cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Guest Editorial Emerging Memories—Technology, Architecture and Applications (Second Issue)

Since CMOS technology is approaching the end of scaling roadmap, there is a need to explore alternative technologies to assist or replace CMOS technology. Furthermore, the growth in new application areas such as data analytics, Internet-of-Things (IoT), cognitive computing, cloud computing and fog computing requires new features that are not readily available in CMOS technology. Emerging memories can potentially solve the scalability issues and cater to the new applications by providing features such as non-volatility and resistive computation. The properties of emerging memory technologies such as Spin Transfer Torque RAM (STTRAM) and Resistive RAM (ReRAM) can also be altered by changing the materials, shape and design. Therefore, these memories could be customized to suit target application or make trade-off between various design parameters such as density, latency, power and performance. For designing meaningful circuits and systems using emerging memories, it is also important to identify their limitations and solve those using appropriate techniques. This special issue covers the opportunities presented by the emerging memory technologies across the design hierarchy and their associated challenges. It introduces alternate structures, technologies and methodologies to mitigate the limitations of emerging memories. Circuit, architecture and applications built around the emerging memory technologies are also provided.
Moving From Student to Professional Industry Mentors and Academic Internship Coordinators Supporting Intern Learning in the Workplace

This article offers empirical data to explore ways that both industry mentors and academic internship coordinators support student interns in ways that optimize the workplace experience. Rich descr...
A View on Systems Biology Beyond Scale and Method

“In times when we are flooded with information, in biology and elsewhere, it might be more important than ever to reflect upon the ways by which we acquire and organize information in order to expand current knowledge. Long decades of scientific research have produced so many thoughts and concepts and open questions, many of which can only now be adequately addressed, with the techniques to acquire large scale experimental data at many different levels of biological organization, from nucleic acid to morphology. How current insights can be used to generate a framework concept, and how such framework plus current technology can be used to access what is not yet known is not just of philosophical concern, but of crucial importance for the ability of systems biology approaches to contribute to the solution of some of the long-standing questions in biology, and to formulate new ideas and concepts.”
Lipid-lowering drug therapy reversed the progression of coronary disease and reduced cardiovascular events in men with high lipid levels

Source Citation Brown G, Albers JJ, Fisher LD, et al. Regression of coronary artery disease as a result of intensive lipid-lowering therapy in men with high levels of apolipoprotein B. N Engl J Med...
Supporting Families Experiencing Homelessness: Current Practices and Future Directions, edited by M. E. Haskett, S. Perlman, and B. A. Cowan: (2014). New York, NY: Springer (243 pp., $56.00. ISBN 1493945653)

In their book, Supporting Families Experiencing Homelessness: Current Practices and Future Directions, Mary Haskett, Staci Perlman, and Beryl Ann Cowan deliver an extensive guide for understanding ...
Introduction: Ineffability in Comparative Philosophical Perspective

This introductory chapter previews the content and conclusions of The Comparison Project’s 2013–2015 programming cycle on ineffability. Each of the 13 content lectures on ineffability is summarized, especially as it informs its corresponding essay in this volume. The comparative conclusions of the programming cycle and volume are also discussed, at least with regard to their methods and aims.
Heat Shock Protein 90: Truly Moonlighting!

Hsp90 is an essential and abundantly expressed molecular chaperone in any living cell. The multiplicity of Hsp90 cellular functions is driven by its interaction with a broad range of partner proteins and thereby establishing itself as a moonlighting molecule. There are newer insights emerging to ascertain the cellular and physiological roles of Hsp90, such as (and not limited to) chromatin remodeling, gene regulation and developmental pathways. Hsp90 has been recognized as an important therapeutic target and has been linked to an increasing number of diseases, including cancer. Development of Hsp90 therapeutic reagents would be valuable research tools towards the maintenance of the proteome in health and disease. This review revisits the expression, structure-function, and clinical significance of the Hsp90 and its forms and reinforces its impact as a disease target.
The Philosophical Anthropology of Heinrich Popitz

This analysis places the English translation of Heinrich Popitz’s (2017) Phenomena of Power: Authority, Domination, and Violence in the broader tradition of philosophical anthropology. It is argued anthropological arguments such as that offered by Popitz give insights not otherwise available to strict disciplinary inquiries. Poptiz’s discussion of power also suggests an important tension in philosophical anthropology. While Popitz contends power relations are “humanly produced realities” not “imposed by nature,” he nevertheless provides some support that physical and biological factors might contribute to an understanding of power. This discussion illustrates this tension using examples drawn from Popitz discussion of power, threats of violence, and the exercise of authority.
Pain One Week After an Emergency Department Visit for Acute Low Back Pain Is Associated With Poor Three-month Outcomes.

Background Low back pain (LBP) is responsible for more than 2.5 million visits to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) annually. Nearly 30% of patients who present to an ED with acute LBP report functional impairment or pain 3 months later. These patients are at risk of chronic LBP, a highly debilitating condition. In this study, we assessed whether three variables assessable shortly after symptom onset could independently predict poor 3-month outcomes among LBP patients who present to an ED. Methods This was a planned analysis of data from two randomized comparative effectiveness studies of patients with acute, nontraumatic, nonradicular LBP. Patients were enrolled during an ED visit, contacted by telephone 1 week after the ED visit, and then followed up by telephone 3 months later. The coprimary 3-month outcomes were LBP-related functional impairment and persistent moderate or severe LBP. Two of the three hypothesized predictor variables were assessed during the index visit: 1) the STarT Back Screening Tool score, a nine-item, multidimensional tool validated and widely used in the outpatient setting, and 2) the patient's own anticipated duration of LBP. The third hypothesized predictor was presence of pain assessed by phone 1 week after the ED visit. We then determined whether these three predictor variables were independently associated with poor outcomes at 3 months, after controlling for medication received, age, and sex. Results A total of 354 patients were enrolled. Of these, 309 (87%) provided 3-month impairment data and 311 (88%) provided 3-month pain data. At 3 months, 122 of 309 (39%) patients reported functional impairment and 51 of 311(16%) patients reported moderate or severe LBP. Among the three hypothesized predictor variables, 58 of 352 (16%) patients with available data reported a moderate or high STarT Back Screening Tool score, 35 of 321 (11%) patients with available data reported anticipated duration of LBP > 1 week, and 235 of 346 (68%) patients reported pain at 1-week telephone follow-up. After age, sex, and medication received were controlled for in a multivariable logistic regression model, only pain at 1 week was independently associated with 3-month impairment (odds ratio [OR] = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.39-4.22) and 3-month moderate or severe pain (OR = 3.83, 95% CI = 1.53-9.58). Conclusions More than one-third of patients reported functional impairment 3 months after an ED visit for acute, nontraumatic, nonradicular LBP. Moderate or severe LBP was less common, reported in about half as many patients (16%). Of the three hypothesized predictor variables, only persistent pain at 1 week was independently associated with poor outcomes at 3 months. Despite its important role in the outpatient setting, the STarT Back Tool was not associated with poor outcomes in this ED cohort.
The Possibility of Acceptance Without Belief

My topic is the problem of determining whether it is possible for a person to accept a proposition without believing it, to accept, for example, that a table in a room is four feet long but not believe this to be true, or to accept but not believe that the universe originated with a big bang. I don’t think it is possible to have acceptance without belief, but this is in opposition to some writers who think it is, and we must look at their reasoning. It should be noted that the argument before us is restricted to propositional belief and does not extend to the relationship between acceptance and non-propositional believing in (or having faith in, placing trust in) something or someone. Corning to believe in something seems to be a species of acceptance, and as such some of the contrasts to acceptance outlined below fail to apply.
How Natural Are Artificial Languages

A full account of the structure and rules of natural languages remains an elusive goal for linguists. One way to gain insights into the mechanics of human language is to create an artificial language. Such languages are often constructed by speakers who are motivated by the desire to design a language with a “perfect” structure that lacks the idiosyncrasies of natural languages (e.g. Lojban). Others are invented by people interested in creating a utopia (as in the case of Esperanto) or a dystopia, as portrayed in certain works of science fiction (e.g. Star Trek and its Klingon language). In all cases, creators of the artificial languages strove to make them functional languages that would or could be accepted and usable by speakers. It seems therefore reasonable to assume that the inventors of these languages drew on their native linguistic knowledge and intuitions. They deliberately designed a lexicon appropriate to their purposes and probably reflected on the morphological and syntactic properties of their languages. By contrast, the statistical properties of natural languages are opaque to everyday speakers, although they have been shown to play a role in language acquisition (Safran et al. 1996) and linguistic behavior (Fine et al. 2013). Just as phonological and syntactic features of natural languages arguably draw from a universal inventory, statistical properties may set natural languages apart from other forms of superficially similar information-encoding systems. Rao et al. (2009) undertook a statistical analysis of several natural languages and non-linguistic systems including human chromosome sequences and the programming language Fortran. Rao et al. showed that the two kinds of data can be clearly differentiated in particular with respect to entropy, which measures the unpredictability of elements (such as words) in a sequence (such as a phrase or sentence). We extend this approach by comparing the statistical properties, including entropy, of two different artificial languages, Klingon and Lojban, to Rao et al.’s data. The results reveal both similarities with, and differences from patterns that characterize natural languages and non-linguistic sequences.
Real-time detection of drivers’ texting and eating behavior based on vehicle dynamics

Abstract With rapid advancement in cellphones and intelligent in-vehicle technologies along with driver’s inclination to multitasking, crashes due to distracted driving had become a growing safety concern in our road network. Some previous studies attempted to detect distracted driving behaviors in real-time to mitigate their adverse consequences. However, these studies mainly focused on detecting either visual or cognitive distractions only, while most of the real-life distracting tasks involve driver’s visual, cognitive, and physical workload, simultaneously. Additionally, previous studies frequently used eye, head, or face tracking data, although current vehicles are not commonly equipped with technologies to acquire such data. Also those data are comparatively difficult to acquire in real-time during traffic monitoring operations. To address the above issues, this study focused on developing algorithms for detecting distraction tasks that involve simultaneous visual, cognitive, and physical workload using only vehicle dynamics data. Specifically, algorithms were developed to detect driving behaviors under two distraction tasks – texting and eating. Experiment was designed to include the two distracted driving scenarios and a control with multiple runs for each. A medium fidelity driving simulator was used for acquiring vehicle dynamics data for each scenario and each run. Several data mining techniques were explored in this study to investigate their performance in detecting distraction. Among them, the performance of two linear (linear discriminant analysis and logistic regression) and two nonlinear models (support vector machines and random forests) is reported in this article. Random forests algorithms had the best performance, which detected texting and eating distraction with an accuracy of 85.38% and 81.26%, respectively. This study may provide useful guidance to successful development and implementation of distracted driver detection algorithms in connected vehicle environment, as well as to auto manufacturers interested in integrating distraction detection systems in their vehicles.
An increase in sleep slow waves predicts better working memory performance in healthy individuals.

Abstract Sleep is imperative for brain health and well-being, and restorative sleep is associated with better cognitive functioning. Increasing evidence indicates that electrophysiological measures of sleep, especially slow wave activity (SWA), regulate the consolidation of motor and perceptual procedural memory. In contrast, the role of sleep EEG and SWA in modulating executive functions, including working memory (WM), has been far less characterized. Here, we investigated across-night changes in sleep EEG that may ameliorate WM performance. Participants (N = 25, M = 100%) underwent two consecutive nights with high-density EEG, along with N-back tasks, which were administered at three time points the day before and after the second night of sleep. Non-rapid eye movement sleep EEG power spectra, power topography, as well as several slow-wave parameters were computed and compared across nights. Improvers on the 1-back, but not non-improvers, showed a significant increase in SWA as well as in down slope and negative peak amplitude, in a fronto-parietal region, and these parameters increases predicted better WM performance. Overall, these findings show that slow-wave sleep has a beneficial effect on WM and that it can occur in the adult brain even after minimal training. This is especially relevant, when considering that WM and other executive function cognitive deficits are present in several neuropsychiatric disorders, and that slow-wave enhancing interventions can improve cognition, thus providing novel insights and treatment strategies for these patients.
Medical Faculty Beliefs: Self‐Rated Importance and Confidence in Teaching Geriatrics Primary Care

Objectives To evaluate and contrast 25 content areas essential to the primary care of older adults by medical faculty, thus identifying faculty beliefs and areas of possible improvement. Design Using measures from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, and Healthy People 2020, nine practicing clinical faculty identified 25 content areas essential to the primary care of older adults. Setting A large academic health center in southeastern United States. Participants Eighty-two university medical faculty. Measurements Faculty rated importance, knowledge, and confidence in teaching the 25 content areas on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high). Gap scores reflecting the difference in ratings for importance and confidence in teaching were calculated and assessed. The survey had high internal consistency within each of the three domains-Cronbach's α > .94. Results The most important content areas were being able to explain details about patient's condition and taking medication clearly, followed by taking age-appropriate history. The three largest gaps were: "evaluating sensory impairment," "identifying and counseling at-risk drivers," and "evaluating cognition." The three smallest gaps were: "explaining prescribed medications," "explaining health conditions in easy-to-understand language," and "taking an age-appropriate patient history and performing a physical assessment." Conclusion Medical faculty were comfortable with topics reflecting primary care expertise but expressed less confidence with more specialized topics, such as sensory or cognitive impairment and driving. This may represent key areas for geriatrics training applicable to all those involved in education and training of future healthcare professionals. Integration of specialists (eg, neurologists, psychiatrists) may improve the geriatrics curricula. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:576-580, 2019.
Escalation of drug use in persons dually diagnosed with opioid and cocaine dependence: Gender comparison and dimensional predictors.

Abstract Background Persons dually diagnosed with opioid and cocaine dependence (OD + CD) present a clinical challenge and are at risk of morbidity and mortality. The time of escalation of heroin and cocaine exposure in persons with OD + CD remain understudied, and the influence of gender and other variables have not been examined. This observational study focused on the time of escalation of heroin and cocaine in volunteers with OD + CD, examining gender and exposure to other drugs (e.g., cannabis or alcohol) as predictors. Ages of first use and of onset of heaviest use of each drug were collected (in whole years). Time of escalation was defined as the interval between age of first use and onset of heaviest use. Volunteers sequentially ascertained adult volunteers recruited from the New York Metropolitan area, of which n = 297 were diagnosed with OD + CD. Methods Instruments administered were the SCID-I diagnostic interview (DSM-IV criteria), BIS-11 impulsiveness scale, and KMSK scales, dimensional measures of maximal exposure to specific drugs. Results In volunteers with OD + CD, ages of onset of heaviest use of cannabis (median age = 15) and alcohol (median age = 19) were in adolescence or emerging adulthood and preceded those for heroin and cocaine (median ages = 26 and 25, respectively). Maximal levels of cannabis and alcohol exposure were high, in volunteers with OD + CD. In adjusted Cox regressions, gender was not a significant predictor of time of heroin or cocaine escalation. However, more rapid time of alcohol escalation was a predictor of more rapid time of escalation of both heroin and cocaine, in volunteers with OD + CD.
4 – Weather Signals

In radar literature dealing with the detection of discrete objects such as aircraft, weather signals are called weather clutter. Because weather clutter is a source of information useful to radar meteorologists, we define the composite of echoes from individual hydrometeors, or from refractive index irregularities in clear air, as weather signals. In this chapter we determine the statistical properties of the weather signal voltage V(τs) and instantaneous power P(τs), relate the average of successive P(τs) samples to the composite backscattering cross section of hydrometeors within the radar's resolution volume, and develop a form of the weather radar equation that accounts for range weighting. Here we show the correlation of V(τs) versus lag δτs, whereas in Chapter 5 we discuss the correlation of echo samples versus Ts.
Role of Preoperative Biopsy in the Management of Presacral Tumors

Abstract Preoperative biopsy of solid or heterogeneous presacral tumors is safe with various image-guided approaches to percutaneously access the presacral space. Biopsies are most commonly performed via a parasacral or transperineal approach. It is complementary to high-resolution cross-sectional imaging and has a higher concordance with post-operative pathology than imaging alone. This allows for more complete treatment planning with the consideration of various neoadjuvant therapies for tumors that are malignant and for consideration of function-sparing resection for those tumors that are benign.
“We Got Y’all!”: Leading and Supporting Black Male Teacher Trajectories

Black male teachers possess an epistemological and pedagogical stance that is largely different from their non-color counterparts. Having a nontraditional stance can be problematic when evaluated b...
Exoplanets or Dynamic Atmospheres? The Radial Velocity and Line Shape Variations of 51 Pegasi and τ Bootis

The stars 51 Pegasi and τ Bootis show radial velocity variations that have been interpreted as resulting from companions with roughly Jovian mass and orbital periods of a few days. Gray and Gray & Hatzes reported that the radial velocity signal of 51 Peg is synchronous with variations in the shape of the line λ6253 Fe I; thus, they argue that the velocity signal arises not from a companion of planetary mass but from dynamic processes in the atmosphere of the star, possibly nonradial pulsations. Here we seek confirming evidence for line shape or strength variations in both 51 Peg and τ Boo, using R = 50,000 observations taken with the Advanced Fiber Optic Echelle. Because of our relatively low spectral resolution, we compare our observations with Gray's line bisector data by fitting observed line profiles to an expansion in terms of orthogonal (Hermite) functions. To obtain an accurate comparison, we model the emergent line profiles from rotating and pulsating stars, taking the instrumental point-spread function into account. We describe this modeling process in detail. We find no evidence for line profile or strength variations at the radial velocity period in either 51 Peg or in τ Boo. For 51 Peg, our upper limit for line shape variations with 4.23 day periodicity is small enough to exclude with 10 σ confidence the bisector curvature signal reported by Gray & Hatzes; the bisector span and relative line depth signals reported by Gray are also not seen, but in this case with marginal (2 σ) confidence. We cannot, however, exclude pulsations as the source of 51 Peg's radial velocity variation because our models imply that line shape variations associated with pulsations should be much smaller than those computed by Gray & Hatzes; these smaller signals are below the detection limits both for Gray & Hatzes's data and for our own. τ Boo's large radial velocity amplitude and v sin i make it easier to test for pulsations in this star. Again we find no evidence for periodic line shape changes, at a level that rules out pulsations as the source of the radial velocity variability. We conclude that the planet hypothesis remains the most likely explanation for the existing data.
Multiplex immunofluorescence to assess the tumor microenvironment in bladder cancer

Introduction A T cell-inflamed tumor microenvironment (TME) is linked to improved prognosis and response to immunotherapy in bladder cancer. Batf3+ dendritic cells (DCs) have been observed in murine models to be critical for both priming an immune response and recruiting effector CD8+ T cells to the TME. However, the role of Batf3+ DCs in human bladder cancers, especially in relation to effector CD8+ T cells, remains unknown. Methods We performed multiplex immunofluorescence imaging on 47 surgically resected muscle invasive bladder cancer specimens to evaluate the population of tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) marked by BATF3, CD8, FoxP3, PD-1, and PD-L1. The relationship of TIICs to a previously described immune gene signature based on RNA sequencing and survival outcomes were investigated. Results The proportion of T cell-inflamed tumors determined by RNA sequencing was higher in groups with above median TIICs versus below except for PD-1 (70.8% vs 21.7% for CD8 [P = 0.003], 66.7% vs 26.1% for Batf3 [P = 0.010], and 58.3% vs 34.8% for PD-1 [P = 0.266], 66.7% vs 26.1% for FOXP3 [P = 0.010], and 62.5% vs 30.4% for PD-L1 [P = 0.056], respectively). Analyzing Batf3 and CD8 jointly identified the group with the highest proportion of T cell-inflamed tumors (86.7% for CD8highBatf3high vs 34.8% for others [P = 0.001]) and showed a stronger association than with CD8 alone. In a spatial analysis using K function betweenCD8+ cells and Batf3+ cells, the median area under the curves of the cases were significantly higher than that of a hypothetically calculated random distribution curve, indicating that CD8+ cells clustered in proximity to Batf3+ cells. In survival analysis, CD8highBatfhigh population showed a significantly better RFS and OS than others (HR 0.307 [P = 0.019] for RFS, HR 0.361 [P = 0.044] for OS), which was more differentiating CD8 status alone (HR 0.393 [P = 0.021] for RFS, HR 0.436 [P = 0.045] for OS). Conclusions Most of the investigated immune cell types correlated with a T cell-inflamed TME by gene expression profiling. CD8highBatf3high tumors were most associated with a T cell-inflamed TME and showed better survival outcomes. Further analyses to assess associations between TME and immunotherapy response are ongoing.
Pedestrian Crossing Intention Prediction at Red-Light Using Pose Estimation

Pedestrians' red-light crossing can present a threat to traffic safety. Among all the existing work related to pedestrian's red-light crossing, there are few studies using trajectory data in time sequence. This paper uses pose estimation (keypoint detection) to generate pedestrians' variables from CCTV videos. Four machine learning models are used to predict pedestrians' crossing intention at intersections' red-light. The best model achieves an accuracy of 0.920 and AUC value of 0.849, with data from three intersections. Different prediction horizons (up to 4 sec) are used. With longer prediction horizons, the sample size gets smaller, which partially leads to worse model performance. However, the performance with prediction horizon up to 2 sec is still good (AUC value as 0.841). It is found that keypoint variables such as the angles between ankle and knee (left side) and elbow and shoulder (right side) are important. This model can be further implemented in the Infrastructure-to-Vehicle (I2V) applications and thus prevent accidents due to pedestrians' red-light crossing by issuing warnings to drivers.
Political Change, Activism, and the Evolution of Judicial Culture in the Scholarship of Daniel Lev

Political scientist Daniel Lev's foundational scholarship on development of the Indonesian legal system not only applied a grounded approach to studying judicial culture but also highlighted two other elements of his work that continue to influence generations of scholars who follow, applying lessons about political change distilled from European and global comparative history and an admiration for those committed to rights and democratic reform. This brief conclusion to a volume edited by Melissa Crouch illustrates these points with references to the work and life of Lev and to other essays in the volume.
Efficacy of Standards vs. Incentives for Managing the Environmental Impacts of Agriculture

The environmental impacts of agriculture depend on both the longrun and shortrun production decisions of farmers. In the longrun, technologies and quasi-fixed factors are selected and put in place through investment. In the shortrun, production plans are made and implemented conditionally upon available technologies and quasi-fixed factors. An important implication is that the environmental effects of agricultural activities result from an integration of economic decisions, private good production practices and biophysical processes. Viewed from a system perspective, these processes transform a set of private and environmental inputs into a set of private good and environmental outputs. It follows from this logic that the environmental impacts or performance of agriculture result not only from the nature of available technologies, but also how those technical opportunities are exploited in response to market and public policy incentives and constraints. This paper presents results of an application of such an integrated model of biophysical and economic processes to evaluate the potential responsiveness of water quality impacts of agricultural field crop practices to changes in economic incentives.
Drug and alcohol treatment utilization and barriers among Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Latine, Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, and White adults: Findings from NESARC-III

Abstract Background Existing epidemiological data suggest differences across racial/ethnic groups in drug and alcohol treatment utilization and barriers to treatment and typically include only Black, Latine, and White adults. The objective of this study was to examine whether disparities remain for DSM-5 lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD) treatment utilization and barriers across Black, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), Latine, Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian (Asian/PI/NH), and White adults. Methods The current study conducted secondary analyses on data from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III). Regression analyses, followed by pairwise comparisons, investigated differences across racial/ethnic groups. Results Analyses indicated differences across racial/ethnic groups in AUD treatment utilization. White and AI/AN adults were more likely to utilize a health care professional than were Black adults. Asian/PI/NH and Latine adults were more likely to endorse language as a barrier to AUD treatment than were White adults. Black adults were more likely to use 12-step programs for DUD treatment utilization than were White and Latine adults, and Black and White adults were more likely to use outpatient programs than were Latine adults. Further, Black adults were more likely than Asian/PI/NH and Latine adults to use specialty DUD treatment. AI/AN, Asian/PI/NH, and White adults were more likely to endorse fear of what others would think as a barrier to DUD treatment relative to Black adults. AI/AN adults were more likely to endorse fear of being hospitalized relative to Black, Latine, and White adults. Asian/PI/NH and Latine adults were more likely to indicate that the hours were inconvenient relative to Black and White adults. White adults were more likely to endorse a family member objected relative to Black adults. AI/AN and White adults were more likely to endorse they stopped on their own relative to Black, Asian/PI/NH, and Latine adults. Further, AI/AN and White adults reported the greatest number of barriers to DUD treatment. Conclusions Differences remain across racial/ethnic group in drug and alcohol treatment utilization and barriers to treatment. Future research aimed at increasing treatment utilization across racial/ethnic groups should focus on social determinants of health.
Institutional Constraints and Possibilities in (Semi-) Revolutionary Belarus

Belarus' summer 2020 political crisis found many analysts struggling to make sense of both the sudden popular mobilization as well as the stiff resistance from the authoritarian state. Analysis has therefore focused primarily on these two angles: explaining the peaceful, mass popular mobilization’s contest with coercive dictatorship and its security apparatus. Although very important, this has left a relative gap that has ignored alternative routes out of the crisis beyond total regime change by the political opposition or a status-quo victory by way of full autocratic repression. The binary framing of a resilient street opposition versus an oppressive and totally closed regime elides multiple other pathways towards crisis resolution that we should be mindful of – especially in the realm of political and state institutions. Although rarely considered in the Belarusian context, political scientists have increasingly looked to such bodies as venues of surprising importance during periods of potential regime transition or reconsolidation in modern autocracies.
Megestrol acetate is a specific inducer of CYP3A4 mediated by human pregnane X receptor.

Megestrol acetate is a synthetic progestogen used to treat some cancers and cancer-associated cachexia, but its potential interactions with other drugs are not well known. This study aims to determine the regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes by megestrol acetate. Primary human hepatocytes were treated and analyzed by PCR array to identify genes involved in drug metabolism that are impacted by megestrol acetate. P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) reporter gene assay and HPLC analyses of nifedipine metabolites were used to determine CYP3A4 gene expression and activities. Competitive ligand binding assay was used to determine the affinity of megestrol acetate toward human pregnane x receptor (hPXR). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and mammalian two hybrid assay were used to determine the mechanism of megestrol to activate hPXR. The levels and activities of CYP3A4 were significantly induced (> 4-folds) by megestrol acetate in human hepatocytes and HepG2 cells. Megestrol treatment induced CYP3A4 through the activation of hPXR, a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays a role in drug metabolism and transport. Other tested nuclear receptors showed no response. The mechanism studies showed that megestrol activated hPXR by binding to the ligand binding domain (LBD) of hPXR and increasing the recruitment of the cofactors such as steroid receptor cofactor (SRC-1). The results suggest that megestrol acetate is a specific inducer of CYP3A4 mediated by hPXR and therefore has the potential to cause drug interactions, especially in the co-administration with drugs that are substrates of CYP3A4.
Accuracy of International Classification of Diseases-10 Codes for Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertensive Complications

International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes may correspond to cirrhosis diagnosis. However, these codes have not been as well studied as ICD-9 codes. We aimed to evaluate the positive predictive value (PPV) and specificity of ICD-10 codes for cirrhosis. We conducted a single-center retrospective study of patients in Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor, MI, USA). We evaluated patients with at least one of 28 ICD-10 codes for cirrhosis and randomly selected controls for the presence of cirrhosis and/or portal hypertensive complications. Among 1317 patients with at least one ICD-10 code consistent with cirrhosis and/or portal hypertension, 796 had confirmed cirrhosis. After excluding ICD-10 codes found in 80%), including codes for cirrhosis itself, gastroesophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and other portal hypertensive complications. Specificity of ICD codes for cirrhosis for these 15 codes was high (> 94% for all). PPV and specificity were high across liver disease etiologies. Among patients without portal hypertension, PPVs of ICD-10 codes for cirrhosis were lower but still > 80% for the most common codes. PPVs of most codes for portal hypertensive complications were > 70%. Defining cirrhosis based on the presence of any of the 15 codes resulted in a PPV of 86% and by two different codes, a PPV 94%. ICD-10 codes for cirrhosis can accurately identify patients with cirrhosis with or without portal hypertensive complications.
Practical needle selection for Vienna-style applicators: improving therapeutic ratio in hybrid intracavitary-interstitial brachytherapy

Purpose Hybrid intracavitary and interstitial (IC/IS) applicators improve dose distribution compared to traditional IC applicators in cervical high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. There is a learning curve to these applicators, and initial standard needle insertion patterns have not been well-established. In this study, we quantified dosimetric benefits of IC/IS applicators, and offer practical initial interstitial needle-selection, insertion depths, and dwell position recommendations. Material and methods Fifteen patients previously treated with a tandem and ring IC applicator and magnetic resonance (MR)-guidance were re-planned at first fraction using a digital template of Vienna-style interstitial needles. IC/IS plans maintained identical high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV) D90% while reducing dose to organs at risk (OARs). To assess the validity of planning using virtual needles, virtual needle templates were overlaid on twelve clinical IC/IS plans, and the displacements between 40 physical and virtual needles were measured at 3 cm depth. Results The median HR-CTV volume in the present study was 19.6 cc (range, 6.6-60.5 cc). HR-CTV D90% was maintained in all re-plans. Median bladder D2cc decreased from 5.4 Gy per fraction to 4.8 Gy (p = 0.003); median rectum D2cc decreased from 2.4 Gy per fraction to 2.0 Gy (p = 0.007). We suggest that a standard loading pattern should include needles in lateral channels 4, 5, and 9, 10 inserted 3 cm deep, with dwell times < 20% of the combined tandem and ring dwells. The mean displacement between planned and physical needles was 1.8 mm. All needles but three deviated less than 3.3 mm, demonstrating the validity of re-planning with virtual needles. Conclusions Hybrid IC/IS applicators maintain excellent D90% coverage while improving dose to OARs compared to IC-only applicators, even in non-bulky HR-CTVs. We offer practical recommendations for needle selection, insertion depth, and relative weighting for Vienna-style applicators in small HR-CTVs. These results support previous publications, offering practical recommendations for users of Vienna-style hybrid applicators.
China, Sport, and Globalization

A puzzle in the history of modern China is the question of why Western-style sports have been one of the important channels—in some ways, the main channel—through which China has connected with globalization. Western-style sports were introduced into China starting in the late nineteenth century, carried along by Western and Japanese imperialism. Almost from the beginning, international victories and the hosting of the Olympic Games were intertwined with the patriotic desire to restore China’s place among the great nations of the world after its defeats by Japan and the West. However, when the socialist People’s Republic was established in 1949, it joined the attempt to establish an alternative to the Western-dominated global system. China withdrew from international sports competitions for thirty years owing to its refusal to join international organizations that recognized the “Republic of China” on Taiwan. It was only with the end of the Cold War that China became a full participant in the global sport system, as sports developed along with China’s rapidly growing market economy. Still, tensions inevitably persisted because China was a non-Western and Communist-Party led nation. As seen in the cases of pingpong diplomacy, the hosting of the 2008 and 2022 Olympic Games, or the government-led push to become a soccer power, sports served as an intercultural zone for the gradual mutual accommodation between differing worldviews. Sport provides a lens onto the struggles and traumas China endured in order to enter into the global community.
Analysis of Smooth Muscle and Collagen Subtypes in the Normal Newborn and Bladder Exstrophy Patient

Purpose Many patients who undergo newborn bladder exstrophy closure, subsequent epispadias repair and later bladder neck reconstruction become completely continent, yet complications can occur. After a successful initial exstrophy closure and later epispadias repair, some patients may fail to gain sufficient capacity for bladder neck reconstruction. Others may fail to gain satisfactory capacity and continence after bladder neck reconstruction. In an attempt to understand the pathogenesis of these failures, the authors first compared bladder biopsies from normal neonatal bladders to newborn exstrophy bladders.
Conditional moments, sub-independence and independence II

We recall a concept called sub-independence, which is defined in terms of the convolution of the distributions of random variables, providing a stronger sense of dissociation between random variables than that of uncorrelatedness. In risk and decision analysis, the investigator may encounter a stochastic model whose components are uncorrelated dependent random variables. The marginal distributions of the components are known but not their joint distribution. The investigator, however, is interested in (or in need of) the distribution of the sum of some or all of the components. The concept of sub-independence will allow the determination of the distribution of the sum of the components based on the marginal distributions of the summands. This concept is much weaker than that of independence and yet can be employed to determine the distribution of the sum of random variables from their marginal distributions. We shall mention some possible applications of the concept of sub- independence to risk and decision analysis.
Self-Perceived Burden as a Mediator of Depression Symptoms Amongst Individuals Living With a Movement Disorder

Objective Movement disorders are chronic illnesses that can lead to functional impairment and psychological distress. This study examined the relations between functional impairment, depression, and anxiety in individuals with movement disorders, and whether these associations were mediated by feelings of self-perceived burden. Method This cross-sectional study sampled individuals (57 males and 57 females; mean age of 62) with chronic movement disorders from a movement disorders clinic. Patients completed measures of depression, anxiety, functional impairment, and self-perceived burden. Results Functional impairment was associated with depression, but not anxiety, and was mediated by self-perceived burden for individuals with chronic movement disorders. Conclusions Self-perceived burden may have an important role relative to individuals’ adaptation to chronic illness with implications for future interventions.
Synergism in binary mixtures of surfactants: VIII. Effect of the hydrocarbon in hydrocarbon/water systems

Abstract The surfactant mixture C 12 H 25 SO 3 − Na + -C 12 H 25 N + (CH 2 C 6 H 5 )CH 2 COO − (C 12 BMG) was investigated at various hydrocarbon/water interfaces. The hydrocarbons used were hexadecane, dodecane, heptane, cyclohexane, heptamethylnonane, isooctane, and toluene. Using nonideal solution theory, the molecular interaction parameters for mixed monolayer and mixed micelle formation, β LL σ and β LL M , respectively, and parameters determining synergism in interfacial tension reduction efficiency, mixed micelle formation, and interfacial tension reduction effectiveness were calculated. It was found that, for this surfactant mixture, the replacement of air by a hydrocarbon as the second phase against water reduced molecular interaction in the mixed monolayer or mixed micelle and reduced synergism in interfacial tension reduction efficiency, mixed micelle formation, and interfacial tension reduction effectiveness.
Computer aided vertebral visualization and analysis: a methodology using the sand rat, a small animal model of disc degeneration

The purpose of this study is to present an automated system that analyzes digitized x-ray images of small animal spines identifying the effects of disc degeneration. The age-related disc and spine degeneration that occurs in the sand rat (Psammomys obesus) has previously been documented radiologically; selected representative radiographs with age-related changes were used here to develop computer-assisted vertebral visualization/analysis techniques. Techniques presented here have the potential to produce quantitative algorithms that create more accurate and informative measurements in a time efficient manner. Signal and image processing techniques were applied to digitized spine x-ray images the spine was segmented, and orientation and curvature determined. The image was segmented based on orientation changes of the spine; edge detection was performed to define vertebral boundaries. Once vertebrae were identified, a number of measures were introduced and calculated to retrieve information on the vertebral separation/orientation and sclerosis. A method is described which produces computer-generated quantitative measurements of vertebrae and disc spaces. Six sand rat spine radiographs illustrate applications of this technique. Results showed that this method can successfully automate calculation and analysis of vertebral length, vertebral spacing, vertebral angle, and can score sclerosis. Techniques also provide quantitative means to explore the relation between age and vertebral shape. This method provides a computationally efficient system to analyze spinal changes during aging. Techniques can be used to automate the quantitative processing of vertebral radiographic images and may be applicable to human and other animal radiologic models of the aging/degenerating spine.
Oral prostaglandin E2 for labor induction in high-risk pregnancy.

Abstract Oral prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) was used alone or synergistically with intravenous oxytocin to induce labor in 84 women whose pregnancies were at high risk. A control group of 84 similar high-risk pregnancies where labor was induced with intravenous oxytocin alone was studied to compare the safety and efficacy of the two regimens. Oral PGE 2 administration, combined with the synergistic effect of intravenous oxytocin, is safe for induction of labor in gravid women whose fetuses are at risk. Uterine polysystole, which is potentially dangerous, especially to the high-risk fetus, was not commonly encountered and only once was associated with transient fetal bradycardia. Uterine hypertonus was not encountered with PGE 2 ; however, it did occur with oxytocin stimulation. Nausea and vomiting occurred in one third of the women treated with PGE 2 but were well tolerated and required discontinuation of the drug in only one instance. There was no apparent advantage of using the combination PGE 2 regimen in patients whose cervices were more favorable for induction of labor (Bishop score, 5 to 9). However, oral PGE 2 , used either alone or synergistically with oxytocin, appears twice as effective in inducing labor than was oxytocin alone in women in whom labor was considered to be "difficult to induce" (Bishop score, 0 to 4).
The impact of scale length on reliability and validity

The conventional wisdom in political science seems to hold that simply increasing the length of scales automatically increases their reliability and that validity supposedly increases merely as the result of increased reliability. This paper shows analytically and by way of example that—despite their status as conventional wisdom—neither of these statements is true without qualifiers that seem to be unrecognized. The paper thus clarifies the relationships among scale length, reliability, and validity.