cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of the H + O2 → O + OH Chain-Branching Reaction: Accurate Quantum Mechanical and Experimental Absolute Reaction Cross Sections

The H + O2 → O + OH chain-branching reaction, one of the most important elementary reactions in combustion chemistry, represents a challenging benchmark system for testing dynamical theories against experiments. The translational energy dependence of the total reaction cross section of the H + O2 (vibrational quantum number ν = 0) reaction was investigated experimentally employing a pulsed laser pump−probe technique and theoretically by means of quantum mechanical scattering calculations. The present results indicate that there is no sharp increase in reactivity for translational energies Etr ≥ 1.4 eV as was suggested by earlier experiments and approximate dynamical calculations. Furthermore, our results indicate that the potential energy surface needs to be improved to achieve quantitative agreement between experiment and theory.
Cell growth kinetics, division asymmetry and volume control at division in the marine dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra: a model of circadian clock control of the cell cycle

A new method of determining the dependence of cell growth on the initial cell volume in the absence of cell division is presented. The assumptions are that volume in a certain period of time is either increasing or decreasing, but not both, and is independent of the history of cells. Applying this method to Gonyaulax polyedra in a 12h light-12h dark cycle, growth in volume between the 3rd and 12th hours of the light period is found to be more exponential-like than linear. The magnitude of growth in the time period is determined solely by cell volume and environmental conditions, not by cell age. All cells decrease in volume slightly in the dark from the 12th to 23rd hour, and then increase a little from the 23rd to 3rd hour of the following day. Cell division in this species is significantly asymmetric, and the extent of asymmetry is estimated mathematically. Simulations based on the growth patterns and the asymmetric division reveal that cell division must at least partly depend on the volume of cells. The dependence of conditional cell division probability on cell volume is then experimentally determined. The probability is zero up to a certain cell volume, and then it gradually increases to a plateau level, which is less than unity. Neither the strict size control model nor the transition probability model is fully consistent with the observed shape of the conditional probability function. A hybrid model postulating a ‘sloppy’ critical volume with a constant probability of division above that volume adequately accounts for the conditional probability. With the use of the observed volume growth law, cell division dependence on volume, and the extent of asymmetry in cell division, cell volume distributions are successfully simulated for cells growing in a 12h light-12h dark cycle. Another simulation reveals that the true coefficient of variation in generation time is 33%. On the basis of these findings, a model of the cell cycle is presented that incorporates the circadian clock as a cyclic G1 phase. According to this scheme, cells satisfying the minimum cell volume requirement between the 12th and the 18th hour probably exit to the replication/segregation sequence ending in division, and re-enter the cyclic portion after a fixed time interval.
Correctional Substance Abuse Treatment Programs in California: a Historical Perspective

Since 1990, the correctional drug treatment system in California has become one of the largest in the nation. As part of the development of the initiative, California Department of Corrections has funded or supported several evaluations of these programs. As background to the articles in this special issue reporting on results from some of these evaluations, this article examines the decline and revival of rehabilitation within corrections in general and then traces the development of in-prison treatment programs in California. The article concludes with comments on improving correctional programs for offenders in the following four areas: treatment process, continuity of care, system integration, and the role of evaluation in policy and program development.
Comparison of three techniques for locating a resonating magnetic field line

Three techniques for locating field lines in the magnetosphere that contain standing ULF pulsations are compared using dynamic spectra. The first technique compares ratios of the H- and D-components of the magnetic field at a single site; the second examines the ratios of the H-components at neighboring sites along a magnetic meridian; and the third displays the phase diAerence between H-components at neighboring sites. We find that the H:D ratio at a single station appears to detect magnetospheric standing waves but not their precise location. In contrast, the dual station H-ratio technique is sensitive to resonances local to the stations and has advantages over the widely used phase-gradient technique. In contrast to the latter technique calculating the H-power ratio does not require precise timing and provides two resonant locations, not one. We also find that the stations used need not be strictly confined to a single magnetic meridian. Resonance signatures can be detected with stations up to 1300 km in east‐ west separation. In our initial data near L = 2 multiple-harmonic structure is generally not observed. The resonant wave period, when assumed to be the fundamental of the standing Alfven wave, gives densities in the range 3000‐ 8000 amu/cm 3 . These mass densities agree with in situ observations at earlier epochs. The equatorial mass density varies most during the day (by over a factor of two for the case studied) at L = 1.86 and much less (20%) at L = 2.2. This is consistent with a constant upward flux of ions over this latitude range flowing into a flux tube whose volume increases rapidly with increasing L-value. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Genomic instability in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a new step towards precision medicine and novel therapeutic approaches

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging cancers. Whole genome sequencing studies have been conducted to elucidate the underlying fundamentals underscoring disease behavior. Studies have identified a subgroup of pancreatic cancer patients with distinct molecular and clinical features. Genetic fingerprinting of these tumors is consistent with an unstable genome and defective DNA repair pathways, which creates unique susceptibility to agents inducing DNA damage. BRCA1/2 mutations, both germline and somatic, which lead to impaired DNA repair, are found to be important biomarkers of genomic instability as well as of response to DNA damaging agents. Recent studies have elucidated that PARP inhibitors and platinum agents may be effective to induce tumor regression in solid tumors bearing an unstable genome including pancreatic cancer. In this review we discuss the characteristics of genomic instability in pancreatic cancer along with its clinical implications and the utility of DNA targeting agents particularly PARP inhibitors as a novel treatment approach.
The Going-Concern Market Anomaly Revisited

Kauser, Taffler and Tan (2009) document a going-concern market anomaly in the U.S., resulting in a sizable downward drift over the subsequent one-year period for first-time going-concern recipients. The authors argue that adverse signals regarding viability are not being impounded appropriately by the market. We argue that the documented drift is a result of failing to control for financial statement information risk identifiable to the market, and likely used by the auditor in reaching a going-concern decision. We replicate Kauser et al.’s results in the 2000-2012 time period and document a sizable abnormal drift using their original matching procedure based on market measures. However, upon matching on firm-level financial characteristics which have been used as the matching criteria in nearly all prior going-concern research, the mean drift disappears in all event windows. We further show that the originally documented drift is concentrated in extremely small firms with relatively lower financial distress and firms with low institutional ownership.
Role of black carbon in the sorption of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans at the Diamond Alkali superfund site, Newark Bay, New Jersey.

The sorption of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) to organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC) was measured in two sediment cores taken near the Diamond Alkali superfund site (DA) in the Passaic River and Newark Bay, New Jersey (U.S.A.). An OC partitioning model and a BC-inclusive, Freundlich distribution model were used to interpret measurements of freely dissolved PCDD/Fs using passive samplers in sediment incubations, together with measured sedimentary concentrations of OC, BC, and PCDD/Fs. Samples were also analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as controls on the two distribution models. The OC partitioning model underpredicted the distribution of PAHs and PCDD/Fs by 10−100-fold. The Freundlich model predicted the distribution of PAHs at the DA to within a factor of 2−3 of observations. Black carbon−water partition coefficients (KiBC) for PCDD/Fs, derived from literature results of both field and laboratory studies differed up to 1000-fold from values derived...
Chlorpyrifos Applications for Greenhug (Homoptera: Aphididae) Control with a New Multifunction Irrigation System

A new multifunction irrigation system (MFIS) was evaluated in 1983, 1985, and 1986 as a tool for chlorpyrifos applications to grain sorghum for greenbug, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), control. The unique MFIS chemical nozzling system was evaluated for efficacy or chlorpyrifos rates applied through nozzles either held stationary above or moving within the sorghum canopy, and for efficacy of chlorpyrifos application with and without a nonemulsifiable oil in the spray mixture. Greenbug control was achieved when one-eighth to one-sixteenth of the registered rate of chlorpyrifos was applied through the MFIS. Applications through MFIS nozzles moving within the canopy were more effective with lower chlorpyrifos rates than applications through stationary nozzles. Nonemulsifiable oil need not be added with chlorpyrifos when applying treatments through the MFIS.
FLOATING BREAKWATER PERFORMANCE COMPARISON

Wave-transmission and mooring-force data of the Tethered-Float Breakwater and Pole-Tire Breakwater (PT-Breakwater) were compared, and the basic costs (without mooring system) of two equivalent breakwaters determined. It was found that, for short-fetch applications, the PT-Breakwater was an order of magnitude less costly than the Tethered-Float Breakwater. The PT-Breakwater is a more effective wave-energy filter than a Tethered-Float Breakwater of equal size. For open ocean conditions neither of these breakwaters has so far been proven to be economically feasible.
Tidal irrigation in septic arthritis of the knee: A potential alternative to surgical drainage

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of tidal irrigation (TI: repeated distention and irrigation of joint with saline under local anesthesia through 14 gauge Vere's needle) as a method to effect drainage in septic arthritis of the knee. METHODS Eleven episodes of septic arthritis of the knee in 10 patients were approached with TI when drainage of purulent material could no longer be satisfactorily accomplished with repeated arthrocenteses. Clinical and synovial fluid (SF) data were systematically collected and analyzed. RESULTS Four out of 11 episodes resolved without resorting to further surgical drainage. Cases responding to TI involved significantly older patients with lower volume effusions at presentation. Cases not responding to TI more frequently involved gram negative infection (3/7 cases vs 0/4). Variables of SF obtained preceding and following the first TI predicted outcome, with 3/4 responding cases demonstrating both a drop in white blood cell count of > or = 25% and a decrement of > or = 50% in volume while none of the cases eventually requiring surgery responded in this fashion (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS TI can potentially supplant conventional surgical drainage in some cases of septic knee arthritis that do not respond to medical management.
Effectiveness of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma in clinical practice: A United States cohort.

Background & Aims The effectiveness of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in reducing cancer related mortality among patients with cirrhosis is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to study the effectiveness of HCC surveillance in the national Veterans Administration (VA) clinical practice. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with HCC during 2005–2010 by reviewing patients' medical records to determine receipt of HCC surveillance in the 2years prior to HCC diagnosis. We determined association of HCC surveillance with overall mortality adjusting for age, risk factors, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, comorbidity index, alpha-fetoprotein levels, healthcare utilization, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, and treatment. We accounted for lead and length time biases. Results Of 887 patients with HCC, only 412 (46.5%) received any surveillance prior to HCC diagnosis. Patients who received surveillance were significantly more likely to have early stage disease HCC (BCLC stage 0/A 27.2% vs. 11.6%) and receive potentially curative (20.9% vs. 11.6%) or palliative (59.2% vs. 45.5%) treatments compared to those without HCC surveillance. Receipt of HCC surveillance was associated with 38% reduction in mortality risk (unadjusted hazard ratios (HR) 0.62, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.54–0.71) that declined to 20% (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69–0.94) after adjusting for HCC stage and treatment, compared to those without HCC surveillance. Conclusions Among patients with HCC, pre-diagnosis HCC surveillance is associated with a significant 38% reduction in overall mortality. The reduction in mortality risk with surveillance is mediated via stage migration and receipt of HCC specific treatment. Lay summary Surveillance for liver cancer leads to earlier detection of cancer and increases chances of getting curative treatment. This ultimately leads to increased longevity in patients with liver cancer.
Light-Driven Water Splitting by a Covalently Linked Ruthenium-Based Chromophore–Catalyst Assembly

The preparation and characterization of new Ru(II) polypyridyl-based chromophore–catalyst assemblies, [(4,4′-PO3H2-bpy)2Ru(4-Mebpy-4′-epic)Ru(bda)(pic)]2+ (1, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine; 4-Mebpy-4′-epic = 4-(4-methylbipyridin-4′-yl-ethyl)-pyridine; bda = 2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-dicarboxylate; pic = 4-picoline), and [(bpy)2Ru(4-Mebpy-4′-epic)Ru(bda)(pic)]2+ (1′) are described, as is the application of 1 in a dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cell (DSPEC) for solar water splitting. On SnO2/TiO2 core–shell electrodes in a DSPEC configuration with a Pt cathode, the chromophore–catalyst assembly undergoes light-driven water oxidation at pH 5.7 in a 0.1 M acetate buffer, 0.5 M in NaClO4. With illumination by a 100 mW cm–2 white light source, photocurrents of ∼0.85 mA cm–2 were observed after 30 s under a 0.1 V vs Ag/AgCl applied bias with a faradaic efficiency for O2 production of 74% measured over a 5 min illumination period.
Recognizing religion: Politics, history, and the “long 19th century”:

Analyses of religion and international politics routinely concern the persistence of religion as a critical element in world affairs. However, they tend to neglect the constitutive interconnections between religion and political life. Consequently, religion is treated as exceptional to mainstream politics. In response, recent works focus on the relational dimensions of religion and international politics. This article advances an “entangled history” approach that emphasizes the constitutive, relational, and historical dimensions of religion — as a practice, discursive formation, and analytical category. It argues that these public dimensions of religion share their conditions of possibility and intelligibility in a political order that crystallized over the long 19th century. The neglect of this period has enabled International Relations to treat religion with a sense of closure at odds with the realities of religious political behavior and how it is understood. Refocusing on religion’s historical entangl...
Networking South Korea: Internet, nation, and new subjects:

Korea is one of a few jurisdictions which set up the Internet domestically in the early days of Internet development and has since continued to be a breeding ground for global Internet trends. In this article, I challenge attempts to construct a coherent narrative of Korea’s Internet prowess by looking at the locatable sources from which different subject positions emerged. My analysis focuses on the ways that coherent national histories emerged with mediatized subjects. I first analyze nationalist popular discourse, focusing on the media discourses of becoming an information-based society through a process of ‘informatization’ (chŏngbohwa) from a leading national newspaper. Second, I examine a counter-subject that emerged through online communities. The phenomenon of the ‘Internet freak’ (int’ŏnet p’yein) drew attention to Koreans who had been called on to become Internet users, but who had failed to comply with the circulated image of the successful Internet user. I argue that the reflexivity of Interne...
Longitudinal study on the use of dried blood spots for home monitoring in children after kidney transplantation

The use of DBSs for home monitoring has been limited due to unsatisfactory blood sampling and analytical difficulties. The aim of this longitudinal feasibility trial was to assess the utility of DBS to monitor TAC and Cr at home in transplant recipients. A total of 30 participants (2-21 years, mean±SD, 13.6±5.4 year) were enrolled over 12 months. Eighteen were males. Monthly DBS samples were obtained at home and mailed to the central laboratory for analysis of TAC and Cr. Nineteen patients completed the study, and 216 cards were received in the laboratory from a total of 279 cards expected, with 416/519 (80%) blood spots being suitable for analysis. We found a high correlation between blood TAC and Cr levels by DBS and the clinical laboratory, R2=.81 and .95, respectively. Fifteen parents and 15 youth completed measures of satisfaction with and preference for DBS testing. All but one parent/caregiver and youth reported satisfaction and preference for this method of testing over laboratory blood draws. We conclude that home DBS monitoring is a feasible method to monitor TAC and Cr in pediatric transplant recipients.
Status of the DOE/NASA critical gas turbine R & T Project

The purpose of the DOE/NASA CRT (Critical Research and Technology) Project at the Lewis Research Center is to provide an RT (2) a two-stage flame tube experiment to study the effects of combustion operating conditions and fuel properties on NOx conversion; and (3) scaled combustor tests to evaluate the NOx-reduction potential of several staged-combustion concepts. The materials-corrosion resistance effort attacks the problem on three sides.
Survival in Response to Multimodal Therapy in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Context Historical outcomes in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) have been dismal. Objective To determine whether an initial intensive multimodal therapy (MMT) is associated with improved ATC survival. Design MMT was offered to all patients with newly diagnosed ATC treated at the Mayo Clinic from 2003 through 2015; MMT vs care with palliative intent (PI) was individualized considering clinical status and patient preferences. Outcomes were retrospectively analyzed by American Joint Committee on Cancer stage and treatments compared with patient cohort data from 1949 through 1999. Patients Forty-eight patients (60% male; median age, 62 years); 18 treated with PI, 30 with MMT. Main outcome measure Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival determined by Kaplan-Meier method. Results Median OS and 1-year survival for the later cohort were 9 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 4 to 22 months] and 42% (95% CI, 28% to 56%) vs 3 months and 10% for the earlier cohort. Median OS was 21 months compared with 3.9 months in the pooled MMT vs PI groups for the later cohort [hazard ratio (HR), 0.32; P = 0.0006]. Among only patients in the later cohort who had stage IVB disease, median OS was 22.4 vs 4 months (HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.44; P = 0.0001), with 68% vs 0% alive at 1 year (MMT vs PI). Among patients with stage IVC cancer, OS did not differ by therapy. Conclusion MMT appears to convey longer survival in ATC among patients with stage IVA/B disease.
An improved iterative HDG approach for partial differential equations

Abstract We propose and analyze an iterative high-order hybridized discontinuous Galerkin (iHDG) discretization for linear partial differential equations. We improve our previous work [45] in several directions: 1) the improved iHDG approach converges in a finite number of iterations for the scalar transport equation; 2) it is unconditionally convergent for both the linearized shallow water system and the convection–diffusion equation; 3) it has improved stability and convergence rates; 4) we uncover a relationship between the number of iterations and time stepsize, solution order, meshsize and the equation parameters. This allows us to choose the time stepsize such that the number of iterations is approximately independent of the solution order and the meshsize; and 5) we provide both strong and weak scalings of the improved iHDG approach up to 16,384 cores. A connection between iHDG and time integration methods such as parareal and implicit/explicit methods are discussed. Extensive numerical results for linear (and nonlinear) PDEs are presented to verify the theoretical findings.
Fatty Infiltration of the Myocardium and Arrhythmogenesis: Potential Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms

Anatomical evidence in several species shows highly heterogeneous fat distribution in the atrial and ventricular myocardium. Atrial appendages have fat deposits, and more so on the posterior left atrium. Although such fat distributions are considered normal, fatty infiltration is regarded arrhythmogenic, and various cardiac pathophysiological conditions show excess myocardial fat deposits, especially in the epicardium. Hypotheses have been presented for the physiological and pathophysiological roles of epicardial fat, however this issue is poorly understood. Therefore, this mini-review will focus on epicardial fat distribution and the (patho)-physiological implications of this distribution. Potential molecular mechanisms that may drive structural and electrical myocardial remodeling attendant to fatty infiltration of the heart are also reviewed.
County Jail or Psychiatric Hospital? Ethical Challenges in Correctional Mental Health Care:

Approximately 20% of the roughly 2.5 million individuals incarcerated in the United States have a serious mental illness (SMI). As a result of their illnesses, these individuals are often more likely to commit a crime, end up incarcerated, and languish in correctional settings without appropriate treatment. The objective of the present study was to investigate how correctional facility personnel reconcile the ethical challenges that arise when housing and treating individuals with SMI. Four focus groups and one group interview were conducted with employees ( n = 24) including nurses, clinicians, correctional officers, administrators, and sergeants at a county jail in Pennsylvania. Results show that jail employees felt there are too many inmates with SMI in jail who would benefit from more comprehensive treatment elsewhere; however, given limited resources, employees felt they were doing the best they can. These findings can inform mental health management and policy in a correctional setting.
A Disposable and Self-Aligned 3-D Integrated Bio-Sensing Interface Module for CMOS Cell-Based Biosensor Applications

This letter presents a disposable, self-aligned, and die-level socketed 3-D integrated biosensing-interface module (BIM) for biosensing applications. The enabling technologies of the BIM include: 1) mechanically flexible interconnects (MFIs) that provide temporary electrical interconnections to enable disposability; 2) sapphire precision balls and positive self-alignmentstructures, which in combination with KOH-etched pits provide the BIM self-alignment capabilities; and 3) a clamped socket that temporarily provides the necessary force for the MFIs to form and maintain electrical contact with the underlying test die during testing. Repeated alignment measurements show that the alignment of the BIM to the biosensor varies little between uses, hence demonstrating that the biosensor system can maintain accurate alignment. In addition, four-point resistance measurements were taken after assembly indicating that temporary electrical connections were formed and maintained.
Targeting Commodity Speculation

This chapter examines a series of Levin-led investigations into how commodity speculation sparks volatile prices for vital staples such as oil, natural gas, and electricity. It focuses on instances of price manipulation and excessive speculation that forced American families and businesses to pay more than they should for basic necessities like fuel and raw materials. The case studies feature oil companies like BP discussing ways to elevate gasoline prices; a hedge fund named Amaranth that spiked natural gas prices, while losing billions; and three banks—Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley—that gained control of billions of dollars of physical commodities without protecting U.S. taxpayers from accompanying risks. The chapter also recounts how the Levin investigations fueled new safeguards.
An Exploratory Perspective on How Crime and Informality Affect BRICS Industry Performance

There is a prevailing view that crime and informality negatively affect performance. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are known for above average crime and informality, but a ...
Systematic Review of Endovascular, Surgical, and Conservative Options for Infectious Intracranial Aneurysms and Cardiac Considerations.

Abstract Introduction With rising rates of intravenous drug use, Infectious Intracranial aneurysms (IIAs) are a relevant topic for investigation. We performed a systematic review to better understand current practice patterns and limits of current published literature. Method 131 publications with a total of 499 patients (665 aneurysms) were included. Of the 499 patients, 83 were single case reports, and 20.5% of the total had multiple aneurysms. 35.8% of all aneurysms were ruptured. Of those reporting treatment, options included conservative antibiotic therapy (30.0%), open surgical intervention (31.1%), and endovascular occlusion (31.8%). Chronologically, publication of IIAs has increased. Usage of endovascular therapies has grown, while conservative and surgical management have declined in the literature. Overall, 56.2% of aneurysms for which conservative therapy was initiated eventually either underwent intervention or death of patient occurred. Results The issue of cardiac valve surgery in relationship to aneurysm therapy was discussed in 20.8% (80 patients) of all 384 infectious endocarditis patients; of which 15.0% (12) underwent valve surgery before aneurysm treatment and 85.0 patients (68)% underwent valve surgery after aneurysm treatment. For 51 of the patients where valve surgery followed aneurysm management, the corresponding aneurysm treatment modality could be determined; 58.8% (30) of whom were managed endovascularly. 32.7% (26) of all cases reporting cardiac surgery details underwent cardiac surgery during their admission with the IIA. Conclusions Overall, increasing trend of endovascular management of IIAs is evident, and a strong temporal preference exhibited by providers to perform cardiac surgery subsequently to IIA management.
“Is the friendship worth keeping:” Gender differences in communicating forgiveness in friendships

Although forgiveness plays an integral role in friendship maintenance, interpersonal communication scholarship has largely overlooked how transgressions and forgiveness are negotiated between frien...
The acoustic effects of emphatic and pharyngeal consonants on adjacent vowels

Emphatic consonants in Arabic are coronal obstruents with a debated secondary articulation, contrasting with plain coronals and affecting adjacent vowels (Watson, 2007). The secondary articulation has been claimed to be pharyngeal, so pharyngeals may affect vowels similarly. Eight speakers of Palestinian Arabic recorded words with /a:/, /i:/, or /u:/ following plain /s/, empathic /sʕ/, or pharyngeal /ħ/. The effects of plain and emphatic consonants on /a:/ have been studied, but other vowels may be affected differently. The CoG of /sʕ/ was lower than /s/, differing from previous studies (Card, 1983). F1 and F2 measurements from the onset, midpoint, and offset of the vowel showed the extent of emphatic effects. F2 in /a:/ and /i:/ and F1 in /a:/ and /u:/ adjacent to /sʕ/ were lower than adjacent to /s/ or /ħ/. Both suggest a backed and raised tongue in emphatics. F1 was only higher adjacent to /ħ/ at the onset, while emphatics affected the entire time course. Pharyngeal /ħ/ caused typical coarticulation, while the longer effects of emphatic /sʕ/ suggest a phonological process. The differences between emphatic and pharyngeal consonants also suggest that emphatic consonants in this dialect are produced with uvular constriction, not pharyngeal as has been claimed.
Discrete Random Variables

Having been introduced to the basic probabilistic concepts in Chapters 3 and 4,we now begin their application to solving problems of interest. To do so we define the random variable. It will be seen to be a function, also called a mapping, of the outcomes of a random experiment to the set of real numbers. With this association we are able to use the real number description to quantify items of interest.
Case Series: Minocycline-Associated Thyroiditis.

Introduction: Minocycline, a member of the tetracycline class of antibiotics, has been associated with benign thyroid pigmentation but reports of thyroid dysfunction are sparse. Methods: Cases were selected via an inquiry of the electronic medical records for patients with thyroid dysfunction and the use of a tetracycline antibiotic. Non-autoimmune thyroiditis was defined as abnormally low or suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, <0.3 µIU/mL), elevated free thyroxine or total thyroxine, and undetectable antithyroid antibodies. Results: Nine cases of thyroiditis without autoimmunity were identified out of 423 reviewed patients. Cases of thyroiditis occurred in adolescents ages 14–17 years who had been taking minocycline for 6 months to 4 years. In all cases, minocycline was prescribed for the treatment of acne. Four of the 9 received treatment for thyrotoxicosis with a β-blocker (in 3 cases) and/or antithyroid drug (in 2 cases). Thyroiditis was symptomatic in all but one individual who presented with painless goiter. All thyroiditis was transient and resolved after a median of 4.5 months (range 2–5 months). In one case, thyroiditis was followed by transient hypothyroidism. Discussion: Minocycline is known to cause thyroid abnormalities, although it has not been definitively linked to thyroid dysfunction. Here, we report 9 cases of non-autoimmune thyroiditis in adolescents receiving minocycline for acne. We recommend that minocycline exposure be considered in the differential diagnosis for thyroiditis and that patients receiving minocycline be counseled regarding the risk of thyroid dysfunction.
A note on unbounded Apollonian disk packings

A construction and algebraic characterization of two unbounded Apollonian Disk packings in the plane and the half-plane are presented. Both turn out to involve the golden ratio.
AGING SUPPORT, HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING OF THE ELDERLY IN CHINA AND JAPAN

Countries in East Asia have the largest aging population in the world. The consequences of aging largely depend on whether it is accompanied by a healthy, active, and high-quality life. This symposium aims to gain a better understanding of aging support and determinants of health in the contexts of two major East Asian countries - China and Japan. We will present new research using data from the Fukui Longitudinal Caregiver Study (FLCS) in Japan, and two most important aging surveys in China – the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), addressing critical topics including retirement, family care, social mobility, and mortality. Song and Smith investigate the impact of hukou change on mental health in later life. Zang examines the effect of a man’s retirement on his wife’s mental and physical health in China. Zhang et al. explore the determinants of mortality in China by conducting a comprehensive analysis of life-course conditions, community characteristics, biological and physical functioning, and disease burden. Zeng et al. compare demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral characteristics and health phenotypes of centenarians in China and Italy. Wakui et al. focus on the emergence of compound caregiving and the relationship of caregiving status to burden, depression, and social support in Japan. The cross-national comparisons will be informative regarding aging in various contexts. We will discuss the potential for further investigations using population-based aging data from different countries.
Scripts and Counterscripts in Community-Based Data Science: Participatory Digital Mapping and the Pursuit of a Third Space.

Data increasingly mediates how we understand the world. As such, there is growing interest in designing initiatives to help young people learn about data—not only the techno-mathematical skills nec...
Adaptive Optimal Control for Stochastic Multiplayer Differential Games Using On-Policy and Off-Policy Reinforcement Learning

Control-theoretic differential games have been used to solve optimal control problems in multiplayer systems. Most existing studies on differential games either assume deterministic dynamics or dynamics corrupted with additive noise. In realistic environments, multidimensional environmental uncertainties often modulate system dynamics in a more complicated fashion. In this article, we study stochastic multiplayer differential games, where the players’ dynamics are modulated by randomly time-varying parameters. We first formulate two differential games for systems of general uncertain linear dynamics, including the two-player zero-sum and multiplayer nonzero-sum games. We then show that optimal control policies, which constitute the Nash equilibrium solutions, can be derived from the corresponding Hamiltonian functions. Stability is proven using the Lyapunov type of analysis. In order to solve the stochastic differential games online, we integrate reinforcement learning (RL) and an effective uncertainty sampling method called the multivariate probabilistic collocation method (MPCM). Two learning algorithms, including the on-policy integral RL (IRL) and off-policy IRL, are designed for the formulated games, respectively. We show that the proposed learning algorithms can effectively find the Nash equilibrium solutions for the stochastic multiplayer differential games.
Dose and volume de-escalation for HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer: Long-term follow-up of the OPTIMA trial.

6575Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal cancer is associated with a favorable prognosis, but standard multimodality treatment is associated with substantial treatment r...
Cushing syndrome with acute kidney injury due to ureteral stones in a 6-year-old boy.

Cushing syndrome (CS) occurs rarely in children. The clinical presentation of CS varies according to the extent and duration of glucocorticoid excess, and urolithiasis is one of the common complications of CS. We report the first case of a patient with CS associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) due to urolithiasis. A 6-year-old boy came to the emergency room with seizure. On physical examination, he had clinical features of CS and high blood pressure. Brain computerized tomography (CT) suggested posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome due to hypertension. On the evaluation of hypertension, the laboratory tests suggested adrenocortical tumor, but the abdominal CT suggested pheochromocytoma. During further evaluation, his condition deteriorated with AKI due to bilateral ureteral stones, therefore he underwent continuous renal replacement therapy in the intensive care unit. After controlling hypercortisolism with etomidate and performing ureteral stent indwelling, resection of an adrenal mass was performed, and the mass was histologically confirmed as an adrenocortical adenoma. We review the clinical manifestations and diagnosis, and management of CS associated with urolithiasis and AKI. Early recognition and careful monitoring of urolithiasis in CS are important to avoid severe complications of urolithiasis.
Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is associated with decreased lymph node ratio in borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: A propensity score matched analysis.

Background Lymph node ratio (LNR) and margin status have prognostic significance in pancreatic cancer. Herein we examined the pathologic and clinical outcomes in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and pancreaticoduodenectomy. Methods Patients who underwent treatment between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2017 were included. Sequential patients in the BRPC group were compared to a propensity score matched cohort of patients with radiographically resectable pancreatic cancer who underwent upfront surgical resection. The BRPC group was also compared to sequential patients with radiographically resectable pancreatic cancer who required vein resection (VR) during upfront surgery. Results There were 50 patients in the BRPC group, 50 patients in the matched control group, and 38 patients in the VR group. Negative margins (R0) were seen in 72%, 64%, and 34% of the BRPC, control, and VR groups, respectively (P = 0.521 for BRPC vs. control; P = 0.002 for BRPC vs. VR), with 24% of the BRPC group requiring a vascular resection. Nodal stage was N0 in 64%, 20%, and 18% of the BRPC, control, and VR groups, respectively (P Conclusions NAT in BRPC was associated with more R0 and N0 resections and lower LNR compared to patients undergoing upfront resection for resectable disease.
A critical residue in the α1M2-M3 linker regulating GABAA receptor pore gating by diazepam

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are a class of widely prescribed psychotropic drugs. Their anxiolytic and sedative effects are conferred by modulating the activity of GABAA receptors (GABAARs), which are the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors throughout the central nervous system. However, the physical mechanism by which BZDs exert their effects on the receptor is poorly understood. In particular, BZDs require coapplication with an agonist to effectively open the channel pore, making it difficult to dissect whether the drug has altered either agonist binding or channel gating as these two processes are intimately coupled. To isolate effects on gating we used a spontaneously active gain of function mutant (α1L99Tβ2γ2L) that is directly gated by BZDs alone in the absence of agonist. In the α1L99T background we explored effects of alanine substitutions throughout the α1M2-M3 linker on modulation of the channel pore by the BZD positive modulator diazepam (DZ). The M2-M3 linker is known to be an important element for channel activation. Linker mutations generally impaired unliganded pore opening, indicating that side chain interactions are important for channel gating in the absence of bound agonist. All but one mutation had no effect on the transduction of chemical energy from DZ binding to pore gating. Strikingly, α1V279A doubles DZ9s energetic contribution to gating, whereas larger side chains at this site do not. In a wild-type background α1V279A enhances DZ-potentiation of currents evoked by saturating GABA, consistent with a direct effect on the pore closed/open equilibrium. Our observations identify an important residue regulating coupling between the BZD site and the pore gate, thereby shedding new light on the molecular mechanism of a frequently prescribed class of psychotropic drugs.
The effects of temperature on soil phosphorus availability and phosphatase enzyme activities: a cross-ecosystem study from the tropics to the Arctic

Earth system models predict large increases in global terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) over the next century, largely reflecting positive effects of climate change and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on plant growth. However, while theory predicts that soil phosphorus (P) availability may keep pace with P demand as the climate warms, we lack experimental evidence to support this prediction. Here, using a set of laboratory experiments and incubations, we measured both the effect of temperature on the mechanism of biochemical P mineralization—phosphatase (Ptase) enzyme activities—and on rates of soil P mineralization in soils from a range of ecosystem types from the tropics to the Arctic. Consistent with temperature effects on soil nitrogen (N) mineralization, we found that both Ptase activities and P availability in soil increased with temperature following macromolecular rate theory (MMRT) based kinetics. However, across all sites and temperatures, there was no relationship between Ptase activity and mineralized P, indicating that the potential responses of P mineralization with warming vary among ecosystems. The lack of relationship between Ptase and P availability with increasing temperature is consistent with previous work showing that P mineralization rates are also strongly affected by other biotic and abiotic factors, including organic P substrate availability and the geochemical properties of soil. However, our results indicate that the use of Ptase temperature kinetics alone as a proxy for soil P mineralization in terrestrial ecosystems is insufficient to predict future P availability accurately, and modeling efforts that do so will likely overestimate the effects of temperature on soil P availability.
Thermal Overloading Risk Mitigation With a Semi-Analytical Probabilistic Model on Branch Current

A semi-analytical formulation is presented in this paper for the probability computation of branch current in multiphase systems. The developed formula is derived based on the linear power flow model in rectangular coordinates. The system uncertainty injections can be renewable energy resources or loads and are modeled using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The developed formula can be used to compute the line current violation probability as well as integrate into optimal power flow problem as chance-constraint relaxation. The proposed formula is first compared with the Matlab embedded numerical integration function to show its performance. Besides, the semi-analytical formula is validated and compared with the Monte Carlo simulation method using the IEEE 123-bus system, EPRI Ckt5, and Ckt7 systems.
Advancing care for acute gastrointestinal bleeding using artificial intelligence

The future of gastrointestinal bleeding will include the integration of machine learning algorithms to enhance clinician risk assessment and decision making. Machine learning algorithms have shown promise in outperforming existing clinical risk scores for both upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding but have not been validated in any prospective clinical trials. The adoption of electronic health records provides an exciting opportunity to deploy risk prediction tools in real time and also to expand the data available to train predictive models. Machine learning algorithms can be used to identify patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding using data extracted from the electronic health record. This can lead to an automated process to find patients with symptoms of acute gastrointestinal bleeding so that risk prediction tools can be then triggered to consistently provide decision support to the physician. Neural network models can be used to provide continuous risk predictions for patients who are at higher risk, which can be used to guide triage of patients to appropriate levels of care. Finally, the future will likely include neural network-based analysis of endoscopic stigmata of bleeding to help guide best practices for hemostasis during the endoscopic procedure. Machine learning will enhance the delivery of care at every level for patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding through identifying very low risk patients for outpatient management, triaging high risk patients for higher levels of care, and guiding optimal intervention during endoscopy.
Griswold, Geduldig, and Hobby Lobby: The Sex Gap Continues

In her article, The (Non)-Right to Sex, Professor Mary Ziegler excavates the fascinating legal history of the “sex gap” — the historical failure to address sexual liberty — in the constitutional canon and offers an important cautionary tale for contemporary advocacy of marriage equality. By surfacing lost efforts to expand sexual liberty, and by linking that liberty to intersectional concerns about class, gender, and racial equality, Professor Ziegler both explains why sexual freedom has received such limited constitutional protection and shows how incrementalist litigation strategies aimed at progressive legal change have inadvertently strengthened the state’s power to delimit sexual expression. This brief comment builds on Professor Ziegler’s article to highlight how the sex gap in the Supreme Court’s foundational equal protection and substantive due process cases limits not only sexual liberty, but also continues to impede sex equality under the law. This comment highlights the sex discrimination aspects of Griswold v. Connecticut that the Court ignored and adds Geduldig v. Aiello to the list of the Court’s canonical cases that took apart the connections between sexuality, reproduction, and sex equality in constitutional analysis. The Court’s disassociation of sexual liberty, reproductive liberty, and gender equality from one another has impoverished all three interrelated aspects of women’s right to equal citizenship.
Patterns of overall mortality by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status in insured cancer patients in Southern California

We evaluated the influence of race/ethnicity and geocoded socioeconomic status (SES) on all-cause mortality in cancer patients with health insurance. We identified adults diagnosed with eight common cancers from 2009 to 2014 from the California Cancer Registry and followed them through 2017 (8 years maximum). We calculated person-year mortality rates by race/ethnicity and SES. Adjusted hazard ratios for the association between overall mortality and race/ethnicity and SES were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models accounting for other demographics, stage at diagnosis, and cancer treatments. A total of 164,197 adults were diagnosed with cancer originating from breast, prostate, lung, colon, skin melanoma, uterus, kidney, and bladder. For all race/ethnic groups combined, the mortality rates from lowest to highest SES groups were 112.1/1000 PY (lowest); 100.2/1000 PY (lower-middle); 91.2/1000 PY (middle); 79.1/1000 PY (upper-middle); and 63.5/1000 PY (upper). These rates suggest that person with lowest SES have a markedly increased mortality risk after cancer diagnosis even if they have health insurance. In multivariable analyses, those in the lowest SES group had a 40–78% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to those in the upper SES group across all race/ethnicities. For example, within African Americans, the adjusted mortality risk was up to 61% higher (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.41–1.83) in the lowest SES group compared to the highest SES group. This study suggests disparities in overall mortality risk after cancer diagnoses persist even in a cohort with health insurance, and that SES is an important driver of this disparity.