lymph node assessment a. Nodal characterization as benign vs. malignant b. N staging iii. Distant metastasis assessment a. M staging in bone marrow, liver, and brain iv. Representative tumor examples a. Head and neck tumors b. Pancreatic tumors c. Gynecologic tumors v. Advanced MRI methods a. Diffusion-weighted imaging, perfusion-weighted imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Risk Factors for Postpartum Maternal Infection Following Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery Complicated by Chorioamnionitis

Objective Guidelines for the management of chorioamnionitis include intrapartum antibiotics, while postpartum antibiotics after spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) are reserved high-risk women. Our objective is to describe the incidence of and risk factors for postpartum infection after SVD complicated by chorioamnionitis. Study Design This is a retrospective study of SVDs with clinically diagnosed chorioamnionitis at a single center. The primary outcome was a composite of postpartum infection. Women who developed the primary outcome were compared with those who did not using bivariate statistics. Regression models were developed to estimate adjusted odds of outcomes. Results In this cohort, 346 women underwent SVD complicated by chorioamnionitis. Of these, 23 (6.6%) developed postpartum infections (endometritis n = 7, urinary tract infection/pyelonephritis n = 6, sepsis n = 4, and perineal wound infection n = 6). Receipt of antibiotics intra- or postpartum did not differ between groups, but women with postpartum infections were more likely to deliver prior to 32 weeks (17.4 vs. 4.9%, p = 0.04). When controlling for antibiotic use, delivery at Conclusion Postpartum infections occur in ∼1/15 women delivering vaginally with chorioamnionitis, with those who deliver at
Contributions of obesity and cigarette smoking to incident disability: A longitudinal analysis.

Abstract Downward trends in U.S. disability levels are stagnating. Assessing the key contributors to U.S. disability incidence is critical to improving the functional status of the U.S. population. Using longitudinal, nationally representative data from waves 2003–2015 of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), we estimated age-specific U.S. disability incidence and quantified the individual and joint contributions of obesity (contemporaneous and earlier-life; BMI ≥ 30) and cigarette smoking to disability incidence. Participants were adults ages 33–96 who participated in PSID in 1986 and at least two consecutive waves 2003–2015 (N = 3247). We conducted age-stratified logistic regressions to predict incident disability at middle and older ages (33–69 years, 70–96 years). Next, counterfactual scenarios were used to estimate the contributions of each risk factor to incident disability. Disability incidence was greater in women than men (5.8 and 4.5 cases per 100 person-years, respectively) and increased with age. Obesity and cigarette smoking jointly explained 17–38% of disability incidence; each factor contributed roughly equal amounts in all groups but older men, for whom smoking history appeared more important. Obesity and smoking appeared to explain more of disability at younger ages (women: 33.1%, 95% CI: 25.1 to 41.0%; men: 37.6%, 95% CI: 28.8 to 46.5%) than at older ages (women: 16.5%, 95% CI: 8.2 to 24.9%; men: 24.5.%, 95% CI: 12.7 to 36.3%). This study provides a benchmark for monitoring trends in U.S. disability incidence. Obesity and smoking are key contributors to disability, accounting for 17–38% of incident disability in U.S. adults.
Postcolonial Atmospheres: Air’s Coloniality and the Climate of Enclosure

This article urges a consideration of the atmospheric afterlives of fossil-fueled imperialism as not just accumulated gases and particles but also durable spatial dispositions governing how atmosph...
Differential benefits of cardiac care regionalization based on driving time to percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND Patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) require timely reperfusion, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) decreases morbidity and mortality. Regionalization of STEMI care has increased timeliness and use of PCI, but it is unknown whether benefits to regionalization depend on a community's distance from its nearest PCI center. We sought to determine whether STEMI regionalization benefits, measured by access to PCI centers, timeliness of treatment (same-day or in-hospital PCI), and mortality, differ by baseline distance to nearest PCI center. METHODS Using a difference-in-difference-in-differences model, we examined access to PCI-capable hospitals, receipt of PCI either on the day of admission or during the care episode, and health outcomes for patients hospitalized from January 1, 2006, to September 30, 2015. RESULTS Of 139,408 patients (2006 to 2015), 51% could reach the nearest PCI center in <30 minutes, and 49% required ≥30 minutes driving time. For communities with baseline access ≥30 minutes, regionalization increased the probability of admission to a PCI-capable hospital by 9.4% and also increased the likelihood of receiving same-day PCI (by 11.2%) and PCI during the hospitalization (by 7.4%). Patients living within 30 minutes did not accrue significant benefits (measured by admission to a PCI-capable hospital or receipt of PCI) from regionalization initiatives. Regionalization more than halved access disparities and completely eliminated treatment disparities between communities ≥30 minutes and communities <30 minutes from the nearest PCI hospital. CONCLUSIONS Measured by likelihood of admission to a PCI-capable facility and receipt of PCI, benefits of STEMI regionalization in California accrued only to patients whose nearest PCI center was ≥30 minutes away. We found no mortality benefits of regionalization based on distance from PCI center. Our results suggest that policymakers focus STEMI regionalization efforts in communities that are not already well serviced by PCI-capable hospitals.
Comparison of multimodal surgical and radiation treatment methods for pediatric craniopharyngioma: long-term analysis of progression-free survival and morbidity.

Objective The authors compared survival and multiple comorbidities in children diagnosed with craniopharyngioma who underwent gross-total resection (GTR) versus subtotal resection (STR) with radiation therapy (RT), either intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or proton beam therapy (PBT). The authors hypothesized that there are differences between multimodal treatment methods with respect to morbidity and progression-free survival (PFS). Methods The medical records of children diagnosed with craniopharyngioma and treated surgically between February 1997 and December 2018 at Texas Children's Hospital were reviewed. Surgical treatment was stratified as GTR or STR + RT. RT was further stratified as PBT or IMRT; PBT was stratified as STR + PBT versus cyst decompression (CD) + PBT. The authors used Kaplan-Meier analysis to compare PFS and overall survival, and chi-square analysis to compare rates for hypopituitarism, vision loss, and hypothalamic obesity (HyOb). Results Sixty-three children were included in the analysis; 49% were female. The mean age was 8.16 years (95% CI 7.08-9.27). Twelve of 14 children in the IMRT cohort underwent CD. The 5-year PFS rates were as follows: 73% for GTR (n = 31), 54% for IMRT (n = 14), 100% for STR + PBT (n = 7), and 77% for CD + PBT (n = 11; p = 0.202). The overall survival rates were similar in all groups. Rates of hypopituitarism (96% GTR vs 75% IMRT vs 100% STR + PBT, 50% CD + PBT; p = 0.023) and diabetes insipidus (DI) (90% GTR vs 61% IMRT vs 85% STR + PBT, 20% CD + PBT; p = 0.004) were significantly higher in the GTR group. There was no significant difference in the HyOb or vision loss at the end of study follow-up among the different groups. Within the PBT group, 2 patients presented a progressive vasculopathy with subsequent strokes. One patient experienced a PBT-induced tumor. Conclusions GTR and CD + PBT presented similar rates of 5-year PFS. Hypopituitarism and DI rates were higher with GTR, but the rate of HyOb was similar among different treatment modalities. PBT may reduce the burden of hypopituitarism and DI, although radiation carries a risk of potential serious complications, including progressive vasculopathy and secondary malignancy. Further prospective study comparing neurocognitive outcomes is necessary.
Primes and Their Connection to Certain Polyhedral Number Sequences

A collection of results is given regarding whether a prime can be the sum or difference of two polyhedral numbers, as well as some primality restrictions on several sequences.
Immortality and Incomprehensibility

The moving and staying power that, as I suggested in Chapter 5, may distinguish SB from P can also be used to differentiate more powerful from less powerful actors in the secular world. There is nothing sacrosanct about these attributes, though I think that the indefatigability required of a player with M-power, and the suspension of choice required of a player with S-power, may well characterize aspects of omnipotence that a supernatural figure, who embodies the sacred and mysterious in a religion, may possess.
Design of a Minimal Signaling Based Bandwidth Brokering Protocol

The DiffSery architecture uses automated agents known as Bandwidth Brokers for provisioning, allocating and managing QoS resources within domains as well as communicating with agents of other domains so that QoS guarantees can be provided across domains. The Bandwidth Brokers attempt to establish an end-to-end Quality of Service through signaling between each other. This leads to an implicit trade-off between scalability and the end-to-end QoS guarantees that can be provided. In this work we propose a new Bandwidth Broker signaling mechanism and show, through extensive simulations, that it is possible to specify endto-end QoS guarantees that are sufficiently high even when signaling is minimal and link utilizations are very high. We have focused solely on the inter-domain communication between the brokers, assuming that the intra-domain issues have been handled separately. A major aspect of our design is that negotiations between Bandwidth Brokers are modeled as a function of available bandwidth and cost to the respective ISPs of the domains (whom the Bandwidth Brokers represent in business dealings). This makes our approach close to the real world scenario in which brokers will always try to end up with a profit after each negotiation process.
Prewar Mobilization and the Termination of Interstate Wars

Recent work on interstate crisis bargaining focuses on the inefficiency of public statements of resolve. This article reevaluates the inefficiency of public threats by examining how public-versus-private crisis mobilization affects the duration and outcome of interstate wars. Private mobilization is a purely material move that only provides capability benefits after war onset, which makes it necessary to examine how private mobilization eventually effects a war-ending bargain instead of how private mobilization makes bargaining failure more likely. The empirical results find that private mobilization only increases the initiator's war outcome in the early months of the war, and has little effect on the outcome in lengthy, protracted wars. Using data on 75 wars from 1823 to 2000, the analysis estimates a competing risks duration model to evaluate the effect of private mobilization on the outcome of interstate wars.
Cyanogenesis in Sorghum vulgare—I.

Abstract An improved method for the isolation of dhurrin is described. Steps not included in the original procedure of Dunstan and Henry are: (a) removal of sugars by yeast fermentation, (b) deionization with ion-exchange resins, and (c) cellulose column chromatography. A paper chromatographic study of Sorghum extracts showed that dhurrin is probably the only cyanogenetic glycoside present. Dhurrin has m.p. 163–165°; [α]D28 −64° in H2O, −65° in ethanol; and pKa8·93. The u.v. and i.r. spectra of dhurrin, and the physical constants of its pentaacetate are reported. A modification of the pyrazolone colorimetric determination of cyanide, suitable for the assay of cyanogenetic materials, is described.
Bleaching Wave Phenomena

The propagation of a coherent beam in an absorbing medium is described as an energy transport process in which all the transporting particles are moving with the same direction and energy. In many problems involving a stationary medium, the coherent beam is the only significant energy flux. In this case the temperature is governed by a secondorder partial differential equation called the beam equation. If the medium is bleachable (the transport proceeds more freely as the temperature increases), then the temperature profiles exhibit a wavelike propagation. In general, the beam equation can be integrated once leaving a first-order equation. Three known explicit solutions to the firstorder equation are presented: laser heating of a stationary plasma; laser irradiation of a two level substance; and the laser induced breakdown wave. A CONSEQUENCE of the second law of thermodynamics is that any natural process tends to smooth macroscopic nommiformities. The leveling of the nonuniformity may occur by either macroscopic or microscopic motion, or both. If macroscopic motion dominates, then a dynamical process ensues. If microscopic motion dominates, then a transport process ensues. In recent years the development of powerful energy sources such as lasers and electron beams has made it possible to create media having very high temperatures and large temperature gradients. If the energy deposition is rapid, the early stages may be dominated by a transport process (such as thermal conduction) in a stationary medium. In such cases, hydrodynamic motion becomes important only at later times and in fluid media. A transport process may exhibit somewhat different forms involving separate mathematical descriptions. If the mean free path of the transporting particles is small compared to the characteristic distance in which temperature changes significantly, then one sees diffusive transport which is governed by the diffusion equation. However, if the mean free path is comparable to or large compared to the characteristic distance, then one has nondiffusive transport and the mathematical description is not at all obvious. In the extreme case however, the mathematics is very simply described by what may be called the beam equation. This is the limit in which all the transporting particles have the same energy and direction, i.e., a coherent beam. It is the mathematics of coherent transport which is examined in detail in this paper. Of special interest is the case where energy transport proceeds more freely as the temperature increases, leading to bleaching wave phenomena. This kind of phenomenon can appear for both diffusive and coherent transport.
Laser cavity power increases caused by reflections from workpiece surfaces.

Inconsistent increases in laser power were observed during laser brazing studies conducted on high reflectivity materials. These increases are due to reflected laser light reentering the lasing cavity. A high-speed pyrometer recorded the energy passing through the 99% reflecting rear mirror of the laser cavity. With no surface melting occurring, the main variables affecting this phenomenon are reflectivity of material, angle of incidence between surface and laser beam, position of focal point, energy density at workpiece, and surface roughness. A molten aluminum surface reflected significant amounts of laser light back into the lasing cavity while mild steel did not.
Lattice thermal conductivity reduction and phonon localizationlike behavior in superlattice structures

A study of thermal conductivities perpendicular to the interfaces in ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}{/\mathrm{S}\mathrm{b}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ superlattices is presented. The lattice thermal conductivities in these short-period superlattices are less than those in homogeneous solid-solution alloys and exhibit a minimum for a period of \ensuremath{\sim}50 \AA{}. For periods less than 50 \AA{}, the adjoining layers of the superlattice apparently become coupled and, in effect, make their thermal conductivities approach that of an alloy. Using the mean free path from kinetic theory, a diffusive transport analysis suggests a low-frequency cutoff $({\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{cutoff}})$ in the spectrum of heat-conducting phonons. A physical model based on the coherent backscattering of phonon waves at the superlattice interfaces is outlined for the reduction of lattice thermal conductivity; this suggests conditions of localizationlike behavior for the low-frequency phonons. The ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{cutoff}}$ from the diffusive transport model is comparable to that estimated from applying the Anderson criterion to the potential localization of phonon waves. The general behavior of localizationlike effects is not unique to ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}{/\mathrm{S}\mathrm{b}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ superlattices; it is also apparent in the thermal conductivities of Si/Ge superlattices. These superlattice structures offer a scope for studying the phonon localization phenomena while the lattice thermal conductivity reduction could lead to high-performance thermoelectric materials.
Energy management strategies for parallel hybrid vehicles using fuzzy logic

This paper presents a fuzzy-logic-based energy management and power control strategy for parallel hybrid vehicles (PHV). The main objective is to optimize the fuel economy of the PHV, by optimizing the operational efficiency of all its components. The controller optimizes the power output of the electric motor/generator and the internal combustion engine by using vehicle speed, driver commands from accelerator and braking pedals, state of charge (SOC) of the battery, and the electric motor/generator speed. Separate controllers optimize braking and gear shifting. Simulation results show potential fuel economy improvement relative to other strategies that only maximize the efficiency of the combustion engine.