cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Algorithms for supporting compiled communication

We investigate the compiler algorithms to support compiled communication in multiprocessor environments and study the benefits of compiled communication, assuming that the underlying network is an all-optical time-division-multiplexing (TDM) network. We present an experimental compiler, E-SUIF, that supports compiled communication for High Performance Fortran (HPF) like programs on all-optical TDM networks, and describe and evaluate the compiler algorithms used in E-SUIF. We further demonstrate the effectiveness of compiled communication on all-optical TDM networks by comparing the performance of compiled communication with that of a traditional communication method using a number of application programs.
Metabolism of 131I- and 14C-Labeled Thyroxines

Thyroxine metabolism was studied with 4 radiothyroxines labeled as follows: 1) with 131I at 3', 5' positions, 2) with 14C in the beta carbon of the alanine side chain, 3) with 14C in the alanine side chain and ring A, and 4) with 14C in ring B. The study was made in thyroidectomized rats, maintained in a euthyroid state by a daily injection of thyroxine (T4), 15 μg/kg. At the start of an experiment, the replacement therapy was substituted with the injection of a radiothyroxine. Their biological t1, urinary and fecal excretion, and the metabolites in blood, bile, urine and feces of these radiothyroxies were compared. The latter 2 radiothyroxines had t1s of 28.9 and 20.8 hr, while the first 2 radiothyroxines showed similar t1s of 16.6 hr. The total recovery of radioactivity over 10 days was 70- 90% in all experiments, approximately ⅓ of which was recovered in the feces. The urinary recovery varied between groups: more l3lI than 14C was recovered and the least 14C was recovered from the ring B-labeled T4. In...
Medical malpractice litigation: a fellow's perspective.

The historical origin of medical malpractice litigation (MML) in the United States dates back to the first half of the 19th century [(1)][1]. At that time, most cases were related to poorly repaired fractures or were obstetrics cases. In recent decades, however, MML experienced a large-scale
Prenatal Valproate and Risk of Autism

Investigators at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; and Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, conducted a population-based study of all children born alive in Denmark from 1996 to 2006 to determine the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and childhood autism (CA) in children exposed to valproate during pregnancy.
Recent references. January through April 1979

This database record covers the entire volume 27, issue 2, of Nuclear Data Sheets. References, key words, key numbers, and reaction indexing are given for all literature received by the Nuclear Data Project or assigned key numbers between January and April 1979. The publisher has assigned separate DOIs to each key section of the volume. They are: 1)Recent references: January through April 1979 - DOI 10.1016/S0090-3752(79)80123-4; 2) Key numbers and key words - DOI 10.1016/S0090-3752(79)80127-1; 3) Reaction Index - DOI 10.1016/S0090-3752(79)80128-3; 4) References - 10.1016/S0090-3752(79)80129-5; 5) Secondary Sources - DOI 10.1016/S0090-3752(79)80130-1.
CONDUCTING POLYMER MICROLASERS

Extensive studies of laser action in luminescent conducting polymer films and other organic solids are directed towards electrically driven organic lasers.
Reactive solid surface morphology variation via ionic diffusion.

In gas–solid reactions, one of the most important factors that determine the overall reaction rate is the solid morphology, which can be characterized by a combination of smooth, convex and concave structures. Generally, the solid surface structure varies in the course of reactions, which is classically noted as being attributed to one or more of the following three mechanisms: mechanical interaction, molar volume change, and sintering. Here we show that if a gas–solid reaction involves the outward ionic diffusion of a solid-phase reactant then this outward ionic diffusion could eventually smooth the surface with an initial concave and/or convex structure. Specifically, the concave surface is filled via a larger outward diffusing surface pointing to the concave valley, whereas the height of the convex surface decreases via a lower outward diffusion flux in the vertical direction. A quantitative 2-D continuum diffusion model is established to analyze these two morphological variation processes, which shows...
Moving beyond description in qualitative analysis: Finding applied advice:

There is nothing wrong with description in qualitative analysis. In fact, thick description is the bedrock upon which much of the best qualitative research is built. Or, as Jane Gilgun (2015) argues, description is often the foundation upon which interpretation and theory development is based in qualitative inquiry. That said, all too often from where I sit in my editor’s chair, I see articles that rest on thin description, at best. The authors’ repeat what their participants have said in summary fashion and then stop, leaving a reader to wonder what the significance of the work. Or, to use the question so often posed to U.S. students of research methods, so what? Last year, a group of four early-to-senior scholars were invited by a group of doctoral students to participate in a panel discussion at the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) conference held in the United States in January 2015. I was honored to be a member of this panel which was dubbed Beyond Description: A Workshop on Moving from Description to Analysis in Qualitative Social Work Research. The student organizers included two from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, Aditi Das and Amanda Michelle Jones, as well as Charity Hoffman from the University of Michigan. The students asked their seniors to think about how we moved from describing qualitative data to interpreting it during analysis. They asked, ‘‘how did we do that heavy lifting’’? The SSWR session was lively and provocative and appeared to be well received by those in attendance. For this reason, it seemed worth trying to expand on these conference comments. The net results are published in this issue of Qualitative Social Work. The opening article is by Jane Gilgun. Jane elaborates in her piece entitled, ‘‘Beyond description to interpretation and theory in qualitative social work research’’ (Gilgun, 2015). Her article is followed by a talented early-career scholar, Tina K. Sacks who writes an essay entitled, New pathways to analysis through thick description: Historical trauma and emerging qualitative research (Sacks, 2015). Qualitative Social Work 2015, Vol. 14(6) 731–740 ! The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1473325015612859 qsw.sagepub.com
Dysnutrition, wound healing, and resistance to infection.

Only by lessening the severity of the injury -by modifying an individual’s resistance to injury or by preventing or correcting metabolic and nutritional alterations and lowered local and systemic resistance to infection induced by the injury -can we set the stage for uncomplicated wound healing.
Optimisation of air-jet vortex generators with respect to system design parameters

A simple technique is proposed that allows the definition of the geometry and characteristics of an air-jet vortex generator to be defined, using the system requirements in practical design. Typically, the aircraft designer is concerned with the mass flow-rate and air pressure requirements of any pneumatic system for inclusion to an airframe. These parameters are not congruent with those for air-jet vortex generator aerodynamic design, and therefore, some tool is required to bridge the gap. Such a tool is proposed, based on empirical methods for the prediction of air-jet vortex generator behaviour. The technique allows the comparison of the vortex strength, and the system inputs (the jet mass flow-rate and the air-jet plenum pressure) for the air-jet, for a range of jet nozzle diameters and jet velocity ratios. Through this comparison, the optimum air-jet design can be reached for a given system input.
Paper Money Poets

The ‘glorious pair’ of European literary celebrity during the romantic period, Goethe and Byron, stand forth in their fiats as they do in so many other ways.1 Faust and Don Juan reintroduce the changed world to an epic that also is fundamentally different. Enlarging upon the lyric mode I took to be a departure from Milton’s epic project in the Introduction, in their hands modern epic becomes an endlessly generative form that has been substantively undercut, yet somehow gallops ahead nevertheless.2 These texts offer parallel, full-scale representations of the social evolution of fiat commands in poetry and – just as importantly – pursue consequences of fiat-like effects. Their registers are both material and, seemingly, magical. Byron and Goethe create new myths of modernity in aggressively thematizing the wonderment and explosion of projects that take flight on groundless credit. The project of modernity itself is included in their charge; they help us to see how it is the same modernity at issue in eighteenth-century Edinburgh as in contemporary Manhattan, an economic system at once projected and sustained with a single trajectory.
Family and Politics: Dynastic Persistence in the Philippines

In many democracies a small subset of individuals enjoys a de facto electoral advantage. The existence of political dynasties, where individuals from a narrow set of families obtain larger vote shares and are more likely to access office, illustrates this phenomenon. In this paper, I study political dynasties in the Philippines and provide evidence of dynastic persistence. More precisely, I provide evidence that incumbency has a causal effect on the probability of having future relatives in office. Using a regression discontinuity design based on close elections, I find that candidates who barely win their first election by a small margin are around 5 times more likely to have a relative in office in the future than individuals who barely lose their first election and never serve. I discuss alternative channels that may explain dynastic persistence in the Philippines. I argue that access to office and public resources — important in clientelistic democracies like the Philippines — allows incumbents to give relatives an electoral advantage if they first run while they are still in office. Occupational choice, while plausibly important, is less likely to be the main driver of dynastic persistence.
PLATO AND THE SPECTACLE OF LAUGHTER

AbstractThis essay examines the critical role played by comedy and laughter in Plato. It begins by taking seriously Plato's critique of comedy and his concerns about the negative effects of laughter in dialogues such as Republic and Laws. It then shows how Plato, rather than simply rejecting comedy and censuring laughter, attempts to put these into the service of philosophy by rethinking them in philosophical terms. Accordingly, the laughable or the ridiculous is understood not just in relation to the ugly or the ignoble, as it is in Homer, but in relation of blindness, ignorance, and falsity. By taking up such a philosophical perspective, one can then distinguish what truly is laughable from what merely appears so. It is in this way that Plato is able to explain why Socrates appeared so ridiculous to the multitude but was known to be anything but to those who were able to see him with philosophical eyes, that is, those who were able to attend to what I call the spectacle of laughter. The paper concludes ...
Structural Descriptors for 3D Shapes

Assessing the similarity among 3D shapes is a challenging research topic, and effective shape descriptions have to be devised in order to support the matching process. There is a growing consensus that shapes are recognized and coded mentally in terms of relevant parts and their spatial configuration, or structure. The presentation will discuss the definition and use of struc tural descriptions for assessing shape similarity. The idea is to define a s hape description framework based on results of differential topology which deal with the description of shapes by means of the properties of one, or more, real-valued functions defined over the shape. Studying these properties , several topological descriptions of the shape can be defined, which may also en code different geometric and morphological attributes that globally and locally describe the shape. Examples and results will be discussed and ongoing work outlined.
AUTOMATON STRUCTURE PRESERVING MORPHISMS WITH APPLICATIONS TO DECOMPOSITION AND SIMULATION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses automaton structure preserving morphisms with applications to decomposition and simulation. The relation that expresses the preservation of structure from a structured automaton M to a structured automaton M' is called a structure preserving morphism. Such a morphism preserves not only the transition and output functions of the abstract automaton but also the manner in which these functions arise out of the local coordinate functions in its structured representation. The chapter describes the truly homomorphic preservation of the transition function and the reduction of complexity for measures relevant to the simulation of structured automata. The introduction of the structure morphism concept makes possible improved prediction of the relative complexities of an automaton and its simulators. As the number of possible simulators is controlled by the simulation criterion, more efficient search methods can be developed using structure morphisms.
Dissipativity-Based Teleoperation with Time-Varying Communication Delays

Abstract We analyze the effects of communication delays in teleoperation systems using dissipativity theory along with explicit models of the operator and robot. We utilize a simple model of the operator's behavior that describes human pointing motions, as generated by an interface such as a mouse pointer or tablet, and we use a robot model that is suitable for mobile robots or robotic manipulators. Using dissipativity conditions for stability, we show that the communication delays can be compensated for in the robot controller with a relatively simple extension to a controller designed for the situation without delays. We also show that the communication delays can lead to problems for human pointing in certain situations; specifically, if the operator overshoots their target, it may lead to instability unless corrective action is taken by the user interface. Simulation is shown to validate the results.
Celebrating geography’s place in an inclusive and collaborative Anthropo(s)cene:

The widespread recognition that humans have become geological agents offers an opportune moment for reflection on how geographers are contributing to the rapidly growing and highly interdisciplinar...
High performance incandescent lighting using a selective emitter and nanophotonic filters

Previous approaches for improving the efficiency of incandescent light bulbs (ILBs) have relied on tailoring the emitted spectrum using cold-side interference filters that reflect the infrared energy back to the emitter while transmitting the visible light. While this approach has, in theory, potential to surpass light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in terms of luminous efficiency while conserving the excellent color rendering index (CRI) inherent to ILBs, challenges such as low view factor between the emitter and filter, high emitter (>2800 K) and filter temperatures and emitter evaporation have significantly limited the maximum efficiency. In this work, we first analyze the effect of non-idealities in the cold-side filter, the emitter and the view factor on the luminous efficiency. Second, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that the loss in efficiency associated with low view factors can be minimized by using a selective emitter (e.g., high emissivity in the visible and low emissivity in the infrared) with a filter. Finally, we discuss the challenges in achieving a high performance and long-lasting incandescent light source including the emitter and filter thermal stability as well as emitter evaporation.
Rate of patients at elevated risk of opioid overdose visiting the emergency department.

Abstract Objective To determine the rate of patients visiting the emergency department who are at risk of opioid overdose. Methods The electronic records of a 412 bed tertiary care county teaching hospital were searched for emergency department (ED) visits from January 1, 2013 to October 31, 2016 to find patients on at least 100 mg morphine equivalents (MME) of oral opioid therapy, or an opioid in combination with a benzodiazepine. Records were also searched for patients with a positive urinalysis for opioids when no opioid was present on their home medication list. Medication reconciliations were searched for patients at risk of opioid overdose who were subsequently discharged on naloxone. Results An analysis of 2521 patients visiting the ED was performed, and the overall rate of risk of opioid overdose increased from 25.84% to 47.41% (p Conclusions The rate of patients visiting the emergency department at risk of opioid overdose increased significantly from 2013 to 2016. Naloxone was not routinely prescribed to this patient cohort.
A Mitochondrial Protein Essential for Interaction Between Cytochromes c1 and c: The Hinge Protein

This chapter is written to summarize the studies on a mitochondrial protein, named the hinge protein, which was recognized only a few years ago (1) and seems to have a certain role in the respiratory chain system of mammalian mitochondrial inner membrane. Although the genuine function of this protein has not been yet completely understood, there are some accumulated knowledge about the structure and function of this protein from the last few years. This review is based on isolation methods and biochemical and physicochemical studies of this protein.
Dietary fiber in the reduction of colon cancer risk

The evidence for an inverse association between a diet of foods high in fiber and colon cancer risk is reviewed in the context of the epidemiological criteria for causality. Five criteria are assessed: consistency of the association, strength of the association, specificity of the hypothesis, temporal relationship of the association, and coherence of the association. Forty epidemiological studies, described in 55 original reports, are analyzed in terms of an association between fiber intake and colon cancer. This evaluation clearly suggests a relationship between colon cancer and diet low in fiber. The epidemiological studies focus on dietary patterns in which fiber usually occurs as a complex mixture with other foods. At present, information on the chemistry and function of various types of fiber as well as the mechanisms of cancer inhibition still is quite limited. As dietary fiber may interact with or be linked to other dietary factors, the impact of total diet and dietary interactions should be considered in studies of colon cancer risk and in dietary counseling.
Exploiting GPU with 3D Stacked Memory to Boost Performance for Data-Intensive Applications

An increasing number of applications are using GPUs for acceleration. Due to the massive number of memory accesses, the traditional DRAM becomes a bandwidth bottleneck. The 3D stacked memory gives the potential to alleviate the bandwidth bottleneck by using through silicon vias (TSVs) to deliver much higher on-chip bus width than the traditional off-chip interface. In this paper, we evaluate the latency and bandwidth benefits of 3D stacked memory on GPUs. In addition, we take advantage of the DRAM row buffer locality to merge memory requests to further improve the performance.
The Big Picture: How the New Use of an Old Theory will Enhance Leaders’ Perspective on Management

Managers experience difficulty focusing their time on higher-level management activities (strategy,innovation, change, etc.) to promote the success of their companies because lower-level issues arise requiring their attention. These interruptions are disruptive to managers because they interfere with creating opportunities for organizational growth. Alderfer’s ERG theory is a model of individual motivation. However, this research proposes its utility in examining organization-level activity and management. The two goals of this research are to establish the practicality of the ERG theory for organization-level analysis and to show the negative impact of interruptions and how they affect managers.
Stiffness Sensing by Cells.

Physical stimuli are essential for the function of eukaryotic cells, and changes in physical signals are important elements in normal tissue development as well as in disease initiation and progres...
Variable urine Histoplasma antigen with volume status

A patient with progressive disseminated histoplasmosis was noted to have an increase in urine Histoplasma antigen level during monitoring of her disease. The patient revealed she had inadequately hydrated, and her urine volume was low and subjectively concentrated. Following hydration, urine antigen was retested and became undetectable.
United States systemic psoriasis treatments: increases in the use of biologic agents and plateau of methotrexate and oral small molecule inhibitors.

Objectives: The systemic drug choices for psoriasis have been increasing due to a greater understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease. In this setting of increasing drug availability, it is...
mTOR inhibitor use in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A meta‐analysis on survival, tumor response, and toxicity

Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been rising in incidence primarily related to HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers. Novel molecular therapeutics are evolving with the mTOR pathway as a new target. Previous studies have shown variable outcomes with relatively low toxicity. This study reports the tumor response, survivability, and toxicity of mTOR inhibitors (mTORi) in HNSCC. Despite expanding research on this pathway, there remains controversy around mTORi use for treatment of HNSCC. Materials and methods Studies were included if: (a) Used mTORi alone or in combination with other treatment modalities in HNSCC. (b) Site of cancer included were one of the following: nasopharyngeal, oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx or larynx. (c) All stages of cancer and treatment stage (neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and palliative) were included. The rate of adverse events (AEs), tumor response, progression free survival, and overall survival were meta-analyzed. Results From 1299 publications only 11 studies met inclusion criteria with a combined 232 total patients treated. Two studies used mTORi neoadjuvantly, five adjuvantly, and four in palliative/unresectable/metastatic setting. Monotherapeutic mTORi resulted in stabilization of disease (52.5%), but partial response was the most common response when mTORi were combined with chemotherapy and/or radiation (CRT) (48.1%). Survival rate was the highest in the mTORi combined with CRT. Hyperglycemia of any grade was the most commonly reported toxicity while grade 3 or less AEs were the most common grade of toxicity. Conclusion The use of mTORi as monotherapy in HNSCC has thus far not yielded significant tumor response, however, in combination with other agents, an improved partial tumor response is evident that may or may not be associated with the addition of mTORi. Although adverse events were common, grade 4/5 AEs were uncommon. Further prospective, randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm the direct roles of these agents in HNSCC tumor response. Level of evidence 2a.
Activity-related Changes in Cobalt Levels in a Total Hip with a Modular Femoral Stem: A Case Report.

Introduction Femoral neck modularity in total hip arthroplasty (THA) affords the surgeon the ability to optimize femoral neck length, offset, and version, thereby theoretically improving restoration of patient anatomy and biomechanics. The effect of activity on serum metal ion levels in patients with a THA with a mixed-metal modular neck design has not yet been described. Case Report A 63-year-old male underwent THA utilizing a femoral stem with a mixed-metal modular femoral neck. After the stem was voluntarily recalled, he was indicated to be monitored for manifestations ofmodular junction corrosion and development of adverse local tissue reactions (ALTR). An association between activity levels and serial serum cobalt levels was demonstrated. Conclusion In this patient with a THA incorporating a mixed-metal modular femoral neck, modification of activity intensity may have played a role in altered corrosion generation, as indicated by serum metal ion levels. In turn, this may play a role in the progression of ALTR.
A mapping review of clinical nurse leader and nurse educator transitional care skills and competencies

Abstract Background: Little is known about how nurses are prepared to participate or lead teams in conducting safe and effective care transitions, despite being a complex process in which the nurse has an integral role. Purpose: To conduct mapping review to identify and synthesize key recommendations regarding curriculum content needed to increase Clinical Nurse Leader and Nurse Educator student knowledge and skills regarding transitional care. Method: Guidelines for developing the transitional care nurse role published by national accrediting bodies and certification organizations were reviewed to identify the required competencies. Findings: Components identified included: communication; teamwork and collaboration; education and engagement of patient and family; promoting and support for self-management; and assessing/ managing risks/symptoms. Conclusion: Research evidence is needed to support academic preparation of nurses as leaders in care transition. The core transitional components identified can be used to develop competencies to assist training efforts of nurses in practice and educational settings.
Relative contributions of Franck-Condon to Herzberg-Teller terms in charge transfer surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy.

We have theoretically modeled charge transfer (CT) surface enhanced raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy using pyridine bound to a planar Ag6 metal nanocluster. CT states were determined by natural transition orbital hole–particle plots and CT distance DCT and the amount of charge transferred qCT indices. We first consider a resonance Raman (RR) model based on the Albrecht approach and calculate the ratio of the Herzberg–Teller (HT) B or C term to the Franck–Condon (FC) A term for a totally symmetric a1 vibrational mode exciting in the lowest energy CT state. Using a dimensionless upper limit to the displacement factor ∆ = 0.05 in the FC term based on the examination of overtones in experimental spectra and a calculated HT coupling constant hCT = 0.439 eV/A(amu)1/2 in the HT term, we calculated the scattering ratio of the HT to FC intensities as 147. This example indicated that for totally symmetric modes, the scattering intensity would all come from HT scattering. To further verify this result, we used the general time-dependent-RR formulation of Baiardi, Bloino, and Barone with the adiabatic Hessian model to calculate the FC, the Frank–Condon and Herzberg–Teller (FCHT), and the HT terms for pyridine in the C2v Ag6-pyridine complexes. For all cases we studied with pyridine in two orientations either parallel or perpendicular to the planar Ag6 cluster, the HT terms, FCHT + HT, dominate the FC term in the CT RR spectrum. These results indicate that for CT SERS, the intensity of all the totally and non-totally symmetric vibrational modes should come from the HT effect.
Beyond Enrollment and Graduation: Examining Strategic Plans from Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Texas

As more Latinx students enroll at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), it is important for institutions of higher education to intentionally engage in strategic planning that aligns their mission,...
“Tearing Down the Wall”: Making Sense of Teacher Leaders as Instructional Coaches and Evaluators:

Some recent district-level teacher leadership programs have incorporated both instructional coaching and formal evaluations into teacher leaders’ (TLs) responsibilities, which research suggests cou...
Contemporary Liquid Water on Mars

The martian surface preserves a record of aqueous fluids throughout the planet's history, but when, where, and even whether such fluids exist at the contemporary surface remains an area of ongoing ...
Illusions and Disappointments: Britain and Danubian Europe in the ‘Phoney War’

In April 1939, the readiness to fight for Poland’s and Romania’s independence marked a radical break in British foreign policy tradition. Not only Britain was reluctant in the past to pledge military assistance to a continental power, but also publically committing to it, even though the obligation could not be met by direct military assistance, especially naval power, is entirely unprecedented.
IEEEVR2020: Exploring the First Steps Toward Standalone Virtual Conferences

The global COVID-19 pandemic forced all large in-person events to pivot to virtual or online platforms. IEEEVR2020 coincided with rising concerns and restrictions on travel and large gatherings, becoming one of the first academic conferences to rapidly adapt its programming to a completely virtual format. The global pandemic provided an impetus to re-examine the possibility of holding social interactions in virtual worlds. This article aims to: (1) revisit the issues of virtual conferences noted in earlier studies, focusing specifically on academic conferences, (2) introduce new survey and observational data from the recent IEEEVR2020 conference, and (3) present insights and future directions for virtual conferences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from a field observation during the conference and a post-conference survey point to complex relationships among users, media platforms selected, and social constraints during the virtual conference.
Persistent opioid use after curative-intent hepatectomy for neoplastic disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study analyzed persistent opioid use in opioid-naive and nonopioid-naive patients undergoing hepatectomy for neoplastic disease. METHODS A retrospective review was performed of a prospective database using inclusion criteria of hepatectomy for neoplastic disease from October 2013 to December 2017. Prescription data were collected from the North Carolina Controlled Substance Reporting System. Persistent opioid use was defined as patients who continued filling opioid prescriptions 90 days to 1 year after surgery. Patients who did not receive opioid prescriptions between 12 months and 31 days before surgery were defined as naive. RESULTS The analysis included 75 surgeries on naive and 58 surgeries on nonnaive patients. 56% of naive patients and 79% of nonnaive patients developed persistent opioid use, respectively (p = .0056). Naive patients received 2.24 ± 4.30 MMEs/day, while nonnaive patients received 5.50 ± 5.98 MMEs/day during Postoperative days 90-360 (95% CI, 1.41-5.10; p < .001). Naive patients with a lower Preoperative ECOG score were more likely to develop persistent opioid use (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.21-0.99; p = .048). CONCLUSION More than half of naive patients undergoing hepatectomy developed persistent opioid use within the first year, though significantly less than nonnaive patients. Improved performance status was associated with an increased risk of persistent opioid use in naive patients.
Therapeutic resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Current challenges and future opportunities

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although chemotherapeutic regimens such as gemcitabine+ nab-paclitaxel and FOLFIRINOX (FOLinic acid, 5-Fluroruracil, IRINotecan, and Oxaliplatin) significantly improve patient survival, the prevalence of therapy resistance remains a major roadblock in the success of these agents. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms that play a crucial role in PDAC therapy resistance and how a better understanding of these mechanisms has shaped clinical trials for pancreatic cancer chemotherapy. Specifically, we have discussed the metabolic alterations and DNA repair mechanisms observed in PDAC and current approaches in targeting these mechanisms. Our discussion also includes the lessons learned following the failure of immunotherapy in PDAC and current approaches underway to improve tumor's immunological response.
Circulation Control for Faster Minimum Cost Flow in Unit-Capacity Graphs

We present an $m^{4/3+o(1)}\log W$ -time algorithm for solving the minimum cost flow problem in graphs with unit capacity, where $W$ is the maximum absolute value of any edge weight. For sparse graphs, this improves over the best known running time for this problem and, by well-known reductions, also implies improved running times for the shortest path problem with negative weights, minimum cost bipartite $b$ -matching when $\Vert b\Vert_{1}=O(m)$ , and recovers the running time of the currently fastest algorithm for maximum flow in graphs with unit capacities (Liu-Sidford, 2020). Our algorithm relies on developing an interior point method-based framework which acts on the space of circulations in the underlying graph. From the combinatorial point of view, this framework can be viewed as iteratively improving the cost of a suboptimal solution by pushing flow around circulations. These circulations are derived by computing a regularized version of the standard Newton step, which is partially inspired by previous work on the unit-capacity maximum flow problem (Liu-Sidford, 2019), and subsequently refined based on the very recent progress on this problem (Liu-Sidford, 2020). The resulting step problem can then be computed efficiently using the recent work on $\ell_{p}$ -norm minimizing flows (Kyng-Peng-Sachdeva-Wang, 2019). We obtain our faster algorithm by combining this new step primitive with a customized preconditioning method, which aims to ensure that the graph on which these circulations are computed has sufficiently large conductance.
Cationic olefin polymerization using alkyl halide alkylaluminium initiator systems

After a survey of pertinent earlier studies, isobutylene polymerizations have been carried out using t-BuX initiators, Me3Al, Et2AlX and EtAlCl2 coinitiators and MeX (X=Cl, Br, I) and n-pentane solvents in the range from −25° to −100°C. The effect of t-BuX, Me3Al, Et2AlX or EtAlCl2, MeX and temperature on polymerization rate has been determined. Polyisobutylene (PIB) yield, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution have been studied in detail. Initiator reactivity series have been established on the basis of polymerization rates, floor temperatures, PIB yields and initiator efficiencies. The effect of solvent on initiator reactivity order has been evaluated. These results have been explained considering details of initiation, which involves four steps: complexation, displacement, ionization and initiation. The absence of polymerization using MeI and MeBr (with Et2AlI system) has been interpreted in terms of propagation-inactive halonium ions.
The incidence and duration of unemployment

Abstract Census data from 1910 reveal the average non-farm male worker faced higher probabilities of entering and leaving unemployment than in the 1970s. Long-term occupational shifts explain a significant fraction of the decline in the entry hazard.
Isolation and characterization of eight microsatellite loci from the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

I isolated the first set of polymorphic microsatellite markers from the house finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, a well-studied North American bird species, as part of an effort to compare levels of genetic diversity in introduced and native populations. Here, I describe eight independently assorting microsatellite loci screened for polymorphism using 40 house finches. Polymorphism levels ranged from six to 14 alleles (mean = 10.6), making these markers a powerful tool for paternity and population level analyses of this widely distributed North American species.
Beta adrenergic receptors and adenylate cyclase: products of separate genes?

Wild-type S49 mouse lymphoma cells produce adenosine 3',3'-monophosphate when exposed to the beta adrenergic agonist isoproterenol; treatment with this agent in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor is cytocidal. Particulate preparations from such cells have adenylate cyclase activity and bind [125I]iodohydroxybenzylpindolol, a potent beta adrenergic antagonist that can be used to examine beta adrenergic receptors. The binding of this ligand is rapid and reversible; Scatchard analysis gives results compatible with a single class of binding sites with a KD of 33 pM. Beta adrenergic agonists and antagonists compete for radioactive ligand binding sites stereoselectively and at concentrations that correlate closely with those required for activation or inhibition of activation of adenylate cyclase. A clone has been isolated from wild-type cells that is resistant to isoproterenol-induced cyclic AMP killing. This clone has no detectable adenylate cyclase activity in response to isoproterenol, prostaglandin E1, or sodium fluoride. Nevertheless, the characteristics of binding of [125I]iodohydroxybenzylpindolol by this adenylate cyclase-negative clone resemble those of wild-type preparations. The similarity of binding by these two clones extends to the kinetics of binding, the affinity for ligand, and the potency of competitors for binding sites. Both clones have 200-300 receptor sites/cell. Another clonal cell line, HC-1 (a rat hepatoma), is phenotypically similar to the adenylate cyclase-negative lymphoma cell; enzyme activity is not detectable, although binding activity characteristic of the beta adrenergic receptor is present. The existence of beta adrenergic receptor activity in cells that appear to lack adenylate cyclase suggests that the beta adrenergic recognition (receptor) site is a product of a gene different from that coding for the enzymatic component that generates cyclic AMP. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are grateful to Drs. Gerald Aurbach and Herbert Sheppard for supplying hydroxybenzylpindolol and Ro 20-1724, respectively, and to Michele Sanda, Hannah Anderson, and Pamela Van Arsdale for excellent technical assistance. We would also like to thank Jeffrey Harper and Dr. Gary Brooker for assistance with the acetylation-radioimmunoassay.
Life and Death Decisions: Psychological and Ethical Considerations in End-Of-Life Care

Modern End-Of Life Issues - An Overview Ethical And Legal Issues In End-Of-Life Decisions The Wish To Die - Decisions That Do Not Prolong And May Hasten The Dying Process The Wish To Die - Assisted Suicide And Voluntary Euthanasia The Wish To Prolong Life Alternatives In Care At The End Of Life The Psychologist's Role In End-Of-Life Care Concluding Thoughts On Suffering, Dying, And Choice.
Cerebral synthesis and release of kynurenic acid: an endogenous antagonist of excitatory amino acid receptors

Excitatory amino acid (EAA)-mediated synaptic transmission is the most prevalent excitatory system within the mammalian brain. Activation of EAA receptors has been postulated to contribute to neuronal cell death in stroke, epilepsy, hypoglycemia, and Huntington's disease. Kynurenic acid is an endogenous substance that inhibits EAA receptors and may therefore influence important physiologic and pathologic processes. The release of intracerebrally synthesized kynurenic acid into the extracellular fluid (ECF), where it may act at EAA receptors, has not been established in vivo. We studied the synthesis and release of kynurenic acid in the rat striatum using intracerebral microdialysis coupled with high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. The basal ECF concentration of kynurenic acid in the rat corpus striatum was 17.1 +/- 1.1 nM. Peripheral administration of the immediate biosynthetic precursor of kynurenic acid, L-kynurenine, resulted in marked dose-dependent increases in striatal ECF concentrations of kynurenic acid, peaking at 2-2.5 hr. The highest dose of L-kynurenine (100 mg/kg), administered peripherally, resulted in a 108-fold increase in plasma kynurenic acid levels and a 37-fold increase in cerebral ECF levels. Peripheral administration of kynurenic acid, at a dose that caused plasma levels to increase 430-fold, resulted in only 4-fold increases in striatal ECF concentrations. The precursor responsiveness of striatal ECF kynurenic acid to peripherally infused L-kynurenine was blocked by the central application (via the dialysis probe) of aminooxyacetic acid, an inhibitor of the immediate synthetic enzyme for kynurenic acid, kynurenine aminotransferase. Administration of L-tryptophan was less effective than L-kynurenine in increasing ECF kynurenic acid concentrations and did so at a considerably later time interval (6 hr).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Refresher Courses for Disciplined Nurses

The Arizona State Board of Nursing may order successful completion of a refresher course as a term of probation or return to practice after a suspension or revocation of a nursing license. This descriptive survey study used the reports of course administrators and instructors to ascertain the outcome characteristics of successful and unsuccessful refresher-course students. The results found that nurses disciplined for substance abuse who enrolled in a traditional course with faculty providing clinical instruction were more successful than nurses disciplined for other violations and nurses who took a refresher course online with precepted clinical instruction.
The Prisoner's Dilemma and the Role of Information in Setting Advertising Budgets

Abstract This study examines how advertising budget setting, framed as a prisoner's dilemma, is affected by information on the competitive situation and characteristics of the decision maker. Hypotheses are tested using experiments in which subjects set advertising budgets. Results indicate that subjects were generally competitive, but also based their strategy selections on what they expected their opponents to do, what their opponents did last time, whether the competitive relationship was expected to continue, market shares, and whether the subject's profit objectives were short- or long-term. Individual differences also played a part in determining strategy selection.
Low back pain does not improve with surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapse.

Introduction and hypothesis Our goal was to determine if there is a correlation between low back pain (LBP) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) by assessing for change in LBP after surgical correction of prolapse.
Pressure Coefficient of the Band Gap in Mg2Si, Mg2Ge, and Mg2Sn

The pressure deri vative of the band gap, (∂E/∂P)T, has been determined to be + 3 × 10−6 e Vbar−1 for Mg2Sn by measurements of the pressure derivative of the electrical conductivity. Similar measurements on Mg2Si and Mg2Ge were inconclusive, but estimates of this parameter were made from the shift of the optical obsorption edge with pressure. (∂E/∂P)T = (0 ± 0.5) × 10−6 e Vbar−1 for both compounds. The similarity of the coefficients for Mg2Si and Mg2Ge suggests that the symmetries of the band edges of both compounds are similar, while either the conduction band edge, the valence band edge, or both edges in Mg2Sn may have a different symmetry.
Potassium Channel Blockers Inhibit Adoptive Transfer of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis by Myelin-Basic-Protein-Stimulated Rat T Lymphocytes.

Agents which block T cell K+ currents can prohibit both proliferative and effector cell functions in T cells activated by mitogens or phorbol esters. This study examined the effects of some of these blocking agents on the immune responsiveness of guinea pig myelin basic protein (GPMBP)-reactive Lewis rat T lymphocytes, which are capable of mediating the adoptive transfer of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an accepted animal model for multiple sclerosis. Both the proliferative functions (DNA synthesis and cell blastogenesis) and the EAE transfer activities of GPMBP-reactive lymphocytes were examined following GPMBP-induced activation in the presence of agents shown to block the outwardly rectifying K+ current in these cells. At concentrations which completely inhibited DNA synthesis, as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation, and cell blastogenesis, tetraethylammonium (TEA), 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and methoxyverapamil (D600) completely blocked the subsequent adoptive transfer of EAE into naive syngeneic Lewis rats. The concentrations at which these blockers produced a 50% reduction in DNA synthesis were estimated to be 16, 1.6 and 32 µM for TEA, 4-AP and D-600, respectively, which were roughly equivalent to the EC50 to block the K+ current. Apamine, a potent Ca2+-activated K+ channel blocker, at a concentration several orders of magnitude higher than is necessary to block Ca2+-activated K+ channels, reduced the maximal K+ conductance in GPMBP-reactive T cell K+ channels by about 20%, but did not alter either [3H]thymidine incorporation or the adoptive transfer of EAE. These results indicate that delayed rectifier K+ channel blockers may prevent the activation of GPMBP-reactive T cells, thus prohibiting encephalitogenic effector cell functions.
Predicting self-reported exposure to nerve agents by reserve component personnel during the first Persian gulf war

Summary Approximately 13% of 654 Reserve Component Gulf War veterans (18% women, 65% ground forces, between 24 and 61 years of age, average 40.2 yr.) surveyed in the Ohio Desert Storm Research Project reported that they had probably been exposed to nerve or mustard gas agents, while another 32% thought such exposures were possible. Reports of exposure were found, through ordinary least squares regression analysis, to be associated with membership in ground forces (Army/Marine Corps) (b = .29), geographical location (b = .17), ethnic minority status (b = .07), education (b = −.10), intrinsic religiosity (b = .10), and also reporting having had physiological reactions to vaccines or pyridostigmine bromide pills (b = .24). Reports were not associated significantly with subjective health before the war, age, or sex.
Survivals of 5 to 15 years in acute leukemia. A study of 21 children.

Among 269 children with acute leukemia diagnosed between 1957 and 1967, 21 or 7.8% have lived for more than 5 years, although treated conservatively by present standards. Nine patients in whom therapy was stopped after 5 years remain in continuous complete remission, 6 for 10 to 15 1/2 years. Six others survive from 61 1/4 to 8 3/4 years, but have had leukemic meningitis or bone marrow relapse or both. Six patients, 5 of whom had relapse before 5 years, died at 5 1/4 to 8 1/4 years. Discontinuation of therapy in 12 children who had no evidence of disease for 5 years was followed by bone marrow relapse in 3 of them in 6, 12, and 13 months. Analysis of features at time of diagnosis suggests that a normal platelet count and a low or normal white blood cell count may predispose to 5-year survival. A Spanish-American ethnic background is associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Interruption of remission by extramedullary disease, notably meningeal involvement, is a major impediment to continued long survival. In this study patients living 8 years without relapse are presumed to have been cured; long-term survivors who have had prior relapse have a constant rate of mortality. The nature and interaction of intrinsic factors contributing to longevity, and particularly the role of host immunity, remain to be determined.