cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single Wafer Rapid Thermal Multiprocessing

Future success in microelectronics will demand rapid innovation, rapid product introduction and ability to react to a change in technological and business climate quickly. These technological advances in integrated electronics will require development of flexible manufacturing technology for VLSI systems. However, the current approach of establishing factories for mass manufacturing of chips at a cost of more than 200 million dollars is detrimental to flexible manufacturing. We propose concepts of a micro factory which may be characterized by more economical small scale production, higher flexibility to accommodate many products on several processes, and faster turnaround and learning. In-situ multiprocessing equipment where several process steps can be done in sequence may be a key ingredient in this approach. For this environment to be flexible, the equipment must have ability to change processing environment, requiring extensive in-situ measurements and real time control. In this paper we describe the development of a novel single wafer Rapid Thermal Multiprocessing (HTM) reactor for next generation flexible VLSI manufacturing. This reactor will combine lamp heating, remote microwave plasma and photo processing in a single cold-wall chamber, with applications for multilayer in-situ growth and deposition of dielectrics, semiconductors and metals.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder subtypes and comorbid disruptive behaviour disorders in a child and adolescent mental health clinic

Objective:To assess demographic characteristics and patterns of comorbid disruptive behaviour disorders (oppositional defiant disorder [ODD] or conduct disorder [CD]) in subtypes of attention-defic...
Primary Data Collection

Ms. Selina Nieves collected data from other undergraduates for her study in Psychological Science. Psychological scientists examine behaviors, cognitions, and emotions with the goal of understanding how humans experience the world. Emerging researchers in criminology, communications, and behavioral economics often take a psychological approach in posing and answering research questions.
Abstract 2154: TX1111: a peptide homologue of Topoisomerase-1 sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine

Pancreatic Ductal Adeno Carcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States and accounts for over 95% of all pancreatic cancers. The combined 1- and 5-year survival rates for PDAC are very poor, at 25% and 6% respectively. A major hallmark of pancreatic cancer is tumor recurrence and extremely poor response to chemotherapy. The current standard of care for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer is a chemotherapy regimen that includes gemcitabine. This treatment results in a modest benefit i.e., an increase in survival of only 5 weeks. The high mortality in patients diagnosed with this pancreatic cancer is primarily due to its drug-resistant nature and the lack of effective therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance. This disappointing situation strongly suggests that an improved and increased understanding of drug resistance mechanisms could lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the successful treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer. Our studies have shown that one of the contributing factors that lead to chemotherapy resistance is the protease activator urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). To validate the contribution of uPA in chemoresistance, we overexpressed uPA in MIAPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells and determined chemoresistance. We observed that uPA overexpressed cells showed increased chemoresistance in both Mia PaCa-2 (>25 fold) and PANC-1 (>6 fold). Mass-Spec analysis of nuclear uPA-IP from pancreatic cancer cells revealed that uPA interacts with Topoisomerase-1 (TOPO-1). This was further validated by western blot analysis of nuclear co-IP in pancreatic cancer cells. Further the binding domains of TOPO-1 to uPA were identified using overlapping a peptides array (PepSpot-JPT) followed by synthesis of these peptides. We observed that a TOPO-1 homologous peptide designated TX1111 was capable of significantly suppressing gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer cells. Our observations show that the specific peptide TX1111 suppresses chemoresistance by 45% in Mia Paca-2 cells (p These results demonstrate that: 1. Overexpression of uPA promotes gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer cells 2. uPA and TOPO-1 interact in the nucleus of pancreatic cancer cells 3. The peptide homologue of TOPO-1, TX1111 sensitizes gemcitabine resistant pancreatic cancer cells. Citation Format: Manu Gnanamony, Victoria Stepanova, Lily Criscione, Jerusha Boyineni, Stephen J. Marshall, AiXuan Holterman, Christopher S. Gondi. TX1111: a peptide homologue of Topoisomerase-1 sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2154.
Managing Crisis Overseas: An Explorative Analysis of Apple’s Warranty Crisis Communication in China

Guanxi, is defined as “durable social connections and networks a firm uses to exchange favors for organizational purpose” (Gu et al. 2008). Although guanxi has been found the dominant factor for business to succeed throughout China (Lovett et al. 1999), scholars have noticed that guanxi is less salient than strategies in improving performance after China joined in the World Trade Organization (Law et al. 2003). Scholars also found that guanxi won’t work in managing relationship with the public. Recently, Ye and Pang (2011) show how guanxi failed in helping a local company cope with its product-harm crisis. Thus the question comes, when building strong relationship with government no longer guarantee success in Chinese market, how and what multinational companies (MNCs) could do when facing crises in Chinese market? Most of current studies on crisis management suggest various managerial strategies when facing product-harm crisis (e.g. Cleeren et al. 2013). However, the extant literature lacks information on how MNCs communicate crisis to consumers despite of their strong guanxi with the government. The purpose of this study is to fill in the gap through analyzing the case of Apple ®’s warranty crisis in China suggest guidelines for MNCs in China in such a multi-media era. The study also urges for an integration of social media into current crisis management theory frameworks, such as Coombs’ Situational Crisis Communication Theory (2007), Attribution theory (Kelley and Michela 1980), Image Restoration Theory (Benoit 1995) in dealing with crisis in the context of international business.
The Philippine Coraebini Bedel, 1921 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilini) Part 6: new and resurrected genera and new species

The genus Sibuyanella Obenberger, 1942, is resurrected from synonymy under Obenbergerula Strand, 1932 and S. boudanti, sp. nov. from Bohol Island, and S. mimica, sp. nov. from Boac and Mindoro islands, are described. A second species of Philippscelus Bellamy, 1998, P. panayensis, sp. nov. is described from Panay Island, Philippines. Lumawigia gibbicephala, gen. & sp. nov. is described from Luzon Island. Three new species of Brachycoraebus Kerremans, 1903: B. mindanaoensis, B. basilanensis and B. minutus, are described. New distribution records are given for Coraebosoma manilense Obenberger, 1923 and C. samarense Bellamy, 1990. Two justified emendations: Philippscelus Bellamy, 1998 and Amorphosomatina Majer, 2000 are given. All new taxa are illustrated and keys to the species of Sibuyanella and Philippine Brachycoraebus are given.Key words: Taxonomy, new genus, new species, justified emendation, Coleoptera, Buprestidae, Coraebini, Philippines
Isothermal titration microcalorimetry to determine the thermodynamics of metal ion removal by magnetic nanoparticle sorbents

Isothermal titration microcalorimetry, a novel approach, was applied to determine key thermodynamic parameters directly for the adsorption of metal ions to a magnetic nanoparticle sorbent (Mag-Ligand), measuring the energy exchange during the binding process. We demonstrate that the interactions are enthalpically driven and energetically favorable, with exothermic binding reactions, giving the selectivity sequence: Cr3+ < Cu2+ < Zn2+ < Ga3+ < Ce3+ < Cd2+ < In3+ < Hg2+ < Pb2+. The sorption kinetic and isothermal studies demonstrated effective and fast removal of nine different metal ions including three rare earths, in competitive and non-competitive conditions across a range of pH and water hardness. Sorption is dominated by the complexation reactions between metal ions and Mag-Ligand and adsorption of metal ions onto Mag-Ligand. Maximum sorption capacity can be predicted based on the thermodynamic data, although kinetics plays a role during competitive sorption. Furthermore, the magnetic behavior of Mag-Ligand results in fast and efficient solid–liquid separation after the sorbent has extracted the metal ions from the contaminated waters, and Mag-Ligand can be regenerated for reuse by a simple acid wash, providing a more sustainable, fast, convenient, and efficient approach for heavy metal remediation.
Congressional Support of Civil Rights Public Policy: From Bipartisan to Partisan Convergence

Much of the scholarship on the adoption of civil rights policies cites the importance of the Democratic Party and notes a lack of Republican support. We analyze congressional support for the univer...
Transforming Growth Factor β1 Function in Airway Remodeling and Hyperresponsiveness. The Missing Link

The pathogenesis of asthma includes a complex interplay among airway inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, and remodeling. Current evidence suggests that airway structural cells, including bronchial smooth muscle cells, myofibroblasts, fibroblasts, and epithelial cells, mediate all three aspects of asthma pathogenesis. Although studies show a connection between airway remodeling and changes in bronchomotor tone, the relationship between the two remains unclear. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), a growth factor elevated in the airway of patients with asthma, plays a role in airway remodeling and in the shortening of various airway structural cells. However, the role of TGF-β1 in mediating airway hyperresponsiveness remains unclear. In this review, we summarize the literature addressing the role of TGF-β1 in airway remodeling and shortening. Through our review, we aim to further elucidate the role of TGF-β1 in asthma pathogenesis and the link between airway remodeling and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma and to define TGF-β1 as a potential therapeutic target for reducing asthma morbidity and mortality.
Effects of salinity and alkaline concentration on the spontaneous imbibition behaviour and rock properties of some shale rocks

Waterflooding performance in naturally fractured reservoirs depends on spontaneous imbibition of brine into the rock matrix and expulsion of oil via the fracture face. This paper is to investigate water imbibition characteristics into different shale formations. Distilled water, 2% KCl brine, 30% KCl brine, and high pH alkaline solutions (pH 11.78-13) were examined to recover oil from different shale formations. During the spontaneous imbibition, the maximum oil recovery was 59% for Mancos using distilled water, 44% for Eagle Ford using 2 wt% NaOH in distilled water, 24% for Barnett using distilled water, and 4% for Marcellus using 2 wt% NaOH and 2 wt% KCl. The higher oil recoveries of Mancos samples were correlated with clay swelling in distilled water. More oil was recovered when Eagle Ford cores exposed to NaOH solutions due to favourable mineral dissolution. On the other hand, Barnett was partially damaged when exposed to higher alkaline solutions (2 wt% NaOH), and Marcellus did allow any fluid imbibition. Alkaline solutions were able to alter shale rock wettability to strongly water wet. The rock hardness of the samples was significantly affected by alkaline solutions, which resulted in 50-98% loss of its initial value.
Color Duplex Ultrasound-Guided Cava Filter Placement

Transabdominal duplex ultrasonography guidance is a safe and effective option for bedside inferior vena cava filter placement. Techniques for bedside filter placement with transabdominal duplex ultrasonography are reviewed.
Thin Films of Copper (I) Iodide Doped with Iodine and Thiocyanate

It is found that thiocyanate (SCN) is an alternative dopant that greatly stabilizes the p-type semiconducting properties of CuI. Thiocyanate doping can be achieved by a complete removal of the excess iodine and introduction of thiocyanate via suitable precursors at ambient temperature. A method of removal of iodine from CuI before casting films is described. The electrical and optical properties of thiocyanate-doped CuI thin films are also discussed.
Cardiovascular co-morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a narrative review of risk factors, cardiovascular risk assessment and treatment

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is markedly increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis partly due to accelerated atherosclerosis from chronic inflammation. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, diabetes mellitus and physical inactivity are also highly prevalent among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and contribute to the CVD risk. The impact of traditional risk factors on the CVD risk appears to be different in the RA and non-RA population. However, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, body mass index and family history of CVD influence the CVD risk in RA patients the same way they do for the non-RA population. Despite that, screening and treatment of these risk factors is suboptimal among patients with RA. Recent guidelines from the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommend aggressive management of traditional risk factors in addition to RA disease activity control to decrease the CVD risk. Several CVD risk calculators are available for clinical use to stratify a patients’ risk of developing a CVD event. Most of these calculators do not account for RA as a risk factor; thus, a multiplication factor of 1.5 is recommended to predict the risk more accurately. In order to reduce CVD in the RA population, national guidelines for the prevention of CVD should be applied to manage traditional risk factors in addition to aggressive control of RA disease activity. While current data suggests a protective effect of non-biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics on cardiovascular events among patients with RA, more data is needed to define this effect more accurately.
Sex Differences, Attributional Style, and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents

This study examined attributional style, sex, and depressive symptoms and diagnosis in high school students. The results revealed that (1) for females and males, higher levels of depressive symptoms correlated with a more depressive attributional style; (2) females and males who met diagnostic criteria for a current depressive disorder evidenced more depressogenic attributions than psychiatric controls, and never and past depressed adolescents; (3) although no sex differences in terms of attributional patterns for positive events, negative events, or for positive and negative events combined emerged, sex differences were revealed on a number of dimensional scores; (4) across the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ) subscale and dimensional scores, the relation between attributions and current self-reported depressive symptoms was stronger for females than males; and (5) no Sex x Diagnostic Group Status interaction effects emerged for CASQ subscale or dimensional scores. Implications of the complex findings from this large-scale, methodologically sophisticated study are addressed.
Hunger and Eating, Neural Basis of

Food intake is not controlled according to a depletion–repletion scheme whereby hunger is generated by caloric deficiencies. The sensation of hunger apparently does not need to be stimulated, and animals are always ready to eat unless they have just eaten, in which case the inhibitory effects of satiety generated from the previous meal are still operative. Several signals that inhibit food intake have been identified. Some of these satiety signals are nonspecific and disrupt all ingestive behavior (e.g., gastric distension, nausea), whereas others are specific to food ingestion (e.g., postgastric delivery of calories, insulin, leptin) or work by stimulating a competing drive (e.g., dehydration stimulates thirst). Thus, the brain mechanisms that control food intake respond to inhibitory signals and some of them are related to ingested and stored calories. The afferent neural signals project from the viscera to the caudal brainstem via the gastric and hepatic branches of the vagus nerve, whereas the blood-borne signals stimulate neurons in the ventral hypothalamus and influence the controls of food intake that have recently been identified in the lateral hypothalamus.
The New Narcissist and Pastoral Counseling

For some time now, psychiatrists and psychotherapists have recognized that they are working with a new individual, one who no longer seems capable of experiencing a sense of wrongness according to the dynamics of guilt. Christopher Lasch even went so far as to say that this new individual, or more accurately, the “new narcissist,” was fast becoming the dominant personality type in the West. If, in fact, we are living in a narcissistic age, what, then, are the implications for the work of pastoral counseling? Donald Capps, building on the work of Heinz Kohut, believes that we must be willing to step outside the traditional theological and psychological frameworks and begin reimaging a new paradigm, one that is more applicable to the shame-based narcissist. For starters, pastoral caregivers would do well to become more knowledgeable of narcissism, a personality disorder, keeping it separate from individualism, a social trend.
Effect of Patient Body Mass Index on Laparoscopic Surgical Ergonomics.

Minimally invasive surgery may introduce new ergonomic challenges for surgeons. Increased patient body mass index (BMI) may further add to this ergonomic stress. The objective of this study was to quantify the ergonomic impact of patient BMI on surgeons during laparoscopic surgery. University Hospital, USA. This prospective cohort study analyzed five minimally invasive surgeons during 24 laparoscopic procedures. Each subject’s muscle stress was assessed by recording surface electromyography (EMG) data from eight upper body muscle groups during laparoscopic procedures. EMG data was normalized against the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of each muscle measured before the start of surgery to create a percentage of the MVC value (%MVC). Subject workload was assessed through the NASA Task Load Index (NTLX). Statistical analysis was used to determine significance between surgeons operating on patients with or without obesity for %MVC and NTLX scores. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in both the average muscle activation of all eight muscle groups and NTLX scores during laparoscopic surgery in surgeons operating on patients with BMI > = 30 compared with patients with a BMI < 30. We detected no differences in ergonomic stress or workload for surgeons operating on patients with or without obesity. For surgeons, the laparoscopic approach may offer an additional advantage over open surgery in patients with obesity. This advantage may be due to an “equalizing effect” of laparoscopy—that surgical ergonomics are less affected by the BMI of the patient when using laparoscopic tools.
Thompson Sampling for some decentralized control problems

We consider a two-agent team learning problem over an infinite time horizon under two different dynamics and information sharing models: i) Decoupled dynamics with no information sharing, ii) Coupled dynamics with one-step delayed information sharing. The state transition kernels are parametrized by an unknown but fixed parameter taking values in a finite space. We study a decentralized Thompson sampling based approach to learn the underlying parameter where each agent maintains a belief about the underlying parameter. The agents draw a sample from their beliefs at each time and select their action using the benchmark policy for the sampled parameter. We show that under some assumptions on the state transition kernels, the regret achieved by Thompson sampling is upper bounded by a constant independent of the time horizon.
A qualitative case study of employee turnover in retail business.

Abstract This study on the person-organization fit theory, measured in terms of value congruence, explored qualitative data from a survey of non-managerial retail employees in a Northwestern state in the United States in relation to job satisfaction and employee-organization value congruence in a retail establishment that has shown a remarkable deviation from the norm with employee turnover far below what is obtainable in the retail industry. The results of a field study of 18 employees, through open ended interviews and survey transcripts, analyzed thematically using Nvivo qualitative data analysis tool, identified five themes that influence job satisfaction and employee retention: Friendly workplace environment, Flexibility, Stability, Management Support, and Independence.
Efficient generation of non-cubic stochastic periodic bicontinuous nanoporous structures

Abstract A direct method is proposed for the generation of 3D stochastic bicontinuous microstructures on general periodic parallelepiped cells, providing flexibility in the design of atomistic nanoporous simulation models. The method combines the ideas of Cahn with a modified Fibonacci grid to ensure the generation of a stochastic structure, while strictly enforcing periodicity in a flexibly defined parallelepiped cell. To validate the method, the topology of three parallelepiped cells is evaluated: cubic, rectangular prism, with different edge lengths, and general parallelepiped, with different edge lengths and angles. Results show consistent ligament size distribution among the different microstructures. The Mean and Gaussian curvatures for all systems calculated at different relative densities agree well with their theoretical values. The scaled genus density for relative density ranging from 25% to 55% is in good agreement with experimental values and data from molecular dynamics and phase field methods. The proposed method offers an efficient framework for the generation of 3D stochastic periodic bicontinuous microstructures. The method is particularly convenient in the design of adjustable nanoporous models for atomistic simulations.
Efeito dos probióticos na erradicação do Helicobacter pylori: uma revisão baseada na evidência

Introducao: A infecao por Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) constitui um importante fator de risco para inumeras patologias gastricas, nomeadamente ulcera peptica, gastrite atrofica cronica e cancro gastrico, sendo a sua erradicacao o principal objetivo terapeutico. Os probioticos podem ajudar a alcancar este objetivo bem como desempenhar um papel positivo na reducao dos efeitos laterais do tratamento. Objetivo : Determinar o efeito dos probioticos como terapeutica adjuvante na erradicacao do H. pylori em adultos, a luz da melhor evidencia disponivel. Fontes de dados: MEDLINE e em sitios de medicina baseada na evidencia. Metodos de revisao: Pesquisa de normas de orientacao clinica (NOC), meta-analises (MA), revisoes sistematicas (RS) e ensaios clinicos aleatorizados (ECA) recorrendo aos termos MeSH “ Helicobacter pylori” e “ Probiotics” . A pesquisa foi limitada aos artigos publicados entre janeiro de 2006 e julho de 2016, em ingles e portugues. Foi utilizada a Strength of Recomendation Taxonomy (SORT) para atribuicao do nivel de evidencia (NE) e da forca de recomendacao (FR). Resultados : Foram encontrados 61 artigos e selecionados, por cumprirem os criterios de inclusao, tres NOC, duas MA, duas RS e cinco ECA. As NOC sugerem o uso de probioticos no tratamento da erradicacao do H. pylori . As MA apresentam resultados discordantes: uma evidenciou taxas de erradicacao superiores com o esquema terapeutico com probioticos; a outra nao demonstrou a superioridade dos probioticos quando comparados com o placebo. Ambas mostraram o seu efeito benefico na diminuicao dos efeitos laterais. As duas RS, apesar de mostrarem um efeito positivo dos probioticos nos efeitos adversos, nao mostraram beneficio da sua utilizacao para a erradicacao do H. pylori . Todos os ECA evidenciaram taxas de erradicacao da bacteria superiores no grupo medicado com probioticos. Conclusoes : A adicao de probioticos ao esquema de tratamento utilizado para a erradicacao do H. pylori pode ser benefica uma vez que parece associar-se a taxas de erradicacao superiores (FR B) com menores efeitos adversos associados (FR A).
Longitudinal Monitoring of Athletes: Statistical Issues and Best Practices

Athlete monitoring utilizing strength and conditioning as well as other sport performance data is increasing in practice and in research. While the usage of this data for purposes of creating more informed training programs and producing potential performance prediction models may be promising, there are some statistical considerations that should be addressed by those who hope to use this data. The purpose of this review is to discuss many of the statistical issues faced by practitioners as well as provide best practices recommendations. Single-subject designs (SSD) appear to be more appropriate for monitoring and statistically evaluating athletic performance than traditional group statistical methods. This paper discusses several SSD options available that produce measures of both statistical and practical significance. Additionally, this paper discusses issues related to heteroscedasticity, reliability, validity and provides recommendations for each. Finally, if data are incorporated into the decision-making process, it should be returned and utilized quickly. Data visualizations are often incorporated into this process and this review discusses issues and recommendations related to their clarity, simplicity, and distortion. Awareness of these issues and utilization of some best practice methods will likely result in an enhanced and more efficient decision-making process with more informed athlete development programs.
Adult Cancer Survivors' Engagement and Interest in Patient-Centered Research.

Background: Limited information is available about the representativeness of survivors engaging in patient-centered research, despite the potential for threats to generalizability. We thus aimed to assess the representativeness of survivors engaged or interested in research development. Methods: We used data from the Health Information National Trends Survey, a nationally representative survey, to identify survivors of adult cancers. Our outcomes of interest were based on responses to questions about engagement or interest in developing patient-centered research. We estimated the ratio of relative frequencies (RRF) and corresponding 95% confidence limits (CL) of sociodemographic and survivorship characteristics between survivors engaged or interested in patient-centered research and the overall survivor population. Results: Our study population comprised 934 survivors, of whom 5% reported being engaged in patient-centered research and 26% reported an interest in participating. Relative frequencies of characteristics were discordant for engaged survivors but largely similar for interested survivors compared with all survivors. In particular, engaged survivors had a higher relative frequency of individuals ages 50 to 64 years (RRF = 1.7; 95% CL, 1.1–2.5), Hispanic (RRF = 2.9; 95% CL, 1.2–6.9), non-Hispanic Black (RRF = 2.9; 95% CL, 1.1–2.5), and unemployment (RRF = 4.7; 95% CL, 1.4–16). Conclusions: We observed several meaningful differences in the characteristics of survivors engaged in patient-centered research compared with all survivors, which raises concerns about the generalizability of findings from such studies. Impact: Patient-centered research may not benefit the broader survivor community if survivors engaging in research development are not representative of all survivors. Greater attention to recruiting mechanisms is necessary to avoid creating disparities.
Principles of Tendon Regeneration

Tendon-healing capacity is limited due to its hypocellularity and hypovascularity even after surgical repair. Tissue engineering plays a promising role in optimizing tendon regeneration. In this chapter, we discuss tendon macroscopic and microscopic structures, the native healing cascade, and the current advances and challenges of tendon tissue engineering. These engineering principles are split into three fundamental factors: cells, scaffolds, and growth factors. Several cell sources are described for clinical application, including various kinds of stem cells. We then explore the benefits and advantages of biological scaffolds over synthetic scaffolds. Next, we discuss several growth factors that play important roles in the tendon-healing process that have augmented tendon healing in animal models. Moreover, biophysical stimulation and drug repositioning concepts are described as possible strategies to facilitate tendon regeneration.
A Behavioral Law and Economics Analysis of Nutrition Labels Assessing the Chilean Experience on Regulatory Simplification

Disclosure as a regulatory technique faces strong criticisms. However, regulators keep relying on this technique to remedy market failures. Obesity is not an exception. Ultra-processed food dominates our diet, despite being a main cause of overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity, in turn, are major risk factors for many chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. Nutrition labels are a type of disclosure. The empirical evidence of their effectiveness is mixed. This might be because nutrition labels have to deal with consumers' lack of literacy and/or information overload. Regulatory simplification can be an alternative to enhance label's efficacy. However, current criticisms of disclosure also reach its simplified forms, predicting that simpler labels will not have an effect on consumer behavior. Chile's new food labeling law incorporates a warning-signs model to alert consumers of foods and drinks containing sugar, fat, sodium, and calories levels above a certain threshold. This paper provides an exploratory impact assessment of this law, casting doubt on the skeptics' view of the inefficacy of simplified disclosures. I mostly base this analysis on information available online (i.e., impact assessment surveys; newspaper articles; stakeholder presentations). However, I also conducted field interviews with key actors to complement, and corroborate, the information available on the internet. The Chilean experience is still recent; however, it shows that simpler disclosures can have a significant effect on consumer behavior. This is a positive (or descriptive) claim. Although generalizations are hard to make, consumers tend to prefer products with no (or fewer) labels. Accordingly, only one year after the new labeling law was enacted, more than 1,500 products have modified their composition. This is despite warning labels appearing to impact only well-educated consumers. This may be causing an externality on less-educated consumers in some markets, probably a "positive" one, in many cases. On a normative level, the impact of the new labeling regulation on the nutritional value of food is still unclear. The strategies to reach the safe harbors may not only decrease the intake of ingredients subject to control but also the nutritional value of food. Further research should provide a more specific snapshot of how particular markets reacted to the new labeling law. In addition, consumers might be drawing incorrect inferences from the warning labels. The main objective of this article is to show that consumers are not indifferent or unreactive to food warning labels. Precisely because of this, law-makers should be careful in designing regulations that consider not only how consumers will respond to the warning-labels, but also how industry participants will react to supply products with no (or fewer) labels.
Bra preferences of breast cancer survivors treated with mastectomy and prosthetic reconstruction

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and the number choosing mastectomy in response to invasive breast cancer is rising. A survey of 62 survivors who have undergo...
Lesotho's white gold: the political ecology of temporality and the economy of anticipation in resource extraction and large dam infrastructural projects

The construction phases of large dam and infrastructural projects often extend over long periods of time, creating social, environmental, cultural, political, and economic consequences in the proximate communities and landscapes. The temporality of the phases of the project – from planning to construction to post-construction – reveal more layered and wide-ranging consequences from the social and environmental changes that result, sharpened by greater attention to how these changes unfold across multiple timescales and sites of the project. Using the case study of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), I draw on a political ecology approach that uses longitudinal data, including interviews, document analysis, and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Lesotho since 1997, to illustrate how active project narratives draw from and promulgate an affective economy of anticipation in ways that aim to both sustain the hope of people affected by the project and contain their criticism of the project amidst a continued investment by the state in the expansion of the LHWP. As people directly affected experience disjunctures between the promises and the realities of the project over time, subsequent phases of the project are simultaneously renewed and recast through a logic of improvement that emphasizes changes in the implementation of the project while continuing to invest in the future imaginary of development that requires going forward with project plans. A logic of continuity and improvement structures this continued commitment to the capital intensive LHWP through the strategic mobilization of phases that scaffold both the material and physical dimensions of the project, but also the affective and anticipatory hopes of prosperity that the project represents. In this case, it also reveals how project authorities weave these dimensions – the material and the aspirational – into specific planned changes and improvements to address previous and ongoing concerns as projects progress over time. This longitudinal approach demonstrates the importance of temporal and affective dimensions to our understanding of the complex, multi-faceted consequences of resource extractive mega-dam projects such as the LHWP, particularly as they further rationalize the resource extractive approach to economic development in the region. Keywords: development, dams, infrastructure, political ecology, temporality, affect, resource extraction, economy of anticipation, displacement, construction, Lesotho, Southern Africa
Abstract MP04: High Fat Diet Exposure Induces Epigenetic Modulation In The Brain Renin Angiotensin System

Cardiometabolic Diseases (CMD) are one of the highest causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In-utero, environmental insults can program brain’s progeny through changes in gene expression lev...
Integrating Smart Contracts with the Legacy Legal System: A US Perspective

Contracts help to solve some of the basic challenges of cooperation for humans. One of the insights of economics, since the time of Adam Smith, is that a great deal of human productivity comes from cooperation and collaboration. In the eighteenth Century that astounding Scottish polymath published the foundational book for economics: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. He opens Chapter 1 of The Wealth of Nations by pointing out the importance of the division of labor in human prosperity:
Effects of Isolation Rearing on Learning by Mammals

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews experiments that describe the performance of isolation-reared mammals on learning tasks. Isolation also produces a broad pattern of deficits involving the inhibition of prior learning, but it is unclear whether these are caused by learning or performance factors. Isolation impairs maze performance, reversal, and the extinction of operant responses in every species tested. Melzack's novelty enhancement theory and the inhibition deficit hypothesis have been demonstrated in purposely designed experiments, which are discussed in the chapter, and neither view, alone or together, adequately explains the known effects of isolation on learning. Full evaluation of all these theories is hampered by lack of information about specific rearing and organismic variables producing isolated performance deficiencies. This poses difficulty for distinguishing among these alternatives and proposing other explanations. The chapter reviews a number of methodological, factual, and theoretical issues concerning the effects on performance caused by depriving mammals of varied experiences during rearing.
Candida Auris Urinary Tract Infection in a Nursing Home Patient With Multicomorbidities.

Candida (C.) auris is an opportunistic ascomycetous budding yeast that has been emerging as an invasive, multidrug-resistant pathogen over the past 11 years since its discovery. Candida auris infection has raised considerable attention in public health organizations due to its rising number of cases, virulence, and unique resistance to commonly used mycofungal therapy. This case follows a 64-year-old male with multiple comorbidities from the nursing home presenting with polybacterial sepsis along with a urinary tract infection growing Candida auris. Along with treatment for sepsis, the patient was placed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) recommended regimen of micafungin to eradicate C. auris infection and isolation precautions. Cases should be approached carefully and reported to public agencies such as the CDC and state health department.
P81 Mental Health Presentations to a UK Tertiary Children’s Emergency Department during the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020 compared to 2019

Introduction: Observational study exploring the differences between the number and severity of mental health presentations to a Children's Emergency Department over a 2-month period during the Covid-19 Pandemic (2020) compared to the same months in 2019. Additionally, exploration of the possible impact of the introduction of a hotline giving clinicians access to 24/7 Children's and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) advice. Methods: Identification of mental health presentations in children ≤ 16 years from coded admission data. Data collected included basic demographics, presenting complaint, final diagnosis, mental health Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM) outcome and timings of review, referral and discharge. Results: 141 cases were examined (2019-n=79, 2020-n=62). During the Covid-19 pandemic 18.9% (n=10) scored high on the RAM and 64.2% (n=34) scored moderate whilst in 2019, 17.2% (n=11) scored high on the RAM and 69.4% (n=38) scored moderate. 2019 data saw 25.3% (n=20) discharged directly compared to 37.1% (n=23) in 2020. In 2020, 26 (42.6%) of CAMHS reviews were via telephone compared to nine (12.3%) in 2019. Overnight (20:00-08:00), in 2019, there were 37 (46.8%) presentations, 86.5% (n=32) of which required admission and in 2020 there were 36 (58.1%) where 75.0% (n=27) required admission. Conclusion: A higher number of presentations was not seen in the CED despite the potentially adverse psychological effects caused by enforced isolation due to Covid-19. The provision of a 24/7 hotline may have contributed to clinician's decision to discharge, aiding a higher number of out of hours discharges.
miR-15/16 Restrain Memory T Cell Differentiation, Cell Cycle, and Survival

Coordinate control of T cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation are essential for host protection from pathogens and cancer. Long-lived memory cells, whose precursors are formed during the initial immunological insult, provide protection from future encounters and their generation is the goal of many vaccination strategies. microRNAs are key nodes in regulatory networks that shape effective T cell responses through the fine-tuning of thousands of genes. Here, using new compound conditional mutant mice to eliminate miR-15/16 family miRNAs in T cells, we show that miR-15/16 restrict T cell cycle, survival, and memory T cell differentiation. High throughput sequencing of RNA isolated by cross-linking immunoprecipitation of AGO2 combined with gene expression analysis in miR-15/16 deficient T cells indicate that these effects are mediated through the direct inhibition of an extensive network of known and novel target genes within pathways critical to cell cycle, survival, and memory. This study highlights the important role that miRNAs play in shaping the global gene expression program that is required for T cell cycle, survival, and the proper formation of memory cells.
Open-source methods for estimating health risks of fine particulate matter from coal-fired power plants: A demonstration from Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) effectiveness and accessibility by the public is determined by local environmental enforcement and regulation. Massive energy infrastructure projects like China's Belt and Road initiative (BRI) could accentuate social and economic costs, as regulation is deferred to host countries with varying levels of domestic enforcement. To fill major gaps in the public evaluation of EIA practices and results, our objective here is to present an open-source approach for evaluating localized air pollution health impacts for BRI-financed coal-fired power plants. This analysis focuses on one specific problem, additional attributable mortality from stroke, ischemic heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for adults ages 25–84 from fine particulate matter (PM2.5), known to be major risk factor for premature deaths globally. As a concrete example, we examine the case of the Port Qasim power plant located near Karachi, Sindh Province, Pakistan. We present results for two main scenarios: a base case, assuming fully operational pollution control technologies, in particular electrostatic precipitators (ESP); and an alternative case without ESPs. All material and methods for replicating this analysis for the case study and for other projects are available in our institutional open repository. Our approach can be applied immediately to virtually any source location in the world, due to the public and global availability of input data. Synopsis We present an open-source approach for evaluating localized health impacts due to fine particulate matter emitted from coal-fired power plants.
MPCast: A Novel Downlink Transmission Technology for Low Power Wide Area Networks

In this paper, MPCast, a novel wireless transmission technology for the downlink of Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), is proposed. MPCast modulates data on the Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence, which generates a peak at the receiving side. Both the location and phase of the peak carry information. Also, multiple peaks are transmitted simultaneously at different power levels to be received by nodes with different channel conditions. A novel preamble design allows the nodes to detect the frame and synchronize with the AP at low computation complexity. MPCast has been validated with real-world experiments on the Powder platform. MPCast has also been evaluated with simulations under a challenging wireless channel model. The results show that MPCast achieves a physical layer data rate of 1.74 kbps in a 125 kHz channel when the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is -7 dB, which is a 9 dB gain over LoRa SF 9.
Rapid macrosatellite evolution promotes X-Linked hybrid male sterility in a feline interspecies cross.

The sterility or inviability of hybrid offspring produced from an interspecific mating results from incompatibilities between parental genotypes that are thought to result from divergence of loci involved in epistatic interactions. However, attributes contributing to the rapid evolution of these regions also complicates their assembly, thus discovery of candidate hybrid sterility loci is difficult and has been restricted to a small number of model systems. Here we reported rapid interspecific divergence at the DXZ4 macrosatellite locus in an interspecific cross between two closely related mammalian species: the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the Jungle cat (Felis chaus). DXZ4 is an interesting candidate due to its structural complexity, copy number variability, and described role in the critical yet complex biological process of X-chromosome inactivation. However, the full structure of DXZ4 was absent or incomplete in nearly every available mammalian genome assembly given its repetitive complexity. We compared highly continuous genomes for three cat species, each containing a complete DXZ4 locus, and discovered that the felid DXZ4 locus differs substantially from the human ortholog, and that it varies in copy number between cat species. Additionally, we reported expression, methylation, and structural conformation profiles of DXZ4 and the X chromosome during stages of spermatogenesis that have been previously associated with hybrid male sterility. Collectively, these findings suggest a new role for DXZ4 in male meiosis and a proposed mechanism of feline interspecific incompatibility through rapid satellite divergence.
Abstract P4-05-05: A novel TP53-dependent role for TLR4 in driving breast cancer

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 is an important mediator of cytokine secretion that is expressed in breast cancer cells, and is frequently mutated in a subset of breast tumors associated with high mutation load and poor patient survival. We show here that TLR4 plays an important role in driving breast cancer growth in a TP53 context-dependent manner. Using siRNA mediated knockdown, pharmacological inhibition and hyperactivation of TLR4 we demonstrate that TLR4 inhibits growth in breast cancer cells with wildtype TP53 by inducing G0/G1 arrest and decreasing mitotic entry. Conversely, in breast cancer cells with mutant TP53 , TLR4 acts as an oncogene and drives cell growth by inducing mitosis. Furthermore, we identify the underlying mechanism for this dual TP53-dependent effect of TLR4 on breast cancer cell growth: differential interferon gamma (IFN-γ) secretion by tumor cells into their microenvironment. Hyperactivated TLR4 signaling in TP53 wildtype breast cancer cells results in increased IFN-γ secretion, identified by an unbiased cytokine array and validated by ELISA, thus inhibiting growth in an autocrine/paracrine fashion. Moreover, secreted IFN-γ is both necessary and sufficient for TLR4-induced growth inhibition in TP53 wildtype breast cancer cells. Finally, the dual TP53-dependent effect of TLR4 extrapolates to several other cancer types in silico , attaching potentially global significance to these results. Taken together, the data presented in this paper strongly suggest a novel role for TLR4 as a suppressor of cell growth in TP53 wildtype tumors, and identify differential IFN-γ secretion as the underlying mechanism. The results of this study are also translationally relevant, delineating the TP53 mutant breast cancer subset as a group that can benefit from pharmacological TLR4 inhibition. Most importantly, these results indicate a need for studying the effect of drivers of cancer growth pleiotropically rather than as isolated events. Citation Format: Svasti Haricharan, Powel H Brown. A novel TP53-dependent role for TLR4 in driving breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-05-05.