cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Transabdominal Ultrasound in the Prostatic Hypertrophy

Abstract We evaluated 59 consecutive patients for obstructive voiding symptoms with physical examination, excretory urography, urethrocystoscopy, post-voiding residual volumes, uroflowmetry and transabdominal ultrasound of the prostate. Of the patients 53 underwent transurethral resection of the prostate and 6 underwent open prostatectomy. Followup uroflowmetry was done 4 weeks postoperatively. The best predictor of the actual prostatic weight was transabdominal ultrasound (r equals 0.975), and with digital rectal examination and urethrocystoscopy there was a tendency to overestimate small and underestimate large glands. Symptoms such as nocturia do not allow any conclusions about the size of the prostate. The correlation between post-void residual and specimen weight also is poor and only patients in retention (Foley catheter) have a significantly larger prostate. Preoperative uroflowmetry provides limited information about the prostatic size but, although the difference between the preoperative and postoperative flow rate index is highly significant (p less than 0.001, mean difference test), the correlation between specimen weight, and the difference between preoperative and postoperative flow rate index is not significant. We recommend transabdominal sonography of the prostate, a simple and noninvasive procedure, as a useful adjunct in the preoperative evaluation of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy. In addition to the fact that only this method provides reliable and reproducible estimations of the weight of the prostate, further information, such as measurement of the post-void residual volume, can be obtained without additional costs or loss of time.
The Advanced Scintillator Compton Telescope (ASCOT) balloon project

We describe a project to develop new medium-energy gamma-ray instrumentation by constructing and flying a balloon-borne Compton telescope using advanced scintillator materials combined with silicon photomultiplier readouts. There is a need in high-energy astronomy for a medium-energy gamma-ray mission covering the energy range from approximately 0.4 - 20 MeV to follow the success of the COMPTEL instrument on CGRO. We believe that directly building on the legacy of COMPTEL, using relatively robust, low-cost, off-the-shelf technologies, is the most promising path for such a mission. Fortunately, high-performance scintillators, such as Lanthanum Bromide (LaBr3), Cerium Bromide (CeBr3), and p-terphenyl, and compact readout devices, such as silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), are already commercially available and capable of meeting this need. We have conducted two balloon flights of prototype instruments to test these technologies. The first, in 2011, demonstrated that a Compton telescope consisting of an liquid organic scintillator scattering layer and a LaBr3 calorimeter effectively rejects background under balloon-flight conditions, using time-of-flight (ToF) discrimination. The second, in 2014, showed that a telescope using an organic stilbene crystal scattering element and a LaBr3 calorimeter with SiPM readouts can achieve similar ToF performance. We are now constructing a much larger balloon instrument, an Advanced Scintillator Compton Telescope (ASCOT) with SiPM readout, with the goal of imaging the Crab Nebula at MeV energies in a one-day flight. We expect a ~4σ detection up to ~1 MeV in a single transit. We present calibration results of the first detector modules, and updated simulations of the balloon instrument sensitivity. If successful, this project will demonstrate that the energy, timing, and position resolution of this technology are sufficient to achieve an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity in the mediumenergy gamma-ray band, were it to be applied to a ~1 cubic meter instrument on a long-duration balloon or Explorer platform.
Trends in Medicalization of Children with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome

Objective. The objective of this survey was to describe trends over time in medicalization of children with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS). Design. A retrospective evaluation was conducted using self-reported data from patients presenting to the pain clinic between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2014, who were diagnosed with AMPS. Setting and Subjects. This was a medical record review of 899 subjects ages 3–20 presenting with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome. Subjects were included if they presented to a single tertiary specialized clinic and obtained a diagnosis of AMPS between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2014. Methods. Information collected from subjects’ medical records included: past medications, current outpatient medications, procedures, aids, therapies, studies, professionals seen, hospitalizations, and surgeries. Trends in medicalization were analyzed by year of initial visit. Results. Medication use, procedures, studies, therapies, professionals seen, hospitalizations, and surgeries in children with AMPS all increased significantly by year ( P < 0.001). The degree of physical dysfunction, pain, and the use of aids did not significantly increase. Conclusions. Children with amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome are becoming increasingly medicalized. Increased medicalization introduces risk of iatrogenic injury and burdens families with unnecessary medical costs. The significant increase in medicalization of children with AMPS is not related to an increase in patient reported pain, which is evidenced by the lack of significant increase in patients’ pain score, pain duration, or functional disability at the time of their initial evaluation.
Cataract Surgery Complications and Revisit Rates Among Three States

Purpose To characterize population-based 30-day procedure-related readmissions (revisits) following cataract surgery. Setting Ambulatory cataract surgery performed in California, Florida, or New York. Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods This study used all-capture state administrative datasets. Cataract procedures from California, Florida, and New York state ambulatory surgery settings were identified using ICD-9-CM and CPT codes. Thirty-day readmissions (revisits) were identified in inpatient, ambulatory, and emergency department settings across each state. Results Across the 3 states, the all-cause 30-day readmission rate was 6.0% and the procedure-related readmission (revisit) rate was 1.0%. Procedure-related revisits were highest for patients aged 20–29 (2.9%) and 30–39 (2.3%) and lowest for patients aged 70–79 (0.9%). Multivariate associations between clinical characteristics and 30-day procedure-related revisits included age 20–29 (odds ratio [OR]: 3.13; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.33–4.20) and age 30–39 (OR: 2.35; CI: 1.91–2.89) compared with age 70–79, male sex (OR: 1.29; CI: 1.24–1.34), races black (OR: 1.37; CI: 1.27–1.48) and Hispanic (OR: 1.16; CI: 1.08–1.24) compared with white, and Medicaid insurance (OR: 1.18, CI: 1.07–1.30) compared with Medicare. Diabetes was also associated with increased 30-day procedure-related revisits (OR: 1.093, CI: 1.024–1.168). Conclusions Cataract surgery is a common and, in aggregate, expensive procedure. Complication-related revisits follow a similar trend as surgical complications in large-scale population data, and may be useful as a preliminary, screening outcome measure. Our results highlight the importance of age as a risk factor for cataract surgery readmissions, and suggest a relationship between black or Hispanic race, Medicaid insurance, and diabetes associated with higher risk for cataract surgery complications.
Electric fish genomics: Progress, prospects, and new tools for neuroethology.

Abstract Electric fish have served as a model system in biology since the 18th century, providing deep insight into the nature of bioelectrogenesis, the molecular structure of the synapse, and brain circuitry underlying complex behavior. Neuroethologists have collected extensive phenotypic data that span biological levels of analysis from molecules to ecosystems. This phenotypic data, together with genomic resources obtained over the past decades, have motivated new and exciting hypotheses that position the weakly electric fish model to address fundamental 21 st century biological questions. This review article considers the molecular data collected for weakly electric fish over the past three decades, and the insights that data of this nature has motivated. For readers relatively new to molecular genetics techniques, we also provide a table of terminology aimed at clarifying the numerous acronyms and techniques that accompany this field. Next, we pose a research agenda for expanding genomic resources for electric fish research over the next 10 years. We conclude by considering some of the exciting research prospects for neuroethology that electric fish genomics may offer over the coming decades, if the electric fish community is successful in these endeavors.
SUBSIDIZING ALTRUISM IN LIVING ORGAN DONATION

The current supply of deceased donor organs is insucient to meet the growing demand for transplantable organs. The median waiting time for a kidney from a deceased donor is over three years. Consequently, candidates for kidney transplantation are strongly encouraged to nd a living donor. However, many potential donors have low incomes and donation-related costs may discourage them from volunteering to be a donor. In 2008 the Department of Health and Human Services began to reimburse donor’s travel-related expenses via the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC). Using within transplant center variation in their applications for donor assistance, we use a dierence-in-dier ence model to estimate the impact of the NLDAC on the number of living donor kidney transplants. We nd that among participating transplant centers the program increased the number of living donor kidney transplants by approximately 14%. The NLDAC program provides an eective subsidy for donor’s altruism.
Sevoflurane and the 885A field anesthesia machine : Clinical report

The Ohmeda 885A field anesthesia machine is equipped with a non-agent-specific, universal vaporizer that can be used with most volatile anesthetic agents. On a recent humanitarian medical mission to Honduras, the 885A was used to administer general anesthesia to 26 patients utilizing sevoflurane, a new inhalational anesthetic with a variety of clinical benefits, including less airway irritability, making it ideal for inhalation inductions. Flow rates for delivery of anesthetic agent were calculated by using the enflurane portion of the Verni-Trol flow calculator wheel, because sevoflurane and enflurane have similar vapor pressures. Calculated anesthetic concentrations were compared with measured concentrations using linear regression analysis and found to have a Pearson product moment of 0.995. We find that the use of sevoflurane in the 885A is an excellent alternative to other inhalational anesthetic agents and may have applications for use during both military conflicts and peacetime missions in remote areas.
UPLC-MS for metabolomics: a giant step forward in support of pharmaceutical research

Metabolomics is a relatively new and rapidly growing area of post-genomic biological research. As use of metabolomics technology grows throughout the spectrum of drug discovery and development, and its applications broaden, its impact is expanding dramatically. This review seeks to provide the reader with a brief history of the development of metabolomics, its significance and strategies for conducting metabolomics studies. The most widely used analytical tools for metabolomics: NMR, LC-MS and GC-MS, are discussed along with considerations for their use. Herein, we will show how metabolomics can assist in pharmaceutical research studies, such as pharmacology and toxicology, and discuss some examples of the importance of metabolomics analysis in research and development.
Heterogeneity in polygenic scores for common human traits

This study investigates the creation of polygenic scores (PGS)s for human population research. PGSs are a linear, usually weighted, combination of risk alleles that estimate the cumulative genetic risk of an individual for a particular trait. While conceptually simple, there are numerous ways to estimate PGSs, not all achieving the same end goals. In this paper, we systematically investigate the impact of four key decisions in the building of PGSs from published genome-wide association meta-analysis results: 1) whether to use single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) assessed by imputation, 2) criteria for selecting which SNPs to include in the score, 3) whether to account for linkage disequilibrium (LD), and 4) if accounting for LD, which type of method best captures the correlation structure among SNPs (i.e. clumping vs. pruning). Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative, population-based longitudinal panel study of Americans over the age of 50, we examine the predictive ability as well as the variability and co-variability in PGSs arising from these different estimation approaches. We examine four traits with large published and replicated genome-wide association studies (height, body mass index, educational attainment, and depression). Our central finding demonstrates PGSs that include all available SNPs either explain the most amount of variation in an outcome or are not significantly different than the PGSs that does. Thus, for reproducibility through rigor and transparency, we recommend that researchers include a PGS with all available SNPs as a reference, and provide substantial justification for using alternative methods.
The Case for De-Criminalizing Blackmail: A Reply to Lindgren and Campbell

The argument for legalizing blackmail is simple and straightforward. Blackmail consists of a threat or menace, coupled with a demand for money or other valuable consideration. The threat, however, consists of something the blackmailer has every right to do. For example, it is entirely legal to engage in malicious gossip, or write a negative movie review, expose past criminal behavior, or refuse to befriend a person. How, then, can it be illegal to threaten to do something, when to actually engage in the activity would be legal?
Making Black Lives Matter in the Information Technology Profession: Issues, Perspectives, and a Call for Action

Despite lucrative career opportunities in information technology (IT), representation of Blacks in IT occupations is abysmal. IT careers are a viable source of economic advancement for Blacks who as a group face significant entry and advancement barriers in the labor market. We argue that the information systems (IS) community can make Black lives matter in IT by advancing their opportunities in this occupational space in an equitable manner. Such advancements require a dialogue within the IS community about the following: What can the IS community do to foster greater inclusion of Blacks in IT profession? To begin this dialogue, a panel of five IS scholars, Drs. K. D. Joshi, Eileen Trauth, Lynette Kvasny, Allison J. Morgan, and Fay Cobb Payton, who participated in the panel organized at SIGMIS CPR 2016 in Washington, D.C. (Trauth et al. 2016b), share their perspectives on making Black lives matter in the information technology profession. An agenda is proposed that calls on IS scholars to conduct research on issues discussed in this paper and appeals to IT practitioners and educators to foster greater inclusion of Blacks in the IT profession.
Resilience and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Applying Developmental Psychopathology to Optimal Outcome

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has traditionally been associated with persistent deficits in many functional areas across the life span. However, recent work suggests that some individuals initially diagnosed with ASD can later achieve functioning in normative ranges, a phenomenon referred to as optimal outcome (OO) or, effectively, recovery from ASD. This review of the existing literature examines empirical support for OO, conceptual and methodological limitations, long-term functioning, residual deficits, and potential predictors from a developmental psychopathology perspective. Given that the majority of the extant literature on OO has been heretofore descriptive, a resilience framework is proposed as the guide with which to explore the mechanisms behind OO. With an emphasis on interactions among modifiable environmental and individual factors, future research directions and clinical implications are discussed.
Postoperative Management of Patients with Pheochromocytoma

AbstractThe optimal preoperative and postoperative management of patients with pheochromocytoma demands a multidisciplinary approach. We report on 5 recent patients to illustrate the large volumes of fluid needed in the early postoperative period. This large fluid requirement is owing to a combination of a change in vascular compliance after excision of a pheochromocytoma, the residual effects of specific preoperative medications (phenoxybenzamine and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine) and the loss of fluid into the retroperitoneal compartment (third space) produced by extensive dissection. It takes 3 half-lives (36 hours) to dissipate the effects of phenoxybenzamine and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine which corresponds to the time in which these patients require large volumes of intravenous fluids.
Targeted metabolic profiling rapidly differentiates Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at species and strain level

Rationale Pathogenic foodborne bacteria have been associated with severe infectious disease in humans and animals worldwide. Rapid detection and screening of these foodborne pathogens are critical for our food safety. This study aimed at detecting Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, two important foodborne bacteria, at the species and strain/serovar level using a mass spectrometry (MS)-based targeted metabolic profiling approach. Methods Ten E. coli strains (8 out of 10 were foodborne outbreak isolates) and four S. aureus strains were tested at two growth time points. A high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS)-based targeted metabolomics approach was applied for metabolic profile based bacteria detection. A total of 108 metabolites from multiple metabolic pathways were confidently detected from these bacteria. Results Our study demonstrated that with only 4 h of enrichment in the same medium, the metabolic profiles from E. coli and S. aureus showed significant difference. Furthermore, seven out of ten E. coli strains and all four tested S. aureus strains showed strain/serovar-level differentiation at the 4-h time point, which indicated great potential for strain level stratification in future food screening using our MS-based targeted metabolic profiling approach. Conclusions A targeted metabolomics method was developed to demonstrate the utility of HPLC/MS/MS-based metabolic profiling in rapidly (4 h) differentiating E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, two of the most notorious foodborne bacteria, at both the species and strain/serovar levels. The results indicated that our approach has great potential in the future for fast and specific detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria based on their metabolic diversity.
Cliff Flora of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

ABSTRACT: Cliffs harbor unique ecological communities while facing increasing pressure from human disturbances. How abiotic factors such as surface heterogeneity, slope, and aspect interact locally to drive variation in plant communities remains largely unknown. We surveyed the vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens along 50 vertical transects throughout the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Tennessee, USA) to characterize the vegetative community and to determine which factors influenced the distribution of cliff vegetation. Across all cliff face plots, the dominant lichen genus was Lepraria; the dominant vascular plant was Dennstaedtia punctilobula; and the dominant bryophyte was Dicranum montanum. We found several rare species including Cladonia pocillum, a boreal disjunct lichen; Vittaria appalachiana, Appalachian shoestring fern; and Cynodontium schisti, a rare bryophyte. Vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens were each influenced by different environmental drivers. West-facing s...
A comparison of migration and multihoming support in IPv6 and XIA

Mobility and multihoming have become the norm in Internet access, e.g. smartphones with Wi-Fi and LTE, and connected vehicles with LTE and DSRC links that change rapidly. Mobility creates challenges for active session continuity when provider-aggregatable locators are used, while multihoming brings opportunities for improving resiliency and allocative efficiency. This paper proposes a novel migration protocol, in the context of the eXpressive Internet Architecture (XIA), the XIA Migration Protocol. We compare it with Mobile IPv6, with respect to handoff latency and overhead, flow migration support, and defense against spoofing and replay of protocol messages. Handoff latencies of the XIA Migration Protocol and Mobile IPv6 Enhanced Route Optimization are comparable and neither protocol opens up avenues for spoofing or replay attacks. However, XIA requires no mobility anchor point to support client mobility while Mobile IPv6 always depends on a home agent. We show that XIA has significant advantage over IPv6 for multihomed hosts and networks in terms of resiliency, scalability, load balancing and allocative efficiency. IPv6 multihoming solutions either forgo scalability (BGP-based) or sacrifice resiliency (NAT-based), while XIA's fallback-based multihoming provides fault tolerance without a heavy-weight protocol. XIA also allows fine-grained incoming load-balancing and QoS-matching by supporting flow migration. Flow migration is not possible using Mobile IPv6 when a single IPv6 address is associated with multiple flows. From a protocol design and architectural perspective, the key enablers of these benefits are flow-level migration, XIA's DAG-based locators and self-certifying identifiers.
Teaching Anthropological Concepts of Race in Higher Education

Racialism is the belief that humans can be divided into distinct races that are biological fact and can determine many traits of individuals. This concept, while persistent, has been refuted by biological and social science, which indicates that the cultural conception of race is neither a biological reality nor determinant. The discipline of anthropology is well positioned to explain nuances in biological and cultural diversity, but employing the most effective strategies to teach these important, and sometimes controversial, concepts is crucial. Patterns and Efficacy in Teaching Concepts of Race in Anthropology (PETCRA) surveyed nearly 300 undergraduate students in introductory anthropology courses at a predominantly white institution in the United States. Students were given two surveys, before and after instruction, to determine their perception of race. The pre- and post-instructional surveys asked students simple conceptual questions about race, about their own experience of race, and demographic information; the post-survey included questions about the instruction in this subject area. While many students started with racialist perspectives, statistically significant numbers of students adopted a more anthropological view after instruction. Including videos with lecture resulted in statistically significant improvement in students’ answers. Student racial identity development is discussed as an important component for understanding this complex topic, especially within predominately white institutions. This research underscores the importance of evidence-based pedagogical choices in diversity instruction.
Taxonomic and Stratigraphic Significance of the Dispersed Spore Genus Calamospora

In situ spores are described from Pennsylvanian-age sphenopsid cones. Spores from cones referable to the plant Calamites have been shown to resemble the dispersed spore genera Elaterites, Vestispora, or Calamospora at different stages in spore ontogeny. Spores from some cones referable to the plant Sphenophyllum have ontogenetic stages resembling Vestispora and Calamospora indicating that these two dispersed spore genera were produced by more than one type of plant. To date, features used to delimit species of dispersed Calamospora-like spores have included spore diameter, presence or absence of dark contact areas, distribution and arrangement of compression folds, minute wall ornamentation, presence of a globular inner body, separation of presumed outer and inner exine layers, and length of trilete arms. Results of the present investigation indicate that none of these features can be used to distinguish between spores produced by different cone species. The wide range of variation in these features among spores obtained from different specimens of the same cone species, and even from the same cone specimen, suggest that a clearcut division of species within the dispersed spore genus Calamospora is not possible. Caution should be used in making stratigraphic determinations based largely from dispersed spores that resemble Calamospora, Elaterites, Vestispora, Schopfites, Phyllothecotriletes, Ricaspora, and Perotriletes.
Cumulative Effect of Annual Additions of Uncomposted Oak and Maple Leaves on the Yield of Vegetables

For 22 years, plots were amended annually with oak (Quercus velutina Lam.) or sugar maple leaves (Acer saccharum Marsh.) in Mt. Carmel, CT on a loamy upland soil. Leaves were incorporated into the ...
Pipped at the Post: Pipecolic Acid Derivative Identified as SAR Regulator

The non-protein amino acid pipecolic acid (Pip) is a lysine catabolite involved in plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR). In this issue of Cell, Hartmann et al. (2018) demonstrate that a flavin-dependent monooxygenase converts Pip to N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP), which functions as a critical metabolic regulator of SAR in Arabidopsis.
The diagnosis of symptomatic acute antiretroviral syndrome during the window period with antigen/antibody testing and HIV viral load

Abstract Despite much focus on moving toward a cure to end the epidemic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic there are still thousands of new infections occurring every year in the United States. Although there is ongoing transmission of HIV in the United States and a growing population of people living with HIV, the acute presentation of HIV infection can be challenging to diagnose and is often not considered when patients present to healthcare providers. Although in certain states there are HIV testing laws that require that all persons between the ages of 13 and 64 be offered HIV testing in an opt-out approach, many patient presenting with an acute illness, that would warrant diagnostic testing for HIV, leave without having an HIV test performed for either diagnostic or screening purposes. We describe the case of a woman who presented to medical attention with symptoms later confirmed to be due to acute HIV infection. She was initially discharged from the hospital and only underwent HIV testing with confirmation of her diagnosis after readmission. We describe the algorithm where fourth generation testing combined with HIV viral load testing allowed for the diagnosis of acute HIV prior to the development of a specific immunoglobulin response. Consideration of this diagnosis, improved HIV screening, and understanding of the use of antigen/antibody screening tests, combined with Multispot and HIV viral RNA detection, when appropriate, can allow for early diagnosis of HIV before progression of disease and before undiagnosed patient spread the infection to new contacts.
Revisioning and Reinstating: Music Education after the Great Recession.

The Great Recession caused many school districts across the country to make numerous cuts in their annual budget models. As a result of these austerity measures, administrators often reduced arts e...
Transition of Viscoplasticity from the Single Crystal to the Polycrystal Level

Based on the activation processes involved, a temperature-dependent micromechanical theory is developed to determine the viscoplastic behavior of a polycrystal from those of its constituent grains. This model assumes dislocation-glide to provide the only significant contribution to the overall plastic strain and it leads to the formulation of microconstitutive equations that describe the primary and steady-state creep of slip systems. These equations are used to describe the viscoplastic behavior of the slip systems and by which, that of the constituent grains. Together with the self-consistent relation, the viscoplastic stress-strain relations of a polycrystal under a constant total strain-rate are determined by an averaging process over the behavior of its constituent grains. The theory is applied to model the behavior of RR59 aluminum alloy at some selected strain rates and temperatures.
Intraovarian IGF-I System

As the significance of putative intraovarian regulators becomes increasingly recognized, much of the attention centers on insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). Indeed, a large body of evidence now suggests the existence of an intraovarian IGF system complete with ligands, receptors, and binding proteins. More importantly, IGFs have been shown to exert a variety of significant effects at the level of the somatic ovarian cell, raising the possibility of a meaningful in vivo role. The above notwithstanding, there is at this time no compelling evidence to indicate that IGFs (or for that matter any other putative intraovarian regulator) are indispensable to ovarian function. However, a large body of a somewhat indirect nature strongly suggests such a possibility. It is the purpose of this communication to review and summarize key developments in this area.
Partners in Prosecuting Crime: Do Victims Benefit from a Division of Labor between the International Criminal Court and the State?

This article critically evaluates the collaboration between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and some States in prosecuting international crimes from a victim's perspective. Intended to intervene only where States are either unable or unwilling to do so, the International Criminal Court has instead asked States to transfer several alleged perpetrators who were already facing charges of international crimes at the domestic level. This strategy has unintended negative consequences on the availability of remedies for those victimized by international crimes. Indeed, victims of crimes the accused has allegedly committed but is not being prosecuted for by the ICC are deprived of an effective remedy, both at the national or international level. More broadly, the burden-sharing policy of the ICC paradoxically fosters a new type of unwillingness (or at least passivity) in the head of the collaborating State to take seriously the fight against impunity for mass atrocities at the domestic level. As a consequence, the ICC may currently well undermine its intent to enhance access of victims to a remedy for international crimes.
A Comparison of Likelihood Ratio, Wald, and Rao Tests

Three commonly considered methods for forming approximate (large-sample) tests of a simple null hypothesis are: (a) the likelihood ratio test, (b) the Wald “linearization” test, and (c) a quadratic scores test due to Rao. In the context of testing that the variance of a normal distribution is equal to one, it is possible to make detailed finite-sample power comparisons, both “local” and “nonlocal,” of these tests. In contrast to at least one assertion made in the literature (Chandra and Joshi, 1983), none of the three tests dominates another, even locally.
Correlation between the width and the magnitude of magnetoconductance response in π-conjugated polymer-based diodes

Hyperfine interaction (HFI) has been considered as a dominant spin mixing mechanism in conventional semiconducting polymers causing large magnetoconductance (MC) in organic diodes. However, the relationship between the MC width or HFI strength and the MC magnitude has not been investigated. We studied the correlation between the width and the magnitude of the MC response in organic diodes made by several conventional π-conjugated semiconducting polymers. First, by comparing the MC responses in electron- and hole-only unipolar devices made by the same polymer, we found that the electron-only device with a larger MC width always show a larger MC magnitude than that in the corresponding hole-only device. Second, we intentionally decreased and increased the charge localization or HFI strength in these unipolar devices by controlling their annealing temperature and UV irradiation, respectively. We found that the MC magnitude in these unipolar devices generally increases when the HFI strength increases but with different rates. We conclude that the width of MC or HFI strength is a crucial but not a unique factor that influences the MC magnitude. Finally, although the HFI in bipolar devices is smaller than that in the corresponding electron-only devices, the MC magnitude in bipolar devices is always larger than that in the electron-only devices suggesting that their underlying mechanisms are different.
A Comprehensive Query Language for Provenance Information

We design and implement a query language for a secure, interoperable, and multi-granular provenance framework, referred to as QL-SimP. Our language supports two provenance representations (relational and graph-based) due to its independence from the underlying provenance representation. It also supports various queries that can be utilized for difference provenance applications. We integrate Computational Research Infrastructure for Science (CRIS) — a real-world system for managing scientific data — with our provenance framework, thus making it possible to query CRIS provenance information by using our provenance language. We have also evaluated our provenance queries based on relational and graph databases.
INTERINDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN WEIGHT LOSS WITH LORCASERIN: AN ANALYSIS FROM THE CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 STUDY

Lorcaserin, a 5HT2c agonist, safely facilitates weight (wt.) loss with favorable effects on cardiometabolic profile. The interindividual variability in wt. loss in response to lorcaserin on a background of lifestyle modification is not well-characterized. CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 was a randomized, placebo
Natural history of benign ethnic neutropenia in individuals of African ancestry.

Abstract Background Benign ethnic neutropenia (BEN), defined by neutrophil count Methods Individuals with BEN were retrospectively identified by chart review or referral to hematology clinics. They were then invited to enroll in a prospective natural history study. Retrospective and prospective clinical and laboratory data were combined for descriptive analyses. Findings 46 participants, younger and older adults from 2 institutions, had BEN. Hypertension was reported in 30%, musculoskeletal disorders in 15%, and upper respiratory infection in 33% of these adults. Their leukopenia resulted from isolated neutropenia, ranging from 1000 and 1500 cells/μL. The severity of infections was mild and the frequency was similar to other healthy individuals in the ambulatory clinic. Interpretation In this group of BEN participants, their leukopenia was stable over time, and they had low rates of infections or common medical disorders, confirming the benign nature of this condition. The presence of BEN in children, younger adults, and older adults suggest a hereditary pattern for BEN.
The Importance of Social Capital to the Management of Multinational Enterprises: Relational Networks Among Asian and Western Firms

Social capital is an important concept for multinational firms. Firms operating in global markets rarely have adequate resources to compete effectively in global markets; they access the needed resources through formal and informal relationships with other firms. The cultures in Asian countries have emphasized relationships much more strongly than Western firms. Thus, relational capital, based on guanxi (China), kankei (Japan) and inmak (Korea), provides the framework for business dealings in many Asian countries. As a result, the social capital of many Asian firms gives them a potential competitive advantage in global markets. Western firms must develop social capital and learn to manage relational networks to gain and sustain a competitive advantage in global markets. Western firms can learn how to develop and manage social capital from Asian firms. Alternatively, social capital has some disadvantages. Firms are limited by their networks and thus experience opportunity costs and path dependence. Additionally, while Asian firms often have strong network ties in their domestic markets, they have to develop many more ties globally to operate effectively in global markets. As a result, the development and management of social capital has become of critical importance for competitive advantage in global markets.
No Association Found Between Midlife Seropositivity for Infection and Subsequent Cognitive Decline: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS):

Infections of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Helicobacter pylori, and Chlamydia pneumoniae may play a role in cognitive decline via systemic inflammation. We hypothesiz...
Long distance retrograde degeneration of the retino-geniculo-cortical pathway in homonymous hemianopia

Abstract Long-distance retrograde degeneration of the retino-geniculo-cortical pathway has been described in humans and animal models following injury to the brain. In this study, we used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the severity and timing of retrograde degeneration after post-chiasmal visual pathway lesions in patients with homonymous hemianopia. We performed a retrospective study of 69 patients with homonymous hemianopia and analyzed high quality OCT macular ganglion cell complex (GCC) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). Patients with lesions involving the optic tract and thalamus were included in the anterior group, while patients with lesions of the occipital lobe were included in the posterior group. Statistical significance was determined using Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon test. We found that in patients with homonymous hemianopia, those with anterior lesion exhibited earlier and more severe thinning compared with the posterior group. In fact, thinning can occur within 2 months after insult in the anterior group. Within 6 months of onset, the anterior group exhibited about 5 times more hemi-macular GCC thinning than those with acquired lesions of the posterior visual pathway (P = 0.0023). Although the severity of hemi-macular GCC thinning was different, the majority of hemi-macular thinning occurred within the first 6 months in both groups. Beyond 2 years, thinning in those with acquired anterior and posterior lesions was minimal, except in a small number of patients with multiple insults to the occipital lobe. In conclusion, using OCT, we measured the severity and rate of long-distance, retrograde degeneration in patients with homonymous hemianopia. Homonymous hemi-macular thinning after optic tract and thalamic injury was more severe and occurred earlier compared with thinning after occipital lobe insult via trans-synaptic degeneration. The presence of severe hemi-macular degeneration on OCT provides objective evidence that localizes the lesion to the post-chiasmal anterior visual pathway.
Optimization of Tacrolimus Serum Levels When Combined with Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide As Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prophylaxis after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Outcome Data Analysis

Post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) in combination with tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been used increasingly in recent years to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), and has been proven safe and effective regardless of HLA matching criteria. Historically, the therapeutic dose level recommended for tacrolimus has ranged from 10 to 15 ng/mL, when combined with methotrexate, and between 5-10 ng/mL when combined with sirolimus. However, data on the optimal starting dose and serum level of tacrolimus when combined with PTCy does not exist. Given tacrolimus's broad inhibition on T-cells activation and the PTCy's selective inhibition on alloreactive T-cells, we hypothesized that lower serum levels of tacrolimus could suffice to achieve optimal transplant outcomes. We retrospectively identified a consecutive case series of 219 patients who received HCT with PTCy (50 mg/kg on days +3 and +4) in combination with tacrolimus and MMF (day +5) as GvHD prophylaxis at City of Hope from January 2011 to June 2018. Tacrolimus was delivered with continuous intravenous infusion until engraftment, then switched to equivalent oral dose. Tacrolimus dosing was weight-based (WBD) in 80 patients and fixed dose (FD) of 1 mg in 139 patients. We captured Tacrolimus levels at two different time points: 1. the initial steady state (ISS) and 2. at engraftment level (EL) to identify which time point will correlate with better HCT outcomes. At each time point, transplant outcomes were compared between patients with serum levels ≥10 ng/mL and Patients received HCT either from a haploidentical (n=175), matched (n=6), or mismatched donor (n= 38). Tacrolimus levels at the ISS (median: day +9 of HCT, range 8-16) was At ISS, 18 months OS, PFS, relapse rate were 64%, 58% and 19%, respectively, in patients with tacrolimus level In conclusion, tacrolimus dosing at a FD was more likely resulting in ISS of 4-10 ng/mL (86% of patients in Download : Download high-res image (688KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1 . Disclosures Salhotra: Celgene: Other: Research Support; Kadmon Corporation: Other: Non paid consultant. Aldoss: Helocyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel/accommodation/expenses; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Other: travel/accommodation/expenses, Speakers Bureau; Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; AUTO1: Consultancy. Stein: Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Stemline: Speakers Bureau. Nakamura: Alexion: Other: support to a lecture at a Japan Society of Transfusion/Cellular Therapy meeting ; Merck: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Other: support for an academic seminar in a university in Japan; Kirin Kyowa: Other: support for an academic seminar in a university in Japan.
Autism-Associated Shank3 Is Essential for Homeostatic Compensation in Rodent V1.

Summary Mutations in Shank3 are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorders and neural circuit changes in several brain areas, but the cellular mechanisms that underlie these defects are not understood. Homeostatic forms of plasticity allow central circuits to maintain stable function during experience-dependent development, leading us to ask whether loss of Shank3 might impair homeostatic plasticity and circuit-level compensation to perturbations. We found that Shank3 loss in vitro abolished synaptic scaling and intrinsic homeostatic plasticity, deficits that could be rescued by treatment with lithium. Further, Shank3 knockout severely compromised the in vivo ability of visual cortical circuits to recover from perturbations to sensory drive. Finally, lithium treatment ameliorated a repetitive self-grooming phenotype in Shank3 knockout mice. These findings demonstrate that Shank3 loss severely impairs the ability of central circuits to harness homeostatic mechanisms to compensate for perturbations in drive, which, in turn, may render them more vulnerable to such perturbations.
Precision medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales: time to think from a different perspective

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) represent a global public health problem. Precision medicine (PM) is a multicomponent medical approach that should be used to individualize the managemen...
Evaluative affect in the social practice of institutional identity: Making a case for connotative inversion

Abstract This article presents a discourse analysis of affect as a social practice, and its semiotic role in stance-taking, and institutional identity. We make use of longitudinal ethnographic interviews from two different institutional contexts to explore how affect entwines with stance-taking to perform identities which emerge both synchronically and diachronically. We expose and discuss consistent patterns of affective practice, where speakers produce affected stances that highlight aspects of identity. We focus on a practice we have called connotative inversion: a switch in evaluation by a single speaker on the same discursive object over time. Via this inversion, a speaker performs competing, salient aspects of identity through materially present means.
Resource demands reduce partner discrimination in Himba women

Where autonomy for partner choice is high, partner preferences may be shaped by both social and ecological conditions. In particular, women's access to resources can influence both the type and number of partnerships she engages in. However, most existing data linking resources and partner choice rely on either priming effects or large demographic databases, rather than preferences for specific individuals. Here we leverage a combination of demographic data, food insecurity scores and trait and partner preference ratings to determine whether resource security modulates partner preferences among Himba pastoralists. We find that while food insecurity alone has a weak effect on women's openness to new partners, the interaction of food insecurity and number of dependent children strongly predicts women's openness to potential partners. Further, we show that women who have more dependants have stronger preferences for wealthy and influential men. An alternative hypothesis derived from mating-market dynamics, that female desirability affects female preferences, had no effect. Our data show that women who face greater resource constraints are less discriminating in the number of partners they are open to, and have stronger preferences for resource-related traits. These findings highlight the importance of ecological signals in explaining the plasticity of mate preferences.
Epithelioid Hyalinizing Sarcoma With MGA-NUTM1 Fusion.

Objectives Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of tumors derived from the mesenchymal origin. Historically, they have been classified according to morphologic and immunohistochemical characteristics. The advent of multiplexed next-generation sequencing (NGS), specifically RNA sequencing, has modified the classification of such tumors and others by determining categorization based on molecular alterations. The NUTM1 rearrangement, previously thought to be present only in carcinomas, has recently been reported in poorly differentiated high-grade sarcomas of the soft tissue. We present the first reported case of an epithelioid hyalinizing sarcoma harboring the MGA-NUTM1 fusion in an acral site. Methods Histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular testing were performed on resection tissue. Results Histologically, the tumor showed an epithelioid morphology with prominent background hyalinization. Immunohistochemically, the tumor expressed CD99 and nuclear NUT-1. By NGS the tumor harbors MGA-NUTM1 fusion. Conclusions Our findings support more extensive use of NGS for accurate sarcoma classification and identification of potential therapeutic targets. Furthermore, they corroborate the fact that NUTM1-rearranged soft tissue tumors represent a spectrum of heterogeneous morphologic entities. This case also highlights the utility of NUT-1 immunohistochemical study as a possible screening tool for NUTM1-fused sarcomas.