cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shifting targets: spatial priorities for ex situ plant conservation depend on interactions between current threats, climate change, and uncertainty

Few strategies for conservation seed banking consider current and climate threats simultaneously and few—if any—represent uncertainty inherent in the assessment process. Here we evaluate the vulnerability of 5148 populations of 71 rare plant species in the North American Central Highlands to current threat, threat from climate change, and their combination. We calculated priorities based on current threat using existing conservation status and protection, and priorities based on climate threat using ecological niche models and species-level traits related to reproduction and dispersal. Current- and climate-based priorities were integrated using a weighted average of rank priority. We managed uncertainty using either a precautionary strategy that avoids any extinctions or a resource-conservative strategy that directs attention to species known to be vulnerable with high certainty. Priorities based on current threats highlighted presently rare species while priorities based on climate threat emphasized presently common species. The location of geographic “hotspots” providing opportunities for efficient seed banking depended strongly on the weight of the climate module relative to the current module, the strategy used to handle uncertainty, and emissions scenario. Integrating threats highlighted some hotspots that were not identified using just current or climate threat, indicating the importance of considering current and climate threats simultaneously. Only the Central Basin of Tennessee, a known center of endemism, was consistently emphasized. We urge (1) integrating current and climate threats when designing seed-banking strategies; and (2) reporting of uncertainty in a manner that allows decision-makers to choose actions based on available resources and tolerable risk.
Durable response of glioblastoma to adjuvant therapy consisting of temozolomide and a weekly dose of AMD3100 (plerixafor), a CXCR4 inhibitor, together with lapatinib, metformin and niacinamide.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a CNS (central nervous system) malignancy with a low cure rate. Median time to progression after standard treatment is 7 months and median overall survival is 15 months [1]. Post-treatment vasculogenesis promoted by recruitment of bone marrow derived cells (BMDCs, CD11b+ myelomonocytes) is one of main mechanisms of GBM resistance to initial chemoradiotherapy treatment [2]. Local secretion of SDF-1, cognate ligand of BMDCs CXCR4 receptors attracts BMDCs to the post-radiation tumor site.[3]. This SDF-1 hypoxia-dependent effect can be blocked by AMD3100 (plerixafor) [4]. We report a GBM case treated after chemo- radiotherapy with plerixafor and a combination of an mTOR, a Sirt1 and an EGFRvIII inhibitor. After one year temozolomide and the EGFRvIII inhibitor were stopped. Plerixafor, and the MTOR and Sirt-1 inhibitors were continued. He is in clinical and radiologic remission 30 months from the initiation of his adjuvant treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient treated for over two years with a CXCR4 inhibitor (plerixafor), as part of his adjuvant treatment. We believe there is sufficient experimental evidence to consider AMD3100 (plerixafor) part of the adjuvant treatment of GBM. Significance The adjuvant inhibition of GBM vasculogenesis(a process different from local angiogenesis) by specifically blocking the migration of BMDCs to the primary tumor site with inhibitors of the CXCR4/SDF-1 axis represents a potential novel therapeutic approach to GBM. There is significant pre-clinical evidence and validation for its use as demonstrated in a patient derived tumor xenograft model of GBM. Together with other specific anti-tumoral therapies, the active inhibition of vasculogenesis in the adjuvant treatment of GBM is deserving of further exploration.
Global land surface evaporation trend during the past half century: Corroboration by Clausius-Clapeyron scaling

Abstract Analyses of satellite data mainly over the world's ocean surfaces have shown that during 1986–2006 global average values of atmospheric water vapor, precipitation and evaporation have increased at a relative rate of 0.0013 a − 1 ; this is roughly in accordance with the Clausius-Clapeyron equation for the average temperature trend during this period, and amounts to 0.065 K − 1 at the average temperature of T = 14 ∘ C . Application of this concept over the world's land surfaces yields an average global evaporation trend during the past half century of around 0.4 to 0.5 mm a − 2 ; this confirms the values obtained in previous studies with totally different methods.
Simulation of a Distributed Communications Network using a Multi-tasking Uniprocessor

A simulator was implemented for the emulation of N nodes in a distributed, adaptive satellite communications network with point-to-point communication links. The simulator provides programmability of node functions by acting as an interpreter for a simulation specific command language. A methodology for handling distributed updating of routing information and synchronization and scaling of event timelines is demonstrated. The simulator was written using YACC and C under UNIX and uses multiple processes and a file-based interprocess communications system. Experimental development was also performed under Concurrent C which looks promising but requires a more debugged Concurrent C implementation.
Fluctuations of Nuclear Reaction Widths

The fluctuations of the neutron reduced widths from the resonance region of intermediate and heavy nuclei have been analyzed by a statistical procedure which is based on the method of maximum likelihood. It is found that a chi-squared distribution with one degree of freedom is quite consistent with the data while a chi-squared distribution with two degrees of freedom (an exponential distribution) is not. The former distribution corresponds to a Gaussian distribution for the reduced-width amplitude, and a plausibility argument is given for it which is based on the consideration of the matrix elements for neutron emission from the compound nucleus and of the central limit theorem of statistics. This argument also suggests that within the framework of the compound-nucleus theory all reduced-width amplitudes have Gaussian distributions, and that many of the distributions for the various channels may be independent. One consequence of the latter suggestion is that the total radiation width for a given spin state which is formed in neutron capture will be essentially constant, in agreement with some observations, because it is the sum of many partial radiation widths. The fluctuations of the provisional fission widths of ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$ are best described by a chisquared distribution with about 2\textonehalf{} degrees of freedom, indicating that there are effectively only a few independently contributing fission channels.
When is the zero-error capacity positive in the relay, multiple-access, broadcast and interference channels?

Shannon determined that the zero-error capacity of a point-to-point channel whose channel p(y|x) has confusability graph G X|Y is positive if and only if there exist two inputs that are “non-adjacent”, or “non-confusable”. Equivalently, it is non-zero if and only if the independence number of G X|Y is strictly greater than 1. A multi-letter expression for the zero-error capacity of the channel with confusability graph G X|Y is known, and is given by the normalized limit as the blocklength n → 1 of the maximum independent set of the n-fold strong product of G X|Y . This is not generally computable with known methods. In this paper, we look at the zero-error capacity of four multi-user channels: the relay, the multiple-access (MAC), the broadcast (BC), and the interference (IC) channels. As a first step towards finding a multi-letter expression for the capacity of such channels, we find necessary and sufficient conditions under which the zero-error capacity is strictly positive.
Do Participants Detect Sexual Abuse Depicted in a Drawing? Investigating the Impact of Betrayal Trauma Exposure on State Dissociation and Betrayal Awareness

ABSTRACTAn inability to identify betrayal may increase risk for victimization. Harm perpetrated by close others early in life may impair the ability to identify betrayal and develop trust. Dissociation may facilitate impaired betrayal awareness. The present study examined the impact of high betrayal trauma on state dissociation and betrayal awareness in a college sample (N = 216). Self-report measures were used to assess trauma history and state dissociation. Awareness for betrayal was measured using a drawing depicting an ambiguous interpersonal interaction between an adult and a child. We hypothesized that high betrayal trauma would be associated with both more state dissociation and lower awareness for betrayal. Participants with histories of high betrayal trauma reported high levels of state dissociation. Contrary to our second hypothesis, high betrayal trauma did not directly predict impaired betrayal awareness. State dissociation contributed significantly to betrayal awareness. Implications of findi...
Integrated maintenance and production planning with endogenous uncertain yield

Abstract The relationships among production planning, maintenance decisions and machine yield are crucial in a number of manufacturing environments such as the semi-conductor industry. This paper presents an integrated maintenance and production decision making framework with stochastically proportional endogenous yield rate and random demand. Finding the solution for this two-stage nonlinear stochastic program with endogenous uncertainty is not straightforward, and has not been considered previously. An augmented probability simulation based method is utilized to solve for the proposed decision model. We demonstrate the use of the proposed approach by conducting a numerical study and sensitivity analysis. We discuss the trade-offs involved among the yield, and simultaneous decisions of production planning and maintenance.
Co-infection does not predict disease signs in Gopherus tortoises

In disease ecology, the host immune system interacts with environmental conditions and pathogen properties to affect the impact of disease on the host. Within the host, pathogens may interact to facilitate or inhibit each other9s growth, and pathogens interact with different hosts differently. We investigated co-infection of two Mycoplasma and the association of infection with clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease in four congeneric tortoise host species ( Gopherus ) in the United States to detect differences in infection risk and disease dynamics in these hosts. Mojave Desert tortoises had greater prevalence of Mycoplasma agassizii than Texas tortoises and gopher tortoises, while there were no differences in Mycoplasma testudineum prevalence among host species. In some host species, the presence of each pathogen influenced the infection intensity of the other; hence, these two mycoplasmas interact differently within different hosts, and our results may indicate facilitation of these bacteria. Neither infection nor co-infection was associated with clinical signs of disease, which tend to fluctuate across time. From M. agassizii DNA sequences, we detected no meaningful differentiation of haplotypes among hosts. Experimental inoculation studies and recurrent resampling of wild individuals could help to decipher the underlying mechanisms of disease dynamics in this system.
My Sexual Entertainment, My Vote: How Attitudes Toward Condom Use in Pornography Related to Support for California’s Condom Law

In 2016, Californians voted down Proposition #60, which aimed to mandate condom use in pornography. Using an online survey administered through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, this study assessed how California citizens’ sexual entertainment preferences and viewing behaviors relate to their support for regulation. Findings generally suggest some aversion to condom use in pornography, especially among heterosexual males. Data suggest the more pornography one watches, the more averse one is to condoms in pornography, as well more opposed to regulation. Results varied more by gender than sexual orientation. Implications for third-person effects in relation to highly stigmatized topics are discussed.
What Makes Professional Development Coherent? Uncovering Teacher Perspectives on a Science Literacy Project

ABSTRACTIn this study, the authors sought to uncover the characteristics of professional development (PD) that were identified by teacher-participants as being important to their implementation of ...
Vicarious Experiences of Unemployment Scale Development: Relationships to Mental Health and Help-Seeking Among Undergraduate Students:

Vicarious experiences of unemployment (VUE), or having a primary caretaker such as a parent or legal guardian who is unemployed, have been demonstrated to impact adolescent and young adult physical...
Predicting pathway perturbations in Down syndrome.

Comparative annotation of human chromosome 21 genomic sequence with homologous regions of mouse chromosomes 16, 17 and 10 has identified 170 orthologous gene pairs. Functional annotation of these genes, based on literature reports and computationally-derived predictions, shows that a broad range of cellular processes are represented. A goal of Down syndrome research is to determine which of these processes are perturbed by overexpression of chromosome 21 genes, and which may, therefore, contribute to the cognitive deficits that characterize Down syndrome. Eleven chromosome 21 genes are annotated to interact with or be affected by components of the MAP Kinase pathway and eight are involved in Ca2+/calcineurin signaling. Both pathways are critical for normal neurological function, and consequently their perturbations are proposed as candidates for phenotypic relevance. We present evidence suggesting that the MAP Kinase pathway is perturbed in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome at 4–6 months of age. Analysis is complicated by the observation that overexpression of chromosome 21 genes in trisomy may be affected by method of detection, organism, tissue or brain region, and/or developmental age.
Quantification of mammary gland tissue size and composition changes after weaning in sows

The objectives of this study were to characterize the tissue compositional changes in porcine mammary glands after weaning and to determine whether administration of estradiol alters the profile of these tissue changes. Forty-five primiparous sows were assigned randomly to one of two treatment groups after weaning, control or estrogen treated. Estrogen-treated sows received twice-daily injections of estradiol-17beta (0.125 mg/kg of BW); control sows received vehicle injections. Sows were weaned at d 21 of lactation and killed on either d 0 (d of weaning; n = 5) or on d 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7 after weaning (n = 4 per treatment on each day). Teat order relative to suckling behavior was observed on the day before weaning to determine which mammary glands the piglets suckled. Suckled and non-suckled glands were identified from the teat order observation, and individual mammary glands were collected at slaughter. Mammary glands were trimmed of skin and extraneous fat pad, individually weighed, and bisected to measure cross-sectional area. The remaining half of each gland was ground and stored at -20 degrees C for chemical analyses. Frozen tissue was used for measuring tissue DNA, DM, protein, fat, and ash contents. Suckled mammary glands of sows undergo significant and dramatic changes during the initial 7 d after weaning, with significant changes occurring even by d 2 after weaning. Mean cross-sectional area of parenchymal tissue in suckled mammary glands decreased from 59.7 +/- 2.1 cm2 on the day of weaning to 26.8 +/- 2.3 cm2 by d 7 after weaning (P < 0.0001). Mammary gland wet weight decreased from 485.9 +/- 22.0 g on the day of weaning to 151.5 +/- 24.8 g by d 7 after weaning (P < 0.0001), whereas DNA decreased from 838.8 +/- 46.2 g on the day of weaning to 278.4 +/- 52.5 g by d 7 after weaning (P < 0.0001). The changes in gland wet weight and DNA during the period of mammary gland involution in the sow represent loses of over two-thirds of the parenchymal mass and nearly two-thirds of the cells that were present on the day of weaning. Estrogen treatment did not affect overall mammary involution during the first 7 d after weaning. Mammary glands that were not suckled during lactation had no further loss of parenchymal tissue during the first 7 d after weaning. Mammary gland involution in the sow is a rapid process and is probably irreversible within 2 or 3 d after weaning.
The asymmetric extraction decision

Orthodontic study models, intraoral photographs, radiographs and diagnostic set-up casts of four completed adult cases are presented to show the possibilities of atypical treatment planning to correct specific and unusual malocclusions. The cases presented required asymmetric dental extractions in order to achieve the desired treatment results. Three diagnostic procedures were used to assist in making the final treatment decisions; a Bolton tooth size analysis, a space available/space needed assessment, and a pretreatment diagnostic set-up. The completed treatment results closely approximate the original diagnostic predictions, and completely satisfied each patient's chief concern. Most orthodontic practices now treat increasing numbers of non-growing (adult) patients. Traditional extraction considerations must be modified to satisfy the treatment needs of this demanding patient population.
Heterochrony in Colonial Marine Animals

Since the publication of Ontogeny and Phylogeny (Gould, 1977), many workers studying fossil organisms have used heterochrony as a working hypothesis to account for phylogenetic changes in evolving lineages. Previous studies have dealt largely with solitary, aclonal organisms, but heterochrony has also been identified in clonal colonial organisms: graptolites (Rickards, 1977), bryozoans (Schopf, 1977; Anstey, 1987), and tabulate corals (Pandolfi, 1984a, 1987).
Theory of Diffusive Fluctuations.

The recently developed effective field theory of fluctuations around thermal equilibrium is used to compute late-time correlation functions of conserved densities. Specializing to systems with a single conservation law, we find that the diffusive pole is shifted in the presence of nonlinear hydrodynamic self-interactions, and that the density-density Green's function acquires a branch point halfway to the diffusive pole, at frequency $\ensuremath{\omega}=\ensuremath{-}(i/2)D{k}^{2}$. We discuss the relevance of diffusive fluctuations for strongly correlated transport in condensed matter and cold atomic systems.
Gesturing tool use and tool transport actions modulates inferior parietal functional connectivity with the dorsal and ventral object processing pathways

Interacting with manipulable objects (tools) requires the integration of diverse computations supported by anatomically remote regions. Previous functional neuroimaging research has demonstrated the left supramarginal (SMG) exhibits functional connectivity to both ventral and dorsal pathways, supporting the integration of ventrally-mediated tool properties and conceptual knowledge with dorsally-computed volumetric and structural representations of tools. This architecture affords us the opportunity to test whether interactions between the left SMG, ventral visual pathway, and dorsal visual pathway are differentially modulated when participants plan and generate tool-directed gestures emphasizing functional manipulation (tool use gesturing) or structure-based grasping (tool transport gesturing). We found that functional connectivity between the left SMG, ventral temporal cortex (bilateral fusiform gyri), and dorsal visual pathway (left superior parietal lobule/posterior intraparietal sulcus) was maximal for tool transport planning and gesturing, whereas functional connectivity between the left SMG, left ventral anterior temporal lobe, and left frontal operculum was maximal for tool use planning and gesturing. These results demonstrate that functional connectivity to the left SMG is differentially modulated by tool use and tool transport gesturing, suggesting that distinct tool features computed by the two object processing pathways are integrated in the parietal lobe in the service of tool-directed action.
Policy Analysis with Endogenous Migration Decisions: The Case of Left-Behind Children in China

I present a model of parental decision-making with endogenous migration to study the human capital of children in migrant families, focusing on the case of rural China. I derive two main results related to (i) the effect of parental migration on children’s human capital, and (ii) the effects of government policies that increase services for children. First, I show that if government spending is a substitute for parental spending and parent time with the child is weakly complementary to spending on the child, then children’s human capital decreases as they become left-behind by migrant parents. This sheds light on a puzzle in the empirical literature about the ambiguous effects of parental migration on the human capital of left-behind children. Second, in some cases, government policies that increase services for rural children have the unintended consequence of separating children from parents due to endogenous migration effects, thereby reducing child human capital. More broadly, the analysis demonstrates how focusing on marginal treatment effects can facilitate signing comparative statics that are otherwise difficult to sign.
MicroRNAs and Polycystic Kidney Disease

ABSTRACT MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non protein-coding RNAs that function as inhibitors of post-transcriptional gene expression in plants and animals. Over a thousand different miRNAs are known to be encoded by the human genome, the majority of which are conserved in other species. miRNAs are essential for virtually all aspects of mammalian biology, including development of key organs such the brain, the heart, and the kidney. More importantly, miRNAs are implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous common human diseases, and pharmaceutical manipulation of miRNA function has emerged as an exciting new therapeutic approach for cancer and kidney diseases. Several lines of evidence have connected miRNAs to the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). miRNAs are aberrantly expressed in cystic kidneys and this aberrant expression is thought to regulate key aspects of cyst pathogenesis such as cyst epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as dosage of the various cystic kidney disease genes. In this chapter, we briefly discuss the basic biology of miRNAs and their role in kidney development, and highlight the role of three miRNA families – miR-17 and related miRNAs, miR-200 family and miR-21- in the pathogenesis of PKD.
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure and Human-to-Infrastructure Models for Smart Civil Infrastructure Systems.

Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies are known as the next generation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), enabling data transmission between vehicles and road infrastructure. V2I communication models offer a variety of safety, mobility, and environmental applications in smart cities. Another innovative concept within the ITS is the human-to-infrastructure (H2I) communication model. H2I deals with the vulnerability of the users to damages and deteriorations of civil infrastructure. While many studies deal with V2I, limited research has been conducted in the area of interaction between humans and transportation infrastructure systems. This study presents a comprehensive review of the current studies in the arena of V2I and proposes the vital basics for establishing a robust H2I model for the next generation of the smart, civil infrastructure systems.
Realization of a Push-Me-Pull-You swimmer at low Reynolds numbers.

Locomotion at low Reynolds numbers encounters stringent physical constraints due to the dominance of viscous over inertial forces. A variety of swimming microorganisms has demonstrated diverse strategies to generate self-propulsion in the absence of inertia. In particular, ameboid and euglenoid movements exploit shape deformations of the cell body for locomotion. Inspired by these biological organisms, the "Push-Me-Pull-You" (PMPY) swimmer (Avron JE, Kenneth O, Oaknin DH 2005 New J. Phys., 7, 234) represents an elegant artificial swimmer that can escape from the constraints of the scallop theorem and generate self-propulsion in highly viscous fluid environments. In this work, we present the first experimental realization of the PMPY swimmer, which consists of a pair of expandable spheres connected by an extensible link. We designed and constructed robotic PMPY swimmers and characterized their propulsion performance in highly viscous silicone oil in dynamically similar, macroscopic experiments. The proof-of-concept demonstrates the feasibility and robustness of the PMPY mechanism as a viable locomotion strategy at low Reynolds numbers.
Severe Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: Considerations for Nerve Transfer Surgery.

Cubital tunnel syndrome is the second most common compressive neuropathy, next to only carpal tunnel syndrome in its incidence. Severe states of disease do not respond to nonoperative management. Likewise, functional outcomes of cubital tunnel surgery decline as the disease becomes more severe. The relatively long distance from site of nerve compression at the elbow to the hand intrinsic muscles distally makes it a race between reinnervation of the muscle and irreversible motor endplate degeneration with muscle atrophy. Loss of intrinsic function can lead to severe functional impairment with poor dexterity and clawing of the hand. While decompressing the nerve at the site of compression is important to prevent further axonal injury, until recently, the only option to restore intrinsic function was tendon transfers. Tendon transfers aim to restore thumb side pinch and control clawing with addition surgery. They also require the sacrifice of wrist extensors or finger flexors. In the past decade, nerve transfers to the distal portion of the ulnar nerve innervating these intrinsic muscles, originally described for proximal ulnar nerve injury or transections, have become increasingly popular as an adjunct procedure in severe cubital tunnel syndrome. Physicians treating severe ulnar neuropathy must be aware of these nerve transfers, as well as their indications and expected outcomes. The so-called supercharged anterior interosseous nerve (AIN)–to–ulnar motor nerve transfer has become a mainstay for distal nerve transfers for ulnar neuropathy and/or injury. Ideal patients to undergo such a procedure demonstrate severe ulnar neuropathy on nerve conduction and electromyography studies, with reduced compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude and fibrillations at rest. Recent studies demonstrate nerve transfers to be superior in intrinsic muscle reinnervation compared with nerve graft in the setting of large segmental nerve defects. Likewise, compared with decompression alone, patients undergoing the supercharge procedure are more likely to regain intrinsic function and less likely to need secondary tendon transfer surgeries. Finally, initial results for sensory nerve transfer to recover sensation in the ulnar-sided digits in severe cubital tunnel are more advantageous than for decompression alone. Distal nerve transfers offer a reliable, reproducible treatment option for the restoration of intrinsic hand function and protective sensation in the setting of severe cubital tunnel syndrome.
Role of Gut Microbiome in Colorectal Cancer

Although colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates and mortality had been steadily declining from 1999 to 2015, in the United States (USA), this neoplasm disease is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women globally. Various genetic and environmental factors contribute to the initiation and progression of CRC, including hereditary elements, familial history, inflammation, and gut microbiome. Intestinal tract is a unique ecosystem of co-existing various host cells with complex microbiota communities and their metabolic products. A large body of knowledge has accumulated to indicate that members of dysbiosis microbiota express virulence factors, disrupt host cellular genetic stability, and directly induce tumorigenesis. Dysbiosis also promotes CRC through exacerbating intestinal inflammation, tumor initiation, and progression. On the other hand, increasing lines of evidence show that members of beneficial microbiota resist the dysbiosis detrimental actions. In this chapter, we review the current status of CRC, microbiome, the influence of microbiome on intestinal inflammation, and tumorigenesis. The purpose of this chapter is to provide updated knowledge on CRC and host–microbiome interaction at the interface of CRC prevention and treatment.
The Influence Aim Problem of Petitionary Prayer: A Cosmic Conflict Approach

This article addresses the problem of whether petitionary prayer, aimed at influencing God, is consistent with the traditional Christian affirmations of divine omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence. In this article, I first briefly articulate the problem of petitionary prayer, then briefly introduce and discuss some common approaches to resolving the problem. Finally, I introduce and discuss some implications of retrieving a cosmic conflict approach with rules of engagement as a possible avenue that warrants further consideration relative to the problem of petitionary prayer.
Managing employment among pre-retirement aged cancer survivors:

IntroductionSuccessfully maintaining (managing) paid employment can be a challenge as people negotiate the cancer care pathway and survivorship. Little research explores the influence of age on thi...
Novel Load Independent Control Structures for a Resonant LCC EV Wireless Charging Converter

Electric vehicle wireless charging techniques are of much interest due to its convenience and potential advancements. However, one of the main drawbacks of wireless charging is the high sensitivity of the system to load changes. Load changes in wireless charging systems occur due to varying EV battery conditions or the variations of the air gap distance between the coils. In this paper, the authors propose two different load insensitive control structures applied on a resonant LCC wireless charging converter. The first proposed control structure is a novel model-based frequency control, while the second is a resonant phase shift control structure. Additionally, the coil selection utilizes a double-D topology to transfer power from the transmitter to the receiver side efficiently with variable air gap distances and horizontal misalignments. The validation results prove the effectiveness of the system in maintaining zero voltage switching operation for a wide range of frequencies, load changes, air gap distances, and horizontal misalignments.
Flow cytometry is superior to conventional cytology in the surveillance evaluation of paucicellular cerebrospinal fluids.

To the Editor Central nervous system (CNS) involvement by B lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL) or high-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (HGBLs) is associated with poor prognosis. Incorporati...
Pay for Performance, Partnership Success, and the Internal Organization of Venture Capital Firms

We show how the structure of partner incentives and the decision processes within a venture capital firm contribute to fund performance, partner retention and partnership success. Optimal capital allocation during staged financing requires that partner incentives encourage cooperation by linking a partner’s compensation to the return on the entire fund rather than return on the investment sponsored by an individual partner. Incentives for individual performance of senior partners are optimally provisioned by a higher profit share in a subsequent fund. For junior partners with lower profit shares, partner pay may be linked to performance of current individually sponsored deals. Our paper provides an economic underpinning to empirical observations about the internal organization of venture capital firms.
Exploring the disparity in global food security indicators

Abstract Much information on the food security status of countries has become increasingly available in recent years. However, alternative measures, especially with large variation, can affect policy design and delivery to alleviate food insecurity. This study explores variation within and among global food security indicators – from FAO, UNDP, IFPRI and USDA – during 1991–2018. Within variation is significantly explained by economic growth, literacy, urbanization and internet access, while a meta-regression analysis pointed to study heterogeneity as potential sources of variation among these indicators. Results have implications for future data compilation and analysis for a more accurate picture of the prevalence of undernourishment and for the effects of the ongoing pandemic on food security.
Lyophilization of Biologics: An FDA Perspective

Lyophilization has become an important part of the biopharmaceutical industry as more biological entities are being explored as therapeutic agents. For biologics, whose formulation and storage in aqueous solution result in instability, lyophilization represents the most common and important formulation strategy to improving their long-term stability. The process of lyophilization is a complex, multistep process that requires a sound understanding of both product and process-related attributes to ensure higher operational efficiency and consistently acceptable final product.
On Presidents, Agencies, and the Stem Cells between Them: A Legal Analysis of President Bush’s and the Federal Government’s Policy on the Funding of Research Involving Human Embryonic Stem Cells

On August 9, 2001, President George W. Bush announced his policy on research involving human embryonic stem cells and proclaimed that federal funding would be allocated only to research involving human embryonic stem cell lines produced prior to his announcement (the Directive). Immediately thereafter, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it would act in accordance and full compliance with the Directive and took action to implement it. Since then, the Directive has dictated the nature and extent of scientific research involving human embryonic stem cells. Yet, astonishingly, despite being the subject of a boisterous debate, the Directive’s legality as well as the legality of the NIH’s actions have never been questioned nor ascertained. This Article seeks to fill this gap. After analyzing the Directive and the NIH’s ensuing actions in light of the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 and the Administrative Procedure Act, this Article argues that the Directive and the NIH’s actions taken to implement it were illegal. Based on this conclusion, the Article discusses the possible legal challenges that may be raised with respect to the Directive and the NIH’s actions.
Using ammonium pore water profiles to assess stoichiometry of deep remineralization processes in methanogenic continental margin sediments

[1] In many continental margin sediments, a deep reaction zone exists which is separated from remineralization processes near the sediment surface. Here, methane diffuses upward to a depth where it is oxidized by downwardly diffusing sulfate. However, the methane sources that drive this anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMT) may vary among sites. In particular, these sources can be thought of as either (i) “internal” sources from in situ methanogenesis (regardless of where it occurs in the sediment column) that are ultimately coupled to organic matter deposition and burial, or (ii) “external” sources such as hydrocarbon reservoirs derived from ancient source rocks, or deeply buried gas hydrates, both of which are decoupled from contemporaneous organic carbon deposition at the sediment surface. Using a modeling approach, we examine the relationship between different methane sources and pore water sulfate, methane, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and ammonium profiles. We show that pore water ammonium profiles through the SMT represent an independent “tracer” of remineralization processes occurring in deep sediments that complement information obtained from profiles of solutes directly associated with AOM and carbonate precipitation, i.e., DIC, methane, and sulfate. Pore water DIC profiles also show an inflection point in the SMT based on the type of deep methane source and the presence/absence of accompanying upward DIC fluxes. With these results, we present a conceptual framework which illustrates how shallow pore water profiles from continental margin settings can be used to obtain important information about remineralization processes and methane sources in deep sediments.
The Prebiotic Synthesis of Organic Molecules and Polymers

Diverses hypotheses sur les sources d'energie et atmospheres necessaires a la synthese prebiotique
Lymphoma of the ovary: Report of twenty new cases and update of previous series

Abstract Ovarian lymphoma is a rare entity. This review of 55 cases, including 35 that were previously reported, updates and reclassifies the cases from the Ovarian Tumor Registry and the Gynecologic Pathology Laboratory. The problems of differential diagnoses are stressed.
Effect of membrane and process characteristics on cost and energy usage for separating alcohol–water mixtures using a hybrid vapor stripping–vapor permeation process

BACKGROUND Alcohols, including ethanol and butanol, are receiving increased attention as renewable liquid biofuels. Alcohol concentrations may be low in a biological process due to product inhibition and, for non-starch feedstocks, limited substrate concentrations. The result is high separation energy demand by conventional distillation scenarios, despite favorable vapor–liquid equilibrium and, for butanol, partial miscibility with water. A hybrid vapor stripping–vapor permeation process, termed membrane assisted vapor stripping (MAVS), incorporating a fractional condensation step was found to be at least 65% more energy efficient than conventional distillation approaches. The effect of process design, component performance, and capacity changes on the energy usage and processing cost of MAVS systems for separating ethanol, 1-butanol, and acetone/butanol/ethanol (ABE) mixtures from water was studied. RESULTS For the recovery of 1-butanol from a 1 wt% aqueous solution, the 99.5 wt% 1-butanol product contained 7.0 times as much heating value energy as the MAVS process required to recover and dry it. The calculated cost to perform this separation was 0.126 US$ kg−1-product (0.102 US$ L−1) for a heating value cost of 3.69 US$ GJ−1, far below the current values for crude oil and conventionally-produced ethanol. Energy (electricity, natural gas) was 23% of this cost. The largest capital cost item was the compressor on the overhead vapor stream from the stripping column. Capital costs for membranes/modules was the 6th highest cost category, representing only 4% of the capital cost. A 10-fold increase in membrane cost caused the cost of production to increase 38%. CONCLUSION Hybrid MAVS processes are an energy- and cost-efficient means to recover alcohols from water. Despite recent fluctuations, fossil fuel costs are projected to increase. Thus processes utilizing mechanical energy to recapture and transfer thermal energy, including MAVS, should have a greater cost advantage in the future. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
BRCA1 Mutation Testing: Controversies and Challenges

Breast cancer is a leading cause of significant morbidity and mortality for women. Methods to reliably detect the earliest stages of breast cancer have been widely sought because the success of breast cancer treatment is influenced by how early a malignancy is diagnosed. Current methods for early detection rely on either physical examination to palpate a tumor or radiography. The development of genetic tests that enable accurate risk assessment for individuals in high-risk families has been predicted to have substantial medical benefits. Significant and unprecedented media fanfare informed both medical professionals and the general public about exciting new discoveries in breast cancer genetics, namely, identification of two critically important breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 , helping to create an immediate demand for clinical tests for these genes. The identification of genetic alterations underlying the development of breast cancer has ushered in an exciting and challenging new era in oncology, genetics, and molecular diagnostics. DNA diagnostic tests for breast cancer genes, including BRCA1 , BRCA2 , and TP53 (which causes breast cancer in the context of the Li–Fraumeni cancer predisposition syndrome), are currently available in most cases only for individuals who have clear family histories of one of the hereditary breast cancer syndromes. Presymptomatic DNA-based assessment for breast cancer risk has had only limited use in clinical practice to date. In cases of autosomal dominant breast cancer (∼5% of all breast cancers), identification of the specific BRCA disease-causing mutation has enabled more-accurate risk-modification counseling for first-degree relatives and facilitated susceptibility testing for family members. Presymptomatic identification of a germ-line BRCA mutation provides individuals with specific, if not yet well studied, options for preventive medical management. For example, initial studies indicate that women who have inherited a mutant BRCA1 allele from an affected mother have a markedly increased risk of developing …
Characterization and growth in human macrophages of Mycobacterium avium complex strains isolated from the blood of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Abstract Strains of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) yield opaque and transparent colonial variants when cultivated in vitro. The transparent variants are more virulent than the opaque for animals, but little is known about the respective roles of these colonial variants in humans. To assess which variant infects humans, various blood fractions from eight patients with MAC bacteremia were plated directly onto 7H10 agar. In cell fractionation studies, all the M. avium complex CFU were associated with leukocytes and none were found free in plasma. All colonies on the primary culture plate exhibited the transparent phenotype. However, during subculture in 7H9 broth or on Lowenstein-Jensen agar, opaque variants appeared in seven of eight strains. Isogenic pairs of transparent and opaque variants were prepared and used to infect in vitro human monocyte-derived macrophages from healthy seronegative individuals. Transparent variants invariably grew inside macrophages, but only one of seven opaque variants did so. These observations indicate that the bacteremia of M. avium complex in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients consists exclusively of the transparent variants, perhaps because these variants are able to multiply inside macrophages. In contrast, opaque variants appear after in vitro subculture and are controlled by human macrophages, consistent with their reduced virulence in animals.
TU‐C‐141‐04: Evaluation of Clinical Acceptability of DIR Mapped Contours for Adaptive Radiotherapy with 4D Cone‐Beam CT

Purpose: To evaluate clinical acceptability of contours generated using deformable image registration of 4D fan beam (4DFBCT) to 4D cone beam (4DCBCT) images for image‐guided adaptive radiotherapy (IGART). Methods: Sixteen locally advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients underwent one planning 4DFBCT and weekly 4DCBCT scans. 4DFBCT to 4DCBCT registrations were performed using two intensity‐driven deformable image registration (DIR) algorithms: 1) small deformation, inverse consistent linear elastic (SICLE) algorithm and 2) Insight Toolkit diffeomorphic demons (DEMONS). Multiple physicians delineated the gross tumor volume in all images (MANUAL). Manual contours were mapped from 4DFBCT to 4DCBCT for two scans in each patient, and were compared with manual contours using Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), average symmetric distance (ASD), false positive (FP), false negative (FN) and percentage volume difference (%VD). A physician was asked to rate DIR generated and manual contours as A) clinically acceptable (CA) B) clinically acceptable after minor modifications (CAMM) and C) clinically unacceptable (CU) using planning CT contour as reference. Reviewing physician was unaware that some of the contours were manual. The results were analyzed with respect to similarity measures, volume and regression characteristics of the tumor. Results: No contours were rated as CU by the physician. The number of contours rated as CA and CAMM was respectively 14 (44%) and 18 (56%) for SICLE, 3 (9%) and 29 (91%) for DEMONS, and 26 (81%) and 6 (19%) for MANUAL. No correlation was observed between physician ratings and DSC, ASD, FP, FN, %VD, tumor shrinkage, day of CBCT scan, and volume of the GTV. Conclusion: DIR generated contours were considered clinically acceptable for IGART, but may require some manual adjustment prior to use. Volume and surface similarity measures did not correlate with physician judgment of clinical acceptability. Supported by NIH Grant P01 CA 116602; This work was supported by a grant (P01CA116602) from the National Cancer Institute. Gary E. Christensen holds a papent related to the SICLE registration algorithm; E. Weiss and J. Williamson has grants from Varian medical systems and Philips Radiation Oncology Systems.
Introducing the issue theme: Rising to the challenges of R&D impact assessment

The articles in this special issue address one of the most significant challenges in R&D evaluation today, namely, the assessment of long-term impacts of publicly R&D funding programmes. The set of papers provides both a complete diagnosis of the problem of a lack of long-term impact assessment and a variety of approaches to address them. There is a combination of full programme assessment approaches and techniques to elucidate specific long-term impact mechanisms. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.
P-985 - Chronic pituitary dysfunction associated with cognitive and neuropsychiatric deficits after blast-related mild traumatic brain injury

Introduction Studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) from all causes have found evidence of chronic hypopituitarism, defined by deficient production of one or more pituitary hormones, in 25–50% of cases. Hypopituitarism, particularly growth hormone deficiency (GHD), is associated with symptoms that can be mistaken for PTSD, including fatigue, anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, poor concentration and memory, and decreased quality of life. Objectives The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and consequences of posttraumatic hypopituitarism (PTHP) after blast-related mild TBI (mTBI), an extremely common injury in modern military operations. Aims Blood samples are analyzed from US military Veterans with blast mTBI and from Veterans with similar experience but without blast exposure to determine the frequency of PTHP and to characterize specific hormonal defects. Methods Concentrations of 12 hormones are measured with radioimmunoassays or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and behavioral and neuropsychological testing is conducted on all subjects. Results Eleven of 26, or 42%, of subjects with blast mTBI were found with abnormal hormone levels in one or more pituitary axes. Five individuals with mTBI were found with probable GHD, and three mTBI participants showed evidence of hypogonadism. Veterans without blast exposure had no hormonal abnormalities. Conclusions There is a high prevalence of PTHP after blast mTBI, the neuropsychiatric symptoms of which are treatable with hormonal replacement. Screening for PTHP after blast mTBI shows promise for appropriately directing diagnostic and therapeutic decisions that may otherwise remain unconsidered.