cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rain, Elections and Money: The Impact of Voter Turnout on Distributive Policy Outcomes in Japan

Does voter turnout affect policy outcomes? This long-standing question has been re-visited recently with close empirical scrutiny. These studies, however, commonly suffer from a problem of omitting variables correlated with both causal and outcome variables; specifically, immeasurable political interactions between politicians, organised groups, and individual voters. We address this problem by exploiting an instrument based on new data measuring the amount of rainfall on the voting day. It is a valid instrument not only because it is correlated with voter turnout and uncorrelated with politically relevant omitted variables, but also because it is expected to satisfy the assumption of ‘homogeneous partial effects,’ which has not been carefully examined in previous studies that took advantage of instrumental variables. Using a large, municipality-level data set from Japan, we show that the turnout effect on the amounts of intergovernmental fiscal transfers is indeed significant, positive, and large.
Association of statin use with risk and outcome of acute kidney injury in Community-acquired pneumonia

Summary Background and objectives Sepsis is a leading cause of AKI. Animal studies suggest that the pleiotropic effect of statins attenuates the risk for AKI and decreases mortality. This study examined whether statin use was associated with a lower risk for pneumonia-induced AKI and 1-year and cause-specific mortality in patients with AKI. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Multicenter, prospective cohort study of 1836 patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. Results Baseline characteristics differed among statin users and nonusers. Of the 413 patients (22.5%) who received a statin before hospitalization, statin treatment, when adjusted for differences in age, severity of pneumonia, admission from nursing home, health insurance, and propensity for statin use, did not reduce the risk for AKI (odds ratio [OR], 1.32 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–1.69]; P =0.05). Of patients with AKI ( n =631), statin use was associated with a lower risk for death at 1 year (27.8% versus 38.8%; P =0.01), which was not significant when adjusted for differences in age, severity of pneumonia and AKI, use of mechanical ventilation, and propensity score (OR, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.50–1.06]; P =0.09). Among patients with AKI, cardiovascular disease accounted for one third of all deaths. Conclusions In a large cohort of patients hospitalized with pneumonia, statins did not reduce the risk for AKI. Among patients with AKI, statin use was not associated with lower risk for death at 1 year. The higher risk for AKI observed among statin users may be due to indication bias.
Effect of Process Variation on the Performance of Phase Frequency Detector

In this paper, the effect of process variation in transistors on the phase noise in a conventional CMOS phase frequency detector (PFD) is investigated. When a phase locked loop (PLL) is locked the logical operations of the NAND gates in a PFD can be modeled on the basis of an inverter. Hence the authors consider a CMOS inverter in the TSMC18RF technology and analytically derive expressions for phase noise. Based on the analytical model, the effects of process parameter variations on the PFD are verified through Monte Carlo simulations. The resulting spread obtained for a cumulative variation of the parameters was 1dBc/Hz, indicating that the PFD is quite robust to process parameter variations. Finally, the gates contributing to the phase noise of the PFD are identified
Adrenocortical Carcinoma and Synchronous Malignancies

Objective: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive tumor that accounts for 0.02% of all reported cancers. ACC commonly arises in a sporadic manner, but may also manifest as part of a familial syndrome. Regardless of the setting, ACC rarely arises concurrent with other malignant tumors. Methods: In this report we describe a 32-year-old woman who on work-up for abnormal vaginal bleeding was diagnosed with synchronous uterine adenocarcinoma, ovarian adenocarcinoma and ACC. We also provide a literature review of the past 20 years to identify other patients with ACC and synchronous malignant tumors, and those with familial syndromes associated with an increased risk of developing ACC. Results and Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the first report of a patient with synchronous malignant tumors of the uterus, ovary and adrenal gland. Review of the literature revealed only 5 other cases in which a patient had concurrent ACC and malignant tumors in other organs.
Building Community Partnerships to End Interpersonal Violence A Collaboration of the Schools of Social Work, Law, and Nursing

The article discusses the University of Texas at Austin's (UT Austin) Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA), an institution that was established in 2001. IDVSA is a collaboration of the Schools of Social Work, Law, and Nursing, and 150 community affiliates. Recognizing that interpersonal violence does not occur in a vacuum, the IDVSA operates within an ecological framework in which explanations for interpersonal violence acknowledge that individuals and families are nested in larger mezzo and macro systems, and factors such as gender, poverty, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and immigration status play influential roles in our understanding of these issues. The overarching goal is to advance knowledge and meaningful practice in the field through partnerships with survivors and community practitioners. Specifically, the mission is to advance the knowledge related to domestic violence and sexual assault in order to end interpersonal violence. IDVSA seeks to achieve its mission by focusing on three key areas: (1) rigorous research and scholarship on domestic violence and sexual assault; (2) comprehensive training, technical assistance, and information dissemination to the practitioner community and the community at large; and (3) substantial collaboration with our community partners. This article summarizes the authors' pursuit.
Host Defense Mechanisms Against Pneumonia Due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pneumonia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa is associated with unusually high mortalities. Accordingly, efforts to define better the most important components of lung defenses against this infection are justified as a prelude to defining improved management strategies. In this report, a guinea pig model of experimental aspiration pseudomonas pneumonia was employed for studies of cellular and humoral mechanisms of pulmonary defense. Animals treated with cortisone acetate plus cyclophosphamide experienced decreased survival from pneumonia, and survival rates correlated directly with the degree of myelosuppression. Numbers of pulmonary macrophages and polymorphonuclear neutrophils were reduced in drug-treated animals before impairment of macrophage antibacterial function. Thus, a reduction in numbers of phagocytes alone was sufficient to markedly reduce lung defenses. In additional experiments, normal guinea pigs were vaccinated with a lipopolysaccharide pseudomonas vaccine. Improved survival from pneumonia correlated with high titers of type-specific, heat-stable opsonic antibody. It is concluded that adequate numbers of lung phagocytes, plus type-specific opsonic antibody, represent the ideal status for lung defense against P. aeruginosa infection.
Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression (PLDD): 352 Cases with an 8 1/2-Year Follow-up

ABSTRACT Percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) was pioneered by Dr. Peter Ascher and myself in 1986. This report describes patient selection, operative technique, laser dosimetry, and result...
Mössbauer scattering in 195Pt

The Mossbauer effect of the 99 keV transition in 195Pt was studied in a backscattering geometry with platinum in iron, cobalt and nickel. The g-factor of the excited state, g32 = -0.43 ±0.10, and the internal fields were determined.
Ion leakage is reduced during anoxia in turtle brain: a potential survival strategy

The turtle brain maintains ATP levels, ion homeostasis, and some neural function during prolonged anoxia despite significant decreases in the rate of ATP production. To test the hypothesis that reduced ATP production during anoxia was compensated partly by conserving energy through reduced ion leakage, the rate of K+ leakage was measured in normoxic and anoxic turtle brains in which Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase was inhibited with ouabain. Rates of K+ leakage were significantly lower in brains subjected to 2 h of anoxia than in normoxic brains. These data support the suggestion that reduced ion leakage is an important mechanism for energy conservation during anoxia.
The Enthalpies of Formation of BeO(c) and BeF2(c).

Two of the key compounds in the evaluation and synthesis of a consistent set of thermodynamic values for the Be compounds are BeO(c) and BeF2(c). The available measurements on the enthalpies of formation of these two compounds are presented with a detailed outline of the approach used to select the "best" values, Δ H f 298.15 K ∘ [ BeO ( c ) ] = - 145.7 ± 0.6 kcal ⋅ mol - 1 ( - 609.6 ± 2.5 kJ ⋅ mol - 1 ) and Δ H f 298.15 K ∘ [ BeF 2 ( c , quartz ) ] = - 245.4 ± 0.8 kcal ⋅ mol - 1 ( - 1026.8 ± 3.3 kJ ⋅ mol - 1 ) .
Theory of Infrared Microspectroscopy for Intact Fibers

Infrared microspectroscopy is widely used for the chemical analysis of small samples. In particular, spectral properties of small cylindrical samples are important in forensic analysis, understanding relationships between microstructure and mechanical properties in fibers or fiber composites, and development of cosmetics and drugs for hair. The diameters of the constituent cylinders are typically of the order of the central wavelength of light used to probe the sample. Hence, structure and material spectral response are coupled and recorded spectra are usually distorted to the extent of becoming useless for molecular identification. In this paper, we apply rigorous optical theory to predict the spectral distortions observed in IR microspectroscopic data of fibers. The theory is used, first, to compute the changes that are observed for cylinders of various dimensions under different instrument configurations when compared to the bulk spectrum from the same material. We provide a method to recover intrinsic...
Barrier Sprays to Control Argentine Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Insecticide was applied to the perimeter of homes and adjacent areas likely to be visited by Argentine ants, Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr). Treatment configuration consisted of a 1.8- to 2.4-m-wide band of spray around the exterior of the structure. Margins of sidewalks and pathways and around stepping stones, bases of trees, potted plants, and garbage cans were sprayed with 1.2-to 1.8-m-wide bands. Based on monitoring with traps, significant and relevant control was achieved when the number of ants trapped post treatment declined at least 80%. Barrier sprays of 237 mg (AI)/m2 chlorpyrifos, 14.5 mg (AI)/m2 cyfluthrin and 67.2 mg (AI)/m2 cypermethrin provided >80% reductions in the number of ants trapped at 7 d. Chlorpyrifos provided >82% reductions for at least 30 d. The combination of cyfluthrin spray + granules provided >85% reductions in ant trap counts at day 7. Only the combination treatment provided >80% reductions at 60 d. Cypermethrin and permethrin sprays failed to provide >80% reductions for 30 d. Factors that likely contribute to decreased performance of barrier sprays against ants include heavy irrigation, dense ground cover, exposure to direct sunlight, alkaline nature of the stucco and concrete surfaces, and extremely high temperatures.
Development of Aluminum Titanate-Clay Composites for Infrared Radiator

Sintered aluminum titanate has a very low thermal expansion and an infrared radiative property selectively emitting large amounts of far infrared rays. However, it is weak in mechanical strength. Spectral infrared emittance, thermal expansion coefficient, and mechanical strength of aluminum titanate-clay composites were studied to develop a material for infrared radiators. The composites containing 10 to 50mass% clay has low spectral emittance in the range of 5000 to 2500cm-1 and high emittance in the range of 1500 to 360cm-1. The bending strength of the composite increased with increasing clay content. The composite with a clay content of 30mass% formed by hand pressing using a plaster mold and fired at 1500°C had a large strength for infrared radiators; 80MPa. The average linear thermal expansion coefficient from room temperature to 800°C of the 30mass% clay-containing composite fired at 1500°C was lower than 2.5×10-6/°C.
Polarization and phase sensitive normal incidence multiple quantum well light modulator with 7000:1 contrast

A multiple quantum well modulator was fabricated using epitaxial lift-off techniques and bonded to a transparent substrate which possesses a direction-dependent thermal expansion coefficient. The modulator utilized the quantum confined Stark effect to tune the phase retardation and polarization rotation created by the thermally induced in-plane anisotropic strain. A contrast ratio of 7000:1 was achieved in an electrically controlled multiple quantum well light modulator. >
Theorists learn to slip and slide

Three thousand years ago natural philosophers tried to predict the behaviour of materials by examining their basic elements – then thought to be earth, air, fire and water. Nowadays we know the quantum mechanical principles governing the behaviour of electrons and nuclei. But the sheer complexity of material properties has prevented us from applying quantum mechanics to everyday materials. However, Mike Payne's group at Cambridge University in the UK has now taken an important first step in completing the link from quantum mechanics to understanding the mechanical properties of materials (C Molteni et al. 1996 Phys. Rev. Lett. 76 1284).
Evidence-Based Treatment for Malignant Paediatric Bone Tumours

In Children, the vast majority of bone tumours are benign or benign aggressive entities. For the purposes of this discussion however, we are focusing on the management of primary and secondary bone malignancies.
Filum Terminale Needle Placement During Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection

Objective Caudal epidural steroid injections (ESIs) are commonly used to treat lumbar radicular pain. Touhy needles are placed under live fluoroscopic guidance to ensure epidural administration of medication. This is a case report of direct needle and catheter placements into and through the filum terminale during a caudal approach to the epidural space. Design Single case report. Setting Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Patient A 69-year-old woman who suffered from chronic low back and leg pain from lumbosacral radiculopathy, failed back surgery syndrome, and lumbar facet arthropathy. Interventions Caudal epidural steroid injection. Outcome Measures Patient safety. Results The needle and catheter placement were confirmed via intrathecal contrast spread to be in the filum terminale, which prompted abortion of the procedure. Conclusions Although caudal ESI is a relatively safe and routine intervention, care must be taken to ensure proper placement of needle, catheter, and injectate. While contrast is injected to ensure appropriate epidural spread, it serves also to reveal unexpected and unwanted spread. We present the first report of a needle being inserted directly into the filum terminale during a caudal ESI.
Heterogeneous Vascular Bed Responses to Pulmonary Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Exposure.

A growing body of research links engineered nanomaterial (ENM) exposure to adverse cardiovascular endpoints. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of ENM exposure on vascular reactivity in discrete segments so that we may determine the most sensitive levels of the vasculature where these negative cardiovascular effects are manifest. We hypothesized that acute nano-TiO2 exposure differentially affects reactivity with a more robust impairment in the microcirculation. Sprague-Dawley rats (8-10 weeks) were exposed to nano-TiO2 via intratracheal instillation (20 g, 100 g, or 200 g suspended per 250 l of vehicle) 24 hours prior to vascular assessments. A serial assessment across distinct compartments of the vascular tree was then conducted. Wire myography was used to evaluate macrovascular active tension generation specifically in the thoracic aorta, the femoral artery and 3rd order mesenteric arterioles. Pressure myography was used to determine vascular reactivity in 4th and 5th order mesenteric arterioles. Vessels were treated with phenylephrine (PE), acetylcholine (ACh), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Nano-TiO2 exposure decreased endothelium-dependent relaxation in the thoracic aorta and femoral arteries assessed via ACh by 53.96 ± 11.6%, and 25.08 ± 6.36% respectively. Relaxation of third order mesenteric arterioles was impaired by 100 µg and 20 µg nano-TiO2 exposures with mean reductions of 50.12 ± 8.7% and 68.28 ± 8.7%. Cholinergic reactivity of 4th and 5th order mesenteric arterioles was negatively affected by nano-TiO2 with diminished dilations of 82.86 ± 12.6% after exposure to 200 µg nano-TiO2, 42.6 ± 12.6% after 100 μg nano-TiO2, and 49.4 ± 12.6% after 20 µg nano-TiO2. Endothelium-independent relaxation was impaired in the thoracic aorta by 34.05 ± 25% induced by exposure to 200 µg nano-TiO2 and a reduction in response of 49.31 ± 25% caused by 100 µg nano-TiO2. Femoral artery response was reduced by 18 ± 5% while 3rd order mesenteric arterioles were negatively affected by 20 µg nano-TiO2 with a mean decrease in response of 38.37 ± 10%. This is the first study to directly compare the differential effect of ENM exposure on discrete anatomical segments of the vascular tree. Pulmonary ENM exposure produced macro- and microvascular dysfunction resulting
Exploring intuitiveness of metaphor-based gestures for UAV navigation

We investigate how the use of metaphors supports the intuitiveness of gesture input vocabularies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) navigation. We compare gesture sets constituting a single metaphor to gesture sets that are based on mixed metaphors in terms of their respective intuitiveness. To this end, we implemented a 3D simulator in order to check how well novice users steer a UAV without knowing the valid gestures, using only a hint on the underlying metaphor. We compared their task completion time (indirect assessment of intuitiveness) with the one achieved after studying a gesture set that consists of gestures from several metaphors. We analyzed users' feedback reflected in questionnaires (direct assessment of intuitiveness) to further compare single metaphor gesture sets with mixed metaphors gesture sets. The results of the study support our hypothesis that a metaphor-based approach is an expedient means for gesture-based UAV navigation.
Case 44: Anesthesia for a Surgeon Who Has Previously Lost His Privileges

You have just completed residency and have joined an anesthesia group that has many surgical locations to cover. Today you are assigned to a free-standing surgical clinic. This is your first time in this clinic. Your first case is a 42-year-old male who is a drug abuser and positive for HIV. According to the surgical history and physical exam, he is otherwise healthy. He is scheduled for a cervical discectomy under MAC (monitored anesthesia care). Upon arrival at the clinic, you introduce yourself to the head nurse. She tells you that the surgeon always does these cases under MAC and has refused in the past to have them done under general anesthesia. You look at the operating room list and discover that this is (fortunately) the only case he is doing today. You arrive in the change room, and one of your anesthesia colleagues tells you that the surgeon you are working with today has lost his privileges in many hospitals and clinics in the area. He also lost his privileges in the one you are in now but has recently been reinstated. This is his first time back after a 12-month absence. You ask why he lost his privileges in this clinic, and you are told that he punctured the trachea in one patient during a cervical discectomy under MAC. This led, in the postoperative period, to severe surgical emphysema of the neck with obstruction of the airway. Even though he was aware that the patient had breathing difficulty due to surgical emphysema in the postoperative period, he did nothing and left the hospital. The patient stopped breathing 30 min later. Without the timely intervention by an anesthesiologist, who was passing by in the recovery room, the patient would have died. Adding to your concern is the fact that you are told by your anesthesia colleague that the surgeon told the patient to sue the anesthesiologist as it was his fault. You are now really apprehensive and wonder what you should do.
Concentration Camp Survivors

The concentration camp syndrome, as first described following the Nazi Holocaust, represented a catastrophic stress and resulted in a common symptom pattern present in most survivors. These symptoms included marked anxiety, restlessness, startle reaction, sleep disturbances, nightmares, poor concentration, and excessive rumination about the traumatic events. The concentration camp syndrome was never recognized as an official American Psychiatric Association diagnosis but its symptoms are the core of what is now called posttraumatic stress disorder. The symptoms have been found in other concentration camp survivors, such as prisoners of war and the more recent Cambodian concentration camp survivors. The response is the result of extreme stress and indicates that such stress can produce a psychiatric disorder that is severe and persistent in many people.
Effect of Tetramisole and Its Platinum Polyamine on Mice Infected with Encephalomyocarditis-Variant-D Virus

The effects of tetramisole and its platinum polyamine on the diabetogenesis of the diabetogenic D variant of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMC-D) was studied in nine-week old male ICR Swiss mice. These compounds are interferon inducers as well as immune modulators. The effect of these drugs at seven days after infection on the incidence and severity of diabetes were evaluated in virus-infected mice using the one-hour glucose tolerance test. When tetramisole was administered to mice eight days prior to EMC-D infection, little difference was seen in the incidence of diabetes which occurred in the mice compared to that seen in virus-infected mice. When given one day prior to virus infection, enhancement of both incidence and severity of diabetes occurred compared to that observed in the virus-infected mice. When tetramisole was given four days after virus infection, the severity of diabetes increased over that seen in the virusinfected diabetic mice. These and other results are consistent with the mice being more susceptible when their immune system is stressed.
The Markov Chain Simulation Method for Generating Connected Power Law Random Graphs.

Graph models for real-world complex networks such as the Internet, the WWW and biological networks are necessary for analytic and simulation-based studies of network protocols, algorithms, engineering and evolution. To date, all available data for such networks suggest heavy tailed statistics, most notably on the degrees of the underlying graphs. A practical way to generate network topologies that meet the observed data is the following degree-driven approach: First predict the degrees of the graph by extrapolation from the available data, and then construct a graph meeting the degree sequence and additional constraints, such as connectivity and randomness. Within the networking community, this is currently accepted as the most successful approach for modeling the inter-domain topology of the Internet. In this paper we propose a Markov chain simulation approach for generating a random connected graph with a given degree sequence. We introduce a novel heuristic to speed up the simulation of the Markov chain. We use metrics reminiscent of quality of service and congestion to evaluate the output graphs. We report experiments on degree sequences corresponding to real Internet topologies. All experimental results indicate that our method is efficient in practice, and superior to a previously used heuristic.
Update on Campylobacter vaccine development.

Background: Acute diarrheal disease caused by viral, bacterial and parasitic infections are a major global health problem with substantial mortality and morbidity in children under five years of ag...
Design and synthesis of novel conformationally restricted peptide secondary structure mimetics

A facile synthesis of the novel conformationally restricted reverse turn mimetic is described. The key features are the preparation of the α-keto amide and tandem bicyclic ring formation.
Czech pension system : challenges and reform options

The purpose of the paper is to review the structure and performance of the Czech pension system and examine alternative reform options. The paper shows that in the absence of reform the deficits of the Czech pension system may exceed 8 percent of GDP in 2050. To contain these deficits the paper explores two major pay-as-you-go (PAYG) reform options. The first major option is a standard parametric reform that preserves the defined benefit (DB) scheme. The second major option involves parametric reforms combined with a switch to a notional defined contribution (NDC) scheme. The paper shows that the NDC cum parametric reforms would automatically tighten the link between contributions and benefits and be more resilient to unpredicted demographic shocks. However, both the DB and the NDC options would produce a significant reduction in replacement rates, especially for young generations. To avoid an excessive drop in replacement ratios the authorities should make an effort to increase coverage of the third pillar and improve the regulatory framework for third pillar funds. The authorities may also have to consider introducing a second pillar to ensure universal coverage, especially of young workers. Introducing a second pillar will be easier if the PAYG reforms start immediately. This is because an early implementation of the PAYG reforms would produce a significant improvement of the PAYG and offset at least partly the revenue losses arising from the diversion of contributions to the second pillar.
Prostate Cancer at Age 84

SUMMARY A gay man is first diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 84. The cancer is aggressive and requires treatment. He struggles with the choice of treatment. Surgery is inadvisable because the cancer has already advanced beyond the capsule, and surgery raises the danger of possible metastasis. Preservation of erectile potency is ruled out as a cause of concern, since he is no longer sexually potent. Due to the lack of knowledge and experience (as opposed to present-day advances) radiation, in its form at that time, is ruled out. There was danger of radiation burns to adjacent healthy tissue. Chemotherapy was not recommended to him at that time. Patient settled on hormone therapy, deciding that he could manage the consequences of hormonal castration, even though his doctors never discussed his homosexual lifestyle with him. This oversight seemed less important at the time, because the patient was already impotent. Patient's overriding concern was with the formation of a living situation or home with ano...
The life span of a print textbook: An investigation in the utility of aging textbook collections in academic libraries

AbstractThis paper will use circulation data to explore usage trends for physical textbooks in an academic library over a sustained period of time. Conclusions will be drawn from the analysis to de...
Voxel-level Classification of Prostate Cancer on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Improving Accuracy Using Four-Compartment Restriction Spectrum Imaging.

Background Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is integral to detection of prostate cancer (PCa), but conventional apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) cannot capture the complexity of prostate tissues and tends to yield noisy images that do not distinctly highlight cancer. A four-compartment restriction spectrum imaging (RSI4 ) model was recently found to optimally characterize pelvic diffusion signals, and the model coefficient for the slowest diffusion compartment, RSI4 -C1 , yielded greatest tumor conspicuity. Purpose To evaluate the slowest diffusion compartment of a four-compartment spectrum imaging model (RSI4 -C1 ) as a quantitative voxel-level classifier of PCa. Study type Retrospective. Subjects Forty-six men who underwent an extended MRI acquisition protocol for suspected PCa. Twenty-three men had benign prostates, and the other 23 men had PCa. Field strength/sequence A 3 T, multishell diffusion-weighted and axial T2-weighted sequences. Assessment High-confidence cancer voxels were delineated by expert consensus, using imaging data and biopsy results. The entire prostate was considered benign in patients with no detectable cancer. Diffusion images were used to calculate RSI4 -C1 and conventional ADC. Classifier images were also generated. Statistical tests Voxel-level discrimination of PCa from benign prostate tissue was assessed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves generated by bootstrapping with patient-level case resampling. RSI4 -C1 was compared to conventional ADC for two metrics: area under the ROC curve (AUC) and false-positive rate for a sensitivity of 90% (FPR90 ). Statistical significance was assessed using bootstrap difference with two-sided α = 0.05. Results RSI4 -C1 outperformed conventional ADC, with greater AUC (mean 0.977 [95% CI: 0.951-0.991] vs. 0.922 [0.878-0.948]) and lower FPR90 (0.032 [0.009-0.082] vs. 0.201 [0.132-0.290]). These improvements were statistically significant (P Data conclusion RSI4 -C1 yielded a quantitative, voxel-level classifier of PCa that was superior to conventional ADC. RSI classifier images with a low false-positive rate might improve PCa detection and facilitate clinical applications like targeted biopsy and treatment planning. Evidence level 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.
Integrated spatial multi-omics reveals fibroblast fate during tissue repair

In the skin, tissue injury results in fibrosis in the form of scars composed of dense extracellular matrix deposited by fibroblasts. The therapeutic goal of regenerative wound healing has remained elusive in part because principles of fibroblast programming and adaptive response to injury remain incompletely understood. Here, we present a multimodal -omics platform for the comprehensive study of cell populations in complex tissue, which has allowed us to characterize the cells involved in wound healing across both time and space. We employ a stented wound model that recapitulates human tissue repair kinetics and multiple Rainbow transgenic lines to precisely track fibroblast fate during the physiologic response to injury. Through integrated analysis of single cell chromatin landscapes and gene expression states, coupled with spatial transcriptomic profiling, we are able to impute fibroblast epigenomes with temporospatial resolution. This has allowed us to define the mechanisms controlling cell fate during migration, proliferation, and differentiation following tissue injury and thereby reexamine the canonical phases of wound healing. These findings have broad implications for the study of tissue repair in complex organ systems.
What Remains of Kokesh After Liu

This paper addresses two questions that emerge from Liu v. SEC, 2020 WL 3405845 (U.S.). The first concerns the status of a disgorgement order in an SEC enforcement case that fails to satisfy the equitable limitations the Court discussed in the opinion. The second concerns the application of the five-year limitations period in 28 U.S.C. § 2462 to a disgorgement order complying with the Liu requirements. First, a disgorgement order that does not comply with the equitable restrictions described in the opinion would not be valid because courts do not have power to issue a disgorgement order in an SEC case unless the terms of the order meet those limitations. The question before the Court was whether a statute authorizing equitable relief in SEC cases allowed disgorgement orders, and the Court found that it did but only if the disgorgement order stays within the bounds of three traditional principles of equity. An award that does not comply is not equitable relief and lacks statutory authorization. Second, Liu nullified Kokesh v. SEC, 137 S. Ct. 1635 (2017), where the Court held that disgorgement in an SEC enforcement case imposed a penalty for purposes of applying the five-year limitations period in 28 U.S.C. § 2462. Liu found equitable relief to be incompatible with a penalty. Because a properly limited disgorgement award is equitable relief, equity does not enforce a penalty, and section 2462 applies only to claims for a fine, penalty, or forfeiture, the limitations period does not govern a disgorgement order that conforms to the equitable principles in Liu. The SEC may seek and a court may order disgorgement in a case commenced more than five years after the enforcement claim first accrued. Freeing a government enforcement claim from any limitations period is not the preferred policy outcome, but it appears to be the better reading of Liu.
Murine bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells have reduced hematopoietic maintenance ability in sickle cell disease.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is characterized by hemolytic anemia, which can trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and tissue injury that contributes to disease complications. Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) tightly regulate hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis in health and disease but their functionality in SCD remains unclear. We identified for the first time murine SCD MSCs to have altered gene signatures, reduced stem cell properties, and increased oxidative stress, due in part to hemolysis. Murine SCD MSCs had lower HSC maintenance ability in vitro and in vivo as manifested by increased HSC mobilization and decreased HSC engraftment following transplant. Activation of TLR4 through p65 in MSCs further contributed to MSC dysfunction. Transfusions led to improved MSC and HSC oxidative state in SCD mice. Improving the regulation between MSCs and HSCs has vital implications for enhancing clinical HSC transplantation and gene therapy outcomes and for identification of new molecular targets for alleviating SCD complications.
Explanation and Facilitation Strategies Reduce Student Resistance to Active Learning

Active learning increases student learning, engagement, and interest in STEM and subsequently, the number and diversity of graduates. Yet, its adoption has been slow, partially due to instructors’ ...
The Use of Ultrasonics for Texture Monitoring in Aluminum Alloys

Many alloys of common metals (such as aluminum and steel) are polycrystalline aggregates having preferred orientation (texture) of the single crystals making up the aggregate. Texture often affects mechanical properties, such as response of material to deep drawing which occurs in the manufacture of aluminum cans.
More than Math: On the Affective Domain in Developmental Mathematics.

Students at a large urban community college enrolled in fourteen sections of a developmental algebra class. While cognitive variables are often used to place students, affective characteristics may also influence their success. To explore the impact of affective variables, students took ACT’s Engage survey measuring motivation, academic-related skills and social engagement, as well as the ATMI (Attitudes Toward Math Inventory) survey. Student performance on the course was measured by a common 25 question multiple choice final exam. Of the affective variables measured, ATMI Motivation was statistically significant in positive correlation with final exam score, and ATMI Confidence had a statistically significant negative correlation. More general measures of motivation and confidence were not significant suggesting a potential difference affective measures for mathematics learning. Longer term persistence models indicated ATMI Value of Mathematics and Engage Academic Discipline were positive predictors of success.
DISLOCATION-FREE ISLAND FORMATION IN HETEROEPITAXIAL GROWTH : A STUDY AT EQUILIBRIUM

We investigate the equilibrium properties of strained heteroepitaxial systems, incorporating the formation and the growth of a wetting film, dislocation-free island formation, and ripening. The derived phase diagram provides a detailed characterization of the possible growth modes in terms of the island density, equilibrium island size, and wetting layer thickness. Comparing our predictions with experimental results we discuss the growth conditions that can lead to stable islands as well as ripening.
Dosage of X‐linked Toll‐like receptor 8 determines gender differences in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with a high incidence in females and a complex phenotype. Using 564Igi mice, a model of SLE with knock-in genes encoding an autoreactive anti-RNA Ab, we investigated how expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in B cells and neutrophils affects pathogenesis. We established that TLR signaling through MyD88 is necessary for disease. Autoantibody was produced in mice with single deletions of Tlr7, Tlr8, or Tlr9 or combined deletions of Tlr7 and Tlr9. Autoantibody was not produced in the combined absence of Tlr7 and Tlr8, indicating that TLR8 contributes to the break in tolerance. Furthermore, TLR8 was sufficient for the loss of B-cell tolerance, the production of class-switched autoantibody, heightened granulopoiesis, and increased production of type I IFN by neutrophils as well as glomerulonephritis and death. We show that dosage of X-linked Tlr8 plays a major role in the high incidence of disease in females. In addition, we show that the negative regulation of disease by TLR9 is exerted primarily on granulopoiesis and type I IFN production by neutrophils. Collectively, we suggest that individual TLRs play unique roles in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, suggesting new targets for treatment.
Crocodylia (Including Crocodiles and Alligators)

The order Crocodylia contains the sole reptilian survivors of the Archosauria, which also included the dinosaurs. Understanding the biology, natural history and evolution of the living crocodylians is critical to appreciate fully their place in nature. Keywords: alligator; caiman; crocodile; gharial; evolution
Link Prediction for Partially Observed Networks

ABSTRACTLink prediction is one of the fundamental problems in network analysis. In many applications, notably in genetics, a partially observed network may not contain any negative examples, that is, edges known for certain to be absent, which creates a difficulty for existing supervised learning approaches. We develop a new method that treats the observed network as a sample of the true network with different sampling rates for positive (true edges) and negative (absent edges) examples. We obtain a relative ranking of potential links by their probabilities, using information on network topology as well as node covariates if available. The method relies on the intuitive assumption that if two pairs of nodes are similar, the probabilities of these pairs forming an edge are also similar. Empirically, the method performs well under many settings, including when the observed network is sparse. We apply the method to a protein–protein interaction network and a school friendship network.
Bir Umm Fawakhir: Insights into ancient Egyptian mining

Archaeological surveys at the site of Bir Umm Fawakhir in the central Eastern Desert of Egypt have clarified its role as a 5th–6th century gold-mining town. To date, 152 out of an estimated 216 buildings in the main settlement have been mapped in detail, eight outlying clusters of ruins have been identified, and four ancient mines have been inspected. In conjunction with Diodorus Siculus' first centuryb.c. account of Egyptian gold mining, the recent archaeological discoveries permit new insights into ancient Egyptian mining towns and techniques. Some evidence of activity at Bir Umm Fawakhir in earlier Roman, Ptolemaic, and pharaonic times has also been found.
Interactions of copper(II) porphyrins with DNA

Abstract The interactions of three cationic water soluble copper(II) porphyrins, differing in peripheral substituents, with calf thymus DNA are described. Tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphinecopper(II) behaves as a simple intercalator under the conditions investigated, whereas tetrakis(4-N,N′,N″-trimethylanilinium)porphinecopper(II), binds externally, with some limited aggregation under high drug load conditions. In contrast, trans-bis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)diphenylporphinecopper(II) (t-CuPagg), like the free-base t-H2Pagg from which it is derived, is capable of forming extended electronically coupled arrays while bound to the DNA template. These arrays have been investigated using a combination of extinction spectroscopy, circular dichroism, RLS and resonance Raman spectroscopy. They are found to contain 105–106 porphyrin units, arranged in long, narrow organized structures. The kinetics of assembly of t-CuPagg is reported on three DNAs: ct DNA, poly(dG–dC)2 and poly(dA–dT)2. A non-conventional autocatalytic model first proposed for t-H2Pagg assembly formation is successful at fitting these data, permitting direct comparisons of kinetic parameters for the two porphyrins. It is found that the catalytic rate constant (kc) is considerably smaller for t-CuPagg than for t-H2Pagg under comparable conditions, and that the template rigidity fosters assembly formation. We also report the resonance Raman spectra of t-H2Pagg/ct DNA and t-CuPagg/ct DNA complexes. Aggregation on the DNA template changes the intensity pattern of the porphyrin's resonance Raman spectra, with some low- and high-frequency bands becoming strongly enhanced upon aggregation. We conclude that aggregation-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy is a useful probe of aggregation in porphyrin–DNA complexes that also gives detailed information about structural changes that accompany the aggregation process.
Infinitism Redux? A Response to Klein

Foundationalist, Coherentist. Skeptic etc., have all been united in one respect—all accept epistemic justification cannot result from an unending, and non-repeating. chain of reasons. Peter Klein has recently challenged this minimal consensus with a defense of what he calls “Intinitism”—the position that justification can result from such a regress. Klein provides surprisingly convincing responses to most of the common objections to Infinitism, but I will argue that he fails to address a venerable metaphysical concern about a certain type of regress. My conclusion will be that until Klein answers these metaphysical worries he will not have restored Infinitism as a viable option in epistemology.
The bizarre sentence effect as a function of list length and complexity

Previous research has consistently shown that bizarre sentences are recalled better than common ones in mixed lists. It is unclear whether list length or sentence complexity affects these results. In the present study, we attempted to define the critical point at which the interacting conditions of list length and sentence complexity produce or fail to produce the bizarre sentence effect (BSE). We utilized a factorial design composed of two sentence-length and three mixed list-length conditions. The BSE was consistently found for each list length in the simple sentence condition but not in the complex sentence condition.
Hippocampal theta activity and response inhibition

Abstract To examine Bennett's (1970) hypothesis that theta activity may reflect the role of the hippocampus in response inhibition, hippocampal activity was monitored while cats with chronically implanted electrodes learned and were shifted from a continuous reinforcement (CRF) to a differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL) schedule in an operant conditioning apparatus. If the hypothesis were true, it was predicted that theta activity would occur between correct responses as the animal mastered the DRL task and hence improved in his ability to inhibit his previously reinforced continuous response task. The results did not support the hypothesis. It was found that small amplitude, fast desynchronized activity dominated the hippocampal records throughout training. When theta activity occurred, it was always associated with orienting responses. The results cast doubt on Adey's hypothesis that the appearance of theta activity during learning reflects the role of the hippocampus in decision making and memory consolidation. Also, the findings support Grastyan's contention that the main behavioral correlate of hippocampal theta activity during learning is the orienting response.
Evolution of the Pregnane X Receptor: Adaptation to Cross-Species Differences in Biliary Bile Salts

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) regulates the metabolism and elimination of bile salts, steroids, and xenobiotics. The sequence of the PXR ligand-binding domain diverges extensively between different animals suggesting inter-species differences in ligands. Of the endogenous ligands known to activate PXR, biliary bile salts vary the most across vertebrate species, ranging from 27-carbon (C27) bile alcohol sulfates (early fish, amphibians) to C24 bile acids (birds, mammals). Using a luciferase-based reporter assay, human PXR was activated by a wide variety of bile salts. In contrast, zebrafish PXR was activated efficiently only by cyprinol sulfate, the major zebrafish bile salt, but not by recent bile acids. Chicken, mouse, rat, and rabbit PXRs were all activated by species-specific bile acids and by early fish bile alcohol sulfates. In addition, phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood demonstrated evidence for non-neutral evolution of the PXR ligand-binding domain. PXR activation by bile salts has expanded from narrow specificity for C27 bile alcohol sulfates (early fish) to a broader specificity for recent bile acids (birds, mammals). PXR specificity for bile salts has thus paralleled the increasing complexity of the bile salt synthetic pathway during vertebrate evolution, an unusual example of ligand-receptor co-evolution in the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily.