cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Heterogeneity of Oral Immunotherapy Clinical Trials: Implications and Future Directions

Food allergy is a potentially life-threatening disease which affects up to 8 % of children and 2–3 % of adults. Increasing food allergy prevalence poses a major public health concern. Induction of desensitization to food allergens through oral immunotherapy (OIT) is an expanding area of study encompassing peanut, egg, milk, and other food allergens. OIT consists of administering incremental doses of food allergen to food-allergic patients, to induce a state of desensitization. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy all remain ongoing concerns. Clinical trials for oral immunotherapy have encompassed many variations, including differences in dosage sizes and frequency, duration of build-up, type of allergen used, patient characteristics, and adjuvant therapies. Consequently, studies have also shown variation in rates of adverse effects, and successful desensitization. Here, we provide an overview of the key studies and discuss the implications of this heterogeneity. While desensitization is successful in the majority of patients, only a minority appear to develop sustained unresponsiveness even after years of therapy. Much larger and longitudinal studies using more homogenous protocols are needed in order to evaluate the clinical applicability of OIT, its long-term effectiveness, and effect on quality of life. The role of adjunctive therapies, including omalizumab and probiotics, requires further evaluation.
Against Mixed Epistemology

We can call any reductive account of knowledge that appeals to both safety and ability conditions a mixed account of knowledge. Examples of mixed accounts of knowledge include Pritchard’s (2012) Anti-Luck Virtue Epistemology , Kelp’s (2013) Safe-Apt account of knowledge, and Turri’s (2011) Ample belief account of knowledge. Mixed accounts of knowledge are motivated by well-known counterexamples to pure safety and pure ability accounts of knowledge. It is thought that by combining both safety and ability conditions we can give an extensionally adequate reductive account of knowledge. In this paper I argue that the putative counterexamples to pure safety and pure ability accounts of knowledge fail to motivate mixed accounts of knowledge. In particular, I argue that if the putative counterexamples are problematic for safety accounts they are problematic for ability accounts and vice-versa. The reason for this, I argue, is that the safety condition and ability condition should be understood as alternative expressions of the same intuition — that knowledge must come from a reliable source.
Fast Optical Clock Recovery and Signal Regeneration Applications of a Monolithic Mode Locked Laser with DBR Mirrors and an Optical Amplifier

We demonstrate optical packet clock recovery with locking in less than 700 ps (25 bits) using a novel device which is compatible with other monolithic components. Regenerative capabilities are analyzed using bit
Eye-Tracked Extraocular Camera for Retinal Prostheses

The optical design and system integration of an eye-tracked wide-angle extraocular camera for use in conjunction with intraocular retinal prostheses is described. This integrated system is capable of restoring foveation for those with retinal prostheses.
Role of CD4~+CD25~+ regulation cells and expressing of FOXP3 in the pathogenesis of children with asthma

Objective:To investigate the change of CD4+CD25+ T regulation cells in peripheral blood in children with asthma. Methods:CD4+CD25+FOXP3 T regulate cells in children with asthma were measured by intracellular 3-colour flow cytometry in peripheral blood cells in children with asthma. Results:There were similar frequencies of CD4+CD25+ T cells in peripheral blood of asthma children and health control. However, the quantity of CD4 +CD25 +FOXP3 T regulate cells was decreased significantly in peripheral blood of patients with asthma in comparison with that of normal controls (P 0.01). Conclusion:The proportion of CD4+ CD25+FOXP3 T regulate cells decreased in children with asthma, which might contribute to the pathological process of such disease.
The status and strategy research about staff training in private enterprises of coastal areas of Fujian province

The staff training in private enterprises of coastal areas of Fujian has begun to institutionalize initially. But this work still existed utilitarian sexual orientation, the lower the level of training and other issues. The article analysis the status about staff training in private enterprises of the coastal area of Fujian, and suggest some improved strategies.
First-Year Writing Today

The cry that new college students can’t write is old and persistent. In the 1870s, Harvard University’s president railed against incoming students’ “incorrectness” and “inelegance” in writing, spurring several literacy crisis reports under the title “Why Johnny Can’t Write.” In 1975, a Newsweek article bearing the same name suggested that most graduating secondary students were not “able to write English at the minimal college level” (Sheils, 1975, p. 58). In 2011, The Guardian reported that across England, both “non-traditional” and “traditional” new college students were struggling with essay writing (Tickle, 2011). And recent U.S. descriptions suggest the same, going as far as to label new college students the “dumbest generation” (Bauerlein, 2008; Holland, 2013; Singleton-Jackson, Lumsden, & Newsom, 2009). More tempered accounts, stemming from research across the world, also note a mismatch between secondary and college writing: “The academic prose of students is a reflection of the gap between secondary and post-secondary contexts,” write Carmen Sancho Guinda and Ken Hyland; as a result, “learners [are] bridging the gap through imitation and self-discovery” (2012, p. 6).
Microbial Pathogenicity: A New Approach to Drug Development

Pathogenic microorganisms, particularly pathogenic bacteria that cause debilitating diseases, are considered a threat for human health and well-being. Infectious diseases are rampant, particularly in developing countries. However, there are many other deadly diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiac malfunction, etc., that account for significant loss of life and trauma in our society. In this article, I try to describe the role certain bacterial pathogens with long term residence in the human body can play in providing us with our next generation anticancer and other drugs, demonstrating that a certain amount of good can come out of such bacterial pathogens as well.
Mucormycosis Causing Ludwig Angina: A Unique Presentation.

Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection with a yearly incidence of 1.7 cases per million in the United States. It usually occurs in patients with metabolic abnormalities or who are immunocompromised with prolonged neutropenia. However, it can also occur in patients without any underlying disease process. The treatment of choice is surgical debridement of necrotic tissue and systemic antifungal therapy, including amphotericin B. A dilemma for the surgeon when faced with head and neck mucormycosis is the morbidity of surgical debridement from both a functional and cosmetic standpoint. There have been multiple case reports of a form of cutaneous mucormycosis in the head and neck involving the oral mucosa and the mandible, but no reports in the literature of a fungal infection causing Ludwig angina. This report describes one such case. The morbid clinical implications of mucormycosis causing Ludwig angina become apparent when considering the defect caused by adequate surgical debridement.
Improved Methodology for Detection of Mutations in the BCR-ABL Fusion Gene That Cause Resistance to the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Imatinib.

Abstract Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is caused by a balanced translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 that creates the BCR-ABL fusion gene (FG) and activates the ABL tyrosine kinase (TK). Imatinib inhibits this TK and causes long-term remission in most CML patients. Relapse during imatinib therapy is often associated with mutations in the BCR-ABL FG that cause resistance to inhibition by imatinib. The usual procedure for detecting imatinib resistance mutations involves reverse transcription, PCR of the BCR-ABL FG, then nested PCR of the ABL TK to generate a template for sequencing. This procedure is suboptimal in a clinical laboratory because of the risk of carryover contamination, and extra time and workload, all due to the use of nested PCR. We describe a procedure for preparing sequencing template from the BCR-ABL FG that does not require nested PCR. The initial PCR employs a mixture of thermostable DNA polymerases that increases the sensitivity of the reaction for limiting concentrations of the desired target. One round of PCR provides enough template for sequencing. The PCR products are sequenced directly without gel purification, using three internal primers plus the downstream PCR primer as sequencing primers. The internal primers provide additional specificity resulting in a high quality sequence even if the PCR produces undesired products. Using this methodology we analyzed a series of eleven CML patient specimens selected because of a four-fold or greater increase in expression of the BCR-ABL FG during treatment with imatinib. The expression of BCR-ABL RNA was measured using a reverse transcription Q-PCR assay. The leftover cDNA from the expression assay was used as template for the PCR to generate the sequencing template. Five patients lacked a detectable mutation, and six had a mutation in the BCR-ABL TK. The six mutations found, G279E, F317L, L248V, M351T, F359C, and H396R, had all been seen previously and associated with resistance to imatinib. We conclude that detection of imatinib resistance mutations in the BCR-ABL FG is feasible without using nested PCR, although with a reduced analytical sensitivity. Elimination of the nested PCR step makes the procedure easier, quicker and less likely to suffer from carryover contamination. This method is a viable alternative for the detection of imatinib resistance mutations in the clinical laboratory.
Chlorination Revisited: Does Cl- Serve as a Catalyst in the Chlorination of Phenols?

The aqueous chlorination of (chloro)phenols is one of the best-studied reactions in the environmental literature. Previous researchers have attributed these reactions to two chlorine species: HOCl (at circum-neutral and high pH) and H2OCl+ (at low pH). In this study, we seek to examine the roles that two largely overlooked chlorine species, Cl2 and Cl2O, may play in the chlorination of (chloro)phenols. Solution pH, chloride concentration, and chlorine dose were systematically varied in order to assess the importance of different chlorine species as chlorinating agents. Our findings indicate that chlorination rates at pH < 6 increase substantially when chloride is present, attributed to the formation of Cl2. At pH 6.0 and a chlorine dose representative of drinking water treatment, Cl2O is predicted to have at best a minor impact on chlorination reactions, whereas Cl2 may contribute more than 80% to the overall chlorination rate depending on the (chloro)phenol identity and chloride concentration. While it i...
Understanding the drying shrinkage performance of alkali-activated slag mortars

Abstract In this work, drying shrinkage of four alkali-activated slag (AAS) mortars, prepared using various types/dosages of activator, was characterized at four different levels of relative humidity (RH) and two drying regimes (i.e. direct and step-wise drying). The results show that drying shrinkage values of AAS are significantly dependent on the drying rate, as AAS shrinks more when the RH is decreased gradually, instead of directly. At high RH, the drying shrinkage of AAS exhibits a considerable visco-elastic/visco-plastic behavior, in comparison to ordinary portland cement (OPC). It is concluded that the cause of high-magnitude shrinkage in AAS mortar is due to the high visco-elastic/visco-plastic compliance (low creep modulus) of its solid skeleton. Furthermore, the activator affects the shrinkage behaviors of AAS by influencing the pore structure and mechanical properties.
Comparison between glider-derived geostrophic velocities and shipboard ADCP measurements

On the continental shelf of the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), waters below the permanent pycnocline are strongly influenced by intrusions of water masses shed from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. These intrusions carry relatively warm water toward the coast and to glacier grounding lines, but intrusion locations, mechanisms, and pathways by which this water moves on the shelf are still poorly understood. Dozens of deployments of autonomous underwater vehicles (gliders) in the vicinity of Palmer Deep, a biologically productive canyon on the WAP, have collected temperature and salinity data at extremely high spatial resolution. These data can be used to calculate geostrophic currents in the across-glider-track direction, and this would provide an extensive dataset to study circulation on the WAP shelf, but the relative importance of the geostrophic component to the total current field must first be determined. Here, we present a comparison between one ADCP transect and several repeat glider transects along the same line. Velocities measured by the ADCP are difficult to compare to geostrophic velocities because the shallowest ADCP bin is 46 m below the surface, while geostrophic velocities are referenced to dead-reckoned velocities with a significant contribution from surface currents. Despite limitations, depth-averaged geostrophic currents show promise in being a useful proxy for total depth-average currents on the WAP. The depth-averaged currents from glider deployments show significant day-to-day variability in both magnitude and direction, but the glider transect timed most closely to the ADCP transect showed a similar pattern. Vertical shear is predominantly directed onshore, and measurements of shear below the permanent pycnocline are small compared to those at the surface.
Ensemble and Single Molecule Biophysical Studies of TDP43

Life expectancy has been significantly extended through innovation in modern medicine. Ironically, with longevity comes the greater threat of neurodegenerative diseases: chronic, debilitating illnesses with no cures and limited treatments. The World Health Organization has projected neurodegenerative diseases to overtake cancer in the number of annual disease-related deaths by 2040, second only to cardiovascular disease. TDP43 is a 43 kDa RNA splicing regulator, as well as one of the best biomarkers for several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). TDP43 aggregates have been found in 97% of ALS patients and up to 50% of AD patients. We have studied TDP43 using single molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) combined with ensemble optical (UV Vis and far UV CD) and NMR spectroscopy to determine the structure of TDP43 domains and extrapolate the correlation between structure and pathology. The extent of order or disorder of the N terminal domain has been controversial, but we have conclusive data that this domain is fully folded and plays a critical role in TDP43 oligomerization. The C terminal domain is an intrinsically disordered region that aggregates readily. Our studies show that this domain is fully unstructured, and we have been able to induce folding using the osmolyte/chemical chaperone trimethylamine N oxide (TMAO).
Evaluation of circulating biomarkers of bone metastasis in early-stage breast cancer.

10613 Background: Bone is the preferred site for metastasis of breast cancer, affecting approximately 70% of women with advanced disease. N-terminal of procollagen type 1 (P1NP), c-terminal peptide...
The bat community of Haiti and evidence for its long-term persistence at high elevations

Accurate accounts of both living and fossil mammal communities are critical for creating biodiversity inventories and understanding patterns of changing species diversity through time. We combined data from from14 new fossil localities with literature accounts and museum records to document the bat biodiversity of Haiti through time. We also report an assemblage of late-Holocene (1600–600 Cal BP) bat fossils from a montane cave (Trouing Jean Paul, ~1825m) in southern Haiti. The nearly 3000 chiropteran fossils from Trouing Jean Paul represent 15 species of bats including nine species endemic to the Caribbean islands. The fossil bat assemblage from Trouing Jean Paul is dominated by species still found on Hispaniola (15 of 15 species), much as with the fossil bird assemblage from the same locality (22 of 23 species). Thus, both groups of volant vertebrates demonstrate long-term resilience, at least at high elevations, to the past 16 centuries of human presence on the island.
Electrochemical Testing of Biocide Enhancement by a Mixture of d-Amino Acids for the Prevention of a Corrosive Biofilm Consortium on Carbon Steel

Problematic biofilms cause microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) and biofouling in many industries such as the oil and gas industry, water utilities, and the power generation industry. Equipment failures cause not only economic losses but also environmental damages. A high biocide concentration is required to treat mixed-culture biofilms due to their various defense mechanisms. A biocide enhancer can reduce the dosage or make a biocide more effective. In this work, an equimolar mixture with 100 ppm (w/w) of four d-amino acids (d-tyrosine, d-methionine, d-leucine, and d-tryptophan) labeled as d-mix enhanced 60 ppm alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (ADBAC) against a field biofilm consortium on C1018 carbon steel coupons by achieving at least an extra 2-log reduction of sessile cell counts in the biofilm prevention test. Scanning electron microscopy images, confocal laser scanning microscopy images, weight loss, and pitting data all corroborated the electrochemical tests.
Stories of faith, stories of humanity: fusing phenomenological research with digital storytelling to facilitate interfaith empathy

ABSTRACT“Stories of Faith, Stories of Humanity” is an arts-based, phenomenological research project that transformed research participants’ lived experiences of faith into artistic digital stories to cultivate empathy toward people of different faith backgrounds. As a phenomenological researcher, I interviewed nine participants with diverse spiritual and religious affiliations about their lived experiences of faith. As a digital artist, I then transformed their interviews into artistic digital stories that were sent to them as a “gift of empathy” as well as uploaded onto the website www.storiesoffaithstoriesofhumanity.com to facilitate widespread empathy among the general public. This article outlines the research with digital storytelling to foster both individual and sociocultural healing—to facilitate a therapeutic sense of being empathically listened to among individual participants regarding their faith experiences as well to facilitate widespread interfaith empathy among general society as a whole.
Improved Overall Survival and Locoregional Disease Control With Concurrent PD-1 Pathway Inhibitors and Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Lung Cancer Patients With Brain Metastases.

Purpose Despite the emerging role of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) pathway inhibitors for patients with advanced lung cancer, a paucity of data are available on the activity of these agents among patients with brain metastases. We investigated the outcomes of PD-1 pathway inhibitors and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the treatment of patients with brain metastases from lung cancer. Methods and Materials We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of non-small-cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases consecutively treated with PD-1 pathway inhibitors and SRS at our institution from 2012 to 2017. Overall survival (OS), distant brain failure (DBF), and local control (LC) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regression models. Results We identified 37 patients treated with SRS to 85 lesions (90.6% intact and 9.4% resected) and a median total of 7 doses of PD-1 pathway inhibitors (83.8% nivolumab, 10.8% atezolizumab, 5.4% pembrolizumab). Most lesions were treated with 18 Gy in a single fraction (n = 61; 71.8%). Patients treated with concurrent SRS and PD-1 pathway inhibitors had longer OS and reduced rates of DBF compared with patients treated with SRS before or after PD-1 pathway inhibitor therapy (1-year OS, 87.3% vs 70.0% vs 0%, P = .008; 1-year DBF, 38.5% vs 65.8% vs 100%, P = .042). LC was favorable among lesions treated with SRS concurrent with or after PD-1 pathway inhibitor therapy compared with before PD-1 pathway inhibitor therapy (1-year LC, 100% vs 72.3%, P = .016). Three lesions transiently enlarged after SRS and then had partially or completely resolved on follow-up imaging. Four patients required steroids for SRS-associated toxicity. No patient experienced grade ≥ 4 toxicity. Conclusions Concurrent treatment with SRS and PD-1 pathway inhibitors was associated with favorable OS and locoregional disease control. This combination of therapy was well tolerated and merits further evaluation in larger cohorts in a prospective setting.
Application of the TETRAD II program to the study of student retention in U.S. colleges

We applied TETRAD II, a causal discovery program developed in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Philosophy, to a database containing information on 204 U.S. colleges, collected by the US News and World Report magazine for the purpose of college ranking. Our analysis focuses on possible causes of low freshmen retention in U.S. colleges. TETRAD II finds a set of causal structures that are compatible with the data. One apparently robust finding is that student retention is directly related to the average test scores and high school class standing of the incoming freshmen. When test scores and class standing are controlled for, factors such as student faculty ratio, faculty salary, and university's educational expenses per student are all independent of both retention and graduation rates, and, therefore, do not seem to directly influence student retention. Furthermore, simple linear regression applied to test scores, class standing, and retention data showed that the test scores and class standing explain 52.6% of the variance in freshmen retention rate and 62.5% of the variance in graduation rate (test scores alone explain 50.5% and 62.0% respectively). This result becomes even stronger when computed for the group of top ranking colleges — regression applied to a group of 41 top ranking colleges showed explanation of 68.3% of the variance in freshmen retention rate and 77.0% in graduation rate (66.6% and 75% respectively for test scores alone). As the test scores and class standing are both indicators of the overall quality of the incoming students, we predict that one of the most effective ways of improving student retention in an individual college is increasing the college's selectivity. High selectivity will lead to higher quality of the incoming students and, effectively, to higher retention rate.
Visible imagination: projected play

This paper presents a system for the exploration of projected interfaces. We describe our Visible Imagination (VI) platform combining a camera, projector and torch (flashlight) allowing interaction with the torchlight and shape capture. We describe six application sketches that demonstrate different interaction styles using the platform, reflecting on their success and how they may be applied to play.
Metabolism of dynorphin A 1-13 in human blood and plasma

Purpose. A detailed investigation of the metabolic routes and rates of Dyn A1-13 in human blood and plasma was performed.
Lipid Metabolism and Coronary Artery Disease

The treatment of patients with lipid disorders constitutes one of the most common interventions in adult medical practice and remains the centerpiece of strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease. This chapter examines lipoproteins, the genetic basis of lipid disorders, such as monogenic low-density lipoproteins disorders and monogenic high-density lipoproteins disorders, and the management of coronary heart disease with sections about risk assessment as a guide to selection of therapy and the dietary and drug treatment of lipid disorders.
Clinical predictive factors of overall survival and locoregional failure in advanced laryngeal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiation.

6037Background: Definitive chemoradiation (CRT) has become an established organ preservation treatment for patients (pts) with locoregionally advanced laryngeal cancer. Although most pts will exper...
Lack of emotional clarity and diminished self-efficacy as core problems in functional dependency: A structural equation modeling analysis with a college student sample.

Abstract Background High levels of functional dependency appear to be deleterious to psychological and physical health. The goal of this research was to identify factors responsible for the association between functional dependency and negative health outcomes. Methods Self-report data were collected from 149 undergraduate students. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model in which functional dependency has indirect effects on three negative psychological outcomes (negative affect, functional impairment, and dissatisfaction with life) through two variables: lack of experiential awareness and diminished self-efficacy. Results The model provided a good fit to the data and five of the six indirect effects were statistically significant. Limitations Limitations include self-report and cross-sectional nature of the data. Conclusions These results help to shed light on the core pathology in functional dependency and implicate specific interventions in treating problems associated with this personality trait.
Reardon’s Conception of Human Rights and Human Rights Learning

Betty Reardon has written extensively on human rights and human rights learning. It is important to mention at the outset that Reardon’s conception of human rights (here after HR), and human rights learning (hereafter HRL) are not independent concepts, but interdependent and interrelated within a holistic, comprehensive world view; Reardon is reluctant to atomize and separate fields such as peace, disarmament, abolition of war and sexism, to name a few, from the conceptions of HR and HRL.
The Effect of 1997 on Hong Kong's Law of Transnational Corporate Insolvency

Hong Kong should reform its transnational corporate insolvency law before 1997. The article sets out the Hong Kong rules regarding the recognition of foreign liquidations and discusses the Hong Kong law relating to the winding up of foreign companies under the Companies Ordinance. The article also discusses the economic, political, and legal developments that will affect the post 1997 evolution of Hong Kong’s transnational corporate insolvency law. The weaknesses in the existing legislation and case law framework are highlighted and many legislative amendments are proposed.
Studies on the mechanism of fluoropyrimidine cytotoxicity in l1210 cells: correlation with inhibition of thymidylate synthetase but not with incorporation into RNA.

The effects of 5-fluorouracil (FUra), 5-fluorouridine (FUrd), and 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) on L1210 cells were examined in an effort to determine whether the cytotoxicity of these fluoropyrimidines is more closely associated with incorporation of FUra residues into RNA or inhibition of thymidylate (dTMP) synthetase (5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate: deoxyuridylate C-methyl-transferase, EC 2.1.2.45) by 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridylate (FdUMP). In different batches of cells exposed to equitoxic (LD50) doses of these drugs for 48 hr, the levels of free FdUMP, dUMP, and free dTMP synthetase were found to be very similar. However, the number of FUra residues incorporated into total cellular RNA were in the approximate ratio of 1:10:100 in cells treated with FdUrd, FUrd, and FUra, respectively. Although these results are consistent with a common DNA-directed mechanism of toxicity, thymidine (dThd), which should circumvent dTMP synthetase inhibition, did not rescue the cells from the effects of FUra. However, uridine (Urd), which should compete with FUra for incorporation into RNA, had no effect on the toxicity of FUra either. Urd at 10−5 M did not decrease the amount of incorporation of 10−7M [3H]FUra into total RNA, but a limited fractionation of polysomal RNA showed about a 4-fold decrease of incorporation of FUra into mRNA in the presence of Urd. Urd and dThd did effectively decrease the cytotoxicity of FUrd and FdUrd, respectively. These observations suggest that cell rescue experiments may not be reliable indicators of the mechanism of cytotoxicity of antimetabolites with complex mechanisms of action.
Economic value of community-based services for problematic sexual behaviors in youth: A mixed-method cost-effectiveness analysis.

Abstract Background Problematic sexual behavior in youth represents a significant public health problem in need of evidence-based treatments. Unfortunately, such treatments are not available in most communities. Objective This study used a mixed quantitative-qualitative approach to investigate the economics of the implementation of Problematic Sexual Behavior – Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (PSB-CBT), an evidence-based treatment for problem sexual behaviors in youth. Participants and setting Youth (N = 413) participated in PSB-CBT at six program sites in youth service agencies across the United States. Method We used cost-effectiveness ratios (CERs) to compare the direct and indirect costs of PSB-CBT to self- and caregiver-reported youth clinical outcomes (i.e., problem sexual behavior as well as secondary behavioral health problems). CERs represented the cost of achieving one standard unit of change on a measure (i.e., d = 1.0). The design and interpretation of those quantitative analyses were informed by qualitative themes about program costs and benefits that were derived from interviews with 59 therapists, administrators, and stakeholders. Results CERs (i.e., $ per SD) were $1,772 per youth for problem sexual behavior and ranged from $2,867 to $4,899 per youth for secondary outcomes. These quantitative results, considered alongside the qualitative perspectives of interviewees, suggested that the implementation of PSB-CBT was cost-effective. The results were robust to uncertainty in key parameters under most, but not all, conditions. Conclusions The results have important implications for decisions made by administrators, policymakers, and therapists regarding use of community-based approaches to address problematic sexual behavior of youth.
Analysis of T-Cell Repertoire before and 21 Days after Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation for Systemic Sclerosis.

The goal of autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) in autoimmune diseases is to ablate the clones of autoimmune lymphocytes. We evaluated the T-cell repertoire in 5 patients (pts) with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who received T-depleted (mean T-cell reduction, 5.2 log) autologous PBSCT after a conditioning regimen of cyclophosphamide (200–400 mg/m2/day x 5), fludarabine (25 mg/m2/day x 5), and rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (2.5 mg/kg/day x 3). One pt has had a recurrence of SSc at 12 months after PBSCT; the other pts are progression-free at 4.9+, 5.1+, 6.5+ and 11.5+ months, respectively, after PBSCT. We used 5-color flow cytometry to assess T-cell receptor V-beta repertoire in CD4+ and CD8+ peripheral T-cells susbsetted into central memory (CM; CD45RA−/CD27+), naive (N, CD45RA+/CD27+), effector/memory (EM; CD45RA−/CD27−) and effector (E; CD45RA−/CD27−) populations. Pts were studied before and at 21 days after PBSCT. The pt with recurrence of SSc had 2 large expansions in CD4+ T-cells (Vbeta 1 and 14) before PBSCT, which were conserved and amplified at 21 days post PBSCT. These expansions were limited to the EM and E populations before PBSCT but were evident in all except the E subset at 21 days after PBSCT. Of the remaining 4 pts, none had evidence of CD4 expansions, and 3 had multiple CD8 expansions before PBSCT. In all cases, the expansions were limited to the EM and E populations. None of these T-cell restrictions were conserved in the 21-day post-PBSCT sample. These data suggest that EM and E T-cell expansions present before PBSCT in pts with SSc can be ablated by an immunosuppressive conditioning regimen. Although our observations require confirmation in a larger series of pts, the conservation of restrictions at 21 days after PBSCT may be a poor prognostic sign for efficacy of autologous PBSCT in SSc.
Endogenous Bioelectrics in Development, Cancer, and Regeneration: Drugs and Bioelectronic Devices as Electroceuticals for Regenerative Medicine.

A major frontier in the post-genomic era is the investigation of the control of coordinated growth and three-dimensional form. Dynamic remodeling of complex organs in regulative embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer reveals that cells and tissues make decisions that implement complex anatomical outcomes. It is now essential to understand not only the genetics that specifies cellular hardware but also the physiological software that implements tissue-level plasticity and robust morphogenesis. Here, we review recent discoveries about the endogenous mechanisms of bioelectrical communication among non-neural cells that enables them to cooperate in vivo. We discuss important advances in bioelectronics, as well as computational and pharmacological tools that are enabling the taming of biophysical controls toward applications in regenerative medicine and synthetic bioengineering.
Numerical simulation of a free fall penetrometer deployment using the material point method

Abstract Free Fall Penetrometer (FFP) testing consist of a torpedo-shaped body freefalling into a soil target. The use of this type of device is becoming popular for the characterization of shallow sediments in near-shore and off-shore environments because it is a fast, versatile, and non-expensive test capable of recording acceleration and pore pressures. In recent years, the data analysis advanced considerably, but the soil behavior during fast penetration is still uncertain. Hence, there is a need to develop numerical models capable of simulating this process to improve its understanding. This paper proposes a numerical framework to simulate the deployment of an FFP device in dry sands using the Material Point Method (MPM). A moving mesh technique is used to ensure the accurate geometry of the FFP device throughout the calculation, and the soil-FFP interaction is modelled with a frictional contact algorithm. Moreover, a rigid body algorithm is proposed to model the FFP device, which enhances the performance of the computation and reduces its computational cost. The sand is simulated by using two constitutive models, a non-associate Mohr-Coulomb (MC) and a Strain-Softening Mohr-Coulomb (SSMC) that reduces, exponentially, the strength parameters with the accumulated plastic deviatoric deformation ( Yerro et al., 2016 ). Variable dilatancy, which reduces as a function of the plastic strain, is also taken into account, and the strain-rate effects have been evaluated in terms of peak friction angle. In general, the behavior predicted by the MPM simulations is consistent with the experimental test. The results indicate that the soil stiffness has a big impact on the deceleration time-history and the development of a failure mechanism, but less influence on the magnitude of the peak deceleration and the penetration depth; the soil dilatancy reduces the FFP rebound, and the FFP-soil contact friction angle and the peak friction angle are highly linked to the peak deceleration.
Recent insights into Fc-mediated effector responses to HIV-1.

Purpose of review Recent work defining Fc-mediated effector functions for both viral control and protection against infection is summarized and considered along with new strategies to drive robust Fc-mediated responses. Recent findings In new human and nonhuman primate (NHP) vaccine trials as well as studies of natural infection, Fc-mediated effector responses have sometimes been observed to correlate with decreased risk of infection or with better clinical outcomes, suggesting a potential role for these responses in HIV-1 prevention and therapy. Recent highlights include use of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity-sensitizing CD4-induced mimetic compounds, novel V1V2 immunogens, passive transfer studies, and vaccine regimens that successfully elicited Fc-mediated responses and were reported to decrease risk of infection in challenge studies in NHPs. Lastly, detailed studies of IgG3 forms of HIV-specific antibodies have reported that both neutralizing and Fc-mediated responses can be increased relative to the more prevalent IgG1 subclass. Summary Successful harmonization of neutralizing and Fc-mediated responses may make key contributions to the goal of reducing HIV-1 infection via active and passive vaccination. New studies continue to highlight the importance of Fc-mediated antibody responses as correlates of decreased risk of infection and suggest enhanced phagocytosis is a potential mechanism of reduced risk of infection associated with human IgG3 responses. Results from recent studies may help guide the rational design of therapies and vaccines that aim to specifically leverage antibody effector function.
Income and Wealth Policy: Toward Optimal Inequality

Metaeconomics clarifies that extreme income and wealth inequality can drive deterioration in public health and exacerbate social problems. Metaeconomics clarifies that the inequality is also driving populism, and the move to extreme views in Political Tribes. Most importantly, Metaeconomics clarifies the task as one of finding the optimal amount of inequality. Cases such as in baseball team performance and business performance are highlighted, showing that both extreme equality and extreme inequality decrease overall performance. The focus needs to be on balance in compensation packages, thinking in terms of superstar and typical player, CEO management and labor as integrated in compensation. The same is true in thinking about social security and the minimum wage.
Recommended Practices for Individual Supervision: Considerations for the Behavior-Analytic Trainee

Supervised fieldwork is a critical component in the training of future behavior analysts. A growing body of literature describes best practices in behavior-analytic supervision, yet the trainee is rarely referenced. Additional resources delineating the expectations and suggested practices of the trainee are warranted. The current article describes recommended activities for the behavior-analytic trainee using practice guidelines for the supervisor offered by Sellers, Valentino, and LeBlanc (2016c). This work extends the current literature by outlining the role of the trainee in the supervisory relationship and supervised fieldwork experience.
Let’s Bail!: The evolution of individual-group affiliation in an online gaming community

Abstract Compared to interpersonal social interaction in online communities, the dynamics between individuals and groups has received much less attention. This study seeks to address this gap by examining how ecological factors drive the dissolution of individual-group ties. Guided by the ecology theory, the logic of “jack of all trades”, which argues diversification lowers success, can be applied to understand how individuals access group resources and how group boundaries are collectively constructed. Moreover, interpersonal networks, including within-group and cross-group ties, also affect individual-group interaction. Within the research context of an online gaming community, this study examines the relational dynamics of 8631 persistently active players and their affiliated 2292 groups over thirty-two months. The results show that ecological factors including individual niche width, group category contrast, interpersonal networks, tie age and group age affect the individual-group tie decay hazard.
Foundations and Trends at the Interface of Finance, Operations, and Risk Management

In this work we define the characteristics of the interface of finance, operations, and risk management (iFORM) research and provide examples of iFORM research questions. We illustrate why this is an interesting area and discuss where the two disciplines overlap in a meaningful way. Our goal is to lower the entry cost for new researchers by providing primers on (1) key finance results and papers that OM researchers endeavoring to enter into this field must know; (2) key OM results and papers that finance researchers endeavoring to enter into this field must know. Furthermore, we offer our perspective on resources to help readers to accelerate their iFORM research and on how to write, publish, and referee iFORM papers.
In Vivo Non-Thermal, Selective Cancer Treatment With High-Frequency Medium-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

Focused ultrasound (FUS) has proven its efficacy in non-invasive, radiation-free cancer treatment. However, the commonly used low-frequency high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) destroys both cancerous and healthy tissues non-specifically through extreme heat and inertial cavitation with low spatial resolution. To address this issue, we evaluate the therapeutic effects of pulsed (60 Hz pulse repetition frequency, 1.45 ms pulse width) high-frequency (20.7 MHz) medium-intensity (spatial-peak pulse-average intensity ISPPA in vivo subcutaneous B16F10 melanoma tumor growth model in mice. The pHFMIFU with $104~\mu \text{m}$ focal diameter is generated by a microfabricated self-focusing acoustic transducer (SFAT) with a Fresnel acoustic lens. A three-axis positioning system has been developed for automatic scanning of the transducer to cover a larger treatment volume, while a water-cooling system is custom-built for dissipating non-acoustic heat from the transducer surface. Initial testing revealed that pHFMIFU treatment can be applied to a living animal while maintaining skin temperature under 35.6 °C without damaging normal skin and tissue. After eleven days of treatment with pHFMIFU, the treated tumors were significantly smaller with large areas of necrosis and apoptosis in the treatment field compared to untreated controls. Potential mechanisms of this selective, non-thermal killing effect, as well as possible causes of and solutions to the variation in treatment results, have been analyzed and proposed. The pHFMIFU could potentially be used as a new therapeutic modality for safer cancer treatment especially in critical body regions, due to its cancer-specific effects and high spatial resolution.
ClamR: A statistical evaluation of isotopic and temperature records in sclerochronologic studies

Abstract Isotope sclerochronology has been widely used to reconstruct paleoclimate from the hard part remains of a broad range of taxa from many different environmental settings and geological and cultural contexts. Oxygen isotope (δ18O) time series derived from these ultra high-resolution (daily, seasonal, annual) records have been used to estimate annual averages, seasonal ranges, and seasonal extremes. These time series, however, inherently include uncertainties such as unconstrained environmental noise, changes in seasonal growth rates resulting in weighting annual temperature estimates toward seasons of maximum growth, growth cessation, and reliance on the most extreme δ18O values in the time series to estimate seasonal temperature range, etc. To better quantify uncertainties in paleoclimate reconstructions using sclerochronologic data, we developed an open-source R package, ClamR. The ClamR evaluation tool improves upon the previous best-fit sinusoid approach by introducing additional statistical computation and analysis, including Discrete Fourier Transform to initialize parameters for the sinusoidal function, Nelder–Mead method to optimize parameters, jackknife error estimation, and window size calculation for sinusoidal smoothing. It can automatically calculate and plot statistical errors for oxygen isotope or temperature data series and provide statistical estimation of temperature and isotopic variables such as annual averages, seasonal ranges, and seasonal extremes. Moreover, it allows evaluation of the influence of environmental and/or physiological noise added to the climate signal. Therefore, ClamR enables more comprehensive and justified comparison between paleoclimate reconstructions and modern instrument records and ultimately advances our interpretation of seasonal isotope records from biogenic hard parts.
Dynamic Simulations of Urban Environments

Environmental design professions have rediscovered visual simulation. This current wave of interest appears to be closely related to advances in computer technology. Professionals can now expect to use computer modeling techniques to capture the world around us and future changes within it. However, visual simulations of planning and design proposals have been part of professional communication since the beginning of the profession (Kostof, 1977).
Reaction pathways during coprocessing : the reactivity patterns of coals and resids in hydrogen atom transfer, carbon-carbon scission, and hydrodemethylation

Abstract Illinois No. 6 coal, Wyodak coal, Lloydminster resid and Hondo resid have been investigated in the absence of added dihydrogen to establish their influence upon hydrogen atom transfer reactions with tetralin-d12 and with tetralin-d12 and diphenylmethane, in fragmentation reactions with 1,3-diphenylpropane, and in hydrodemethylation reactions with 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene. The reactions were carried out in glass reactors at 400 °C. The fossil fuel materials accelerate the hydrogen atom transfer reactions of tetralin with the coals and resids and of tetralin with diphenylmethane. The degree of hydrogen atom transfer in mixtures that contain both coals and resids is essentially additive. The coals and resids also enhance the decomposition reactions of 1,3-diphenylpropane to toluene and styrene or ethylbenzene. However, the fossil fuels do not accelerate the hydrodemethylation of 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene at 400 °C. The results for the three reaction probes suggest that selective hydrogen atom transfer reactions blend with initiation reactions and carbon-carbon scission reactions in subtle ways to produce novel coprocessing reactivity patterns, and imply that the addition of hydrogen atom donor solvents actually interferes with the utilization of the resid in the conversion of coal.
Plastic processes in the dentate gyrus: a computational perspective

The dentate gyrus has the capacity for numerous types of synaptic plasticity that use diverse mechanisms and are thought essential for the storage of information in the hippocampus. Here we review the various forms of synaptic plasticity that involve afferents and efferents of the dentate gyrus, and, from a computational perspective, relate how these plastic processes might contribute to sparse, orthogonal encoding, and the selective recall of information within the hippocampus.
Modeling of transport through semiconductor quantum dots: an approach based on the direct solution of the coupled Poisson-Boltzmann equations

We report on a computational approach based on the self-consistent solution of the steady-state Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) coupled with the Poisson equation for the study of inhomogeneous transport in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). The nonlinear, coupled Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) system is solved numerically using finite difference methods. Preliminary studies of high-field and high-temperature transport characteristics of sample QDs show a build-up of strong fields in the QD region, charge redistribution due to the applied and built-in field and interesting fine structure in the high-energy tail of the electron distribution function in the QD region.