cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract P6-11-03: HACE1 loss results in hyperactive Rac signaling conferring resistance to HER2 targeted therapies

HER2-targeted therapies have been instrumental in improving the treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. However, drug resistance usually emerges and remains a big challenge in using anti-HER2 therapies. Previous studies have implicated activation of the Rho GTPase Rac1 by PTEN loss or IGF-1R overexpression as a mechanism of resistance to HER2-targeted therapies. We identified HACE1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase for Rac1, as a tumor suppressor capable of cooperating with HER2 to transform normal mammary epithelial cells. While HACE1 loss alone resulted in enhanced Rac activation, HER2 activation of Rac1 combined with HACE1 loss resulted in even higher levels of activated Rac resulting in the ability to form tumors in immunocompromised mice. In this study, we show that loss of HACE1 confers resistance to the HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Lapatinib due to sustained Rac signaling irrespective of EGFR/HER2 signaling. While Lapatinib inhibition alone is capable of attenuating proliferation of HER2 overexpressing mammary epithelial cells, HACE1 loss continues to drive proliferation of in vitro tumor formation (clonogenicity) as well in vivo tumor growth. We demonstrate that Lapatinib sensitivity can be restored using a Rac inhibitor in HACE1 knockdown cells. Moreover, while the Rac inhibitor alone was capable of attenuating the effects of HER2 overexpression and HACE1 loss, simultaneous inhibition of both HER2 and Rac signaling was superior to either monotherapy alone. These results support Rac activation as a mechanism of resistance to HER2-targeted therapies and highlight the use of a Rac inhibitor to treat HER2+ refractory breast cancers. Citation Format: Erik T Goka, Dana S Senderoff, Gustavo Munguba, Marc E Lippman. HACE1 loss results in hyperactive Rac signaling conferring resistance to HER2 targeted therapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-11-03.
Supporting itch: a new role for astrocytes in chronic itch.

A new study shows that astrocytes are involved in the development of chronic itch in a mouse model. This dependent on upregulation of lipocalin 2 (LCN2) by the transcription factor STAT-3 and astrogliosis.
Characterization of Ban Copolymers

Abstract Molar mass and compositional distributions in copolymers of butadiene and acrylonitrile have been analyzed by gel permeation chromatography with multiple detection. In some cases, a third component could not be separated by size-exclusion chromatography and was presumed to be an antioxidant attached to the copolymer chains. The amount of this antioxidant was measured by ultraviolet detection at 280 nm of chromatographic effluents and found to increase in amount with decreasing molar volume. Molar mass and compositional distributions were derived from corrected ultraviolet responses at 254 nm coupled with refractive index detection of BAN solutions separated by GPC. The variation of composition with molecular size depends on the composition of the monomer feed and, presumably, the conversion. For copolymers close the azeotropic composition (36% ACN), the composition was fairly uniform over the entire molecular weight distribution and showed a single Tg by differential scanning calorimetry. Some of...
Medicare: a disaster for the aged psychiatric patient?

(1967). Medicare: A Disaster for the Aged Psychiatric Patient? The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 67, No. 2, pp. 341-345.
T1ρ and T2 relaxation times are associated with progression of hip osteoarthritis

Summary Objective To evaluate whether baseline T 1ρ and T 2 relaxation times of hip cartilage are associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based progression of hip osteoarthritis (OA) at 18 months. Methods 3T MRI studies of the hip were obtained at baseline and 18-month follow-up for 54 subjects without evidence of severe OA at baseline [Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) score of 0–3]. 2D fast spin-echo sequences were used for semi-quantitative morphological scoring of cartilage lesions and a combined T 1ρ /T 2 sequence was used to quantitatively assess cartilage composition. Progression of hip OA was defined based on incident or progression of morphological semi-quantitative grade at 18 months. Baseline T 1ρ and T 2 relaxation times were compared between progressors and non-progressors using one-way analysis of variance and Mann–Whitney U tests and used to predict progression with binary logistic regression after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, and KL score. Additionally, a novel voxel-based relaxometry technique was used to compare the spatial distribution of baseline T 1ρ and T 2 between progressors and non-progressors. Results Significantly higher baseline T 1ρ and T 2 values were observed in hip OA progressors compared to non-progressors, particularly in the posterosuperior and anterior aspects of the femoral cartilage. Logistic regression showed that higher baseline T 1ρ or T 2 values in the femoral cartilage were significantly associated with progression of femoral cartilage lesions at 18 months. Conclusion T 1ρ and T 2 relaxation parameters are associated with morphological cartilage degeneration at 18 months and may serve as potential imaging biomarkers for progression of cartilage lesions in hip OA.
The effects of sodium and calcium in clinical hypertension : mediating role of vitamin D metabolism

On the basis of this work, we believe it is reasonable to suggest that calcium regulating hormones in general, and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D in particular, contribute to the pathophysiology of human essential hypertension, especially salt sensitive forms. As such, levels of plasma renin activity, circulating ionized calcium, and serum 1,25 D levels both contribute to and serve as predictors of dietary salt-sensitivity and the potential benefit of increased oral calcium intake. Mechanistically, the different metabolic set points of these factors, determined on a genetic and/or environmental basis, serve to determine the heterogeneous blood pressure responses to similar dietary and mineral intakes. In this scheme, these monovalent and divalent ion regulating hormones transduce environmental mineral signals at the cellular level, thus determining their ultimate blood pressure effects. The cellular mechanism by which these altered metabolic hormonal set points serve to shift levels of intracellular cytosolic free calcium and other critical determinants of blood pressure, are the focus of current research.
Taxonomic revision of Neotropical Dicepolia Snellen (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Dicepolia Snellen (syn. Endolophia Hampson) is revised to include thirteen species distributed in the Neotropics and Madagascar. The genus is diagnosed and differentiated from similar Neotropical Pyraloidea. The two previously described species, the type species D. roseobrunnea (Warren) (tropical South America) and D. rufitinctalis (Hampson) (Central and South America), are redescribed. Seven new species are described: D. aerealis sp. nov., D. amazonalis sp. nov., D. artoides sp. nov., D. bicolor sp. nov., D. cuiabalis sp. nov., D. vaga sp. nov. and D. venezolalis sp. nov. Four Malagasy species are transferred to Dicepolia: D. marginescriptalis (Kenrick) comb. nov., D. marionalis (Viette) comb. nov., D. munroealis (Viette) comb. nov., and D. rufeolalis (Mabille) comb. nov. Two continental African species are transferred from Endolophia to other odontiine genera: Emprepes sudanalis (Zerny) comb. nov. and Tegostoma aequifasciale (Zerny) comb. nov. D. roseobrunnea is identified as the “rosada da oiticica,” a historical seed-boring pest of Licania in northeastern Brazil; published observations of larval morphology and behavior are summarized. Habitus and genitalia of all species are illustrated, and a key to the Neotropical species is given.
Influence of simulated photoperiod alteration and induced estrus on reproductive performance of spring-born Columbia and Targhee ewe lambs.

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that a combination of induced estrus (IE) and melatonin (MEL) would increase reproductive performance in breeds characterized by late maturity more than either IE or MEL alone. Spring-born Columbia (C; n = 161; 188 to 222 d range of age at breeding; 49 to 80 kg range of BW at breeding) and Targhee (T; n = 166; 183 to 210 d range of age at breeding; 40 to 68 kg range of BW at breeding) ewe lambs were stratified randomly by breed to treatments: ambient controls (AC); IE; MEL; and MEL+IE. Melatonin (18 mg of Regulin) was implanted on September 7. Estrus induction included medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) pessaries inserted for 12 d and pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG; 500 IU i.m.) at time of MAP removal. Ewe lambs were placed into two pens with five rams per pen by breed. Targhee ewes lambed at an increased rate with IE vs no IE (84.5 vs 67.9%; P < .01) and tended to lamb at an increased rate with MEL vs no MEL (82.5 vs 70.6%; P = .07). The 92.7% lambing rate observed in the Targhee ewe lambs for the combined treatment (MEL+IE) was slightly higher than an additive effect but the interaction between IE and MEL was not significant (P = .24). By contrast, none of the treatments altered (P = .5) lambing rate, number of lambs born, or number born alive for Columbia ewe lambs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Book and Media Recommendations: Proof: The Science of Booze; Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World; Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction; and Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story

Four books are reviewed: Proof: The Science of Booze, by Adam Rogers; Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World, by Mark Miodownik; Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction, by Charles Adler; and Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story, by Randy Olsen.
Sortino, Omega, Kappa: The Algebra of Financial Asymmetry

This chapter traces the development of entire families of downside risk measures from partial statistical moments. The Sortino, omega, and kappa ratios provide credible, workable single-factor measures of financial dispersion below mean return. At a minimum, specifying these ratios provides a useful contrast with conventional, two-tailed measures such as the Sharpe and Treynor ratios. Because it is based on downside semideviation, the square root of the lower partial second moment, the Sortino ratio is particularly easy to reconcile with the more traditional and more familiar tools of modern portfolio theory. Indeed, closer examination of the Sortino ratio reveals Pythagorean relationships between single-sided risk measures and their counterparts within the conventional capital asset pricing model (CAPM). These relationships allow single-sided measures of volatility to be evaluated with trigonometric tools.
Tillich from a Buddhist Point of View

All mankind is now facing a global age. This does not simply mean that the whole world is now totally integrated by the rapidly advancing technology, such as jet airplanes and various methods of immediate communication. It also means that the people of the world, as individuals and as nations, interact politically and economically as one group. Almost no part of the globe is free from involvement in the world-wide waves of unity and opposition, tension and conflict. I think, however, what is most significant and decisive for the destiny of mankind in this regard is the encounter of the world religions which is, on a scale and depth never experienced before, taking place ‘beneath’ (even while entangled with) the complex processes of the political, economic and social integration of the world. Given the intensity of the present situation, the openness and profundity with which the encounter or dialogue among the world religions is carried out in the search for a new spiritual horizon is vital to the future of mankind. The global age will produce dissension as well as unity, will both elevate as well as endanger mankind.
Urban Centres and the Manufacturing Sector: Industrial and Service Workers

An important feature of globalisation during this period, as noted previously, was the great expansion of trade in the region. This trade, which was promoted and dominated by Western and Chinese commercial interests, was focused on the new urban centres, and the new exports included commodities such as rubber and palm oil. The previous broad-based pattern of trade and production thus underwent considerable change, as exports became narrowly based, and geared to the needs of the industrialised West. Moreover, the character of the new urban centres also differed from the urban centres of old. Earlier towns/urban centres in the region had largely military, religious and commercial functions. The new urban centres were orientated towards the international economy and were thus predominantly commercial in character, with administrative functions added later. Singapore, founded in 1819, emerged as the trans-shipment and leading staple port of the region. It also received large inflows of labour since it functioned as the main entry and exit point for Chinese migrants in Southeast Asia.
Non-destructive evaluation of sustainable pavement technologies using artificial neural networks

Abstract Evaluation and characterization of pavements that incorporate sustainable technologies and materials such as warm mix asphalt (WMA) and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavements (RAP) becomes especially important for their future applicability. Artificial neural networks (ANN) have been recently used to forward-calculate pavement layer moduli from falling weight deflectometer (FWD) test results. A full bond layer interface condition is commonly assumed to perform pavement layer moduli calculations; however, this condition is not guaranteed to happen in the field. The objective of this study was to develop ANN models capable of predicting pavement layer moduli rapidly and reliably for full bond and full slip layer interface conditions. ANN models were used to estimate the moduli of the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Test Track structural sustainable sections for the full bond (FB) condition and the full slip (FS) condition. The results indicated that WMA sections had lower moduli at all tested temperatures compared to a control section (7–10% lower), likely due to the reduced binder aging experienced by these sections. RAP sections had higher moduli (16–43% higher) and were less susceptible to changes in temperature due to the presence of stiffer aged binder. Overall, backcalculated layer moduli using the conventional iterative approach had the highest error, followed by a significant decrease in error by ANN predicted moduli under full bond condition. However, the consideration of the ANN with full slip condition yielded the best results (lowest error).
The Benefits of Convergence Through Fiber-Wireless Integration and Networking

A multi-tier radio access network (RAN) combining the strength of fiber-optic and radio access technologies employing adaptive microwave photonics interfaces and radio-over-fiber (RoF) techniques is envisioned for future heterogeneous wireless communications. All-band radio access technologies (RATs) will be used to deliver wireless services with high capacity, high link speed, and low latency. The multi-tier RAN will improve the cell edge performance in an integrated heterogeneous environment enabled by fiber-wireless integration and networking for mobile fronthaul/backhaul, resource sharing, and all-layer centralization of multiple standards with different frequency bands and modulation formats. In essence, for this multi-tier radio access architecture, carrier aggregation (CA) among multiple frequency bands can be easily achieved and seamless handover can be guaranteed through coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission among various cells. In this way, current and future mobile network standards such as 4G and 5G can coexist with optimized and continuous cell coverage using multi-tier RoF, regardless of the underlying network topology or protocol. In terms of user’s experience, the future-proof approach achieves the goals of increased system capacity and link speed, reduced latency, and continuous heterogeneous cell coverage, while overcoming the bandwidth crunch in wireless communication networks.
Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Sun-Safety in College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of sun safe behaviors, as well as to measure knowledge and attitudes toward being tan in a sample of college students. The sample was comprised of 315 college students attending a personal health course. During Fall of 2016, a survey was distributed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of university students regarding skin cancer related behaviors. Students with a friend or family member with skin cancer more often reported thinking that they were at risk for developing skin cancer (48.6 vs. 21.2%, p < 0.001). Despite this opinion, they more often sunbathed (p = 0.008) and had a sunburn (p < 0.001) in the past year. Being in a health-related major did not significantly impact attitudes or behaviors. Future studies can focus further on raising awareness about skin cancer, specifically in college aged populations.
O prestígio da escola de negócios - pesquisa versus ensino

Nos examinamos os relacionamentos entre as pesquisas que se originam em escolas de negocio, a satisfacao dos alunos com as escolas, e as avaliacoes publicadas do ranking da escola. A pesquisa foi correlacionada positivamente ao ranking (o ranking foi baseado nas percepcoes dos academicos, das firmas, e dos candidatos a estudante). A satisfacao de recem-graduados nao foi relacionada ao ranking de uma escola (baseado nas percepcoes de firmas, do mundo academico e de negocios). A produtividade da pesquisa das escolas nao foi associada com a satisfacao, mais baixa entre seus graduados recentes. Nos concluimos que as escolas devem enfatizar a pesquisa, ao inves de ensinar, se desejarem um ranking elevado. Se uma escola de negocio quiser um ranking elevado, deve dirigir mais de suas limitadas fontes de recursos, para a pesquisa ou para ensinar? Para enfrentar esta questao, nos examinamos a evidencia das pesquisas executadas em escolas de negocio, a satisfacao de estudantes graduados, e o ranking das escolas. Em anos recentes, os meios da midia publicaram os resultados dos indices projetados para medir o ranking relativo de escolas de negocio. A publicacao destes rankings aumentou, aparentemente, a competicao entre escolas de negocio. A semana do negocio discutiu esta competicao em um artigo intitulado, "a batalha das escolas-B esta comecando a ficar mais sangrenta; as escolas de alto nivel competem como loucas por docentes de alto nivel e estudantes de alto-potencial (BYRNE, 1986). Influenciadas pela popularidade destas pesquisas, diversas escolas de negocio proeminentes fizeram uma analise de acoes para melhorar seus rankings (DEUTSCHE, 1990). Tipicamente, decidiram-se enfatizar o ensino, em um esforco para melhorar a satisfacao dos estudantes. Para exemplo, em 1982, os docentes da escola de negocio de NYU perderam por um voto para fazer da pesquisa o unico criterio em suas decisoes de promocao e de estabilidade na carreira; em 1990, a faculdade de NYU votou para dar ao ensino tanta importância quanto a pesquisa (BYRNE, 1990). Presumivelmente, esta atencao aumentada ao ensino vem as custas dos esforcos para a pesquisa. Segundo Hancock, et al. (1992), por exemplo, o resultado encontrado revela que aqueles professores que publicaram, comparativamente, gastaram menos tempo com estudantes, e os que gastaram mais tempo com estudantes publicaram menos. Que resultados podem se esperar, se as fontes de recursos sao dirigidas para a satisfacao do estudante mais do que para a pesquisa? Tal estrategia pode ser eficaz se a satisfacao do estudante fosse relacionada, positivamente, ao ranking da escola e do MBA e se pesquisa nao fosse relacionada ao ranking. Mas os resultados nao suportam tal ponto de vista. A enfase aumentada na satisfacao do estudante e provavel vir a custa do ranking da escola de negocios.
Best effort broadcast under cascading failures in interdependent critical infrastructure networks

Abstract We present a novel study of reliable broadcast in interdependent networks, in which the failures in one network may cascade to another network. In particular, we focus on the interdependency between a communication network and a power grid network, where the power grid depends on the communication network for control and the communication network depends on the grid for power. In this paper, we propose a best effort broadcast algorithm to handle crash failures in the communication network that may cause cascading failures. We guarantee that all the correct nodes, which operate correctly according to the protocol and do not experience any software or hardware or network failures, eventually deliver the message if the sender is correct. We provide a centralized algorithm and a fully distributed algorithm for nodes to analyze and handle cascading failures. At the core of our work is the fully distributed algorithm which enjoys great performance and scalability. Our evaluation results show that the algorithm handles cascading failures with low overhead.
Understanding Quality of Life

Despite the clear importance of life quality to both individuals and public policy, defining and measuring quality of life is a difficult affair. The general concept includes much that is clear and easily measured, such as income or education level, but it’s also clear that there are other factors that are more ethereal and therefore difficult to capture. We believe the index we develop captures both those easily measurable factors and many of those that are more difficult to account for.
Introduction to Environment and Exposome-Wide Association Studies: A Data-Driven Method to Identify Multiple Environmental Factors Associated with Phenotypes in Human Populations

It is a priority to identify multiple environmental factors, or mixtures, associated with disease phenotypes in human populations. However, high-throughput computational methods to identify mixtures that are important in human disease are lacking. This chapter describes the “environment-wide association study” (EWAS) analytic approach to identify a number of environmental exposures in human disease. With the advent of high-throughput environmental exposure information (e.g., exposome), methods such as EWAS will be instrumental to accelerate discovery in disease.
Subclavian flap repair of coarctation of the aorta in neonates. Realization of growth potential

The subclavian flap repair for coarctation of the aorta allows potential for growth by utilizing autogenous tissue. Although well documented in young children, its promise in the tiny neonate warrants further evaluation. Since August, 1979, 29 patients, including 24 infants, have undergone subclavian flap repair at the University of Maryland Hospital. Weights ranged from 1.4 to 5 kg (mean 3.2 kg). AD patients less than 6 months old had associated intracardiac defects and were in severe congestive failure. Fifteen responded to preoperative prostaglandin infusions. The overall early mortality was 14%; among the neonates it was 21%; and among those operated upon within the first week of life, 33%. There was one intraoperative death among the eight patients who underwent simultaneous pulmonary artery banding. There were no deaths among patients older than 5 days at operation. Four of the five neonates who died had some variant of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, with severe stenosis or atresia of the systemic atrioventricular valve, critical aortic stenosis, or hypoplastic left ventricle. Twenty-two survivors continue to do well up to 3.7 years postoperatively (mean follow-up 26 months). At follow-up all patients are normotensive with brisk lower extremity pulses. Patients now weigh 1.3 to 6.9 (mean 2.3) times their operative weight, and only one patient has a measured arm-to-leg gradient greater than 10 mm Hg (mean gradient 3.7 mm Hg). Seven of the neonates have undergone repeat catheterization, and all had satisfactory growth of the subclavian flap segment of repair and no gradient Two older patients (3 and 4 years old at operation) have undergone exercise testing 3.7 years after repair, with peak exercise gradients of only 7 and 15 mm Hg. We therefore continue to utilize this technique for the treatment of coarctation even in tiny neonates.
Tobacco use among Latinx adolescents: exploring the immigrant paradox

Research suggests that an immigrant paradox exists where those who were not born in the United States (1st generation) have significantly better health than those who were born in the U.S. (2nd generation or more). The aim of the current study was to examine the immigrant paradox with respect to tobacco-related perceptions and parenting influences in smoking initiation among Latinx adolescents. Data came from the 7th and 10th grade Healthy Passages™ assessments of Latinx participants in three U.S. urban areas (N = 1536) who were first (18%), second (60%), and third (22%) generation. In addition to demographics, measures included perceived cigarette availability and peer smoking, intentions and willingness to smoke, and general monitoring by parents. Parents reported on generational status and their own tobacco use. The primary outcome was participant’s reported use of cigarettes. By 10th grade, 31% of Latinx youth had tried a cigarette, compared to 8% in 7th grade. After controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status, regression analyses indicated that there were no significant differences related to generational status in cigarette smoking initiation in either 7th or 10th grade. Youth tobacco-related perceptions, general parental monitoring, and parental tobacco use predicted Latinx adolescent cigarette use initiation by 10th grade. Latinx adolescents might not have deferential smoking rates based on generation status, suggesting that the immigrant paradox concept may not hold for smoking initiation among Latinx adolescents. Rather, factors influencing cigarette initiation generally in adolescents as a group appear to apply to Latinxs as well.
Technology at the museum: the missing voice

Museums offer opportunities to observe and interact with exhibits, alongside learning about different cultures. Technologies have been developed in order to augment the visitor's experience during their museum visit, and how to make these technologies accessible is also an active and complementary field of research. In this work however, we find that there is a gap when discussing accessible technology for the African museum. We conducted a formative assessment, which incorporates previous work, and augmented it by sampling user reviews on Google Maps of 102 African museums, in order to probe the question of relevance and scalability in the applicability of previous approaches to the African museum. From this, we highlight opportunities to be found in the intersection of the two domains: for cultures to better tell their own stories, to reach an expanded audience, and to offer opportunities for research, together with potential tensions and barriers.
TROPICAL SOILS | Humid Tropical

Soils are the physical, chemical, and biological media at the upper surface of the Earth's land areas capable of accepting plant roots. A wide range of geologic materials in which soils form are present within tropical latitudes and largely determine soil chemical properties. In addition soil moisture and temperature conditions controlled by climatic conditions at the location of the soil greatly influence both natural biotic ecosystems and human attempts to sustain food production. Thus soils differ regionally and among adjacent soils on local landscape positions within tropical latitudes. Both naturally occurring biological communities and human activities as related to soil conditions in tropical latitudes are discussed.
Cospectral budget model describes incipient sediment motion in turbulent flows

Incipient motion of sediment particles is analyzed using a relation between a densimetric Froude number (Fr) and 6 decades of relative roughness ($N$). The universal character of the Fr-$N$ relation was recovered from the vertical velocity energy spectrum using a cospectral budget model.
A fishing expedition to discover the pollinators of several subtropical Apocynaceae.

Premise Flowers of the Apocynaceae (milkweed family) have complex structures and pollination mechanisms. Pollen removal and deposition in Angadenia, Pentalinon, and Echites are similar, with anthers releasing pollen onto the sterile style head. The mid-style head excretes a glue that coats the mouthparts of vistors to aid in the transfer of pollen. Subsequent probes may deposit pollen on the receptive stigmatic surface on the lowest part of the style head, with fertilization resulting after pollination by compatible pollen. Methods By employing fishing line of different diameters, which reflected the diameters of the mouthparts of the different insect visitors, we determined the widths best able to remove and deposit pollen, thereby revealing which of the visitors could be effective pollinators, and which may be only nectar robbers. Results We previously found that mouthpart (proboscis) width is correlated with pollen transfer effectiveness in Angadenia berteroi and confirmed this here in two other species, Pentalinon luteum and Echites umbellatus. Our data allowed the prediction of the most effective pollinators of these two other species. Discussion The simulation of flower visitor mouthparts using fishing line can provide useful data for evaluating the potential for effective pollen removal and deposition by different visitors.
The Influence of Female Directors on Product Recall Decisions

Problem definition: The influence of female directors on firm decision-making and performance is a frequently studied research topic but has received limited attention in operations management. We ...
Stroke rate after endovascular aortic interventions in the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative

Abstract Objective The stroke rate after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), particularly complex EVAR such as fenestrated EVAR (FEVAR) and chimney EVAR (chEVAR), is not well defined. Whereas stroke is a well-established risk of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), the impact of procedural characteristics on stroke remains unclear. Therefore, we characterized the risk of stroke after endovascular aortic interventions in the Vascular Quality Initiative database and identified procedural characteristics associated with stroke. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing infrarenal EVAR, complex EVAR, and TEVAR within the Vascular Quality Initiative between 2011 and 2019. Complex EVAR included FEVAR (with either a Food and Drug Administration-approved custom-manufactured device or physician-modified endovascular graft) and chEVAR. We excluded emergent procedures. The primary outcome was in-hospital stroke. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify procedural characteristics associated with stroke. Results We identified 41,540 EVARs, 1371 complex EVARs, and 4600 TEVARs. The in-hospital stroke rate was 0.1% after EVAR, 0.9% after complex EVAR, and 2.9% after TEVAR. In patients undergoing EVAR, aneurysm diameter >6.5 mm (odds ratio [OR], 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.7; P = .03) and use of a proximal extension cuff (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.4-7.9; P Conclusions Stroke, although rare after elective EVAR, is substantially more common after complex EVAR and TEVAR. Increasing procedural complexity in complex EVAR and TEVAR is associated with a higher stroke rate, a risk that should be factored into clinical decision-making. The strong association between stroke and upper extremity access during complex EVAR is alarming and warrants further study.
Applications of natural language techniques to enhance curricular coherence

Abstract An effective and highly efficient curriculum is the foundation of an optimal content delivery to students and may lead to the success of the academic program. Ensuring the effectiveness of curricular processes goes beyond the successful design of individual courses and it is subject to careful planning in accordance to appropriate policies and procedures that enable a high level of curriculum coherence. Such curriculum can guarantee that students are presented with a complete set of interrelated topics related to the area of study that can enable students to connect topics in individual courses and apply them in professional settings. The goal of this article is to evaluate the curriculum coherence of an Information Science program using ontologies and natural language processing techniques. Curricular coherence is evaluated using a possibilistic approach which evaluates academic gaps and overlaps that exist in the core courses offered in the degree. The use of ontologies enables us to perform a qualitative study of curricular coherence at different levels of ontological abstraction using mereotopological principles. The knowledge inferred from this process can be used at the universities to optimize their course offering and content for better academic content.
Preservation of erniettomorph fossils in clay-rich siliciclastic deposits from the Ediacaran Wood Canyon Formation, Nevada

Three-dimensionally preserved Ediacaran fossils occur globally within sandstone beds. Sandy siliciclastic deposits of the Ediacaran Wood Canyon Formation (WCF) in the Montgomery Mountains, Nevada, contain two fossil morphologies with similar shapes and sizes: one exhibits mm-scale ridges and a distinct lower boundary and the other is devoid of these diagnostic features. We interpret these as taphomorphs of erniettomorphs, soft-bodied organisms with uncertain taxonomic affinities. We explore the cast-and-mould preservation of both taphomorphs by petrography, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence microprobe and X-ray diffraction. All fossils and the surrounding sedimentary matrix contain quartz grains, iron-rich chlorite and muscovite. The ridged fossils contain about 70% larger quartz grains compared to the ridgeless taphomorph, indicating a lower abundance of clay minerals in the ridged fossil. Chlorite and muscovite likely originated from smectite and kaolinite precursors that underwent lower greenschist facies metamorphism. Kaolinite and smectite are inferred to have been abundant in sediments around the ridged fossil, which enabled the preservation of a continuous, distinct, clay- and kerogen-rich bottom boundary. The prevalence of quartz in the ridged fossils of the WCF and in erniettomorphs from other localities also suggests a role for this mineral in three-dimensional preservation of erniettomorphs in sandstone and siltstone deposits.
Incidence of psoriasis among adults in the United States: A sex- and age-adjusted population analysis.

Background Information on recent trends in overall and subgroup incidences in psoriasis is limited. Objective To estimate current incidence of psoriasis in the United States, compare incidences among demographic subgroups, and evaluate recent disease trends. Methods Retrospective cohort analysis of psoriasis patients identified with electronic health records between 2014 and 2018. Results Incidence rate in the overall population (n = 2,152,192) was 63.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 61.8-65.8) per 100,000 person-years. Incidence increased with age and peaked among individuals aged 70 to 79 years (92.3 [95% CI 85.1-100.0] per 100,000 person-years). Incidence was similar between men (62.8 [95% CI 59.8-65.9] per 100,000 person-years) and women (64.8 [95% CI 62.2-67.4] per 100,000 person-years). Standardized incidence rate for Whites (75.3 [95% CI 72.7-78.0] per 100,000 person-years) was greater than that for Hispanic/Latino patients (52.2 [95% CI 44.9-60.3] per 100,000 person-years; P Limitations Estimates were derived from approximately 15% of the health care–seeking US population. Conclusion Psoriasis incidence in the United States appears to increase with age, is similar between sexes, and is greatest among Whites.
Preferences for traditional and formal sector justice institutions to address land disputes in rural Mali

Abstract Access to justice is an important issue for people around the world. In many African countries, citizens most typically access justice through customary, community-level institutions. States and international actors, however, are attempting to extend the reach of the formal justice sector in many countries, under the logic that such institutions may provide more equitable access. In Mali, disputes requiring access to justice are common but use of the formal justice system is rare. We conduct a survey experiment among a sample of rural Malians to explore how people think about formal versus customary justice institutions in the context of a land dispute in terms of their responsiveness, fairness, and costliness. In general and in line with responses to descriptive questions, the evidence shows that the group of Malians in our study think that customary institutions, as compared to the formal court system, will be quicker, fairer, and less likely to require payment for the resolution of a land dispute. We find that these perceptions hold among individuals who report having used the formal justice system, who would consider using the formal justice system in the future, and who are most likely to be marginalized from customary justice institutions. Legal reform advocates need to consider these strong preferences for customary justice institutions when thinking about plausible reforms.
Electronic structure of the dicationic first row transition metal oxides.

Multi-reference electronic structure calculations combined with large basis sets are performed to investigate the electronic structure of the ground and low-lying electronic states of the MO2+ diatomic species with M = Ti–Cu. These systems have shown high efficiency in the activation of the C–H of saturated hydrocarbons. This study is the first systematic and accurate work for these systems and our results and discussion provides insights into the reactivity and stability of MO2+ units. We find that they can be divided in three groups. The early transition metals (Ti, V, Cr) have very stable and well separated oxo (M4+O2−) character ground states, the middle transition metals (Mn, Fe) have oxyl (M3+O˙−) ground states with low-lying oxo excited states, and the late transition metals (Co, Ni, Cu) have well separated oxyl states. The reported spectroscopic constants will aid future experimental investigations, which are sparse in the literature. Periodic trends for the bond lengths, energetics, excitation energies, and wavefunction composition are discussed in detail. Complete basis set limit results indicate the high accuracy of the quintuple-ζ basis sets.
Who Gets Broadband When? A Panel Data Analysis of Demographic, Economic and Technological Factors Explaining U.S. Broadband Deployment

We study how US broadband has been deployed from 2014 to 2016 at the block and block-group level, focusing on access technology development and upgrades, expansion in rural and non-rural areas, demographics, and ISP growth. Since broadband definitions have changed over time, we provide statistical analyses using both the 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds as well as 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speeds. We combine data from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 477 forms, the 2010 Census, and 2010-2014 American Community Survey (ACS) data to analyze the technology, performance, provider, and service territory characteristics affecting broadband offerings. Starting with an infrastructure-centric analysis, we analyze the most common technologies in new broadband deployments and then proceed to determine the speed distributions for each. We then focus on the rural/non-rural divide in expansion and investigate whether broadband is becoming more readily available in regions with lower economic growth factors and lower educational rates. Aside from this infrastructure-focused analysis, we used a binary logistic regression to analyze the regression coefficients and general statistics between broadband deployment and key demographic indicators of economic status, population change, and education over time. Finally, we explore how provider coverage across the nation has changed. Currently, 58% of households for 25/3 broadband and 76% for 10/1 broadband have access to two or more wireline or fixed broadband service offerings. With this in mind, we further analyzed providers' territorial expansion, change in subscribers, and competition with new offerings such as Google Fiber.
Datenmaterial über Aktivitäten und Reorganisationsmaßnahmen

Dieser Anhang enthalt die Quellen des Datenmaterials uber die in Kapitel 4 beschriebenen Aktivitaten sowie tabellarische Auflistungen und eine Beschreibung der Konventionen zur Operationalisierung der Daten uber organisatorische Anderungen, die in Kapitel 2 und 3 verwendet wurden.
Immigration and Membership Politics in Western Europe

Why are traditional nation-states newly defining membership and belonging? In the twenty-first century, several Western European states have attached obligatory civic integration requirements as conditions for citizenship and residence, which include language proficiency, country knowledge and value commitments for immigrants. This book examines this membership policy adoption and adaptation through both medium-N analysis and three paired comparisons to argue that while there is convergence in instruments, there is also significant divergence in policy purpose, design and outcomes. To explain this variation, this book focuses on the continuing, dynamic interaction of institutional path dependency and party politics. Through paired comparisons of Austria and Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands and France, this book illustrates how variations in these factors - as well as a variety of causal processes - produce divergent civic integration policy strategies that, ultimately, preserve and anchor national understandings of membership.
Arts and Arms: An Examination of the Looting of the National Museum of Iraq

In April 2003, the National Museum of Iraq was extensively looted. At the time, the United States was an occupying power of Iraq and subsequently bore the brunt of considerable international press speculation that the United States was, at best, ill-prepared to protect the museum and, at worst, indifferent to the devastation wrought upon the considerable number of priceless artifacts. Beyond international dismay, however, lay the possibility that the United States was bound by both custom and treaty to protect Iraq’s cultural property. Though the damage to the artifacts may be irreparable, there are solutions available to the United States that serve to both remedy past and protect against future destruction and loss of cultural property.
Silencing John Doe: Defamation and Discourse in Cyberspace

John Doe has become a popular defamation defendant as corporations and their officers bring defamation suits for statements made about them in Internet discussion fora. These new suits are not even arguably about recovering money damages but instead are brought for symbolic reasons — some worthy, some not so worthy. If the only consequence of these suits were that Internet users were held accountable for their speech, the suits would be an unalloyed good. However, these suits threaten to suppress legitimate criticism along with intentional and reckless falsehoods, and existing First Amendment law doctrines are not responsive to the threat these suits pose to Internet discourse. Although the constitutional privilege for opinion holds promise as a solution to this problem, the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence provides little assurance that the privilege can protect the “robust, uninhibited, and wide-open nature” of Internet discourse without giving Internet speakers free license to harm the reputation of others. Therefore, this Article attempts to articulate a theory that justifies protecting John Doe and suggests the steps courts should take to adapt the existing opinion privilege to the unique context of cyberspace.
Dietary folate is associated with p16INK4A methylation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Inactivation of the p16INK4A (CDKN2A) gene in the Rb pathway is among the most common somatic alterations observed in tobacco-related solid tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In addition, a low folate diet is an important risk factor for HNSCC. Decreased dietary folate in an animal model of hepatocellular carcinoma has been associated with the induction of epigenetic silencing of the p16INK4A gene. In an ongoing population-based study of HNSCC, we sought to extend this observation to human disease testing the hypothesis that p16INK4A methylation is associated with decreased dietary folate. We also investigated the association of methylation silencing with functional polymorphisms in the folate metabolism enzyme methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). In 169 HNSCCs, the odds ratio for p16INK4A methylation among those with low dietary folate intake was 2.3 (95% CI = 1.1–4.8) when compared with those with high folate intake. Furthermore, this increased risk for epigenetic silencing at p16INK4A was modified by the MTHFR alleles previously associated with diminished serum folate levels. Hence, in HNSCC low dietary intake of folate is associated with p16INK4A methylation, and this relationship is modified by the MTHFR genotype. Our data provides important evidence for a mechanism of action of folate deficiency in cancer. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Automatic Detection of Student Mental Models during Prior Knowledge Activation in MetaTutor.

This paper presents several methods to automatically detecting students' mental models in MetaTutor, an intelligent tutoring system that teaches students self-regulatory processes during learning of complex science topics. In particular, we focus on detecting students' mental models based on student- generated paragraphs during prior knowledge activation, a self-regulatory process. We describe two major categories of methods and combine each method with various machine learning algorithms. A detailed comparison among the methods and across all algorithms is also provided. The evaluation of the proposed methods is performed by comparing the prediction of the methods with human judgments on a set of 309 prior knowledge activation paragraphs collected from previous experiments with MetaTutor on college students. According to our experiments, a content-based method with word-weighting and Bayes Nets algorithm is the most accurate.
Beam dump eμ asymmetry of charged Higgs origin

Abstract We raise the possibility that the reported breakdown of ν e ν μ universality in prompt neutrino events observed in beam dumps experiments is due to non-universality in charm decays. The exchange of a virtual charged Higgs boson in charm decays could account for the asymmetry.
Caring for and keeping the elderly in their homes

Abstract Population aging is a global issue. The problem is especially critical in societies, such as China and India, where there has been both rapid aging of the population and a tradition that children are the primary caregivers for their elderly parents who are no longer independent. This article discusses a variety of options for various types of professional and non-professional caregivers and services for the elderly in their homes used in the U.S. and how technology has been used to support this heterogeneous model of caregiving. Efforts have been made to coordinate among caregivers and outside services and track changes in health conditions effectively over time through the greater use of technology. These ideas offer a possible path for other societies, such as China and India, facing growing health needs and limited resources to care for the elderly.