cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lifetime cost-effectiveness of trial of labor after cesarean in the United States.

Abstract Objective To estimate the cost-effectiveness of a trial of labor after one previous cesarean (TOLAC) when incorporating long-term events and outcomes. Methods A Markov model comparing TOLAC with elective repeat cesarean delivery (ERCD) was developed for a hypothetical cohort with no contraindication to a TOLAC. Women were selected from a prospective study to derive probability estimates for potential events through three subsequent pregnancies. Probabilities for cerebral palsy and stress urinary incontinence, cost data, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were obtained from the literature. The primary outcome was cost-effectiveness measured as the marginal cost per QALY gained, with a $50,000 threshold per QALY used to define cost-effectiveness. Results The TOLAC strategy dominated the ERCD strategy at baseline, with $164.2 million saved and 500 QALYs gained per 100,000 women. The model was sensitive to six variables: the probability of uterine rupture and successful TOLAC among women with no prior vaginal delivery, the frequency of stress urinary incontinence, and the costs of failed TOLAC, successful TOLAC, and ERCD. When the probability of TOLAC success was at the base value, 67.2%, TOLAC was preferred if the probability of uterine rupture was 3.1% or less. When the probability of uterine rupture was at the base value, 0.8%, the TOLAC strategy was preferred as long as the probability of success was 47.2% or more. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis confirmed the base-case analysis. Conclusions Under baseline circumstances, TOLAC is less expensive and more effective than an ERCD when considering long-term consequences when the likelihood of success is 47.2% or more.
Development of a model of the infarcted canine heart that predicts arrhythmia generation from specific cardiac geometry and scar distribution

The role of the 3D infarct structure in arrhythmia generation and maintenance in hearts with myocardial infarction cannot be fully elucidated through experimental techniques alone. Our aim was to develop methodology to construct a high resolution computational model of the infarcted canine heart using magnetic resonance (MRI) and diffusion tensor images (DTI) and then to use the resulting model to study post-infarction ventricular tachycardia (VT). Segmentation of the MRI and DTI stacks using image processing techniques provided accurate representations of the myocardium, the infarct scar, and the border zone (BZ) surrounding the scar. Realistic electrophysiological properties were assigned to each region. Simulations using the novel model revealed that postinfarction VT is initiated and maintained by reentrant circuits located within the BZ.
Who Gets Visited in Prison? Individual- and Community-Level Disparities in Inmate Visitation Experiences

Scholarship has shown that visitation helps individuals maintain social ties during imprisonment, which, in turn, can improve inmate behavior and reduce recidivism. Not being visited can result in collateral consequences and inequality in punishment. Few studies, however, have explored the factors associated with visitation. This study uses data on Florida inmates to identify individual- and community-level factors that may affect visitation. Consistent with expectations derived from prior theory and research, the study finds that inmates who are older, Black, and who have been incarcerated more frequently experience less visitation. In addition, inmates who come from areas with higher incarceration rates and higher levels of social altruism experience more visits. Unexpectedly, however, sentence length and economic disadvantage are not associated with visitation. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Dual Functions, Clamp Opening and Primer-Template Recognition, Define a Key Clamp Loader Subunit

Clamp loader proteins catalyze assembly of circular sliding clamps on DNA to enable processive DNA replication. During the reaction, the clamp loader binds primer-template DNA and positions it in the center of a clamp to form a topological link between the two. Clamp loaders are multi-protein complexes, such as the five protein Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and human clamp loaders, and the two protein Pyrococcus furiosus and Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum clamp loaders, and thus far the site(s) responsible for binding and selecting primer-template DNA as the target for clamp assembly remain unknown. To address this issue, we analyzed the interaction between the E.coli gamma complex clamp loader and DNA using UV-induced protein-DNA cross-linking and mass spectrometry. The results show that the delta subunit in the gamma complex makes close contact with the primer-template junction. Tryptophan 279 in the delta C-terminal domain lies near the 3'-OH primer end and may play a key role in primer-template recognition. Previous studies have shown that delta also binds and opens the beta clamp (hydrophobic residues in the N-terminal domain of delta contact beta. The clamp-binding and DNA-binding sites on delta appear positioned for facile entry of primer-template into the center of the clamp and exit of the template strand from the complex. A similar analysis of the S.cerevisiae RFC complex suggests that the dual functionality observed for delta in the gamma complex may be true also for clamp loaders from other organisms.
Abiotic autumnal organic matter deposition and grazing disturbance effects on epilithic biofilm succession

Stream microbial communities are driven by the interactions of physical abiotic and biotic factors, as described using metagenomic sequencing.
Self-Reported Benefit Accrual Rates of Defined Benefit Plans: An Analysis of the 2004 and 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) measures respondents’ self-reported expected benefits from defined benefit (DB) pension plans. As a percentage of final pay, the mean annual benefit accrual rates in 2004 and 2007 are estimated to have been 2.06 percent and 2.48 percent, respectively. These rates are higher than the average annual accrual rate of 1.59 percent reported by the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2005 National Compensation Survey (NCS), which is based on official plan documents. This suggests that the 2004 and 2007 SCF respondents overestimated their expected pension benefits at retirement, unless they had more generous accrual formulas than plan participants in the 2005 NCS. Despite the likely measurement error in self-reported expected benefits, young DB plan participants reported having less generous benefit formulas than older participants, the SCF finds. Respondents to the 2007 SCF who expected to work 25 or more years before retirement estimate their mean annual benefit accrual rate to be 1.68 percent, compared with 2.60 percent for those who expected to work less than five years before retirement.
Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Flow Reduction with Adjustable Polytetrafluoroethylene-Covered Balloon-Expandable Stents Using the “Sheath Control” Technique

A complication of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) placement is refractory portosystemic encephalopathy (PSE) often requiring TIPS reduction. We report the results of a “sheath control technique” utilizing constraining sheaths during deployment of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered balloon-expandable stents, minimizing stent migration, and providing additional procedural control. TIPS reduction was performed in 10 consecutive patients for PSE using Atrium iCast covered stents (Atrium Maquet Getinge Group, Germany). Within the indwelling TIPS stent, a 9 mm × 59 mm iCast stent was deployed with 2 cm exposed from the sheath’s distal end and the majority of the stent within the sheath to create the distal hourglass shape. During balloon retraction, the stent was buttressed by the sheath. The proximal portion of the stent was angioplastied to complete the hourglass configuration, and the central portion of the stent was dilated to 5 mm. Demographics, pre- and post-procedure laboratory values, and outcomes were recorded. Ten patients underwent TIPS reduction with 100 % technical success. There was no stent migration during stent deployment. All patients experienced initial improvement of encephalopathy. One patient ultimately required complete TIPS occlusion for refractory PSE, and another developed TIPS occlusion 36 days post-procedure. There was no significant trend toward change in patients’ MELD scores immediately post-procedure or at 30 days (p = 0.46, p = 0.47, respectively). TIPS reduction using Atrium iCast PTFE balloon-expandable stents using the “sheath control technique” is safe and effective, and minimizes the risk of stent migration.
John Stuart Mill's "The Subjection of Women": A Re-Examination

In this article, John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of Women is studied through the use of textual and contextual (personal, historical and literary) analyses. A number of the significant criticisms of the Subjection of Women which have been offered by contemporary scholars are reviewed. These criticisms are then met by a re-examination of the text itself as well as with deeper contextual analysis. Ultimately, I argue that The Subjection of Women may best be understood not as a philosophical treatise but, instead, as a political act designed to win suffrage rights for women.
LIFE-HISTORY VARIATION AND COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF DARTERS (PISCES: PERCIDAE) FROM THE NORTH AMERICAN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

Phylogeography seeks to evaluate the relationship between genetic variation and geographic distribution of a species to examine the influence of historical events on divergence. Congruent phylogeographic patterns in codistributed species indicate historical association of the taxa being compared, and the uniform action of biogeographic events in shaping genetic variation. We sought to evaluate the congruence of patterns of genetic variation of five closely related fish species across a well-defined biogeographic boundary. We gathered allozymic and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data for five species of darters (Percidae: Etheostomatini) from populations distributed among biogeographic regions in the Ozark and Ouachita highlands of the south-central United States. Comparisons among species revealed noncongruence in the magnitude of genetic divergence in both allozymes and mtDNA sequences. We hypothesized that noncongruence resulted, in part, from differences in life histories of the species in our comparison. To address this hypothesis, we evaluated the association between gene flow (measured by Ne m) and variation in body size and fecundity variables because they have been shown to influence gene flow in fishes. Correlation analysis revealed an association between gene flow and fecundity (r = 0.88), but not with body size (r = 0.36) or reproductive investment per individual (r = -0.23). The result was similar when independent contrasts of the original variables were used in correlation analyses. Phylogeographic analysis of mtDNA sequence data indicated the importance of history, evident in gene trees of Percina nasuta and Percina phoxocephala. Divergence rates between these two taxa may differ because of historically persistent differences in population sizes, reflected in present-day abundance and fecundity differences. Conversely, Percina caprodes showed little evidence of divergence in mtDNA sequences and yielded the highest mean Ne m values from allozyme data. Comparisons among closely related, codistributed taxa may help discriminate among the possibilities for noncongruence in biogeographic studies by allowing evaluation of the influence of life history on patterns of gene flow.
Synthesis, photophysical, photochemical, and computational studies of coumarin-labeled nicotinamide derivatives.

The syntheses and photophysical/photochemical properties of two amide-tethered coumarin-labeled nicotinamides are described. Photochemical studies of 6-bromo-7-hydroxycoumarin-4-ylmethylnicotinamide (BHC-nicotinamide) revealed an unexpected solvent effect. This result is rationalized by computational studies of the different protonation states using TD-DFT with the M06L/6-311+G** method with implicit and explicit solvation models. Molecular orbital energies responsible for the λmax excitation show that the functionalization of the coumarin ring results in a strong red-shift from 330 to 370 nm when the pH of solution is increased from 3.06 to 8.07. From this MO analysis, a model for solvent interactions has been proposed. The BHC-nicotinamide proved to be photochemically stable, which is also interpreted in terms of NBO calculations. The results provide a set of principles for the rational design of either photostable labeling reagents or photolabile cage compounds.
Retail Competition, Advanced Metering Investments, and Product Differentiation: Evidence From Texas

Retail electricity service can differ with respect to attributes such as reliability of service, environmental impact, value-added services, and payment options. Does a competitive retail sector foster the diverse pricing and service offerings required to satisfy the heterogeneous needs of consumers? This question is explored by comparing product and service offerings in areas of Texas opened to competition to those offered by monopoly providers in areas not opened to retail choice. Competition, supplemented with a state-mandated investment in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), has led to greater choices of rates and products, consistent with an initial rationale for market reform in Texas.
Cardiovascular characteristics of selected track participants in the first annual DGWS track and field meet.

(1971). Cardiovascular Characteristics of Selected Track Participants in the First Annual Dgws Track and Field Meet. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 440-443.
Evolution of detonation formation initiated by a spatially distributed, transient energy source

Detonations usually form through either direct initiation or deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT). In this work, a detonation initiation process is introduced that shows attributes from each of these two processes. Energy is deposited into a finite volume of fluid in an amount of time that is similar to the acoustic time scale of the heated fluid volume. Two-dimensional simulations of the reactive Euler equations are used to solve for the evolving detonation initiation process. The results show behaviour similar to both direct initiation and DDT. Localized reaction transients are shown to be intimately related to the appearance of a detonation. Thermomechanical concepts are used to provide physical interpretations of the computational results in terms of the interaction between compressibility phenomena on the acoustic time scale and localized, spatially resolved, chemical energy addition on a heat-addition time scale.
Stat3 and C/EBPβ synergize to induce miR‐21 and miR‐181b expression during sepsis

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) increase late sepsis immunosuppression and mortality in mice. We reported that microRNA (miR) 21 and miR-181b expression in Gr1+CD11b+ myeloid progenitors increase septic MDSCs in mice by arresting macrophage and dendritic cell differentiation. Here, we report how sepsis regulates miR-21 and miR-181b transcription. In vivo and in vitro binding studies have shown that C/EBPα transcription factor, which promotes normal myeloid cell differentiation, binds both miRNA promoters in Gr1+CD11b+ cells from sham mice. In contrast, in sepsis Gr1+CD11b+ MDSCs miR-21 and miR-181b promoters bind both transcription factors Stat3 and C/EBPβ, which co-imunoprecipitate as a single complex. Mechanistically, transcription factor Rb phosphorylation supports Stat3 and C/EBPβ accumulation at both miRNA promoters, and C/EBPβ or Stat3 depletion by siRNA in sepsis Gr1+CD11b+ MDSCs inhibits miR-21 and miR-181b expression. To further support this molecular path for MDSC accumulation, we found that Stat3 and C/EBP binding at miR-21 or miR-181b promoter was induced by IL-6, using a luciferase reporter gene transfection into naive Gr1+CD11b+ cells. Identifying how sepsis MDSCs are generated may inform new treatments to reverse sepsis immunosuppression.
Product Codes for Data Storage on Magnetic Tape

For 2-D product codes used in tape storage, the mapping of error-correction-coding (ECC) blocks (EBs) into 2-D physical blocks (PBs) on magnetic tape is generalized. The 3-D product codes that have the same code rate and EB size as interleaved 2-D product codes currently used in tape storage are proposed. For 3-D product codes, a new family of mappings of EBs into 2-D PBs on magnetic tape is introduced, which fulfills the stringent burst-error-correction requirements of tape storage. The burst-error-correction capability of 2-D and 3-D product code words recorded on magnetic tape is analyzed as a function of track rotation, linear density, and ECC parameters. The performance limits of the tape-storage channel are determined based on computations of channel capacity and random coding bound. Hardware simulations of iterative hard-decision decoding of product codes implemented in a field-programmable gate array demonstrate the improved error-rate performance of 3-D product codes over 2-D product codes.
Cheating: Digital Learning Activities and Challenges

Gone are the days when the traditional classroom is the only way to teach concepts to students. Now,the digital age allows professors a new territory to embark on. Currently, professors can add programfeatures inside Blackboard or other courses which allow students to take quizzes, game simulations, andreal life virtual simulations of cases (e.g., nurses giving care to consumers, students giving instructionson the correct theories to apply to situations, students participating in quizzes that require them to pro-duce lighting via digital cameras in a field type environment etc.). With these new ways to teach in thedigital age, there may be more challenges to introduce safeguards for cheating when the student is notface-to-face with the instructor monitoring their progress on examinations etc. Consequently, cheatingin Higher Education (HE) classrooms is rampant at some universities. This chapter provides a discus-sion on cheating. In addition, authors discuss their digital learning activities and their experiences inwhich students have cheated and state safeguards to guard against cheating. In noting their perceptionsof digital cheating, further discussions will compare and contrast the experiences of the faculty. Thiswork provides recommendations and suggests solutions to combat cheating.
Geriatric Telepsychiatry in Academic Settings

The growing older adult demographic in the USA and the concomitant increase in older adults with mental illness highlights the critical need for expanding access to mental health care in this population. Older adults with mental illness and/or substance use disorders often first receive clinical attention in the context of primary care settings, which are under-resourced, both in terms of time and professional training. Stigma in seeking mental health care, lack of information about services, and limited transportation to services remain major barriers to mental health care access and utilization among older adults. However, the volume of the current geriatric psychiatry workforce is insufficient to meet the mental healthcare needs of the aging population. Telepsychiatry, the provision of mental health/psychiatric care via live-two way videoconferencing, is one way to bridge the looming gap between available specialty trained providers and the population in need of services. While recognizing that healthcare providers of various specialties and disciplines play a vital role in providing mental health care to older adults, this chapter will primarily focus on academic implications of geriatric telepsychiatry within psychiatric (graduate medical) training programs.
Long-Term Effects of Telephone-Delivered Psychotherapy for Late-Life GAD.

Objective To examine the long-term effects of telephone-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-T) compared with nondirective supportive therapy (NST-T) in rural older adults with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Methods 141 adults aged 60 years and older with a principal/co-principal diagnosis of GAD were randomized to either CBT-T or NST-T. CBT-T consisted of up to 11 sessions (9 were required) focused on recognition of anxiety symptoms, relaxation, cognitive restructuring and use of coping statements, problem-solving, worry control, behavioral activation, exposure therapy, and relapse prevention, with optional chapters on sleep and pain. NST-T consisted of 10 sessions focused on providing a supportive atmosphere in which participants could share and discuss their feelings and did not provide any direct suggestions. Primary outcomes included interviewer-rated anxiety severity and self-report worry severity measured at 9 months and 15 months after randomization. Mood-specific secondary outcomes included self-report GAD symptoms and depressive symptoms. Results At 15 months, after adjustment for multiple testing, there was a significantly greater decline in general anxiety symptoms (difference in improvement: 3.31; 95% CI: 0.45–6.17; t = 2.29; df = 136; p = 0.024) and worry (difference in improvement: 3.13; 95% CI: 0.59–5.68; t = 2.43; df = 136; p = 0.016) among participants in CBT-T compared with those in the NST-T group. There were no significant differences between the conditions in terms of depressive symptoms (difference in improvement: 2.88; 95% CI: 0.17–5.60; t = 2.10; df = 136; p = 0.0376) and GAD symptoms (difference in improvement: 1.65; 95% CI: −0.20 to 3.50; t = 1.76; df = 136; p = 0.080). Conclusions CBT-T is superior to NST-T in reducing worry and anxiety symptoms 1 year after completing treatment.
Evolution of age-specific decline in stress phenotypes is driven by both antagonistic pleiotropy and mutation accumulation

Efforts to more fully understand and test evolutionary theories of aging have produced distinct predictions for mutation accumulation (MA) and antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) mechanisms. We build on these predictions through the use of association mapping and investigation of the change in additive effects of polymorphisms across age and among traits for multiple stress response phenotypes. We found that cold stress survival with acclimation, cold stress survival without acclimation, and starvation resistance declined with age and that changes in the genetic architecture of each phenotype were consistent with MA predictions. We used a novel test for MA and AP by calculating the additive effect of polymorphisms across ages and found support for both MA and AP mechanisms in the age-related decline in stress tolerance. These patterns suggest both MA and AP contribute to age-related change in stress response and highlight the utility of association mapping to identify genetic shifts across age.
Ocular Toxicity of Sodium Diethylthiocarbamate, DDTC, in the Beagle Dog

The tapetum is a specialized cellular layer in the posterior ocular segment located between the choriocapillaris and the pigment epithelium of the retina. The tapetal layer is located only in the superior aspect of the fundus. The tapetum may be present in all domestic animals except the pig. The tapetal layer in the the dog and cat is called the tapetum cellulosum and in ungulates and the horse the tapetum fibrosum. The tapetum may be absent from some animals especially color dilute dogs or animals with incomplete melanin pigment formation such as the Siamese cat. The tapetum lucidum is composed of 5–10 layers of non pigmented reflective cells that containa high content of zinc. The zinc content of the tapetum in the dog has been determined to be 64.9 +/- 18.4 mg/g tissue.4,5,12
Variation in Yield Responses to Elevated CO₂ and a Brief High Temperature Treatment in Quinoa.

Intraspecific variation in crop responses to global climate change conditions would provide opportunities to adapt crops to future climates. These experiments explored intraspecific variation in response to elevated CO2 and to high temperature during anthesis in Chenopodium quinoa Wild. Three cultivars of quinoa were grown to maturity at 400 (“ambient”) and 600 (“elevated”) μmol·mol−1 CO2 concentrations at 20/14 °C day/night (“control”) temperatures, with or without exposure to day/night temperatures of 35/29 °C (“high” temperatures) for seven days during anthesis. At control temperatures, the elevated CO2 concentration increased the total aboveground dry mass at maturity similarly in all cultivars, but by only about 10%. A large down-regulation of photosynthesis at elevated CO2 occurred during grain filling. In contrast to shoot mass, the increase in seed dry mass at elevated CO2 ranged from 12% to 44% among cultivars at the control temperature. At ambient CO2, the week-long high temperature treatment greatly decreased (0.30 × control) or increased (1.70 × control) seed yield, depending on the cultivar. At elevated CO2, the high temperature treatment increased seed yield moderately in all cultivars. These quinoa cultivars had a wide range of responses to both elevated CO2 and to high temperatures during anthesis, and much more variation in harvest index responses to elevated CO2 than other crops that have been examined.
Rewriting the genome in human embryos

Researchers have edited the genome of human embryos to correct dominant myocardial disease.
Closing the Referral Loop: an Analysis of Primary Care Referrals to Specialists in a Large Health System

Ideally, a referral from a primary care physician (PCP) to a specialist results in a completed specialty appointment with results available to the PCP. This is defined as “closing the referral loop.” As health systems grow more complex, regulatory bodies increase vigilance, and reimbursement shifts towards value, closing the referral loop becomes a patient safety, regulatory, and financial imperative. To assess the ability of a large health system to close the referral loop, we used electronic medical record (EMR)-generated data to analyze referrals from a large primary care network to 20 high-volume specialties between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. The primary metric was documented specialist appointment completion rate. Explanatory analyses included documented appointment scheduling rate, individual clinic differences, appointment wait times, and geographic distance to appointments. Of the 103,737 analyzed referral scheduling attempts, only 36,072 (34.8%) resulted in documented complete appointments. Low documented appointment scheduling rates (38.9% of scheduling attempts lacked appointment dates), individual clinic differences in closing the referral loop, and significant differences in wait times and distances to specialists between complete and incomplete appointments drove this gap. Other notable findings include high variation in wait times among specialties and correlation between high wait times and low documented appointment completion rates. The rate of closing the referral loop in this health system is low. Low appointment scheduling rates, individual clinic differences, and patient access issues of wait times and geographic proximity explain much of the gap. This problem is likely common among large health systems with complex provider networks and referral scheduling. Strategies that improve scheduling, decrease variation among clinics, and improve patient access will likely improve rates of closing the referral loop. More research is necessary to determine the impact of these changes and other potential driving factors.
Human and animal evidence of potential transgenerational inheritance of health effects: An evidence map and state-of-the-science evaluation.

Abstract Background An increasing number of reports suggest early life exposures result in adverse effects in offspring who were never directly exposed; this phenomenon is termed “transgenerational inheritance.” Given concern for public health implications for potential effects of exposures transmitted to subsequent generations, it is critical to determine how widespread and robust this phenomenon is and to identify the range of exposures and possible outcomes. Objectives This scoping report examines the evidence for transgenerational inheritance associated with exposure to a wide range of stressors in humans and animals to identify areas of consistency, uncertainty, data gaps, and to evaluate general risk of bias issues for the transgenerational study design. Methods A protocol was developed to collect and categorize the literature into a systematic evidence map for transgenerational inheritance by health effects, exposures, and evidence streams following the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) approach for conducting literature-based health assessments. Results A PubMed search yielded 63,758 unique records from which 257 relevant studies were identified and categorized into a systematic evidence map by evidence streams (46 human and 211 animal), broad health effect categories, and exposures. Data extracted from the individual studies are available in the Health Assessment Workspace Collaborative (HAWC) program. There are relatively few bodies of evidence where multiple studies evaluated the same exposure and the same or similar outcomes. Studies evaluated for risk of bias generally had multiple issues in design or conduct. Conclusions The evidence mapping illustrated that risk of bias, few studies, and heterogeneity in exposures and endpoints examined present serious limitations to available bodies of evidence for assessing transgenerational effects. Targeted research is suggested to addressed inconsistencies and risk of bias issues identified, and thereby establish more robust bodies of evidence to critically assess transgenerational effects - particularly by adding data on exposure-outcome pairs where there is some evidence (i.e., reproductive, metabolic, and neurological effects).
MODELING OF SHOCK-INDUCED CHEMICAL REACTIONS IN POWDER MIXTURES II: CONTINUUM MIXTURE THEORY

This paper discusses a re-examination of the VIR model1 using continuum mixture theory. The continuum theory used is that developed extensively at Sandia National Laboratories for the description of granular explosives. The analysis shows that both formulations produce essentially identical constitutive equations except the distribution of energy due to pore collapse. The difference was attributed to the use of phase pressure for the description of species energy conservation equation in the continuum theory.
Lower Urinary Tract

Interstitial cystitis usually occurs in elderly women, who present with lower abdominal or perineal pain and urinary frequency. The lesion can involve anywhere in the bladder. Histologically, the lesion is a mucosal ulceration covered by fibrin and necrotic material. The underlying lamina propria and muscularis show edema, hemorrhage, granulation tissue, and a mononuclear cell infiltrate. Mast cells are frequently observed (Fig. 14.1).
Dissolution and partitioning behavior of hydrophobic ion-paired compounds.

Purpose. This study was conducted to determine the effects of counterion hydrophobicity on organic/aqueous partition coefficients for hydrophobic ion paired (HIP) complexes. Furthermore, the coupled dissolution and reverse ion-exchange kinetics for dissolution of HIP complexes into aqueous electrolyte solutions were measured and mathematically modeled.
2 – Prospects for Global Trade Imbalances: A Simulation Approach*

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a simulation model of the world economy. The simulation model is designed to highlight the way in which macroeconomic policy choices affect the global economy. This chapter also reviews the patterns of exchange rate and trade balance movements in the 1980s and describes how alternative policy choices are likely to affect those variables. The broad movements of the dollar can be understood by reference to the differing macroeconomic policies pursued in the industrialized economies. The chapter focuses on two alternative views of the movement of the dollar that have received significant attention. It also discusses alternative macroeconomic and financial policy measures for reducing trade imbalances, particularly for reducing the trade deficits of the United States. The chapter also discusses three alternative scenarios: (1) the case in which US budget deficits remain large, (2 the case in which the budget deficits are reduced a la Gramm-Rudman, and (3) the case of a hard-landing for the dollar.
Rationalist versus Empiricist Views

Issues surrounding knowledge acquisition inspire unending discussion and heated debate. Because philosophy is “the oldest of the cognitive sciences,” [2] there must be a dialogue with long-deceased as well as living philosophers when intelligence is discussed. Yet too frequently a deep engagement in this dialogueremains in the unconscious, especially as modern education policies are developed. Consider the following frequently cited comments by Socrates and Glaucon: Socrates: Citizens, we shall say to them in our tale, you are brothers, yet God hasframed you differently. . . . Such is the tale; is there any possibility of making our citizens believe in it? Glaucon (in reply to Socrates’ question): Not in the present generation; there is no way of accomplishing this; but their sons may be made to believe in the tale, andtheir son’s sons, and posterity after them. [3]
Coderivatives of Maximal Monotone Operators

In this chapter we employ the tools of variational analysis and generalized differentiation developed above to study global and local monotonicity of set-valued operators.
Abstract LB-253: Suppression of clear cell ovarian carcinoma growth by glutaminase-1 inhibitor as single agent and in combination with PARP-1 inhibitor

Tumor hypoxia and cancer-associated mutations reprogram central carbon metabolism and enhance the dependence of cancer cells on glutamine for growth. Clear cell ovarian cancer (CCOC) is a unique epithelial ovarian cancer histotype that is less responsive to chemotherapy and has poorer prognosis than serous histotype. Whole genomic analysis identified major pathways activated in clear cell involving in hypoxic cell growth and carbohydrate metabolism, which were driven by hypoxia-inducible factors HIF1a and/or 2a. We demonstrated before that treatment of HIF-expressing cancer cells with glutaminase 1 (GLS1) inhibitor CB-839, restricts nucleotide synthesis and causes DNA replication stress, which sensitizes cells to the PARP-1 inhibitor. Herein, we observed a range of sensitivities to CB-839 treatment in vitro in CCOC cell lines, from which we selected 4 most sensitive cell lines (ES2, SMOV2, TOV21G and RMG1) and 4 most resistant cell lines (OVSAYO, KK, HAC2 and OVISE) for further study. The synergistic effect of combination treatment of CB-839 and olaparib was achieved in all eight cell lines in vitro. To identify more molecular and metabolic biomarkers of CCOC sensitivity to GLS1 inhibitors, we are currently profiling the gene expression signatures of the most sensitive and resistant CCOC cell lines by RNAseq as well as and the metabolic profile of the CCOC lines. To test the sensitivity of the ES2 cells in vivo to a GLS1 as a single agent or in combination with PARP-1 inhibitors we injected them orthotopically in nude mice. Thirty mice bearing growing ES2 derived tumors were randomly assigned into four groups: vehicle control (n=8), treatment with CB-839 (200mg/kg, gavage, twice daily, n=7), olaparib (75mg/kg, gavage, once daily, n=7) or their combination (n=8). We monitored tumor growth by serial bioluminescence imaging, animal body weight as well as animal survival. To date, after 15-day treatment, we detected a synergistic effect between the 2 agents CB-839 and olaparib in controlling ovarian tumor growth in vivo. Our work discovered a range of sensitivities of CCOC cell lines to GLS1 inhibitor and supports the therapeutic strategies of combining GLS1 inhibitor and PARP inhibitor for targeting HIF-driven CCOC. Citation Format: Tianjin Yi, Danos Christodoulou, Arimichi Okazaki, Michael Birrer, Othon Iliopoulos. Suppression of clear cell ovarian carcinoma growth by glutaminase-1 inhibitor as single agent and in combination with PARP-1 inhibitor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-253.
Neuromodulation in Neurourology

Data suggests that peripheral and sacral neuromodulation are minimally invasive surgical interventions to address and improve both urinary and bowel symptoms in patients with neurogenic bladder and/or bowel. There is lack of level one evidence and there is moderate data supporting the use of these therapies to address overactive bladder symptoms in patients with neurogenic bladder. There is still controversy about their utility for urinary retention, and data is limited regarding treatment of neurogenic bowel. Limitations include small sample size, heterogeneous neurologic etiologies of study populations, and measurement of different outcomes, and most studies are retrospective analyses. Nonetheless more contemporary data suggests promising outcomes in specific situations that could statistically and clinically improve urinary and bowel symptoms in patients with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. Current research is studying the effect of early utilization of sacral neuromodulation after spinal cord injury. Targeting of specific stages of a neurologic injury will address the question of who is an optimal candidate and may ultimately benefit from this intervention. Avoiding the neurologic impairment that occurs at the bladder and bowel level may prevent detrimental changes in organ physiology and improve symptoms in the long term.
X-Containers: Breaking Down Barriers to Improve Performance and Isolation of Cloud-Native Containers

"Cloud-native" container platforms, such as Kubernetes, have become an integral part of production cloud environments. One of the principles in designing cloud-native applications is called Single Concern Principle, which suggests that each container should handle a single responsibility well. In this paper, we propose X-Containers as a new security paradigm for isolating single-concerned cloud-native containers. Each container is run with a Library OS (LibOS) that supports multi-processing for concurrency and compatibility. A minimal exokernel ensures strong isolation with small kernel attack surface. We show an implementation of the X-Containers architecture that leverages Xen paravirtualization (PV) to turn Linux kernel into a LibOS. Doing so results in a highly efficient LibOS platform that does not require hardware-assisted virtualization, improves inter-container isolation, and supports binary compatibility and multi-processing. By eliminating some security barriers such as seccomp and Meltdown patch, X-Containers have up to 27X higher raw system call throughput compared to Docker containers, while also achieving competitive or superior performance on various benchmarks compared to recent container platforms such as Google's gVisor and Intel's Clear Containers.
Closing the Gender Gap in Math Confidence: Gender and Race/Ethnic Similarities and Differences

This paper uses data from the U.S.-based Education Longitudinal Study, 2002 (ELS02) to examine gender and race/ethnic similarities and differences in high achieving math students’ confidence in their math ability. Previous research indicates that negative cultural beliefs about gender and math ability lead young women to evaluate themselves as less competent at math than young men do, even when their achievements are the same or higher. However, groups who face negative cultural beliefs based on their race/ethnicity do not lack confidence. We examine math confidence across and within gender and race/ethnic groups among students with “As” in their high school math classes. OLS regression results demonstrate that young women of all race/ethnicities have lower math confidence than young men, even when they have the same level of math achievement. Young women who are Asian have less math confidence than all other students. Finally, the math confidence of all young women who have As in their math classes, except for young women who are Asian, converges with young men’s math confidence when the effects of standardized tests on math confidence vary for students who are Asian and the effects of math GPAs vary for young women and students who are Asian. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; border:none; mso-border-alt:none white 0in; padding:0in; mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
Direct Alkylation of 1-Azabicyclo[1.1.0]butanes

The facile synthesis of functionalized azetidines has been an ongoing challenge. Here, we report a general method to directly alkylate 1-azabicyclo[1.1.0]butane (ABB) with organometal reagents in the presence of Cu(OTf)2 to rapidly prepare bis-functionalized azetidines. This method allows for the preparation of azetidines bearing alkyl, allyl, vinyl, and benzyl groups. This catalyst system was extended to aziridines and spirocycles. Several building blocks and drug-like compounds were prepared in rapid fashion and in good yield.
A student-centered intervention program to educate and retain knowledge in stroke education and healthy habits.

Abstract The goal of the stroke intervention programs was to increase knowledge in stroke awareness and healthy habits. Most of the existing school-based didactic stroke education intervention programs have not been very effective in improving learned information. We developed a student-centered or active learning educational pedagogy to improve the retention of learned knowledge on stroke issues and healthy habits. Middle school students, ages of 11 to 14 years attending a public school in the stroke belt were recruited to participate in an intervention program to raise stroke awareness and promote healthy habit. The impact of the intervention program on students' knowledge post-test and three weeks following the intervention was evaluated. Middle school students at all grade levels were aware of the cardinal symptoms of stroke, demonstrated basic knowledge of the salty foods in the post-test, and knowledge of learned information increased significantly after three weeks post intervention. The three weeks follow-up test revealed a significant increase in stroke knowledge among the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades [F (2,109) = 134.65, P = 0.001]. Post-hoc pair-wise comparisons analysis revealed a significant difference (P
Statistical Optical Link Budget Analysis

In this paper, we describe work on extending statistical analysis methods to optical communications links, with a primary focus on intensity modulated, direct detected photon-counting channel utilizing pulse-position-modulation (PPM). We performed analysis on the relationship between bit error rate (BER) requirement, statistical characteristics of the received signal power and noise power, and the coded performance curves. We presented link analysis results with preliminary uncertainty quantifications of signal power and noise power. We used the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Serially Concatenated convolutionally coded Pulse Position Modulation (SCPPM) prototype software [1] to obtain coded performance curves under different operating conditions with varying signal power, background noise power, code rates, and PPM modulation orders. Comparison with traditional, deterministic analysis shows that extra margin needs to be reserved to compensate for the performance losses caused by uncertainties of the link parameters.
Dome formation on Ceres by solid-state flow analogous to terrestrial salt tectonics

The dwarf planet Ceres’s outer crust is a complex, heterogeneous mixture of ice, clathrates, salts and silicates. Numerous large domes on Ceres’s surface indicate a degree of geological activity. These domes have been attributed to cryovolcanism, but that is difficult to reconcile with Ceres’s small size and lack of long-lived heat sources. Here we alternatively propose that Ceres’s domes form by solid-state flow within the compositionally heterogeneous crust, a mechanism directly analogous to salt tectonics on Earth. We use numerical simulations to illustrate that differential loading of a crust with compositional heterogeneity on a scale of tens of kilometres can produce dome-like features of scale similar to those observed. The mechanism requires the presence of low-viscosity and low-density, possibly ice-rich, material in the upper 1–10 km of the subsurface. Such substantial regional heterogeneity in Ceres’s crustal composition is consistent with observations from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Dawn mission. We conclude that deformation analogous to that in terrestrial salt tectonics is a viable alternative explanation for the observed surface morphologies, and is consistent with Ceres being both cold and geologically active. Domes on the dwarf planet Ceres could form by solid-state flow of low-density, ice-rich parts of its crust—a process analogous to salt doming on Earth—according to numerical simulations.
TOPKi-NBD: a fluorescent small molecule for tumor imaging

OTS514 is a highly specific inhibitor targeting lymphokine-activated killer T cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK). A fluorescently labeled TOPK inhibitor could be used for tumor delineation or intraoperative imaging, potentially improving patient care. Fluorescently labeled OTS514 was obtained by conjugating the fluorescent small molecule NBD to the TOPK inhibitor. HCT116 colorectal cancer cells were used to generate tumors in NSG mice for in vivo studies. Images were generated in vitro using confocal microscopy and ex vivo using an IVIS Spectrum. OTS514 was successfully conjugated to a fluorescent sensor and validated in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo. The labeling reaction led to TOPKi-NBD with 67% yield and 97% purity after purification. We were able to test binding properties of TOPKi-NBD to its target, TOPK, and compared them to the precursor inhibitor. EC50s showed similar target affinities for TOPKi-NBD and the unlabeled OTS514. TOPKi-NBD showed specific tumor uptake after systemic administration and was microscopically detectable inside cancer cells ex vivo. Blocking controls performed with an excess of the unlabeled OTS514 confirmed specificity of the compound. Overall, the results represent a first step toward the development of a class of TOPK-specific fluorescent inhibitors for in vivo imaging and tumor delineation. TOPK has the potential to be a new molecular target for cancer-specific imaging in a large variety of tumors. This could lead to broad applications in vitro and in vivo.
The feature expanded

Abstract: The vowels that occur in the different vowel harmony sets in Akan have been investigated by cineradiography. Four subjects repeated three or four times sentences containing the two sets of four vowels. Analyses of the vocal tract shapes shows that one set of vowels has both an advanced tongue root, and a lowered larynx. The analyses also show that the advancement of the tongue root is independent of the raising of the tongue body. The feature Expanded is proposed to account for the difference between the two sets of vowels. It is shown that this feature is not appropriate for distinguishing between so-called tense and lax vowels in English, but it may be applied to emphatic-nonemphatic differences in Arabic.
Polatuzumab vedotin for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Polatuzumab vedotin is an antibody–drug conjugate comprised of an anti-CD79b monoclonal antibody conjugated to monomethyl auristatin (MMAE), a microtubule-disrupting cytotoxin. CD79b is almost excl...